# Trying the Xperimenta Due piano



## Cass Hansen (Feb 11, 2020)

I’ve been trying out various piano libraries for my music. This one uses the Xperimenta Due( piano 1) rather like the sound of this piano. Thoughts on similar pianos I should try? Thanks

Cass (Yeah, the room sound, (concert hall ambient noise ) is a bit loud…will turn it down on next take.

*https://app.box.com/s/3qk6mpq7rvgn4m7s525zc3qcu142ts63 (Twilight on English Bay)*

*Score*


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## CGR (Feb 11, 2020)

Good one Cass - the Xperimenta Due C7 sounds great. Nice natural dynamics too.


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## Cass Hansen (Feb 13, 2020)

Thanks CGR. I was impressed with the dynamics likewise. Although this is piece is on the quiet side, the higher end of the dynamic range on this piano is also impressive, natural and not bangy (harsh). And I didn't even get to the low end of the dynamics here either, where it is almost a whisper. 

Invariably there are always one or two notes I don't like on a vsti piano because of off-tone or weird attack. The whole keyboard range is pretty darn consistent which also impressed me.


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## IvanHuorMusic (Feb 13, 2020)

Wonderful composition . First time hearing the piano. What would you say sets it apart from others?


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## SupremeFist (Feb 13, 2020)

Lovely piece! I've used the Due C7 on a piece that is a bit more of a headbanger and I agree that it never sounds harsh or brittle even when pounded.


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## CGR (Feb 13, 2020)

Just listened again - really like your playing Cass. Did you use the Room mics and built-in reverb?


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## Cass Hansen (Feb 14, 2020)

IvanHuorMusic said:


> Wonderful composition . First time hearing the piano. What would you say sets it apart from others?


Hey Ivan,

Kind of what I mentioned above, the consistency of sound throughout the whole range of the piano. 

Just like there is no one brass, string, ww library that fits the bill for all types of compositions, the same is true for the piano. I think this piano has a niche in the quiet, open textured pieces that have a lyrical melody as its backbone such as this piece. One where every note is important to the composition and stands out and is heard by itself unlike let’s say some pieces of Rachmaninoff or Liszt that have thick textures with lots of arpeggios and all registers playing at the same time. At least that’s how I see this library as being very useful to me.

Thanks for feedback on the piece too. It’s difficult to write this type of piece for me , so your feedback is encouraging.


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## Cass Hansen (Feb 14, 2020)

SupremeFist said:


> Lovely piece! I've used the Due C7 on a piece that is a bit more of a headbanger and I agree that it never sounds harsh or brittle even when pounded.


Thanks supreme fist (I’m assuming you don’t use your fist for playing but then again, contemporary pieces might) for the thumbs up. Glad you agree that both piano’s have a real nice clear, resonate sound without be unbridled or harsh in its overall tone. I have other piano libraries which can evoke such timbre if I need it, so It’s nice to have a library that covers the other end of the spectrum when needed.


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## Cass Hansen (Feb 14, 2020)

CGR said:


> Just listened again - really like your playing Cass. Did you use the Room mics and built-in reverb?


 Hi again CGR,

Sure, let me open the file here and get the setup………………………This is probably more than you want but here it goes.

For this piece I did use the onboard reverb. I set it to large hall and kept the parameters as is. On the main page the reverb is set in the middle, about 50% and the tone almost all the way up, 90%.

The mics were set at 2.0dB Close, 5.6 dB Player, and 2.0 dB for Room.

I turned off the overtones button but left the re-pedaling on, dialed to about 2 o’clock position.



That’s is for the player. On the mastering end I used the Lexicon MPXnative reverb (just picked it up for $30 something) and used Dark Hall setting. I only adjusted the mix knob (to 20%) and the reverb level (to -28 dB) so the reverb only adds a slight presence to the track. 

Used the auto-mastering on Ozone 9 and Gullfoss just before Ozone. That was it. I did put one EQ cut at around 160 Hz because I could hear a hissing noise in the left channel at very quiet volumes. That took care of it.

PS If you have the Gullfoss plugin by the way, I moved the redline filters so they crossover each other and put the right one a 200Hz and the left at 2K. This prevents the Gullfoss from interacting with the mid range which is what I wanted for this piano because the mids are beautiful as is. Ends up only affecting the high and low end of the spectrum.

Hope this helps!


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## CGR (Feb 14, 2020)

Cass Hansen said:


> Hi again CGR,
> 
> Sure, let me open the file here and get the setup………………………This is probably more than you want but here it goes.
> 
> ...


Thanks for your detailed reply Cass. I've found that the mic options in the Xperimenta pianos each have a very different character & tone from each other, similar to the VSL Synchron Pianos. I have other multi-mic pianos where there's not much difference between the mic sets. I've never heard of Gullfoss so will check that out. The hall/audience ambience works well for this piece - nice touch. 

BTW, I just realised this is an original composition (had thought it was a theme from the TV series Twilight!), so am looking forward to hearing more of your work.


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## Cass Hansen (Feb 15, 2020)

CGR said:


> BTW, I just realised this is an original composition (had thought it was a theme from the TV series Twilight!), so am looking forward to hearing more of your work.


I’d better get writing then.

Agree. The mic positions make a huge difference on this library, that plus the tone control. So you can get a variety of timbre coloration out of these two instruments by tweaking these controls.

Gullfoss is from Soundtheory and they do have a trial version but I think you have to have an Ilok to use it. I would urge you to try it out. It is quite addictive and really helps on mastering, adding clarity and 3-D simulation. You can also use it though on individual tracks as well. It’s basically an automatic EQ plugin that finds and adjusts hidden, masked, frequencies while simultaneously tames down obnoxious ones. It’s really a magic pill. Don’t really understand how it works, but works it does!

