Opinions: Waves Grand Rhapsody Piano

[jochicago]

The AIR Mini Grand is pretty attractive, but I feel that they only sample one piano and the other 6 settings are just EQ/FX. They kinda give it up by calling the middle sample "REAL". Sounds good but not quite there compared to some of the other packages.

[ghettosynth]

I didn't think I'd like it since I'm not really one for a broody love song-esque piano that you hear in Adele's Hello. Nor was I after a Queen like epic rock piano. However, after auditioning, I discovered it to be MUCH more flexible than that.

This is why I like it. It's one of my favorites. But, load times are pretty bad, and, what I know about "real piano sounds" fits into a thimble with room left over. I also have all of the NI pianos and some others, but not Mercury, which is well received around here.

I think that if you don't like the character of the Waves piano, there are probably better choices. I like it because of the character, and that includes the pedal mechanics. YMMV and all that.

[db3]

Loving Grand Rhapsody here. Just makes me feel like I'm connecting with a real, characterful instrument, and at a no-brainer price. Also love Electric 88.

[Local Man]

You guys that have a few libraries to compare against, what would you recommend as a beautiful grand sound at an affordable budget, for solo performances.

I really like the Addictive Keys Studio Grand. It sounds good on its own and typically works well in a mix. It's pretty customizable but I like the tone of the default patch and rarely go beyond that. As for the Waves Grand Rhapsody, I would not recommend it if it is going to be your only piano option. It has an interesting tone but I don't think it is very versatile. I like the mic options and that does give you some variety but it is still various shades of the same general tone that for me only works in a pretty narrow context. That said, I do think it is useful and worth the price it sells for.

[simon.a.billington]

I didn't think I'd like it since I'm not really one for a broody love song-esque piano that you hear in Adele's Hello. Nor was I after a Queen like epic rock piano. However, after auditioning, I discovered it to be MUCH more flexible than that.

This is why I like it. It's one of my favorites. But, load times are pretty bad, and, what I know about "real piano sounds" fits into a thimble with room left over. I also have all of the NI pianos and some others, but not Mercury, which is well received around here.

I think that if you don't like the character of the Waves piano, there are probably better choices. I like it because of the character, and that includes the pedal mechanics. YMMV and all that.

I wouldn’t say “better” choices, certainly other very good, viable choices. But then, that’s a subjective thing.

I’ve played on plenty of pianos in my lifetime and personally quite like this one, offering more tonal variations than you get sitting at a single piano in a room. The load times are annoying though, I agree. I think it needs to be on an SSD.

This won’t be replacing any of my current pianos, just adding to them as another choice in tonal variations. This does jazz very well though.

[Kaatza Music]

I have both the Waves and Wavesfactory Mercury Piano. I recently had a track mixed that had the Waves piano on it. The engineer said it had lots of noise and glitches on it. I substituted the Wavesfactory piano for it and that was flawless.

[ghettosynth]

I didn't think I'd like it since I'm not really one for a broody love song-esque piano that you hear in Adele's Hello. Nor was I after a Queen like epic rock piano. However, after auditioning, I discovered it to be MUCH more flexible than that.

This is why I like it. It's one of my favorites. But, load times are pretty bad, and, what I know about "real piano sounds" fits into a thimble with room left over. I also have all of the NI pianos and some others, but not Mercury, which is well received around here.

I think that if you don't like the character of the Waves piano, there are probably better choices. I like it because of the character, and that includes the pedal mechanics. YMMV and all that.

I wouldn’t say “better” choices, certainly other very good, viable choices. But then, that’s a subjective thing.

So, just to be clear, this is one of those cases where I'm just trying to be careful with my recommendations as I hate sounding like a fanboi. To the extent that I bother to discuss my opinion on something like this I want to provide helpful input insofar as I can. So, I'm not disagreeing, I just don't want to sound overzealous beyond my ability here. As I say, I defer to the piano experts as I choose pianos purely based on how they sound and feel when I play them and that sense is entirely subjective and contextual. I'll say it once more, I'm in no way knowledgeable to any depth on pianos.

I’ve played on plenty of pianos in my lifetime and personally quite like this one, offering more tonal variations than you get sitting at a single piano in a room.

Yes, I like it also. I just haven't played on "plenty of pianos", so I'm not really qualified to say much more than that. I do think that the microphone choices add a lot to shaping the character of the sound. For me this subtlety makes a lot of difference. I think that the video they made on how they made this piano library is interesting.

This won’t be replacing any of my current pianos, just adding to them as another choice in tonal variations. This does jazz very well though.

For me also. So that people can put my appreciation for this piano into context, these are some of my favorite pianos.

