Real Piano Plug-In Recommendation?

[LoCaRi987]

Hi Taxi experts I had a recent return that was very close to a forward, except the Logic Apple piano sound I used didn't cut it, according to the reviewer (I chose the Yamaha grand concert hall). It was apparently not "real" enough sounding, and the feedback was the following:

"Consider purchasing piano plug-ins that are dynamically sampled and recorded using a real piano utilizing mic placement and room environment."

Can anyone recommend a good piano plug-in that fits the above feedback? THANK YOU!!!

[SawtoothPorter]

This one is great for the price.

https://www.native-instruments.com/en/p ... -grandeur/

However, I think that the Logic pianos are fairly good quality. The trick is forcing them to sound a bit more real. A good reverb, a pre-amp or saturation plug-in, playing with the envelope, great compression, EQ, layering, etc. can make the logic samples sound really great. I often put The Grandeur, The Gentleman, Logic's Steinway, a pad that is put way, way under the pianos, and maybe a touch of white noise.

Also make sure your midi notes have some humanism in them (e.g., not all set to 127 velocity, and not all hitting at the same exact velocity).

For a piano solo piece, it is going to be hard for any software instrument to fully articulate the human interaction with a real grand piano.

[Razor7Music]

Hi Lori--

The good news is that's a very easy problem to resolve. I agree with the reply about Native Instruments. If you get a soft synth sampler like kontakt, etc. you can then purchase many different instruments that are compatible--and there are a ton out there made for kontakt. The instruments range in price and quality--so, any that you can demo before purchasing is what I'd recommend.

I also have to second the comment about midi. You can kill the human feel with midi if you're not subtle.

These suggestions are just general suggestions though. Can you post the track that you got the feedback on? That way we can listen to what the screener may be referring to and help zero in on some specific improvements.

[Len911]

https://synthogy.com/index.php/demos

https://www.xlnaudio.com/products/addictive_keys

[LoCaRi987]

Hi, and THANK YOU for your feedback. I will look into all of this. I really appreciate your input!

In response to the request by RAZOR7MUSIC for the SoundCloud link, here it is: https://soundcloud.com/user-181142821/n ... mastered-2

Enjoy!

Lori Malvey

[Razor7Music]

Hi, and THANK YOU for your feedback. I will look into all of this. I really appreciate your input!

In response to the request by RAZOR7MUSIC for the SoundCloud link, here it is: https://soundcloud.com/user-181142821/n ... mastered-2

Enjoy!

Lori Malvey

Hi Lori--

I like the piece! I can definitely see you getting that placed sometime, like maybe during a dramatic scene or something. --it evokes emotion, and that's what I always look for in any art form.

I needed to wait and listen in my studio because I wanted to use my pro gear. Let me first say that I am not the expert on mixing classical instruments. I'm more of a rocker. Having said that, I honestly don't think the piano is that far off. The human feel is fine--it doesn't sound mechanical. The reverb was a little heavy for me--but that's a matter of taste. On the piano, the EQ sounded like the highs may have been rounded off a little too much--like maybe you're missing some highs. (I want to hear the pad of the hammer hit the string,sort of thing). I especially heard the lack of highs when you started your riff at the lower register. With the reverb at that point, your definition got a little lost.

The interesting thing is that what didn't sound as realistic to me was the flute/string accompaniment. I can't put a finger exactly on it, but it didn't sound like a real instrument. I also felt that the slow vibrato of that accompanying instrument interfered with the piano focus a little.

This is all my opinion. I know we're trying to focus on why the screener may have said your piano didn't sound realistic, so we're putting your song under the microscope. I hope you understand that the piece is good. Work on the highs in the EQ--maybe listen to a track that you know they used a real piano and the mix is stellar, and compare your EQ to that. Also, maybe back off a little reverb. Maybe use a small room setting and use the pre-delay setting so you don't lose the definition. On the accompanying instrument, I think you may want to solo that and see if you like the instrument you chose. Also, maybe move your accompanying instrument a little bit back in the mix, so it doesn't compete with the piano.

I really hope that helps! You're definitely talented!

[SawtoothPorter]

Definitely a strong +1 in what Razor said.

[andygabrys]

The main thing I hear on this piece is (ironically) not a lack of highs, but a rather mechanical heavy touch on the keys all the way through. All the high notes on the piano sound like they are played hard and cut through.

I use Logic, and there are a couple of different piano samples in there, and they have a couple of different amounts of "touch" because of the way they are sampled. One in particular that has been carried over from the earlier versions of logic has a "hard" sample and then pretty abruptly goes to a "soft" sample at about 65 on the velocity of each note (if I recall the exact number). If you are using any sampled piano you might have to adjust some velocities of certain notes or whole passages if it doesn't sound "right" compared to how you wanted to play it. Sometimes you can adjust the velocity response of your keyboard to make your touch correspond with the particular hammer action or lack of it on your keyboard.

So.... the main thing is that your piece feels like its played with a pretty strong touch the whole way through. If the piano performance would go through a range of volume from soft (where the sound of the actually piano sounded soft not just the mix) and then loud where you have more instruments playing, it might meet what the screener is hearing.

Its also worthwhile to always post in the listing text including the reference youtube links and your production link anytime you ask for feedback here - as a lot of times the particular sound and vibe of a reference track explains more clearly what the screener was listening for, and why your track didn't make it. Written descriptions about sound are sometimes like trying to describe a painting in words.

[Razor7Music]

Hey Andy!

Just wanted to ask since I'm not familir with Logic or its sample libraries, are the velocities you're referring to the same as MIDI velocity?

The reason I ask is because in my DAW I can select any number of MIDI events and change their velocity through the event inspector pretty quickly.

Lori, I didn't see from your post if you recorded your piece in MIDI or just straight to audio?

[andygabrys]

Yes I am referring to MIDI velocities.

It seemed to me that the OP was referring to a plugin instrument in Logic, therefore its all MIDI right?