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Post by thehightenor on Nov 28, 2021 14:22:22 GMT -6
Depends on the musical setting and arrangement.
In a busy mix I prefer a less dense less realistic piano and it always seems to fit better.
For an exposed or solo piano part I'm still digging Ivory II (even after all these years)
For a typical "studio session" I'm digging Keyscape's C7.
NI Alecia's Keys is very good at times as is Piano in Blue.
When I'm going for a pop Elton John, Billy Joel bright and upfront piano sound then I'll do the old trick of compressing the heck out of
a parallel channel with a filter on it picking out just the high-mid bight part of the spectrum and mix in to taste at which point
virtually any piano VI will work :-)
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Post by popmann on Nov 28, 2021 15:03:35 GMT -6
The Keyscape Wing upright isn't comparable to A U3...which I own, FWIW--is an upright grand. 52". And NOT made at the turn of the century.
Addictive did the U3 well for cheap AF, eInstruments maybe a touch more realisticly, and Synthology did it most accurately--they used a U5, but that's the same piano with more ornate appointments. If anyone cares--DIFFERENT than the U1 which is a lot brighter and "yamaha sounding/feeling" if that makes sense. I suppose many won't care which is more authentic...but, I thought I'd chime in for anyone who IS fixated on the U3/5 sound.
Anyway--those modern Yamaha uprights ARE a different beast that vintage axes.
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Post by the other mark williams on Nov 28, 2021 15:10:07 GMT -6
Does Keyscape ever go on sale?
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Post by ragan on Nov 28, 2021 15:27:33 GMT -6
I love this whole thing, but man the Cory Henry stuff is just ridiculous. That dude is otherworldly on the keys. Skip to 5:50 if you want to hear him on the Keyscape C7 grand.
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Post by the other mark williams on Nov 28, 2021 15:30:48 GMT -6
I love this whole thing, but man the Cory Henry stuff is just ridiculous. That dude is otherworldly on the keys. Skip to 5:50 if you want to hear him on the Keyscape C7 grand. I'm afraid to watch this. I really don't want to spend $400 on Keyscape right now... |
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Post by aremos on Nov 28, 2021 19:01:05 GMT -6
Just picked up the Garritan Yamaha CFX @ 30% off @ Time Space. The classical music samples are, besides the VSL Synchrons, the best I've heard.
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Post by drbill on Nov 28, 2021 20:43:48 GMT -6
I'm wanting to like the Garritan CFX, but there's just something "off" sounding to me. Something 2 dimensional or covered on the top end. Could very well be the sample player over internet, but I haven't been able to pull the trigger yet.  . Will see how I feel tomorrow...... LOL Bottom line is that until you actually play them, it's all a crap shoot. Hope the best for you aremos !!! Let us know if a few days after the 150GB download is done!!! |
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Post by aremos on Nov 28, 2021 21:20:59 GMT -6
You just reminded me I'm going to need a dedicated SSD for it.
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Post by the other mark williams on Nov 28, 2021 23:21:14 GMT -6
I'm wanting to like the Garritan CFX, but there's just something "off" sounding to me. Something 2 dimensional or covered on the top end. Could very well be the sample player over internet, but I haven't been able to pull the trigger yet. . Will see how I feel tomorrow...... LOL Bottom line is that until you actually play them, it's all a crap shoot. Hope the best for you aremos !!! Let us know if a few days after the 150GB download is done!!! I haven't listened to it much, but even with the SoundCloud compression, that performance of "Blackbird" sounds pretty good to me. I'm curious if you're hearing what you describe in that example, too, Bill. I do hear something in the Liszt example that sounds a little "different" - it feels like there's more mic distance on the treble end vs. the bass end of the piano or something. The Rachmaninoff piece is a little better in that regard, though it never feels like the piano is going to explode, and I'm kind of looking for explosions on Rachmaninoff, honestly. So maybe it's a little too controlled or boxed-in or something? Regardless, I'm pretty impressed with the "Blackbird" rendition and the "Leaf" rendition, which are closer to real world for me. EDIT: I just realized there is also a "Lite" version, and they have an example of what I assume is the same MIDI file for "Blackbird" played on it. Whoa, I do not like it near as much as the full version on that song. It's like a totally different deal. Not a fan of the Lite version so far in listening. |
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Post by lando on Nov 29, 2021 1:10:19 GMT -6
Just picked up the Garritan Yamaha CFX @ 30% off @ Time Space. The classical music samples are, besides the VSL Synchrons, the best I've heard. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed, it’s a pretty amazing library and more playable than any of the other sampled options IMO. Just remember to turn off the limiter that seems to be active in all presets. There’s a few different mic options, all sound great but a bit different. I usually have mostly close and mix in a little room, but have used mainly room with some added close in more classical contexts. Now I only wish they did a Steinway D library in Abbey road cause that room sure sounds amazing. |
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Post by aremos on Nov 29, 2021 2:09:08 GMT -6
Just picked up the Garritan Yamaha CFX @ 30% off @ Time Space. The classical music samples are, besides the VSL Synchrons, the best I've heard. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed, it’s a pretty amazing library and more playable than any of the other sampled options IMO. Just remember to turn off the limiter that seems to be active in all presets. There’s a few different mic options, all sound great but a bit different. I usually have mostly close and mix in a little room, but have used mainly room with some added close in more classical contexts. Now I only wish they did a Steinway D library in Abbey road cause that room sure sounds amazing. Hi Lando, What do you recommend for a smooth running of this plugin? Should I have a SSD (internal or external) dedicated to it? Presently use a Mac 2012 5,1 (3.46/64GB).
