KVR Audio

Skorpius · Post by **Skorpius** » Tue May 14, 2013 3:34 pm

I'm looking for a natural sounding (grand) piano VSTi. It shouldn't be part of a huge library (Kontakt etc.) and it shouldn't cost several hundred bucks (Pianoteq etc.). The free ones I've tested sound rather unnatural (Piano One) or are too limited in their features (EVM grand piano). I'm thinking about Addictive Keys (although I'd only need the grand piano), but maybe you can recommend an alternative to that.

jsp1979 · Post by **jsp1979** » Tue May 14, 2013 3:35 pm

Pianoteq Stage costs approx. $100 and sounds fantastic.

That would be my recommendation, hands down.

BERFAB · Post by **BERFAB** » Tue May 14, 2013 3:45 pm

Some recent discussion on this here: http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic ... sc&start=0

EvilDragon · Post by **EvilDragon** » Tue May 14, 2013 3:45 pm

Exactly what jsp1979 said.

Echoes in the Attic · Post by **Echoes in the Attic** » Tue May 14, 2013 3:48 pm

Addictive Keys Grand is only 49.95.

Best bang for the buck you could ever get.

dyiid · Post by **dyiid** » Tue May 14, 2013 3:51 pm

Here's a pretty good freebie you may have overlooked:

Varisha Piano Collection

Soundcloud demo

Kalamata Kid · Post by **Kalamata Kid** » Tue May 14, 2013 4:28 pm

My Piano

One of the best VSTi pianos and only $69

http://fluffyaudio.com/shop/mypiano/

Sorry just noticed this is a
sampled upright piano for NI Kontakt.

b4serenity · Post by **b4serenity** » Tue May 14, 2013 4:50 pm

I like Ruby Piano from Sound Magic. They have many more too.

sergiofrias · Post by **sergiofrias** » Tue May 14, 2013 5:08 pm

4Front TruePianos 1.9.5 - $180.00

AKJ · Post by **AKJ** » Tue May 14, 2013 5:54 pm

choose one of the galaxy pianos:

http://www.soundsondemand.com/sort1.asp ... _pianos/de

very affordable (if bought single), and very variable in tone /try the different presets!!!).
My favourite actually is the vienna grand (and the baby grand, but that has a very special warm vintage sound ...)

btw, you can try them live here:

http://www.try-sound.com/index.asp/en

cheers, akj

ps: I am not a fan of modeled pianos (like piantoteq). imo, they are not yet there if you want it to be 100% realistic. more realistic is truepianos (which is a sampling/modeling hybrid, but then, it has even less sound shaping possibilities than the galaxy ones which is a shame....)

EvilDragon · Post by **EvilDragon** » Tue May 14, 2013 6:05 pm

AKJ wrote:ps: I am not a fan of modeled pianos (like piantoteq). imo, they are not yet there if you want it to be 100% realistic.

You obviously haven't delved deep enough then. It is totally possible to make Pianoteq sound very realistic (as showcased by officially licenced Blüthner add-on and the most recent upright piano that is nothing short of superb - even without tweaking them). And TruePianos has some problems that are inherent with it being based on samples.

AKJ · Post by **AKJ** » Tue May 14, 2013 6:17 pm

EvilDragon wrote:
AKJ wrote:ps: I am not a fan of modeled pianos (like piantoteq). imo, they are not yet there if you want it to be 100% realistic.
You obviously haven't delved deep enough then. It is totally possible to make Pianoteq sound very realistic (as showcased by officially licenced Blüthner add-on and the most recent upright piano that is nothing short of superb - even without tweaking them). And TruePianos has some problems that are inherent with it being based on samples.

why is it obvious? because I do not share your preference for synthetic sounding pianos. I tried to like Pianoteq several times since modeling is great in theory for its flexibility and I believe modeling will deliver one time, but this time has not yet come ... Comnpared to the galaxy sound (or any other great sampling lib) it imo sounds toyish

EvilDragon · Post by **EvilDragon** » Tue May 14, 2013 6:20 pm

Thing is, it doesn't sound synthetic at all. There were traces of that synthy sound in Pianoteq 3, even more so in Pianoteq 2, I can agree with that, but sure as hell not in version 4. Galaxy pianos sound nice and "politically correct", but are not nearly as playable as Pianoteq IMHO. The technological advancement in almost 10 years of Pianoteq's development is clearly evident, and to me completely surpassed what sampled pianos can offer. I don't feel like I'll need a sampled piano ever again considering the vast flexibility in Pianoteq, and this is what I will always recommend to anyone looking for their own piano sound.

Melodyshine · Post by **Melodyshine** » Tue May 14, 2013 7:50 pm

dyiid wrote:Here's a pretty good freebie you may have overlooked:

Varisha Piano Collection

Soundcloud demo

Wow, I just tried that and I think it's maybe the best free piano I've ever heard (the preset 'Classical Grand' is the best in my opinion). Where did you find that? In my opinion it sounds better than Sampletekk The Black or Pianoteq.

I think you should wait for a 50% special from Native Instruments. Then you could get The Giant for 50€, it sounds perfect! The Giant sounds much better than Addictive Keys (I tried the free version of Addictive Keys).

AKJ wrote:I tried to like Pianoteq several times since modeling is great in theory for its flexibility and I believe modeling will deliver one time, but this time has not yet come ... Comnpared to the galaxy sound (or any other great sampling lib) it imo sounds toyish

I absolutely agree. I don't like Pianoteq, too. I would nearly use free sample libraries than Pianoteq.

Skorpius · Post by **Skorpius** » Tue May 14, 2013 9:38 pm

Melodyshine wrote:
dyiid wrote:Here's a pretty good freebie you may have overlooked:

Varisha Piano Collection

Soundcloud demo
Wow, I just tried that and I think it's maybe the best free piano I've ever heard ...

I absolutely agree! But IMHO definitely not "maybe"; it is the best free one I've come across so far.

Thanks for the tip, dyiid. I'd never have found that without you.

Which single piano VSTi would you recommend?