# We're BACK! OUT NOW: The Dorian Marko Piano (50% Off Opening Sale)



## Auddict (Apr 11, 2022)

We at Auddict have worked _*tirelessly*_ over the past couple of years recording, re-recording, producing, adjusting and finally perfecting this fabulous new virtual grand piano - a VST recorded with pianist Dorian Marko's very own golden-era Steinway D concert grand piano.

*Presenting the Dorian Marko Piano*
As far as we are concerned, the most realistic digital re-creation of a concert grand piano yet.



Runs as a standalone, VST/VST3, AU and AAX plugin. Compatible with all major DAWs. M1 native.

*www.auddict.com/dorian-marko-piano*

*FOUR Piano Models*
Four different piano modes: “classical” (for a traditional concert sound), “stage” (for rock, pop, jazz), “attic” (a soft, haunting sound which works in cinematic productions) and “stardust” (highly experimental sonic effects).

*Inspiring Graphical Interface*
A truly inspiring and graphically rich visual display which can inspire and even be recorded for streaming or uploading your performances/recordings online.






Lifelike Sustain Pedal Resonance​We've even re-created the *sympathetic resonance behaviour of the sustain pedal*... but did we stop there? _*Of course not.*_ We've made it so that you can even adjust the amount of sympathetic resonance.

Una Corda Mode​We specially and separately sampled the una corda pedal, you get the real thing. The una corda sound on this piano is very prominent and very special.

Fourteen Velocity Layers​We’ve never spent this much time sampling an instrument; months of sampling and re-sampling until it was perfect. We made sure to capture every single detail from this very special Steinway Model D concert grand piano.

Transform Your Sound​You can even adjust the mechanical sounds of the instruments. Alter the sound of the pedal going up/down, the hammers strikes, hammer releases, note releases, room/background noise.

*Walkthrough Video (more to come)*


​Piano prepared for this project by renowned piano tech Iain Gordon who has prepared pianos for Lang Lang, Evgeny Kissin, Martha Argerich, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Chick Corea and more.​
*Iain had this to say about our instrument:*
_""Having worked with Steinway pianos all my life, I’m really impressed with the sound Auddict have achieved. It’s certainly the best digital piano sound I’ve ever heard."_












Three Mic Positions​Play anything from the closest driest piano sound appropriate for pop/rock/jazz to a hugely ambient and distant concerto sounding concert grand for classical pianists.

Velocity Curve​Adjust the dynamic response of your piano with an interactive velocity curve.


Trailer:



Some performance demos:


----------



## Auddict (Apr 13, 2022)

Quick demo: 

**


----------



## CGR (Apr 13, 2022)

Sounds promising. Rachmaninoff is often awe inspiring, but nothing reveals the tone of a piano like a Chopin Nocturne.


----------



## Auddict (Apr 14, 2022)

CGR said:


> Sounds promising. Rachmaninoff is often awe inspiring, but nothing reveals the tone of a piano like a Chopin Nocturne.


True! Expect some Rach demos too nevertheless!


----------



## Penthagram (Apr 28, 2022)

Hello Auddict  How is this release coming along? Any more demos planned soon? 

Thank you!


----------



## Auddict (May 15, 2022)

Penthagram said:


> Hello Auddict  How is this release coming along? Any more demos planned soon?
> 
> Thank you!


Adding demos tonight and will announce release date shortly!


----------



## Auddict (May 16, 2022)

Trailer out now:

*Release date SET: Friday 27th May!*


----------



## Auddict (May 17, 2022)

New demo added! Also happy to announce that with the DMP, we will also be releasing M1 compatible versions of Hexeract and PercX as updates at the same time.

**


----------



## catibi79 (May 17, 2022)

Auddict said:


> New demo added! Also happy to announce that with the DMP, we will also be releasing M1 compatible versions of Hexeract and PercX as updates at the same time.
> 
> **



Cooool!


----------



## tressie5 (May 17, 2022)

Sigh. One of the disappointments I notice with devs is they're quick to point out how great their product is, like it's the reinvention of sliced bread, then tell you things about their product you can find anywhere else. To wit: sympathetic resonance behaviour of the sustain pedal, adjust hammer sounds and mic positions, different piano models, releases, reverb, "professional virtuoso pianist" (tells me nothing), etc. 

Any piano sample library worth its salt, such as Acousticsamples C7 Grand or VI Labs Modern U, have all these options and then some. Unless you really have something unique you can't find anywhere else, you're just throwing your hat in the "me too" pile. "Most realistic digital re-creation of a concert grand" is a subjective, not factual, statement and points the dev towards the snake oil bin. Sorry.


----------



## slobajudge (May 17, 2022)

tressie5 said:


> Sigh. One of the disappointments I notice with devs is they're quick to point out how great their product is, like it's the reinvention of sliced bread, then tell you things about their product you can find anywhere else. To wit: sympathetic resonance behaviour of the sustain pedal, adjust hammer sounds and mic positions, different piano models, releases, reverb, "professional virtuoso pianist" (tells me nothing), etc.
> 
> Any piano sample library worth its salt, such as Acousticsamples C7 Grand or VI Labs Modern U, have all these options and then some. Unless you really have something unique you can't find anywhere else, you're just throwing your hat in the "me too" pile. "Most realistic digital re-creation of a concert grand" is a subjective, not factual, statement and points the dev towards the snake oil bin. Sorry.


Isn't it better to wait happily and be optimistic that it's really as they say? If not, it was nice to wait. I love the optimistic approach to finding my definite digital piano.I don't know if that's possible.


----------



## filipjonathan (May 17, 2022)

I'm interested in finding out more about this.


----------



## fan455 (May 17, 2022)

Cool! Maybe a bit dark and round sounding to my taste. Velocity response sounds promising.


