I, too, doubt that one can judge on the quality of all these piano emulators this way. The video/YT uses highly compressed audio output, destroying any nuances and sound effects. The video does not show the individual VSTi controls, settings, echo/reverb features etc. It cannot show how the software reacts to MIDI input by your own keyboard, its velocity mechanism etc. For many years I stuck to "TheGrand2", when playing over the Kurzweil piano speakers, and to "TruePianos" when using headphones. Either would not sound 'right' to me the other way. Currently I am fiddling with a couple of new faovorites: Addictive Keys and PianoInBlue, the first one being my absolute choice for Jazz piano recordings. Just got a huge Fazioli sample package and am curious if 'size' (of the real instrument AND the ridiculous 30GByte of samples themselves) really matters. One has to experiment, using the existing hardware (keyboard, soundcard, speakers etc) to match the sampling done by the various authors; the outcome will vary a lot, not in this video.
Keith, I just want to say thanks for putting this together. It's really unusual to be able to audition so many virtual pianos side-by-side like this to really get a fair perspective on them all.
This is absolutely brilliant for really hearing the differences. It's hard (for me at least) to tell the difference sometimes because I'd have to cycle and search through so many online, then you end up forgetting how the last one sounded going back, losing the previous one again etc. It was mess... I guess in short I should've just said thank you! lol
Also important to note is that it's not about the gear but the level of intelligence of the artist who wields the gear... Audiences for the most part want to be entertained and care not about minuscule differences in the quality of the tools used to make the final product so as long as the final product "MOVES" them in such a way that they remember... I'd even go as far as to say that most have not yet and/or never will achieve the ability to discern the subtle nuances of the art they enjoy the most... In short build your understanding so that you can conjure emotional reaction/interaction with whatever budget your pockets permit
This is absolutely brilliant. Thank you so much for taking the time to present all this. I'm a TV composer based in England and the Galaxy Vintage D has been my main piano for a while but I'm not completely happy with it - it just doesn't have that deep rich beauty I'm looking for in solo piano. The music you used is perfect for a piano comparison test. It's obviously all subjective - but for me, the three that stood out in terms of that intangible richness and harmonic beauty were True Keys American, Evolution Rosewood Grand and EWQL Bosendorfer 290 Gold.
Awesome video! Thanks so much for putting this together. Extremely helpful. I was amazed at how much emotion the VSL Imperial Grand expressed vs the others. The runner up for me was the Galaxy Vintage D. Thanks again for helping with my decision.
By now, 360 definition in UA-cam is preventing the audio from being heard to its full clarity. That said, Keith Hancock, I appreciate that you created and posted this comprehensive comparison! If you make a new one that can post in at least 1080 definition (which would optimize the audio slightly I think) that would be great if you could add Ravenscroft275 with some combined mic positions! Thank you.
Do not forget, most of these programs have quite a bit of tonal and dynamic adjustment ability. You could probably get a good sound out of most of them. Also depends on what kind of music you are recording. When I first installed Ivory American grand I was not wowed by the basic presets. Then I tweaked the touch response to my controller and adjusted dynamics for my playing style. I use Ivory and Ravenescroft quite often with dynamics compressed a bit to make the piano's presence in the mix much clearer. Easy to do with software. Not so easy when recording a real piano. Sometimes Ivory sounds better to me, and sometimes Ravenscroft does. All depends on the rest of the music it is blending with.
+Brian Anderson I KNOW! I was recording with those two pianos last night, actually, and I found them remarkably similar! I still prefer the Ravenscroft over all, but I was quite impressed with the Grandeur!
Keith Hancock Nice man! After some research, I'm deciding between these 3 right now: 1) CFX Concert Grand (Best for price) (For solos) 2) Grandeur (Close contender) 3) Pianoteq 5 (for music production: I'll be using my first virtual piano mostly for this so I may just go with Pianoteq for the price).
+Brian Anderson The Grandeur lacks expressiveness. It sounds ok in demo's but once you play it you will notice. I'm not a fan of Pianoteq. The attack just doesn't sound right. Abbey Road CFX Concert Grand is great. I own that as well but the best one remains the Ravenscroft 275.
What are everyones personal top 5 favourite pianos? My top 5 favourite libraries would probably be: 1) Soniccouture The Hammersmith (with quite a lot of room in the mix) 2) Garritan Abbey Road Studios Yamaha CFX (player setting) 3) VI-Labs Ravenscroft 275 4) Vienna Symphonic Library Vienna Imperial 5) 8Dio 1969 Legacy Grand Piano Others I like but don't make my top 5 are Premier Sound Factory's Piano Premier, VI-Labs True Keys (American), Galaxy Vintage D, Piano in Blue v2, and e-instruments Session Keys Grand S
Cool and helpful video. I think it's missing the point to say any is better than another, unless you're talking in technical terms of the sample pack and how meticulously it was captured. You can have 5 acoustic pianos all of the same make and model and each one will have its own slight tonal variations. It's the nature of acoustic instruments because its tonality is the sum of everything from the materials used to the person who assembled it. Even two $100,000 Steinway Model D pianos won't be exactly the same in tonality.
THANKS for the video! I've always used Ivory II for jazz and classical and NI for pop/rock, which are great, but I really wanna check the the imperfect Samples, I am very impressed with their quality, I think this exactly what I was looking for it, thanks again...
