My new go-to piano is... VSL BÖSENDORFER 280VC

EB5AGV

I got the BÖSENDORFER 280VC when it was launched, and even bought the Full library back then. But it was not a case of instant love for it and the VSL BÖSENDORFER Imperial (this on Standard version) was my go-to piano for some time. I bought plenty of other ones, but mostly resorted to it for my practice sessions, both classical and pop.

But, some days ago, I decided to give the 280VC another try… and now I am hooked!. I know thiese things happen: one day you love a piano VI and the next day it is just unbearable. But, well, while the honeymoon lasts, I am enjoying it quite lot, played mostly through my trusty Beyerdynamic DT-770PRO headphones.

Let's see how long it takes to change my preferences to another one! 😅

Jose

David B

After I bought the VSL 280VC and set it aside after the honeymoon phase, I knew I was never going to sell it even though it didn't remain my number one. There is definitely a modern clarity and sparkle to it, and I like that I can get an intimate dry sound if I prefer because it was recorded in the smaller stage B. Here is an excerpt for the 280VC from a review I did.

https://youtu.be/-d7EDNT8eiA

God Bless,
David

EB5AGV

David B lovely playing!. You nailed it, it has a very special sound clarity, which excells with headphones and close microphones

Frédéric L

I really like the 280VC too. But I let a friend to try it : he hasn’t liked it at all.

jdg78

I demoed the 280VC during the recent VSL trial period. Initially it was my least favorite of all the grand models - the default tone seemed too bright and hard for my liking - but it did grow on me somewhat over the course of the trial period, and I could see it being good for certain types of music. It certainly has a very unique sound profile.

My biggest issue was that I found it very difficult to achieve soft, legato playing in music that called for it.

I also felt that the Bosendorfer Imperial had a similar (though not quite as extreme) level of note per note clarity, but with a warmer basic tone and a richer sounding bass, so that was my personal preference between the two.

But I can see the appeal of the 280VC, particularly for certain kinds of contemporary or pop style music.

nwu

It's Gamma1734's favorite VST at the moment, so you made a great choice. I am still demoing VSL and haven't made a decision yet. so far I've tried Yamaha CFX and 280VC and the 280VC is my current favorite at the moment. I am going to try the Imperial next.

Gamma1734

I still think the Garritan is the best instrument I've got, just to make that clear. It has helped me so much over the years due to it's perfect sample mapping and overall simple use. The 280VC has not a big room sound, even enabling all mics, of course that's because it was sampled in the smaller room, and so I often have to use external convolution reverbs to achieve a bigger sound (which I also do with Garritan, but in contrast to VSL I get really nice impulse responses out of the box, whereas in VSL there are only 2 options, room reverb or plate reverb; that's not a lot of options we get there!). Overall the 280VC is an excellent instrument, but the market is just so big at the moment, that it's hard to be "the best".

nwu

Gamma1734

Oh that’s good to know, thanks for clarifying. I think I just remembered from your mega VST review video you made a year ago that you said towards the end of the video that 280VC was your fav VST at the moment. But that was a year ago, so I might’ve presumed too much.

Between Garritan CFX and VSL CFX what are some differences that you notice between them? Also for the Garritan do you use the default standalone player app or the Aria app?

Gamma1734

I use the plugin inside my DAW, so that's probably going to be the Aria app then. I don't use the VSL CFX so often

right now, but there are differences to the Garritan, I think especially the attack is more present in vsl, giving a brighter sound than the typical garritan sound

jdg78

Speaking of Garritan, I recently loaded it up again for the first time in a while after using VSL instruments almost exclusively for the past several months, and I was really surprised by how well it holds up in terms of playability. In some respects it’s even better than VSL.

I still prefer the actual recording/sampling quality of the VSL offerings, as well as the user interface and mic mixing options, but in terms of responsiveness, control, and feeling connected to the instrument, the Garritan really is exceptional, and I don’t think anything clearly beats it after all these years - at least nothing I’ve tried.

I just wish I liked the sound of the instrument itself a bit more (it still sounds a touch too sterile and characterless to me) but apart from that it’s hard to find fault with.