# Art Vista Virtual Grand Piano Preview



## Craig Sharmat (Jul 6, 2005)

Christian Marcussen said:


> Hans... your Malmsjo is the only piano I use... I love it. I know might need some different piano sounds one day,and who else should I get it from than you.
> Kudos
> 
> ps: Is there any of the new piano sounds which is similar to the Malmsjo?



well i have tested it, and while there are not duplicates of the Malmsjo, there are tender pianos which can live in the same area. On the other side of the spectrum the piano can also be quite aggressive.


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## Hans Adamson (Jul 6, 2005)

Thanks Theo, Christian, 

The Virtual Grand is a 1960 Hamburg Steinway B, but it has been recorded with exactly the same techniques as the Malmsj?, although in a a larger room (medium size hall). It also has the same qualities when it comes to the lyrical tone and the detail in the ppp-pp range, but with dynamics extending up to ffff.

I will be focusing on demos the coming week, and present what I have when it starts shipping. 

Waywyn, 

I tested all pages in the readme on two comps here and the pictures work for me. Anyone elese with this problem?

Craig has been assisting me in the development of this piano, and he was on the beta team. He is right that there are patches in the Malmsj? 'spirit', but also plenty of aggressive headroom.


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## Frederick Russ (Jul 6, 2005)

Congrats Hans on the upcoming release of your piano! Based on the quality of your Malmsj? this new one should equally bring the house down. Can't wait! 8)


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## Waywyn (Jul 6, 2005)

hmm still not working, i am on firefox and i checked your source code.

i don't know if that could be the mistake but you used backslash for the directory of the pics instead of a usual one:

http://www.artvista.net/VGP_Manual/Readme/images%5CInstall_1xx.jpg (http://www.artvista.net/VGP_Manual/Read ... ll_1xx.jpg)

see, if you have a backslash on it (after images), the browser changes it into %5 and it is no path anymore. I hope it helps!

edit: tested it on explorer and it works there (just on the dumbest browser :roll: ... sorry but i hate internet explorer), so netscape and firefox are on mozilla, maybe that's why.


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## jamriding (Jul 6, 2005)

Well I'm using both a desktop and a laptop Macs.

On the desktop (X.2.8.) both Safari & IE don't work properly (i.e. no pictures).

On the laptop (X.3.9) Safari works fine but IE still isn't working.

I have a few other browsers on the desktop machine but haven't tried them at all.

Looks great, by the way: just one question. You say the Mac requirements are a G5. No chance that a lowly desktop G4 will work??? (1.25 Ghz)

John.


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## José Herring (Jul 7, 2005)

Very nice. Will there be sympathetic ressonance include in the Kompakt player or will we need to use K2 with a script for that?

Jose


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## Hans Adamson (Jul 7, 2005)

Thanks Frederick,

Waywin, 
I don't know anything about html. I think maybe it is screwed up because I just copied the readme.htm+folder to my web....:(

It works fine when installed on Macs from the DVD as far as I know.

John, 
To be able to take advantage of the patches with release samples you need a fast computer. That's why I set the ribbon high for minimum requirements. I had a beta tester with a Dual gig G4 Mac system. Maybe he can chime in and give his experience about the performance?...

Thanks Jose, 
You should try the piano without any scripts. There are none supplied, but I assume you could utilize them if you load the instrument into Kontakt 2.


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## José Herring (Jul 7, 2005)

I'd love to try the instrument. But I don't see a demo version available. Am I missing something? I don't even really see where to advance purchase?

Jose


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## Hans Adamson (Jul 7, 2005)

Jose,

I had hoped that it would be possible to offer a limited version of the Player as a demo, but in the end my wish didn't come through. So when I said "try", I meant once you own it...

I don't believe in advance purchase. We are promised the first copies by Friday July 15. The MSRP is only $120 but I am considering having an even lower introductory price for the first month. I should have demos up for the premiere next week.


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## José Herring (Jul 7, 2005)

Hans Adamson said:



> Jose,
> The MSRP is only $120 but I am considering having an even lower introductory price for the first month.



:o :o :o :o :o 8)


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## Evan Gamble (Jul 7, 2005)

120!!!!! WOW 8)


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## DKeenum (Jul 8, 2005)

Please keep us informed as things develop. I agree that $120 sounds interesting. :D


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## Z6 (Jul 8, 2005)

*50 seconds?*

Hey Hans, what gives?

Are you telling me that you want me to pay $120 and I still get a "slight bump in volume at around 50 seconds into the note" when I'm using EQ1?

What the hell, am I supposed to do ... play bleedn staccato?

What kind of snake oil are you selling buster? Can't a guy play tunes with notes longer than 50 seconds anymore without getting a bump in volume? You must have attended my keyboard harmony lessons when I was at college. I could have used a fifty second sustain with a bump in volume right where I managed to work out how to play the chord. 

Anyway people. Hans's Malmsjo is a masterpiece. It is truly sampling at its most pure and beautiful. It is music trapped in digital amber. Hans has preserved (and in my case; introduced me to) an astonishing piano. I think it is a significant achievement; a classic that will last like a best-selling novel. Nothing could possibly replace Hans's Malmsjo and I think that says something significant about the _ART _of sampling.

The new piano looks like massive fun and excellent for dumbos like myself who'd like to make believe we're Keith Jarret or Bill Evans when nobody's looking. (I'd give "Elton John" a body swerve myself though... but I'm a guitarist - Mmmm Ztarista! - what the hell do I know?)

It looks pretty droolworthy.


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## Hans Adamson (Jul 8, 2005)

Hehe,

Z6, I like it. Finally someone who reads the whole manual without skipping.... - Actually that's the only way to learn to take advantage of the possibilities in this instrument.

Thanks for your nice comments about the Malmsj?!


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## Patrick de Caumette (Jul 8, 2005)

Hans, 
I love the Malmsjo myself and I can't wait to hear what you came up with!

all the best for your new piano! 8)


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## Hans Adamson (Jul 9, 2005)

Thanks Patrick, 

Also, PolarBear helped me to fix the issue with some browsers not being able to show the pictures. It's working now!


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## José Herring (Jul 15, 2005)

Hans Adamson said:


> We are promised the first copies by Friday July 15.



Ahem.


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## Hans Adamson (Jul 15, 2005)

Awright, awright,

I got the copies OK?

I just have to update my website and webshop. Now this can take time....

8)


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## FilmComposerZ (Jul 15, 2005)

hurry up!!!!


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## Hans Adamson (Jul 15, 2005)

Hey Patrick,

Thanks, man!

Now, I am not ready yet, but I have two more demos for you: One is by Kays, its an excerpt from a piano concert of his called "The Quartal".