Actually not looking at the price.. I love the dynamics and sound of the Ivory II Steinway D ... its quite amasing. and for the price.. i think Kawai EX Pro is.. absolutely a blast. such a rich sound.. it's my second place after Ivory II Steinway D
Good review video. I work with this software program as well and didn't realize what all this could do until I watched your review vid. Keep up the great work and many thanks for the honest feedback. Thanks Damon
The EWQL examples here sound quite impressive, but I went to their site to hear the demos they've provided, and something sounds off. The Impact Sounds Peal Concert Grand is about the most realistic-sounding I have come across thus far. When listening to samples made using that I am just about able to believe that I am listening to a recording of a live performance. The sampled piano perhaps doesn't have the richest and most complex sound, as pianos go, but it seems as though they did a great job with the sampling in terms of realism. I've never tried using it so I don't have any idea how it feels to play with. I used to use Ivory II American D which wasn't bad. It is pretty rich and detailed, but it just sounds too clean, and a bit on the thin side in some registers. I also had great difficulty adjusting it so that the touch / velocity response felt just right - I don't think I ever got there. It sounded quite satisfying even though it couldn't fool on close inspection, but I am discovering that there are better alternatives around these days, perhaps not necessarily the ones with the largest libraries. I had a listen to the Hans Zimmer and I'm not sure. I wasn't that impressed.
This is a great comparison! Thanks Keith! My usual suspects in use have always been the Ivory (1 not 2.. yet) German steinway, and the imperfect samples braunschweig upright, though recently been enjoying the EW C7 a lot (thanks to composer cloud). To me though, the VSL imperial just sits way above everything else... one day!
There are some others in the mid range that sound quite good: Addictive Keys Studio Grand SampleTekk Black Piano in Blue All Steinway D libraries, the last one featuring the piano from CBS studios that Glen Gould recorded on and Bill Evans recorded the legendary Miles Davis "Kind of Blue" album on. Good to have choices as no one piano fits all styles and all mixes perfectly.
In English: In my opinion, I've found the best three sounds on virtual instruments like 6:18 Acousticsamples Kawai EX PRO, 9:44 True Keys Italian (Fazioli), 13:50 Production Grand LE. BUT, only according to THIS piece. I wish I could hear Chopin's Nocturnes' comparison to know whether the instruments SING good enough. Русский: Я считаю, лучше всего здесь звучат следующие виртуальные инструменты: 6:18 Acousticsamples Kawai EX PRO, 9:44 True Keys Italian (Fazioli), 13:50 Production Grand LE. Свою оценку основываю только на ЭТОМ произведении. Хотелось бы услышать ноктюрны Шопена в сравнении, чтобы оценить, какие из этих инструментов достаточно хорошо поют.
Hi Keith Hancock, have you heard about Chocolate Audio - The 88 Series, Acoustic Samples The Old Black, Piano in Blue, Impact Soundworks The Pearl and Sampletekk series? I'm curious of what you can think about them
Hi!. Is there a way we could have the midi file for testing ? I own Pianoteq 5 with a couple of pianos, I especially like the Bluthner model. Thank you! Great video.
All the libraries seem to struggle with the high velocity notes. I cant make out if its because of the youtube sound quality / your midi keyboard quality / or the library itself.. Ignoring that problem , alicia keys sound nice both in the soundstage and bass(but it seems to suffer more than a few others in the high velocity notes)
Thank you for doing this ... you might want to repost this and set the video for 720 or 1080. At those setting the audio will be higher quality and I notice the high end is a bit smeared. Regardless of that this is a very helpful video! :)
It's very subjective but the Galaxy Pianos lacked depth to my ears, surprising given the price. I own the Ivory and consider it equal to any here though the East West Quantum Leap Yamaha sounded great. Thanks for a great video.
Is the same .midi file used on all the pianos, or was the song performed live a different time for each of the pianos? (Some of them sound so different! I can't tell if that's owing to the VST's being so different but using the same .midi file, or if the song were re-performed to respond to the way each VST responds differently.)
Sir, can you provide us with the MIDI file you used to test out the VSTs? Maybe we can do some testing and modifications to it ourselves and come up with our own conclusions! Besides, the music is really catchy
Is it possible to add more pianos like Pianoteq5, Ivory II, VILabs Ravenscroft 275 ? Or is it possible to get the midi file so I could test this for my self?
The Vienna Imperial is easily the best virtual piano in this comparison. However in my opinion, the newer VI Labs Ravenscroft 275 and Garritan Yamaha CFX are now at least as good as the much more expensive vienna imperial if not better. The brand new 1990 Studio Yamaha by 8Dio also sounds very sweet, as well as their 1969 Steinway. Where CPU usage or RAM becomes an issue on cheaper setups, of course it's better to use a modelled piano and in this case I think the best available are the Yamaha S90ES Natural Grand Library for Kontakt, Bluthner Model 1 (BA) and Steinway Model D (Classical) in Pianoteq 5, XL Fazioli and Steinway Pianos in the Nord Stage 2, Sound Magic Thor (based on Horowitz's 1989 Steinway) and Sound Magic Fazioli Rose. Personally, I really want one of the sampling companies like 8Dio, einstruments, vienna instruments, Garritan, or VI Labs etc to create a sampled; Bluthner Model One, Schimmel K280, or Pleyel P280. I realise Pro Audio Vault have already created a Bluthner Model One library. I have not yet had the chance to try it out, but I wouldn't expect too much from it as I believe it is only a 6GB file.
