- Ivory American Concert D.
- 8dio Passionate Piano in some context.
- I was lastly surprised in a good way by the sound of the Pleyel in UVI augmented piano.
Don't forget EQ and saturation (tape or preamp) are the keys to make it warm . . .
I can also recommend the Fazioli from Imperfect Samples.
It's (post-)classical music but I don't want the clean and bright sound of a classical piano recording. Your characterization of the tone sounds like what I'm looking for. Will check out all the new suggestions, thanks!Not quite sure what you mean by "dark". I figure not overly "cinematic". Maybe something more muffled or grittier. Then you say not classical, but also mention Chopin. You probably mean something not overly piercing with mellow highs and gritty and heavy lows. And overall with rich harmonics and character. Jugding by what's been said, I'd add another vote to Imperfect Samples. Quite rich in... imperfections and also quite traditional sounding. They're also quite malleable, although usability-wise they leave something to be desired. But apart from that I think they're really good.
Yes, the Steinway is also quite gritty sounding. Here's a couple of examples (first is dry/just the library, second has some compression and reverb):
https://mega.nz/#!Md4miAAC!1B7Wq29vDUrlk0x4CVMKlN8gLG6GuHPP3X9Z19QC3UU
+MEGA
MEGA provides free cloud storage with convenient and powerful always-on privacy. Claim your free 20GB nowmega.nz
https://mega.nz/#!BcIXySLY!vgC3liyCZsC9JKezm3UmvwH3_b9uY61TjepvC8N0-HY
https://mega.nz/#!pQBlBAAa!PjEdlA7vdvyMyBkbH0plgA1IcOW2zeRsINU7iYOgu7E
(The NI ones are also quite good on the 'noises' part)
Maybe I'm totally off and this is not what you're looking for, but anyway, hopefully it helps a bit.
There's a distinct lack of great character upright pianos in the sampled world. But I think with the right effects chain even NI's The Gentleman will get you there. You could layer that with the key, pedal and hammer noise from Noir or the Embertone Walker perhaps?
Have you checked the "fortepiano" snapshot in Noire?
There's a distinct lack of great character upright pianos in the sampled world. But I think with the right effects chain even NI's The Gentleman will get you there. You could layer that with the key, pedal and hammer noise from Noir or the Embertone Walker perhaps?
another one to try: ISW Pearl Grand... only 8 vel. layers, but rather uniform. There's a preset called "emotional" which is very warm. Here's a modified version of that with just a touch of reverb (I have disabled saturation here, too full mid-lows for my taste)
In my opinion, tons of velocity layers and advanced scripting aren't always necessary for a good sound.
Cinepiano, without a doubt.
I can also recommend the Fazioli from Imperfect Samples.
The Acoustic Samples Old Black Grand (another 1920's era Pleyel) is also worth checking out.
. . . Oh damn it, the Imperfect Samples Fazioli is now one of my favourites too. I also like the Steinway that WhiteNoiz kindly posted audio of, but the Faz might be just what I'm after. And the “Complete” version seems quite reasonably priced… Any gotchas I should know about?
I've been a long time Pianoteq customer (since V2.0), beta tested some models and provided some demos, and the C.Bechstein is a noticeable jump in accuracy of tone. Playability and response to touch has always been Pianoteq's big strength, but with their latest C.Bechstein model, the tone & realism is able to compete with the best sampled pianos in my opinion. Playability & pedalling accuracy is unmatched. Check out how it sounds in the hands of a good player:You could try out the Bechstein DG demo in Pianoteq. It's what sold me.
Further to the above suggestion, here's some quick playing in 'Stereophonic' mode:You could try out the Bechstein DG demo in Pianoteq. It's what sold me.
That’s really useful, thank you! Do you know if there is a demo out there that has these treble noises in the Fazioli so I could tell whether they would bother me or not?I have the Complete versions of both the Imperfect Samples Fazioli & Walnut Steinway. The Walnut Steinway is more consistent to play and with less 'jumpy' velocities & inconsistencies (it's the newer of the 2) but the Fazioli has a huge, dark resonant tone, and sounds very convincing, even on reasonable detailed/complex playing. There are some intrusive key mechanism sounds baked into the samples up in the treble which is frustrating, so be prepared for some post tracking MIDI editing. The demos on their website are accurate to what you get out of the box.
That is really nice! But between Una, Olafur, and Noire I have that kind of thing covered. (As also for the very nice-sounding Midnight Grand, and, I have decided, Cinepiano.)Try this
The Quiet Piano – Pianobook
www.pianobook.co.uk
A bit of shameless self promotion, but here's the UVI Augmented Piano solo:
. . . and the Soundiron Emotional Piano:
I've been a long time Pianoteq customer (since V2.0), beta tested some models and provided some demos, and the C.Bechstein is a noticeable jump in accuracy of tone. Playability and response to touch has always been Pianoteq's big strength, but with their latest C.Bechstein model, the tone & realism is able to compete with the best sampled pianos in my opinion. Playability & pedalling accuracy is unmatched. Check out how it sounds in the hands of a good player:
I'm about to do a comparison in the next week with the Pianoteq C.Bechstein and some sampled concert grands I have.
That’s really useful, thank you! Do you know if there is a demo out there that has these treble noises in the Fazioli so I could tell whether they would bother me or not?