Hi, Simeion thanks for this video. This is an impressive library. Does this have real una corde samples, can the soft una corde pedal be used with this library? Thanks.
It is my pleasure, and yes this is an amazing piano library. From the website I see where it mentions “Authentically modeled soft pedal (Una Corda samples)” and supports half pedaling and re-pedaling. It was recorded at AIR Studios Lyndhurst and it is the same Steinway used for the Spitfire Hans Zimmer piano. Thanks for watching.
Another amazing library which I ended up purchasing. Some of the presets are distorted, and it requires getting to the back end of kontakt to edit some of the parameters (e.g., limiters, compressors, etc) that have been set by the developer.
Yes, it is a little hard getting used to, The dev mentioned you can work around it by adjusting the mic volumes as it decreases the signal hitting the limiter. He was really going for trying to emulate certain effects and recording chains to match particular piano recordings so a lot of the settings are similar to what you might do when mastering audio. There are some rumblings that he is working on updating some of the ways you access the under the hood settings. It is a beautiful sounding piano library once you live with it for a little while. 🤓 Blessings always!
Clearly stunning value for the price. Unless like myself, you don't own Kontakt. Sadly that then places the cost right back up there around the 400 plus. Wonderful natural playing as always Simion. It's your playing that places your library reviews above others. I'd love to see you review the latest Keysuite bundle, specifically the new Australian Grand. That looks like a wonderful library package
Thanks again for the kind words. Right now Native Instruments is running their Summer Sale on Complete, which includes upgrade and cross grades for the full version of Kontakt. This significantly lowers the price of admission to the full version and I think if you have any interest in libraries going forward that Kontakt should definitely be on your list. All you need to do is download the free Arcane library from Embertone which is compatible with the Free Kontakt player here: www.embertone.com/instruments/arcane.php Once this is done you can purchase the Kontakt crossgrade. I would also love to review the Keysuite Bundle as well. Stay tuned.
Simeon Amburgey Can’t believe I only found out now haha. Usually I’m on top of things. Anyhow. Purchased it. This may well become a top 5 piano for me soon! I love the sound and I love the back story. I am also STILL drooling over the Light & Sound one. That one is literally on dozens if not more of very well known (rock music) records and film scores. Also a German Steinway, but I think it’s a C.
Yes Signature Grand is truly outstanding. Thanks so much for watching and the kind words of support, I am so grateful to be able to share my experiences with all of you. All the best.
I really enjoy listening to David Benoit. My wife and I saw him live for a Charlie Brown Christmas concert and it was wonderful. Thanks so much for watching!
And so you do it to me yet again Simeon. I don't know HOW in the world I have missed this instrument....owing to the fact that your video is a year and 8 months posted at this point. THIS instrument is incredible AND at its current SALE price of $49 bucks - I mean just take my money again. You keep doing what you do and it costs me everytime I watch your videos. BUT once again I have to thank you for posting this most comprehensive video. Amazing instrument indeed. THANKS again for your great reviews and for this one specifically. Such a well done library indeed. And your great playing which only makes it all sound better. Time to get out there and make this purchase now. THANKS as always for costing me money - but I DO appreciate it. :o) AAANNNDD I ALWAYS appreciate your words of wisdom, encouragement in song, and superbly great spirit reflected in all you say and do, your enthusiasm, your support of those who support you and your kind sweet heart. God has richly blessed you and us all if we look closely enough. THANKS FOR THAT from me to you. It truly means more than you might know.
I am deeply impressed by you explanation of this interesting library and the very emotional singing. Your contributions are very instructive and you, Simeon Amburgey, give it a lot pf heart and feeling. Thanks a lot for this. Greetings from Hamburg Germany Björn a lay composer. I wish you all the best.
I am not a piano player. In fact barely play any keys instrument. But your demo sold me even though my budget was already stretched due to other purchases. I am subscribing just because what a player you are.
Awesome presentation of this library! I’ve never heard of it but now I think it could be my next library. I just bought Noire yesterday finally and after bumping up the preload memory all the way, it sounds wonderful. Thanks for making these videos and hopefully you get more and more subs. I also need to get the full version of Kontakt so I could buy this library, but not sure it’s the right time. It’s great to see how exited you are about what you do. Keep up the good work!
You know during the sale Native Instruments is having now, Kontakt upgrades are up to 50% off. NOIRE is a truly wonderful library and I know you will enjoy it. Thanks again for watching and for all of your kind words of support.
