David, How did you get over 5 Gb on that piano selection? When I try your settings I’m at 508MB. I have the full Bosendorfer/CFX/Steinway programs and trying to tweak them. Sorry if my question is amateurish but I’m very new to this. I have been using the Garritan CFX which I really like but wanted to expand upon my virtual pianos. Thanks for your time ns consideration in this matter.
Ken
Kbrod1 David, How did you get over 5 Gb on that piano selection? When I try your settings I’m at 508MB.
My preload size is 16384. Larger preload = more memory used.
God Bless,
David
David B Hey i wanted to ask about the Bosendorfer Imperial and 280.. still demoing imp. i like the sound on your vid also.
I saw you did have both plugins and prefer the Imperial.. feels perfect to play btw . Do you think the 280 plays better or worse or just different?
Also is it really that much drier? Some demos don’t sound that way to me. The Imperial can be pretty intimate too. Just curious.
ps also the way it plays is it similar to this recent modern D? just playing not the sound. Thank You
vvf I saw you did have both plugins and prefer the Imperial.. feels perfect to play btw . Do you think the 280 plays better or worse or just different?
Also is it really that much drier? Some demos don’t sound that way to me. The Imperial can be pretty intimate too. Just curious.
ps also the way it plays is it similar to this recent modern D? just playing not the sound.
Hi @vvf I recognize you tagged @David B on your questions above, though I thought I'd chime in here as well. Feel free to ignore though!
For background, I have all the VSL full versions as well, have played several acoustic Imperials in real life, and currently own a (relatively) new 280VC.
As far as VSL version of these instruments:
To me, the 280VC has more of a "present" sound and "3D" sound compared to the Imperial. The Imperial meanwhile has a "sweet-sweet" sound that I adore. As far as action/playability goes, I'd say the Imperial is easier to play on VSL compared to 280VC, because its stereo imaging of being in the Synchron Stage A, versus the smaller Stage B (i.e., where the 280VC is recorded). I find myself having more velocity issues with the 280VC than the Imperial.
As far as dryness of playing, the Imperial in Player preset feels/sounds drier to me than the 280VC (even though it's recorded in Stage B). But when Imperial is in Concert Surround, it sounds perfect to me.
Compared to Modern D (action/playability only):
Both of them (not because of the inherent acoustic recorded, but the software itself), to me are very difficult playability compared to Modern D. Based on VI Labs' own website about Modern D, they appear to have full dynamic range for every mic. Or whatever it's called, so it feels so easy to play.
I 1000% feel that playing my acoustic 280VC feels way easier than the VSL version. I can't say the same about the Modern D. I feel like playing Modern D is just as (playability-wise) satisfying as when I'm playing an acoustic Model D.
Hence, even though I am not the top fan of Steinway pianos (usually), I prefer using Modern D almost any day versus VSL. However, I play VSL whenever I want to "hear the best pianos" (including their Hamburg D, which sounds amazing-- to me. just not conducive for my playability purposes).
HeartKeys thanks for the super clear and detailed answer ). I agree Imperial sounds kinda dry like it was recorded in a smaller studio or something..i like it.. im suprised a bit that modern D is actually better for playability than Imperial. i thought it would be pretty much close call..very interesting... Appreciate the response HeartKeys.
vvf Hey i wanted to ask about the Bosendorfer Imperial and 280.. still demoing imp. i like the sound on your vid also.
I saw you did have both plugins and prefer the Imperial.. feels perfect to play btw . Do you think the 280 plays better or worse or just different?
Also is it really that much drier? Some demos don’t sound that way to me. The Imperial can be pretty intimate too. Just curious.
ps also the way it plays is it similar to this recent modern D? just playing not the sound. Thank You
The settings in this thread are the current for my BI. I prefer the BI to the 280VC. I like the warmer, richer tone. The 280VC is more bright and sparkly. It records nice. However, for just everyday playing I'd choose the BI.
I don't notice a difference in the playability between the Modern D and BI. I think the Modern D has a fuller dynamic range and more truism with the sympathetic resonance and una corda samples. If I had to choose between the two, I'd go with the Modern D for the reasons I mentioned above. However, the BI and F308 remain my favorite VSL pianos.
God Bless,
David
Thank you very much for your insight David B. Btw i just discovered your videos and I really like them. all the best sir ))
as much as i love the bosie imperial by vsl (both sound and playability), i mean it's my favorite vsl piano alongside the legendary vsl cfx, and even though i don't like to break things to people i'd still say that i have a little issue with the imperial that made me not wanting to spend money on it, the sustain pedal lowest samples are pretty loud, it's not just a dynamic level issue, they also sound brighter then the typical ppp range, i mean noticeably… so whenever you depress the sus pedal, you'd lose a great deal in the softer dynamics.