----------



## Auddict (May 18, 2022)

fan455 said:


> Cool! Maybe a bit dark and round sounding to my taste. Velocity response sounds promising.


The sound on this one is pretty round and dark yep - quite characteristic of a Steinway D concert grand. The una corda is used a lot in this demo which adds even more - as you describe it - darkness 

There are, however, four models and numerous controls to adjust the sound, and one of them is indeed very bright and up-close. It's also very EQ-friendly, so you can certainly get some

Glad you picked up on the velocity stuff, we put extra care to ensure we get all the fine-grades of the low velocities, and also the crazy fortissississississimos - one of the upcoming videos has a clip from the Tchaik concerto's huge opening chords in there, it's a great demonstration of this


----------



## axb312 (May 18, 2022)

Where was this recorded?


----------



## filipjonathan (May 18, 2022)

@Auddict So this is a modeled piano, right? Like Pianoteq?


----------



## Auddict (May 19, 2022)

filipjonathan said:


> @Auddict So this is a modeled piano, right? Like Pianoteq?


Nope it's a full on sample library - we are referring to the different tabs as "models" due to their different sound, sets of controls, interface, visuals etc


----------



## Cdnalsi (May 19, 2022)

Auddict said:


> Nope it's a full on sample library - we are referring to the different tabs as "models" due to their different sound, sets of controls, interface, visuals etc


How many dynamic layers are there recorded?


----------



## filipjonathan (May 19, 2022)

Auddict said:


> Nope it's a full on sample library - we are referring to the different tabs as "models" due to their different sound, sets of controls, interface, visuals etc


Sweet! I'm also interested in the number of vel layers as Cdnalsi above.


----------



## Auddict (May 19, 2022)

Cdnalsi said:


> How many dynamic layers are there recorded?


14 Layers for the full sustains and 7 for the una corda (soft pedal) mode


----------



## axb312 (May 19, 2022)

Where was this recorded?


----------



## Auddict (May 19, 2022)

axb312 said:


> Where was this recorded?


In a mid-size concert hall in the UK


----------



## slobajudge (May 19, 2022)

Is the half pedal implemented and is there minimum and maximum settings for half pedal ? Thank you.


----------



## hlecedre (May 19, 2022)

tressie5 said:


> "Most realistic digital re-creation of a concert grand" is a subjective


Agreed. Marketing shouldn't go beyond informing potential customers of who you are and what you have to offer. The customer is smart enough to discover and figure out if your product is most realistic or not. Judging from the Claire de Lune demo in this thread, this does sound like a very good Steinway D piano. I'd likely buy it if the price is right and if the data space to hold it isn't outrageously large.


----------



## filipjonathan (May 19, 2022)

hlecedre said:


> if the data space to hold it isn't outrageously large.


Yes! Please don't include 26 mic signals!


----------



## tressie5 (May 19, 2022)

"14 Layers for the full sustains and 7 for the una corda (soft pedal) mode"

By those numbers, and if it's 16bit/48khz, I'm guessing somewhere between 10gb to 16gb? Significantly more if it's 24bit/96khz.


----------



## Auddict (May 21, 2022)

slobajudge said:


> Is the half pedal implemented and is there minimum and maximum settings for half pedal ? Thank you.


We unfortunately have not included a half-pedal option, although this is a very reasonable update suggestion!



filipjonathan said:


> Yes! Please don't include 26 mic signals!


It's a three mic position mixer  not to worry! It's a very reasonable 11.5GB, and we are also using a proprietary compression algorithm which allows us to pack much more in there.


tressie5 said:


> By those numbers, and if it's 16bit/48khz, I'm guessing somewhere between 10gb to 16gb? Significantly more if it's 24bit/96khz.


Definitely 24bit, not to worry


----------



## slobajudge (May 21, 2022)

Auddict said:


> We unfortunately have not included a half-pedal option, although this is a very reasonable update suggestion!
> 
> 
> It's a three mic position mixer  not to worry! It's a very reasonable 11.5GB, and we are also using a proprietary compression algorithm which allows us to pack much more in there.
> ...


I’m sorry that’s the case because today a serious virtual piano without a half pedal is not a serious product. I suggest that you make sure to insert the half pedal and look at how the companies VSL and Vilabs, which generally have the best pianos, did it. I hope you want your piano to fall into that category as well.


----------



## filipjonathan (May 21, 2022)

slobajudge said:


> I’m sorry that’s the case because today a serious virtual piano without a half pedal is not a serious product.


There are tons of piano libraries out there that do not have half pedaling and they are indeed considered serious products so I don't see why you are using the judgemental tone.


----------



## slobajudge (May 21, 2022)

filipjonathan said:


> There are tons of piano libraries out there that do not have half pedaling and they are indeed considered serious products so I don't see why you are using the judgemental tone.


I hope that it is in everyone's interest for this piano to overshadow any other virtual piano. Maybe that's why I sound harsh, but with good intentions. I don't know which are pianos without a half pedal and without some additional problem when playing solo. The half-pedal is not a guarantee of playability, but it is a step in better sound control especially for classical music.


----------



## Alex C (May 22, 2022)

Sounds promising, but I don't play fast, so I need to hear some slow pieces.


----------



## fan455 (May 22, 2022)

Half pedal is not that essential to me, but does it support repedal?


----------



## dorianmarko (May 22, 2022)

slobajudge said:


> I hope that it is in everyone's interest for this piano to overshadow any other virtual piano. Maybe that's why I sound harsh, but with good intentions. I don't know which are pianos without a half pedal and without some additional problem when playing solo. The half-pedal is not a guarantee of playability, but it is a step in better sound control especially for classical music.


The way that we’ve set this instrument up does leave it open to having a half-pedal update implemented, so we will definitely discuss this one!


Alex C said:


> Sounds promising, but I don't play fast, so I need to hear some slow pieces.


The trailer has Clair de Lune played by the DMP in the background and more demos will be released shortly!


