Would anyone with a T3 please upload the new pianos to the Purgatory Creek site?
http://www.purgatorycreek.com/index.html

For those that haven't been there, it's a site where the EXACT same piano MIDI file, with lots of dynamics and range, is played through almost every single keyboard and VSTi for direct comparison.

I would be VERY interested in HEARING the new piano sets on the T3, rather than just READING about their sound, positive or negative.

Only a direct apples to apples site like this gives us all the opportunity to objectively compare one to another, and simply make our own minds up...
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BTW, please turn OFF all compressors, EQ's and processing (a little reverb is acceptable) so we can hear the unaffected sound...

Just curious. Anyone know what is the consensus best?

chas

I don't think there IS a 'consensus best'... Just like real pianos

Some of us like Steinway's, some of us like Yamaha's some of us like Bosendorfer's, some of us are happy with our Samick uprights.

But one thing the site does exceptionally well is to give you a baseline for comparison. Some of the TOTL VSTi's are amazingly expressive, dynamic and realistic (and some aren't, IMO ). Take whatever gives you the best overall impression of listening to a REAL piano (and there IS an audio file of roughly the same piece played on a real Steinway for comparison), then start to listen to the arranger pianos, one by one.

Whichever gives YOU the same feeling, or close, is the one that's right for YOU. But just like real pianos, we all have our differences...

Personally, I look for the quieter dynamics to give you the warmth that a real piano does. All too many sampled pianos, especially ROM ones in arrangers and cheaper keyboards, tend to sound more distant when played quietly, rather than close up and warm, as if the piano moved back five or ten feet rather than stayed exactly where it is for the loud passages.

But that's just me... others like to cut through a mix no matter HOW quietly they play! Best of luck doing that on a REAL piano...!

Right now, my ROM ne plus ultra is still the FantomX/G70 Ultimate Grand. There are simply details of the quieter inner voices I just can't make out on other ROM pianos. I like it better than some of the VSTi's and GIGA sized libraries, to be honest...

All I encourage anyone to do before they make up their minds is to play a REAL piano for a bit before you decide. It is all too easy to get used to the brittle, over-hyped ROM pianos, and forget what a warm (but still sparkly at high ff levels) sound a real piano has...

https://www.yousendit.com/download/WnBUaXRBMm0wZ2wzZUE9PQ

I couldn't upload a sample on site so here is Acoustica Pianissimo demo..

You got that one, Fran? Care to run P.Creek on it?

Whole point is to have the SAME piece played the same way... (and user submitted, so the manufacturer doesn't hype the sound )

Here's the Ty3 Concert Grand playing the PCreek midi.
Left the reverb as set by PCreek - Hall1 at 40.
Apart from that - No enhancements to the Preset voice.
Master EQ Flat, Compressor off.
Midi played and sound recorded simultaneously to the onboard Audio Hard Disk Recorder.
Exported as .wav.
Then into Audacity on PC, then exported as .mp3 (192)
No normalisation or amplification nor other enhancements to the audio file.
http://www.box.net/shared/u24k7vgvqf

How's it sound?

John

Thanks John,
It's amazing how well the Concert Grand actually sounds when played as a piano i.e. two handed playing, due to it's good low and high ends.

The deficiencies show up IMO when played as an arranger using the piano as a solo voice with the right hand.
I guess that's why Yamaha used the Concert Grand as a solo voice in so many OTS settings - NOT...
If it sounded as good, as Yamaha would have you believe, one would think it would be featured quite extensively as a solo voice within their OTS, which it is not, and the reason???

It would be interesting to compare the Live Grand from the T2 with your same setup, apples with apples so to speak.

Chris

Thanks for the upload.

Don't wish to be flamed, but after listening to that I just have to share my opinion. It's a lovely sound for sure, but it sounds so sterile that it feels thin and cold. I just feel that the body to the instrument has been lost.

Not my cup of tea.

Regards.
James.

Thanks, John... Very kind of you to do this.

To my ears, it reminds me a bit of the older Korg piano samples. There's a very pronounced quick decay of the initial sound, very 'spiky'. IMHO, the piano doesn't really 'sing', it sort of 'barks'.

Great for cutting through a mix, but it still doesn't give me the impression of sitting at a REAL grand.

Play this file, then the UltimateGrand from the FantomX at P.Creek. That's what I'm talking about...

Would you like me to submit this file to P.Creek, John, or will you do it yourself?

For someone who wants some reference:
I recorded 4 Fantom-G piano's. Every piano which i recorded is also available in different tastes (HM-Grand > HM-Grand1, HM-Grand2 etc.), but it takes too long to record them all. You need Winrar to unpack it:
http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=bVlBdFdiTERvQUozZUE9PQ