I think I just had a little heart attack... wait a sec... ok, keeps beating, all good

Now seriously, with that monster of a polyphony number you might have to resort to a Kontakt library. I'm pretty sure Kontakt lets you run as many voices as your Pc can handle. Or at least the max is insanely high.

 

So THAT'S what gay porn looks like!!

Phew.. I know.. right?

Pianotec handles 256 Polyphony. It's the main reason why it's my favourite Piano.. Versatility AND great sound too of course helps.

 

Last edited: Oct 13, 2022

Nah, that's a big time seizure
Where was the nasty button...

Wow, quite impressive. Rachmaninov and Lizst like that

 

Last edited: Oct 13, 2022

I think it was attached to Middle C

 

IMHO Pianoteq will be extremely difficult to beat small size under 200mb, extremely versatile with so many features and unbelievable sound, nothing more to really be desired, why bother with huge mega sized sampled piano libraries that eat up HD space and don't come close to Pianoteq's quality.

 

for me the most important aspect is sympathetic resonance
until recently, that was PMI The Emperor v1...even tho the sympathetic resonance was a bit bugged, it was still the best available
then recently, i tried Art Vista Virtual Grand 3
this has by far the best sympathetic resonance ive ever heard, and is a beautiful 60s Steinway to boot
also, it has a preset for Casio and other piano controllers for velocity curve that fits my Privia better than anything ive tried...way better than Pianoteq for example
having serious thoughts of purchasing it once my financial situation improves
good luck

 

Pianobook's Claustrophobic piano (100% free) is just incredible. Use it with Decent Sampler (100% free) and be happy.

 

Well, I had a listen to that piano (almost all the demos at the site)...it sounds good enough, but it's use is limited
due the blurred sound...it's good for cinematic scores mostly...even for classic styles it's not fully suitable

 

I'm going to try to take advantage of black friday to buy the Synthogy American Concert D. I liked the videos I watched of it. If anyone has it and can talk about it?

 

all great recommendations ! I actually have been using Bechstein digital recently, I really think it has some great tones for a project I have been working on.

I enjoy the mic options on cfx and addictive keys. I will try piano tech.

Finding a piano that will solely go with vocals is a different animal then adding to a mix where its not the main priority of the sound so I kind of look at vst's that are insanely multi dimensional. And for classical compositions or main focus with vocals ill test a bunch of others.

having a lot of plugins for most things is not useful for me . For pianos I enjoy having multiple libraries

 

Random note. You can find A lot of real pianos for free. Many people find it just takes up space and are just trying to get rid of it without paying a mover.

 

I've used Arturia Piano V and sounds absolutely great and it has some great customization to shape the sound like hammer volume level and other tings.

 

Let's just imply that we all have a general consensus on what the standard happens to be.

I've been using Creepy Piano 2 by Electronik Sound Lab not the greatest but definitely is cool. The low end could be better though. But nothing some EQ can't fix.

 

Let me start with telling you that I have been playing acoustic pianos for a very long time. I’ve played on hundreds of uprights and also on grand pianos like Steinway, Bechstein, Bosendorfer, Yamaha and many others. So I know how an acoustic piano sounds and feels.

I play all styles of music but my main genres are classical, jazz and progressive/symphonic rock.


Over the past 10 years or so I think I have tried about every major vsti on the market. The only ones worth mentioning I haven’t tried are the VSL pianos.


For the last 7 years or so I play my vstis using a Kawai MP11. IMO this still has the most natural touch compared to a real piano. However about 2 years ago I also started to experience the dreaded ‘sticky keys’ syndrome that so many people were complaining about. I decided not to go with the stock fix and investigated alternative materials and in the end came up with a solution that makes the key bed even feel more natural than the stock version. Up until now I’m still extremely happy with the touch and responsiveness of the key bed.



When it comes to piano vstis I think you have to you have to split these into 2 categories:

1. The ones that feel good and natural while playing them. Those are not necessarily the best sounding ones but they have a natural feel and response in relation to the sound.
   