Waves Grand Rhapsody
NI The Giant
NI Una Corda
ToonTrack Vintage Upright
ToonTrack Studio Grand
Production Voices Death Piano

I use others, e.g., almost everything else by NI, some freebies, even the aforementioned mini grand, but these are the ones that make me smile. What I largely use them for could best be described as ambient blues. So take my recommendations with a grain of salt. All that I'm saying is that Waves Grand Rhapsody has interesting character that contributes to my "style", such as it is, and whether its character is good or bad for you might be style dependent.

That's really all that I was trying to say.

[poonna]

I like the general sound of Waves Grand Rhapsody. The only problem I have with it (other than slow loading and high CPU load) is the weird note release. Try playing a very, very short staccato sound, and the notes will cut off so abruptly that it is quite disturbing and unpleasant to hear. I think the compressor settings contribute a bit to this artifact, but lowering it still exhibits this character somewhat.

It is still usable in most musical contexts though, I believe. Just have to work around it a bit.

[simon.a.billington]

I didn't think I'd like it since I'm not really one for a broody love song-esque piano that you hear in Adele's Hello. Nor was I after a Queen like epic rock piano. However, after auditioning, I discovered it to be MUCH more flexible than that.

This is why I like it. It's one of my favorites. But, load times are pretty bad, and, what I know about "real piano sounds" fits into a thimble with room left over. I also have all of the NI pianos and some others, but not Mercury, which is well received around here.

I think that if you don't like the character of the Waves piano, there are probably better choices. I like it because of the character, and that includes the pedal mechanics. YMMV and all that.

I wouldn’t say “better” choices, certainly other very good, viable choices. But then, that’s a subjective thing.

So, just to be clear, this is one of those cases where I'm just trying to be careful with my recommendations as I hate sounding like a fanboi. To the extent that I bother to discuss my opinion on something like this I want to provide helpful input insofar as I can. So, I'm not disagreeing, I just don't want to sound overzealous beyond my ability here. As I say, I defer to the piano experts as I choose pianos purely based on how they sound and feel when I play them and that sense is entirely subjective and contextual. I'll say it once more, I'm in no way knowledgeable to any depth on pianos.

I’ve played on plenty of pianos in my lifetime and personally quite like this one, offering more tonal variations than you get sitting at a single piano in a room.

Yes, I like it also. I just haven't played on "plenty of pianos", so I'm not really qualified to say much more than that. I do think that the microphone choices add a lot to shaping the character of the sound. For me this subtlety makes a lot of difference. I think that the video they made on how they made this piano library is interesting.

This won’t be replacing any of my current pianos, just adding to them as another choice in tonal variations. This does jazz very well though.

For me also. So that people can put my appreciation for this piano into context, these are some of my favorite pianos.

Waves Grand Rhapsody
NI The Giant
NI Una Corda
ToonTrack Vintage Upright
ToonTrack Studio Grand
Production Voices Death Piano

I use others, e.g., almost everything else by NI, some freebies, even the aforementioned mini grand, but these are the ones that make me smile. What I largely use them for could best be described as ambient blues. So take my recommendations with a grain of salt. All that I'm saying is that Waves Grand Rhapsody has interesting character that contributes to my "style", such as it is, and whether its character is good or bad for you might be style dependent.

That's really all that I was trying to say.

You make a good point and not wanting to sound like a fan boi. I end up being to blatant at times. I am autistic, so while I can be savvy on the technical side of things, creative even, I tend to fall down when it comes to social skills. I sometimes find it hard to hide my enthusiasm.

[Fleer]

I have both the Waves and Wavesfactory Mercury Piano. I recently had a track mixed that had the Waves piano on it. The engineer said it had lots of noise and glitches on it. I substituted the Wavesfactory piano for it and that was flawless.

Yep, that Wavesfactory Mercury is wonderful.

[ATN69]

I just bought the Waves GRP a few minutes ago. I think it's hard or even impossible to get a better piano for $29.

[ghettosynth]

You make a good point and not wanting to sound like a fan boi. I end up being to blatant at times. I am autistic, so while I can be savvy on the technical side of things, creative even, I tend to fall down when it comes to social skills. I sometimes find it hard to hide my enthusiasm.

FWIW, I seem to fail at being understood here. I was not at all trying to diminish your contribution or to question anything about your recommendation. I was definitely NOT accusing you of being a fanboi if that's not clear. I hope that it didn't come across that way.

[simon.a.billington]

You make a good point and not wanting to sound like a fan boi. I end up being to blatant at times. I am autistic, so while I can be savvy on the technical side of things, creative even, I tend to fall down when it comes to social skills. I sometimes find it hard to hide my enthusiasm.

FWIW, I seem to fail at being understood here. I was not at all trying to diminish your contribution or to question anything about your recommendation. I was definitely NOT accusing you of being a fanboi if that's not clear. I hope that it didn't come across that way.

Nah it’s fine. I was just relating to some of what you say