Ravenscroft: new VILabs piano

[chas50]

thank you so much SK.

the comments above are all about Ravenswood. I really have not played Ivory much yet.

the experience earlier with Ravenswood, was like heaven man.

would you please possibly have any tips for me about how to open Ravenswood/UVI in my DAW? my DAW is Reaper.

like any special settings or whatever.

maybe I have to put UVI in my Steinberg/VST folder and rescan or something like that?

gotta go sleep now. try it again tomorrow.

thanks again,

Charlie

[SK]

You're certainly welcome, Charlie. BTW, it's Ravenscroft, not Ravenswood.

 

I use Mac and Logic. I don't have Reaper or Windows, but I imagine the process is the same. Since you have Ravenscroft loaded already in the UVI workstation, it's just a matter of your DAW "seeing" it.

 

Edited: I started answering this, and then I just saw where your question was answered fully on the other forum. So you should be able to start enjoying this instrument without any problems.

[Markyboard]

would you please possibly have any tips for me about how to open Ravenswood/UVI in my DAW? my DAW is Reaper.

like any special settings or whatever.

maybe I have to put UVI in my Steinberg/VST folder and rescan or something like that?

Charlie

 

You're on the right track (so to speak). Assuming you're on a PC you need to add UVI to your Reaper plugin folder. Let me know if you need further help.

 

(Edit) And now I'm seeing SK's edit where you seem to have the issue resolved. Enjoy.

[chas50]

thank you very much you guys.

TK support sent me this. it's a Reaper step by step instruction:

http://wiki.cockos.com/wiki/index.php/Using_VSTs_with_REAPER

 

it is invaluable info.

[davinwv]

I've been playing with the Ravenscroft for a couple of weeks now. Quite simply, this is the virtual piano I've been waiting for! It makes the earlier True Keys suite sound like 3 ROMpler pianos, and the Garritan Steinway (my previous fave library) sound like a one-dimentional Yamaha PSR piano sound.

 

Someone stated that, with only the close mic perspective loaded, it doesn't sound that special; however, when you add the other mic perspectives, the instrument really shines. I couldn't agree more!

 

Running all four mic perspectives simultaneously, together with a touch of the built-in convo reverb, renders a truly sublime piano playing experience. The room and side perspectives add so much character to the close and player perspectives. It is an amazing transformation of the tone! The range of dynamics and even tone of this library are unmatched, IMO.

 

My i7 laptop has a bit of a tough time streaming all four perspectives from the 7200RPM system drive in dense, pedaled passages, so I'm going to replace the optical drive in my laptop with the new Intel 730 series 480GB SSD, and move all my samples there. This is the first library that has made my computer hiccup. Thus, some future-proofing is in order!

 

It is great to have access to such a quality library for a relatively low cost. Although I haven't tried the Ivory American Concert D, if your computer can handle it, the Ravenscroft seems to be the alpha dog in the Q1 2014 virtual piano market.

 

 

[George88]

Dave, the added SSD drive solved my hiccup issues on my i5.

How is the great state of WV doing?

[SK]

Using mine for recording, I handled the occasional hiccup by playing/recording with one mic and then bouncing the recording (WAV file) with all mics added. Hiccups don't seem to occur during a bounce (unless they're mine.)

[ziquo]

I have a MacBook Air with a i5 1.6 ghz cpu, 4 giga ram.

 

It meets the requirements on the VILABS site, but does anybody use a comparable setup? How does it perform?

 

And the perpetual question: is it useable in mono?

[SK]

The Mac Book Air doesn't sound like it would be powerful enough. However if Vi Labs says it will work, then I suppose so.

 

Is the piano usable in mono? Yes, turn the stereo widener to 0 (mono), and use the flip adjustment if it needs phase adjustment. Also, the side mic is mono compatible.

[keyman27]

I've got the most recent Macbook Air i7 1.7GHz with 8GB ram. It will run one of the perspectives just fine. I haven't tried running more than one at once... it didn't occur to me to try that.

 

 

[Doerfler]

Dave, the added SSD drive solved my hiccup issues on my i5.

How is the great state of WV doing?

 

Hey George -

 

this is OT, but the post you replied to was not sent by Dave. It's not Dave in WV but Davin WV. Confusing, I know. Anyhow your question is OT anyway.