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Post by lando on Nov 29, 2021 3:57:19 GMT -6
I don’t think you’ll be disappointed, it’s a pretty amazing library and more playable than any of the other sampled options IMO. Just remember to turn off the limiter that seems to be active in all presets. There’s a few different mic options, all sound great but a bit different. I usually have mostly close and mix in a little room, but have used mainly room with some added close in more classical contexts. Now I only wish they did a Steinway D library in Abbey road cause that room sure sounds amazing. Hi Lando, What do you recommend for a smooth running of this plugin? Should I have a SSD (internal or external) dedicated to it? Presently use a Mac 2012 5,1 (3.46/64GB).
I have only ever run it off SSDs, right now an external Sandisk Extreme. But it isn't too bad on the resources, and runs much more smoothly than for instance the Walker (that is Kontakt based), so my uneducated guess is that it would world perfectly off a slower disc as well. Sometimes I run it at the same time as tens of heavy orchestral libraries from the same SSD, so there should be some overhead there I guess... |
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Post by ab101 on Nov 29, 2021 10:45:48 GMT -6
I suppose this sale is running out at VIlabs for Ravenscroft and their upright. Some people really love their upright called the Modern U which is a more recent addition. www.vilabsaudio.com/ |
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Post by drbill on Nov 29, 2021 11:57:49 GMT -6
I'm wanting to like the Garritan CFX, but there's just something "off" sounding to me. EDIT: I just realized there is also a "Lite" version, and they have an example of what I assume is the same MIDI file for "Blackbird" played on it. Whoa, I do not like it near as much as the full version on that song. It's like a totally different deal. Not a fan of the Lite version so far in listening. Yeah, I caught that too. "Lite" is proported to be identical to the full version - minus the extra mic positions. You just get the one mic position. That's one thing that's giving me pause for thought. |
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Post by ab101 on Nov 29, 2021 12:56:01 GMT -6
As to the CFX, VSL may be the choice for some people: I would also add that VSL uses some decent mics for their samples. Some other libraries do not. www.vsl.info/en/manuals/synchron-pianos/microphone-positionsI have had bad luck with Garritan abandoning a product in the past (Garritan Steinway), so I am biased. |
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Post by ragan on Nov 30, 2021 9:23:53 GMT -6
I’m kinda smitten with the VSL Bluthner. Sounds damn nice to me and a lot different from the C7 in Keyscape that I use a lot. On sale through today, I might grab it.
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Post by ragan on Dec 1, 2021 0:45:26 GMT -6
I bought it, the Bluthner full version.
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Post by the other mark williams on Dec 1, 2021 23:40:01 GMT -6
Dumb move from me:
I bought the XLN upright Yamaha U3 (for $37). I spent about 20-30 mins trying to get it to sound remotely like any of the demos. I’m sure those sounds are in there, but I couldn’t find them.
In frustration, I loaded up the “U4” model in Pianoteq 7 Standard. Within 4 mins I had a sound that KILLED in comparison. So I had to buy that U4 expansion on the spot.
Dumb. Dumb. I should’ve just tried the Pianoteq version first.