The other one is an orchestral piece by Craig Sharmat, where he is using VGP together with the SI Orchestra.

http://artvista.net/VGP%20Demos/The_Quartal_Excerpt.mp3

http://artvista.net/VGP%20Demos/Open%20Your%20Eyes.mp3


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## Hans Adamson (Jul 16, 2005)

Thanks jc5!!

Of course I would always be interested in sampling a piano that is 'special' in any way, like a huge Fazioli. Although, the loveliest pianos are not necessarily the largest all the time. Actually the Steinway B is considered a concert grand by Steinway. 

I am aways open to ideas and offers of pianos to sample.


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## Christian Marcussen (Jul 16, 2005)

Sounds really good Hans...


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## Simon Ravn (Jul 16, 2005)

Hans, wasn't there a demo MP3 somewhere? I think I read some thread here or at NS with a demo but can't seem to find it now.


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## José Herring (Jul 16, 2005)

Simon Ravn said:


> Hans, wasn't there a demo MP3 somewhere? I think I read some thread here or at NS with a demo but can't seem to find it now.



Let the games begin!
http://artvista.net/VGP%20Demos/VGP_Improvisation_Demo.mp3 (http://artvista.net/VGP%20Demos/VGP_Imp ... n_Demo.mp3)


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## Hans Adamson (Jul 16, 2005)

Thanks Christian,

Simon,

I have unintentionally split up the demos over two different threads. The one Jose posted comes with an introduction by me. Then there are two more, one by Kays, and one by Craig Sharmat. I will add the two last ones to that other thread:

http://www.vi-control.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1542


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## jc5 (Jul 16, 2005)

Hans Adamson said:


> Thanks jc5!!
> 
> Of course I would always be interested in sampling a piano that is 'special' in any way, like a huge Fazioli. Although, the loveliest pianos are not necessarily the largest all the time. Actually the Steinway B is considered a concert grand by Steinway.
> 
> I am aways open to ideas and offers of pianos to sample.



Oh I agree - I have played some fantastic Steinway B's, and it is easy to hear that the one you sampled is a lovely voiced example of one.  

I bring up the Fazioli simply because no one has done an exhaustive modern sample library of that particular piano - and it _is_ a special (and somewhat rare) instrument with a sound all its own. Such a library would fill a real gap.


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## Simon Ravn (Jul 16, 2005)

Sounds great Hans! And for $100 it's a steal Even if it is a VST plugin...


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## Christian Marcussen (Jul 16, 2005)

Hans... any new info on your GS3 plans?


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## Hans Adamson (Jul 16, 2005)

Thanks Simon!!

Christian,

It will most likely be quite some time before a GS3 lib of this instrument can be reality. The amount of time to program a lib like this with over 200 patches and thousands of samples is tremendous. I am open to doing it if it would be possible for me. I understand some people do not like to work with VSTi's in their setup. Maybe this piano will be inexpensive enough for you to try what it would be like...? 

Best,


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## Christian Marcussen (Jul 18, 2005)

Yeah... thats what i'm thinking. Its just if a GS3 version was out in a few months I might as well wait. But it does not sound like it


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## hv (Jul 18, 2005)

Sounds like a great enough piano to warrant trying out the NI engine. So just buying the piano entitles one to the K2 upgrade deal? If so sounds like a good excuse to try them both.

Howard


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## Hans Adamson (Jul 18, 2005)

My updated website is now open again!!!    There is a promotional price on VGP as well as several discounted bundle offers.

Check it out:
http://artvista.net/


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## José Herring (Jul 20, 2005)

Hans,

Any word on how long the special is going to last?

I'm looking to by these pianos but will probably need to wait until a few weeks because of some other software that I need to finish my current project. 

Jose


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## Hans Adamson (Jul 20, 2005)

Hey Jose,

The promotional prices on VGP and the various bundles will last a month. Last day is Aug 17.

So there is time.
8)


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## José Herring (Jul 20, 2005)

Thanks for the prompt reply.

Hopefully I won't need that long. With a baby and all I'm very cautious of every penny as one wrong move can be painful. This makes for impulse buying rather difficult these days.

Jose


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## synergy543 (Jul 20, 2005)

Simon Ravn said:


> Sounds great Hans! And for $100 it's a steal Even if it is a VST plugin...


Whaddaya mean? Its only $99 now! 

Couldn't resist saving a buck....I had to do it. 

And btw, I believe we can open it in Kontakt 2 so it doesn't have to function only as a VST - is this not right?

Lovely sound Hans. Can you tell us how you recorded it? 
Also, I couldn't find any info on how many velocity levels you use -not that I really care, as I already bought it based solely on the sound...but just curious.


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## Hans Adamson (Jul 20, 2005)

Hey Synergy,

I have developed my own recording techniques for pianos. That's all I can say... :wink: 

The Player can be loaded into Kontakt 2 just like any sample lib.

The velocities are ppp,pp,p,mp,mf, f, ff, fff.

Thanks,


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## Joanne Babunovic (Jul 20, 2005)

Hi Hans,

Your Steinway sounds so good. It has almost a hint of a brighter/clearer upright, which for the sometimes too classical/soft /consistent sounding B is nice. 

I remember when you were talking about starting development of this at one of the dinners in LA - and here it is. The whole process of (good) sample technology still amazes me. 

I read the website but just to verify: 

This is a self-contained kontakt player - similar to Kompakt, so no need to consider my present version of Kontakt when buying this, is that correct? 

Joanne


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## synergy543 (Jul 20, 2005)

Hans Adamson said:


> I have developed my own recording techniques for pianos. That's all I can say... :wink:


Whatever you're doing you've ended up with a certain clarity that impresses me. I have many pianos and I've compared carefully. I'm sure what I like has more to do with your mic positions rather than fancy gear or anything like that. I don't hear prominent early reflections to obfuscate the sound (as happens with many piano recordings) but its not dry either as I hear a certain amount of room ambience. Very nice.

I can't wait to try it.


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## Hans Adamson (Jul 20, 2005)

Hey Joanne,

Thanks! Are you coming on Monday? :wink: 

You are right that no additional software is needed. The Virtual Grand Piano is powered by a Kontakt Player, which is a "built-in" version of Kontakt. This built-in version can only play back Virtual Grand Piano. 

Synergy,
I just mailed your order! and thanks for what you said about my recordings  but my tongue is not going to slip... 8) 

(although if you flatter me more I might start ramblin') - NOT!


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## synergy543 (Jul 20, 2005)

Hans Adamson said:


> Synergy,
> I just mailed your order! and thanks for what you said about my recordings  but my tongue is not going to slip... 8)
> 
> (although if you flatter me more I might start ramblin') - NOT!


