Galaxy Instruments has announced the release of Galaxy Vintage D, a new virtual grand piano based on samples of a Vintage Steinway D located at Bauer Studios in Germany. Galaxy Instruments has also announced that the Galaxy II Grand Piano Collection will also be upgraded shortly, with a new interface and the Kontakt Player 4 engine. Expect it in February 2010.

Galaxy Vintage D
The Model D-274 by Steinway is very likely not only the most popular concert grand, but also one of the most acknowledged ones. Bauer Studios' Vintage D was built in 1920 in Hamburg, the German factory of Steinway & Sons. Over almost 90 years this instrument has achieved a very deep and intimate timbre, thus providing an energetic personality and a beautiful singing tone, typical for great Steinway grand pianos. Some of the best pianists have recorded legendary albums on this 1920 Steinway D, among them Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, Carla Bley, Guillermo and Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Abdullah Ibrahim, Wolfgang Dauner and many others. Rich Beirach called it 'the best piano in the world'.

Galaxy Vintage D uses the Kontakt Player 4 engine and offers features such as:

• Direct access of all controls.
• True half pedalling and repedalling.
• Una Corda samples.
• Real overtones.
• Adjustable noises.
• One knob control of tone colour and dynamics.
• Convolution reverb.
• Velocity editor.
• Compressor for pop piano sounds.
• Warp Engine for sound design beyond regular piano sounds.

Pricing & Availability

Vintage D will be released January 2010 with an MSRP of €149. As it is powered by Kontakt Player it will be available for Windows and Mac OS X in stand-alone and VST, AU and RTAS instrument formats.