Favorite piano plugins?

[Doerfler]

3 hours ago, Stokely said:

 Since that time I also got the NI pianos that are part of Komplete standard (which unfortunately don't include Noire.)

should you be interested, Noire is part of Komplete 13 (standard)

 

https://www.native-instruments.com/en/products/komplete/bundles/komplete-13/

[Stokely]

Ah ok.  I have 12, and was considering upgrading to 13 ultimate during the summer sale.  I didn't really think about going to 13 standard and didn't realize Noire was part of standard now.  

[Doerfler]

Noire was the main reason I upgraded from Komplete 11 to Komplete 13. 

[dickiefunk]

On 7/27/2022 at 4:41 AM, davinwv said:

I'm following the new Production Voices 300 Grand Yamaha CFX library pretty closely:

 

https://www.productionvoices.com/product/300-grand/

This one popped up on my radar a few days ago and I’m extremely impressed with the demos.

My goto is NI Noire which I love for virtually all my acoustic piano requirements! However, there are no Una Corda samples or modelled simulation which is a real shame. There are occasions where I nee Una Corda on some solo classical pieces so I was tempted by the Garritan CFX but you can’t really get a good dry sound when required as the room bleed is still pretty high on the lowest settings.

 

Then, Production Voices 300 Grand was released last week which appears to address both my issues with Noire and the Garritan CFX? As a result I’m pretty tempted to pick this one up.

 

Simeon Amburger who has a great YouTube channel has done extensive reviews on Noire, Garritan CFX and VSL CFX. He also did a very in depth direct comparison between Noire and Garritan CFX. Simeon has said he hopes to do a direct comparison between the new Production Voices 300 Grand, Noire, Garritan CFX and the VSL CFX libraries on his YouTube channel at some point which should be very interesting!

[Stokely]

Dabbling with mainstage at the moment, which brings me to an issue I've had with my MODX--mono pianos.   Taking stereo samples and reducing them to mono rarely works well as we know.   Ideally you could use a piano sampled in mono, and that's exactly what I've been considering.  There are a few, the VSL "Modern U" being an example.    One of its mic positions is a tube mono mic.      In the demo I heard, it sounded natural without the honky phase issues that you hear with stereo-to-mono quite often.   That said, it ain't cheap--though on sale right now-- and I'm not sure I'm after an upright sound for a main piano.   Ravenscroft would be better for general use for me, but there's no indication it has mono compatibility.    The Hammersmith also has a mono recording but it's really pricey (maybe wait for a sale!).   Chocolate Audio (never heard of them) has a grand with mono samples apparently.

And as a couple threads on vi-control lamented--putting live work aside, it is true that these gloriously-spread pianos can cause problems in a studio mix.   What's the old saying, when everything is stereo, nothing is....and when low end gets put to one side that can be a problem.    One thing pointed out is that roomier recordings tend to be less wide simply because the mics are further away.   Some plugins, like Garritan CFX, give you a "stereo spread" control and I found it works....pretty well with that instrument.  Right now that would be the one I'd use live.   The Grandeur didn't fare as well going from stereo to mono.   My Addictive Keys install is not working properly, probably needs an update as I haven't used it in a long time.   I should try the "lowly" Logic piano, for all I know it might suffer the least from the mono treatment! 

Edit: seeing some mentions when googling for using a mid-side EQ in these situations.  Being in mainstage I have a lot of mixing plugins available so I'll see what I can do with those.


 

[obxa]

On 7/28/2022 at 11:20 PM, Steve Nathan said:

Yes. What I meant was I like Vreeds, and use it mostly, but I also sometimes prefer their first Wurly that came out a few years earlier.  It has a growl that I like for certain tracks.  

Heads up :  Acoustic Samples is having a summer 30% off sale.    https://www.acousticsamples.net/wurlie

 

 Following Steve's comment (Thanks!! ) I'm leaning towards their early Wurli,   not sure if it uses more sample and less modeling than their Vreed version???, but  think I like it better.  The newer one reminds me of Pianoteq's and the Numa X modeled sound.  I do like the option on the new one to move the pickups- but always been partial to the "Stock" setup. 

 

Always liked those "Teaching-Wurlis" - Like a total idiot,  passed on one  in the 80's for $100.00 because I was trying gather funds for my Dx7.  😜

[bill5]

Getting back to this...

 

  

On 7/27/2022 at 1:11 AM, napilopez said:

Disclaimer: I'm an amateur who just plays at home and is beginning to dabble in composition. So my impressions are just on sound quality and playability, but might not be applicable to everyone.

 

Before I go through some thoughts, I wanted to share this massive comparison someone made of Piano VSTs, including most of the popular ones.

 

https://www.sinerj.org/~loyer/piano/Fantaisie/

 

Nice! I'd like to see a "version 2.0" of that with some other stuff, including some mentioned here. 

[bill5]

On 7/27/2022 at 11:01 AM, Reezekeys said:

Not sure why these threads can be a little annoying since, let's face it, what happens? Everybody just lists the ones they use.

 Well duh.   And that's annoying because? Did you want them to list the ones they don't use? I would think they use them because they like them best for this or that reason, which I would think they would explain in their response, which many here have done (PS consider this a blanket thanks to all; I started "liking" posts but I'm too lazy to go back and do more lol). That's the kind of feedback I'm looking for. 