Awesome video! What is your favorite classic grand piano until now? Have you tried Imperfect Samples Walnut Concert Grand? Would love to know your thoughts on that one :)
Thanks so much Tomás, there are so many out there that it is hard to pick 🤓 I have not had a chance to try the Imperfect Samples pianos but I hear that they are exceptional, I will have to see if I can explore them in the future. The Signature Grand is so well done and is a fabulous example of capturing such a beautiful instrument. Thanks again for watching and for the kind words of support. Joyfully! 🎹
To me it sounds more like a Yamaha, Simeon, it sounds very bright. Just got myself a Yamaha P515, top of the range in the stage piano series and it sounds great. It has 10 piano sounds two of which are their CFX and Bosondorfer Imperial samples which are very impressive. No more having to worry about overloading a CPU, although I will be playing my Garritan CFX through it, should be fun. Looking forward to your Garritan/Synchron comparison.
That sounds exciting! Yes, the Signature is based on a Hamburg Steinway D. There are some subtle but real differences between an American Steinway and the German (Hamburg) Steinway. It was also recorded at the AIR Lyndhurst Studio in London which has a very bright and big sound so that also contributes to the characteristics of the library. Thanks so much for the support and stay tuned, lots more adventures are ahead.
I don´t recommend this piano to anyone. Even with the "noise from the keys and pedals" removed/deselected, , you will still hear A LOT of noise from the microphones that were used to capture the sound (bad environment when the samples were recorded). The recording will never be clean enough to be used on a production. Even for just playing, it´s REALLY distracting, because the noise appears, each time you press a key. Talking about the included presets.. some are even distorted. None is usable in a production environment. The good thing is that this is cheap. But you will find better.
I am sorry to hear that you are not having a good experience with this piano. I found initially that some of the patches needed some extra work under the hood (by opening the wrench), to make some adjustments, mainly when it came to the limiter settings. Are there any particular presets that you are hearing the noises more than others? There is a "Room Tone" setting that adjusts the ambient noise that the room is making and you can also adjust some of the key noises as well. I will have to see if I can do some sort of follow up to see how I might get a cleaner, more direct sound. Since it was recorded at AIR Lyndhurst Studios, you have that ambience as part of the piano sound, that makes it very large at times. Thanks for watching and for the feedback, it helps to understand what others are experiencing out there. All the best.
Hey Simeon! Curious on your opinion since you have great skills on piano and these vst's. How would you compare this to spitfire's originals intimate grand piano? I was thinking about the originals but want something that would be able to maybe do intimate yet be more like their new Labs autograph grand as well...but that one lacks velocity and I don't quite understand the "multi velocity mechanical noises" meaning of this vst on their page. Maybe I should just get both and use unify lol. May I pick your brain on the topic? Thanks
The Signature Grand was recorded at AIR Studios which is a much larger hall. It also has quite a few velocity layers and a way to adjust the mic positions to help zero in on the particular sound you might want. I need to check to see what kind of close intimate sound I could get with Signature. The Originals Intimate Grand includes only the lower velocity layers so you probably would not get above mf dynamics. It is also a smaller Steinway B which also would contribute to a quieter overall tone. The Originals pianos never focus on providing too many dynamic layers, I think the most I have seen is possibly 4. They come across to me more like what you would call a “character” piano, one that is going for a particular mood or tone. I have spent a little time with the new Autograph Grand and will have to look a little deeper about the release noises and such. Stay tuned and please let me know if you have any additional questions, I will do my best to help. Joyfully!
@Simeon Amburgey I appreciate the time you took for a reply. I was thinking the signature grand would be the way to go because of the control versatility. The originals is still fantastic for what it is as well, chances are I will end up with both eventually anyway. Thanks
Wow, this is what I've been looking for all the time and I've spent so much on expensive libraries. I just went to the store to get popcorn to celebrate this! Thank you, I'm so grateful for your video(s) that introduced me to this library.
It is absolutely my pleasure! You have to take your time learning how the presets are set up and how the mic adjustments affect things but I know you are going to enjoy this library. Also it appears that there are some updates coming down the road to allow more user flexibility. Thanks so much for watching!
I had a listen without headset (I didn't have them on but the music was playing) - and yeah I got the same feeling: this sounds totally like a real piano (well classic edition but woooooooooooooaaaah) Also WITH the headset on I say :) And amazing price.. crazy!
