Help needed to chose piano sound.

amc252

Hello everybody,

I'm undecided about which piano sound to select to record some jazz on my digital piano.

So, I recorded the 3 best VST candidates, each playing the same MIDI jazz tune.

I uploaded the wav files on my google drive and here are the links:

I would greatly appreciate if you guys would listen to these tunes and give me your opinion about which piano sounds best.

Each one is a different piano brand and also a different VST, but I left them undescribed 'cause I'd just like your gut feelings.

Also, the sound is recorded raw, no EQ, no compression, etc, so the volume is a tad uneven.

I'll really appreciate anyone's time and expertise.

HZPiano

amc252

As David Lai says, number 3 does best with 2 as a second best at several furlongs behind.

Cheers and happy experimenting,

David Lai

I like piano 3 the best for this type of jazz music. Very characterful sound. Piano 2 also works, but I prefer piano 3. 🙂 Hope this helps!

amc252

David Lai Thanks a lot!

QuasiUnaFantasia

No. 1 is a bit brittle, no. 2 is more "beefy", and pleasantly so, with less pronounced treble. No. 3 has even less treble, although it is generally quite nice. I would pick no. 2, but dampen the treble a bit.

dore_m

Generally agree with @QuasiUnaFantasia , but instead of tamping down the treble I would use a softer velocity curve.

CraigNZ

I'm with David; I much preferred the timbre of piano 3 - very pleasant. Piano 2 was fine but a bit strident (as dore_m said, velocity curve tailoring would no doubt help). Did not like piano 1 at all - very harsh sounding and piercing.

dore_m

I listened again and change my answer to 3. It has a richer bass but could use a little more upper overtone, which is impossible to add. That's why I originally chose 2 with modifications. But I listened to 2 again and I can't get over some pitchiness that I hear.

dore_m

dore_m But I listened to 2 again and I can't get over some pitchiness that I hear.

Damn. I just reviewed myself. Maybe it was thinness of tone due to the microphone that was chosen. Use reverb to thicken...

amc252

piano2-eqed1Thanks a lot for all your answers.

I agree that piano 1 is too bright and somewhat 'metallic'.

Piano 3 is the most balanced all around and could be a good choice. However I have two doubts: 1) there's a tiny, yet still perceivable, twang in the middle range (which probably can be diminished with further EQing. 2) the bass-middle timbre lacks a bit of substance.

Which brings me back to @QuasiUnaFantasia's remark about piano 2 having more body there. But piano 2, althought in my opinion has the most realistic sound, is indeed a bit harsh in the mid-range.

I feel that while piano 3 can be a safe bet, piano 2 is worth tinkering with because it has potential. I have no problem with its treble range, but the mid range should be softened. I need to learn more about velocity curve to implement @dore_m suggestions. I had some positive results by EQing -3.3 dB between 600 and 3Khz and lowering the pitch 0.3 semitones, but that was just an experiment.

piano2eqed1

SouthPark

amc252 I feel that while piano 3 can be a safe bet

Piano 3 is not only a safe bet. It is the one to use for that particular music played. It's not too harsh/sharp sounding, and not too dull. It's in the ballpark of just right. If needed - just tinker with reverb or string resonance settings for extra 'vitality'.

zrstr

Can you reveal what the VSTs were, when you get enough responses? I have to admit I'm curious (I feel as if I might know what #1 is, but can't say for sure). Thanks.

amc252

zrstr sure will.

David B

They all sound alike to me. It's hard to tell the difference.

God Bless,
David

amc252

Thanks everybody for the feedback. It was most helpful.

For those who might be interested, here is the information about the 3 VST pianos:

Piano 1: Kawai GS60

Chateau_Grand-v2.2.sf2 (Standard Preset) at https://sites.google.com/site/soundfonts4u/ + fluidsynth

Piano 2: Fazioli F308

The Experience Fazioli F308 by Dore Mark (Audience Perspective) at https://www.pianobook.co.uk/ + liquisfz

Piano 3: Yamaha C5

Orchestools Piano S (Dark Piano Preset) at https://musictop69.wixsite.com/orchestools + carla

dore_m

amc252 Piano 2: Fazioli F308

The Experience Fazioli F308 by Dore Mark (Audience Perspective) at https://www.pianobook.co.uk/pianobook.co.ukhttps://www.pianobook.co.uk/No preview could be generated for this link + liquisfz

Ha! Even I don't use the Fazioli for Jazz. I'd use the Steinway or Yamaha for a darker sound.

amc252

@dore_m I like your Fazioli sound for jazz because of the clean timbre. Your Steinway also has a great sound for jazz.

dore_m

@amc252 Personal preference I suppose. I also grew up with these pianos that are common around here in the USA - Steinway, Yamaha, etc. The Fazioli and other European pianos, while nice, are just not what I grew up with. I've got more in my hip pocket and generally I like the European ones for classical.

QuasiUnaFantasia

dore_m There is something odd about the Fazioli sound; all the ones I've heard played (the acoustic ones, I mean) sounded much more piercing than German/Austrian brands. I also once studied your Fazioli with respect to some very deep bass note, and the first harmonic, one octave higher, seemed more pronounced than the fundamental itself. I found this quite striking. I do believe that Fazioli has a very differerent sound in mind than other European manufacturers.

dore_m

QuasiUnaFantasia the first harmonic, one octave higher, seemed more pronounced than the fundamental itself.

I noticed that too. Since it was the first "the Experience" piano, I hadn't bought my small diaphragm condensers yet. I used large diaphragm condensers for all mixes. SDC's give the transparent tone and are better at transients and accurate sound reproduction. LDC's are like an instrument themselves, and add character depending on the capsule and the electronics. So my later instruments are actually a bit better at re-creating the real sound of the instruments.