Acoustica has announced the release of Pianissimo, a new Virtual Grand Piano VST instrument plug-in for Windows.

Pianissimo is a Virtual Grand Piano that uses a combination of sample playback and advanced physical modeling to create its acoustic grand piano sound. Starting with 250 MB of high-quality samples of a Steinway Model D grand piano, Pianissimo uses complex signal processing and programming to recreate the warmth, response, and playability of a real grand piano. This warm, natural sound is then paired with a professional studio-quality reverb algorithm to add the depth and ambiance of a real acoustic space. Add to this, modeled sympathetic resonance, incidental mechanical hammer sounds, control over tone and velocity response, 256 voices of polyphony and low CPU usage.

The Stand-Alone version supports any MIDI device, and any Wave, ASIO, or WaveRT device. It allows for two-track recording, loading and saving of standard MIDI Type 1 files, and supports mixing down to WAV, MP3, WMA, and Ogg Vorbis files.

Features:

• 250MB of high-quality, quadruple-strike samples from a Steinway Model D grand piano, enhanced with acoustic modeling technology to produce a rich, warm, expressive, and highly realistic grand piano sound.
• Integrated studio reverb creates a highly realistic ambience that places the piano within a true acoustic space.
• Sample programming creates a fluid, dynamic, expressive tone without identifiable velocity switching or other digital artifacts.
• Advanced sympathetic resonance modeling recreates the subtle shimmer of piano strings when the damper pedal is depressed.
• Adjustable incidental piano sounds, including mechanical noises from damper pedal and key release.
• 256 voices of polyphony and low CPU usage make Pianissimo ideal for solo piano performance, studio compositions, and live performance.
• Adjustable piano lid, velocity curve, tone controls, sympathetic resonance, reverb, and chorus effect allow you to tailor the piano's tone and response to fit your playing style.

Pricing & Availability

Priced at $68.95, Pianissimo is available for Windows (98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, or Vista) in VST instrument and stand-alone formats.