Thanks Hans. 

My jaw drops, my tongue slips (except under NDA), but my ears don't lie...it just sounds very good whatever you did. 

After you sell a bunch of these maybe you'll be more inclined to share some of your recording tips.


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## hv (Jul 21, 2005)

I'm really impressed. Ordered it Monday afternoon and there it was on my doorstep yesterday when I got home. Just in time for some recording this weekend.

Howard


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## Joanne Babunovic (Jul 21, 2005)

Thanks Hans. I'm unfortunately stuck in Boston for the next few weeks and have to miss this LANS this time around.


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## naturalstudio (Aug 5, 2005)

Hi Hans,

Just got this piano and have been playing around with it yesterday and today. A few questions...

Firslty, if I load in the "classic piano" preset - does that simply play back the samples as recorded? I'm slightly confused by the "width" knob - is that simply a stereo enhancer? Where should it be positioned so that it isn't affecting the origninal samples. Also, the compression knob - where should it be set so it isn't doing anything. In essence, I'd like to know what I'd need to do to hear the samples being played back as they were recorded without any FX etc.

Secondly - I definitely prefer the "wet" samples. When using the non-sustain pedal layer samples, it's really convincing and most playable. However, I notice that, when using the sustain pedal, the ambience isn't there on midi note-off anymore. Why is that? For example - let's say I play a chord, hold down the sustain pedal, lift my hands off the keys, then lift up the sustain pedal; rather than the release samples being triggered, the notes just fade out. Am I doing something wrong?

Thirdly - what is it that makes the "Jazz Piano" presets use up double the polyphony?

Fourthly - what Jarret recording are you emulating? It seems a little to cavernous a reverb for Jarret (although, maybe it's a solo concert recording?)

I hope you can shed some light on the above.

The Virtual Grand Piano is a really great sample set with a lot of character. It has a beautifully dark sound and some of the best ppp samples I've heard. Also, it's really good to hear a piano that has a noticeable timbral shift from ppp-ff. Many sample libraries I have are almost *too* smooth.

Hopefully hear from you soon,

Douglas.


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## Ed (Aug 5, 2005)

Im ordering your Vibes before the deal runs out as well as the steinway, hans  Too lazy to do it now. Monday maybe.,

Ed


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## José Herring (Aug 5, 2005)

Got the piano today!

Very nice.

Jose :D


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## Hans Adamson (Aug 5, 2005)

naturalstudio said:


> Hi Hans,
> 
> Just got this piano and have been playing around with it yesterday and today. A few questions...
> 
> ...



Hey Douglas,

1. If you load one of the basic presets, (except compressed piano) you will get the recorded sound without any added effect as long as you do not touch any knobs. The width knob will allow you to shrink the stereo width so that the piano can be positioned on the sound stage with panning. Turning counter-clockwise from the mid position will give a shrunken stereo image, turning clockwise will artificially expand the stereo image. The compression should be used very sparingly by turning slightly clockwise.

2. This is a inherent problem with both GigaStudio and Kontakt, that we (developers) have had to accept this for years. It is the behavior of the sampler architecture. To trigger a release sample you need a note off, a "pedal up" won't do it. 

3. The special sound of the Jazz piano was discovered by accident, and I liked it so much that I used it as a separate preset. The very first demo "Send in the Clowns" a year ago was recorded like this. I will pm you with a more thorough answer to this question.

4. This preset was modeled after the piano recording style of the "K?ln" concert. Play along with the CD for reference.

There is a manual included that explains some of the points you have asked about. It is really a "must" to read this manual thoroughly to fully take advantage of VGP. You can access it at any time by clicking the Kontakt Logo on the interface. Then in the About Box that opens, click "More Info" in the lower right corner. In the screen that opens click on the link for "Virtual Grand Piano Manual" to the left of the text.

Thanks for your other comments!


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## Hans Adamson (Aug 5, 2005)

Thanks Jose!!!


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## synergy543 (Aug 5, 2005)

Ed said:


> Im ordering your Vibes before the deal runs out as well as the steinway, hans  Too lazy to do it now. Monday maybe.,
> 
> Ed


Ed, both the Piano and the Vibes are very sweet! I almost didn't get the Vibes as I have others but....this one's different. Very rich and warm with nice long tones.


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## José Herring (Aug 6, 2005)

Hey Hans,

Fooled around with the piano yesterday and last night. Very, very good work.

It's interesting. I felt recently that I was running out of composition ideas. I figured it was because I disconnected all my hardware. In the past I used to just fire up my old keyboard and fool around until I felt inspired. Since I don't have or use a mixer or hardware sounds any more in order to get a piano sound I would have had to fire up two computers my daw and my gigastudio. So basically I never just "sat at a piano"516aa6d 104235744949e4be20acda1.jpg < @öúŸc0   8?îI627751dd 5528997994509cccc6dffb.jpg [email protected]öú c¬/ ?  l?îI4dbcd9d1 147634640749118d1df3586.jpg < @öú¡c0   	   ?îI5d23954b 15677840849a41225aeb11.jpg [email protected]öú¢c0   ° õ@îI5559a21b 114872437049e735e5b3f44.png < @öú£c0  +  AEîI46518ece 4105384514997a2102b532.jpg < @öú¤c0 ? 	  ÐFîI5d2391b8 15677840849a41225aeb11.jpg < @öú¥c0   	  GHîI5d2391b8 156778408


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## José Herring (Aug 8, 2005)

I've been working with the Piano for a couple of days now and I can honestly say this. Anybody who doesn't get this piano....I piddy da fool.

It is such a versatile piano for any style of music imaginable. The jazz presets work great for big band and swing. The classical for film and classical work. It has so many presets it's quite remarkable. It can do chamber music well, records, filmscores, pop, rock, gospel. Maybe it doesn't have that 9ft concert grand sound for Rachmoninov concertos, but seriously, how often are you going to get paid for doing that stuff.

Really for $100 it's quite a remarkable steal. If you had this, worrar's Rain Piano for upright uses and a thundering Bos. or Stienway large grand you'll basically be done with the piano library. Ray of hope for those suffering from shrinking wallets.

Jose


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## Ed (Aug 8, 2005)

Order has been sent :D 

Ed


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## Hans Adamson (Aug 8, 2005)

Thanks Jose and Ed,

Here is a tip if you like to use the built-in reverb on a basic patch or on one of the recording styles: All reverb parameters are available to be controlled by midi cc's. For instance, cc29 will control the stereo effect of the reverb. Check the manual or the Quick Reference chart in the folded insert for complete listings of parameters controllable by midi cc's.