Absolutely! This is just the first release of this library and a lot of users have been commenting about it and the developer is very open. I expect things to continue to mature with this library as it is stunning in what it does, even at this stage of release. Thanks so much for watching!
Que emocionante!!!, Simeon, realmente, difícil describir en palabras lo que me hiciste sentir con este final, que Dios siempre guíe nuestro camino, y nos lleve a la única verdad, la unidad en el Amor. Salud mi Amigo!!
It's my pleasure, thanks so much for watching. I am all about good vibes and really am so grateful to have this platform to be to share my experiences playing these amazing libraries. Stay tunes, many more vibes ahead! Have a great day!
Signature Grand is something rare and amazing for the intro price. I do agree the Garritan CFX is a masterpiece and the amount of flexibility and authenticity is second to none. I can see Signature Grand growing in the future as I mentioned to another viewer, the developer has been very responsive to the initial feedback from users, so that is exciting. Thanks for watching and supporting the channel. Stay tuned however for a possible Side by Side Garritan CFX and the VSL Synchron CFX, which should be very interesting 🤓
One of the keys to get the sound you want is wrapped in the mic position levels. The developer approached this library’s presets to emulate a “mastered” piano sound so it is running through an effects chain under the hood. If it feels like you are hitting a limiter too hard then the mic adjustments will help you find your sweet spot. So much to love in this library.
Hari, it is my pleasure. Yes, The Signature Grand is such a powerful instrument and they did a wonderful job capturing it. Thanks so much for watching.
@@PraiseTracks I was re-watching your presentation today to remind myself how to use some of the settings. What is that melody you're playing from about 5:45 - 6:07? It's beautiful
Thanks for coming back around to this one. I can’t believe this was two years ago. So the melody is actually me improving as I was going through the different settings. I am always surprised at what comes through my fingers. Thanks so much for watching and for the kind words.
how does this compare with the Bösendorfer Imperial you reviewed a couple of days ago, of course taking the price difference in consideration? When I hear this, my initial thoughts are to buy this one, and not the Imperial. This sounds terrific for the price. Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems to be better suited for more music styles than the Imperial too. Thanks again Simeon, for another great review.
Well the biggest difference is the flexibility with the microphone positions. I call this the Hans Zimmer Lite Piano as it is the same piano, recorded at the same studio but with a much nicer cost of entry. I also think that the developer behind Simple Sam is listening to all of the feedback from users and will in all likelihood continue to bring Signature Grand more updates and features in the future. As far as the Imperial, check out my latest community post to see how you can get a full 30 day license for all of the Synchron pianos to try for yourself. I think that is really the very best way to make the ultimate decision on what to purchase as it is a major investment. VSL also has a 14 day return policy which is very rare in the world of software developers. Thanks as always for watching and the great feedback, much appreciated.
I honestly think it is fairly kind. The only time when things really get dicey is when you are playing lots of notes but one workaround is to always tweak pre-load memory and increase the voice count as much as you can. For the price and for what is really under the hood, it is an amazing value and my thinking is that it is only the beginning from Simple Sam. Thanks so much for watching.
Simeon if you happen to see this: I have a new Lenovo Laptop but it only has 16 gig of ram. Is that going to be a problem with Kontact or large plug ins? If so how much is needed to be comfortable? Really enjoy your channel.
@@PraiseTracks it has an i7 processor if that is your question. I am asking more broadly. If I want to compose say a 16 track composition using kontact complete or other general plug ins, will 16 gig work at all and if not how much do I need to comfortably compose using 8 to 16 instruments from something like kontact complete?
@@PraiseTracks my laptop is an i7 9750 2.6 ghz. If I plug in an external SSD can I break Kontact komplete over multiple drives? The largest ssd ext drives are 2 tb?
I have a pair of Westone UM3s I use sometimes and I have the original AirPods I use for watching Apple TV but I have been using these really amazing in-ears for a little while as the sound stage seemed pretty open and frequency range was nice. Here is the link: KZ ZSN Pro Dynamic Hybrid Dual Driver in Ear Earphones Detachable Tangle-Free Cable Musicians in-Ear Earbuds Headphones (Blue Without Mic) www.amazon.com/dp/B07QB1LBZQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_OnPaFb4E2DPJM
There are only 8 dynamic layers with the Hans Zimmer piano, which is actually the same one used for the Signature Grand. I thought that was very interesting.
