VI Labs: Modern U Review

CyberGene I can't wait until my vacation and decided to record something with the Modern U.

Very nice, thanks for sharing. How do you apply the EQ, do you use the built in or an external one?

johanibraaten I'm using the internal 8-band EQ. Here are my settings:

The room mic is at -5.81dB. I've also swapped MIDI CC 67 and 68 (soft and sordino), so that the soft pedal triggers the sordino samples.

In the FX section I use the 8-band EQ and I've lowered Peak 3 gain to -3dB and Peak 4 gain to -2dB.

For the touch curve I'm on the N1X default and on "heavy touch 1" on the Modern U.

OK, I just realized there's a main EQ in the main panel and I could use the tone knob instead to make the sound less bright 🤦🏻‍♂️ Thanks to the hint of using the information button to get info regarding what the various controls do. I feel a bit stupid now but I didn't have a lot of time to tweak the piano and was in a hurry to record something 😃 Next time I will try to use that one instead.

CyberGene I feel a bit stupid now

As you should 😉!

Just as stupid as me for just yesterday using the Tone knob for the first time since I purchased Modern U almost a year ago 🙄.

I've got Tone at -5 now for both may 'layer instances' and in return could get the Bend knobs to a smaller adjustment. No EQ. I'm now even happier with the piano tone and sense of realism.

Cheers and a happy Sunday,

HZ

CyberGene I'm using the internal 8-band EQ. Here are my settings:

Thank you, I've now tried you settings and it makes a good intimate experience. Cool idea to let the soft pedal trigger the sordino samples. I'm yet to come around those harmonics in the C5-C6 range though. Do you think it would be possible to run it in Logic/mainstage and make a script that aplies EQ (external) to certain notes/ranges? I like the bass as it is but find the treble too bright and would like to get rid of those harmonics in the mentioned range.

HZPiano I've got Tone at -5 now

Hi @johanibraaten,

See this post and maybe you can try that as well.

Cheers and happy fine-tuning,

HZ

Yes, I think the tone may be the better alternative to the EQ FX I used.

HZPiano See this post and maybe you can try that as well.

Oh, thanks. With all the love the modern U gets here I’m becoming more and more certain that it’s me that’s faulty and not the modern U😊. May I ask what you mean with “layer instances”. You may have wrote it earlier but I can’t find it.

HZPiano Inspired by the microphone pairs used in sampling Modern U…

Hi @johanibraaten, I'd say neither you nor Modern U is faulty 😉.

I probably used hazy 🌥️ terms -- follow the link and read from that sentence onwards to see what I tried to refer to.

Cheers and happy experimenting,

HZ

I experimented today and mixed the player mics (binaural?) with the room ones, as well as toned down the treble the proper way: through the main "tone" knob. It's a VERY dark and intimate upright sound. Here's a demo I recorded. Guess what I am recording this time? Yes, you guessed right, Scriabin! 🤣

CyberGene player mics (binaural?)

Hello,

As I understand it, the player mics are a pair and are on a stand a little above the player position height, just as depicted in the on-screen graphics.

That would not "literally" be binaural.

But as you like it, who cares? I'm just being pedantic here 😌.

Cheers and happy Scriabin,

HZ

CyberGene Scriabin

Hello,

Just played it through my hi-fi. Whoops that does sound dark! Yet very intimate and musical.

(And yes, I'm now happy with the Tone knob finding too).

I just love that Modern U (and may have said that sometime before? 🤭).

I bought the NI Noire BF offer a few days ago and am now in the process of taming it into usefulness, but in terms of authenticity it will never become a Modern U.

Cheers and happy playing,

HZ

Here's the settings I used:

The room mic is at -5.81dB. For the touch response I'm using "heavy 1" together with the default touch response of the N1X.

Hello,

I just tried practising a piece (in a rusty state of practise) first using a "pure" Noire (which just isn't pure, however I tweak/tune it) and then on the Modern U.

The Modern U really is pure and authentic, and as such is a great piano for learning and practising.

I don't think Noire could ever reach that. It is/stays more of a toy, even though it is a fun toy to go nuts with e.g. its sub bass and extreme tonal depths. It inspires other improvisations, more a piano-borders-on-atmospheric-synth. Where (sampled) resonances on the U sound so sweet and lovely, I find them ugly-ish on Noire (where they are modeled).

Cheers and happy authenticity,

HZ

HZPiano the first true love is always the best and can't be easily, if ever, replaced 😍

Jose EB5AGV the first true love is always the best and can't be easily, if ever, replaced 😍

😀 I like that. My first significant crush dates decades back and we're still dear friends. And this time I'm not talking pianos ☺️.

Cheers and happy special feelings,

HZ

HZ: you were warned about how dark is noire (pun intended)... Very cinematic, but the exact opposite of Modern U or the VSLs...

vagfilm HZ: you were warned

I was!

Curiosity killed the… eh… whatever it killed.

I got into piano from my first instrumental love, which is the double bass. Learning melody and harmony on piano makes for a better understanding of and feel for the specific role of the bass. Or so Rufus Reid says and he's right of course. I can't have one (a double bass) in my current personal situation (am building an electric surrogate but that takes ages) but still want to get on with some bass as well. That is what tipped me into Noire more than other qualities (or lack thereof) of it.

Cheers and happy Jazz,

HZ

HZ:in my non-expert opinion, NI pianos are hopeless, in the same way as Pianoteq - are almost there, definitely not bad, but there are better options. And you don't need a second not-great piano.
My suggestion: let all BF offers expire, and then put Noire to sale (if that is possible with Native Instruments...). Keep the money to a future VILabs or the Bluethner.

vagfilm put Noire to sale

Not there yet!

I'll first see what I can learn from it and to what Jazzy use it may take me.

And see after that.

Cheers and happy explorations,

HZ