# Hammersmith Free: Available Again For Limited Time



## soniccouture (Dec 9, 2020)

16-02-21 :We currently have a few thousand Hammersmith Free licenses available. But, when they're gone they're gone!








HAMMERSMITH FREE


4.8 GB Library
21 Velocity Layers
Kontakt Player 6 + NKS Compatible


Hi Vi Controllers,

We're excited to announce an Xmas Gift that you might actually want - a free sampled Steinway D.

We've made a 4.8GB version of our well known (and much bigger) Hammersmith Pro product. Hammersmith Free features a single set of stereo mics (Schoeps MK4), and uses a 'traditionally programmed' sustain pedal method rather than the True Sustain samples in the 'Pro' version. It still has the full 21 velocity layers featured in the Pro instrument.*

It makes for a very usable piano instrument.

It's free to all, although we do not have unlimited serial numbers. If demand is off the charts, then we might have to limit it.

To download you simply need to sign up for an account at Soniccouture.com

Enjoy!

James

* Please note Hammersmith Free is not equivalent to the now-retired _Hammersmith Standard Edition(LE). _That product featured 2 sets of mics with True Sustain sampling.


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## Alex Fraser (Dec 9, 2020)

I'm just gonna bump this thread as it's hard to overstate the value here. I use the original all the time.
SC rock.


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## el-bo (Dec 9, 2020)

Blimey! Lovely gift. Many thanks, and happy holidays :2thumbs


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## dzilizzi (Dec 9, 2020)

Wow! What a great gift. I love the Hammersmith!


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## Fry777 (Dec 9, 2020)

@soniccouture I can't manage to register the serial code in Native Access. Anybody has this problem ?


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## arjanm (Dec 9, 2020)

I had the registration problem initially, but it's fixed now. Just try again in 30 mins or so.


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## soniccouture (Dec 9, 2020)

Fry777 said:


> @soniccouture I can't manage to register the serial code in Native Access. Anybody has this problem ?



this is fixed, NI needed to 'switch it on' in Native Access.

James


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## kevinh (Dec 9, 2020)

Hi James,

I don’t see a way how to add it to cart. Was it temporarily disabled while the Native Access issue was being addressed or have you limited it already?
Crossing fingers it’s temporary 
Thanks...


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## Laddy (Dec 9, 2020)

kevinh said:


> Hi James,
> 
> I don’t see a way how to add it to cart. Was it temporarily disabled while the Native Access issue was being addressed or have you limited it already?
> Crossing fingers it’s temporary
> Thanks...


Are you using a phone? For me, I had to use my desktop for the buttons to show up.


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## VSriHarsha (Dec 9, 2020)

Well, I just registered with them.


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## kevinh (Dec 9, 2020)

Laddy said:


> Are you using a phone? For me, I had to use my desktop for the buttons to show up.



yes I am, okay will try thanks.


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## VSriHarsha (Dec 9, 2020)

I love Pianos. Now this is Steinway & who would leave that?.


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## kgdrum (Dec 9, 2020)

@soniccouture 

Thank You! 😘


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## soniccouture (Dec 9, 2020)

kevinh said:


> Hi James,
> 
> I don’t see a way how to add it to cart. Was it temporarily disabled while the Native Access issue was being addressed or have you limited it already?
> Crossing fingers it’s temporary
> Thanks...



No cart, you just create an account and then go to the My Products page in your user area.
There you find Hammersmith Free, and you need to click 'activate' to get a serial + downloads.

It won't work on phones, because in general you don't want to be downloading GBs of data to your phone, so we disable it.

James


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## jneebz (Dec 9, 2020)

Thank you James! Got the free Hammersmith and couldn’t resist FINALLY grabbing ElectroAcoustic.

I see what you did there.


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## soniccouture (Dec 9, 2020)

jneebz said:


> Thank you James! Got the free Hammersmith and couldn’t resist FINALLY grabbing ElectroAcoustic.
> 
> I see what you did there.