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Post by ab101 on Dec 2, 2021 0:29:42 GMT -6
Dumb move from me: I bought the XLN upright Yamaha U3 (for $37). I spent about 20-30 mins trying to get it to sound remotely like any of the demos. I’m sure those sounds are in there, but I couldn’t find them. In frustration, I loaded up the “U4” model in Pianoteq 7 Standard. Within 4 mins I had a sound that KILLED in comparison. So I had to buy that U4 expansion on the spot. Dumb. Dumb. I should’ve just tried the Pianoteq version first. I am curious how the pianoteq U4 is versus the UVI Modern U. Thank you "the other mark williams" for posting this as it caused me to listen to samples on line, and it made me realize how beautiful the Yamaha U3 is. |
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Post by bossanova on Jan 12, 2022 15:35:26 GMT -6
I used to use the Galaxy Vintage D. Good all purpose sampled piano, not too huge. These days I use Pianoteq for the realism in the modeling (I.e., not round robin samples) as well as the various tweaks and mono compatibility should it be required. That said, a good piano blows them both away for sound and playability.
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Post by ab101 on Nov 3, 2022 16:37:00 GMT -6
Here is a VSL Steinway preset I have been working on. It may be helpful as a starting point. This was for a Roland RD2000 as the midi controller. 1drv.ms/u/s!ArEQR-Xab4uSmMg9pBDCI3LAuH2V_g?e=G79wmG Please note that the entire url has to be copied into the browser for it to direct to the file. |
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Post by mcirish on Nov 4, 2022 14:00:43 GMT -6
Dumb move from me: I bought the XLN upright Yamaha U3 (for $37). I spent about 20-30 mins trying to get it to sound remotely like any of the demos. I’m sure those sounds are in there, but I couldn’t find them. In frustration, I loaded up the “U4” model in Pianoteq 7 Standard. Within 4 mins I had a sound that KILLED in comparison. So I had to buy that U4 expansion on the spot. Dumb. Dumb. I should’ve just tried the Pianoteq version first. Strange. I have a Yamaha U3 and also the XLN Upright. When I'm too lazy to tune the real U3, I use the XLN for demos. It sounds very similar (within reason). I do notice the XLN has a pretty steep hi-cut right around 10KHZ or so. the real U3 always wins but the XLN is serviceable for that type of sound. But, I have to say, I really don't care much for most sampled grand pianos. The U3 can sound pretty close to a real grand when the covers are off and it's mic'd on the bottom. It's also very inspiring to play, unlike a controller and samples. It didn't used to bother me until I bought the U3. Ignorance was bliss... and a lot cheaper. |
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Piano VST
Nov 4, 2022 14:20:59 GMT -6
via mobile
Post by the other mark williams on Nov 4, 2022 14:20:59 GMT -6
Dumb move from me: I bought the XLN upright Yamaha U3 (for $37). I spent about 20-30 mins trying to get it to sound remotely like any of the demos. I’m sure those sounds are in there, but I couldn’t find them. In frustration, I loaded up the “U4” model in Pianoteq 7 Standard. Within 4 mins I had a sound that KILLED in comparison. So I had to buy that U4 expansion on the spot. Dumb. Dumb. I should’ve just tried the Pianoteq version first. Strange. I have a Yamaha U3 and also the XLN Upright. When I'm too lazy to tune the real U3, I use the XLN for demos. It sounds very similar (within reason). I do notice the XLN has a pretty steep hi-cut right around 10KHZ or so. the real U3 always wins but the XLN is serviceable for that type of sound. But, I have to say, I really don't care much for most sampled grand pianos. The U3 can sound pretty close to a real grand when the covers are off and it's mic'd on the bottom. It's also very inspiring to play, unlike a controller and samples. It didn't used to bother me until I bought the U3. Ignorance was bliss... and a lot cheaper. It’s been a long time since I loaded up the XLN version. I personally vastly prefer the Pianoteq version. Maybe I should give the XLN another shot |
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Post by linas on Nov 29, 2022 4:02:20 GMT -6
I don't really use piano that much in my music, because pianos are fucking weird. But I have Piano V2 and it does the job. But what do I know, lol.
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Post by Vincent R. on Nov 29, 2022 9:03:04 GMT -6
My arranger swears by Pianoteq, and from everything we've worked on I can say it sounds wonderful. I just bought Noire after watching Colt Capparrune's review on it. It looked and sounded really nice. So, I'm looking forward to diving into that. Funny enough I picked up Waves Grand Rhapsody Piano a few years ago for like $20, and it has seriously served me well. It just sounds like a real piano to me. It maybe the more classical style music I'm doing, but its worth a look. It's been my go to for theatrical piano/vocal recoridngs. I used it on the EP for the musical "Voyages" which I co starred in and produced/engineered the EP. schaeburmusic.wixsite.com/voyages/mediaAlso used it on this "Live in Studio" performance of "Glitter and Be Gay" performed by Lauren Gobes. |
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