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Dear Screener #381 ... (who said: I like your playing, Peter, but I'm not crazy about the quality of the recording. I don't know a lot about miking techniques but it sounds like an engineering issue. It's just not very warm and clean.)

This is one of best piano samples and you sent it away.

Here's the tune (as a 3 piece ensemble): https://soundcloud.com/moanakeiki/elegance-2014

PeterD wrote:Dear Screener #381 ... (who said: I like your playing, Peter, but I'm not crazy about the quality of the recording. I don't know a lot about miking techniques but it sounds like an engineering issue. It's just not very warm and clean.)
This is one of best piano samples and you sent it away.

Hey, Mr. D.
fwiw: what I'm hearing, which may also be the screener's issue (?)... there's sort of a "buzzy" quality coming through my system in the piano tone, which I gather is just the stylistic bent of that sample;
which he/she might find objectionable. That could be just a personal taste thing more than the mic'ing (SIC) technique to which they are referring.

Not really "buzzing"... but something in the sustain that's not as natural-sounding as a real acoustic grand. imho....
hth, Cheers.
Peter

Hi Peter,

I don't know if this contributed to the screener's appraisal, but to me it sounds a little crowded (not 'warm and clean'?) because it sounds like four hands playing rather than two. Those full chords + bass notes + high notes, really takes up a lot of the spectrum to my ear. What tips the balance to me is the full close chords above the bass line.

Is this the solo piano listing the results of which just dropped a couple days ago? If so I assume you submitted solo piano with no bass, etc.

Piano is hard, even with great samples! I feel your pain, believe me. I am a lifelong pianist, and I have had many many returns for these kinds of listings.

good luck this year

Hi Peter,

Solo piano implies a starkness which this track doesn't have-- it is just too lush, me thinks. I must concur about the piano bass and the closed voice comping-- it's too layered for the solo piano pitch. I'm not even addressing the screener's issue, though.

Sorry,
Niall

Thanks Peter, Jon, and Niall.

I get it now. Aside from the comping (which is a big deal as far as technicalities go), that sample does have a weird fuzziness when the sustain pedal is activated. Not sure what that's all about, but it was the deciding factor.

Oh well ... Not the end of the world. I have a library that wants it, but I'm not sure I want to give it away yet. I'll sit on it for a while ...

Hey Peter,

I wouldn't call it a 'buzz' so much as...I dunno, it sounds like a delay that is a little too long, or something like that - it's shorter than slapback, but not much. Also the velocity sounds kind of 'off and on' if you know what I mean - rather than piano to forte. I have had this problem when I've created chords out of single notes - i.e. chords with all the same velocity.

Piano is hard to get sounding good, I find, even if you have great samples (which I'm sure you do). I actually got a forward on this listing, and it's the first piano forward I've gotten in a long time. The music is not particularly original , but I'm getting a handle on the sound a little bit more. I make sure to turn down the master volume on all my modern VIs, including piano - they tend to be so loud! They can really distort and/or compress even when there doesn't *seem* to be an overage. And I played with the room sound a fair amount. My track is called 'Comfy Piano', on my taxi page.

VERY nice Jon!

What did you use for that one? Sounds like the real deal to me.

I REALLY love the Korg Kronos pianos, but not for $2,500 ... I'm thinking about 'Ivory', in hopes that it will sound more convicing than Native Instrument's grands.

PeterD wrote:VERY nice Jon!
What did you use for that one? Sounds like the real deal to me.
I REALLY love the Korg Kronos pianos, but not for $2,500 ... I'm thinking about 'Ivory', in hopes that it will sound more convincing than Native Instrument's grands.

To these untrained ears, that sounds as rich as a Yamaha grand.

Thanks for listening and for the nice words you guys

It's not a sampled piano at all - it's the Modartt modeled piano. I use it for the sound, but also for the fact that there's no latency at all, unlike with sampled pianos. It's very tweakable, and it usually needs tweaking!

jonnybutter wrote:Thanks for listening and for the nice words you guys

It's not a sampled piano at all - it's the Modartt modeled piano. I use it for the sound, but also for the fact that there's no latency at all, unlike with sampled pianos. It's very tweakable, and it usually needs tweaking!

This? https://www.pianoteq.com/pianoteq5

It does sound pretty good... and it's about $120, $303, or $487 (USD) depending on how much tweaking you want to be able to do to the sounds.

To upgrade costs no more than paying the difference which is nice.