Acoustic Grand Piano libraries/emulations: An Overview (audio demos of some pianos added)

[Ingonator]

I have to investigate that Salamander Is it free?

The SFZ seems to be totally free (with a free SFZ player), for the Kontakt version you at least need a full version of Kontakt. Anyway yes teh piano library is free.
The link is found in my post at the previouss page and also in the list at the original post of this thread (along the Yamaha C5 libraries where the only other is the YC5 for Pianoteq).

With sampled Yamaha C5 libraries currently there does not seem to be competition to the Salamander Piano so far. Have not found a commercial sample library of it so far.

[fmr]

Yup the Salamander is free.
a couple down this page for Kontakt...
http://bigcatinstruments.blogspot.com/2 ... ments.html

Oh and thanks for the demos above. I'll have to check them out. I'm really impressed by the sampling job on the Salamander it and Piano in 162 might have the best samples on a freebie piano. I've always really liked the Maestro, but I wonder if the Salamander isn't better.

For me it is better. I already had the Maestro, and quite frankly, it never impressed me (but I am really pick in what concerns pianos). BTW - I noticed you already have some church organs in your page. The church organ is my favourite instrument (if we can call it an instrument - some say, and I agree, that the church organ was the first synthesizer). I have to check those too.

[fmr]

With sampled Yamaha C5 libraries currently there does not seem to be competition to the Salamander Piano so far. Have not found a commercial sample library of it so far.

The C5 is smaller. Usually, commercial libraries sample the C7, which is the big concert piano of Yamaha. But when it's about sampling, the size doesn't matter that much, as we have seen.

[bigcat1969]

OK some more, I already had the Salamander done so I put it up. Might be interesting to hear the diff, these are bare naked demos nor reverb or nothing.


Jordan Rudess Grand Illusion - Piano in 162 close
Jordan Rudess Grand Illusion - Piano in 162 ambient
Jordan Rudess Grand Illusion - Salamander
Jordan Rudess Grand Illusion - Summer
Jordan Rudess Grand Illusion - Maestro

Glad you like organs. In my opinion the Bureau Church Organ is the best instrument on the website.

[fmr]

OK, I just tried two more instruments, the AIR Mini Grand (which I had totally forgotten) and the East West Goliath PMI Bösendorfer 290.

I have to say I was surprised by the Mini Grand. It has impressive dynamics, and a really good sound. I have to give it more attention. The Bösendorfer also sounded good, as you can see.

Rachmaninoff Prelude AIR Mini Grand
Rachmaninoff Prelude EW Goliath Bösendorfer 290

[Ingonator]

Many thanks to both for the demos.

Like my own audio demos I have just added the audio demos posted by fmr and bigcat bigcat1969 at the end of teh original post (OP) of this thread so tehy do not ge "lost" after upcoming posts/discussions here.

The link for the Rachmaninoff MIDI file posted by fmr is added there too.


The link for the Arturia Piano V presets i posted yesterday is incuded at the OP too, below the update of the demos for this piano.

[Turello]

These 3 free Pianos are amazing...
http://stepanov.esy.es/vsti

[Ingonator]

These 3 free Pianos are amazing...
http://stepanov.esy.es/vsti

Two problems: The website is in russian (i used the translation in Google Chrome) and the download link for the piano does not work (404 error).
I also tried another link in an older KVR threda which does not work too.

BTW a download size of 211 MB seems to be quite small for 3 pianos but with some great programming it could maybe sound good.

[Ingonator]

While searching for free Kontakr pianos i found the "Steinway Grand 3" by Hephaestus:
http://www.sampleism.com/hephaestussoun ... ay-grand-3

Sign in is required for the download. Signing in with you Facebook account is possible.

This seems to be a demo version of this Piano:
http://www.sampleism.com/hephaestussoun ... coda?sk=kt

[Ingonator]

I also rendered my audio demos with the demo version of Pianoteq 5 Standard now, using the included Model B with the Player preset.
The demos are found at the original post (OP), after the list of the pianos. I sorted them in after the TruePianos and Piano V demos (+ the updated Piano V demos with the new preset) which are the two other modeled pianos.

As already mentioned above i also added the demos posted by other members there now.


UPDATE:
An audio demo from Pianoteq 5 Model B (based on Steinway Model B) compared to 2 other modeled pianos and some Steinway based sample libraries (Player, Gentle, Recording 3 and Close Mic preset from Model B):
Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata mvt.1_Pianoteq 5 Std demo_Model B Player
Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata mvt.1_Pianoteq 5 Std demo_Model B Gentle
Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata mvt.1_Pianoteq 5 Std demo_Model B Recording 3
Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata mvt.1_Pianoteq 5 Std demo_Model B Close Mic
Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata mvt.1_TruePianos Atlantis Delicate
Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata mvt.1_TruePianos Diamond Warm
Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata mvt.1_Piano V_A
Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata mvt.1_Piano V_B
Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata mvt.1_Garritan Steinway Basic
Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata mvt.1_XLN Studio Grand
Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata mvt.1_The Grandeur
Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata mvt.1_The Grandeur_Dynamic Range

For Piano V i used both my old and the new preset. For The Grandeur the Dynamic range setting at the default value (center) and at a lower value is used.

