What sampled pianos are you guys using?

[John Hilsen]

Hey everybody,

I wanted to hear what sampled pianos you've been using and what you think of it. I'm looking for something with versatility and the very best possible sound, as I'll be using it to record a solo piano album.

A couple that have caught my attention so far are East West's Quantum Leap Pianos and Galaxy Instrument's Vintage D. I fully understand that this is a matter of taste, but I'd still like to hear your thoughts and what you've heard.

Thanks,
John

[Rodney Carlyle Money]

If you are really going to record a solo piano album, why don't you just record with a real one?

[John Hilsen]

Rodney Carlyle Money said:

If you are really going to record a solo piano album, why don't you just record with a real one?

In an ideal world, I absolutely would. But studio time gets much too expensive much too quickly, and most studios in my area don't even have a good acoustic piano in them anyways. Plus, while I want to achieve a natural & acoustic tone, I do enjoy the creative sound control that virtual pianos offer.

[Rodney Carlyle Money]

In an ideal world? Sorry to prolong this discussion with my worthless comments, but in my ideal world if I wanted to make an album of pipe organ music I could. You just need someone who has the recording equipment and knows how to use it. And studio cost? What would if really cost? A thousand, a couple of thousand for just you playing the piano solo? I would properly prepare myself and be able to lay down a track an hour, and a solo album in 3 days or find a school of music who has students under the leadership of their professors do it for much less because they are studying and practicing for their future in the music industry.

[Jontom]

It also depends on the style you're looking for

[Pekka Vermasvuo]

I am a big fan and user of Pianoteq. This uses physical modelling instead of any samples. It is also very light on your computer resources too. I have compared this to many of the best sampled pianos around but this beats everything I have tried so far. I really love the Blüthner Model 1. It sounds so awesome. The Steinway D4 is very nice too. You can adjust mic positions and tweak pretty much everything to your heart contents if you like but even the presets sound absolutely great. They offer a free trial too so go ahead and see what you think about it. 

I am currently using my Korg Kronos (with proper hammer keys) as the controller which works alright but I am planning to invest in the Kawai VPC1 piano controller in the future to get the most out of this fabulous piano.

[Johan Roeraade]

I agree entirely with Rodney. You cannot beat a real piano. But... you have to play flawless (or hire a pianist who can do so). A mediocre performer may just "kill" your compositions. Strive for perfection!

Regarding sampled pianos? I don´t know what is best. I use Ivory a lot, but frequently, I am not satisfied. I can hear the transition between velocity layers. Alch is planning a review of sampled pianos, which should be very interesting to read.   

Regards

Johan  

     

[René Torenstra]

Check out Alicia's Keys from NI. Maybe not the best (I haven't checked many) but for that price I think you get a great bang for your buck.