Pro tools grand piano

Play the piano over a range of high and low registers at varying dynamics. Listen closely for rattles and squeaks. Try and locate any unnatural sounds and dampen them within the piano. It is really important that the sustain pedal does not squeak.

You may have to instruct the performer, depending on the style of song, to press softer on the sustain pedal. In some cases, I get the performer to remove their shoes as some players really kick the pedal hard and the sound can be clunky and unwanted. An acoustic piano is a full range instrument with complex overtones and dynamics that you have to capture as naturally as possible.

The piano is a stereo instrument and lends itself very well to a stereo pair of condenser microphones. You need to think about what kind of sound you want. Placing a stereo pair above the keyboard facing towards the hammers may give a thin and slightly bodiless tone with a noticeable sound of the hammers striking the strings and the keys being hit and released by the performer.

One other thing to consider when recording piano with the microphones above the keyboard is to make sure whoever is playing has removed any rings or wrist jewellery as the sound of rings and bangles hitting the keys will come through the microphones. For some, this is their go-to standard setup for recording my upright piano.

When setting the microphone distance to the harp start from the edge of the keyboard and see how that works for you. You will have to make sure the sustain pedal is not being pressed in by a performer wearing wooden clogs or that it is squeaking like a hamster. The benefits are to placing the microphones under the piano keyboard are…. The sound of the hammers striking the harp is greatly reduced. The sound of the keys being hit and released is all but gone.

We recommend that you consider this method with an inexperienced recording pianist. If you find yourself recording the piano in sections always get the pianist to sustain their last note or chord into the next section.

If not, you may hear on playback unnatural gaps in the piano performance which are hard to fix in the mix. It is so much better than trying to digitally stretch sustained piano waveforms. If you find yourself needing a certain lift in your mix or a section that begs for a bit of flair then why not try reversing a chord, note, sequence or section of your piano performance. It gives a backwards lift that can be useful in introducing a moment in your song. As soon as this button is pressed, the window will close and the program will take us back to the Edit window:.

This is the default name Pro Tools will give to the instrument tracks, but they can be changed by double-clicking on the names. Now that we have created our track, we must assign the virtual instrument to it. This can be done from the insert list at the Edit Window:. It is easy to see how the Edit Window shows a list of Inserts that appears to be black by default.

The Spectrasonics Keyscape library is one of the most versatile libraries available, featuring a collection of upright pianos, electric digital pianos, and grand pianos. Keyscape is an incredibly large library with over piano sounds and 36 instrument models and hybrid patches.

The library can be hosted within Spectrasonics and integrated with the Omnisphere library. Keyscape requires 77GB of storage space with at least a 2. The library is compatible with both Mac X Because of its large storage space, an external SSD is recommended but not essential to make this library run easier on your system.

This delivers sound with a wider tonal spectrum. Renowned LA piano technician, Jim Wilson, made it his mission to create this unique piano sound. Within the VST editor window, you have the freedom to edit the microphone placement of close mics great for solos and room mics great for ambience and atmospheric textures.

Not every recording is perfect, but Keyscapes focuses on a clean recording with no noise but the sound of a piano key in each of the samples. The Yamaha C7 allows you to experiment with mechanical noises and pedal noises for realism, and it features release overtones when a note is held like a true acoustic piano.

The sounds include up to 32 layers of velocity , which is large for a sampled library and allows a great range for dynamics. Without any editing on the user end, Keyscape sounds good by default. More advanced subtleties like half- or quarter-pedaling and modeled sympathetic resonance are not supported. The library shines more on upright and electric pianos , but still offers a terrific Yamaha C7 sound when a grand piano is required. Keyscape is purchased as their Collector Keyboards bundle, so you cannot purchase the Yamaha C7 alone.

The library includes various presets that provide immediate inspiration. I am a user of this piano library and rarely build a custom patch. I use a preset with tweaked moderations instead such as pedal noise and reverb. The library offers up to 20 velocity layers per key, including sample sets for pedal up, sustain pedal down, and soft pedaling.