 

Quote

There's never a real consensus as to what's "best" or even "better"; it's always about what each individual likes, and their reasonings may or may not coincide with what the OP is looking for in a piano plugin. We're all different when it comes to what we want or need (or think we want or need) in a piano plugin.

Again I would think people would explain WHY they like a given plugin. And I certainly didn't expect any grand consensus. This thread was just to get some responses and discussion going.

 

Quote

I don't have a "favorite", because my use case is simple and I have no need for anything but a satisfying basic piano that feels good to play and sounds good on a gig. "Favorite" implies choosing between multiple pianos.

You mean you only ever tried one? That's a bold approach, but it seems to have worked for you and that's cool. I could never do that. I like comparison shopping  

 

Quote

when someone asks a general Q about a favorite piano plugin I assume it's in regards to a "vanilla" well-sampled or modeled piano.

Pretty much.

 

And to clarify, yeah, this was in regard strictly to regular pianos....not EPs or Wurlys or felt pianos or pianos with other off the beaten tracks sounds (for which I agree that Pianobook is worth checking btw!). 

 

And since I didn't specify grand or upright, I appreciate the thoughts on both. My experiences to date, which I guess I should have listed in the OP: 

 

Grand:

I very much like the free Ivy 162. This is currently my go-to grand piano. I have thought about some of the others here, but honestly I question if I would get enough of a gain out of it to be worth the cost. A concert pianist I'm not. I am also high on the free Denver Grand. I've tried a few other freebies and wouldn't recommend, including the IMO over-hyped Piano One. I have never used Pianoteq and it interests me and I suspect I would like it, but again I'm not sure I can justify the expense. 

 

Upright:

Sampletekk's Rain Piano is my go-to for upright. Loads of character and just really like the sound. They had a massive sale last year and I got it for practically nothing.

 

Thanks again for the replies! 

 

 

 

 

 

[Fleer]

On 8/5/2022 at 1:17 PM, dickiefunk said:

 

 

Then, Production Voices 300 Grand was released last week which appears to address both my issues with Noire and the Garritan CFX? As a result I’m pretty tempted to pick this one up.

 

Simeon Amburger who has a great YouTube channel has done extensive reviews on Noire, Garritan CFX and VSL CFX. He also did a very in depth direct comparison between Noire and Garritan CFX. Simeon has said he hopes to do a direct comparison between the new Production Voices 300 Grand, Noire, Garritan CFX and the VSL CFX libraries on his YouTube channel at some point which should be very interesting!

I got unhelpful support from Production Voices so I’m definitely not getting their new 300 Grand piano. 

[Steve Nathan]

So correct me if I am wrong, but it appears that Garritan CFX is available from several retailers for around $160.  It also appears that if you buy the lite version and then upgrade to full, the total cost is just under  $140??  Am I missing something?

[drawback]

I’ve been looking at The Giant… anyone with experience? Seems to be a good hybrid sound from what I can tell from demos.

[Mark Schmieder]

I sold Noire a few months after buying it (before it was part of Komplete). I probably wrote about it here at the time. I don't bother remembering details once I decide and move on, but my recollection is that I wasn't happy with the available mic mixing capabilities, not being able to sculpt the sound the way I needed for my projects.

 

Having said that, Yamahas are my least favorite of the major acoustic piano brands; even the VSL Synchron Pianos version is my least-used of that suite! I used to think they cut through for rock at least, but even the more classically-oriented Yamaha pianos sound compressed to me. And I'm talking about the real things, not just sample libraries.

 

Like The Beatles, I tend to gravitate towards Bechstein and Bluethner for rock and pop genres, these days. A warmer and more open sound that still has strong mid-range for cutting through a mix. Just last night, I made my own reggae preset for the new Bechstein Upright from VSL and it made a huge difference on a song where the B3 Organ and Clavinet were competing previously with the earlier piano choice. Now all the notes of each keyboard can be heard distinctly, with great articulation as well.

[Sam CA]

On 8/20/2022 at 12:57 PM, drawback said:

I’ve been looking at The Giant… anyone with experience? Seems to be a good hybrid sound from what I can tell from demos.

 

 

 

I've used it for years. It's NOT exactly a general purpose piano like Noire, the Grandeur...etc. It has a very unique character with an exaggerated bass. Totally useful for certain type of recordings but you're not gonna play it everyday. I have an old demo. 

 

 

 

 

[skipeb3]

I've been using Galaxy Vintage D for a while now. I like it, and I've had no complaints from anyone that I've sent tracks to. Quite a few compliments about it, actually.

I think if I was going to get another piano VI, it would probably be Ravenscroft 275.

[Sam CA]

Oh I think I forgot to mention my latest piano, 'Hammers + Waves' by Skybox Audio. I already have good sounding pianos, so why is this my new favorite? It's basically Noire on steroid. I like Noire's particle engine but it's more like a toy than anything else. It gets predictable very quick. Skybox has done a pretty amazing job with sound design aspect of the library. I can't think of anything else that comes close to it. Heavyocity has some obscure sound design piano libraries I think, but those are more like pads and drones. H + W is totally playable both as a traditional and sound design piano. If you just want to play piano, then this might be an overkill, but it's a perfect tool for composer types. 

 

My friend Leon recorded a first impression no-talk performance video. It showcases little bit of both. 

 

 

 

 

And this is a short composition using 'Dulcitone' from H + W