@@PraiseTracks Didn't like Hans Zimmer's piano. It's a shame cause I was expecting much more form Hans. So far the WG2 MkII is my "Go To". I've tried so many but it just has that "Mo Jo" Ya know Simeon? You can hear my demos up on Sampletekk's site.
Yes, there is a strange disconnect it seems with Spitfire’s Hans Zimmer products, between what you expect and what you actually receive. It is a similar situation I am discovering with Hans Zimmer Strings, that “mojo” seems to be hard to find. I will have to check out your WGII demos. Thanks so much for touching base. All the best.
Would you go with this pack or the Noire Piano in any moments tense? Or what is your favorite piano version so far on behalf of your reviews? Great performances btw
Signature Grand is a wonderful piano, in fact the same piano and studio used for Spitfire Audio Hans Zimmer Piano library. It is very spacious and includes many presets to give you some interesting starting points. NOIRE, as I have said many times is a work of art: a huge CFX grand but with a disarming intimacy to it. NOIRE was one of the first libraries requiring Kontakt 6 because of the Particles Engine, which took it to another creative level. There is truly not a single “best” piano library. Each one has a different color palette, a unique feel and tone, different emotions when you are playing them. The best piano is what fits into the particular arrangement you are working on. An upcoming release, I used the Woodchester Piano from Fracture Sounds along with the Signature Grand as each one fit a particular need in the song. I think Signature Grand is an amazing value for the piano you are getting. Thanks so much for watching, I hope my response was somewhat helpful? All the best.
@@PraiseTracks I think your opinion couldn't be more spot on. The texture a piano can bring is really what sells a product for the use. Wonderful review and thank you for sharing once more. Keep it up 👌👏👏
My pleasure, I think Garth the developer for the Signature Grand is working on some future updates which is encouraging. Some of them are to allow us to have more control over certain parameters. Another thing about NOIRE is that you fundamentally get TWO pianos (Pure and FELT), which provides another layer of expression. Thanks again for watching!
Ryan, Thanks for the feedback and I totally understand the perception. Since reviewing the library I have learned a lot more about what the developer was trying to accomplish and that was to provide processed and characterized presets to fit certain recordings or a particular score. There have been some updates since this video and more on the way to help smooth out many of the initial bumps in the road, especially when it comes to limiting and compression. I have found that many recently released libraries are doing a lot of processing under the hood of Kontakt that is not immediately obvious to the user as there are no direct controls correlating on the front panel. I am hoping to do a possible follow-up video to feature the updates. I would not say totally unusable, just a little initial tweaking necessary to dial in the sound you are looking for.. All the best.
Hi, Simeion thanks for this video. This is an impressive library. Does this have real una corde samples, can the soft una corde pedal be used with this library? Thanks.
It is my pleasure, and yes this is an amazing piano library. From the website I see where it mentions “Authentically modeled soft pedal (Una Corda samples)” and supports half pedaling and re-pedaling. It was recorded at AIR Studios Lyndhurst and it is the same Steinway used for the Spitfire Hans Zimmer piano. Thanks for watching.
Another amazing library which I ended up purchasing. Some of the presets are distorted, and it requires getting to the back end of kontakt to edit some of the parameters (e.g., limiters, compressors, etc) that have been set by the developer.
Yes, it is a little hard getting used to, The dev mentioned you can work around it by adjusting the mic volumes as it decreases the signal hitting the limiter. He was really going for trying to emulate certain effects and recording chains to match particular piano recordings so a lot of the settings are similar to what you might do when mastering audio.
There are some rumblings that he is working on updating some of the ways you access the under the hood settings. It is a beautiful sounding piano library once you live with it for a little while. 🤓
Blessings always!
Clearly stunning value for the price. Unless like myself, you don't own Kontakt. Sadly that then places the cost right back up there around the 400 plus. Wonderful natural playing as always Simion. It's your playing that places your library reviews above others.
I'd love to see you review the latest Keysuite bundle, specifically the new Australian Grand. That looks like a wonderful library package
Thanks again for the kind words. Right now Native Instruments is running their Summer Sale on Complete, which includes upgrade and cross grades for the full version of Kontakt. This significantly lowers the price of admission to the full version and I think if you have any interest in libraries going forward that Kontakt should definitely be on your list.
All you need to do is download the free Arcane library from Embertone which is compatible with the Free Kontakt player here: www.embertone.com/instruments/arcane.php
Once this is done you can purchase the Kontakt crossgrade.
