VSL Synchron Bösendorfer Imperial

vagfilm I don't detect nothing strange in that first note...

I only notice it with my MacBook Air. My Mac mini and iPhone play it normal. What's wrong with the MacBook Air?

I discovered what the problem is. It's the Safari browser. It seems to hiccup when certain videos start causing a distortion in the sound. I downloaded the Chrome browser and it doesn't have that problem.

Safari 15.1 with Monterey 12.0.1 seems to have an issue. I'll have to wait for the next update to see if this behavior changes.

God Bless,
David

I think (as is becoming usual) after a major macOS update, the things get a bit messed. Apple used to be rock-solid and bug free under Steve Jobs. There were very few customization options in the software but the defaults were perfect and as a result the software could be tested and verified. Nowadays Apple are following the trend in providing a lot of choices to customers which not only makes the software bloated but also has the potential for bugs…

Thanks David for sharing your settings! Gonna try that out for sure.

Gamma1734 Thanks David for sharing your settings! Gonna try that out for sure.

It's good for songs where there is more single note melody. The ribbon mic adds an openness to the sound. I take the ribbon mic out when I want a tighter sound for more chording rich songs.

God Bless,
David

Beautiful hymn with the Bösendorfer Imperial. Five mics with this preset. Settings will be shown at the end of the video. Song is “Have You Any Room For Jesus.” 

God Bless,
David

David B This sounds absolutely fantastic!

navindra This sounds absolutely fantastic!

Thanks. Do you like the hymn or the sound of the BI (or both)?
If I could only have one virtual library it would be the VSL BI. I find the warmth, rich bass, and smooth treble comforting. 😀

God Bless,
David

David B I absolutely admire both. I would love a piano that sounds like yours and I would love to be able to arrange and play these chords the way you do.

Of the very few lucky owners of an actual BI, how many would be able to produce a recording that sounds like yours? I don't think very many could do that unless they captured the MIDI and rendered it with the VSL BI library.

navindra I absolutely admire both. I would love a piano that sounds like yours and I would love to be able to arrange and play these chords the way you do.

You could always purchase the VSL BI and use my preset. 😀 Also, you could purchase the Duane Shinn Praise and Gospel Course and the Greg Howlett Inspirational Improvisation Course. That's where I've been getting my ideas from.

navindra Of the very few lucky owners of an actual BI, how many would be able to produce a recording that sounds like yours? I don't think very many could do that unless they captured the MIDI and rendered it with the VSL BI library.

Yeah, the VSL BI is as close as I'll ever get to the real thing. I'm glad they've been improving their software. The velocity curve editor and smooth attack feature is really helpful in getting the samples/software to work well with different controllers.

God Bless,
David

David B Thank you for sharing your presets, that's a nice touch indeed.

The Bösendorfer Imperial is a painful omission in Pianoteq, for sure. I can switch from a majestic Ant Petrof to my favorite NY Steinway D concert grand at a touch... yet no Bösendorfer Imperial model. I hope Modartt comes out with one soon.

VSL is still a little out of reach for me with the Vienna Key and Mac/PC requirements, but perhaps when they eliminate the USB key thing, I may reconsider hooking up a laptop to the piano.

I'm not back on a regular piano practice schedule. I think I will resume lessons in a few weeks and pick up from Alfred's again. I don't like that book but I still have a lot to learn there in terms of the swing rhythms, syncopation, blues, and such.

In the meantime, I've started going through Supersonics Piano, and I'm quite enjoying that, along with reworking some old pieces. I do have a gap in terms of improvisation and I'll need to strategize there. I was thinking something more like the Improvise for Real method if I can't get serious with Play Piano Fluently

navindra I've started going through Supersonics Piano, and I'm quite enjoying that, along with reworking some old pieces. I do have a gap in terms of improvisation and I'll need to strategize there. I was thinking something more like the Improvise for Real method if I can't get serious with Play Piano Fluently

If you have the time, short reviews of those methods/courses would be interesting. It's more relevant having personal opinions on how something worked (or not) for you, than so called "pros" reviews that may have agendas.

David B For now it does, but sometime this year they are switching to iLok which will have the option of activating the license via a constant internet connection. It's really a bummer that they are not going the machine activation route where you only need to connect to the internet once to activate the license.

