Piano sample library recommendations?

[Kolstad]

FYI Sampletekk is also the company behind the piano in Toontrack's EZ Keys. It is dynamic especially you use it on a keyboard with fully wheighted keys, and sits really well in a mix.
It is not branded as an exclusive package, but many musicians I know prefer it for the way it plays and sit in the mix. If you need really soft dynamics for a solo project, you can try Felt Piano from Spitfire. No one size fits all, I'm afraid. But Orest is a master piano player, so his comments are very well worth taking in.

[toddgill]

Thank you all for the input. I will try every one of these out. So far I have tried and purchased Addictive Keys and Komplete (which is awesome and long overdue) and they are both excellent.

I know in some cases miking my piano is going to be the best route (once I learn how to properly mike and mix for different genres) but I know it's important for speedy workflow to have sampled and/or modeled choices ready to go. The instrument plug-ins I've picked up so far are fantastic and I'll be spending quality time with them over the coming months.

Any recommendations for a weighted key controller with a realistic (i.e. for classical music) velocity curve when used with modern piano instruments? The controller I have is way too hot. It has multiple velocity curves and they are all way too hot. It is unusable for classical music. I know there's a better option out there.

[jonnybutter]

Hey Todd,

I noticed your comment in the interface thread about not liking the slight delay when you monitor your guitar through the computer. I have the same problem with piano, which is one reason I like the Modartt modeled piano so much - they delay is so small it's imperceptible. Like Mojo, I really like Addictive Keys too, for sound and flexibility. But I really notice the delay, esp when I go from the modeled to the sampled. Don't know if you are more of a piano player or more a guitar player (or both!), but piano is my main instrument, and I end up at least tracking with the Modartt.

[mojobone]

You might try reducing the latency in your DAW; since the last upgrade I can get mine as low as 5.7 ms, round trip, but your mileage may vary. It helps to have samples on a separate drive and particularly if the drive is at least 7200 RPM. An SSD wouldn't hurt, either. If lower latencies spike your CPU meter, you can often find tracks/VIs to turn off that you don't need to hear in order to perform an overdub. as a last resort, you can print VIs and effects to reduce the strain.

[ComposerLDG]

I love the Native Instruments offerings. The Giant is my go-to piano, but I also often use The Grandeur, The Maverick, and The Gentleman.

For richness, tone, color, and variety, The Giant is just a work of beauty.

[Len911]

Any recommendations for a weighted key controller with a realistic (i.e. for classical music) velocity curve when used with modern piano instruments? The controller I have is way too hot. It has multiple velocity curves and they are all way too hot. It is unusable for classical music. I know there's a better option out there.

Why not check out some of the midi tools within your daw?

For example, Cubase has a midi compressor. It works similar to how an audio compressor would. You could also use something like the "midi transformer" to lower all velocities by x amount, it would make your velocity curves in the controller more useful.

[jonnybutter]

+1 what Mojo said. I couldn't live without precise easy midi controls in my DAW for piano and everything else. Logic also has a midi velocity compressor - very easy and useful. The Modartt modeled piano also has very flexible velocity tools.

[jonnybutter]

You might try reducing the latency in your DAW; since the last upgrade I can get mine as low as 5.7 ms, round trip, but your mileage may vary. It helps to have samples on a separate drive and particularly if the drive is at least 7200 RPM. An SSD wouldn't hurt, either. If lower latencies spike your CPU meter, you can often find tracks/VIs to turn off that you don't need to hear in order to perform an overdub. as a last resort, you can print VIs and effects to reduce the strain.

Of course Mojo right as usual. I do find that these workarounds can be distracting - being in a low latency mode can have trade offs. But I guess it's ALL tradeoffs! All about on how you like to work. I like to have the inherent low latency and super tweekability of the modeled piano; but some of the sampled pianos just sound so damned gorgeous and appropriate to some projects, I'll nudge the MIDI back and use samples.

[TimWalter]

I will put in what I learned at my month long course. If you have Kontroller 5 or higher (from NI), get the Cinesamples Piano in Blue. It is a Sampled piano from the very famous piano in NYC at the studio where miles davis recorded Kind of Blue, as well as many many other recordings. The sample recording session was the absolutely last thing recorded at this iconic studio, before it closed and sold off all the stuff. Kind of sad.

Cinesamples Piano in Blue was what was recommended from Westlake. I was told that all the stock acoustic piano stuff in Logic 10 and in Komplete 10 were not up to snuff and should not be used (I had been using The Giant)... for a top radio hit... HOWEVER, our standards are probably not that high, since most of the fellow taxi members are going for songs and cues for film and tv. So, YMMV. Piano in Blue is less than $200 if you have Kontrol 5.

With that said, before I got Komplete 10, I recorded a blues instrumental which included piano, and I used the grand piano setting on my Yamaha P-85, and I got a forward and a placement in a library (no actually cuts tho yet). My instructor at Westlake would shudder if I told him that, as he strongly asserted that no settings on any keyboard AS IS (need to be tweaked) are good enough for a pop hit recording, let alone the settings on an entry level Yamaha piano.. lol. Like I said, YMMV.


Tim

[mojobone]

Just thought it worth mentioning that Sampletekk is having their annual Spring Sale, everything's 50% off.


http://www.sampletekk.com/grand-pianos