[Geoff Grace]

Now that everyone who took the plunge last month has had awhile to live with their purchases, would anyone like to post a quick review for those of us who are still uninitiated?

 

Thanks.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[Steve Nathan]

Now that everyone who took the plunge last month has had awhile to live with their purchases, would anyone like to post a quick review for those of us who are still uninitiated?

 

Thanks.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

 

I hope others will chime in as I am now friends with the developers of this library and I don't want to appear like I'm schilling for them. Nevertheless, my opinion is unchanged. It is head and shoulders above every other piano substitute I own or have ever heard in sound quality, playability, and flexibility. It sounds more like a real piano, responds to treatment like a real piano, and even from my (much maligned here) CME controllers, it feels pretty darn close to a real piano. I hope to try it soon with that Kawai controller, but for now, I am more than satisfied.

[SK]

My very general 'review' from many posts/several pages back. My opinion also remains unchanged.

 

Everybody hears things differently and not everyone has the same expectations for what a good piano sound should be. With the Ravenscroft software, with mixing 4 mic positions and tone, timbre and velocity adjustments, its impossible to explore all the possibilities instantly. It has the potential to sound like a dozen different pianos... so it would be a mistake for anyone to judge this piano very quickly.

 

A thanks to the nice, patient folks at Vi Labs and to Steve Nathans honest impressions. A secret: after I pre-ordered it several days ago Vi Labs surprised me by kindly advancing me an earlier beta version of the piano, before final tweaks were applied. As much as I wanted to, I wouldn't say anything about it as long as the release date wasn't firm. Now that Ive played it for a while my impressions are solid, and happy to get todays release, the latest tweaked version everyone will have.

 

I can only speak about this as a pianist, not as a technician. What stands out to me, beyond the nice features/controls, is the consistent quality and responsive performance. Not just another sample that sounds like a piano... it sounds like a beautiful piano with its own tone and character. It's the same sound as in Ruslans video, with rich harmonics and resonance. When you play a really nice acoustic, you can bask in the sound of a single note. This sample is getting into that same territory.

 

Youll need a good action controller, good speakers/headphones, and adequate computing power to get the most out of this. The better the gear, the better it performs.

 

Some new features I like: the stereo widener/narrower with flip mode is a very nice effect. And the tone knob and new timbre shift can dramatically make the piano as bright or dark as you'd need.

 

The new room mics definitely add more realism and body to the piano, although I won't use much of it because I prefer a more closely mic'ed, intimate sound.

 

One unique thing is the effect the polyphony has on the various resonances. It adds a lot to the beauty of the harmonics, more than Ive heard from other software. The multiple layers of harmonics, pedal resonance, etc. can really be dialed in, and it just sounds better and better. Try turning up these parameters, max polyphony, etc. - youll hear the difference.

 

Haven't gotten to the muted strikes/silent strike stuff yet. I'll use this piano about 100% of the time (there was an instance where I kept a TK American piano on a recording because of it's solid, but less harmonic, sound.

 

End of 'mini-review'. I don't think anyone who loves acoustic piano will be disappointed with this instrument. The quality and the extra effort Vi Labs and Ravenscroft spent on it shows.

[midinut]

Still loving it. I love my Kronos pianos too. I've got the NI Pianos, and I still use the S90 piano in HALion Sonic 2 live (loads fastest and sits well in the band mix). I really like The Grand 3 as well. But sitting down with the Ravenscroft is an experience none of the others can match. Haven't tried Ivory or PianoTeq so can't compare with those.

[George88]

It's the best substitute for a real piano I've ever heard. The extra microphones give it a heightened sense of realism beyond the close mics. With only the close microphones, it is still superior. I bought the 1st VI labs library on Steve Nathan's suggestion. When he indicated that this was coming out, I didn't hesitate. I do not regret buying either site unseen, not sound unheard.

 

$200 is $200, but it's the best $200 one could spend as a substitute for a real piano.

 

I encourage anyone in the market to take the plunge.

It makes playing a keyboard, at least for me, very enjoyable.

[Geoff Grace]

Thanks, guys! I'm glad to hear those positive first impressions are holding true as time goes by.

 

Any other reviews are welcome.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[miden]

I just made the purchase (to replace my ageing TruePianos VST).

