earlier thread had a T2 player being excited about a Korg piano sample that another had tweaked, and there were discussions pro and con and advice, etc..but among it someone offered this site, which blew me away:
http://www.purgatorycreek.com/index.html
it contains an amazing range of "piano shootout' samples.

Too many for me to listen to all, but I tuned on a lot of them, and was struck with these observations: IMHO

1)Nothing seemed to me to come close to the AcustiX Boesendorfer sample. To me, hands-down no-brainer.

2)Kawai, Kurzweil, Nord, Roland, Gem had at least
one pretty good sample. Yamaha and Korg samples all
sounded inferior to those. Ketron's too brief to judge.

3)The technique and musicianship and feeling of the
various performers who were recorded playing the same
written music varied so tremendously from stilted butchery to exquisite sensitivity, it was hard to compare
samples that were close in actual sound quality.

wondering what others reaction are/would be?

sorry for uneven lines, etc..using server email while oot..
evidently their technology limited

------------------
Miami Mo

Few things.
1. the shootout has been right under our noses forever. It's been on the main synthzone homepage for as long as I can remember.
2. I think all these pianos were done using a .mid file. That I think was the whole purpose of this test, to give each piano the same source material, so there should be no more or less butchery on any of the examples.
3. I agree that Korg has had a hard time coming up with good piano samples.
I can't remember...do they have any of the post musical instruments pianos up there? I just purchased the PMI Old Lady for $50 and IMHO it is a very excellent piano for an unbelievably reasonable price.

If you need good sounds for a special price, try to look in this website...amazing what the sounds cost! http://www.vst-club.com/
When you order, you will receive a regular invoice and you will be covered for the license.

If 10 dollars for one complete CD sounds is still to much, you can register to www.audio.......ru and there is ALL free!
There you can find about 80.000 original styles too.

Enjoy it

Can't open www.audio.......ru. I tried with Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox.
Would you know why?

Sorry, I wasn't aware it was here. Maybe others also unaware? All the same midi file? Maybe some, but many
obviously different players, some even state who it is..
I also appreciate the heads-ups re sound sources from replies here, but my main purpose was to elicit different views on what my impressions were. From what I heard
so far, I will try to get the AcustiX Boe if possible. But if
others think some other sample I may have missed is better, or argue my choice, then it will behoove me to
go back and relisten..or to find a 2nd choice if i can't do
that one on my present equipment.


------------------
Miami Mo

On the overview page he states this.

I created the MIDI file that generates these MP3s specifically to expose some of the common shortcomings found in the current crop of digital piano emulations.
Manufacturers' demos typically showcase the instrument with a dazzlingly piece of perfectly executed (read: quantized) music that magnifies the strengths
while hiding the flaws. The MIDI file contains two short segments. It was recorded into Digital Performer and played on a Roland XV-88 weighted action
keyboard. The segments are similar in that they make extensive use of the sustain pedal and contain a fair amount dynamic expressiveness. Most digital
pianos can sound anywhere from good to great hidden in a mix. It's when they're played in a solo environment that issues arise. I suggest you listen
to the recording of the acoustic instrument first in order to get an idea of what the music sounds on a real piano.

All of the examples were recorded in stereo and were triggered by the same MIDI file. The many of the orignal pianos were each recorded using the Emu PARIS
DAW system. All newer posts were done using Protools TDM HD. Here they were normalized (when required) and a touch of reverb added equally to all. (Note:
if you're hearing more "reverb" in the GigaSampler pianos this is a result of the pedal down samples being engaged. Also, some of the samples capture
more of the instrument case and string resonance, then do others). Finally the WAV files were converted to 128Kbps/192Kbps MP3 files.

So if there are indeed other players, he should state this. He says all mp3's were done using his supplied .mid file. I haven't had the inclination to listen to each and every mp3 up there, so I can't say for absolute certain.

Anyway, my best piano right now is the PMI Old Lady, and some of their new hybrid pianos are very nice as well. And for 50 bucks a crack for a piano that reaches up to 2 gigs in size, I would definitely recommend you at least give them a listen.
I agree the acustix pianos are the best I've heard for their small size, but they only run in Halion format to my knowledge. I use gigastudio, so they are not an option for me at the moment.

FAE: I really appreciate the education but it's a little too
technical for a non-tekkie like me to absorb. I don't want to have to go back and try all the ones I listened to again to find the 2 that a specific pianist's name was touted as playing..
best off the top of my head was maybe the name was like, Michael Schiff? His samples are kind of quirky phrasing, not to my taste. If you listen through a lot of them there is definitely variation in the performance. maybe there were a large number with the midi, and others separate? In any case I'm not hip to formats..i recently got a Genesys Pro S, have a Kn2600 and a Korg is35, and have a recent Macbook 2g laptop. Have no idea how to get those AcustiX, or Old Lady samples into a usable situation..

------------------
Miami Mo

I am the member who posted the most recent link to the Purgatory site (I've posted it before, and encouraged members to check out this invaluable site), and would like to clear up a few things......

Firstly, AFAIK (and I go there a LOT!) there are ONLY audio examples of the exact same MIDI file run through every piano set you can imagine, except for ONE audio file of the file's original player doing his level best to play exactly the same piece on a real Steinway, for comparison purposes.

Secondly, this site has been around for several years. There are files of many keyboards that are no longer in production and those really should be winnowed out (or relegated to a legacy section). When you refer to a sound you like, you need to be more specific than 'a couple of Rolands' or whatever.

The ONLY differences between any of the files there (in the Piano Shoot-out section) are in the effect levels (file can't control THAT!) and possibly some might have had their overall velocity raised or lowered a little bit (although the site asks any posters NOT to do that). That is all. Period.

This is what makes this site invaluable - the DIRECT comparison of exactly the same file. No fudging no nothing. What you hear is what you get...... (unless the poster totally FUBARs it). Soundcard and MP3 encoder may make a VERY slight difference, but nowhere near the difference the actual samples make.

Take the time to listen to them, especially the hardware ones (after all, we are an arranger forum, not a computer instrument one, good though those are) and truly get a chance to bypass the hype, and find out what your tastes in pianos really is........

And those of you with arrangers that are not represented in the list, why not run the file through your keyboard and record it, MP3 it up and post it there. Some of the newer arrangers make a definitely good showing by hardware standards........

BTW, is it me, or is the piano sample in the new Korg PA800 the first Korg piano you can actually enjoy?

Good idea to post them on the site.
I will be uploading the file of the standard Wersi OAS 6 Piano, however as it takes time for the site to add them; I have uploaded a file to Rapidshare, so that you can have a listen at both the standard and bright Piano. (For those that are not aware, the Wersi OAS system uses a modified Creamware STS format for all there LWSS voices, as well as being able to load Akai samples and VST instruments)
Yes I know it’s not Hardware, but the Wersi Abacus is still an Arranger Keyboard.
Enjoy.

Bill
http://rapidshare.de/files/34123101/Piano_Test.zip.html