***** I disagree. For a small number of the best pianos, including the Ravenscroft and Bosendorfer emulations you mentioned, it comes down to personal tonal preference, mixed with genre suitability! Although I accept the Vienna Imperial Grand is a very faithful, detailed, and impressively stereo sounding emulation, I don't like the tone of Bosendorfer Concert Grands at all, and much prefer the Soniccouture Hammersmith (Steinway Model D), Garritan Yamaha CFX, VI-Labs Ravenscroft 275, and 8Dio 1969 Legacy Grand. If I had to choose one, I would probably say the absolute "best" (although there isn't really such a thing), is the Hammersmith.
***** In my opinion, there is no more harshness in the upper registers of the Hammersmith than there is in an actual Steinway & Sons Model D, and I also dont think the hammersmith's bass is muddy at all,and any controller response problems can be fixed, or rather "learned", in user mode, or with the patch. The VSL Vienna Imperial sounds very good overall, espicially in the lower octaves, but its very veiled in its midrange and top end compared to the Hammersmith. But like I said, when you are picking from the best libraries it simply comes down to personal preference, and how well a piano tone is suited to a particular pianist or genre. Valentina Lisitsa prefers Bosendorfers, whereas Lang Lang prefers Steinways. I am very surprised you mention the Ivory in a good light though, as I own all the Ivory Pianos (both versions), and think they are all of rather poor quality.
I'd go with one or more of the offerings from True Keys. I think Vienna is fantastic, but not quite worth the price unless you get a killer deal on it. My favorite now is the True Keys Ravenscroft (not on this video), but the other True Keys are all great.
Keith Hancock I bought it but am so unsatisfied with it that I give it back and luckely they also give the money back... in my ears it has a very metallic sound.. not good at all. The best softwares I used so far are the Galaxy Pianos and the True Pianos... not expensive, but really good sound and feeling when playing them.. Especially with the true piano I almoust never need to do any edits afterwards... Thanks for sharing your view ... I can now confirm from experience ;)
The reason I'm asking this is because I just happened to be able to try out the Ivory Studio piano at home and it does not sound the same at all. Your recording is so much better. What is your secret?
I'd say my favorite is the one that didn't make it onto this video, Ravenscroft by True Keys. Look them up. Their samples will astound you. Cost is $199.
I ended up getting Pianoteq after referring to this list, and love its precise customizing of tones by just playing with the virtual mics. It's also physics modeled for better playability than samples (or so I've heard).
+Anderson Girotto Agreed. I love the Acoustic samples for their - across the board - sampling. While some better at base or even high, they all have some tinny or synthetic weak spots while the AS seems to do well from top to bottom. I'm looking to purchase this year and after listening to just about everything out there, the AS seem to me to be the best for the money.
Brandon Guimbellot I still have not DAW system! I need to know HOW to use Vienna Imperial for example. After purchasing the software, what to do after it???? Use MIDI keyboard, but which software for PC?? Please explain me in details the LOGIC.
+Keith Hancock I don't understand it. I to have logic and when I use Ivory it sounds like a mess. there must have been something that you did to get such a great sound.
+Victor Krottner dude, i think you should try spending a lot of time messing with the velocity of every note, that makes a huge difference! you should try it if you haven't already. cheers!
+Victor Krottner DAW don't change the sound, just play mathematically what was recorded. As Henry said, try to play with more dynamics will greatly improve your sound! Pianists studying a lifetime to improve their dynamics!
I disagree, when i play using Ivory it sounds fine. Logic Pro will not let me directly record what i play so I have to record it in midi format in Logic Pro and then play it back with the Ivory plug in and then it all sounds muddy from too much bass. Are you telling me you can get logic Pro to record audio and not midi when you play using the Ivory program?
For me, all those vst pianos sounds more or less unrealistic, some of them like a toy if I compare with the real thing. Nowadays,in my opinion, the only two ones that sounds like a real piano are: VI Labs Ravenscroft 275 and CFX Concert Grand (Garritan Abbey Road Studios). Unfortunately, none of them are listed here, nor is Piano In Blue, a great sounding piano with a beautiful tone.
+Mus RnB Try changing the little switch near the bottom from Tape to Direct. I've found that got rid of a lot of the sound and panning inconsistencies.
None of these demos is able to convey a physical touch (playability, how it responses to a player) of this or that instrument. So there is no point of such kind of comparisons in terms of use the instruments as a substitute for an acoustic/digital piano. For instance, in the demo both TK pianos and Production Grand sound good pretty much but in fact the last one suffers from lack of proper programming (despite the samples have been recorded very well) that makes it to be unwanted to play. I've got dozens of virtual pianos but Ravenscroft is the best to play.
Check out production voices. I have tried tonnes of virtual pianos, but its hands down my favourite: www.productionvoices.com/products/piano-samples/production-grand-2/
I've owned ALL pianos by Production Voices: Studio Grand, Estate Grand and Production Voices for more than a year and I have to say that is not my cup of tea for several reasons. First of all, they were designed for rendering purposes rather than live playing. As a result they suffer from lack of PROPER response to a physical play. Second of all, there is no integrity of sound in these as well as many other libraries. This means that when a single note is being played it sounds marvellous but when a piece is played the entire sound picture is perceived as bunch of separate notes but not as a sound that is reproduced by one instrument. I believe this drawback can be eliminated by improvement of Kontakt scripts the pianos are run upon. IS "Fazioli" and especially VIlabs Ravenscroft could be considered as examples of successful programming and good sound. P.S. To my mind the best piano of Production Voices is Studio Grand but a very stepped transition between layers makes the piano practically unusable for play.