----------



## Auddict (May 23, 2022)

fan455 said:


> Half pedal is not that essential to me, but does it support repedal?


The sustain pedal's sympathetic resonance will bump up a decaying note if you press the sustain pedal shortly after a release. It's a gentle effect but it's there


----------



## Auddict (May 24, 2022)

Another demo. Release date is fast approaching!


----------



## Auddict (May 27, 2022)

The Dorian Marko Piano is now officially out!


----------



## SupremeFist (May 27, 2022)

Webpage says "eight velocity layers" but dev said 14 upthread. Which is correct?


----------



## Cdnalsi (May 27, 2022)

Also can the visualiser be turned off?

And by M1 Compatible did you mean M1 Native?
(All 64bits apps are technically compatible since they can run through Rosetta2.)


----------



## sostenuto (May 27, 2022)

Intriguing, yet awaiting @ CGR impressions .... as usual. 🙉


----------



## SupremeFist (May 27, 2022)

sostenuto said:


> Intriguing, yet awaiting @ CGR impressions .... as usual. 🙉


I too follow this path of wisdom.


----------



## sostenuto (May 27, 2022)

SupremeFist said:


> I too follow this path of wisdom.


..... _and__ other __trusted Members __following this notable release_. 😜
Typically ☹️ must wait for SAMPLE Talk Thread for vital info.


----------



## davidson (May 27, 2022)

I know this is a piano thread, but can I just ask - WTF are you doing with perc-x pricing? So the price is now £500 (and that's with a 65% discount LOL) and *still* there are next to no details on what you get for that price? So why's the price increased over 300% in the last 24 hours?

Honestly, you guys have *the worst* marketing team on the planet.


----------



## Auddict (May 27, 2022)

SupremeFist said:


> Webpage says "eight velocity layers" but dev said 14 upthread. Which is correct?


14! doh!


----------



## chrisboy (May 27, 2022)

> Also can the visualiser be turned off?
> 
> And by M1 Compatible did you mean M1 Native?



Yes and yes. The visualiser has multiple quality settings and you can turn it off in the Settings.

M1 architecture is natively supported (we also rolled out updates for PercX and HEXERACT with native M1 support and VST3 support).


----------



## Auddict (May 27, 2022)

davidson said:


> I know this is a piano thread, but can I just ask - WTF are you doing with perc-x pricing? So the price is now £500 (and that's with a 65% discount LOL) and *still* there are next to no details on what you get for that price? So why's the price increased over 300% in the last 24 hours?
> 
> Honestly, you guys have *the worst* marketing team on the planet.


Apologies - the sale was merely taken down and the 65% off text left in one place, we've removed this now  The prices have not changed otherwise


----------



## MegaPixel (May 27, 2022)

It would have been good to have a demo / trial version to try for the piano...


----------



## davidson (May 27, 2022)

Auddict said:


> Apologies - the sale was merely taken down and the 65% off text left in one place, we've removed this now  The prices have not changed otherwise


No worries, I just got really frustrated when I heard perc-x was now native, and I go on the site and a) the price increased massively and b) theres even less info on the expansions than there was originally.

Regarding the price, it was $199 (sale price) before today. Now its £500 (or ~ $640). That doesn't seem to calculate in my head. Are you sure the price wasn't increased?


----------



## LTS (May 27, 2022)

Congratulations for the release! 
But please add the the half pedal option in a future update as in my opinion it is absolutely needed for a serious piano recording. Merci


----------



## Zanshin (May 27, 2022)

davidson said:


> No worries, I just got really frustrated when I heard perc-x was now native, and I go on the site and a) the price increased massively and b) theres even less info on the expansions than there was originally.
> 
> Regarding the price, it was $199 (sale price) before today. Now its £500 (or ~ $640). That doesn't seem to calculate in my head. Are you sure the price wasn't increased?


Complete is $499, Pro is $299, Core is $199. Those are full prices there is no sale going on. The sale had to end sometime lol.


----------



## tressie5 (May 27, 2022)

The reason I'm skeptical about the Dorian Marko Piano is because of the bold claims Auddict makes. "The most realistic, flexible piano out there." Really? I had to google Dorian Marko. From what I've read, he's a music college drop out, has never won any piano competitions (I don't even know if he's competed in any!), and he has no recordings out. Yet, he's a "world class pianist." Give. Me. A. Break!


----------



## CGR (May 27, 2022)

sostenuto said:


> Intriguing, yet awaiting @ CGR impressions .... as usual. 🙉


I appreciate your trust in my opinion, but I've just done a stocktake and discovered I own 16 different Steinway D sampled pianos, plus the 2 in Pianoteq, so I'm afraid I need to sit this one out!

The Dorian Marko piano looks and sounds very promising, and kudos to Dorian and the team @Auddict for taking the time & trouble to sample real una corda. The difference in harmonics & overtones when pressing the una corda pedal is so much more than applying filtering to "standard" samples, so it's great to see it's included to expand the tonal range of the piano.


----------



## jon wayne (May 27, 2022)

Haven’t decided on this one yet. I don’t care if it was played by a world famous pianist or a chimpanzee. If it sounds realistic and has nice character, I might add it to the arsenal .


----------



## sostenuto (May 27, 2022)

Already backing off and nothing more until many more 'capable /trusted' reviews position DM Piano as something rising above an beyond.


----------



## Napier Lopez (May 27, 2022)

It truly sounds great in the recordings, but in my experience some of the pianos with the best-sounding sample tracks have also been some of the least playable VSTs.

I offer this as respectful feedback, because I know a ton of work goes into sampling a piano. But for piano and other keyboard instruments in particular it's essential to have a trial/demo/decent return policy(couldn't see anything on auddict's site about returns) because the _ potential_ recorded sound isn't all that matters, it's also how it feels during live performance.