By the way, thanks for your post on “reverb for pianos” in the Sample Talk forum. Nice use of the blackhole reverb, and I didn’t know it was on sale so I picked it up. Was looking for a reverb that wasn’t primarily used for standard realistic reverb settings. This is perfect for sound design and is really quite unique. Off to play with it……………….


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## SupremeFist (Feb 15, 2020)

Cass Hansen said:


> Gullfoss is from Soundtheory and they do have a trial version but I think you have to have an Ilok to use it. I would urge you to try it out. It is quite addictive and really helps on mastering, adding clarity and 3-D simulation. You can also use it though on individual tracks as well. It’s basically an automatic EQ plugin that finds and adjusts hidden, masked, frequencies while simultaneously tames down obnoxious ones. It’s really a magic pill. Don’t really understand how it works, but works it does!



It only needs the iLok software not a dongle, happily!


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## markleake (Feb 22, 2020)

Good track... so good, I went and listened to other demos and walkthroughs of the piano, and bought it!

Both Xperimenta Due pianos turn out to be excellent. They have very different characters, so I'll be using them for different things. I think Piano 1 is my new main piano now, I like it that much. The dynamics are much better than many other pianos I have. It has such nice character but still maintains a very clear sound.


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## CGR (Feb 22, 2020)

markleake said:


> Good track... so good, I went and listened to other demos and walkthroughs of the piano, and bought it!
> 
> Both Xperimenta Due pianos turn out to be excellent. They have very different characters, so I'll be using them for different things. I think Piano 1 is my new main piano now, I like it that much. The dynamics are much better than many other pianos I have. It has such nice character but still maintains a very clear sound.


Hey Mark - good move. I'm sure you'll be inspired to make some great music with the Xperimenta Due Pianos. Piano no. 2 (Yamaha C3) is just as wonderful in another way.


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## markleake (Feb 22, 2020)

CGR said:


> Hey Mark - good move. I'm sure you'll be inspired to make some great music with the Xperimenta Due Pianos. Piano no. 2 (Yamaha C3) is just as wonderful in another way.


Yes, I'm pretty sure these are not gonna grow old. Piano 2 is fantastic also. I really like how both have such different characters, but both work so well. Apart from the Cinematic Studio Piano, I've not heard the Yamahas sounding or sampled so well. And these don't have the dynamics/layers limitation of the CSP!

They are immediately playable AND sounding fantastic AND the sustain rings out naturally. I find these qualities hard to find in soft pianos.


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## Cass Hansen (Feb 25, 2020)

Hey you guys, sorry for the late response, was away for a week. Totally agree with you Mark on what you said about the Xperimenta pianos, both are great and do have a wide dynamic range and wonderful ringing sustains on them. It’s what sold me, as well as the sound of course. 

I only wish they had half-pedaling onboard because I use it a lot but if I correctly recall, they are working on it and will include it in a future update. 

FYI I’m almost done with this suite of four pieces and will try to post it in a week or so. (Have to learn to play them first but the score is done.) I’m using four different piano libraries, one for each piece. (Ravencroft, Noir, Walker, Xperimenta) Each piano has its own character as does each piece in this suite. I’m trying to match the piano that will accentuate the mood and composition style to each. They are quite different from each other. Look forward to your opinions/impressions. Thanks again for taking time to post.

Cass


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## BlackDorito (Feb 25, 2020)

Cass Hansen said:


> I think this piano has a niche in the quiet, open textured pieces that have a lyrical melody as its backbone such as this piece. One where every note is important to the composition and stands out and is heard by itself unlike let’s say some pieces of Rachmaninoff or Liszt that have thick textures with lots of arpeggios and all registers playing at the same time. At least that’s how I see this library as being very useful to me.


You may well be right about this. I went to their site and listened to a fair number of solo piano demo clips - they all have the same general elegiac feeling, as if perhaps the same dude was doing all the demos. Not sure I auditioned everything, but my immediate takeaway was that they should strive for a few drier pieces (let off the pedal, already) so we can imagine where some other instrument might fit into the aural landscape, and maybe a bit more up-tempo stuff.

All the same, they have some intriguing free instruments, so I'm going to spend more time on the site.


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## Stringtree (Feb 26, 2020)

Gorgeous piece. Thank you.


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## Cass Hansen (Feb 26, 2020)

BlackDorito said:


> You may well be right about this. I went to their site and listened to a fair number of solo piano demo clips - they all have the same general elegiac feeling, as if perhaps the same dude was doing all the demos. Not sure I auditioned everything, but my immediate takeaway was that they should strive for a few drier pieces (let off the pedal, already) so we can imagine where some other instrument might fit into the aural landscape, and maybe a bit more up-tempo stuff.
> 
> All the same, they have some intriguing free instruments, so I'm going to spend more time on the site.


You raise a good point B.D. I had to go back to the Xperimenta site and listen to the demos again. Absolutely the demos are riding that sustain pedal which makes them somewhat amorphous in overall texture. Some people love this kind of sound, so for them this piano fits their needs. However, It would be nice to hear as you said, a more upbeat piece. The styles and tempos do not vary much between the demos so it is difficult to assess its potential.

But, I still believe this piano really excels at what the demos are showing: that ethereal, but succinct sound which is great for solo melodic lines and creating an emotional sonic experience with piano.

The demos suffer sustain smudging because they do not, as of yet, have a dedicated half-pedal control. If they did , the sustains would be much better controlled , albeit with careful pedaling. Perhaps you’ll like the sound better once they implement it. (and raise the bar from elegiac to sanguine in their demos!)

And yes, the free stuff is really great. Kudos to them for that.


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