Vintage D was good enough at its time but there are other options on the market that definitely outperform one by far. They are Synthogy and VLabs. If sound really matters for you Pianotek is the worst thing to go. Synthesis is synthesis. Whatever is synthetic is not definitely real. But some may like it since their piano sound criteria is not that strict.
MSM5500 Thank you! Your favorites are IS Fazioli and the Ravenscroft? Do you think if I already own the IS Fazioli any other piano is worth buying? I tried the Pianoteq now a bit more and I agree it sounds much worse compared to the IS.
Vienna Imperial is only 295 € anymore: www.vsl.co.at/de/Keyboards_Complete/Vienna_Imperial Worth it! Although sometimes I would like to also have a Blüthner sound.
Stay away from Imperfect Samples, unless you already own NI Kontakt, I can tell you that much from experience. It claims to support VST but it has very poor VST plugin and it's just not worth the hassle. There was also digital distortion on some of the velocity layers, which just isn't cool when paying £100. That said, it does sound great, IF you use Kontakt. But there might be better alternatives.
0:08 Logic Steinway (included in MainStage-$30)
0:49 Logic Busendorfer (included in Mainstage-$30)
1:30 Logic Yamaha (included in Mainstage-$30)
2:12 NI Berlin Concert Grand-$69, 3 for $149
2:52 NI New York Concert Grand-$69, 3 for $149
3:33 NI Vienna Concert Grand-$69, 3 for $149
4:15 NI Upright-$69
4:56 NI Alicia's Keys-$99
5:37 NI-Galaxy The Giant-$99
6:18 Acousticsamples Kawai EX PRO-$123
6:59 Pianoteq 4 Stage D4-$129
7:40 Galaxy Vintage D-$150
8:21 True Keys American-$150, 350 for all 3
9:02 True Keys German-$150, 350 for all 3
9:44 True Keys Italian-$150, $350 for all 3
10:25 Vienna Bosendorfer Imperial-$165
11:06 Ivory Italian-$170
11:47 Evolution Rosewood Grand-$179
12:28 Ivory American-$180
13:09 Imperfect Samples Fazioli Complete-$200
13:50 Production Grand LE-$200
14:31 EWQL Bechstein Gold-$260
15:12 EWQL Bosendorfer 290 Gold-$260
15:54 EWQL Steinway D Gold-$260
16:35 EWQL Yamaha C7 Gold-$260
17:16 Galaxy 1929 German-$270
17:57 Galaxy Steinway-$270
18:38 Galaxy Vienna-$270
19:20 Ivory Bosendorfer-$320
20:00 Ivory German-$320
20:42 Ivory Studio-$320
21:23 Vienna Imperial-$679
I, too, doubt that one can judge on the quality of all these piano emulators this way.
The video/YT uses highly compressed audio output, destroying any nuances and sound effects.
The video does not show the individual VSTi controls, settings, echo/reverb features etc.
It cannot show how the software reacts to MIDI input by your own keyboard, its velocity mechanism etc.
For many years I stuck to "TheGrand2", when playing over the Kurzweil piano speakers, and to "TruePianos" when using headphones. Either would not sound 'right' to me the other way.
Currently I am fiddling with a couple of new faovorites: Addictive Keys and PianoInBlue, the first one being my absolute choice for Jazz piano recordings.
Just got a huge Fazioli sample package and am curious if 'size' (of the real instrument AND the ridiculous 30GByte of samples themselves) really matters.
One has to experiment, using the existing hardware (keyboard, soundcard, speakers etc) to match the sampling done by the various authors; the outcome will vary a lot, not in this video.
6:38 Acousticsamples Kawai EX PRO-$123
18:17 Galaxy Steinway-$270
8:00 Galaxy Vintage D-$150
2:32 NI Berlin Concert Grand-$69, 3 for $149
3:53 NI Vienna Concert Grand-$69, 3 for $149
11:26 Ivory Italian-$170
12:48 Ivory American-$180
14:10 Production Grand LE-$200
21:43 Vienna Imperial-$679
Keith, I just want to say thanks for putting this together. It's really unusual to be able to audition so many virtual pianos side-by-side like this to really get a fair perspective on them all.
This is absolutely brilliant for really hearing the differences. It's hard (for me at least) to tell the difference sometimes because I'd have to cycle and search through so many online, then you end up forgetting how the last one sounded going back, losing the previous one again etc. It was mess... I guess in short I should've just said thank you! lol
Also important to note is that it's not about the gear but the level of intelligence of the artist who wields the gear... Audiences for the most part want to be entertained and care not about minuscule differences in the quality of the tools used to make the final product so as long as the final product "MOVES" them in such a way that they remember... I'd even go as far as to say that most have not yet and/or never will achieve the ability to discern the subtle nuances of the art they enjoy the most... In short build your understanding so that you can conjure emotional reaction/interaction with whatever budget your pockets permit
beautiful: 11:47 Evolution Rosewood Grand-$179
12:28 Ivory American-$180
The best comparison i've seen on youtube. Thanks !