That plus the lack of half pedaling means I think I'll hold off on this for now, tempting as this is. Hopefully an experienced user can provide impressions soon.


----------



## jonnybutter (May 28, 2022)

Napier Lopez said:


> It truly sounds great in the recordings, but in my experience some of the pianos with the best-sounding sample tracks have also been some of the least playable VSTs.
> 
> I offer this as respectful feedback, because I know a ton of work goes into sampling a piano. But for piano and other keyboard instruments in particular it's essential to have a trial/demo/decent return policy(couldn't see anything on auddict's site about returns) because the _ potential_ recorded sound isn't all that matters, it's also how it feels during live performance.
> 
> That plus the lack of half pedaling means I think I'll hold off on this for now, tempting as this is. Hopefully an experienced user can provide impressions soon.


Agree with everything Napier says except for the half pedaling part (which they could add later, and I can live without for now). It’s all about the dynamic interaction of the hands and the sound, not the sound alone. You can have the greatest tone in the world but if it’s not playable it is useless. It certainly looks playable in the demo though, so I am tempted…


----------



## Auddict (May 28, 2022)

davidson said:


> No worries, I just got really frustrated when I heard perc-x was now native, and I go on the site and a) the price increased massively and b) theres even less info on the expansions than there was originally.
> 
> Regarding the price, it was $199 (sale price) before today. Now its £500 (or ~ $640). That doesn't seem to calculate in my head. Are you sure the price wasn't increased?


Hi Davidson,

The price is $500, and then depending on wherever you are there may be VAT/sales taxes added depending on local laws etc. But this was always the RRP for complete, it has not changed


----------



## Auddict (May 28, 2022)

Napier Lopez said:


> It truly sounds great in the recordings, but in my experience some of the pianos with the best-sounding sample tracks have also been some of the least playable VSTs.
> 
> I offer this as respectful feedback, because I know a ton of work goes into sampling a piano. But for piano and other keyboard instruments in particular it's essential to have a trial/demo/decent return policy(couldn't see anything on auddict's site about returns) because the _ potential_ recorded sound isn't all that matters, it's also how it feels during live performance.
> 
> That plus the lack of half pedaling means I think I'll hold off on this for now, tempting as this is. Hopefully an experienced user can provide impressions soon.


That is fair, for a piano instrument, playability is very important as it is often used live. It's difficult to demo playability as you cannot try playing the instrument by watching demos, but hopefully these performance videos help until some more reviews/testimonials come out


----------



## Cdnalsi (May 28, 2022)

Auddict said:


> It's difficult to demo playability as you cannot try playing the instrument by watching demos [...]


I'm also interested in this product. Are there any plans to offer a limited time demo so we can actually play it before purchasing?


----------



## CGR (May 28, 2022)

sostenuto said:


> Intriguing, yet awaiting @ CGR impressions .... as usual. 🙉





SupremeFist said:


> I too follow this path of wisdom.


Watch this space.


----------



## Auddict (May 28, 2022)

LTS said:


> Congratulations for the release!
> But please add the the half pedal option in a future update as in my opinion it is absolutely needed for a serious piano recording. Merci


We will definitely consider this in an update!


----------



## MA-Simon (May 28, 2022)

I like it so far! Nice piano sound!

It would be cool to unlock the different pages so they share all settings and effects rather and animations then have them separate tools.

If you want me to use this for video recording, why hide the different animations behind select patches rather then make them selectable, and why not have a setting for fullscreen of the animation for video recording?


----------



## re-peat (May 28, 2022)

Auddict,

Please also add an option to hide the animated visuals. It’s beyond me what they’re there for to begin with, I find them extremely distracting and not particularly nice looking either. At the moment, if the plugin window is not closed, I always have the Settings tab open. Always. Not because I need to be there, but that’s the only way, unless I overlooked something, to hide those very annoying animated visuals.

Other than that, no big complaints. Stylistically versatile and decent sounding virtual piano presented with lots of useful parameters. A bit on the light side, I feel — sample-content wise, I mean —, but what is there is definitely being made the most of.

The Stardust tab is one I’ll probably never revisit again after having checked it out once and learned that what it adds is of no interest to me, but I’m sure other people will want to explore its creative possibilities.

Another feature that could, in my opinion, be much improved are the Sympathetic Resonances. They're not very convincing, neither in sound or behaviour. Adding a small percentage of them sounds quite nice, yes, but raise the parameter a bit further and you have that unpleasant and unrealistic 'piano cloud in the background' thing happening. Lots of virtual pianos fail in this respect.

Oh, one more thing, many of the Mid samples have something strange going on during their release. A sort of 'reversed reflection', it sounds like. It’s pretty quiet, but there’s definitely something there which shouldn’t be there. Below is an example. The first one is unprocessed, meaning that that is the unprocessed sound the way it leaves the instrument. The second file is a very heavily limited version of the first one, to highlight that strange sound that occurs during the release. Like I said, it’s quiet enough not to be bothersome, but I think you’ll agree it would be better if it were cleaned up.

(1) Mid Mic samples Staccato - *Unprocessed*
(2) Mid Mic samples Staccato - *Limited*

I was pleased to find that this piano — which has a rather good ‘concert’ timbre by the way (although a better reverb is needed to optimize the illusion) — also mixes well with other instruments and it’s quite easy to make it sit comfortably in a mix. A very big plus that, and not a given with sampled or modeled pianos.

All in all, I don't think it was a bad decision purchasing this. Thanks for that.
_


----------



## d.healey (May 28, 2022)

re-peat said:


> Please also add an option to hide the animated visuals.





chrisboy said:


> The visualiser has multiple quality settings and you can turn it off in the Settings.


----------



## davidson (May 28, 2022)

re-peat said:


> Please also add an option to hide the animated visuals. It’s beyond me what they’re there for to begin with


Content creators, they're going to be all over this.