I would also love to review the Keysuite Bundle as well. Stay tuned.
How did I miss this one... man what a beautiful instrument - instabuy. I agree this seems to be a disruptor given the $50 (intro) price!
It is amazing! They used the same Hamburg Steinway D as the one for Spitfire's HZ piano library.
Simeon Amburgey Can’t believe I only found out now haha. Usually I’m on top of things. Anyhow. Purchased it. This may well become a top 5 piano for me soon! I love the sound and I love the back story. I am also STILL drooling over the Light & Sound one. That one is literally on dozens if not more of very well known (rock music) records and film scores. Also a German Steinway, but I think it’s a C.
Stunning sampled piano. And once more I get to spend 30 minutes with one of the nicest guys on youtube! Great work and thanks for the fun.
Yes Signature Grand is truly outstanding. Thanks so much for watching and the kind words of support, I am so grateful to be able to share my experiences with all of you. All the best.
After hearing Kay's Song (8:19)...I bought this piano library! Great find Simeon! Enjoy the Popcorn!
I really enjoy listening to David Benoit. My wife and I saw him live for a Charlie Brown Christmas concert and it was wonderful. Thanks so much for watching!
So excellent, especially dry!!! I bought it as soon as I heard it.
And so you do it to me yet again Simeon. I don't know HOW in the world I have missed this instrument....owing to the fact that your video is a year and 8 months posted at this point. THIS instrument is incredible AND at its current SALE price of $49 bucks - I mean just take my money again. You keep doing what you do and it costs me everytime I watch your videos. BUT once again I have to thank you for posting this most comprehensive video. Amazing instrument indeed. THANKS again for your great reviews and for this one specifically. Such a well done library indeed. And your great playing which only makes it all sound better. Time to get out there and make this purchase now. THANKS as always for costing me money - but I DO appreciate it. :o) AAANNNDD I ALWAYS appreciate your words of wisdom, encouragement in song, and superbly great spirit reflected in all you say and do, your enthusiasm, your support of those who support you and your kind sweet heart. God has richly blessed you and us all if we look closely enough. THANKS FOR THAT from me to you. It truly means more than you might know.
I am deeply impressed by you explanation of this interesting library and the very emotional singing. Your contributions are very instructive and you, Simeon Amburgey, give it a lot pf heart and feeling. Thanks a lot for this. Greetings from Hamburg Germany Björn a lay composer. I wish you all the best.
It is my joy. So glad you enjoyed watching. Blessings!
I am not a piano player. In fact barely play any keys instrument. But your demo sold me even though my budget was already stretched due to other purchases. I am subscribing just because what a player you are.
So glad you enjoyed watching and your kind words. Music inspires me and I really enjoy sharing these wonderful libraries. Thanks again!
Howard Jones....No One Is To Blame nice snippet👍
Awesome presentation of this library! I’ve never heard of it but now I think it could be my next library. I just bought Noire yesterday finally and after bumping up the preload memory all the way, it sounds wonderful. Thanks for making these videos and hopefully you get more and more subs. I also need to get the full version of Kontakt so I could buy this library, but not sure it’s the right time. It’s great to see how exited you are about what you do. Keep up the good work!
You know during the sale Native Instruments is having now, Kontakt upgrades are up to 50% off. NOIRE is a truly wonderful library and I know you will enjoy it. Thanks again for watching and for all of your kind words of support.
Simeon, I don't have any software DAW or NI yet. Will they have a sale for first time users?
Wow that’s a great one. I like the 300 grand also so much in sound!
But this one is nice and sharp
This was the AIR Studio’s in house Steinway that was recorded. It has such a distinctive quality to it. Thanks so much for watching.
Awesome video! What is your favorite classic grand piano until now? Have you tried Imperfect Samples Walnut Concert Grand? Would love to know your thoughts on that one :)
Thanks so much Tomás, there are so many out there that it is hard to pick 🤓
I have not had a chance to try the Imperfect Samples pianos but I hear that they are exceptional, I will have to see if I can explore them in the future.
The Signature Grand is so well done and is a fabulous example of capturing such a beautiful instrument. Thanks again for watching and for the kind words of support. Joyfully! 🎹
To me it sounds more like a Yamaha, Simeon, it sounds very bright. Just got myself a Yamaha P515, top of the range in the stage piano series and it sounds great. It has 10 piano sounds two of which are their CFX and Bosondorfer Imperial samples which are very impressive. No more having to worry about overloading a CPU, although I will be playing my Garritan CFX through it, should be fun. Looking forward to your Garritan/Synchron comparison.
