# OK guys, serious feedback needed!



## bryla (Jul 20, 2010)

Hi Ajcmuso -

I also wondered about the service, and when reading again I found out, that it will be a midi-driven grand piano. For that I personally don't see a great market in.

If you were to have an experienced pianist playing and interpreting your parts, that would have made sense, and would be worth much more.

I know you give 30 second MP3 examples, and surely that can convince some people, but it's only a step up the ladder from people I see elsewhere on the internet, offering people to send their midi tracks through a better sample library.

Personally I wouldn't want to use your service.

IMO the market is in for a pianist (or any instrumentalist) that offers their experience and knowledge in certain styles, playing and recording a part. Fx the client sends him the lead sheet to a pop song, and the pianist sends him 3 kinds of accompaniment back.

This is just my 2 cents of honest advice, and if it's a great succes and we see lots more companies like that in a year or two, I'll just feel the same shame Bill Gates felt, when he said he didn't see a future for the internet


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## Guy Bacos (Jul 20, 2010)

ajcmuso @ Tue Jul 20 said:


> I recently posted a thread asking for feedback on a couple of newly updated sites. I only received one reply....



I think a lot of people are away these days.


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## mjc (Jul 20, 2010)

Thanks Thomas! Good to hear especially from a pianist  

Keep the feedback coming guys! It's VERY helpful  

Oh! Thanks Guy for the tip, I'll the thread going until people are back


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## misterbee (Jul 20, 2010)

I don't see a market for this at all. Since every acoustic piano (and even acoustic piano sample library) has a different response, one can't possibly have any idea what the finished sequence is going ot sound like on this guy's piano. Big guessing game. Or will your buddy provide endless tries until the client is happy? 

How often does he get his piano tuned? 

And, why would we go with the sound of a 7 foot piano when most sampled grands are 9 ft? I'm not a pianist, but I can hear the difference.

I would rather use my own piano sample library, where my (or a more accomplished player!) can hear what their playing sounds like real time, than use this service. 

Also, this, from his web site, worries me - "Also at this stage make sure all notes have a duration of at least 1/16, and that the end of all notes are separated from the begining of the next note of the same pitch by a minimum of 1/16."

There are other tell tail signs on the web site that this is a swift service without really anything in terms of playing production. Which is fine for what it is. It's certainly not an expensive service really. But it does really call into question the point of using a real piano when the output is only as good as the sequence given to the guy in the first place. 

Other than that, what bryla said...

I have access to several 9 foot grand pianos - I can choose a Kawai, Yamaha or Steinway. I also know more than a handful of superb pianists who between them can cover pretty much every style of playing there is. I still use my sample libraries... a lot.


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## nikolas (Jul 20, 2010)

From the classical composer point of view, I NEED the performer, for their perspective and choices and personality! 

From the commercial composer point of view, my sample libraries are more than enough.

While it is very cheap, I'll give you that, I still find it almost useless. Right now sample libraries can do pretty much what any real piano can. If I am to spend time editing my midi files, I won't want to spend any money, regardless the amount to have it sound 3% better (3% could be 10% for all I know. Just sayin' here).

It is a good idea, but I think that the piano is oversaturated and in great condition as far as samples in concerned... 

Plus the website is offering to do an automatic job. So, while I understand the technical details behind the whole thing as well as the engineering issues that might be there, I'd still pay Hanes to play a live violin, rather than a robot performing midi files on the same violin. At least right now.

Sorry. :(


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## Markus S (Jul 21, 2010)

No market here, I'm afraid - pianos are too easily emulated. Try a strings doubling service for low price and you might have a lot more people interested, even if it is only 2-3 instruments per category, it adds a lot of life.


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## poseur (Jul 21, 2010)

as a working composer & producer,
i really wouldn't be interested in such a thing, myself.

d


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## madbulk (Jul 21, 2010)

I think the idea is noble enough. I don't agree that pianos are well enough emulated at all. A real piano is a real piano, even without the player.
But as a business? There are too many hurdles to list, I'm afraid.
Best of luck.


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## Sampleconstruct (Jul 21, 2010)

I would never use such a service. If my numerous piano libs wouldn't cut it for a particular project I would hire a pianist, a studio with a good Grand piano and get it done in an hour or two. It would cost more but the real thing has it's price.


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## midphase (Jul 21, 2010)

I concur. I think it's possible that some singer/songwriter working on an album might want to try and get as realistic piano sound as possible...but I can say that for commercial applications it doesn't really make much sense to go through that much trouble when the quality of sample libraries available is so good.

Ironically I've been contemplating buying a piano for my studio...and even though I think it would make a cool looking addition, I can't imagine using it on projects...it's just not practical.


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## kid-surf (Jul 21, 2010)

+1 with all...

The reason I'd want to hire out for piano is to get the 'feel' of a real player. But how many cues are people doing where piano is the bread and butter? A: Very few.

Also, like Kays, I'd like a piano [I don't have room for it]. I'd like it, actually, to get a 'fucked up' small sound that samples aren't good at. Strange mic positions and that kind of thing. And, you know, extremely intimate sounds. That sort of thing.

Anyway, your boss needs to acknowledge the #1 rule industry wide: Doesn't matter how hard you work on something, only matters if people WANT it. 

Your boss has tunnel vision which is leading him straight down the rabbit hole.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Jul 21, 2010)

Whether or not there's a market for musicians to add parts remotely - and I think there is, whether it's piano or anything else - it's worth pointing out that a good sampled piano will totally kick a real piano's ass every time if it's not an extremely good instrument that's been maintained well and tuned recently.

If it is then of course the real piano wins, but recordings of less than ideal pianos have always sucked. I should dig up a score I did in the mid-'80s that really shows what I'm talking about. It was two winds, cello, and piano; all four players were absolutely wonderful, the studio and engineer were great...but the piano itself sounded like ass (as I sort of started out saying).


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## mjc (Jul 22, 2010)

Thanks for all the feedback guys!


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