Solo Piano Libraries

[jochicago]

The deals season brought me back to my quest for piano libraries. I just got my hands on 2 new libraries, so I’m making a comparison thread for posterity.

To preface:
I’m interested in good libraries for solo songs. I believe I found what I wanted in Mercury (below). Other good libraries are here for comparison. As much as possible all files are mixed with the default preset and exact same effects (a touch of saturation, compression, reverb, slap delay).

The Pianos

Estate Grand LE - Kawai
Bright, punchy and clear. Donationware.
https://instaud.io/2Yl7

Salamander - Yamaha C5
Clear, present, on the brighter side. Smaller than a concert grand. Free library.
Full 1GB library: https://instaud.io/2Ylb
Light version, only 25mb: https://instaud.io/2Ylf

Piano in 162 - Steinway B
The B is punchier and brighter than their concert grand, and also feels smaller. Free library, also includes a distant perspective not heard here.
https://instaud.io/2Ylh

Pianoteq – Steinway D
Digital modeling (not samples) of the most iconic grand. The D is hefty with shy highs. I don’t have this library so thanks go to fmr for this render.
https://instaud.io/2Ylk

88 Ensemble – Steinway D
Brighter than the Pianoteq. Commercial library by Sonivox.
https://instaud.io/2YzA

(Note: I tried to volume-match the files but the Pianoteq render was far more compressed than the 88 Ensemble, and for this page I tried to use the same compression settings on all my renders. If you want to compare them, match the initial volume because the 88 starts quieter than the Pianoteq).

Mercury by WavesFactory – Fazioli F228
The F228 is an expressive instrument. The body is a bit smaller than concert grand. This commercial library for Kontakt is very versatile, recorded with 5 mic positions and 3 lid positions.
Main preset, open lid: https://instaud.io/2Yl9
Closed lid: https://instaud.io/2Yla

[jancivil]

Yamaha CFX Synchron, VSL. On sale now.

[Stokely]

I'm very happy with CFX lite from Garritan. I like their (non-ilok) copy protection, very simple and customer-friendly. I may upgrade to the full version in the future, which would give me the other two mic perspectives, but the one in Lite is the one I'd probably use anyway (close-miked).

I wasn't happy with the Logic pro pianos, so got Addictive Keys from XLN. These were nice (upright and grand) but did not quite have the dynamics and character I was after. I then got CFX lite and it's my goto piano now, especially with a newer macbook pro with an SSD that can load the high-quality samples in a second or so

As with any piano, it's modeling a particular one, the CFX from Yamaha. It's certainly a different sound than other grands, and far different from some of the "character" uprights and more intimate pianos like "My Piano" from Fluffy audio etc.

[fmr]

For me, it's Pianoteq all the way. Play version is really inexpensive, and you get two pianos with it (Steinway D and the "imaginary" K2). If you get the standard version you get a lot of control over the piano timbre, including soundboard, string length, sympathetic resonance, hammer action, EQ, effects, mic position, etc.

There isn't any library that offers you the amount of control available in Pianoteq. Besides that, the factory sounds, even without any changes, are already top notch. And you can get other pianos at very good prices (45 euros for a completely new piano).

I started years ago with Play, upgraded last year to Standard, and this year (BF) to Pro. I also got several extra pianos. One of the best deals I ever did.

[Ingonator]

This year i bought Pianoteq 6 Stage with the Steinway Model D + K2 bundle but my personal favorite is the new Ant. Petrof 275 model that i bought too.

[jochicago]

I definitely want a CFX in my library. Looking at my budget I’d say maybe next year

Re: Pianoteq
I really like the concept but I’m not a Steinway D person in general, and for me Pianoteq’s version has a plastic feel to it. However, that K2 sounds great.

The Pianoteq Stage is indeed an affordable package for the quality. I went with Mercury because for around the same price I get a piano style that more closely resembles what I’m after, but also has the full range of settings.

More than just a great sound I wanted versatility. The Mercury has a full mixer for its 5 perspectives + 3 lids, and also a few rich controls for altering the sound (timbre, range, resonance, etc). I feel the main preset does not do it justice. With careful tweaking of the settings it can be made to sound like many things, there’s even a preset that sounds like a string ensemble using the same samples. So (upon initial testing) I feel I can get the sound I want for any piece, from upfront bright and jazzy to distant dark and moody, and everything in between.

BTW, I also bought the Sonivox 88 Ensemble, a Steinway D that feels (on the demos) fuller bodied and punchier than Pianoteq. I mean it as a backup library for when the Fazioli doesn't sit right. However I'm still waiting on iLok to let me in. I'll post a rendering with it whenever iLok lets me- It's been nearly a week already.

[jochicago]

The 88 Ensemble render is up. Not to speak against Pianoteq users, but overall for a finished piece I prefer this sound to the Pianoteq. It is more upfront and brighter, with wider dynamics.

On the other hand it seems to lose some of that creamy resonance that makes a Steinway feel familiar and balanced towards the middle range.

Also, I don't know what's up with that last high note ending abruptly. None of the other libraries did that.

