Simple Sam Steinway
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SimpleSamSamples
Member
Hi everyone... Here is a link to an "unofficial" patch update that fixes the G4 velocity issue until we release an official update.
https://simplesamsamples.s3.amazonaws.com/SG_5-29-20_v101/Signature+Grand+AltVel_v2.nki
It's just the patch so the size is small... no need to replace any samples. Just add it to your instruments folder. Thanks!
https://simplesamsamples.s3.amazonaws.com/SG_5-29-20_v101/Signature+Grand+AltVel_v2.nki
It's just the patch so the size is small... no need to replace any samples. Just add it to your instruments folder. Thanks!
Rob
stale member
thank you Garth, can't wait for the official updated nki... meanwhile, here's an impression of Evans' "My foolish heart", just the melody. Started with the default film preset, and tweaked a bit. I've put a room impulse on all, to kind of get that 60s atmosphere...
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NeonMediaKJT
Senior Member
Those presets make a huge difference. I feel like I can just cycle through them until one fits my mix better. Until now I've been using the lite version of the Embertone one and this feels like a big upgrade.
I have both the signature grand and Embertone full. If you want to ‘cut through a mix’ the Embertone hammer mics are by far the most suited. In fact it’s my all time favorite and i never use the other mic perspectives. I like this signature grand very much and still exploring the piano.
markleake
Relapsed Sale Addict
I couldn't resist and took the plunge. 
I really like this piano... and it is hard to impress me when it comes to VST pianos. Well done to the Simple Sam team, you've done an excellent job!
I like the piano at its purest, like the default sounds, but the different presets do a great job also. I've never seen a piano with presets like this that actually work.
The piano is not as detailed as my recent favorite the Due Pianos, especially piano 1 in that library. You don't get the wonderful light dainty sound like the Due piano 1, even when you play lightly, but that is expected given the recording space and purpose.
I love the releases in this piano and the control I have over them. It has such a wonderful ambience.
Haven't used it in a track yet. But I'll admit I spent much of the weekend playing it.
I really like this piano... and it is hard to impress me when it comes to VST pianos. Well done to the Simple Sam team, you've done an excellent job!
I like the piano at its purest, like the default sounds, but the different presets do a great job also. I've never seen a piano with presets like this that actually work.
The piano is not as detailed as my recent favorite the Due Pianos, especially piano 1 in that library. You don't get the wonderful light dainty sound like the Due piano 1, even when you play lightly, but that is expected given the recording space and purpose.
I love the releases in this piano and the control I have over them. It has such a wonderful ambience.
Haven't used it in a track yet. But I'll admit I spent much of the weekend playing it.
Hello, first time posting here.
I'm intrested in this piano, but I don't really know if it is the right one for me; I'm looking for a good Steinway for practising and playing mostly classical pieces (still at an intermediate level
).
Right now my go to piano is NI The Grandeur which I love, but I guess it is a bit outdated. I have the Garritan CFX Lite, and I kinda like it for some pieces, but I like more the Steinway sound.
I also purchased the Embertone Walker Lite some time ago, with great expectations, but sadly I don't like it, mostly for the really limited dynamic range.
I listened to all the demos of this piano but I'm not completly convinced; I like more of a "dry" sound, (even on the Grandeur I set it a bit on dry), is it possible to get something like that fiddling with the settings?
How is the dynamic range on this piano?
Also I'm not an expert and I would like a VST with good presets that don't require hour of trial and error to adjust to my liking, cause I don't think I have the patience for that.
Hoping for some help to decide from you experts
; the price is very tempting...
I'm intrested in this piano, but I don't really know if it is the right one for me; I'm looking for a good Steinway for practising and playing mostly classical pieces (still at an intermediate level
).Right now my go to piano is NI The Grandeur which I love, but I guess it is a bit outdated. I have the Garritan CFX Lite, and I kinda like it for some pieces, but I like more the Steinway sound.
I also purchased the Embertone Walker Lite some time ago, with great expectations, but sadly I don't like it, mostly for the really limited dynamic range.
I listened to all the demos of this piano but I'm not completly convinced; I like more of a "dry" sound, (even on the Grandeur I set it a bit on dry), is it possible to get something like that fiddling with the settings?
How is the dynamic range on this piano?
Also I'm not an expert and I would like a VST with good presets that don't require hour of trial and error to adjust to my liking, cause I don't think I have the patience for that.
