My Desert Island Piano VST - VI Labs Modern D

this Steinway is so incredible

my Chopin demo with Close MICS, C414, U87, Room and LOGIC 11 Chromaverb Concert HALL

vilabs-modernd-chopin-demo-olivier-w-frappier.m4a

Wonderful phrasing. Congrats. I think this is probably one your best recordings (who cares about the wrong note at the end? I certainly don't…)

Do you have the same Nocturne recorded with VSL (or VSL with pianoteq)? I briefly searched your posts and could not find it… The same piece played by the same hands on the same controller is the best way to compare tone and VST adaptability.

While waiting for the right time to buy it 😃 I am perusing YT videos… and have found these ones from a pro player who is used to play the real ones:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py48Qkv8c2I

and the more detailed review:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYwRdF1c2kI

Jose EB5AGV

I was going to post exactly these two videos, as thrown at me by the YouTube algorithm.

I like these! A welcome addition to/diversion from the classical context we've been in so far.

Cheers!

HZ

PS: Also not buying now.

HZPiano Well, yes, he's a great player, and he knows a thing or two of what he's talking about, haha. 🙂

Thanks for sharing, HZ!

OlivierW

you're quite a player buddy, this piano sounds incredible under your fingers❤️🔥

Jose EB5AGV

watched these last night, the guy was really impressed with the quality of the modern d

that's amazing, 99% of the online impressions are positive and most of the pros are buying it right now

OlivierW Very balanced and playable, with player C414 mics and others mics, without mod a lot velocity curve with my Yamaha N1X.

Thank you, that sounds promising.

pianow thanks 🙂 this Steinway is incredible. My N1X is now a Steinway 🙂

johanibraaten yes it's the fist VST/AU that don't need velocity fix. Good out of the box

now i use : This settings

Please to be sure to set your UVI Workstation or VST, to the right buffer and Settings i can reach 3 mics :

OlivierW seems like this is an evolution of my preset but it also adds third set of mics. I will test it.

So we now have the man behind the tune Late Night Rant doing a video playing through all the mics and with some tips and tricks on the screen. Hope this is useful to someone.

OlivierW This is very close to my current settings as well, although I substitute the close mic for the hammer and use the "Pink Concert Room" reverb, which has a funny name (why is it Pink?) but sounds very warm and inviting to me.

Like you, I don't find much need to adjust the velocity curve settings as it plays very well right out of the box on my Numa X GT.

jdg78 Wow, congratulations! I didn't know you also got it. Really cool!!!

jdg78 i will try to replace hammer mic, but it's strange : velocity is so perfect, i'm sure this Steinway have a spirio system. they don't tell use but sure they have used a spirio system to choose velocity, incredible. (Spirio much better than an external robot). i'm sure is so perfect

OlivierW

i don't think so, of course most newer made steinways have spirio built-in but i don't think they've used it for sampling here
I think it's the art of a pianist
the dynamics are very true and pianistic, it's like they calibrated it after the sampling with the pianist, i think they've played a lot of pieces both on the actual piano and the virtualized one so that they can make them both incredibly similar in teams of the response, that's what i think of course and what i would do, i don't know what they did behind the scenes

who cares anyway, we have the best sampled grand FINALLY,
I'm excited for their next piano already (even though that's a dream until 2027 at least😂)

jdg78

I wanted your opinions about it, thanks, looks like this new baby is everyone's darling
i haven't read a single negative impression yet, that's something isn't it?

if i may, i want your opinion about another thing as well, how do you think this modern d compares to the vsl imperial or the 280vc?
i kinda thought it's close to the vc but what do i know?
and the imperial... it is my number one to date (given the fact that i haven't tried the MD yet)
so I'll be glad to know what do you think?
so

OlivierW they don't tell use but sure they have used a spirio system to choose velocity, incredible. (Spirio much better than an external robot).

I'm pretty sure they mentioned in their walkthrough video that they used an actual human to sample the various velocities as opposed to a mechanical system.

To be honest, I'm not sure what advantage this would bring since the only thing a human could introduce is greater inconsistency, but regardless of the method used, the result is very even and responsive.

David Lai Wow, congratulations! I didn't know you also got it. Really cool!!!

LOL, I got it the first day it was released and already wrote my impressions on this very thread, but that I guess that seems like a long time ago already. 😆

pianow I wanted your opinions about it, thanks, looks like this new baby is everyone's darling
i haven't read a single negative impression yet, that's something isn't it?

if i may, i want your opinion about another thing as well, how do you think this modern d compares to the vsl imperial or the 280vc?
i kinda thought it's close to the vc but what do i know?
and the imperial... it is my number one to date (given the fact that i haven't tried the MD yet)
so I'll be glad to know what do you think?
so

I think the Modern D is fantastic, and in many ways may be the most authentic all-around grand piano VST, but I wouldn't say it in any way diminishes my enthusiasm for the VSL instruments, particularly the Imperial. In fact, I think they actually compliment each other quite well and represent 2 different but equally valid approaches.

The VSL recordings are more polished and have a depth of tone that you can feel in your bones - like playing an exquisitely produced high-end studio recording. In that sense, they may provide more of an idealized perspective vs. one that is entirely realistic, but it certainly is very satisfying. And they certainly capture the unique tone of each piano in a way that makes each one feel like a living, breathing instrument.

Modern U provides a bit more of a raw and realistic sound perspective, closer to what it's like to actually have a piano in front of you in a small studio. Not quite as polished and perfect as VSL, but just as satisfying. And the playability is a notch or two better than VSL - it responds exactly like you would expect, has superior pedaling, and the inclusion of real una corda samples is a big advantage over the VSL Synchron series. The 5 close mic perspectives allow just the right amount of flexibility without including a bunch of superfluous mid and surround-level mic positions as in the VSL series. And at $250 for the whole package, it certainly represents a better value.

I'm glad to have both and see myself playing both regularly going forward. But if I was going to recommend one single instrument for a pianist (as opposed to a sound producer), it would have to be the Modern D. It just has all the elements in place.

Maybe this will inspire VSL to keep improving their products now that a new reference level has been reached. Either way, I really hope VI Labs keeps pushing forward and adds further models down the line. I can only imagine how amazing it would be if they did their own version of Bosendorfer Imperial or Yamaha CFX. 🤯