That sounds exciting!
Yes, the Signature is based on a Hamburg Steinway D. There are some subtle but real differences between an American Steinway and the German (Hamburg) Steinway. It was also recorded at the AIR Lyndhurst Studio in London which has a very bright and big sound so that also contributes to the characteristics of the library.
Thanks so much for the support and stay tuned, lots more adventures are ahead.
I don´t recommend this piano to anyone. Even with the "noise from the keys and pedals" removed/deselected, , you will still hear A LOT of noise from the microphones that were used to capture the sound (bad environment when the samples were recorded). The recording will never be clean enough to be used on a production. Even for just playing, it´s REALLY distracting, because the noise appears, each time you press a key. Talking about the included presets.. some are even distorted. None is usable in a production environment. The good thing is that this is cheap. But you will find better.
I am sorry to hear that you are not having a good experience with this piano. I found initially that some of the patches needed some extra work under the hood (by opening the wrench), to make some adjustments, mainly when it came to the limiter settings.
Are there any particular presets that you are hearing the noises more than others? There is a "Room Tone" setting that adjusts the ambient noise that the room is making and you can also adjust some of the key noises as well.
I will have to see if I can do some sort of follow up to see how I might get a cleaner, more direct sound.
Since it was recorded at AIR Lyndhurst Studios, you have that ambience as part of the piano sound, that makes it very large at times.
Thanks for watching and for the feedback, it helps to understand what others are experiencing out there.
All the best.
Hey Simeon! Curious on your opinion since you have great skills on piano and these vst's. How would you compare this to spitfire's originals intimate grand piano? I was thinking about the originals but want something that would be able to maybe do intimate yet be more like their new Labs autograph grand as well...but that one lacks velocity and I don't quite understand the "multi velocity mechanical noises" meaning of this vst on their page. Maybe I should just get both and use unify lol. May I pick your brain on the topic? Thanks
The Signature Grand was recorded at AIR Studios which is a much larger hall. It also has quite a few velocity layers and a way to adjust the mic positions to help zero in on the particular sound you might want. I need to check to see what kind of close intimate sound I could get with Signature.
The Originals Intimate Grand includes only the lower velocity layers so you probably would not get above mf dynamics. It is also a smaller Steinway B which also would contribute to a quieter overall tone.
The Originals pianos never focus on providing too many dynamic layers, I think the most I have seen is possibly 4. They come across to me more like what you would call a “character” piano, one that is going for a particular mood or tone.
I have spent a little time with the new Autograph Grand and will have to look a little deeper about the release noises and such.
Stay tuned and please let me know if you have any additional questions, I will do my best to help. Joyfully!
@Simeon Amburgey I appreciate the time you took for a reply. I was thinking the signature grand would be the way to go because of the control versatility. The originals is still fantastic for what it is as well, chances are I will end up with both eventually anyway. Thanks
Such a great presentation and your super vocals were a nice added touch. Terrific job and thank you!
It is my pleasure. I really appreciate the kind words. All the best!
Wow, this is what I've been looking for all the time and I've spent so much on expensive libraries. I just went to the store to get popcorn to celebrate this! Thank you, I'm so grateful for your video(s) that introduced me to this library.
It is absolutely my pleasure! You have to take your time learning how the presets are set up and how the mic adjustments affect things but I know you are going to enjoy this library. Also it appears that there are some updates coming down the road to allow more user flexibility.
Thanks so much for watching!
I had a listen without headset (I didn't have them on but the music was playing) - and yeah I got the same feeling: this sounds totally like a real piano (well classic edition but woooooooooooooaaaah)
Also WITH the headset on I say :) And amazing price.. crazy!
Absolutely! This is just the first release of this library and a lot of users have been commenting about it and the developer is very open. I expect things to continue to mature with this library as it is stunning in what it does, even at this stage of release. Thanks so much for watching!
Que emocionante!!!, Simeon, realmente, difícil describir en palabras lo que me hiciste sentir con este final, que Dios siempre guíe nuestro camino, y nos lleve a la única verdad, la unidad en el Amor. Salud mi Amigo!!