Hoping for some help to decide from you experts
; the price is very tempting...
SimpleSamSamples
Member
Hi Parnil, I'll just chime in here and offer a few quick thoughts, but I welcome other users to give their honest opinions.
This library was really built to capture a sound very close to a good classical or film recording. Because most of those situations require more distant microphones, this piano does not have a "super-close" microphone perspective. If you are just playing it for your practicing, you might miss the immediacy and directness of sound you might hear in other libraries that have a player's microphone perspective (exactly from the perspective of the human head while playing). In my opinion, that offers the most engaging playing experience because it is closest to what we actually hear when we play a real piano.
Even with dry settings on the Signature Grand, you will still miss a certain proximity, because the mics are a bit further away from the instrument. Most users think the playability is good, but in my opinion, the playability of a sampled piano will never match the accuracy of a "modelled" piano.
That's my (hopefully) honest and un-biased advice from a developer
This library was really built to capture a sound very close to a good classical or film recording. Because most of those situations require more distant microphones, this piano does not have a "super-close" microphone perspective. If you are just playing it for your practicing, you might miss the immediacy and directness of sound you might hear in other libraries that have a player's microphone perspective (exactly from the perspective of the human head while playing). In my opinion, that offers the most engaging playing experience because it is closest to what we actually hear when we play a real piano.
Even with dry settings on the Signature Grand, you will still miss a certain proximity, because the mics are a bit further away from the instrument. Most users think the playability is good, but in my opinion, the playability of a sampled piano will never match the accuracy of a "modelled" piano.
That's my (hopefully) honest and un-biased advice from a developer
SupremeFist
Senior Member
Upgrade to the full Walker.
(It can be bone-dry too.)
markleake
Relapsed Sale Addict
I really like the Walker, but if the lite version doesn't do it for you, I wouldn't recommend the full version. It will sound and feel much the same.
And as SimpleSam says, the Signature Grand is also probably not what you are looking for if you want a close player or detailed perspective. Neither of the mics will give you that up close feel.
It does have a fantastic classical sound, but more as a "I'm sitting in the same room" feel. You can change it to sound reasonably close and have more of a player perspective, but you don't ever get the full detail a close miced piano will give.
A good comparison is, like I say in my comparison above on the Due Pianos -- they are a lot more detailed than the Signature Grand (due to closer micing), but I wouldn't call them fully close sounding pianos either.
Hope that helps.
@CGR may be able to suggest some. Craig knows pretty much everything about VI pianos. He's always the one to blame for the rest of us splashing our cash on them.
And as SimpleSam says, the Signature Grand is also probably not what you are looking for if you want a close player or detailed perspective. Neither of the mics will give you that up close feel.
It does have a fantastic classical sound, but more as a "I'm sitting in the same room" feel. You can change it to sound reasonably close and have more of a player perspective, but you don't ever get the full detail a close miced piano will give.
A good comparison is, like I say in my comparison above on the Due Pianos -- they are a lot more detailed than the Signature Grand (due to closer micing), but I wouldn't call them fully close sounding pianos either.
Hope that helps.
@CGR may be able to suggest some. Craig knows pretty much everything about VI pianos. He's always the one to blame for the rest of us splashing our cash on them.
CGR
Pianist, Composer & Arranger
There you go again Mark . . . pointing the finger and blaming me for your lack of financial control
Great, honest advice from the developer Garth above. Regarding the Embertone Walker D, upgrading to the full version has given me a lot more control of dynamics (12 velocity layers for Lite, vs 36 for Full) and the Hammer mics are fantastic for that 'sitting at the piano' presence you're after, even more so than the Binaural mics (which I also have) which contain a fair bit of room in the sound.
I find the Signature Grand very playable (I use a fully weighted Yamaha CP4 Stage) and although it isn't designed as a player perspective sampled piano, I'm impressed every time I listen back to recordings I make with it - the clarity, depth and "3D-ness" of the tone is fantastic, and unmatched by the majority of sampled grand pianos out there in my opinion.
Great, honest advice from the developer Garth above. Regarding the Embertone Walker D, upgrading to the full version has given me a lot more control of dynamics (12 velocity layers for Lite, vs 36 for Full) and the Hammer mics are fantastic for that 'sitting at the piano' presence you're after, even more so than the Binaural mics (which I also have) which contain a fair bit of room in the sound.