Partial pedaling is made possible as well as re-pedaling. I recorded this without a physical sustain pedal and instead drew one in the editor window, while increasing the sound of pedal noise for realism in my performance. A completely MIDI performance now sounds as if it was recorded live! The library is compatible with Mac OS As a film composer, I have added the Garritan CFX concert grand to my sample library because it was recorded in Abbey Road Studios, where many iconic movie scores are recorded.

Naturally, the sound of the piano presets blend in well with an orchestral film environment, suiting my work perfectly. The VSL is an industry-standard library, well-regarded by composers. Many world-class film composers use this company for th realistic sounds and the engine it provides.

The Vienna Imperial library features velocity layers and multiple release samples for differing note lengths. These notes turn on in the Advanced View using the octave shift. The tone of the keys on the Imperial are clear and distinctive. There are presets for different mic placements, including a player position and audience perspective. The built-in EQ and Reverb settings are better than most built-in settings of other libraries it is usually recommended to use separate EQ and Reverb plug-ins and to turn down any Reverb on a VST.

As a result, it sounds like the reverb was captured in the originally sampled space rather than by adding reverb length to it. The Imperial fits in nicely within an orchestra. Thanks to meticulous detail, adjustable settings, and a file size of It is compatible with Mac OS X The Ravenscroft has been recreated using about 17, samples of notes recorded on the piano, as well as using four microphones close, player, side, and room , allowing control in freedom of microphone placement, all of which can be altered within a user-friendly interface.

There are 19 total velocity layers , which include Silent Strike samples as when a key is depressed but not actually hammering a string of the piano. The Ravenscroft is recorded from the Model Titanium concert grand. It is one of the more versatile piano VSTs and fits many playing styles, serving well as a concerto grand that may be heard over an orchestra.

It has a large dynamic range, allowing for delicate passages and soaring fortissimos. The attack is sharp and clear, features an option of muted hits and staccato release trails, and offers the option of using the sustain pedal as well as the una corda and sostenuto pedal — a feature many piano samples exclude.

You have complete control over release noise, pedal noise, half-pedaling, key noise, silent strikes, and sympathetic resonances of sustain and resolution of chords.

You can also adjust the volume of the Pedal Resonance effect, True Pedal Action, and Re-Pedal by lifting the sustain pedal off and on again. Then the strings of the piano continue to resonate, but at a lower volume. These effects are incorporated for realistic sustain pedal control. The half-pedal is sampled and also fully adjustable. What makes the Ravenscroft stand out is that the VST is completely sample-based, but the control resembles a modeled library.

The sound is multi-dimensional , emphasizing every note so that multiple layers and harmonies are heard clearly, not buried beneath melodic lines. No dongle is required and it can be used by up to three computers. You will need at least 6GB free disk space to install the sample library 5. The more samples you have stored, the more your RAM should be. I recommend at least 16GB if you want to expand your sample library collection.

The Pianoteq 7 is arguably the best modeled piano library on the market. It can be used as standalone or as a plugin within your DAW. The library requires Mac OS X It may be easier to use a full-length keyboard with velocity sensitivity, but this is not essential since you can edit the expression and velocity manually in the MIDI editor of your DAW.

Pianoteq does not require a lot of RAM , as some sample libraries do, and only requires MB of storage. Pianoteq computes sound in real-time, so it can draw heavily on CPU. Most computer and laptop processors should be able to handle this just fine, though it can get a little CPU heavy when using the bass notes on the piano along with the sustain pedal. You will need a soundcard that supports ASIO drivers , as most soundcards do, meaning you should be able to use your built-in card.

Pianoteq 7 is a modeled VST that provides you with more subtleties and nuances than a sampled piano recording may do, since it produces sound rather than playing back audio samples of differing limited velocities.

Another huge advantage of Pianoteq is the amount of sound tweaking options available in the Standard and PRO versions of the program including advanced tuning, microphone settings, hammer hardness, string length, sympathetic resonance, duplex scale, pedal noises, hammer noises, and tons of other parameters.

Sampled libraries usually offer about 16 different velocity layers which vary the attack and tone of a note. The Pianoteq, however, uses all layers velocity range of MIDI , allowing a very broad dynamic range. Pianoteq is also capable of turning the sustain pedal on or off, as well as half-pedaling and quarter-pedaling holding the sustain pedal a fraction down, and not all the way.