This is absolutely brilliant. Thank you so much for taking the time to present all this. I'm a TV composer based in England and the Galaxy Vintage D has been my main piano for a while but I'm not completely happy with it - it just doesn't have that deep rich beauty I'm looking for in solo piano. The music you used is perfect for a piano comparison test. It's obviously all subjective - but for me, the three that stood out in terms of that intangible richness and harmonic beauty were True Keys American, Evolution Rosewood Grand and EWQL Bosendorfer 290 Gold.
Awesome video! Thanks so much for putting this together. Extremely helpful. I was amazed at how much emotion the VSL Imperial Grand expressed vs the others. The runner up for me was the Galaxy Vintage D. Thanks again for helping with my decision.
The Giant and The New York Grand are my favourites.
Just a pity that the quality of the recording is quite low with 360p, that's a bummer.
I just fall in love with the Vienna Imperial...it sounds so real and warm and beautiful! Soo expensive >_>
It's on special until October 31!
I bought it, too, although I now notice I also like Blüthner. They are only 295 € anymore.
By now, 360 definition in UA-cam is preventing the audio from being heard to its full clarity. That said, Keith Hancock, I appreciate that you created and posted this comprehensive comparison! If you make a new one that can post in at least 1080 definition (which would optimize the audio slightly I think) that would be great if you could add Ravenscroft275 with some combined mic positions! Thank you.
Do not forget, most of these programs have quite a bit of tonal and dynamic adjustment ability. You could probably get a good sound out of most of them. Also depends on what kind of music you are recording. When I first installed Ivory American grand I was not wowed by the basic presets. Then I tweaked the touch response to my controller and adjusted dynamics for my playing style. I use Ivory and Ravenescroft quite often with dynamics compressed a bit to make the piano's presence in the mix much clearer. Easy to do with software. Not so easy when recording a real piano. Sometimes Ivory sounds better to me, and sometimes Ravenscroft does. All depends on the rest of the music it is blending with.
Thanks for taking the time out to make this video. its very helpful...
My top picks in no specific order are... Kawai Ex Pro, True Keys Pianos & The Production Grand. Great upload comparison Keith! Thanks!
Excellent! Need's a part 2 with The Grandeur, Ravenscroft 275 etc!
+Brian Anderson I KNOW! I was recording with those two pianos last night, actually, and I found them remarkably similar! I still prefer the Ravenscroft over all, but I was quite impressed with the Grandeur!
Keith Hancock
Nice man! After some research, I'm deciding between these 3 right now:
1) CFX Concert Grand (Best for price) (For solos)
2) Grandeur (Close contender)
3) Pianoteq 5 (for music production: I'll be using my first virtual piano mostly for this so I may just go with Pianoteq for the price).
Did you see my follow up video?
+Keith Hancock I just did, thanks it was nicely done!
+Brian Anderson The Grandeur lacks expressiveness. It sounds ok in demo's but once you play it you will notice. I'm not a fan of Pianoteq. The attack just doesn't sound right. Abbey Road CFX Concert Grand is great. I own that as well but the best one remains the Ravenscroft 275.
Man!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to upload this. Seriously informative and appreciated!
What are everyones personal top 5 favourite pianos?
My top 5 favourite libraries would probably be:
1) Soniccouture The Hammersmith (with quite a lot of room in the mix)
2) Garritan Abbey Road Studios Yamaha CFX (player setting)
3) VI-Labs Ravenscroft 275
4) Vienna Symphonic Library Vienna Imperial
5) 8Dio 1969 Legacy Grand Piano
Others I like but don't make my top 5 are Premier Sound Factory's Piano Premier, VI-Labs True Keys (American), Galaxy Vintage D, Piano in Blue v2, and e-instruments Session Keys Grand S
Cool and helpful video. I think it's missing the point to say any is better than another, unless you're talking in technical terms of the sample pack and how meticulously it was captured.
You can have 5 acoustic pianos all of the same make and model and each one will have its own slight tonal variations. It's the nature of acoustic instruments because its tonality is the sum of everything from the materials used to the person who assembled it. Even two $100,000 Steinway Model D pianos won't be exactly the same in tonality.
THANKS for the video!
I've always used Ivory II for jazz and classical and NI for pop/rock, which are great, but I really wanna check the the imperfect Samples, I am very impressed with their quality, I think this exactly what I was looking for it, thanks again...
Thanks for the opportunity to compare these virt.instruments.
Actually not looking at the price.. I love the dynamics and sound of the Ivory II Steinway D ... its quite amasing. and for the price.. i think Kawai EX Pro is.. absolutely a blast. such a rich sound.. it's my second place after Ivory II Steinway D
Good review video. I work with this software program as well and didn't realize what all this could do until I watched your review vid. Keep up the great work and many thanks for the honest feedback.
Thanks
Damon
The EWQL examples here sound quite impressive, but I went to their site to hear the demos they've provided, and something sounds off.
The Impact Sounds Peal Concert Grand is about the most realistic-sounding I have come across thus far. When listening to samples made using that I am just about able to believe that I am listening to a recording of a live performance. The sampled piano perhaps doesn't have the richest and most complex sound, as pianos go, but it seems as though they did a great job with the sampling in terms of realism. I've never tried using it so I don't have any idea how it feels to play with. I used to use Ivory II American D which wasn't bad. It is pretty rich and detailed, but it just sounds too clean, and a bit on the thin side in some registers. I also had great difficulty adjusting it so that the touch / velocity response felt just right - I don't think I ever got there. It sounded quite satisfying even though it couldn't fool on close inspection, but I am discovering that there are better alternatives around these days, perhaps not necessarily the ones with the largest libraries. I had a listen to the Hans Zimmer and I'm not sure. I wasn't that impressed.