You mean it actually worked?


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## galactic orange (Dec 9, 2020)

Laddy said:


> Are you using a phone? For me, I had to use my desktop for the buttons to show up.


Also try putting the phone in landscape mode. That got the buttons to show up for me.

Thanks, Soniccouture!


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## cloudbuster (Dec 9, 2020)

@soniccouture 
Thanks a lot for this beautiful piano. 
Much appreciated!


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## SupremeFist (Dec 9, 2020)

That is awesome. I had been neglecting my Hammersmith Pro but wrote a piece on it last week and remembered how good it is.


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## devonmyles (Dec 9, 2020)

Thank you, @soniccouture. A lovely gesture.


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## kevinh (Dec 9, 2020)

soniccouture said:


> No cart, you just create an account and then go to the My Products page in your user area.
> There you find Hammersmith Free, and you need to click 'activate' to get a serial + downloads.
> 
> It won't work on phones, because in general you don't want to be downloading GBs of data to your phone, so we disable it.
> ...


Thanks, worked as soon as I got out of bed and walked over to my PC 
Thanks for the free gift.


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## JEPA (Dec 9, 2020)

Thank you @soniccouture for the gift! An opportunity to explore your products!


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## jtnyc (Dec 9, 2020)

Thanks for the gift!

I downloaded it manually through browser, put it in my Kontakt folder, launch Native Access, and inputed serial number. In Native Access it says it's installed, but it doesn't show up in Kontakt. I refreshed Kontakts browser, re-instantiated Kontakt, restarted Logic, restated my computer, all to no avail...

Any idea what I'm doing wrong?


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## CT (Dec 9, 2020)

It's a great piano. Very generous!


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## SupremeFist (Dec 9, 2020)

Mike T said:


> It's a great piano. Very generous!


Simply on a technical level this is already superior to quite a few piano libraries that are very much not free.


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## soniccouture (Dec 9, 2020)

jtnyc said:


> Thanks for the gift!
> 
> I downloaded it manually through browser, put it in my Kontakt folder, launch Native Access, and inputed serial number. In Native Access it says it's installed, but it doesn't show up in Kontakt. I refreshed Kontakts browser, re-instantiated Kontakt, restarted Logic, restated my computer, all to no avail...
> 
> Any idea what I'm doing wrong?



Trying to load it in Kontakt 5 rather than 6, I'd guess.


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## shropshirelad (Dec 9, 2020)

This is a gorgeous piano, thank you. It's extremely unlikely that I will be able to resist the pro version, which I'm sure is the general idea here. Well done!


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## jtnyc (Dec 9, 2020)

soniccouture said:


> Trying to load it in Kontakt 5 rather than 6, I'd guess.


Im using Kontakt 5


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## soniccouture (Dec 9, 2020)

shropshirelad said:


> This is a gorgeous piano, thank you. It's extremely unlikely that I will be able to resist the pro version, which I'm sure is the general idea here. Well done!



How DARE you suggest this was anything other than seasonal altruism!

The fact that the Pro version is currently 50% off is purely coincidental and I won't be mentioning it.

James


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## Rory (Dec 9, 2020)

Earlier today, Soniccouture published an interview with a NY composer named Chris Thompson. From the intro:

"Chris P. Thompson is a New York based composer whose new album ‘True Stories & Rational Numbers’ was recorded entirely with the Soniccouture Hammersmith piano. The album is scored for four pianos, and features extensive microtuning of the instrument. I spoke to Chris about the album, his compositional process, and the tunings he explored."

The interview, titled _Composing with Hammersmith Pro_, is on Soniccouture's blog:

*





Soniccouture







www.soniccouture.com




*
Thompson (website https://www.chrispthompson.com) has made a video that features one of the compositions from the album:


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## NekujaK (Dec 9, 2020)

🙏 @soniccouture a very generous gift indeed. And while I was at your site, I couldn't resist helping myself to the Ondes Martenot. What an amazing-sounding instrument!