 

The guys at VI Labs have provided truly first class assistance with my queries re Ravenscroft - they were patient and very helpful, more than one usually gets from an online sales/tech help team, so kudos to them and a very big personal thanks

 

I will use the new PX-5s to play the 275 with.

 

Dennis

[yannis D]

Sorry for my laziness to read the hole thread, but: does it need an i -lock?

I do not intend to buy one (why pay more to register a product that i have already payed for?), so i want to know if i can make the purchase. Thanx

[miden]

No - the Ravenscroft uses PC Hard Drive activation. Although an iLok CAN be used

[ITGITC]

 

I'm still liking it... a lot.

 

Tom

 

 

[Michael Wright]

Not having a lot of real grand experience, I had deleted my earlier response as not being a review with any perspective. What I can say is that I really am happy with it. It's the best piano I have had in my house. No regrets at all taking the plunge.

[Mike Warren]

I bought this today and am very happy with it. Finally a digital piano with decent tonal variation all the way from ppp to fff.

 

And I can play it without needing to swamp it in reverb to try and hide the digitalness.

 

The only negative for me is that the tone of the actual piano they sampled would not be my first choice if money was no object.

 

It has a bit of a nasal sound (or perhaps "twangy" would describe it), particularly in the upper mid area. That's not a fault of the sampling process, but rather how the piano they sampled actually sounded. This is definitely a taste thing.

 

I'd really love to see this done with a Bosendorfer.

 

Overall, I'm extremely satisfied. My wife had to drag me away from it. That's only ever happened with acoustic pianos in the past.

 

I have yet to get into playing with the settings. I just used the close and player presets.

 

[Mark Schmieder]

Mike, now I feel a challenge coming on, as I splurged a couple of years ago on the upgraded version of the Vienna Instruments Imperial Grand.

 

Hopefully soon I can return to some of my orchestral arrangements and even naked solo piano classical pieces where I sometimes use a sampled piano instead of Pianoteq, and see how Vienna Imperial Bosendorfer compares to the much cheaper Ravenscroft.

 

I forget whether the Ravenscroft has extended range or not.

[Adriaan Taylor]

I found this.. and you can set it up anyway you want to for midi CC and levels for 0-127 etc.

Including stages of press and release i believe.

It was damn hard to find a good USB midi pedal.

This thing is made of metal too.

Not great for using socks buttons are made for shoes.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Logidy-UMI3-MIDI-over-Controller/dp/B002YL81RW

 

Main website: http://www.logidy.com/?pid=1

 

 

Does anyone make a 3-Pedal unit like they were showing in the first video that would work with your choice of controller?

 

Did someone answer this?

 

You need a (specific) continuous controller input for a sustain pedal that will do half-pedaling.

 

I don't think anyone offers a controller that you can use this type of sustain pedal (like a Yamaha FC3) in an input designed for a volume/wah pedal.

 

Tom

 

I've got a Korg DS-1H pedal for my Kronos which does half-damper or half-pedaling or whatever. If I use my Kronos as a controller for Ravenscroft, I figure it will recognize and sense the half-pedaling. But who wants to control this beautiful piano with a 61-note keyboard? I haven't got all that figured out yet. It just seems to me that somebody ought to be able to come up with a 3-pedal unit. Even if it had 3 cables coming out of it - each controlling a different keyboard, or 3 assignments to the same unit. That way you could have sustain, sostenuto, and soft all in the same unit if you are using something (hardware or software) that could handle it. I may not have my terms correct, but hopefully you get my drift. I am by no means a true "piano" player. I've just been hacking my way along all these years but I just had that thought about the pedal system and wonder why no one has come up with something that does that. I seem to remember Kurzweil having a triple pedal years ago but I feel certain it only worked with their stuff.