----------



## ALittleNightMusic (May 28, 2022)

I have so many pianos, but even still, this sounds very nice. Great intro price too - tempting.


----------



## Auddict (May 28, 2022)

MA-Simon said:


> why not have a setting for fullscreen of the animation for video recording?


That's a very valid point for update consideration. noted.


----------



## Rich4747 (May 28, 2022)

I think it sounds great, how long is the launch price valid?


----------



## ArtTurnerMusic (May 28, 2022)

Is there a hotkey to reset UI zoom. Because at 200% that setting is now off my screen. Doh!

Edit: nvm, I set my display to portrait. But hopefully there's a hotkey to change back, or revert to default, or similar for rogue beta testers like me.


----------



## re-peat (May 29, 2022)

chrisboy said:


> you can turn it off in the Settings.


Found it. Still, while that switches off the visuals alright, now you have to look at this big black empty space that sits there doing nothing except eating up screen estate. Wouldn’t a much more elegant solution be to include a setting which collapses the UI so that only the upper half, where the parameters can be found, remains visible?

_


----------



## slobajudge (May 29, 2022)

re-peat said:


> Found it. Still, while that switches off the visuals alright, now you have to look at this big black empty space that sits there doing nothing except eating up screen estate. Wouldn’t a much more elegant solution be to include a setting which collapses the UI so that only the upper half, where the parameters can be found, remains visible?
> 
> _


Do you want to play the piano or beautify the environment ?


----------



## re-peat (May 29, 2022)

It’s precisely because I want to work with this piano — playing it, recording it — undistracted by a GUI half of which has either no piano-related purpose whatsoever or is completely black, that I’m offering this suggestion to make it a more appealing tool.

I mean, surely, to anyone wanting to work with this instrument, the bottom image (collapsed GUI) is preferable to the top one (current GUI). Auddict could keep the keyboard display at the bottom of the GUI if they wish but I don’t see the point of that either. Keyboard displays are only useful if they show info about keyswitches and/or zones, neither of which are present here.












If it were up to me, I’d go a lot further with redesigning the GUI actually. (I only mention all of this because I like the piano itself enough to bother. And also because it is a rather poorly designed, stylistically inconsistent and ugly-looking GUI. One that doesn’t do the quality of the actual instrument any justice nor service, in my opinion. Quite the contrary.)
Anyway, the first three tabs can very easily be combined into one single tab. More than enough space on a single tab to accommodate all the parameters. Would be much more convenient. After all, it’s one and the same underlying core piano anyway. The Stardust tab could remain separate as that focuses more on special processing and fx. And then a third tab for that Open GL stuff, I suppose. I wouldn’t include it, but the unimaginative and lazy content creators seem to like it. So an extra tab for the OpenGL feature, but implemented in such a way that it doesn’t distract or bother those who simply want to play this fine piano.

_


----------



## ArtTurnerMusic (May 29, 2022)

Purchased and enjoying it.

I also wanted to carve out a little of this thread's real estate for anyone who thinks the visuals are great! I enjoy watching as I play.


----------



## Auddict (May 30, 2022)

ArtTurnerMusic said:


> Purchased and enjoying it.
> 
> I also wanted to carve out a little of this thread's real estate for anyone who thinks the visuals are great! I enjoy watching as I play.


Glad you're enjoying the visuals!


----------



## Auddict (May 31, 2022)

Rich4747 said:


> I think it sounds great, how long is the launch price valid?


We will keep the sale price for a little while whilst we add more demos and release a little more content!


----------



## MegaPixel (May 31, 2022)

Any news on a demo version?


----------



## Braveheart (May 31, 2022)

Auddict said:


> We will keep the sale price for a little while whilst we add more demos and release a little more content!


On previous products, it’s basically perpetual intro price, so if it’s the same, I should be ok for a while.


----------



## jon wayne (May 31, 2022)

Am I missing something, or is their no EQ or a way to save a preset? Manual?


----------



## Robo Rivard (May 31, 2022)

I can't believe Auddict still sells Exeract... Sure, the product is nice, sounds nice, but... It's crashing all the time!!! It was unusable from the start! It CAN'T be trusted in a professional context.


----------



## Auddict (Jun 1, 2022)

ArtTurnerMusic said:


> Is there a hotkey to reset UI zoom. Because at 200% that setting is now off my screen. Doh!
> 
> Edit: nvm, I set my display to portrait. But hopefully there's a hotkey to change back, or revert to default, or similar for rogue beta testers like me.


No reset UI hotkey but you can try the cascade windows option to get it back in view 

or....

When the windows is selected, shift+right click the taskbar icon, click "move" and use the arrow keys to move it back into view!


----------



## jon wayne (Jun 2, 2022)

Auddict said:


> No reset UI hotkey but you can try the cascade windows option to get it back in view
> 
> or....
> 
> When the windows is selected, shift+right click the taskbar icon, click "move" and use the arrow keys to move it back into view!


I asked in an earlier post about eq and saving presets. I actually am really enjoying the piano and would like to use regularly. How do I save a user preset?


----------



## slobajudge (Jun 2, 2022)

jon wayne said:


> I asked in an earlier post about eq and saving presets. I actually am really enjoying the piano and would like to use regularly. How do I save a user preset?


If there is no such option in the program itself, then only in DAW as a template.