This is a great comparison! Thanks Keith! My usual suspects in use have always been the Ivory (1 not 2.. yet) German steinway, and the imperfect samples braunschweig upright, though recently been enjoying the EW C7 a lot (thanks to composer cloud). To me though, the VSL imperial just sits way above everything else... one day!
Thank you so much for doing this roundup! Very helpful!
I really like the True Keys American Steinway, and Orange Tree Rosewood.
Ravenscroft 275 gets my vote. Beautiful piano. Ideally should be on this list.
thank you so much - this is a great help to choose my new VST piano !!
after all that has been commented thus far, I only want to thank you for your time. will consider some of these choices.
Eastwest Quantum really makes the most high quality virtual instruments hands down. It's very pristine.
thanks you finally some serious piano sample
Nice. I just bought True Keys American, and this video has helped confirm to me that I made the right choice!
There are some others in the mid range that sound quite good:
Addictive Keys Studio Grand
SampleTekk Black
Piano in Blue
All Steinway D libraries, the last one featuring the piano from CBS studios that Glen Gould recorded on and Bill Evans recorded the legendary Miles Davis "Kind of Blue" album on.
Good to have choices as no one piano fits all styles and all mixes perfectly.
In English: In my opinion, I've found the best three sounds on virtual instruments like 6:18 Acousticsamples Kawai EX PRO, 9:44 True Keys Italian (Fazioli), 13:50 Production Grand LE. BUT, only according to THIS piece. I wish I could hear Chopin's Nocturnes' comparison to know whether the instruments SING good enough.
Русский: Я считаю, лучше всего здесь звучат следующие виртуальные инструменты: 6:18 Acousticsamples Kawai EX PRO, 9:44 True Keys Italian (Fazioli), 13:50 Production Grand LE. Свою оценку основываю только на ЭТОМ произведении. Хотелось бы услышать ноктюрны Шопена в сравнении, чтобы оценить, какие из этих инструментов достаточно хорошо поют.
17:16 Galaxy II 1929 German Bluthner sounds like mono.
Hi Keith Hancock, have you heard about Chocolate Audio - The 88 Series, Acoustic Samples The Old Black, Piano in Blue, Impact Soundworks The Pearl and Sampletekk series? I'm curious of what you can think about them
Hi!. Is there a way we could have the midi file for testing ? I own Pianoteq 5 with a couple of pianos, I especially like the Bluthner model.
Thank you! Great video.
Ohh my word the Imperial Grand Sounds Amazing!!!!!!!
That's my favourite, too!
Wonderful! Many thanks from Brazil!
My tool of choice for pianos usually lies with NI's "The Giant" - a lot of possibilities with that one.
Vienna Imperial is by far the best piano VST. Too bad the price tag is so high.
Yep, Imperial sounds good but too expensive!!!!!
Do you know what Pharrel used for the Holy Grail piano?
It sounds unreal. I'm seriously thinking to buy.
Love the Imperfect Samples Fazioli Complete-$200
Great video! Top!
Very nice indeed. But, I would be glad to have the MIDI file in order to compare to my digital piano.
... and also with my different Pianoteq (D4, K2, Blüthner) pianos.
Ravenscroft by VI Labs came out right about when you released this video... too bad it wasn't included as it sounds fantastic!
Ravenscroft is awesome! I own it now, and it would probably be the piano I'd choose if I could only have one.
All the libraries seem to struggle with the high velocity notes. I cant make out if its because of the youtube sound quality / your midi keyboard quality / or the library itself.. Ignoring that problem , alicia keys sound nice both in the soundstage and bass(but it seems to suffer more than a few others in the high velocity notes)
Thank you for doing this ... you might want to repost this and set the video for 720 or 1080. At those setting the audio will be higher quality and I notice the high end is a bit smeared. Regardless of that this is a very helpful video! :)
Thanks for doing this!
Fantastic man! Seems like the real value happens somewhere in the $100-150 price point per piano.
Yeah, I totally agree. There's a huge jump in quality from $99 to $149 and not so much after that.
Thanks so much Keith, very helpful :)
Alicia's and Vienna Imperial are my cup of tea
what about mix craft 7 pianissimo?
It's very subjective but the Galaxy Pianos lacked depth to my ears, surprising given the price. I own the Ivory and consider it equal to any here though the East West Quantum Leap Yamaha sounded great. Thanks for a great video.
Wow! saves me a lot of time, thanks!
Is the same .midi file used on all the pianos, or was the song performed live a different time for each of the pianos? (Some of them sound so different! I can't tell if that's owing to the VST's being so different but using the same .midi file, or if the song were re-performed to respond to the way each VST responds differently.)
This is great! Cheers!
Sir, can you provide us with the MIDI file you used to test out the VSTs?
Maybe we can do some testing and modifications to it ourselves and come up with our own conclusions!
Besides, the music is really catchy
Thank you so much. You make the difference for me.
great video! thanks!
I have ivory II staeinway D, I'm thinking of pianoteq 5 and Vienna...any advise?
can i have this midi file please? (not the score)
Excellent Review...
addictive keys upright is nicer than most of these, I do appreciate this comparison
Is it possible to add more pianos like Pianoteq5, Ivory II, VILabs Ravenscroft 275 ?
