First piano VST - Ravenscroft 275

[Reezekeys]

I've said it a lot on this forum - if you're not sending the full range of velocities from your controller, and their values don't match the dynamics you intend, you're not gonna get the most out of a software piano. Velocity curves might help a little but are far from a solution. I often hear software pianos sounding bright and with a "clicky" attack caused by someone's average velocities being in a higher range and triggering the F or FF samples. I find that the samples that "sing" the most are triggered with medium velocities. IMO the Grandeur has a really nice singing tone when you take it easy with the playing force and are sending velocities in the lower ranges.

 

edit - on further reflection "clicky" is the wrong word to describe what I meant. On the higher velocity layers you hear more hammer "thunk" and that's the noise that detracts from the mellower mid-velocity samples, imo. Good to have that percussive attack when you need it - just not on every note!

[Theo Verelst]

My problem with the sample based piano is it is not realistic to simply play two or more samples and expect this to sound like a chord on a piano, regardless of the velocities. A chord isn't simply adding the two notes, but there's interaction between the sounding strings,depending also on velocity and relative timing. So if there are no provisions in the sample set for the interaction to somehow lead to a different tone, the sound will remain lifeless and un-piano-like.

 

Probably these programs propose a certain speaker preparation which doesn't allow general piano use and probably works somewhat as intended on certain (non-neutral sounding) monitors played in a certain way in a certain key only. Not really my cup of tea, but I'm fine with people liking their software tools, no problem with me, it's just that I like more artistic freedom than these software instruments appear to provide, apart from samples sounding the way they do.

 

T.V.