Acoustic Grand Piano libraries/emulations: An Overview (audio demos of some pianos added)

[Ingonator]

So here are the demos using the "Close" mic position (moderate amounts of the Waves H-Comp compressor and Lexicon MXR native reverb were used, no EQ was used):
Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata mvt.1_Ravenscroft 275 Close
Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata mvt.3_Ravenscroft 275 Close
Beethoven - Appassionata mvt.1_Ravenscroft 275 Close
Beethoven - Appassionata mvt.3_Ravenscroft 275 Close
Beethoven - Für Elise_Ravenscroft 275 Close
Mozart - Turkish March, KV331 mvt.3_Ravenscroft 275 Close
Mozart - Piano Sonata No. 16 , KV545 mvt.1_Ravenscroft 275 Close
Debussy - Clair De Lune_Ravenscroft 275 Close
Chopin - Nocturne Op 27 #2_Ravenscroft 275 Close
Chopin - Fantasie, Op 66_Ravenscroft 275 Close
Chopin - Op 39_Ravenscroft 275 Close
Rachmaninov - Prelude Opus 3 No.2_Ravenscroft 275 Close
Jordan Rudess - Grand Illusion_Ravenscroft 275 Close
Piano Shootout MIDI file_Ravenscroft 275 Close

Here are 6 of those demos without the external Lexicon MXR Native reverb (and also no built-in one):
Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata mvt.1_Ravenscroft 275 Close + no Reverb
Beethoven - Appassionata mvt.1_Ravenscroft 275 Close + no Reverb
Rachmaninov - Prelude Opus 3 No.2_Ravenscroft 275 Close_no Reverb
Debussy - Clair De Lune_Ravenscroft 275_Close + no Reverb
Chopin - Nocturne Op 27 #2_Ravenscroft 275_Close + no Reverb
Jordan Rudess - Grand Illusion_Ravenscroft 275_Close + no Reverb

Here are 7 more demos using the VI Labs Ravenscroft 275 with teh Player mic deafult, a lisghtly harder velocity curvethan teh default and teh built-in "Bright Concert Hall" reverb (no external effects were added here):.

Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata mvt.1_Player default + Bright Concert Hall Reverb
Beethoven - Appassionata mvt.1_Player default + Bright Concert Hall Reverb
Mozart - Piano Sonata No. 16 , KV545 mvt.1_Player default + Bright Concert Hall Reverb
Debussy - Clair De Lune_Player default + Bright Concert Hall Reverb
Chopin - Fantasie, Op 66_Player default + Bright Concert Hall Reverb
Rachmaninov - Prelude Opus 3 No.2_Player default + Bright Concert Hall Reverb
Jordan Rudess - Grand Illusion_Player default + Bright Concert Hall Reverb

[Ingonator]

I found a nice MIDI file of "Time" (From Inception) by Hans Zimmer and as using only the piano part semed to be a bit boring i also used the 4 other parts to add instruments.

Besides VI Labs Ravenscroft 275 for the piano (Close mic default preset, linear velocity curve) i used 3 different Synth Strings tracks from my "Atmospheric Transients" bank for Waldorf PPG Wave 3.V that is available for some years now (those patches are based on custom samples made by myself) and as the Lead sound (originally this was a Guitar in the original song/track) one of my own factory presets for Synapse Audio The Legend (called "Logos-ish Lead IW").

So here is the MP3 file:
Hans Zimmer - Time (Remix by Ingo Weidner)_Ravenscroft 275 + PPG 3.V + The Legend

The only external effect used is the Lexicon MXR Native reverb for the piano (at around 35% Dry/Wet), no other external effect used (also no EQ or compressor).

FWIW it was not planned to make this sound exactly like the original track. The track starts and ends with the pure piano and the Strings + Lead are added part by part during the track.

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UPDATE:
Also to have another more "intimate" track and because i like it here is a rendering of "Kiss The Rain" by Yiruma using the Ravenscroft 275 (Close preset):
Yiruma - Kiss The Rain_Ravenscroft 275_Close default + Bright Concert Hall

This is based on the Ravenscroft 275 Close mic preset with default velocity curve (= linear), pedal noise reduced and the built-in "Bright Concert Hall" reverb. No external FXs were used.