Or is it possible to get the midi file so I could test this for my self?
would you be able to link were i could find this midi ?
The Vienna Imperial is easily the best virtual piano in this comparison. However in my opinion, the newer VI Labs Ravenscroft 275 and Garritan Yamaha CFX are now at least as good as the much more expensive vienna imperial if not better. The brand new 1990 Studio Yamaha by 8Dio also sounds very sweet, as well as their 1969 Steinway. Where CPU usage or RAM becomes an issue on cheaper setups, of course it's better to use a modelled piano and in this case I think the best available are the Yamaha S90ES Natural Grand Library for Kontakt, Bluthner Model 1 (BA) and Steinway Model D (Classical) in Pianoteq 5, XL Fazioli and Steinway Pianos in the Nord Stage 2, Sound Magic Thor (based on Horowitz's 1989 Steinway) and Sound Magic Fazioli Rose. Personally, I really want one of the sampling companies like 8Dio, einstruments, vienna instruments, Garritan, or VI Labs etc to create a sampled; Bluthner Model One, Schimmel K280, or Pleyel P280. I realise Pro Audio Vault have already created a Bluthner Model One library. I have not yet had the chance to try it out, but I wouldn't expect too much from it as I believe it is only a 6GB file.
***** I disagree. For a small number of the best pianos, including the Ravenscroft and Bosendorfer emulations you mentioned, it comes down to personal tonal preference, mixed with genre suitability! Although I accept the Vienna Imperial Grand is a very faithful, detailed, and impressively stereo sounding emulation, I don't like the tone of Bosendorfer Concert Grands at all, and much prefer the Soniccouture Hammersmith (Steinway Model D), Garritan Yamaha CFX, VI-Labs Ravenscroft 275, and 8Dio 1969 Legacy Grand. If I had to choose one, I would probably say the absolute "best" (although there isn't really such a thing), is the Hammersmith.
***** In my opinion, there is no more harshness in the upper registers of the Hammersmith than there is in an actual Steinway & Sons Model D, and I also dont think the hammersmith's bass is muddy at all,and any controller response problems can be fixed, or rather "learned", in user mode, or with the patch. The VSL Vienna Imperial sounds very good overall, espicially in the lower octaves, but its very veiled in its midrange and top end compared to the Hammersmith. But like I said, when you are picking from the best libraries it simply comes down to personal preference, and how well a piano tone is suited to a particular pianist or genre. Valentina Lisitsa prefers Bosendorfers, whereas Lang Lang prefers Steinways. I am very surprised you mention the Ivory in a good light though, as I own all the Ivory Pianos (both versions), and think they are all of rather poor quality.
Which one did you like most... is vienna as good as its price?
I'd go with one or more of the offerings from True Keys. I think Vienna is fantastic, but not quite worth the price unless you get a killer deal on it. My favorite now is the True Keys Ravenscroft (not on this video), but the other True Keys are all great.
Keith Hancock I bought it but am so unsatisfied with it that I give it back and luckely they also give the money back... in my ears it has a very metallic sound.. not good at all. The best softwares I used so far are the Galaxy Pianos and the True Pianos... not expensive, but really good sound and feeling when playing them.. Especially with the true piano I almoust never need to do any edits afterwards... Thanks for sharing your view ... I can now confirm from experience ;)
All I can say is, 'RAVENSCROFT':-)
I like the Ivory German Steinway G.
Is there any sheet music for this? I'd die to be able to play it! :O
+Nico Grund Yes, it's called Holy by Matt Redman. You can get it at musicnotes.com.
I am also looking for the sheet music so went to musicnotes but the scores seem different from your awesom playing. Did you rearrange it yourself?
360 only?
can someone finally make a comparison video of the plug-ins without reverb, eq, etc? :)
Very helpful comparison. Did you use any adjustments on the instruments or just played as they were?
The reason I'm asking this is because I just happened to be able to try out the Ivory Studio piano at home and it does not sound the same at all. Your recording is so much better. What is your secret?
Marcell Simó No secrets here, man. Just used default settings.
Good video!
"Busendorfer" ... O_o ... I need to visit _that_ village some day.
"Tschuldigung, wo geht's denn hier nach Busendorf?" =)
They have different personalities and fits different tracks. There is no better or worse.
Do you know how can I have the piano score? Thanks in advance!
You can get it from musicnotes.com. Look up "Holy" by Matt Redman.
You guys have seriously got to try 8Dio's 1928 Steinway. IMO it annihilates all of these.
Which is your favourite brand by tone and sound quality?
I'd say my favorite is the one that didn't make it onto this video, Ravenscroft by True Keys. Look them up. Their samples will astound you. Cost is $199.
Keith Hancock What virtual piano did Pharrell use for Holy Grail?
I ended up getting Pianoteq after referring to this list, and love its precise customizing of tones by just playing with the virtual mics. It's also physics modeled for better playability than samples (or so I've heard).
I'd like to see Acoustic Samples C7 Grand thrown in there.
+Anderson Girotto Agreed. I love the Acoustic samples for their - across the board - sampling. While some better at base or even high, they all have some tinny or synthetic weak spots while the AS seems to do well from top to bottom. I'm looking to purchase this year and after listening to just about everything out there, the AS seem to me to be the best for the money.
I like the quality price of the Native instrument grand piano, 3 for 149$
why 360p? 1080 would be good
How to install and use it??
Which devices supported?
Are the usb/midi connector synthesizers compatible?