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## TeamLeader (Aug 8, 2005)

Hans,

If we purchase the new library, do we have to use and install the engine, or can the samples and inst be loaded directly into Kontakt for use. We really dont need another Kompakt Player here, and would like to install the librarys and inst only, if possible.

Regards,
DLevy
mgr, Legacy Lab


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## Hans Adamson (Aug 9, 2005)

Hello DLevy,

You can load VGP into Kontakt as if it was a sample library. There seems to be a bug in Kontakt 2 at the moment which does something to the sound of the basic patches in VGP. You can work around this by deleting the LFO module. Kontakt 1.5 does not have this bug.

My understanding though, is that using multiple Kontakt Players does not multiply the demand for system resources. So if you are using one instance of Kontakt Player, (or even Kontakt), using additional Players should not tax your system more.

Maybe someone here has some further information how this works?


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## TeamLeader (Aug 10, 2005)

Hans Adamson said:


> Hello DLevy,
> 
> You can load VGP into Kontakt as if it was a sample library. There seems to be a bug in Kontakt 2 at the moment which does something to the sound of the basic patches in VGP. You can work around this by deleting the LFO module. Kontakt 1.5 does not have this bug.
> 
> My understanding though, is that using multiple Kontakt Players does not multiply the demand for system resources.



Thanks Hans. That is good news indeed. We just dont want to have to install yet another VI if we can just install and use the library inside Kontakt which is always open and assigned in our startup templates. (And we chose to stay on Kontakt 1.5+ for now also, so that isnt an issue)

Regards, 
DLevy
mgr, Legacy Lab


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## Hans Adamson (Aug 11, 2005)

DLevy,

VGP was programmed in Kontakt 1.5.3, so that works great.


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## DKeenum (Aug 11, 2005)

Just ordered! 

I'm excited! 

:oops: I think this might mean that I need to get out more.


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## José Herring (Aug 11, 2005)

DKeenum said:


> Just ordered!
> 
> I'm excited!
> 
> :oops: I think this might mean that I need to get out more.



That's the beauty of it. I use to get out all the time. Now I wake up excited to stay home in my studio.

Jose


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## Peter Emanuel Roos (Aug 12, 2005)

Hey Hans

I just ordered this cheapo piano of yours 

Although I am not (yet) a VST man (I have EWQLSO for instance and have not used it yet) I actually REALLY like the fact that I can now run this piano standalone on my DAW. My daughter Milou (12) studies piano so it will be very simple for her to "open her virtual study piano". 

I have also ordered the new CME UF8 master keyboard, it will be such a joy, having a standalone Steinway in my home :D :D :D And not having to fire up all the Giga PC's in the server closet :wink: 

I was already considering to buy a VST version of my Post Bosy 290 just for this purpose. But I am still not sure if I actually really like the Bosy. The close miced sounds have a slightly nasty attack, IMHO.

Ah, and then I can start using my own IR's on this piano. I have not made any music in the last 6 months, nor done anything with the IR's. This is a great way to get myself back on the (multi-)track. :wink: 

Thanks!


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## Ed (Aug 12, 2005)

Im still living in hope for high quality high end lexicon impluses. 

Ed


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## Peter Emanuel Roos (Aug 12, 2005)

I guess I will have to disappoint you for the coming months. The TC 6000 impulses (yeah, let's try again to mention the source  ) have not sold enough to make up for the development costs...

Maybe there really IS more interest in the Lex 960 than the TC, so I am not (yet) ruling out a second Samplicity library. I would probably focus more on a smaller set of presets and make multiple variations.

Regards,


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## hv (Aug 12, 2005)

Hi, Hans. Just got around to firing up your VGP today. It's my first experience with an NI instrument. After installation it showed up in Sonar as a DXi. I didn't realize it was supposed to do that. But works fine. And sounds better in this particular mix than other libs I tried.

Do have what may be a stupid question. In my present project I need to use it with other tracks recorded at 88.2K. Got the impression from your docs that I have to run VGP at 44.1 however. So I did a track freeze followed by a wav export, upsample, and import into the higher res project. For future reference, is there a better way? Maybe with the full K2 package?

Howard


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## Hans Adamson (Aug 13, 2005)

Hello Howard,

The instrument was recorded at 44.1kHz and will play back at this sampling rate if the sound card is set to 44.1kHz. I think you are doing this the only way possible by resampling the performance to 88.2.


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## José Herring (Aug 19, 2005)

Cool demo of the Piano. The guy for some reason only used pedal up samples but still nice sound. Very intimate chamber sound. And, I'm finding it works well with just about any style of music thanks to the presets.



http://music.mezo.com/av_vgp_cl_m_dry_pu_psr_schubert.wav.mp3 (http://music.mezo.com/av_vgp_cl_m_dry_p ... rt.wav.mp3)

disclaimer: The guy who posted this demo is selling a sympathetic resonance script that isn't part of the original piano.


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## hv (Aug 23, 2005)

The Shubert piece really shows off the softer dynamics of this piano rather nicely. Kind of gave me the idea of trying it with something we were doing this past weekend which was arranged a little soft and sparse in spots to leave space for a yet to be recorded vocal ... which gave my wife Sue an opportunity probe the piano a bit.

http://www.rtpress.com/mp3/Georgia-AVG.mp3

Used the 1st default dry instrument at the top of the hard preset group.

Howard


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## jamriding (Aug 23, 2005)

hv said:


> Kind of gave me the idea of trying it with something we were doing this past weekend which was arranged a little soft and sparse in spots to leave space for a yet to be recorded vocal ... which gave my wife Sue an opportunity probe the piano a bit.
> 
> http://www.rtpress.com/mp3/Georgia-AVG.mp3
> 
> ...



Wonderful playing: I can't wait to get my hands on this (it's in transit as we speak, together with the Malmsj?). I've already got Ivory but, for a more intimate sound, I think Hans Adamson really has a winner with this little number.

John.


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## Christian Marcussen (Aug 23, 2005)

Hi Hans... got the piano yesterday. Good job on this.

I own two pianos... both from you.


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## José Herring (Aug 23, 2005)

hv said:


> The Shubert piece really shows off the softer dynamics of this piano rather nicely. Kind of gave me the idea of trying it with something we were doing this past weekend which was arranged a little soft and sparse in spots to leave space for a yet to be recorded vocal ... which gave my wife Sue an opportunity probe the piano a bit.
> 
> http://www.rtpress.com/mp3/Georgia-AVG.mp3
> 
> ...



What did Sue think of the piano? 

And, great playing as usually Sue.