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## kC_ (Dec 9, 2020)

Very kind! Thanks sounds great!


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## nolotrippen (Dec 9, 2020)

wonderfully playable


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## dzilizzi (Dec 9, 2020)

I did pick up a sound pack for Box of Tricks. Though I've been eyeing the Celeste, however, I'm over my budget until after Christmas. Fortunately, your sale goes to the end of the year......


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## Marcus Millfield (Dec 9, 2020)

jtnyc said:


> Im using Kontakt 5


I had the same thing. It's not compatible with 5...


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## jimjazzuk (Dec 9, 2020)

Lovely instrument to play... just had a half an hour noodle. Thanks so much Soniccouture. May have to buy the full version now!


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## jtnyc (Dec 9, 2020)

Marcus Millfield said:


> I had the same thing. It's not compatible with 5...


Really? I guess so, but Soniccouture told me to run it in 5 in this thread...


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## dreddiknight (Dec 9, 2020)

soniccouture said:


> How DARE you suggest this was anything other than seasonal altruism!
> 
> The fact that the Pro version is currently 50% off is purely coincidental and I won't be mentioning it.
> 
> James


I thought you was good people.

You ain't good people.

You gots the devil in you.


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## CGR (Dec 9, 2020)

SupremeFist said:


> That is awesome. I had been neglecting my Hammersmith Pro but wrote a piece on it last week and remembered how good it is.


Although I have just about every sampled piano out there (I'm not kidding - I think I need help) I'm impressed with the playability and realism of The Hammersmith Pro every time I call it up. Superb sampled piano.


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## soundmind (Dec 9, 2020)

Thank you for the gift! Best to you this holiday season and a healthy new year.


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## tc9000 (Dec 9, 2020)

jtnyc said:


> Really? I guess so, but Soniccouture told me to run it in 5 in this thread...



Unfortunately, it requires KONTAKT 6 or KONTAKT 6 PLAYER version 6.2 or later... I too am a K5 user so I feel your pain. Imma grab it anyway (thanks Soniccouture!) because I'll upgrade one day soon 

EDIT: OK I'm a moron: confimed 🙃 Kontakt 6 _Player _is free  its been a long day, what can i say? (Other than thanks again!)









KONTAKT 7 PLAYER: The free app for KONTAKT instruments


KONTAKT 7 PLAYER is a free app that runs all KONTAKT instruments from Native Instruments, as well as a large number of instruments from other companies.




www.native-instruments.com


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## Andy Davidson (Dec 9, 2020)

@soniccouture thank you, this is wonderful! Downloading as we type, can't wait to give it a try. Thanks again, it's wonderful Christmas gift!


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## filipjonathan (Dec 9, 2020)

Well, thanks, I guess... @soniccouture





Lol! No, for real, thank you for the piano!!!


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## kgdrum (Dec 9, 2020)

filipjonathan said:


> Well, thanks, I guess... @soniccouture
> 
> 
> 
> ...




That’s pretty good but I would have preferred: FCKU20


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## Michel Simons (Dec 9, 2020)

jtnyc said:


> Really? I guess so, but Soniccouture told me to run it in 5 in this thread...



I believe the response from Soniccouture was to your question what you were doing wrong. Using Kontakt 5 was the answer.


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## musicalweather (Dec 9, 2020)

Thank you, Soniccouture! Looking forward to trying this out!


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## mgnoatto (Dec 9, 2020)

Thank You @soniccouture , it sounds great!


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## VSriHarsha (Dec 9, 2020)

Thanks a lot to @soniccouture.


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## musicalweather (Dec 9, 2020)

The registration problem I posted got resolved. All is well! Thanks, Soniccouture!


