Hello im after this kind of sound, but never seem to nail it! I get close with lower key chord inversions.I guess it's a M1 korg House Piano, but what piano vst would you recommend to sound like this, or is it just layers of pianos??
https://vocaroo.com/1aPzGy1lzkLy

https://vocaroo.com/141elzbjdIU8

 

Korg M1 VSTi, simple as that. It's the "cheap" repeating sampled piano sound without round robins or anything that makes modern libraries realistic that gives that typical 90's character.

 

Exactly what MyFanwy said

 

In 1988 the Korg M1 was released and everybody and my cat was buying one hehehe. So yes, the guys correctly pointed it out.
The preset you are looking for, is called Piano 16 from the M1. The plugin version does a fairly good job in emulating the original, although could be closer tbh.
Cheers
PS: You can always find early house tracks with piano sounds from Roland's D series, D-50/20/10 as they precede the M1. Then in '91 the JD-800 was released and lots of house and rave tracks included that particular "acoustic" piano preset from the JD. You might as well consider getting the vst plugin version of the JD800 if you can, as it also has other very usable sounds too.

 

Last edited: Oct 18, 2024

I don't think that's correct, maybe D10/20 but definitely not the D50. I still own one myself and especially the piano was one of the worst sounds because it used only 2 samples, one for the low range, and one for the high range. So some notes around A1 and some around A4 sound like a piano, everything in the mid range sounds like pure shit between a harp and a metal can. Realistic sounds are not the strength of the D50s rather strange sample content.

That's why the M1 was so successful, it was the first rompler with useable natural instruments. Later on, many sounds of the Roland JV series were used on countless 90s recordings.

Edit: "really early 80s" can't be any of them, the D50 came out in 1987, the M1 in 1988.

Edit 2: This post now does not make much sense, as taskforce has removed a statement from his post mentioning the D50.

 

Last edited: Oct 18, 2024

Hi!
I would say:

• Korg M1 ("everyone" used this in the late 80s and 90s)
• Roland JD800/JD990 was also used for the house piano
• Ensoniq Esq1
  
• Old Zero-G sample cds

You can't go wrong with the M1

 

I did re-arrange the post mate. I mostly agree on the D50, but hey the D20 and D10 are both D50 derivatives, but perhaps they have a better piano sound? I am almost sure that terrible D50 piano was included in some early house records. I will try finding some examples.

 

F9 Audio have a sample pack called "F9 Origins - 60 Old school pianos"
Sounds great for that era.

 

Yes, I edited my post while the D50 part was gone.

In fact, the D10/20/110 and even the MT32, which some of us know as sound source for late 80s and early 90s PC games, had far more useable sounds based on "natural" instruments and a total different set of samples than the D50, including drum samples which are totally missing in the D50. One thing you could read in every D50 review back then was "How good does the piano sound? - Like shit." For me, the D50 always seemed like an unfinished product with a real strange set of short samples thrown onto the market before the final samples were done and Eric Persing had to put together factory sounds with these strange samples combined with the synth engine.

But these sounds were what made the D50 famous.

 

Chord-Memory Function can get you some good deep house vibes.... A chord transposed instead of changing the notes

 

The examples you posted are MODERN 90's piano house. The key difference here being very loud and overcompressed. As others have mentioned, m1, but add some OTT compression after it to give it that modern slap and in your face. Whatever inversions you have spread them out a bit as well. or even just copy them across multiple octaves

 

That's true, but more often used for synths than the classic house piano. It makes it easy to play chords with one finger, makes all notes trigger exactly at the same time and limits it to either minor, major or whatever while musicians would inuitively try to make it fit the scale.

 

I thought this was about minor 7th chords, but yeah M1 piano is still a killer.

Sample one of those chords, then it's rave piano heaven with no need for chord memory (though I love those as well!)

 

Now that you said MT32, i still have a GR50 guitar synth in my storage room from back in the day hehe. The rack module is something between the D20 and D10...I will investigate further if there is a playable piano there, i remember there was one.
Cheers
EDIT: Just skyped a friend with a D20, you are right, much better piano there hehehe. Also called another friend who made hip-house in Chicago in the 80s, he would use the D10 for some piano sounds and also sampled pianos in the MPC.

 

Last edited: Oct 18, 2024