Jose


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## hv (Aug 23, 2005)

She really liked it. The way it behaves so smoothly as the playing intensity rises. And the high end sparkle... she played this one out on a Steinway once before. We're interested to see how it works with a vocal.

Howard


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## Hans Adamson (Sep 17, 2005)

hv said:


> The Shubert piece really shows off the softer dynamics of this piano rather nicely. Kind of gave me the idea of trying it with something we were doing this past weekend which was arranged a little soft and sparse in spots to leave space for a yet to be recorded vocal ... which gave my wife Sue an opportunity probe the piano a bit.
> 
> http://www.rtpress.com/mp3/Georgia-AVG.mp3
> 
> ...



Howard,

I haven't gotten to listen to this until now. Your wife is a phenomenal piano player, and the interpretation is really cool!

Thanks for posting it.

Hans


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## Commander (Sep 17, 2005)

Great rendition and fabulous sounding piano. Oh how I wish there was a Giga version ...


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## hv (Sep 18, 2005)

Hans Adamson said:


> I haven't gotten to listen to this until now. Your wife is a phenomenal piano player, and the interpretation is really cool!
> 
> Thanks for posting it.


And thank you. Coincidentally, we just did the vocal yesterday, trying out an AEA ribbon mic for the 1st time. Amazing how nicely they work together.

Howard


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## Commander (Sep 19, 2005)

Just ordered Malmsj? for Giga3. Cool Vibes arrived last week and is fabulous so I'm looking forward to the Malmsj? very much!


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## Angel (Sep 19, 2005)

I listen to Sue's mp3 nearly every evening... it's great... 
And the sound of the piano is great too...
I wish there were a more dry version of this piano, but I will purchase it soon.

Angel


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## lux (Sep 19, 2005)

Malmsj? is a must have. New piano deserve same imho.


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## PolarBear (Sep 19, 2005)

Thanks Sue for a great listening pleasure! (Maybe you can squeeze a few more pieces out of her for us, Howard) :D  :D

PolarBear


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## hv (Sep 20, 2005)

Sue says thanks PolarBear and Angel... and thanks to Hans for the inspiring instrument. It just so happens we were making tracks with it this past weekend with the K2 package we just got. I think I just might be able to find something special in there.

Howard


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## hv (Sep 23, 2005)

PolarBear:

Here you go...

http://www.rtpress.com/mp3/PeterGink-AVVG.mp3

... done with the ext classic preset. Sue plays this one pretty much as written from a published sheet by George L. Cobb dated 1918 which I stumbled across in an antique shop. Hope everyone doesn't hate it too much.

Howard


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## PolarBear (Sep 23, 2005)

Wow, thanks! Again, some great playing! One can hear the fun that originates from the VGP  Out of my personal interest - is she coming back a lot to the VGP? Because as a piano player who knows the real thing very well and maybe even having a real piano in the next room, sample libraries often just not their cup of tea for a piano player...

PolarBear


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## Angel (Sep 23, 2005)

Wow.... I love it... and Edvard Grieg would have loved this version too 

Angel


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## hv (Sep 23, 2005)

PolarBear:

Sue usually practices with a real piano when she has the house to herself. Otherwise she uses a sampled piano and headphones. I've always preferred recording with sampled pianos because of the ease of changing instruments. It's so cool when a 15-year old CD needs to be remanufactured and you can swap in a piano to die for. In our last 2 projects, however, we did our mockups with midi but the final recordings with a real piano. Art Vista is certainly rasising the bar a little this go around. 

The only issue is a learning curve thing for me... I'm new to K2 and am still working out its finer points. 

Howard


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## hv (Sep 23, 2005)

Angel:

You might enjoy seeing the cover: http://www.rtpress.com/PGink.jpg

Howard


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## Angel (Sep 23, 2005)

"Apologies to Grieg" lol

thx for posting it 

Angel

P.S.: I think Grieg would have enjoyed it. He was very unhappy with the complete Peer Gynt-Suite. God knows why


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## Neilfactory (Jan 12, 2006)

A really great piano.
I think i'll make an order!

No problem with XP pro?

>Neil.


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## PolarBear (Jan 12, 2006)

Using it on XP Pro with no problems so far. You'll not regret buying this one!

PolarBear


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## Neilfactory (Jan 12, 2006)

Thanks a lot PolarBear
It's amazing for this price.
And impressive sounds>http://www.rtpress.com/mp3/Georgia-AVG.mp3 


>Neil.


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## Neilfactory (Jan 12, 2006)

OK.
I ordered VIRTUAL GRAND PIANO today!

>Neil.


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## Neilfactory (Jan 26, 2006)

I just receive VGP (Sorry for my mail Hans=))

And i must say this is my best piano i tried.A great sound, your product is wonderful Hans, congratulation.

I'm very happy=)

Regards, 

>Neil.


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## Hans Adamson (Jan 26, 2006)

Thanks Neil,

And thanks for being so patient. We had difficulties keeping up sending out orders over NAMM. 

For those who are still waiting: All remaining orders will be sent today. 8)


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## northspeed (Jan 28, 2006)

Great Piano! I just got mine. Lots of character that I miss with the others.

The others can be almost too perfect / too well tuned.

Well, they all have their places but I was always looking for a more 'realistic' version of a grand piano as an alternative.

Ivory is my 'perfect' piano and Virtual Grand my 'character' piano.

I hated NI's Akoustik Piano and sold it immediately.

You can't go wrong at this price with Art Vista. Also ordered the Malmsjo which I should get soon (was out of stock).


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## Anson (May 2, 2006)

Hi all!

What are the differences between VGP and Malmsjo, which would you recommend? I've been reading great things about both.

I need it as a virtual instrument for mostly serious playing. 

My styles of interest are anything romantic classical, jazz, and anything warm, intimate, and highly expressive, e.g. Rachmaninov piano concerto 2 second mov, John Williams' Schindler's list theme. If you have the recording of Schindler's List, That's the exact sound I'd like to duplicate when I am playing. 

Previously I narrowed it down to Synthology Ivory but got scared by it's size and the system requirements. So now I've got my selection narrowed down to Hans Adamson's pianos... reviews make it seem like a way better deal and a safer bet then ivory, and it seems like it should be an easier load for my computer, AMD 2 Ghz, 512 Mb ram but upgrading to 2 Gb soon

All input highly appreciated!

Anson


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## Hans Adamson (May 2, 2006)

The loading time when using a streaming sampler like Kontakt, or GigaStudio is proportional to the number of samples in the instrument. Almost all of the presets in VGP uses nearly 1,700 individual samples, that have to be partially loaded into RAM. The Ivory includes three pianos and has only 3500 samples totally. So VGP is a larger instrument (by the count of included sample wavs) than any of he individual pianos in Ivory, which would explain some of the longer loading time.

