Ivory III American Concert D Review and Test

_sem_ Hi!

So I believe this is what happened on Modern D. A couple of the mic positions received noise reduction during the testing process (I believe it's the player and room, or was it the side and room?). But the rest didn't receive noise reduction. I also isolated the specific B-flat 5 (attached with a file below), and the tick is present. However, on closer inspection I believe it's the instrument, not sampling technicalities, as I hear it in the initial attacks of all 5 mics. But this tick is especially heard in the player position.

Please let me know if what I'm noticing is what you're noticing as well. Of course, during normal playing, the noise is hard to hear. But if you use a daw and port the audio and isolate the moment when the note decays, you do hear the hiss when the amplitude is +40 DB (I don't recommend you do this, it'll blow out your ears and equipment). And it is only in those levels, do I sense a difference in hiss levels between mic positions.

Have a listen. Original 24 bit FLAC.

b-flat.flac

Hi David,

I think we're not talking about the same thing. What I have in mind is high-pitched hiss (buzz) likely inherent in the piano samples at higher strike intensities, sounds a bit different with different mics. It may have to do something with the dampers, because it changes a lot at the highest notes (that don't have them). It seems to be present with several notes, I spot it the most with E5, A4. Not present when playing quietly.

_sem_ I see. I just played loud notes on E5 and A4, and to me they sound normal, like how the instrument should sound. So sorry, I didn't notice any problems. The damper ringing is something the instrument has, and they preserved these noises.

i think we're lucky that we have a chance to choose between such amazing virtual pianos.
it's not like one of them is extremely better or worse then the other, most of them are great especially these two american steinways are quite similar both tone and feature wise (and giving the price range, they're direct competitors)
i'll be glad to have either of them as my everyday piano

but i'm going to wait, there probably will be a couple of other releases before the xmas i don't wanna miss any of them before making a decision.

For those interested, some more Ivory III ACD performances here. Presenting Gershwin's Prelude No. 2 in a combined ambient + mid/side, as well as side B microphone positions. Enjoy the hissy samples! 🙂

gershwin-prelude-2-ivory-ambient-combined.flac

gershwin-prelude-2-ivory-side-b.flac

FWIW, the hiss doesn't seem all that bad here in the ambient perspective.

In general, these examples remind me that ACD has always been a gorgeous sounding library, at least for slower, softer, more lyrical material. It falls off a bit once the pace picks up, especially anywhere release samples become more apparent, but it's still pleasant to listen to.

I'd be interested in a direct comparison between the Ivory II ACD and the Side B perspective in the Ivory III version, since the latter is, if I understand correctly, quite similar to the older version's sole perspective. Such a comparison should show the effects of the remastering and new engine on the same base samples.

Garritan CFX is said to have similar hiss issue, but I have not found it more annoying than clicks or bum notes in other libs. However, as of 2024 product, there should not be this hiss issue. Hope they could fix it soon.

David Lai For those interested, some more Ivory III ACD performances here. Presenting Gershwin's Prelude No. 2 in a combined ambient + mid/side, as well as side B microphone positions. Enjoy the hissy samples!

Now that I've had a chance to listen closely through a good pair of headphones, I can definitely hear the hiss, particularly in the side B recording.

Argyris ACD has always been a gorgeous sounding library, at least for slower, softer, more lyrical material. It falls off a bit once the pace picks up, especially anywhere release samples become more apparent

Yes, agreed. It sounds so lovely and natural in the lyrical first section, but when it transitions into the middle part with the more detached phrasing, the illusion starts to break down. The releases are clunky and unnatural, the tone becomes a bit odd.

pipAT I agree!!! I've sent these files to Synthogy, telling them that my concerns is the serious hiss in their samples. This certainly gives Modern D the edge without me doing anything.

Heck, a member on VI Control just accused me of having a relationship with VI Labs, and trash talking ACD. The problem is, I'm not doing the talking, the piano VST speaks for itself.

Argyris I agree. I'm not sure how to get my Ivory II ACD back, but I'll do some research on it tomorrow. If I'm successful, I'll then render the same midi performance (if you're not tired of it yet) in the Ivory II ACD and the side A version of the Ivory III ACD. These 2 mic positions match.

Until then, take care and happy comparisons!

Cheers!

David Lai Awesome! Thanks for putting in so much effort. And thanks for clarifying that it's the side A that matches, not side B. I got that confused.

Argyris You're welcome. I do this out of a labor of love as well. Glad this can be helpful to you.

I have just re-read this thread and appreciate everyone's comments.

My dilemma is a bit different. I own Ivory II ACD and also Garritan CFX. While CFX has been my main piano by a small margin, I am reluctant to install it on my Mac Studio M2 Max due to lagging support. CFX itself is not Apple Silicon native, and I've learned that the correct ARIA Player needs to be chosen carefully. I prefer to avoid installing and maintaining software that may soon become fully unsupported.

This leaves Ivory II ACD. I recall that a version of this has been updated for Apple Silicon; this may be enough for me because I do not need Ivory III ACD improvements. Are there any tricks to running Ivory II ACD on a modern Mac?

Fyi, I hear basically the same things as others here when comparing ACD with Modern D. I slightly prefer ACD for its warmer and arguably less focused sound. In production I've tightened this up with mono-ized bass below about 180 Hz; this helps focus the instrument without casusing significant artifacts.

In any case, comments from Ivory II ACD users who are staying put will be much appreciated.

To follow up, I have Ivory II ACD running in the v3.0.6 player in Mac Studio M2 Max / Sequoia, both standalone and as AAX in Pro Tools. Performance is good and I'm warming up to the v3 interface. For now I'll run this plus Pianoteq 8 for alternative sounds.