Grand Piano –Concert Orchestra– 1.1 GB
With this sample library a vision became reality: A very dynamic playable grand piano, useful for many musical styles.
We decided to choose the Schimmel CO256 for this sampling project. It's an exceptional instrument with a unique timbre character, somewhere between a Steinway and a Boesendorfer. This grand piano comes with an exciting powerful bass range and, thanks to the built-in “bell”, a high range with a more shiny bright tone compared to other grand pianos.

The result is a 1.1 GB sized sampled Stereo Grand Piano in the ws-engine format.
We sampled all 88 keys in the 4 dynamics ff, mf, p, staccato. The dynamics samples can be used as single velocity timbres too by using the sampleplayer's filters for further sound design. The grand piano was recorded in true stereo (90° 2-channel mic setting), room microphone positioning, distance to instrument about 2 meters.
The library provides full duration of the 88 tones (original note length considering the complete real decay time).
Usually the dynamics are assigned as velocity switch, but can be used for individual layer slots too. The same handling is recommended for the left and right channels. To make this instrument really custom for your individual songs and personal playing style you can load each dynamic and stereo channel separately:
- fortissimo ff left channel
- fortissimo ff right channel
- mezzoforte mf left channel
- mezzoforte mf right channel
- piano p left channel
- piano p right channel
- staccato left channel
- staccato right channel
Additionally the library content includes a series of really unusual prepared piano special effects. We got it extra metal strips, chains, rubber inside to provide totally dramatic and weird tones. Then we did hit the keys, scraped the strings, bowed and striked them with several tools. The result is a 200 MB collection of extreme and amazing sounds indeed. Some are one shot and sound effects, others are even multisamples to play them all over the keyboard. Many of them are stereo too. The tone length varies from pretty short to ultra long up to 30 seconds and longer. Those sounds are definitely “the” cliffhanger special effects, horrible movie-alike XXL-scenes and doubtlessly unusual allover the keyboard playable Grand Piano variations even with “sinking ship” character and string resonances. A must have when it comes to special sound effects which can only created with acoustic instruments (TSL Prepared Piano is separately available too, retail price Euro 19.00.).
This project was realized in cooperation with the grand piano manufacturer Schimmel himself. Recorded in a special designed studio location in Germany skilled piano player Ratko Delorko helped us as creative consultant to capture the mighty sound of this exceptional instrument. Before the recordings Detlev Haenseler tuned it very carefully, and pianist Klaus Schroen hit the keys to get us the instrument timbres in the requested dynamics best possible. The entire project was supported by Nikolaus Schimmel and Edith Hollenstein, and at this point I want to thank them a lot for their kind help to make everything possible.
Data format: ws-engine
Retail price: Euro 79.00, US$ 99.00
Release date: Available
TSW Pro customers are qualified for special prices for all our ws-engine products: 20% discount on above mentioned price.
Best regards
Klaus P. Rausch