Thank you so much my friend for your kind and encouraging words. All the best.
good review , very nice. And very cool to see you smile and send good vibes through the screen. Thanks :) .
It's my pleasure, thanks so much for watching. I am all about good vibes and really am so grateful to have this platform to be to share my experiences playing these amazing libraries.
Stay tunes, many more vibes ahead!
Have a great day!
Instant buy! Best sounding piano recordings I ever heard...
John, it is indeed an amazing accomplishment. They did an excellent job putting this together. Thanks so much for watching.
sounds good but i must say nothing beats my Full 120 GB Grand Gartian CFX, nothing comes even close! :) but this one is not bad at all...
Signature Grand is something rare and amazing for the intro price. I do agree the Garritan CFX is a masterpiece and the amount of flexibility and authenticity is second to none. I can see Signature Grand growing in the future as I mentioned to another viewer, the developer has been very responsive to the initial feedback from users, so that is exciting.
Thanks for watching and supporting the channel. Stay tuned however for a possible Side by Side Garritan CFX and the VSL Synchron CFX, which should be very interesting 🤓
@@PraiseTracks Agreed Simeon. I hope to see more great libraries and advancements from Simple Sam Samples.
Always a pleasure watching and hearing you play Simeon!
I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to share on this platform. Your encouragement and support is greatly appreciated.
Awesome! Hh I heard ‘walk on’ as ‘rock on’ for a moment. Both work.
😎, Thanks for watching, so glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for doing this! Blessings
My pleasure Isaac, this is such a hidden gem of a piano, Steinway, recorded at AIR, wow 🤓 Thanks so much for watching. Joyfully!🎹
Currently watching this with my hand on my wallet lol. Awesome review + playing!
Bought it about 28 mins in, can't wait to have a play with it :D
I know you will enjoy the library. Thanks so much for watching
One of the keys to get the sound you want is wrapped in the mic position levels.
The developer approached this library’s presets to emulate a “mastered” piano sound so it is running through an effects chain under the hood.
If it feels like you are hitting a limiter too hard then the mic adjustments will help you find your sweet spot.
So much to love in this library.
So so so nice, Simeon!
Thank you for such a detailed a video on this library. I purchased it immediately after watching your review and it's been incredible!
Hari, it is my pleasure. Yes, The Signature Grand is such a powerful instrument and they did a wonderful job capturing it. Thanks so much for watching.
@@PraiseTracks I was re-watching your presentation today to remind myself how to use some of the settings. What is that melody you're playing from about 5:45 - 6:07? It's beautiful
Thanks for coming back around to this one. I can’t believe this was two years ago.
So the melody is actually me improving as I was going through the different settings.
I am always surprised at what comes through my fingers. Thanks so much for watching and for the kind words.
@@PraiseTracks you are unbelievably talented! Love your channel to no end :)
how does this compare with the Bösendorfer Imperial you reviewed a couple of days ago, of course taking the price difference in consideration? When I hear this, my initial thoughts are to buy this one, and not the Imperial. This sounds terrific for the price. Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems to be better suited for more music styles than the Imperial too. Thanks again Simeon, for another great review.
Well the biggest difference is the flexibility with the microphone positions. I call this the Hans Zimmer Lite Piano as it is the same piano, recorded at the same studio but with a much nicer cost of entry. I also think that the developer behind Simple Sam is listening to all of the feedback from users and will in all likelihood continue to bring Signature Grand more updates and features in the future.
As far as the Imperial, check out my latest community post to see how you can get a full 30 day license for all of the Synchron pianos to try for yourself. I think that is really the very best way to make the ultimate decision on what to purchase as it is a major investment.
VSL also has a 14 day return policy which is very rare in the world of software developers.
Thanks as always for watching and the great feedback, much appreciated.
What a great sounding!
It’s and amazing piano library. The sound of the Steinway at AIR Studios is really something. Thanks so much for watching.
Amazing sound.
I agree Tran, this is a beautiful piano library with so much potential. Thanks so much for watching.
Wow! That sounds great! Thanks for sharing! How much of a hog is it?
I honestly think it is fairly kind. The only time when things really get dicey is when you are playing lots of notes but one workaround is to always tweak pre-load memory and increase the voice count as much as you can.
For the price and for what is really under the hood, it is an amazing value and my thinking is that it is only the beginning from Simple Sam.
Thanks so much for watching.