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## soniccouture (Dec 10, 2020)

To be clear, Kontakt 6 or Kontakt 6 Player is required. This will install alongside Kontakt 5 without overwriting it.

James


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## Lode_Runner (Dec 10, 2020)

Thank you Soniccouture. I've often been curious about this piano as I love everything I've got from your guys, but I've never been able to justify getting another piano library. Seeing that this free and so fully functional though, I could no longer say no, and now I know how gorgeous it is, I think I'm bound to upgrade to the full version in the future.


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## TomislavEP (Dec 10, 2020)

Thanks to SC for this gift. It is really a generous move to offer such a detailed and feature-rich piano for free, especially since it also works in the Kontakt Player. This is a very rare sight.

Although my virtual piano collection is rather extensive, I'm really looking forward to trying this one out.


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## shropshirelad (Dec 10, 2020)

@soniccouture Just to let you know, the download app doesn't seem to play nicely with Big Sur. (Yes, as predicted, I've purchased Hammersmith Pro)


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## soniccouture (Dec 10, 2020)

shropshirelad said:


> @soniccouture Just to let you know, the download app doesn't seem to play nicely with Big Sur. (Yes, as predicted, I've purchased Hammersmith Pro)



Ok, email us via the site so we can troubleshoot this with you.

James


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## philtsai (Dec 10, 2020)

Unable to assign a new serial number to the product.... How to fix it plz


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## soniccouture (Dec 10, 2020)

Please email all support requests via the soniccouture website.


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## Rossy (Dec 10, 2020)

soniccouture said:


> HAMMERSMITH FREE
> 
> 
> 4.8 GB Library
> ...


Thank you so much, I am a big proponent of companies letting us try their software before we buy as I have had some bad experiences in the past with some companies that I will never buy from again. I look forward to giving this a try and upgrading if it fits my needs (I am looking for a piano right now so perfect timing)
Very generous, thanks again.


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## eakwarren (Dec 10, 2020)

@soniccouture Thanks for these great instruments! I selected Activate and see my serial. Trying to download via the Soniccouture Downloader app and I just see a blank screen in Big Sur. Then tried to download the zip file and get a file not found error. Thoughts?








EDIT: Grabbed them from a Win10 PC and transferred them over to Mac.


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## soniccouture (Dec 10, 2020)

Please email all support requests via the soniccouture website.


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## Alchemedia (Dec 10, 2020)

What a wonderful surprise and it sounds superb! Thanks James!


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## GGaca (Dec 11, 2020)

@soniccouture. 
Thank you very much for this gift!


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## AceAudioHQ (Dec 11, 2020)

This is a great sounding instrument, I like it a lot, thanks!


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## soniccouture (Dec 11, 2020)

update: the download app seems to be working for most people on Big Sur, but a couple of people have had issues. Downloading from Chrome instead of Safari helped in one case, so it may be safari related.


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## pryan (Dec 11, 2020)

Thank you, @soniccouture!


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## soniccouture (Dec 24, 2020)

more serial numbers added today!


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## Bluemount Score (Dec 24, 2020)

Got it! Thanks for the library. I wonder if you are able to tell that there is no _Real Sustain Pedal sampling_ in the free version. 21 velocity layers alone is amazing though, gotta try it out


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## MusicStudent (Dec 27, 2020)

Almost missed this download. A couple of Youtube demos caught my attention. A really remarkable sounding and playing library. Thanks so much.


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## MusicStudent (Dec 27, 2020)

Hey Soniccouture, for those of us very late to the party and who are also very good at procrastinating, can you tell me if the sale has an end date? I don't see one. I really love the free download, so much that a purchase is likely, but it takes me a really long time to pull the trigger. So some kind of warning would be appreciated. You know the expression... "A wink is as good as a node to a blind horse."

Oh wait, there it is. *HOLIDAY SALE 1ST DEC - 31ST DEC*


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## soniccouture (Feb 16, 2021)

Hammersmith Free serials available for a limited time again.