-i only say this because we're in an objective forum and should inform each other about such short comings (me personally, i had a lot of bad purchases because most people are just positive talkers and they always telling you the pros about these products and never the cons), i also say that it's a deal braker TO ME, maybe you don't care about such things in your playing and it's not an issue for you,
anyway my heart was broken when i found out about this because non of other vsl pianos ever convinced me the way their imperial did (both in sound and playability)
and then when i reached out to them they said the typical nonsense : the piano itself sounds like that.
yea sure, a well maintained $500K concert grand loses half of its dynamic range when its sustain pedal is depressed, i believe you, but i also believe in marvel movies so don't mind me 🙂
Thanks pianow. After checking it and playing for like an hour to make sure in the context of what Im playing, it is no deal breaker for me..it doesn’t bother me. But when i focus on it on its own, yeah you can definitely hear it’s a bit louder. I still get the dynamics I need though. . cheers for the honesty )
pianow Hey btw may I ask what you think of the Ravel grand by UAD playing wise?
testing the Fazioli F308 now, started around 4 in the morning.my usual wakeupTime…european time Feels pretty great so far.
unfortunately i never tried it, but have heard it's nice
not vsl-vilabs-modartt nice, but nice haha
Interesting you mention the F308. It was never my favorite tone, but I played it again and am starting to enjoy the playability.
I think it was voiced pretty soft so perhaps it just masks my issues with technique 🙂
The opposite spectrum of that for me is the D-274 and 280VC. On VSL they both sound so present and substantial… but unfortunately the velocity challenges become more evident to me.
In short—I used to complain about the F308, but one thing I like is that it feels smoother for some reason.
HeartKeys Fazioli has a lower dynamic to me so it’s easier to play certain things for me especially delicate velocity..it feels great. But the imperial when I play it now feels perfect. Im practicing Stravinskys Etude Op. 7/4 now on just one mic and every detail comes through without any trouble. At the akademia i play on an old Bechstein btw. Looking at these vsts now I really like them. Someone said vsts wont be as good as native sounds vel wise on digital piano controllers but this Vsl is way better.
HeartKeys The opposite spectrum of that for me is the D-274 and 280VC. On VSL they both sound so present and substantial… but unfortunately the velocity challenges become more evident to me.
the more you play, the more velocity problems would show up
that's the thing that made me dislike most of their pianos especially the concert d.
HeartKeys but one thing I like is that it feels smoother for some reason.
i think that has something to do with their newer recording techniques, their close micing methods has changed a bit and they place the mics closer to the hammers and the string so they pick up more thud sound (that dull woody attack that simply isn't present in any other stage a piano)
HeartKeys may i ask what about Garritan? Do you like it much also? Also what velocity curve do you use in your controller or in Garritan? does anyone here uses this plugin with korg action? cheers
vvf may i ask what about Garritan? Do you like it much also? Also what velocity curve do you use in your controller or in Garritan?
I like Garritan's playability about 90% as much as I do the Modern D. It's my second-favorite with regards to playability. And the tone has always been reliable for me, for all genres, and for both solo and for overlay.
I do like Garritan's playability more than the VSL pianos (again, this is more about Garritan vs. VSL, instead of Yamaha CFX vs. Fazioli/Bosendorfer/Steinway etc).
Seems like it's one of the "aged like fine wine" software given how old it is now, compared to things like Modern D, VSL (F212, 280VC), latest Pianoteqs (280VC, SK-EX), Claire, etc.
HeartKeys Thanks Heartkeys. )
Yes, thanks from me as well.
Garritan CFX continually keeps tickling my interest/GAS combo. The core piano tone suits me quite a bit better than Modern D, however technically perfect the latter is. Yesterday evening I did some comparisons on YouTube that reconfirmed this -- in particular I re-listened (and much enjoyed) Mozart K333 by some obscure pianist by the name of @David Lai 😉, played on the Garritan and on Modern D respectively.
I don't want to spend too much money, I don't want to allocate ~130Gb of storage space, and I'm not into ambient piano sounds.
Therefore: how satisfied -- do you think -- could I be with 'just" Garritan CFX Lite?!
I know, I've asked people about this perhaps on a yearly basis, but you know, overthinking 'n all, ambivalence towards digital 'n all… 'n all…
🙂
Cheers!
HZ