What's new

Bright Pianos

joannapena

Active Member
Does anyone know of any piano libraries that have the highest dynamics get as bright as this track?



I've tried EQing numerous piano libraries, but it's not enough. The actual dynamic level of the samples aren't high enough. I've been able to get that sound with a number of real pianos, simply by playing very loud. There's also a beautiful metallic shimmering effect that happens with repeated notes with the sustain pedal down, and that's something that seems difficult to sample. Are there any libraries that have tried it?
 
I also love very very bright pianos and imho the two best options are VI Labs Ravenscroft (close mic) and VI Labs Italian Grand.

https://www.vilabsaudio.com/Ravenscroft-By-VI-Labs

https://www.vilabsaudio.com/true-keys-italian-grand

Why those ? Because they already sound very bright, perfectly fine, and because if you try to boost the high frequencies, they will still sound very clean without any ringing frequencies.


Model 7 from Chocolate Audio is also very bright. Listen to the "bright hit" demo. But I think the high frequencies sound more agressive, less clean than the VI Labs pianos.

https://www.chocolateaudio.com/products/model-7
 
Perhaps you should look at CinePiano with their fff layer.

Just watched the walkthrough (I checked it out when it first released but wasn't looking for more pianos at the time), and it sounds quite promising. It's a bit of shame none of the demos on the product page show off that dynamic layer.
 
Does anyone know of any piano libraries that have the highest dynamics get as bright as this track?



I've tried EQing numerous piano libraries, but it's not enough. The actual dynamic level of the samples aren't high enough. I've been able to get that sound with a number of real pianos, simply by playing very loud. There's also a beautiful metallic shimmering effect that happens with repeated notes with the sustain pedal down, and that's something that seems difficult to sample. Are there any libraries that have tried it?

Sorry I have to pause your thread for a moment and intensively applause to this brilliant guy/composition (I mean jesus he's manually arpeggiating the hell out of this piano) !! Respect....continue:)
 
They just announced this: https://www.native-instruments.com/en/products/komplete/keys/noire/
It could maybe be worth looking into... or not.

Cheers:)
That's what prompted me to ask, when I saw Nils Frahm was involved I remembered I had been looking for a piano that can get violently loud for a few months. If it can do that, it doesn't show in any of the demo material unfortunately.

The closest I have is Wavesfactory Mercury, which goes a step above my other pianos (like NI's pianos, or Light&Sound Concert Grand), but still not close to the video example.
 
You need a piano with enough sampled >f velocity layers and one that has the "tone" knob.

Two pianos i can think of right now that have that "tone" knob which basically shifts the samples so you can only play the ff samples even at low velocities: The Grandeur and The Ravenscroft.

The new "Noire" by Native Instruments probably has that too. Will report back after my download is finished:)
 
I think a piano like NI's "The Giant" would do this well. You're hearing a lot of processing (or natural acoustics) on that sound, though. Definitely, there's a very strong short slap, and a lot of reverb. Maybe some compression would help. It's not all fff samples. Also, an Aphex Exciter type plug-in would be something to try, first in your chain. The hardware unit of that was Elton John's secret, back in the day.
 
It may not be so much the actual intensity of the dynamics (The Giant with some EQ and compression is as punchy as the piano in the video on the individual high octaves, and other pianos get quite loud and bright), but rather the repeated note effect, where the hammer hits an already excited string and creates a metallic buzzing. It's present at 12:14 as well, despite being much softer (mainly on that Bb2). I think it would need to be explicitly sampled.
 
^ What Lee says. I was going to post the same thing: exciter, Elton John's sound.

If you need to EQ it, use a linear phase one if possible.
 
Thanks everyone! Putting an exciter on the piano pretty much does it for the brightness. :)

The repeated note thing doesn't sound right, but looking for that in a sample library is probably a lost cause.
 
Does anyone know of any piano libraries that have the highest dynamics get as bright as this track?



I've tried EQing numerous piano libraries, but it's not enough. The actual dynamic level of the samples aren't high enough. I've been able to get that sound with a number of real pianos, simply by playing very loud. There's also a beautiful metallic shimmering effect that happens with repeated notes with the sustain pedal down, and that's something that seems difficult to sample. Are there any libraries that have tried it?


Another sampled piano to consider: Sampletekk's White Grand Mk2. It's an old large Swedish Malmsjo Concert Grand Piano and really cuts on those higher velocities. Sometimes layering another instrument like Taleweaver's Ancient Woodhammer piano with a grand piano will give you some of that metallic bite I can hear in the Nils clip above (attached is some similar playing I tried with that combination - nearly broke my keyboard in the process!) but trying to recreate that chaotic sound of metal, felt & soundboard resonance in the virtual world is a tough ask.

[AUDIOPLUS=https://vi-control.net/community/attachments/white-grand-mk2-woodhammer-nils-mp3.19123/][/AUDIOPLUS]
 

Attachments

  • White Grand Mk2 + Woodhammer- Nils.mp3
    1 MB · Views: 40
Last edited:
Showed up to a recording session a few years ago, and the producer asked for a bright piano on a 50’s/60’s rock style song. I pulled up the Ravenscroft 1st, was told it wasn’t bright enough. We finally settled on the Acoustic Samples Kawai, he seemed happy with that one (after he pumped 5 dB or so into 6k)
 
  • Like
Reactions: CGR
Showed up to a recording session a few years ago, and the producer asked for a bright piano on a 50’s/60’s rock style song. I pulled up the Ravenscroft 1st, was told it wasn’t bright enough. We finally settled on the Acoustic Samples Kawai, he seemed happy with that one (after he pumped 5 dB or so into 6k)
That Acoustic Samples Kawai EX Pro really bites!
 
Does anyone know of any piano libraries that have the highest dynamics get as bright as this track?



I've tried EQing numerous piano libraries, but it's not enough. The actual dynamic level of the samples aren't high enough. I've been able to get that sound with a number of real pianos, simply by playing very loud. There's also a beautiful metallic shimmering effect that happens with repeated notes with the sustain pedal down, and that's something that seems difficult to sample. Are there any libraries that have tried it?


My own custom piano library ! ;)
 
Top Bottom