   
2. The ones that sound good in a solo environment and/or in the context of a mix.
   

Let me start with one that hits both sides of this spectrum and the most ‘hyped’ of them all!: Modartt Pianoteq


It’s very playable and feels very responsive but let's be honest, IT SOUNDS LIKE SHIT!


The lows sound like they pressed the body of a grand piano into the space and sound of a small carton box and the highs really sound like a toy piano. There is absolutely no ‘body’ when playing the low octaves and you just don’t hear any ‘wood’ when playing the high octaves! Only the mid segment sounds reasonable. I have the Pro version, and whatever piano you load be it Steinway, Bechstein or even the much acclaimed Steingraeber E-272. They all have the same deficiency in the highs and lows. I hope maybe someday they will be able to improve this? Because I would really like the instant playability of this piano alongside with a superior sound!


On the other hand it’s very playable and it’s actually my go-to piano because of the playability and short load times! The feel is very natural over the whole register of the 88 keys. And this surely cannot be said for most of the sampled pianos! Most of them are a pain to play out-of-the-box. You have to really fine tune their velocity curves to match any kind of feel that resembles the feel of a real piano. And I think that is the actual reason why so many people think that Pianoteq is the best and why they think most sampled libraries suck?


And I guess now you're expecting an extensive list of all the vstis that sound best?


The honest answer is that I can’t tell you because it highly depends on how you use it and in what mix? But I can mention a few of my favorites that I think have exceptional and natural sound over others and that can be used in a mix to sound natural. (in no particular order):


Grands:


Soniccouture - The Hammersmith Pro Edition (Very natural sounding piano. Needs a lot of velocity tuning to feel natural while playing)

Native Instruments - The Grandeur (Very nice, but needs some EQ cut in the lows)

Native Instruments - The Maverick ( A very warm and seasoned piano sound. go listen to the demos. Who can resist “Calm as Glass’?)

Best Service - Galaxy Vintage D (Very old library, but still very nice to play and hear)

East West - Bosendorfer 290 (A real bitch to configure but once you have it tuned in it can feel and sound very natural)


Uprights:


8Dio - 1901 Upright Studio Piano (A real gem! Once you have the velocity mapped to your keyboard you could imagine you are playing a real upright)

Native Instruments - The Gentleman (Very nice sound)

 

I still pull out Vintage D from time to time. And Piano in Blue as well.

 

nobody has mentioned it but I use it. Roland Zenology. It's got a million sounds. Start with piano end up almost anywhere. It's got hundrends of piano sounds and in the mix it sounds pretty good.

 

Wrongtools - Tangent - Quieter Grandiose Piano For Cinematic Scoring - Kontakt - Free

A filmatic piano, made from a 1930 Bechstein Grand, recorded from chains of our favorite pedals and tape machines.

Recorded and performed in real time with brilliance and complex architected sounds that
sounds fresh, ethernal, cinematic, grandiose, majestic and indescribable phenomenal.

https://wrongtools.com/kontakt-instruments/free-soft-piano/

 

just downloaded it. useful sounds. it hasnt got that simple grand piano sound , it's more of a pychoacustic piano. I'm using it on a track now.

 

Pearl Concert Grand

Pianoteq

edit:

Have also been using the Ravel on UADx platform and enjoying it.

 

Last edited: Oct 17, 2022

"Nothing beats Production Voices libraries,..."
That is a huge claim.
All the multimillion-dollar studios will be interested to know they are sucking hind-titty with their inferior libraries.

I thought maybe if you were talking about one library, but no ... you actually are saying that not even one library from anyone else "beats" a Production Voices library of the same variation.
That is made clear by your statement "...especially their CFX."
So, the CFX beats everyone else's CFX even more than all the other Production voices libraries beat everyone else's comparable libraries.

I am in no position to contest your claim's validity so I can not disprove your claim, but i AM in a position to know it is an impossible claim to prove by virtue of my merely average intellect.

It is one thing to give an opinion and another to claim a truth.