piano soft synths

[brindabella]

If you want the sound of the piano in a room, then you need to set the reverb and EQ up ahead of time as it will influence your playing.I've never done that ( set EQ and reverb before playing)Please explain this?

[mazz]

Jul 12, 2009, 11:33am, brindabella wrote:If you want the sound of the piano in a room, then you need to set the reverb and EQ up ahead of time as it will influence your playing.I've never done that ( set EQ and reverb before playing)Please explain this?In Kontakt you can add an EQ as an insert effect and then you can, for instance, turn down the high frequencies, which you may want to do since a piano from 10 feet back is less bright than from 12 inches away from the strings! You can do the same thing with reverb.Just like the instrument and the room will influence your playing on a real instrument, the sound of the VI coming through the speakers will influence your playing as well. You have a bit more control with a VI because you can change the size of the room, and so forth. It's still a bit "once removed" because you're still kind of in the listener's position when you're playing, which is kind of strange but you can get used to it.Anyway, hope this helps answer your question. Give it a try.Mazz

[brindabella]

Interesting! Will try it, I always used them after the fact!

[jude3]

Interesting. I seem to be the odd ball out. I don't find sampled VI's to be even close to a real piano. But here, people think they are equal and there is not much difference.I played a church last week that had a nice grand. I play every Sunday at my church that has a nice one too. And during the week I record on a nice Kawai 7 footer. I could not imagine choosing on purpose to play on a keyboard instead. Unless of course I think the recording calls for it. That people here might actually choose not to use a real piano, a good one, is interesting to me. Maybe my ear is so used to hearing a real one every day that I am more astute to the difference. I don't know.Ok. To each his own.

[mewman]

There is a big difference between choosing a VI instrument versus preferring one!!! Given the opportunity to play a perfectly in tune (maybe even imperfectly in tune) Yamaha, Steinway, Bosendorfer, Fazioli, Mark Allen, Baldwin, Chickering, etc. concert grand, or to record with one in an ideal situation, there is no question in my mind that most any piano player on these boards would choose the real thing. What the real issue is, I think, is the reality of producing broadcast quality recordings. If you have the instrument, the setup, and the budget to record an acoustic grand piano then, by all means, go for it. But for me, it is far easier to record a quality MIDI version than the real thing. I can easily control the reverb, can tweak the bad notes or occasional sloppy phrase, and I never worry about the tuning, something which is an absolute godsend. Would I rather be playing the real thing.... you bet!!! In the meantime, I'll dial in a nice cathedral reverb setting and close my eyes.I also would disagree that the VI's don't come close. I 'm pretty impressed with how good some of the new one's sound. My guess is that there are a lot of people out there who are fooled everyday into believing that they are listening to recordings of acoustic pianos (and other instruments). Mewman

[brindabella]

Hey Jude!!! (sorry, couldn't resist that )I believe no one said we prefered a VI over a real piano, but that is what most people have in terms of a Home Studio Recording. What was said was that a VI piano could be expressive too.Now, if I was able to pick whatever I wanted, I would go as far as having different ones: Steinway for Chopin, Knabe for Mozart, Petrof for Bach,etc, etc.In the meantime and while I wait to win the Lottery, I have Sampletekk, EWQL Steinway and Korg.

[allends]

Jul 12, 2009, 3:26pm, brindabella wrote:...What was said was that a VI piano could be expressive too.....and with that, dear friends, is it not true that the case for why, what, when, where, and how a VI piano might be chosen for professional recording has been madenth? Not that I wouldn't want to read this thread for another 3 pages because I have loved it. I'm just concerned that someone might hurt themselves by thinking too hard! AllenPS I'm just joking... couldn't resist...

[brindabella]

[feaker]

BellaIs that a hard synth?Pablito

[mazz]

Jul 12, 2009, 2:38pm, jude3 wrote:Interesting. I seem to be the odd ball out. I don't find sampled VI's to be even close to a real piano. But here, people think they are equal and there is not much difference.I played a church last week that had a nice grand. I play every Sunday at my church that has a nice one too. And during the week I record on a nice Kawai 7 footer. I could not imagine choosing on purpose to play on a keyboard instead. Unless of course I think the recording calls for it. That people here might actually choose not to use a real piano, a good one, is interesting to me. Maybe my ear is so used to hearing a real one every day that I am more astute to the difference. I don't know.Ok. To each his own.Wow, even before everyone replied to this post saying that they would, of course, prefer a real piano over a VI given the choice, I think I had already said the same thing in an earlier post. I'm not sure how you came to your conclusion. For sure a VI piano will always be a second banana to a really nice real one that's already mic'd up, regularly tuned and maintained in a great sounding, quiet room. There's not that many of us here that are as fortunate as you are but we still have to make music, which is the whole point anyway. So to answer the original post: I use Sampletekk 7CG, Ivory and now East West piano VIs. I use them with the wish of a real piano always in the back of my mind.Mazz