----------



## Auddict (Jun 4, 2022)

Just posting this video by Simeon who did a live stream and included our Dorian Marko Piano. Simeon is not affiliated with Auddict in any way, just sharing it here as he covers it quite nicely:


----------



## Simeon (Jun 4, 2022)

Auddict said:


> Just posting this video by Simeon who did a live stream and included our Dorian Marko Piano. Simeon is not affiliated with Auddict in any way, just sharing it here as he covers it quite nicely:



Thanks Dorian,
I did receive an NFR of the piano so that I could showcase it on the livestream 🤓


----------



## LamaRose (Jun 4, 2022)

re-peat said:


> It’s precisely because I want to work with this piano — playing it, recording it — undistracted by a GUI half of which has either no piano-related purpose whatsoever or is completely black, that I’m offering this suggestion to make it a more appealing tool.
> 
> I mean, surely, to anyone wanting to work with this instrument, the bottom image (collapsed GUI) is preferable to the top one (current GUI). Auddict could keep the keyboard display at the bottom of the GUI if they wish but I don’t see the point of that either. Keyboard displays are only useful if they show info about keyswitches and/or zones, neither of which are present here.
> 
> ...


You realize that you can CLOSE the app window and still play the instrument... sure you do...just saying.


----------



## Napier Lopez (Jun 4, 2022)

So after being captivated by the sound of this instrument for so long and telling myself I wouldn't buy another VST without demos, returns, or resale, I ended up buying it.

Some background: I'm a noob. I've only been playing for a couple of years, but I am very picky about sound stuff as I review sound gear for a living and am fairly technical about it too.

I also realize my uses aren't the same as everyone, or even the norm on this forum, as for me 90% of my time with a piano VST is for practice, with the eventual goal of composing. I'm not spending most of my time actually making music.

The Dorian Piano currently feels really close to ranking among my favorite VSTs (and I own too many). With a few updates, it could enter that highest group. I don't want sound too critical in the commercial announcements forum, so I'll just highlight what I like and what I hope can be improved with updates.

*What I like:*


*The sound:* This might genuinely be the best sounding piano VST I've tried for that "worn in piano in a normal room" sound. It's great to have a lovely piano in a concert hall or to have an ultra-dry sound when needed, but mostly, I'm just looking for something that sounds like a real piano I might encounter in real venues that aren't the philharmonic. This piano gives me that, with a good deal of flexibility towards getting a dryer or roomier with the included mic perspectives. The internal reverb is solid, but with an external reverb it can really shine for that concert hall sound too.
Basically, it's one of the few pianos that I can open up, hit record, start playing something, and immediately get a result is hard to tell from the real thing.


*The character of the sampled instrument itself:* It has just the right mix of pristine sound and character. It's of the few VSTs that doesn't immediately make me think "this is a VST" because the piano is too perfect and cleaned up or because it is too much in the character direction. There's a bit of noise in some samples but I'd much rather have that over pianos that end up sounding artificially cleaned up.
It also has a lot of timbral variation within its dynamic range -- allowing you to get many colors out of it (some pianos just sound universally hard or soft).


*The even-ness of the piano:* I haven't noticed any significantly annoying quirks or notes that sound too loud or are obviously out of tune. That's especially tricky on an instrument with this much character, I think.


*Super soft dynamics:* Considering there are only 14 velocity layers (which, let's face it, isn't that much in 2022), I was glad to see that a real effort was made to have the softest dynamics be _really_ soft. I may be a noob but what I love about the piano is the subtlety in dynamics and voicings. I've tested pianos with many more velocity layers that simply don't get as soft as this one can -- and that's before I even factor in the una corda layers.


*Out-of-the-box playability:* This is very personal as it will obviously relate to your individual controller. I use a Kawai MP11SE which I actually find to be a bit tricky with most VSTs, but this one actually plays quite well out of the box.


*Nice releases: *I think good release sample behavior is critical for a piano vst, as it's where a lot of the character and realism of the instrument lies.


*Good resonances:* Better than most at emulating the resonances of a piano.


*Thunderous, but clear bass:* The bass gets loud with some growl, but isn't muddy through headphones or my room-calibrated speakers.


*Reasonable on system resources:* I've only played for a few hours and only using the "classical setting" but haven't noticed.


*Simple UI:* Easy to find and change the settings you want. Also, I do like the visualization . What can I say, I like shiny things.


*Una corda samples: *So few pianos include these or only have lame simulations; it's like losing a third of an instrument's timbre and dynamics. Thank you.
*What can use improvement:*


*No Dynamic Range setting:* I don't know if this was intentional or not, but the dynamic range (in terms of literal SPL values, not timbre) feels just a tad little compressed -- kind of like it's already been mastered. I don't actually mind that too much, it's just that this is the only piano VST I've tried that doesn't allow me to increase or decrease the dynamic range. So it would be nice if Auddict added a knob that simply stretched the dynamic range. In my experience, an expander doesn't really work for this, as it needs to happen on a note-by-note basis.


*Velocity jumps are slightly noticeable to the player: *The velocity layers are very evenly spaced out and excellently chosen -- better than most VSTs -- but nonetheless in some pieces that require a lot of velocity "resolution" I can notice the jumps between layers if I pay attention.

It's hard to notice in the faster, louder pieces, but in simpler repetitive pieces that remain at the ppp-p dynamic for a long time (Chopin's prelude in E minor is my usual test for this, moonlight sonata 1 too) the lack of layers becomes more noticeable with the constant repetition within limited dynamics. You essentially have to try to get a lot of expression out of 5-7 timbral gradations instead of 14. Of course on a real piano, you still have an infinite level of "layers" even if you are only using the quietest dynamics.

To be clear, this is hardly noticeable in the recorded end result, but you can notice it a bit while playing. I'm not saying Auddict should resample the instrument, but perhaps it can figure out a way to improve the morphing between layers over time. There are a few VSTs with similar number of velocity layers that make the transitions between layers almost imperceptible. (many digital pianos do some smooth morphing between layers too).

I recognize this could increase CPU usage, but I've also seen VSTs that allow you to turn advanced morphing between layers on and off to conserve resources.


*Can't save presets: *
*Can't save velocity curve: *
*Repedaling feels weird: *When I try repedaling -- playing a note with the pedal down, letting go of the pedal, and then quickly pressing it again -- I get this weird "blooming" sound from the resonating strings, as opposed to just a quieter version of the sustained sound as expected.