Simeon if you happen to see this: I have a new Lenovo Laptop but it only has 16 gig of ram. Is that going to be a problem with Kontact or large plug ins? If so how much is needed to be comfortable? Really enjoy your channel.
So it might work, you just have to have fast storage like an SSD. Also the CPU plays a part in this as well. What CPU does your laptop have?
@@PraiseTracks it has an i7 processor if that is your question. I am asking more broadly. If I want to compose say a 16 track composition using kontact complete or other general plug ins, will 16 gig work at all and if not how much do I need to comfortably compose using 8 to 16 instruments from something like kontact complete?
@@PraiseTracks my laptop is an i7 9750 2.6 ghz. If I plug in an external SSD can I break Kontact komplete over multiple drives? The largest ssd ext drives are 2 tb?
Marvelous.
One of my favorite pianos for Kontakt. Thanks so much for watching. Joyfully!🎹
Which AirPods are you using?
I have a pair of Westone UM3s I use sometimes and I have the original AirPods I use for watching Apple TV but I have been using these really amazing in-ears for a little while as the sound stage seemed pretty open and frequency range was nice. Here is the link: KZ ZSN Pro Dynamic Hybrid Dual Driver in Ear Earphones Detachable Tangle-Free Cable Musicians in-Ear Earbuds Headphones (Blue Without Mic) www.amazon.com/dp/B07QB1LBZQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_OnPaFb4E2DPJM
Thanks so much for watching and hope you are enjoying the channel?
Simeon Amburgey I always wait for your videos ! Thanks for sharing the Westone info!
Only 10 dynamic levels. Hmmmm
There are only 8 dynamic layers with the Hans Zimmer piano, which is actually the same one used for the Signature Grand. I thought that was very interesting.
@@PraiseTracks Didn't like Hans Zimmer's piano. It's a shame cause I was expecting much more form Hans. So far the WG2 MkII is my "Go To". I've tried so many but it just has that "Mo Jo" Ya know Simeon? You can hear my demos up on Sampletekk's site.
Yes, there is a strange disconnect it seems with Spitfire’s Hans Zimmer products, between what you expect and what you actually receive. It is a similar situation I am discovering with Hans Zimmer Strings, that “mojo” seems to be hard to find.
I will have to check out your WGII demos.
Thanks so much for touching base. All the best.
Would you go with this pack or the Noire Piano in any moments tense? Or what is your favorite piano version so far on behalf of your reviews? Great performances btw
Signature Grand is a wonderful piano, in fact the same piano and studio used for Spitfire Audio Hans Zimmer Piano library. It is very spacious and includes many presets to give you some interesting starting points. NOIRE, as I have said many times is a work of art: a huge CFX grand but with a disarming intimacy to it. NOIRE was one of the first libraries requiring Kontakt 6 because of the Particles Engine, which took it to another creative level.
There is truly not a single “best” piano library. Each one has a different color palette, a unique feel and tone, different emotions when you are playing them. The best piano is what fits into the particular arrangement you are working on.
An upcoming release, I used the Woodchester Piano from Fracture Sounds along with the Signature Grand as each one fit a particular need in the song.
I think Signature Grand is an amazing value for the piano you are getting.
Thanks so much for watching, I hope my response was somewhat helpful?
All the best.
@@PraiseTracks I think your opinion couldn't be more spot on. The texture a piano can bring is really what sells a product for the use. Wonderful review and thank you for sharing once more. Keep it up 👌👏👏
My pleasure, I think Garth the developer for the Signature Grand is working on some future updates which is encouraging. Some of them are to allow us to have more control over certain parameters.
Another thing about NOIRE is that you fundamentally get TWO pianos (Pure and FELT), which provides another layer of expression. Thanks again for watching!
@@PraiseTracks Super update and thank you for the heads up notification. You're musicianship is eminent...
Over compressed. Harsh. Unusable
Ryan, Thanks for the feedback and I totally understand the perception. Since reviewing the library I have learned a lot more about what the developer was trying to accomplish and that was to provide processed and characterized presets to fit certain recordings or a particular score.
There have been some updates since this video and more on the way to help smooth out many of the initial bumps in the road, especially when it comes to limiting and compression.
I have found that many recently released libraries are doing a lot of processing under the hood of Kontakt that is not immediately obvious to the user as there are no direct controls correlating on the front panel. I am hoping to do a possible follow-up video to feature the updates.
I would not say totally unusable, just a little initial tweaking necessary to dial in the sound you are looking for.. All the best.