Piano Library
- Thread starter BenG
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BenG
Senior Member
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BenG
Senior Member
Definitely agree! In this instance, I was looking for something mote 'plug-and-play' so to speak. Either geat sounding out of the box or with some available presets.
dzilizzi
Senior Member
This may sound strange, but I found that adding PSP's Piano Verb (there is a basic free version but the paid is a little better) made any piano I use sound so much better. Imperfect Samples also makes some great sounding pianos. I have the Walnut Steinway Concert Grand. Adding the PSP Piano Verb (which adds a string vibration FX) makes it really sounds big to me. Of course, my system is not a great one so YMMV.
another tip: use valhalla shimmer on any vi piano and you get quite a good cinematic sound. Use basic preset and off you go....
Sears Poncho
Senior Member
You might like Session Keys by E Instruments, which I call "piano that can do tricks". Lots of presets, from concert hall to reverse, sound effects (lots of pedal noises) etc. It also has built-in phrases i.e. hit one key and sound like Van Cliburn. It's a very clever program.
JohnG
Senior Member
Has anyone purchased the bundle of VI labs and received it? I find it suspicious that on VI labs' own site the discount is more like 30%, not the 74% being offered by VSTBuzz (broken link removed)
I don't own but have been hankering for the American True Keys piano for ages (VI Labs).
I don't own but have been hankering for the American True Keys piano for ages (VI Labs).
SGordB
Active Member
I bought it last week and registered it with VI Labs. The deal is real. Just don't try to register it using your iLok password instead of your user ID as I impatiently did. Took over a day to straighten that out.
SGordB
Active Member
A few months ago, I finally upgraded from Kontakt 4 - not to 5 but to Komplete for just $200 (NI's occasional 50% off special). That bundle included most of their pianos - Giant, Grandeur, Gentleman, Maverick, Una Corda - and every one of them has a straight-up unaffected solo piano side and an ample, effected, "scoring piano" side. Certainly a great bang-for-the-buck solution if you can wait until their next blowout, probably come Boxing week.
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dzilizzi
Senior Member
I bought the True Keys the last time they were on one of these sales - I think it was Audioplugin deals. And I have bought from VSTBuzz before as well. The product you buy is the full product, it is just a limited time sale. It is actually a great set of pianos. I think the only thing I don't like about it is that it uses one of the players that I don't regularly use - I think it is UVI's. So I tend to forget that I have them.
chasmanian
Active Member
I keep thinking about getting this. would you possibly please say more about what you like about them?
(I have Ravenscroft and it does play in UVI.)
Quasar
Senior Member
I still have no earthly idea what a "cinematic" tone is. I do watch films and (like probably most everyone here) listen more intently to the music than the average person, and I hear lots of tones.
I have and like Galaxy Vintage D for its authentic concert grand piano sound and for its extensive tweakability; both Una Corda and Spitfire's free Felt pianos for ethereally soft and otherworldly nuances; and Pianoteq (Stage) for the superior tactile sensitivity afforded by the physical modelling. IMHO this much more than amply covers anything you might ask a virtual piano to do.
I have and like Galaxy Vintage D for its authentic concert grand piano sound and for its extensive tweakability; both Una Corda and Spitfire's free Felt pianos for ethereally soft and otherworldly nuances; and Pianoteq (Stage) for the superior tactile sensitivity afforded by the physical modelling. IMHO this much more than amply covers anything you might ask a virtual piano to do.
dzilizzi
Senior Member
Truthfully, I am probably not the one to ask. They all sound good to me. And I usually end up with my studio grand from Addictive Keys because it works well in a mix, sounds decent, is easy to use and doesn't eat my RAM.
Out of the True Keys, I thought I would like the Fazioli the best, but I actually like the sound of the Bechstein best. It sounds like there is a real piano in the room to me. And it seemed warmer? I don't know. I just know what I like. Especially when I add some reverb. They have multiple mic positions which I usually mix and it works well with other instruments. I don't really play, so I can't speak to the pedal action.
I usually grab midi from EZKeys for my piano parts or the Chord track from Cubase. They all sound good. I actually did a "shoot out" of my pianos and they all had good points. I have NI Ultimate, so I have a bunch of those pianos. And that was when I discovered that the PSP piano verb improved the sound of pretty much any piano.
Out of the True Keys, I thought I would like the Fazioli the best, but I actually like the sound of the Bechstein best. It sounds like there is a real piano in the room to me. And it seemed warmer? I don't know. I just know what I like. Especially when I add some reverb. They have multiple mic positions which I usually mix and it works well with other instruments. I don't really play, so I can't speak to the pedal action.
I usually grab midi from EZKeys for my piano parts or the Chord track from Cubase. They all sound good. I actually did a "shoot out" of my pianos and they all had good points. I have NI Ultimate, so I have a bunch of those pianos. And that was when I discovered that the PSP piano verb improved the sound of pretty much any piano.
chasmanian
Active Member
thank you for your excellent thoughtful reply.
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BenG
Senior Member
For what it is worth, 'cinematic' was probably not the best descriptor. More specifically, I was looking for library that had a piano sound that featured a;
1. Very Full Mid/Low End
2. Wide Stereo Field
3. Long Reverb Tail
4. Cuts Through Mix
At this point, I think that NI's Komplete as @SGordB mentioned would be my best bet as it has a bunch of options in a 'all-in-one' package.
1. Very Full Mid/Low End
2. Wide Stereo Field
3. Long Reverb Tail
4. Cuts Through Mix
At this point, I think that NI's Komplete as @SGordB mentioned would be my best bet as it has a bunch of options in a 'all-in-one' package.
marclawsonmusic
Senior Moment
You can get this 'cinematic' sound with almost any piano library by adding EQ and reverb / delay.
dzilizzi
Senior Member
If you are only looking at pianos? You would be better off grabbing the True Keys sale if it is still on. Komplete is great. And you are getting a lot more than pianos. But you really have to go for the Ultimate for the full piano array. And I don't think it is on sale right now. So close to $1K. I would grab True Keys and wait for the sale next June. It is usually half off.
tiago
Active Member
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Soundiron's Emotional Piano yet on this thread... While not my very first personal favorite, it seems to match the description of the kind of piano you're looking for quite well. While a bit old in comparison to some of the pianos mentioned previously, its cinematic tone still holds something special (Malmsjo is even older and it's still the favorite of many composers...) and it's, in my opinion, definitely worth considering it as well.
