Synthogy have released Ivory, a sample-based triple piano virtual instrument, which is being shipped by ILIO starting today.

Custom-built by Synthogy and produced by pre-eminent piano sound designer Joe Ierardi, Ivory features over 3,500 pristine piano samples designed to faithfully recreate every nuance of the venerable Grand Piano. Ivory is powered by Synthogy's proprietary 32-bit sample-playback and DSP engine, which was specifically built from the ground up to bring out the resonance, response and character of three of the world's finest Concert Grands - the German Steinway D 9' Concert Grand, Bösendorfer 290 Imperial Grand and Yamaha C7 Grand. The plug-in features nearly 30GB of all new samples, which were brought to life using no-compromise technology in the finest studios and concert halls. All 88 keys of each piano were individually sampled in up to 8 dynamic levels, including the extended low octave on the Bösendorfer, providing the user with total control over every nuance of every note.

Ivory includes a host of features designed to ensure the integrity of the sound as well as provide the user with a user-friendly experience. Synthogy's "Sympathetic String Resonance" Digital Signal Processing provides realistic Damper Pedal response, and the package also includes actual Release and Soft Pedal samples. Ivory features an array of high-quality digital effects, including Ambience, Chorus and EQ, along with fully customizable user controls for Timbre, Stereo Width and Perspective, Velocity Response, Mechanical Key Noise, Tuning and more. Each 32-bit sample features full sustain without looping, and Synthogy's unique "sample interpolation" technology allows for ultra-smooth velocity and note transitions. Finally, each of the three pianos can be installed independently to save space on crowded hard drives.

The sessions for Ivory were produced by Joe Ierardi, an accomplished pianist and award winning sound designer and producer of piano modules for Kurzweil Music Systems. Ierardi's unique expertise covers every aspect of piano design, from tuning and regulation, to recording, editing, programming, and engine design. George Taylor, who was one of the principle architects of Kurzweil's popular KSP8 multi-effects system, created the Synthogy engine.

Ivory retails for $349 USD and is available for AU, VST and RTAS, on both Mac OS 9 and OS X. A Windows version will follow soon.