The older VSL library won't have what you're looking for - it's not scripted to play like a real piano IIRC. Their newer much more expensive one would be much closer.For me, it will be for film/tv application for cues (& trailers) - it must sound real ? Need pedal controls, half-pedalling and control over sustains, and sostenuto, soft pedal/dampning.
I don't think the IS Fazioli has these, does it?
VI Labs American D sounds good but I'm still doubtful, and torn between their other models.
Then there's the Ivory II Studio Grands... I do like the sound of their Steinway B
..and the 8dio 1990 studio grand
..and the Bechstein digital
Any thoughts on the older vsl boesendorfer imperial?
Yes, but that shouldn't turn you off from it - that's exactly why it plays so well.Doesn't Pianoteq use modelling instead of real samples?
Has anyone mentioned Keyscape C7?
The Garritan grand piano in GPO 5 is a fantastic piano. And I suspect CFX is even better.What I saw was .... Garritan CFX as very strong. Lite version available too.
Worth checking out thoroughly .... ?
Can’t say I agree. Going by my experience, I find that Thereus summary to be as uninformative and misleading as it is questionable.
For example, to say that the Emotional “does everything” is just wrong. In actual fact, the Emotional can do very little, but in that small niche where it works, it can be more satisfying than just about anything else.
Putting the Hammersmith forward as a great piano for classical playing, is also something I find highly disputable. Personally, I think it’s one of the poorest piano emulations for classical playing. Occasionaly a sensible choice for other stuff though.
And calling the Vintage D a ‘character piano’ is yet another of several statements in that summary that make my eyebrows behave like the Leaping Nuns of Norwich.
_
One of my favorites that has not been mentioned is SampleTekk: They have a beautiful Black Grand (a German D, I believe) and a Yamaha C7 (C7G, which I won). The MKII editions are much-improved over the older versions.
The black Grand MkII can be made very dynamic with a bit of compression or velocity curve adjustment. At least that's how it works with my midi controller.
Oh yes, I quite like it. It's a modern sounding Yamaha C7 with lots of sound tweakability and it comes with both 16bit and 24bit samples, so you can use the former on your laptop and the latter on your desk. Also, developer Impactsoundworks is top notch with a great account handling website, where you can find your download files whenever you want them. Conclusion: very worthwhile.Has anyone used the impactsoundworks Pearl concert grand ?
Great character. Excellent tone. Poor playability (pedaling just doesn't feel right) and terrible hiss on many of the round robins that builds up noticeably to a degree that may not be usable in a solo context at softer dynamics. Excellent company though and I was terribly impressed by their response to my criticisms.Has anyone used the impactsoundworks Pearl concert grand ?
anybody like the imperfect samples walnut grand?
doesn't get mentioned much around here but I've been looking at it a lot lately because I like it's character.
Break down in what sense?The IS pianos sound great, but are not playable. They pass for doing slow ballads or tracks with minimal notes, but break down on anything busier than that.
Out of all the many pianos I have it's my favourite. VI pianos are a tricky subject for anyone who is a pianist, as none of them actually feel like you are playing a real piano, so it's often a case of personal preference, as well as using different pianos for different settings. I tweak the velocity curve quite a bit on the Walnut Grand, and make it work that way for me. I personally don't get along at all with the Artvista ones for example, or the East West Pianos. The Una Corda is great as well, especially for creating interesting effects once you get under the hood, and there is a lot that can be tweaked, but again, it work well in certain scenarios, but not all.anybody like the imperfect samples walnut grand?
doesn't get mentioned much around here but I've been looking at it a lot lately because I like it's character.
Out of all the many pianos I have it's my favourite.
And Synthogy Ivory II? Their Studio Grands?