I find the Signature Grand very playable (I use a fully weighted Yamaha CP4 Stage) and although it isn't designed as a player perspective sampled piano, I'm impressed every time I listen back to recordings I make with it - the clarity, depth and "3D-ness" of the tone is fantastic, and unmatched by the majority of sampled grand pianos out there in my opinion.
markleake
Relapsed Sale Addict
Craig knows his pianos better than me, so take his advice over mine. Also, I don't have the close mics for the Walker, so certainly can't comment there.
That makes it very playable to me. I didn't get quickly frustrated with it like other VI pianos when playing it over the weekend. It was the opposite... I could keep playing for hours. Admittedly swapping between a few other pianos too. But still, if it passes my "I'm not annoyed with it after a half hour of playing" test, it puts it into the very small category of VI pianos that I actually enjoy playing on.
This is very true. It may not be quite so detailed in the note hit, but the overall tone and quality of the recording is amazing. Being able to hear the recorded space so clearly, and for it to work so wonderfully in that aspect, makes it almost indistinguishable from an actual quality recording in a good hall.
That makes it very playable to me. I didn't get quickly frustrated with it like other VI pianos when playing it over the weekend. It was the opposite... I could keep playing for hours. Admittedly swapping between a few other pianos too. But still, if it passes my "I'm not annoyed with it after a half hour of playing" test, it puts it into the very small category of VI pianos that I actually enjoy playing on.
Hi Parnil, I'll just chime in here and offer a few quick thoughts, but I welcome other users to give their honest opinions.
This library was really built to capture a sound very close to a good classical or film recording. Because most of those situations require more distant microphones, this piano does not have a "super-close" microphone perspective. If you are just playing it for your practicing, you might miss the immediacy and directness of sound you might hear in other libraries that have a player's microphone perspective (exactly from the perspective of the human head while playing). In my opinion, that offers the most engaging playing experience because it is closest to what we actually hear when we play a real piano.
Even with dry settings on the Signature Grand, you will still miss a certain proximity, because the mics are a bit further away from the instrument. Most users think the playability is good, but in my opinion, the playability of a sampled piano will never match the accuracy of a "modelled" piano.
That's my (hopefully) honest and un-biased advice from a developer
I really appreciate hearing your honest opinion and I understand what you mean; I'm probably better off with some library that has a specific player perspective, so I guess I'll pass.
On the issue of playability, surely a modelled piano is the best in this field, but I already tried the Pianoteq demo, and even if I really like the playability, I don't (sadly) like the sound for some reason.
Upgrade to the full Walker.
I don't really have a issue with the sound, It's mostly the dynamic range that I feel is limited compared to the Garritan CFX or even the Grandeur.
There you go again Mark . . . pointing the finger and blaming me for your lack of financial control
Great, honest advice from the developer Garth above. Regarding the Embertone Walker D, upgrading to the full version has given me a lot more control of dynamics (12 velocity layers for Lite, vs 36 for Full) and the Hammer mics are fantastic for that 'sitting at the piano' presence you're after, even more so than the Binaural mics (which I also have) which contain a fair bit of room in the sound.
I find the Signature Grand very playable (I use a fully weighted Yamaha CP4 Stage) and although it isn't designed as a player perspective sampled piano, I'm impressed every time I listen back to recordings I make with it - the clarity, depth and "3D-ness" of the tone is fantastic, and unmatched by the majority of sampled grand pianos out there in my opinion.
I will give the Embertone Walker D Lite another try, maybe trying with a different velocity curve, but it doesn't seems it can come even close to the dynamic range of for example the Garritan CFX.
Other options I considered (in a different price level
) are the Ravenscroft 275 (but I don't know if is suited for classical) and the VSL D-274 (maybe a bit too many option with the amount of different mics); any opinion on those two?(Sorry for hijacking the thread for this, maybe I should do a new thread for my question)
SupremeFist
Senior Member
Aside from the Embertone full, you might also want to have a look at Fluffy Audio's Scoring Piano (a Steinway B): it's very playable in terms of smooth velocity response, and the close mics are nice and dry.
SupremeFist
Senior Member
The Lite maybe can't, but the full can.
hansmagnus
New Member
I'm having trouble installing this library! When I initially extracted everything, the library looked messed up, and I still can't get it to sound right. Could someone help me out, how to properly install this library? Before you ask, yes, I did look at the manual, but didn't really help me out.
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