*No half-pedaling: *I hope this potential update becomes a reality!


*Una Corda needs to be manually assigned to CC67: *It's a bit silly that I need to manually assign/learn the midi command for the soft pedal. Many controllers/digital pianos come with triple pedals these days, so that should really just be the default behavior.
I hope that all comes off as constructive criticism, and I think for some people here those concerns won't be much of on issue. If your goal is to have a piano that just sounds great out of the box I think it's hard to go wrong with the Dorian Marko.

I'll add it to my regular roster, and if development remains active to implement the above improvements, this could easily be one of my favorite VSTs. For now, I'm just happy I don't regret the purchase.🙂


----------



## re-peat (Jun 5, 2022)

LamaRose said:


> You realize that you can CLOSE the app window and still play the instrument...


The very solution I already suggested myself in my first post, Lama. Doesn’t alter the fact though that having more than half of the GUI dedicated to a pointless area of black pixels is bad design. Thankfully, the musical appeal of the piano itself more than compensates for the awkwardness of its interface.

_


----------



## chrisboy (Jun 5, 2022)

Awesome review Napier, thanks for the feedback.

The things that you've suggested pretty much line up with most of the other user's feedback and will be more or less the changelog of v.1.0.1 - including the addition of saving user presets, we skipped that function this time because we thought nobody will use it for a simple instrument like this but that seemed to be wrong 

The only thing that we'd like to avoid is the morphing between velocity layers. If the material is not properly phase locked, it will do more harm than good.


----------



## Jerry Growl (Jun 5, 2022)

Hi,

I had a go just now, really a first impression:



This is a really good sound, but hard to tweak. I have saved my preset in the Nuendo (same in Cubase of course) instrument tab.

The 'far' mic position is adding a less realistic wooshiness to the sound imo. I keep it at -18dB or so. Close and mid positions are superb studio quality!

The high register notes have a really short sustain, they are fading away too soon to my taste. (Maybe that's a Steinway D thingy, I don't have one lying around to compare)

The una corda works great!

Excellent price/quality and overall very useful sound. Maybe a bit more well balanced presets would be welcome, and half pedal (as mentioned before).


----------



## jon wayne (Jun 13, 2022)

I am really enjoying this piano. I have no problem with the GUI, marketing and other mentioned issues. I have a request: please check the una corda samples at F 6. At medium velocities, the sustains cut off very quickly, annoying! Other than that and the no user presets, I love it.


----------



## soundofmaw (Jun 14, 2022)

I'm very interested in this piano VST, but I'm wondering what are the big differences between this and the East West Pianos (Opus Edition)? I'm looking for a really good classical/concert piano. The East West are decent but I find some of the velocity/dynamic jumps in the louder range really pop (not in a good way) which makes it sound unrealistic to me. The soft and mid dynamic ranges are great though. I've listened to these video demos and don't see that happening with the Dorian Marko, even though it has the same # of velocity layers (14) as the EW Steinway (my current go-to piano).

What does this VST have that out-paces the EW ones? Thanks.


----------



## Braveheart (Jun 15, 2022)

soundofmaw said:


> What does this VST have that out-paces the EW ones? Thanks.


A perpetual 50% off sale… Well, no, EastWest has that as well…


----------



## Jerry Growl (Jun 16, 2022)

soundofmaw said:


> I'm very interested in this piano VST, but I'm wondering what are the big differences between this and the East West Pianos (Opus Edition)? I'm looking for a really good classical/concert piano. The East West are decent but I find some of the velocity/dynamic jumps in the louder range really pop (not in a good way) which makes it sound unrealistic to me. The soft and mid dynamic ranges are great though. I've listened to these video demos and don't see that happening with the Dorian Marko, even though it has the same # of velocity layers (14) as the EW Steinway (my current go-to piano).
> 
> What does this VST have that out-paces the EW ones? Thanks.


It may be a matter of personal taste, but I find the EW pianos lack liveliness and sympathic resonance. Even though the recordings and mic positions on every indidivual notes of every piano are superb, the playing as a whole doesn't really add up to a realistic experience. I really tried with other reverbs and different dynamics settings (both on my Kawai remote and on the VST), but in the end the playing stayed dull so I just freed up the space on my drives again.

My personal favorites are now the Dorian Marko and the Xperimenta FP2. These are highly playable, sound great and don't get me bored. In fact, they usually inspire me.


----------



## Auddict (Jun 16, 2022)

Jerry Growl said:


> Hi,
> 
> I had a go just now, really a first impression:
> 
> ...



Love the improv!

We will definitely add the preset save as an option in the updated version.

About those high register notes - there's not much we can say here other than we recorded the piano exactly as is, the sustains were not shortened in any way so this is simply how the Steinway behaved when it was recorded


----------



## Auddict (Jun 16, 2022)

soundofmaw said:


> I'm very interested in this piano VST, but I'm wondering what are the big differences between this and the East West Pianos (Opus Edition)? I'm looking for a really good classical/concert piano. The East West are decent but I find some of the velocity/dynamic jumps in the louder range really pop (not in a good way) which makes it sound unrealistic to me. The soft and mid dynamic ranges are great though. I've listened to these video demos and don't see that happening with the Dorian Marko, even though it has the same # of velocity layers (14) as the EW Steinway (my current go-to piano).
> 
> What does this VST have that out-paces the EW ones? Thanks.


We can't really comment on another company, wouldn't be very professional, but I can address the bit about why one piano might be a lot more balanced and have a nicer gradient than another with the exact same number of velocity laters.

It's quite simple really... what are the fourteen layers? Are they evenly spaced in terms of dB? Are they slanted towards the top/bottom? We essentially tried to capture the same gradation of velocities used by actual pianists when they play, naturally, and there are typically more finer gradations in the lower velocities. This is what we went after.