On my Sony Vaio 3.0GHz P4 the longest loading times are 20 seconds. The smaller patches are faster.

Best,
Hans


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## Ian (May 4, 2006)

I have just received the Virtual Grand Piano - it is really fantastic, and I will certainly use it a great deal. 

There were one or two questions though which I would like to find out about:

1. I am finding that playing the VGP form my digital piano (Yamaha p150), the velocity sensitivity seems more pronounced in the right hand. Do any of the presets scale velocity across the keyboard - I was looking to tone down the velocity sensitivity in the upper regions, but keep it in the lower?

2. I was keen to make use of the presets which use double polyphony - however, I find that with some of these, e.g., the Jazz preset, the sound is a little too mellow - and when I change the EQ it does not brighten the sound, only reduces some of the middle or the bass - I would like to know if it is possible to play the double polyphonic sounds without any EQing whatsoever, for I imagine that the mellowness inherent in the Jazz sound is a product of EQing? So, in short, can I get a bright sound with the double polyphonic sounds?

3. I get bad distortion if I set the compression above a setting of 60% - is this normal?

4. This question relates to 2. , but, is there a quick and easy way of changing the brightness - using the CC controllers?

5. I am confused about the make up of the different presets - I understand that yes, all the presets are the same piano - but were there differences in the actual recording of these presets - is there just one key recording from which alterations are then made with EQ and compression. I was particularly interested if the presets were recorded with different mikes, or mike positions etc. So, in short are these presets actually different recordings and made up of different wav samples?

Just joined the forum, so forgive me if any of these questions have been dealt with at length elsewhere. 
Cheers
Ian


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## Hans Adamson (May 4, 2006)

Hello Ian,

1. I am finding that playing the VGP form my digital piano (Yamaha p150), the velocity sensitivity seems more pronounced in the right hand. Do any of the presets scale velocity across the keyboard - I was looking to tone down the velocity sensitivity in the upper regions, but keep it in the lower? 

VGP has a bright top end. Choosing your presets from the "Hard" folder will give overall lower velocity values across the keyboard. There is no control on the interface for changing the response only in the upper octaves. The response from the virtual instrument is exactly the same as from the real instrument. The playback was calibrated when recorded and precisely recreated in the programming stage. 

2. I was keen to make use of the presets which use double polyphony - however, I find that with some of these, e.g., the Jazz preset, the sound is a little too mellow - and when I change the EQ it does not brighten the sound, only reduces some of the middle or the bass - I would like to know if it is possible to play the double polyphonic sounds without any EQing whatsoever, for I imagine that the mellowness inherent in the Jazz sound is a product of EQing? So, in short, can I get a bright sound with the double polyphonic sounds? 

The presets which take up double polyphony (there are just a few presets with this effect: Diana Krall, the "Jazz" preset, Arthur Rubinstein, Bill Evans) They take advantage of an effect I stumbled upon when making a mistake in the programming. The mellowness is a result of the layering of two voices very precisely. It gives a different sound than if you would use EQ. The top end is more reminiscent of an analog recording. For the recording styles presets that use this technique there is also a version that does not use it, except for the Diana Krall preset. However, the Norah Jones preset is very close to the D.K. preset if you remove the layering. Also, the EQ on the interface both are used to cut "mud" and bass from the recording to sculpt the instrument to sit right in a mix.

3. I get bad distortion if I set the compression above a setting of 60% - is this normal? 
Yes, the compression should be used very sparingly. Small settings will quickly produce a rich saturated sound where the softer parts of the piano become more prominent.

4. This question relates to 2. , but, is there a quick and easy way of changing the brightness - using the CC controllers? 

All internal parameters within the Kontakt built-in software are accessible via midi cc. So also the EQ parameters: 

EQ Filter Frequency cc18 

EQ Filter Bandwidth cc19

EQ 1 - Gain cc20 

EQ 2 - Gain cc21


5. I am confused about the make up of the different presets - I understand that yes, all the presets are the same piano - but were there differences in the actual recording of these presets - is there just one key recording from which alterations are then made with EQ and compression. I was particularly interested if the presets were recorded with different mikes, or mike positions etc. So, in short are these presets actually different recordings and made up of different wav samples?

The difference in the recording styles presets are achieved by utilising every parameter within the Kontakt software that emulates a function relevant to the recording process. The proprietary recording techniques used allow for wide range of modification to the perceived recording perspective. There is only one recorded mic perspective, but the width, pan controls, and EQ will allow you to "place" the piano at different positions within the sound stage.

Take a few minutes and read through the manual. It is available by clicking on the Logo in the upper left corner of the interface, and thereafter clicking the "Info" button in the "About Box". On the left hand side choose "Virtual Grand Piano Manual". There is also a link here: http://www.artvista.net/VGP_Manual/Readme/library.html

The manual is not long, but it will help you to best take advantage of the full capabilities of VGP.

Best, Hans


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## Ian (May 5, 2006)

Hi Hans, 

thank you very much for your swift and comprehensive reply, which was very helpful and has answered my questions. 

Sorry to be a pain, but after another long spell getting to know the VGP I had some more questions which you may be able to help with, and these were really about finding out a little more about the make up of the presets. 

1. I wanted to know what exactly makes the Lite Piano preset 'lite', so that I know what I may be missing out on. Does it miss out some of the velocities? I noticed, correct me if I am wrong, that the Gospel piano seems to not have the ppp layer. If I know what is not there I will know if I am able to compensate in playing style, or added effects etc. 

2. The Extended setting, I take it that this is just an even firmer velocity setting than Hard? 

3. Should I be able to save adjustments to presets in cubase using the file function. I tried this but cubase crashed, (VST 5/32)?

4. I still cannot seem to create a setting for any of the double polphony sounds with the same degree of brightness afforded to the likes of the Pop, Gospel and Rock settings. I have explored all the EQ settings from the CC controller. 

cheers,
Ian


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## Hans Adamson (May 8, 2006)

Hello Ian,

1. I wanted to know what exactly makes the Lite Piano preset 'lite', so that I know what I may be missing out on. Does it miss out some of the velocities? I noticed, correct me if I am wrong, that the Gospel piano seems to not have the ppp layer. If I know what is not there I will know if I am able to compensate in playing style, or added effects etc. 

The Lite presets do not have the sustained samples layers, but has all velocities. The Gospel, and the Rock preset does not include the ppp preset because of the extreme mapping in these presets.