[Ingonator]

As you maybe have noticed, also by the amount of demos (including some updates and new ones all included on this page) i currently focus mostly on teh VI Labs Ravenscroft.
At the moment this is a kind of "end all" piano libary for me me and IMO sound just great, especially when playing it myself in realtime (opposing to rendering MIDI files).
To be honest i now mostly lost interest to get any new library the near future. IMO those could be hardly better, but mostly different. Would nbe interseting if in teh near future phyical modelled pianos wil have the same sound quality as the best sampled ones. Will be interesting to check the demo of e.g. Pianoteq 6 once it is released (no idea when that will be). I am sure that modelling is the future for pianos but at the moment at least sound wise it does not seem to be up to the best sampled libraries. Arturias first version of Piano V also sound very promising and i look forward to future updates of this (while outside of the V-Collection 5 this seems to be too expensive as a single product, actually at the official price as expensive as teh Ravenscroft 275).

So far the VI Labs Ravenscroft 275 is the only library of that speciifc very expensive and quite rare acoustic piano (which is not simply a copy of e.g. the Yamaha, Steinway, Bösendorfer or Bechstein sound to which many are used to) and it is also done in direct cooperation with the original piano builder (those also offer a modified Kawai VPC-1 controller at a differnt website than the acoustic ones and the library too while it is also on teh VI Labs website).

Especially concerning the last 2 demos above so far i was not able to get a similar sound from any of my other libraries i own and i would also not waste my time trying to force those to sound similar where the only chance seems to be using an EQ (which still could not replicate some of the more advanced features of the Ravenscroft library). Some of those other libraries got their own special sound and could still be quite useful in the future (e.g. Alicia's Keys, The Grandeur and Imperfect Samples Fazioli Ebony Piano Basic which seem to complement the Ravenscroft quite well).
If i would start totally new with piano libraries now i guess the Ravenscroft would be one of my first choices and somehw i feel i should have got the Ravenscroft earlier before buying some of the cheaper libraries.

Last but not least the Ravenscroft 275 library file is compatiblöe with UVI Falcon (normally it is used in the free UVI workstation plugin/standalone) which offers lots of options to include this with the synth engine and/or layers there.

[fmr]

OK, I see you are in love, but I can't hear nothing in Ravenscroft that deserve so much praise, when compared with similar quality libraries. I hear a very good quality piano, but not the "end all" as you put it. Those two files doesn't really push it hard too, IMO. Can you send me the MIDI files, for me to try out on my own?

[Ingonator]

OK, I see you are in love, but I can't hear nothing in Ravenscroft that deserve so much praise, when compared with similar quality libraries. I hear a very good quality piano, but not the "end all" as you put it. Those two files doesn't really push it hard too, IMO. Can you send me the MIDI files, for me to try out on my own?

Well, does every demo posted push a piano to it'S limits? Sometimes it is just because a track sound good as it is.
It's the same with Pianoteq 5. Technically it is great but sound wise i do not really like it so far (maybe with a future version).

I am not a classical pianist and it is very unlikely that i will record a classical piece myself anytime soon (at lleast not with pure piano but with some synths etc. added). Something like that "Time" from Hans Zimmer is closer to what i will play myself and soon i will also try to post some improvisations recorded by myself.

For example i do not even really like the Chopin Revolutionary or the Rachmanonov tracks if ihe just comes to listening to them. I just added those for testing purposes (and i skipped teh Revolutionary with the Ravenscroft demos).

I am also not here to please you with everything i post here and if you do not agree with me i accept and respect your opinion.

Anyway somehow this thread really seemed to make sense to me to finally find the libraries i like (not just the Ravenscroft) but future audio demos are most likely some that were actually recorded by myself, indpendent from technical aspects or more or less "scientific" tests. Time to agev fun wit hwhat i got now and use those in the "real world".

I am also looking forward to what others will post here, also about new upcoming libraries liek teh Wavesfactory Mercury or oter libraries.

[fmr]

I just asked for the MIDI files to check on my own with other pianos. I don't care if you like Rachmaninoff or Chopin. I'll sleep well on that too. I am just interested in comparing the sound of different Acoustic Piano libraries (wasn't that the theme of this thread, before it turned out into a VILabs Ravenscroft promotion thread?). Maybe you should change the name of the thread.

BTW: ViLabs also have other pianos too, you know? Even a Fazioli, and that one is already available.

[Ingonator]

BTW: ViLabs also have other pianos too, you know? Even a Fazioli, and that one is already available.

Of course i know. I had done lots of research during this tread (and before starting it) and listened to tons of demos and videos besides reading lots of posting in diffent foums etc.