All of that depends on the DAW you use.
Brandon Guimbellot I still have not DAW system! I need to know HOW to use Vienna Imperial for example.
After purchasing the software, what to do after it???? Use MIDI keyboard, but which software for PC??
Please explain me in details the LOGIC.
try again
many vst are compatible with native instruments kontakt 5
u can download the kontakt 5 player for free
what DAW did you use to record this? Was there any EQ or other treatments applied or is straight from the box sound?
+Victor Krottner I used Logic. No EQ and straight out of the box.
+Keith Hancock I don't understand it. I to have logic and when I use Ivory it sounds like a mess. there must have been something that you did to get such a great sound.
+Victor Krottner dude, i think you should try spending a lot of time messing with the velocity of every note, that makes a huge difference! you should try it if you haven't already.
cheers!
+Victor Krottner DAW don't change the sound, just play mathematically what was recorded. As Henry said, try to play with more dynamics will greatly improve your sound! Pianists studying a lifetime to improve their dynamics!
I disagree, when i play using Ivory it sounds fine. Logic Pro will not let me directly record what i play so I have to record it in midi format in Logic Pro and then play it back with the Ivory plug in and then it all sounds muddy from too much bass. Are you telling me you can get logic Pro to record audio and not midi when you play using the Ivory program?
For me, all those vst pianos sounds more or less unrealistic, some of them like a toy if I compare with the real thing. Nowadays,in my opinion, the only two ones that sounds like a real piano are: VI Labs Ravenscroft 275 and CFX Concert Grand (Garritan Abbey Road Studios). Unfortunately, none of them are listed here, nor is Piano In Blue, a great sounding piano with a beautiful tone.
Jose Arroyo I have Piano In Blue- a wonderful, warm instrument, brimming with character, unlike any demonstrated here. My favourite, by far
Jose Arroyo Thank you for your post - thanks to it I have learned about Garritan CFX and i fell in love with it.
+patrickjames666 Hi i have piano in Blue too nd i like thetone be tell me how can i get rid of the noise ..???
+Mus RnB Try changing the little switch near the bottom from Tape to Direct. I've found that got rid of a lot of the sound and panning inconsistencies.
mac0285 thanks for the advice i tried that nd it really helps...take care bro
I am sorry.......wjat are we talking about here? pianos, digitales pianos, software? demos? what the proceso are for?
None of these demos is able to convey a physical touch (playability, how it responses to a player) of this or that instrument. So there is no point of such kind of comparisons in terms of use the instruments as a substitute for an acoustic/digital piano. For instance, in the demo both TK pianos and Production Grand sound good pretty much but in fact the last one suffers from lack of proper programming (despite the samples have been recorded very well) that makes it to be unwanted to play.
I've got dozens of virtual pianos but Ravenscroft is the best to play.
Check out production voices. I have tried tonnes of virtual pianos, but its hands down my favourite:
www.productionvoices.com/products/piano-samples/production-grand-2/
I've owned ALL pianos by Production Voices: Studio Grand, Estate Grand and Production Voices for more than a year and I have to say that is not my cup of tea for several reasons. First of all, they were designed for rendering purposes rather than live playing. As a result they suffer from lack of PROPER response to a physical play. Second of all, there is no integrity of sound in these as well as many other libraries. This means that when a single note is being played it sounds marvellous but when a piece is played the entire sound picture is perceived as bunch of separate notes but not as a sound that is reproduced by one instrument. I believe this drawback can be eliminated by improvement of Kontakt scripts the pianos are run upon. IS "Fazioli" and especially VIlabs Ravenscroft could be considered as examples of successful programming and good sound.
P.S. To my mind the best piano of Production Voices is Studio Grand but a very stepped transition between layers makes the piano practically unusable for play.
What do you think about the Galaxy Vintage D, Alicias Keys and Pianoteq?
Vintage D was good enough at its time but there are other options on the market that definitely outperform one by far. They are Synthogy and VLabs. If sound really matters for you Pianotek is the worst thing to go. Synthesis is synthesis. Whatever is synthetic is not definitely real. But some may like it since their piano sound criteria is not that strict.
MSM5500 Thank you! Your favorites are IS Fazioli and the Ravenscroft? Do you think if I already own the IS Fazioli any other piano is worth buying? I tried the Pianoteq now a bit more and I agree it sounds much worse compared to the IS.
Vienna Imperial is only 295 € anymore: www.vsl.co.at/de/Keyboards_Complete/Vienna_Imperial
Worth it!
Although sometimes I would like to also have a Blüthner sound.
F*ck, Now I want every plug-in))
Stay away from Imperfect Samples, unless you already own NI Kontakt, I can tell you that much from experience. It claims to support VST but it has very poor VST plugin and it's just not worth the hassle. There was also digital distortion on some of the velocity layers, which just isn't cool when paying £100. That said, it does sound great, IF you use Kontakt. But there might be better alternatives.
But where's Piano in Blue?!?!
Official Pinguen yeah man i was just gonna say that...!!!
Mus RnB Me too!!!
I really like the song haha, anyone know what it is?
It's Holy by Matt Redman.
thanks!!!
its missing some very nice pianos by Spitfire
Alicia's keys is probably the best value out of any of these I think.
For anyone wishing they could afford the Vienna Imperial, it's now only $586 or €495 or £375.
apple logic busendorfer
Sounds like Mitis.
i;m going for kawai ex pro, fit my ears