2. The Extended setting, I take it that this is just an even firmer velocity setting than Hard? 

The presets in the Extended folder were created to accomodate keyboards that do not easily allow fine control over the softest velocities. In these presets, the lower velocities are mapped "higher" so that a controller that rarely transmits data below velocity 35 will allow playback and good control over these dynamics. In the upper layers, these presets conforms to the presets in the Soft folder.

3. Should I be able to save adjustments to presets in cubase using the file function. I tried this but cubase crashed, (VST 5/32)? 

I am not aware of this technique of saving presets in a Kontakt Player. Maybe someone else can pitch in here to advise. Normally I believe you would need the full Kontakt software to resave presets in the Kontakt Player.

4. I still cannot seem to create a setting for any of the double polphony sounds with the same degree of brightness afforded to the likes of the Pop, Gospel and Rock settings. I have explored all the EQ settings from the CC controller. 


Because of the layering in these presets, they will never be as bright as the unlayered presets. The purpose of this layering is to "round off" the top end to achieve a more "vintage", "analog" sound. There is a comb filter effect above 5KHz causing this.


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## Ian (May 8, 2006)

Hi again Hans,
once again thank you very much for your comprehensive reply which has furnished me with very useful information. 

I have had a good play around now, and think that my keyboard (Yamaha p150) which is generally very good, is letting me down a bit, because I really have to hammer out the fff to hear the fff samples, (and this is on the softest setting on the controller) but, I guess this is how it should be as fff should be an effort! And, I need to practice a bit more!

I will no longer be a pain in the ass - as you have answered all my questions, but, can I suffice it to say that, I have spent all weekend on the piano now, and think that the job you have done is bloody amazing. I have listened to the NI akoustik piano demos very carefully, and am so glad that I totally ignored my local music shop assistant who said that it was the best out there. And in the process have saved myself Â£100. 

I used to have access to a Bluthner baby grand in a quite large hall and would spend hours on it; not since then have I been able to match that experience - so, it feels like its back to the good old days of really enjoying improvising, and also getting back my technique. 

I will be using VGP on my second album - and can't wait to get going. 

Thanks again Hans,

Ian


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## microsmurf (May 8, 2006)

Hi Hans,

Great job on the piano. I've played with it for a couple days and I think the sound of the piano is very organic and natural. 

It is running very well on my laptop which is
- Toshiba M1 Techra (2.5 years old!!!)
- Intel Centrino (Pentium M 1.6 Ghz)
- 2 gigabytes of memory
- internal 5400 RPM harddrive
- internal sound card (running ASIO4All at 2 ms latency) (planning to upgrade to Echo Indigo this week)

I can run 128 note polyphony with 2 ms latency with above setting. I am very glad that I did not have to go buy another laptop or MUSE receptor to make this a portable solution. I am overall very happy.

(I've also tried in desktop Pentium 4 3 Ghz, 1 GB memory and 7200 RPM machine which could play about the same. I think more memory makes a difference rather than faster CPU or faster harddrive in my case) 
===================================================

However, I am having similar problem as Ian regarding the voicing and velocity. Here are my issues:

1. The highest 2 octave notes are way too bright, and seems to play much louder than the rest. I understand that the real instrument was brigher in this section, but this is unnaturally louder and brigher to me. I've plyaed about 10 Steinway Bs (all New York, not Hamburg, with a couple of them concert prepped) and none of them sounds like this.

2. The bottom 1 ocatve is way too soft, and duller than the rest. I really have to bang out the notes on the bottom to match the rest of the piano. Was the piano voiced this way? 

3. The piano plays really quiet on my laptop. Is this normal? Sounds cranked all the way seems a bit quieter than what the real piano shoud sound like (at this setting CDs/Mp3s will blast so loud my ears will hurt) I had to make it go through another external amplifier to make it loud enough to play like a real piano.

4. Not enough dynamic changes. I hear all the timbre changes from ppp to fff, but not the associated volume. fff does not sound "thunderously" louder than ppp. (it does on my Yamaha CLP 270 and Kawai RX-7). It almost feels like I am running a compressor. On the classic wet, default compression is set on 50%. Is this where is supposed to be?

I think #4 issue is relate to #3. which i think will be addressed by purchasing a better external sound card (such as Echo Indigo), but I am not 100% certain it will? Can anyone else chime in on whether a new sound card will help?

Anyway, my real issues are with #1 and #2 above. For example, set the velocity to Fixed at 64 on your keybarod and play the notes up and down. Around E3 to C2 (about 2 ocatave lower than middle C), you will hear sudden change in the voicing of the piano. It gets very dull below this and sounds normal above it. Try going up, around C6 and higher (About 2 octave higher than middle C), the sounds gets very bright and louder. below that sounds normal. It feels like f on the bottom range, mf in the middle range, and mp on the top range should be mapped as a single velocity range. I wonder if the mapping is wrong, or the voicing on the piano was not set consitant across the whole range?

Any help on solving this issue will be greatly appreciated as I really love the sound of Virtual Grand Piano.

(note: like Ian, I am also using Yamaha (CLP 270) as my controller and we seem to share the same problem of not really being able to play ff and fff samples. My keyboard will not normally send out velocity higher than 120 unless I hit it with a sledge hammer. Normal "sane" playing rannge seems to send out velocity at more like 10 to 110. this seems to be pretty prevalent with Yamaha keyboards. Yes, I tried the Soft and Extended preset, but even that I think the fff does not get triggered until passed velocity 110, and the voicing issues is there no matter what preset I load)


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## Hans Adamson (May 8, 2006)

Hello Microsmurf,

1. The highest 2 octave notes are way too bright, and seems to play much louder than the rest. I understand that the real instrument was brigher in this section, but this is unnaturally louder and brigher to me. I've plyaed about 10 Steinway Bs (all New York, not Hamburg) and none of them sounds like this. 

The piano was a 1960 Hamburg Steinway model B. The miking was not close, but still close enough not to allow ambient "bloom". It was recorded with perfectly calibrated physical velocity across the keyboard, ie each key was depressed with exactly the same speed, without room for human variation. This is how the piano responds and is picked up by the recording under those conditions. The advantage is that it is possible to calibrate the sampled piano to respond exactly as the real physical piano. 

2. The bottom 1 ocatve is way too soft, and duller than the rest. I really have to bang out the notes on the bottom to match the rest of the piano. Was the piano voiced this way? 

The sampled piano is a 100% accurate representation of the recorded piano. The response of a sampled piano is very much dependent on how your keyboard triggers it - how the touch of the physical keyboard translates into velocity messages. VGP with its four folders of 200 presets is an attempt to accomodate the various controllers out there. However with a setting on your controller that isn't a good match for the preset, a sampled piano like this can totally change character. To accommodate for a keyboard with a low velocity output you should use the presets in the "soft" folder. Also, the "Pop", "Gospel", and "Rock" presets are mapped so that the higher velocities will be triggered at a lower velocity.