The softer the pedal is dampening, the less pedal sound you will hear. You can turn pedal noise off altogether or keep it active for a realistic performance. You can hear demos of these sounds on the Pianoteq website. There are also a lot of other famous pianos they modeled including the Steingraeber E, Ant. Petrof Petrof, C. Bechstein, etc. Payment is made via their website, which accepts most credit and debit cards. The bundle is then available immediately as a digital download to your laptop or desktop computer.

Overall, Pianoteq 7 is a fantastic VST plugin for anyone wanting a classical piano sound, anyone who is new to VSTs, or anyone looking to expand their piano library without using too much storage on their computer. As mentioned above, Pianoteq 7 prides itself in being compatible with a laptop with low system requirements while still producing a high-quality sound, so there is no need to make extra purchases in RAM, SSDs, iLok dongles, separate software, or extra hard-drives for storage space.

Minimum hardware requirements include 1. The bundle is compatible with both Mac X You can follow along as the demonstrator discovers Pianoteq fully, helping you learn the instrument as well. Pianoteq 7 is arguably the best piano plugin around. It sounds natural, provides the most level of flexibility, and is reasonably priced. However, I suggest you embrace it.

An excellent way to avoid it is by adding convolution reverb. Either way, the issues are too minor to be noticed in a full mix.

Give its demo a try and see for yourself! Piano V2 is the second physical modeling piano plugin on our list. There are no samples, so the file size of the plugin is relatively small. Piano V2 offers many options to tweak the sound to your liking. I find the tweaks a little broader in terms of how they adjust the sound.

So, in a way, Piano V2 is more suitable for traditional piano sounds. However, it does feature presets that sound otherworldly and experimental, like the ones under glass grand. The plugin is available for Windows 8. Overall, Arturia Piano V2 sounds quite decent , and there are options to adjust the piano and mic setups that can help you find your unique tone. Furthermore, you get 12 piano sounds for a medium budget.

However, most of my complaints could be subjective, so I suggest giving it a thorough try yourself. Garritan and Abbey Road collaborated to record this handcrafted beauty in the Studio One orchestral hall with some of the best microphones.

The result is a detailed sample library with thousands of samples, and many presets covering a wide range of usage. The subtle but significant sympathetic resonance also manages to kick the realism up a notch.

The only issue you would experience is its size. This single piano library takes up over GB of disk space , although you will find a Lite version that features only the Classic Mic Perspective, taking up only Despite being a little dated, Addictive Keys has remained relevant thanks to its flexible sound and enthusiastic fans. Furthermore, the philosophy behind the piano plugin is also similar to the drums: providing a flexible library with multiple effect processing options but in a small size.

Purchasing Addictive Keys is a little different compared to others on our list. You can buy each individually, in pairs, in a triplet, or all four of them, with each step reducing the price further.

Here you can find Stu Harrison from Merriam Pianos reviewing the Addictive Keys with some detailed look at the Edit tab and sound demonstrations.

Addictive Keys is one of the first-ever piano plugins I owned, and I still return to it when I want something easy and quick. The sound is more than decent, and the small size makes it a highly efficient piece of software. Furthermore, it offers more ways to stretch your creativity in sound design than most other traditional piano plugins.

From the makers of the famed Omnisphere synth comes this extensive collection of keyboards and pianos. Keyscape provides multiple instruments totaling over patches and a plethora of tools to create unique sounds. It also integrates into Omnisphere 2 if you happen to own the plugin. Furthermore, its minimalistic user interface makes this a good plugin for technically challenged users who still want creative possibilities. The acoustic pianos in the plugin sound warm and resonant , whereas the electronic keyboards have distinct sounds.

Similarly, the included set of historical instruments revel in authenticity. And of course, as with Omnisphere, you can use multiple instruments simultaneously to create unique patches.

Have a listen to the presets of Keyscape and you can also see how the effects available on the Editor page are changing depending on the category of the instrument the reviewer Mike Pensini is selecting:.

The plugin is available for Windows 7 or higher and macOS Keyscape provides a wide variety of sounds that range from world-class acoustic grand and upright pianos to electric keyboards.