[Ou_Tis]

Didn't realize the 88 Ensemble is a Steinway D... had been thinking of getting it in the $15 sale... but I also have to choose between a free XLN Grand (Steinway D) or XLN Upright. Is the XLN Grand better? Would getting both Steinway D's be redundant? Or should I get the XLN Upright and the 88 Ensemble?... I also have a Steinway through Death Piano which is the main piano VST I've been using, along with several sampled pianos in Collective.

Orb Composer's AI is really good at playing 4 pianos at once, which is my main motivation for getting them (I play the Seaboard, and while it can be played like a piano, they're not really ideal for it---though perhaps something interesting could be done with physical modeling, or mapping parameters within the VSTs to different dimensions of touch). Was thinking of Garritan ($60 at Sweetwater) but it seems like it would be better to get a variety of pianos so they sound sufficiently different in the mix... or does changing the microphone location make enough of a difference?... I've been enjoying Death Piano a lot so on Monday I got Production Voices' Estate Grand (Kawai GS60) and Production Grand Compact (Yamaha C7) on sale and chose the Grand Rhapsody (Fazioli) as my "free" Waves plugin.

[jochicago]

...along with several sampled pianos in Collective.

Is that Tracktion's Collective? I don't remember a single piano of quality in that line up. Please confirm.

How come a free XLN piano?

The Waves Grand Rhapsody is the same Fazioli as the Mercury, but the plugin scripting is not on point. The Grand Rhapsody is missing a few important parts like the key-up samples, so it depends on the piece you are playing. Faster, more pop-like type of music does better with it. Slow, methodical stuff shines a light on the shortcomings.

[Ou_Tis]

...along with several sampled pianos in Collective.

Is that Tracktion's Collective? I don't remember a single piano of quality in that line up. Please confirm.

How come a free XLN piano?

The Waves Grand Rhapsody is the same Fazioli as the Mercury, but the plugin scripting is not on point. The Grand Rhapsody is missing a few important parts like the key-up samples, so it depends on the piece you are playing. Faster, more pop-like type of music does better with it. Slow, methodical stuff shines a light on the shortcomings.

Yes, Tracktion's Collective. It has a few pianos that sound nice to my ears---Warm Stage Grand, Jazz Grand---though I don't really know much about pianos. Some of them do sound more like synths (I don't care for Bright Grand Piano WMF, though Bright Stage Grand and Grand Piano B Eco WMF sound okay).

Choice of one free XLN Addictive Keys instrument comes with the Focusrite Scarlet audio interface.

[fmr]

The 88 Ensemble render is up. Not to speak against Pianoteq users, but overall for a finished piece I prefer this sound to the Pianoteq. It is more upfront and brighter, with wider dynamics.

It's a very muffled sound. Not to try to dismiss anything (it sounds good), but I can get that kind of sound out of Pianoteq too, if I want. Remember that Pianoteq is not sample based, so, we can change the sound quite drastically. But it's OK. If you found the piano sound that pleases you, I'm fine

[jochicago]

It's a very muffled sound.

It's funny, I would sooner have used the word muffled to describe the Pianoteq render. I think that leads us to the point that this is not a one-size-fits-all situation, nor we have to agree on what we like.

Also, it's not lost on me that the Pianoteq feels like a piano when you are playing it. I've heard from a couple players that Pianoteq draws them in creatively because of the way it responds to the keys. I can relate to that.

Same for the Tracktion Collective pianos, or whatever library your DAW has, or even synth pianos of any kind, if you like it and it works for what you are doing then you are set. Sometimes a flatter less realistic sound is exactly what your song needs and what feels right to you. I know plenty of people prefer a synth piano over a concert grand sound for their projects or performances.

I'm personally going for a rich concert grand sound. I grew up playing slower music with concert grand sounds, so other stuff sounds unnatural to me, but it's full circle because I'm making slower music focused on acoustic instruments. If I were doing anything else like say pop or edm, then the grands would probably sound unnatural in the mix.

[mtelesha]

TruePiano (Modeled piano sound) http://www.truepianos.com/ It's 50% till Jan 2019 for $69

I use it in live performances and on my recordings and I still think it is my favorite. It's cpu lite and is a very emotional performer. It is still my favorite and has several different models. If it just had that soft felt or one string piano sound I would be all set.

I still struggle to see why we are still using sample based VSTi for piano performance. I find that the modeled ones are much more expressive and have a wider dynamic range, perhaps its is just a logical bias of mine.

[jochicago]

TruePiano are pretty good in general and have the 5 voices, although I don't think they have many controls to alter each voice. My problem with those is that, TO ME, they feel like they are coming out of a good Korg or Roland keyboard. But then I haven't heard many demos and a lot of the stuff on Youtube is from earlier versions, like 10 years ago or so.

I believe they are releasing a v2 soon. With how long it has taken, I'm expecting something special when it does come out.

[vmishka]

I use Garritan CFX Full and Ivory II Italian Grand. If anyone is interested in further examples of these VSTs for classical music, clicking on the link in my signature will take you to my YouTube channel. All of the examples there use Garritan CFX Full except for the Mozart Piano Concerto K.537 "Coronation" which used Ivory II Italian Grand.