So you'll have three options.

Constant internet connection to activate and use license.
iLok dongle to activate and use license.
Keep using the current eLicenser dongle until it's not supported anymore. No idea how long eLicenser will be supported after the switch to iLok, but there is supposed to be considerable overlap.

This is sad news. I like the sound of the VSL pianos, but, am not going to accept permanent, continuous internet manacles on my piano computer. Nor the dongle. That is just out of the question. This seems a far cry from the promise of 1.5 years ago of getting rid of the dongle or going to iLok, or however they stated their intention when pressed back then.

I hope VSL reconsiders, or, that VI Labs comes out with some new pianos, hopefully a well done Bosendorfer Imperial. In the mean time, I'll just keep playing my Garritan CFX and Pianoteq anywhere electricity is available.

I wonder if VSL has some ‘exclusivity’ deal with Bosendorfer (owned by Yamaha of all things); otherwise, why don’t we see a Bosendorfer VST out there from the big guns (Pianoteq, VI Labs, etc)?

It seems like Bosendorfer is very popular amongst VST fans, yet Pianoteq will model an obscure, never-heard-of brand, yet not a Bosendorfer!

I’m writing them an angry letter right now…..

Dear Pianoteq:

Where’s my effing Bosendorfer?

Keep up the good work,

Pete XIV!

Ralphiano This is sad news. I like the sound of the VSL pianos, but, am not going to accept permanent, continuous internet manacles on my piano computer. Nor the dongle. That is just out of the question. This seems a far cry from the promise of 1.5 years ago of getting rid of the dongle or going to iLok, or however they stated their intention when pressed back then.

I hope VSL reconsiders, or, that VI Labs comes out with some new pianos

Fully agree with all of this!

Cheers and happy playing of customer-friendly VSTis,

HZ

I'm not convinced what Pianoteq do with their models is really emulating the pianos they mention. I believe they just pay the corresponding piano company to use their brand and then tweak their generic model to fit the stereotypes, like e.g. Yamaha is "bright and punchy for jazz", Steinway is "dark and soft for classical", etc. You don't believe they get a brand new Steinway which they dissect to measure or burn to make a spectral analysis of the lacquer, do you? 🤣 We've hypothesized that they take audio samples of a piano and the synthesis method of Pianoteq is actually a clever compression that does some Furrier stuff and sums sine waves and coefficients and whatnot (as described in their old patent) but they have been slippery and said that's not the case anymore. So what is it now? Well, as I said, they just have some generic synthetic engine that can be tweaked to be brighter, duller, etc., then they say: OK, we will call this one a Petrof since "Petrof" ends in "f" which in musical notation means forte, and we think this current tweaks sounds forte, let's pay them a few thousand dollars and see how it goes 😉 I'm just speculating of course. But prove me wrong!

CyberGene You don't believe they get a brand new Steinway which they dissect to measure or burn to make a spectral analysis of the lacquer, do you? 🤣

Yes, I do, CG!

Unless you’re saying they’re lying, are you?

Yes, they actually got a ‘used’ Steingraeber for a decent price; which they then dissected and further deconstructed all the way down to the smell and the lacquer!

Once they’re done, the piano in question is put up for sale; however, modartt now keeps the essence of that instrument in their secret vault (for further improvements).

CyberGene 😉 I'm just speculating of course. But prove me wrong!

I say we send some of our European members to the Modartt facilities in France for some deep espionage dumpster diving, to look for traces of the pianos they have burned. Only then will we know for sure.

Ralphiano I say we send some of our European members to the Modartt facilities in France for some deep espionage dumpster diving

I promote our dear @Frédéric L for that mission since he must be closer to those dumpsters and is the only one who can understand French. I tried to study French for some time and gave up. Has any of you tried to learn French? It's incomprehensible. You have something like beaucoup which is not short for beautiful cupcake. And everything is a variation on that theme.

Pete14 I wonder if VSL has some ‘exclusivity’ deal with Bosendorfer (owned by Yamaha of all things); otherwise, why don’t we see a Bosendorfer VST out there from the big guns (Pianoteq, VI Labs, etc)?

Perhaps Bosendorfer doesn't want its name sullied by the likes of Pianoteq?