Also important is how they are spaced out etc (which is usually, or should be anyway, adjustable)


----------



## jon wayne (Jun 28, 2022)

Auddict said:


> Love the improv!
> 
> We will definitely add the preset save as an option in the updated version.
> 
> About those high register notes - there's not much we can say here other than we recorded the piano exactly as is, the sustains were not shortened in any way so this is simply how the Steinway behaved when it was recorded


Are you saying that the F6 medium velocity samples are around one second sustain? Mine are and I can’t use them. Please verify so I will know if I got a download error. Thanks


----------



## DeyvidPetro (Jun 28, 2022)

slobajudge said:


> If there is no such option in the program itself, then only in DAW as a template.


Good luck trying to get anything out of them.
I have a whole host of errors. I cannot even play the thing because the Dorian Marko Piano Player will not recognise my Asio driver for my Apollo Solo USB and all I can use is Windows even though my Apollo Solo works fine with everything else.
I have updated all drivers and still nothing. So I uninstalled Dorian Marko and all of the files and downloaded it all again to only find, that now the Dorian Marko Piano Player does not install the files from the download file like previous and will not access the files...
When I tried it in Studio One when I first downloaded it it ripped the CPU to shreds as obviously that runs on the Asio Driver for the Apollo Solo.

My comments on You Tube were deleted twice from whomever runs the You Tube channel for Auddict, even though I was asking for help which I find highly unprofessional and deeply disrespectful.
I managed to get hold of Terry from Customer Support he said he would send it off to the Technical Support, it has been over 4 days and nothing at all.... I am really angry at Auddict. They have taken my money, deleted my comments and been so lack lustre to get back to me to help out. 
You guys need to take a seriously look at the way you operate otherwise you lose serious customers, it is disgusting!


----------



## slobajudge (Jun 28, 2022)

I don't understand, Isn't that library supposed to work in Ni Kontakt ?


----------



## DeyvidPetro (Jun 28, 2022)

slobajudge said:


> I don't understand, Isn't that library supposed to work in Ni Kontakt ?


Hi,

No, it runs in there standalone player, it isn't a Kontakt library.

I really want to like it but no one seems to be doing anything about it at all...
From other threads that I have read Auddict do not have a good reputation for Technical Support. 
The software is not stable. I have no issues with anything else. Perhaps it was just the license that I have that is buggy... It definitely isn't my end.

I hope they respond. I have already asked for a refund but I would rather it worked...


----------



## jon wayne (Jun 28, 2022)

DeyvidPetro said:


> Good luck trying to get anything out of them.
> I have a whole host of errors. I cannot even play the thing because the Dorian Marko Piano Player will not recognise my Asio driver for my Apollo Solo USB and all I can use is Windows even though my Apollo Solo works fine with everything else.
> I have updated all drivers and still nothing. So I uninstalled Dorian Marko and all of the files and downloaded it all again to only find, that now the Dorian Marko Piano Player does not install the files from the download file like previous and will not access the files...
> When I tried it in Studio One when I first downloaded it it ripped the CPU to shreds as obviously that runs on the Asio Driver for the Apollo Solo.
> ...


I will give them the benefit of the doubt, because I think the piano is very useable. If I were a developer that had touted the greatest piano ever, I would follow up with a post that would say they were looking into it, rather than “That’s the way it was when we sampled it”. Since Auddict won’t respond, would somebody please check the una corda samples at F6 (2nd from highest). Play several velocities. Does yours ring out or cut off after a second or two?


----------



## CGR (Jun 28, 2022)

jon wayne said:


> Since Auddict won’t respond, would somebody please check the una corda samples at F6 (2nd from highest). Play several velocities. Does yours ring out or cut off after a second or two?


Just tried it now in the standalone player with the INIT patch. That F6 does cut off abruptly with Una Corda after a second or so, and I can hear the key-off action noise at the end, when keeping the key pressed. Very strange. Imagine it would be a simple scripting fix.

Surrounding notes are fine, and all notes in that region are fine (ie. they sustain naturally) without Una Corda.


----------



## CGR (Jun 28, 2022)

Another issue which needs addressing with the Una Corda samples. The G3 key (G below middle C) has a double-hit/bounce on velocities from 39-49. Here's a clip without sustain and with sustain:
View attachment DMP - G3 note - 39-49 velocity double hit.mp3


Same problem with A4 (A above middle C) – although not as obvious:
View attachment DMP - A4 note - 39-49 velocity double hit.mp3


PS: Think I'm also hearing it (to a lesser degree) on the normal/non-una corda samples (as can be heard if you listen carefully to the beginning of the demo below).


----------



## CGR (Jun 28, 2022)

On a positive note . . . it's fun to play, has a good range of dynamics (the p-mp range is sampled and scripted very well) and is quite even across the range. The hammer attacks are clear and have "weight".
View attachment Dorian Marko Piano Test-CGR_01.mp3


----------



## jon wayne (Jun 28, 2022)

CGR said:


> Just tried it now in the standalone player with the INIT patch. That F6 does cut off abruptly with Una Corda after a second or so, and I can hear the key-off action noise at the end, when keeping the key pressed. Very strange. Imagine it would be a simple scripting fix.
> 
> Surrounding notes are fine, and all notes in that region are fine (ie. they sustain naturally) without Una Corda.


Thanks, man. I’m not crazy…. well, maybe a little.


----------



## CGR (Jun 28, 2022)

The Una Corda sample set is very good. Great for subtle and – sorry to use the overused term – "cinematic" stuff. Here's some playing, bypassing the built-in reverb and run through Baby Audio's Crystalline reverb:


----------



## filipjonathan (Aug 8, 2022)

@DeyvidPetro @MegaPixel I hate to be that guy, but you shouldn't really talk about other developers and their products in commercial threads.


----------