With Pianoteq 5 i even checked the demo version myself (multiple times). Same about several free libraries that i checked (Salamander Piano is really good for a free one IMO).

[Ingonator]

I i post more demos here in the future it is mostly for the fun of playing a certain piano and not for comparison or testing purposes. This also means it is most likely i will only post this using a single piano and no comparisons.
Actually i laready did this with the last two demos. While i had rendered otehr versions of "Time" with differnt pianos i deete them afterwards as they simply did not sounds as good to me with the other pianos, at least for taht specific track. With the Yiruma demo i did not even try to use another piano.

Next one will hopefully be playing myself (most likely using the Ravenscroft 275) opposing to using existing MIDI files.

[SciFiArtMan]

Personally, I'd like to hear the Sonivox Eighty-Eight piano playing some of pieces the other brands are playing to compare and contrast, since it's one of the most affordable grand pianos on these lists, and I thought it sounded pretty good.

[Ingonator]

Personally, I'd like to hear the Sonivox Eighty-Eight piano playing some of pieces the other brands are playing to compare and contrast, since it's one of the most affordable grand pianos on these lists, and I thought it sounded pretty good.

As part of a big Sonivox sale currently the Sonivox Eighty-Eight 2.5 seems to be available for around 17$ at JRR Shop (with aditional discount at checkout):
https://www.jrrshop.com/sonivox-eighty-eight-ensemble

Official price currently is 69.99$:
http://sonivoxmi.com/products/details/e ... ensemble-2
Protection seems to be either PACE/iLok software protection (2 licenses) or iLok 2 key (hardware dongle).

Here is the result of a search for the Sonivox Eighty-Eight at YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_ ... ghty-eight
Overall there do not seem to be many discussions about this going on in forums.

UPDATE:
Just noticed there seems to be a trial version available.

[Ingonator]

Based on a comment on their Facebook page Wavesfactor Mercury sem to be out soon and they had alraedy announced that an intro price will be available.
The teaser page is available here announcing an intro price of 99€ and a final one of 99€:
https://www.wavesfactory.com/mercury/

Based on earlier comments the library size seems to be around 30 GB.

The samples seem to be based on a Fazioli F228 grand piano, not the bigger F278 or the biggest one F308 (that is used for e.g. VI Labs True Keys Italian and also some other Fazioli libraries). A size of 228 cm seems to be sligtly less than the usual specifications for a "concert grand".
The Fazioli included in the UVI collections seems to be a F278 so still a bigger one than the Mercury. The Imperfect Samples Fazioli (where i got the Basic version here) seems to be a F308, same with the Ivory II Italian and Sound Magic Fazioli Rose.

The F228 at the official Fazioli website:
http://www.fazioli.com/en/pianoforti/model/f228

Anyway indpendent of the size i expect that this should sound great while mabe differnt from the big F308.


PS:
I have alraedy added the Mercury to the pianos list as a "Fazioli F228" and with a comment that it is not released yet.

[Ingonator]

The Wavesfacatory Mercury is not out yet (while it should be soon, maybe next week??) but i thought it would be nice to check for some actual music done with that Fazioli F228 at Metropolis Studios.

So far i found this thread and a video there:
https://steemit.com/music/@thisisbenbri ... -steem-vat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05NUaJkP9fk


I also foudn this where it is mentioend that thePiano was used on the "25" album by Adele (and myaybe teh "21" album too):
http://www.sonicscoop.com/2016/03/28/wr ... g-kurstin/
That one was also mentioned at the official Fazioli Facebook page.

Also seemed to be used for the studio recording of "Hello" (piano starts around 1:15):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQHsXMglC9A

BTW i really like the music of Adele.
Live her keyboarder mostly seemed to have used Yamaha grand pianos or workstations.

[Ingonator]

XLN Audio has a 50% off Halloween sale going on for Addictive Keys until November 1st (next Tuesday):
https://www.xlnaudio.com/products

Discount code at checkout: HLWN2016

[izonin]

OT Ingo, please enable spell checking in your browser. Every other "the" in your posts is spelled as "teh".

[Ingonator]

OT Ingo, please enable spell checking in your browser. Every other "the" in your posts is spelled as "teh".

Besides not being a native english speaker it is not really a problem of not knowing how to write it properly. Had the problem quite often recently. Guess i need a new keyboard for my desktop PC (or clean the current one if that helps).