I have just updated the new Piano V preset with a smaller Unison detune (sounds less "chorused" now) and a smaller resonace amount. Both the presets download and the demos are updated.
Download for the updated presets (also available in the OP):
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/532 ... 0.2016.zip

Further comparisons with Piano V (new preset, second one in the ZIP download):
Jordan Rudess - Grand Illusion_Pianoteq 5 Std demo_Model B Player
Jordan Rudess - Grand Illusion_Pianoteq 5 Std demo_Model B Gentle
Jordan Rudess - Grand Illusion_Piano V_B

Space Oddity_Pianoteq 5 Std demo_Model B Player
Space Oddity_Pianoteq 5 Std demo_Model B Gentle
Space Oddity_Piano V_B

Mozart - Turkish March, KV331 mvt.3_Pianoteq 5 Std demo_Model B Player
Mozart - Turkish March, KV331 mvt.3_Pianoteq 5 Std demo_Model B Gentle
Mozart - Turkish March, KV331 mvt.3_Piano V_B

Beethoven - Appassionata mvt.1_Pianoteq 5 Std demo_Model B Player
Beethoven - Appassionata mvt.1_Pianoteq 5 Std demo_Model B Gentle
Beethoven - Appassionata mvt.1_Piano V_B

[bigcat1969]

I have the cheap version of PianoTeq. Here are a number of presets from the pianos that came with the PionoTeq 5. I also downloaded all the free instruments. I'll add some of those later.

Jordan Rudess - Grand Illusion - D4 Classical
Jordan Rudess - Grand Illusion - D4 Jazz
Jordan Rudess - Grand Illusion - D4 Vintage
Jordan Rudess - Grand Illusion - D4 Cinematic
Jordan Rudess - Grand Illusion - K2 Close
Jordan Rudess - Grand Illusion - K2 Studio
Jordan Rudess - Grand Illusion - K2 Concert

 

[Fleer]

Great thread indeed

[lolilol1975]

Yes, very useful !

If someone has the ivory II, it would be nice to hear it as well.

[Ingonator]

To my comparison above I just added demos of the "Gentle" preset for the Pianoteq 5 std demo Steinway Model B model (besides the "Player" preset). For the first demo there is also the "Recording 3" and "Close Mic" preset added now for Model B. A demo for TruePianos Diamond (Warm preset) was added too.
Like always all demos are also added to the original post (OP) of this thread.

[Ingonator]

This was recently posted at the warm/soft pianos thread (and was laready added to teh original post here) but i also wanted to add it here:

I just added those new demos based on a MIDI file of Nocturne Op 27 #2 by Chopin to the original post (OP) in my thread (link above):

Chopin Nocturne Op 27 #2_Alicia's Keys
Chopin Nocturne Op 27 #2_IS Fazioli Ebony Grand Piano_with EQ
Chopin Nocturne Op 27 #2_Piano V_B
Chopin Nocturne Op 27 #2_Pianoteq 5 Std Demo_D4 Classical AB
Chopin Nocturne Op 27 #2_Pianoteq 5 Std Demo_K2 Player Clean
Chopin Nocturne Op 27 #2_Pianoteq 5 Std Demo_Model B Player
Chopin Nocturne Op 27 #2_Salamander Piano
Chopin Nocturne Op 27 #2_The Grandeur
Chopin Nocturne Op 27 #2_TruePianos Atlantis Delicate
Chopin Nocturne Op 27 #2_TruePianos Diamond Warm
Chopin Nocturne Op 27 #2_TruePianos Amber Ambient
Chopin Nocturne Op 27 #2_TruePianos Emerald Mellow
Chopin Nocturne Op 27 #2_TruePianos Sapphire Classical
Chopin Nocturne Op 27 #2_TruePianos Sapphire Smooth
Chopin Nocturne Op 27 #2_XLN Studio Grand

Included pianos: NI Alicia's Keys, Imperfect Samples Fazioli Ebony Grand Piano Basic (EQ added), Arturia Piano V (my own preset), Pianoteq 5 Standard demo version with D4, K2 and Model B models, Salamander Piano (freeware which needs full Kontakt 5 or as SFZ files, samples from a Yamaha C5 grand piano), NI The Grandeur, 4Front TruePianos (Atlantis and Diamond modules), XLN Audio Addictive Keys Studio Grand.
For all demos an external compressor (Waves H-Comp) and reverb (Lexicon MXR Native) were used with moderate amounts.

UPDATE:
Demo for NI The Maverick:
Chopin - Nocturne Op 27 #2_The Maverick