3. The piano plays really quite on my laptop. Is this normal? Sounds cranked all the way seems a bit quiter than what the real piano shoud sound like (at this setting CDs/Mp3s will blast so loud my ear will hurt) I have to make it go through another external amplifier to make it loud enough to play like a real piano. 

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## microsmurf (May 8, 2006)

Thanks Hans,

For issue #3 and #4, I think the new sound card, or another machine would solve the issue. I will try that and let you know.

But I am still not convinced that the real insturment sounds this way, unless that means the real instrument was voiced this way and then you sampled the piano as is. 

(just so everyone is on the same page, "voicing of piano" means shaping, hardening/sofntening of the hammers, so they sound bright or soft or whatever your preference is. Since everybody has different preference on voicing, that is not what I am talking about here. However the consitantcy of the voicing is what I am asking).

Send a fixed velocity at 64 (equivalent to mezzo piano?) to VGP and play up and down the piano. It defintely sounds dull on bottom one octave and bright on top two octaves. Is this how the real piano was voiced?


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## Hans Adamson (May 8, 2006)

microsmurf @ Mon May 08 said:


> Send a fixed velocity at 64 (equivalent to mezzo piano?) to VGP and play up and down the piano. It defintely sounds dull on bottom one octave and bright on top two octaves. was this how the real piano voiced?


Microsmurf,

Yes - this is the way the piano records at that velocity. It is the natural pickup of the piano's HF content without the exaggeration of a close-micing.

Best,


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## Hans Adamson (May 9, 2006)

Thanks microsmurf,

I am glad you managed to resolve these problems. Originally I wanted to make specific versions for most available controllers. However, in the end this wasn't realistic for several reasons, and I settled for the four response variations.

It is possible that I will add more folders, for specific controllers, in the future. There is a lot of programming involved for each patch though, as each of the 50 presets in a folder has to be programmed from scratch individually. 

Thanks again,
Hans


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## microsmurf (May 12, 2006)

(I wanted to reply back here, so other people may find this useful)

I've found a way to solve the Yamaha controller issue. The sound is much better now.

Here is what I used:

MIDI Velocity Curve Changer - http://www.trombettworks.com/velocity.php
This allows you to remap the MIDI velocity from your controller to different curves. I defined my own "curve" so, 0-110 from my yamaha maps to 0-127 through MIDI Velocity Curve Changer.

MIDI Yoke - http://www.midiox.com/index.htm?http:// ... /myoke.htm
Since I am using VGP live, I need a way to pipe the newly changed veolocity from Curve Changer data into the VGP. MIDI Yoke is a software MIDI cable patch management tool that allows you to do this.

So basically, this is what is happening 
Yamaha Keyboard (Medium touch)-->MIDI Velocity Curve Changer (listen to the USB MIDI, outputs to MIDI Yoke Channel 1)--> Virtual Grand Piano (Soft setting listening on MIDI yoke channel 1)-->Sound Card

With that setup, I had to change the ASIO sample size from 128 (3 ms) to 256 (6 ms). However, it is barely noticeable. Once I remove all my other sofware on the laptop I think I can put it back down to 3 ms.

Overall, the sound has improved much, because now I can trigger all the samples. I can really hammer out those low notes now.


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## Anson (May 30, 2006)

Hello all;

I bought VGP and am very satisfied with the quality! Thanks Hans for an awesome product!

I must agree with those that feel the lower octave is and the dark side and the upper octaves on the bright side. Additionally, I think the top octave is understretched (too sharp, I mean). I also find the volume level low... although I am using SoundBlaster Live! - is this a satisfactory card? These are minor issues, however.

Regarding Polyphony: I am running the standalone application and cannot figure out how to change the polyphony, which is defaulted to 64 and not nearly enough for any Grieg or Rachmaninov etc. Besidese increasing the polyphony, can the application be set to drop out the oldest notes being held instead of the newest ones when it maxes out? If anyone could point me in the right direction here, I'd highly appreciate it!

Besides the polyphony issue, which I'm sure can be resolved, an AWESOME PIANO hands down

Cheers!

Anson


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## Hans Adamson (May 30, 2006)

Hello Anson,

There is a section in the on-line manual describing changing the polyphony. To assure that the voice stealing algorithm works properly, you have to set the polyphony on the interface to one number lower than the setting for reserved streaming voices in the options page. (You will get to the options page by clicking the options button on the interface.) For example: Interface setting: 255 Options page setting: 256

You can always open the manual by clicking on the Kontakt logo in the upper left corner and then click the "More Info" button in the About Page. Then click Virtual Grand Piano Manual to the left in the page that opens.

Hans


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## Anson (May 31, 2006)

Wow, thanks for the quick response Hans!

Voice stealing was the term I was looking for. Working BEAUTIFULLY now with virtually no latency using asio4all. LOVING the playability with complex piano concerto passages as well as with intimate slow melodies

Thanks, Hans!


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## microsmurf (Jun 11, 2006)

Does anyone else run VGP and Colossus on the same computer? It seems that Colossus install on top of VGP make the VGP not function. After the install, VGP pretty much locks up the whole computer, if you try to run it. Once I uninstalled the Colossus and repaired the VGP install, then the VGP functions fine again.

I am not sure if it is the Colossus install that is causing the problem, or the Native Instrument DFD file that Colossus asks you to install. I have a feeling that it is the latter that is causing the app compat issues. Anyone?


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## microsmurf (Aug 15, 2006)

I wanted to take a minute to praise how great this piano is. I know I complained about a few things in this thread (which was mostly addressed by fixing stuff on my end), but I had a chance to really play with it past 2 months and against other software and digital pianos.

I truly belive that this is the most playable and expressable software piano you can buy today. You can't really listen to the MP3 files from various vendors to compare on how playable they are in a live situation. You actually have to sit and play with the MIDI keyboard to really understand how good this piano is.

The dynamic control and the organic sound of this piano is just perfect. 

(Since I purchased this, I bought another MIDI controller(Roland digital) that express 1-127 velocity value and made it much better than using my Yamaha as the controller)

I love the way Hans recorded,sampled and programmed the piano. Great work.

One thing that I wish maybe the future version will do is to have a piano that has a bit more even voicing on all the notes (the top registers do ring pretty bright and I wish they were tad mellower) and slightly more "stretched tuned".

For solo piano work, this is my favorite sampled piano surpassing Synthogy Ivory and the updated NI Akousitk Piano and all roland, yamaha, kawai and GEM digital pianos.


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