It's easy enough to thin out a rich piano into something thinner, an altogether different thing to make a thin piano rich...

Yes, the Yamaha pianos work very well in a mix, but play solo piano on them, they start to show their weaknesses. Better to have a solid solo piano and cut the mids with EQ, that to not have a great solo piano in it at all.

IMO, etc., etc.!

Nah...in my opinion they sound great solo and/or in the mix. I couldn't want for anything better...seriously!

Again, it's always going to be one's personal idea of what constitutes the ideal piano sound.

You like Roland's piano sounds, as per the G-70...I couldn't warm up to any of the pianos on it...they just don't work for my style of playing.

I do remember the Rhodes emulations were rather nice, but the acoustics just didn't have what I like to hear.

I'm spoiled.

Ian

That's what I should have said

Yes, I find this very strange. Why is this?

From what I was lead to believe, the Yamaha samples are based upon Yamaha brand grand pianos, while some others are based upon Steinway and some other top brands. I know there is a significant difference in those two brands because of personal contact.

Now, tuning the piano involves a lot more than changing a couple EQs. There are a myriad of filters, effects, etc... that you can utilize to change the sound dramatically. There is a lady in the UK who is the absolute master of this. Eileen has tuned sax, guitar and piano sounds in many of her converted styles, then saves them as OTS settings. They're wonderful. She is one of my many heroes in this fascinating world of arranger keyboard technology.

I wish I had the playing skills to demonstrate just how great the various instruments can sound. Unfortunately, for the most part I'm a singer/entertainer--not an accomplished player. Therefore, it would really be nice to hear some performance samples from those who are great piano players using various keyboards A/B'd against a real piano and recorded using the same high-quality recording device.

Cheers,

Gary

Good comments on this very subjective topic. I agree with Diki. It's difficult to warm up or fatten up a thin sound. Playing harder is not the answer. I also agree with the concept that these Tyros pianos sound better when played with other instruments or with styles. They certainly sound better to my ears when combined with strings. Anyway, thanks for participating in the discussion. It was very interesting reading all of your viewpoints.

joe

If anyone is interested in doing it, the piano playing MIDI file that Purgatory Creek use file is available on their website. Play it through your arranger's best piano, on default settings and reverb, and upload the audio file here (and to them - I believe they ask for a 192kbps MP3 format, to keep things even)...

It has a wide dynamic, with big strong passages, and small, intimate voicings. A good file for testing all aspects of the sound.

As a Steinway B Grand owner, I'm admittedly spoiled by it's rich sound and beautiful harmonic overtones so well suited to classical repertoire, and generally dislike the colder "clinical sound" of Yamaha "acoustic" grands. Considering this, I really like Tyros 4's new "SA Concert Grand". It's perhaps the first of all the Yamaha Tyros Piano voices that I'm very happy with. Strangely enough, other than it included in the name, I can't figure out where its super articulation comes in. With all the different Tyros 4 pianos voices to choose from (SA Concert Grand, Live GrandPiano, Super Articulation Pop Grand, SA Ambient Piano, SA Cocktail Piano, SA Piano Orchestra, etc) and the ability to easily mix, match & layer: via RH 1,2,3, everyone should be able to easily come up with a Tyros 4 piano to their personal liking for any playing scenerio from solo to big band.

Scott can you post some short examples of the Steinway you have vs Tyros 4 Pianos.....just to hear the differences and how close Yamaha has created their Piano samples?

No, and It wouldn't make a difference if I did either, because sound stage and room ambience dramatically alter one's perception of the character of a given sound. There,s really no way to compare the experience of the live sound emunating from the soundboard of an acousric grand piano into a room with even the best recorded sound heard from 2 speakers. As much as I'm satisfied with the Tyros 4's SA Concert Grand voice sample, it can't compare with a real Steinway or even the recording of one. Go to Steinway Hall in NYC or a piano store and play a Yamaha acoustic grand next to a Steinway acoustic Grand and you'll easily hear the difference in the distinct character of each brand. Yamaha doesn't include a Steinway sample in T4 afterall. That said, rumor has it that a Tyros 4 UVN "3rd party sample" offering of a Steinway Grand may be in the works. If and when that becomes available, that may offer a better "apples to apples" piano sample comparison.