 

We've all been lucky enough in the last decade to witness and benefit from the dramatic changes in VST and hardware sound/sample quality. I know we all have our buttons which get pushed around here. True Hammond heads can't see themselves playing anything but a "real" Hammond and clones just won't do. I have owned and played Hammonds over the years but VB3 gets me 90% there to my ears and for my needs. Same with pianos. I have a very nice Yamaha S90 sample in HALion Sonic 2 that I was totally okay with. I also have The Grand 3 by Steinberg which has a Yamaha C7, a Steinway D, a Bosendorfer 290, and upright, and a CP-80 Electic Grand. I have Komplete 9 as well so I have all the NI pianos, and now the Ravenscroft. I think I've got plenty to choose from. But as our buddy Steve pointed out, it's about choosing the right piano that fits the song. Or playing the different pianos and one stands out when you play a new riff you come up with. That, to me anyway, is what it's all about - having the right tool for the job in your toolbox. I remember when I first got into VSTs I bought SampleTank XL and was blown away then by the quality of sampled guitars, pianos, Rhodes, strings, etc. None of my hardware had sounds that were comparable. SampleTank kinda suffered over time by getting long in the tooth (SampleTank 3 may very well bring it back up to speed again), but it was so cool to have this wonderful variety of sounds at my disposal. It was a gateway drug for me into the VST world. I tell my wife from time to time, "if I never bought another VST instrument, it would take the rest of my life to learn and figure out the ones that I own." Technology has made these days some wonderful times to be a player.

[Joe Muscara]

Hopefully this won't get lost by me reviving this old thread.

 

I got an email from VILabs about a sale they're having on TruePianos including the Ravenscroft. But what might be even bigger news I've highlighted below.

 

Black Friday sales are upon us, and now is the perfect time to save big and get the finest virtual pianos from VI Labs. But act soon as this sale only lasts four days ending Monday December 1st! Get the Ravenscroft 275 for $149 and all True Keys single pianos for $99a savings of $50! Get the complete True Keys suite for only $249 for a savings of $100 off the normal price! The Ravenscroft 275 has taken the virtual piano world by storm and has become the go-to instrument for leading musicians worldwide. True Keys Pianos features three superb concert grands that fill a wide range of musical styles.

 

And as if the best prices of the year were not enough, VI Labs is excited to announce the update of all piano libraries to the FLAC format which offers efficient lossless compression for huge reductions in library file sizes. What does this mean for you? The same exquisite sound quality of our high end sample libraries is now available in a smaller file size and with no increase in CPU usage. Free space requirements are much less of a concern. Loading times are reduced compared to conventional libraries while disk streaming performance is also improved. Sample libraries, while typically sounding very good, are notoriously large in size. Now with VI Labs, you get the best sound quality with the smallest file sizes. For example, the Ravenscroft 275 is reduced in size from 35GB down to a mere 5.8GB. And amazingly, the sound quality is never compromised.

 

The FLAC version of all pianos is now available and can be downloaded from your account at any time. All new customers receive it, and existing customers can get it and safely delete the old ufs library file.

 

While the new FLAC version will continue to be available, the sale is only four days! So now is the time to get the finest virtual pianos at low prices and take advantage of the space savings offered by the new update. There hass never been a better time to own VI Labs virtual pianos!

 

This update is of course free, and is available in your customer account, the Ravenscroft 275 library update is called V16 and the True keys is in V15. If you purchased your library from a third party, contact them directly to get the update.

 

Happy Holidays from VI Labs

 

That's way cool.

[LX88]

I am still interested in the Ravenscroft and other VI pianos but so far I have still not purchased a suitable laptop to run it.

 

Would this reduction in file size effect the amount of memory that Ravenscroft requires? The first reports needed at least 4 gig and even more was recommended when I spoke to VI labs.

 

I would love to hear one but in order to do that you have to pony up the money first....

[ITGITC]

Hopefully this won't get lost by me reviving this old thread.

 

I got an email from VILabs about a sale they're having on TruePianos including the Ravenscroft. But what might be even bigger news I've highlighted below.

 

That's way cool.

 

I couldn't find the files when I logged in today.

 

I wrote them a note asking if there was a problem.

 

Joe, try to download these FLAC files and let me know if it works for you.

 

Tom

 

[TWB121234]

I have installed the new Ravenscroft and I'm working on the True Keys suite. The Ravenscroft works great and freed up almost 30 gigs of space on my hard drive. A wonderful update.

 

All the Ravenscroft files are in one folder "Install Ravenscroft" V16 (if I recall). The other three pianos are in another single folder "Install True Keys" V15. So there are no longer the multiple folders or files to download.

[chas50]

very cool.

thank you.

gotta check it out.

I have my ravenscroft on a new laptop, samples on an ssd, i7 4th gen, 8 Gb ram. still could not play it without pops and click artifacts.

hopefully this will fix that.