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Which piano samples?

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?
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.

You might also consider Pianoteq, which will have all of those features and sound real.
 
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.

_

What would you recommend?
 
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.

What compression settings do you normally apply on the Sampletekk?
 
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I have to agree with all the Pianoteq love. I hated it at first, but then made a few key discoveries. For one, the Bluthner. All that resonance is beautiful, and I tend to turn it up.

Then there's the Condition slider. If you've judged Pianoteq without playing with the Condition slider at the bottom, go back and judge it again! Somewhere around 75% new is nice.

It's an incredible instrument that actually sounds more real to me than other libraries of real instruments.
 
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Has anyone used the impactsoundworks Pearl concert grand ?
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.
 
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.
 
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.

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.
 
Hey, i was wondering what you guys thought of Arturias Piano V if you have used it ? im thinking of purchasing the full Arturia bundle for the analogue synths mainly but maybe the piano could be a nice addition to using the east west piano i currently have been using and could persuade me to invest !
 
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. 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.
 
Out of all the many pianos I have it's my favourite.

My problem with IS Walnut Steinway is the velocity layers are a) too few and b) too obvious. When I play it at a constant velocity it sounds excellent, but I can hear the layers switch in and out. CFX and Ivory are far better illusions IMHO in that regard. THe CFX response to velocity is pretty much perfect - the tone changes as you expect a real piano to with no detectable steps.
 
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