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## nolotrippen (Feb 16, 2021)

Have it, play it, love it.


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## MusicStudent (Feb 16, 2021)

nolotrippen said:


> Have it, play it, love it.


This continues to be a big favorite of mine. Ya, the free version is a bit limited in mics, but it is not limited in sound! It is absolutely one of the most beautiful grand pianos available and it is FREE. But I have said all that in the past...


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## SupremeFist (Feb 16, 2021)

soniccouture said:


> Hammersmith Free serials available for a limited time again.


cc @jimjazzuk


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## jimjazzuk (Feb 17, 2021)

jimjazzuk said:


> Lovely instrument to play... just had a half an hour noodle. Thanks so much Soniccouture. May have to buy the full version now!



Thanks @SupremeFist , already took advantage of this last time


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## Paul Owen (Feb 18, 2021)

Is this still available?
#edit# it appears as though it is but I cant add it to the cart...


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## easyrider (Feb 18, 2021)

I got it....I have say music box is great too.


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## kolton (Feb 18, 2021)

Does anyone know how to get a license?
Thanks


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## MusicStudent (Feb 18, 2021)

I got this back in December 2020, however, I do seem to remember it was a bit of a chore to get it all loaded and registered. But well worth it. It has to all start at the soniccouture website.


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## galindoi (Feb 18, 2021)

Wow, really beautiful.


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## chrisav (Feb 19, 2021)

Thank you so much! Sounds absolutely wonderful :D


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## FrozenIcicle (Feb 20, 2021)

Great free piano!


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## soniccouture (Feb 26, 2021)

kolton said:


> Does anyone know how to get a license?
> Thanks


Simply create an account at Soniccouture.com and you'll see Hammersmith Free in your downloads. Click 'Activate' to download and get a serial number.

James


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## kolton (Feb 26, 2021)

soniccouture said:


> Simply create an account at Soniccouture.com and you'll see Hammersmith Free in your downloads. Click 'Activate' to download and get a serial number.
> 
> James


Got it 
Thanks James !!


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## SAM CA (May 14, 2021)

I downloaded this back in December, but didn't really get a chance to play it till last week. It's a very playable piano. Just recorded a short video today. I haven't played the full version which offers more mic positions. You guys should totally try it out. Thank you Soniccouture!


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## CGR (May 15, 2021)

SAM CA said:


> I downloaded this back in December, but didn't really get a chance to play it till last week. It's a very playable piano. Just recorded a short video today. I haven't played the full version which offers more mic positions. You guys should totally try it out. Thank you Soniccouture!



Nice work - The Hammersmith is a fine sampled piano, very dynamic and retains great clarity in a mix. I have the Pro version which has Real Sustain Pedal sampling (the free version doesn't) so it naturally sounds more full & resonant, but the Free version is an amazing giveaway. Note: although I provided a demo for Soniccouture, I had purchased the library previously.


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## SAM CA (May 15, 2021)

CGR said:


> Nice work - The Hammersmith is a fine sampled piano, very dynamic and retains great clarity in a mix. I have the Pro version which has Real Sustain Pedal sampling (the free version doesn't) so it naturally sounds more full & resonant, but the Free version is an amazing giveaway. Note: although I provided a demo for Soniccouture, I had purchased the library previously.



It is an amazing giveaway indeed. What's the link for you demo of the full version. I normally like to listen to user demos than the official ones.


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## Bluemount Score (May 15, 2021)

Using the free one a lot since I got it. I like the room tone which is naturally baked in the mid mic position


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## CGR (May 15, 2021)

SAM CA said:


> It is an amazing giveaway indeed. What's the link for you demo of the full version. I normally like to listen to user demos than the official ones.


It's in the demo list on the Hammersmith Pro page. It's a tune called 'Cavatina' which was the theme from the 70's film 'The Deerhunter' with Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep & Christopher Walken.


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