Are there any piano libraries similar to Heavyocity's Ascend but even more?
- Thread starter jsnleo
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doctoremmet
Senior Member
Justin L. Franks
Active Member
NI Noire has some similarities with Ascend. I haven't gotten it, because I already have Ascend, and absolutely love it. At the sale price it's a no-brainer.
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jsnleo
Active Member
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Cool! All right I'll be buying it. I have Una Corda, Noire, Alt Piano, Frozen Piano, and some other felt pianos, but don't think they're as unique as Ascend. I tried to find all the pianos like Ascend, I think Audio Imperia has something similar but maybe with less unique sounds.
sostenuto
Big NKS Fan !
A bit askew, but for those having Ascend or Noire .... giving some thought to Sample Logic _ Motion Keys @ $75. right now (vs $300.)
Motion Keys - Sample Logic LLC.
Is this far too 'OT' ?
Motion Keys - Sample Logic LLC.
Is this far too 'OT' ?
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Good point. In my experience, if you layer three sounds in the engine and add lots of randomisation, reverbs, delays, and other contained effects, some of the patches can be pretty instensive on the cpu - very similar to Noire when you use the particles engine.
I haven't had major issues, but if you want a lot of instances open it could be problematic. Remember, in Kontakt you can purge to ease the strain.
khollister
Senior Member
OK, but not in the same league as stuff like the VSL Synchron pianos, Garritan CFX, Ravencroft (and the next tier down ...) Noire, Ivory American D or Studio Grands.
The biggest shortcomings IMHO are dynamic range, an unnaturally abrupt release and general harmonic richness. The VSL and Garritan CFX can explode when played at high velocities, like a real full-size piano. The second tier stuff sounds good in a recording with a modest dynamic range, but it doesn't play like a piano typically.
I like Ascend a lot, but I never use the Core Concert D snapshot, only the warped stuff, which is where it excels. Noire is a bot of a better all-rounder because it does a very credible job on the basic felted and non-felted piano in addition to some Ascend-like things.
Here's another piece I knocked up using only Ascend (eight instances) which shows a little of the sound design capabilities as well as some more traditional sounds.
btw. All of the instances are pretty full of effects and so on, and my i7 3.5GhZ with 32gb ram shows the whole piece at 40%. I added Blackhole reverb, Waves Vinyl and API2500 and no problems.
btw. All of the instances are pretty full of effects and so on, and my i7 3.5GhZ with 32gb ram shows the whole piece at 40%. I added Blackhole reverb, Waves Vinyl and API2500 and no problems.
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khollister
Senior Member
I think the 47GB includes a lot of the warped stuff. Heavyocity is usually pretty good on basic recording/sampling quality - there is no way the straight piano is 47GB
For playable, straight piano, I would put Noire, Ivory American D, Ravencroft, Galaxy Vintage D ahead of Ascend. Garritan and VSL are in a different league.
You can certainly get excellent piano tracks from Ascend, especially in certain idioms that are not requiring a more traditional "classical" sound or that use moderate reverb (the release anomaly). If you are targeting the typical Olafur Arnalds Scandi/Brit drama/crime soundtrack vibe, Ascend will do fine (although I would still prefer Noire). Ascend is all about the heavily sound design stuff. It is telling that the default snapshot that loads is not the straight piano but a heavily processed one.
I use Ascend, but I will always load Noire, VSL, CFX, Ivory D or even the Spitfire OA Toolkit/Stratus before Ascend for "conventional" piano. I also own Fracture Midnight Grand and Woodchester pianos, which are my go-to's for the felted, synth pad-backed type of thing.
Marcus Millfield
Member
Check Fracture sounds Midnight Grand and Woodchester upright piano libraries. Both are felt piano's but with amazing atmospheric layers and pedal, key, release and even player noises. Especially the Woodchester sounds so warm and intimate.
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jsnleo
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I guess I need to experiment with Noire a little bit more and decided whether to get Ascend or not, didn't know Noire can do something like that at all. Nowadays I just buy piano libraries and never open them... The idea of getting Ascend is because I think it'll be easier to get something cinematic that's more like synth pads, I don't think I'll use those ebow or brush presets that much. What I want is actually a felt piano or a warm sounding piano with delay and reverb, right? VSL can do something like that iirc. I also have some unique ones like Frozen Piano, Alt Piano and the free Sonuscore loki, but I never spent too much time with them.
Do you think Midnight Grand and Woodchester are worth getting? I wanted to get them but listened to some demos but didn't find them too different from those felt pianos I already have. Maybe I should get these two instead of Ascend?
