Spoiled pianoteq guy here 😜 with samples I just miss all the tweaking options. I find that I can make it sound as good or better than sampled pianos. Plus it's always being improved...the team is very active in their community.
Extremely informative and in depth analysis. As a piano player, I so appreciate your review. Thanks and keep up the great work. BTW: You're an amazing talent!
This is one of the best VST piano reviews I've come across. So many vst's reviewed are about wacky or cinematic fx piano's and not just a decent piano sound. This gave a good review of the sound and playability of these vst's. I'm not a pro player or classical player, but im on the hunt for a certain bechstein sound. Bechstein often gets missed and the one ive liked the most tone wise is the maverick which you reviewed. Great review.👍
You and Merriam Music provide such a good complement of reviews, of many of the pianos I would have shortlisted in my own piano library ambition, hopefully both of you will get to review some of the Production Voices pianos.
Hey Gamma, ich habe bis jetzt noch gar nicht dein VST Review 2021 Video gesehen. Finde ich gut, so bleibt man etwas uptodate, was so Gutes und Empfehlenswertes auf dem Markt ist. Gutes Video!!!
Brilliant demo. The Vienna instruments sounded wonderful except for the clicks and pops. It would be extremely helpful if you gave some idea of the limitations in your system, and how much more one would need in terms of resources to have them run smoothly on similar performances. Otherwise, an outstanding video. Also, I’ve watched some of your performance videos. It would be helpful there if you listed in the notes what instrument/plug-in you are using.
Good morning. Thank you for the beautiful Music that you make us listen to. Knowing that you are the Musician was a wonderful surprise, a surprise proportional to your skill. Thanks again, looking forward to Your new songs.
15:15 oh, where's the sound? ^^' Just my two cents: The sample sam is absolutely amazing! The garritan CFX light and the Waves one however sound quite artificial to me. The Ravenscroft has a nice light sound, but I think its soundstage sounds a bit weird. I think out of all I like the Bösendorfer 280 and the Noire the most
Hi Gamma 1734! Thanks for this extensive walk through your VST library!!! I loved the VSL Bosendorfer 280 VC as well as the Garritan CFX full!!! I don't know, but I hear some tuning problems with the VSL CFX. Because of my SSD, and the fact I still have the VSL Steinway, I can't yet get the 280 VC. But I love playing the Garritan CFX, and I can be very expressive with it. As long as the mixing and panning is good, the problem with lower velocity hiss can be resolved. Thanks again for your review!!!
Unfortunately I don't like the Pianoteq grand sound. I don't know why I didn't mention it at all, but I wouldn't have been to positive about it. Also I only have version 6 and not the new 7. But I really love their historic instruments, which are the best in the market in my opinion.
What a comparison! Thank you very much. It is hard for any piano to compete with those VSL beast. I feel I should go the VLS 6 pianos bundle but man that price... Probably gonna have to pick one, most likely the Bösendorfer Imperial. However, I recently discovered the Realsamples and those are absolutely great too. I mean, it sounds very old which it is supposed to be, very far from moderm bright and distinct sound, but for classical pieces it is just great. Got the Rare Pianos bundle, Piano Pioneers bundle and Italian Harpsichords bundle on Audioplugin deals currently for like €40 each. Definitely gonna get their Lute Harpsichord, Therbo Harpsichord, Austrian Harpsichord and Grand Piano. I absolutely LOVE playing like Beethoven on these vintage pianos. Mozard on Early Pianoforte sounds magnificient. From the list you provided here I mostly use Noire because from my pianos it has the best overall sound. I also use The Grandeur a lot which was not on the list but has nice bright sound. For romantic pieces I used to use The Maverick but I often switch to the realsamplet Lutheal now. I also got Alicia Keys which I use not that much and The Giant, which I really don't like the quiet sample sound. Compared to other pianos it is so extremely silent it is very hard to get it in a mix. However I got all these in the Komplete 13 Ultimate bundle so I don't really complain. 🙂 Great work here, keep it up!
Love the VSL Yamaha and Imperial. The 280VC sounds so clear, but I'm not keen on its timbre, I prefer the Imperial's, even if it sounds a bit muddier. Thank you, Julian!
To anyone considering the garritan be aware that the aria software is not friendly to all audio interfaces, mine in particular (presonus firestudio) makes it completely unusable. I am fond of the NI maverick piano, I like bechstein and it has proper sostenuto support which works with my piano very nicely!
Can you please explain the use of audio interface, I'm new to this stuff, i just connect my digital piano to a daw with vst and record it with no audio interface.
Awesome comparison. The developer of Garritan said that the volume sliders could be raised a bit, but near/at the top there may be some digital clipping noise.
The Pearl sounded wonderful to me, but playing is another experience I realise. The Black Grand Steinway D sounded tawny to me, and was very interesting because of that. I liked it more than the C7 following it.
Love your stuff. Thanks for putting this together. I want to love that Bosendorfer upright but it def sounds like its being recorded while wearing a winter blanket. So muffled to my ears. Cheers!
All I can say is that I had nothing but problems when installing and trying to use Synchron. I already have Pianoteq and Garritan CFX (no problem installing or using them with the exception of CFX that I cannot reduce key return noise to 0). First of all, Synchron piano installation is unnecessarily complicated (I tried both free Soft Imperial and Bosendorfer Upright - both relatively small as far as library size). Secondly, no matter what file installation defaults I set, I had installation spread between two disks: numerous directories on my slower disk C: and some (library in particular) on dedicated, faster drive H: (I only want to have this drive used for VSTs). Finally, I had big lag between pressing the key and getting the sound. I have a specific setup. I use FP-90X connected with USB MIDI to my computer and I use USB Digital Interface option Roland has to send the digital signal over the same USB cable to FP-90X (Roland’s DAC, amp and speakers are used). It worked perfectly with Pianoteq and Garritan but no matter what parameters I set, I have this unacceptable delay. I have to use Roland as output for Synchron piano and Roland appears on the list of audio output options (only one option!). Their support did not get back to me. My experience witch VSL is bad (to say the least). I have no idea why no reviewer ever mentions the installation issues and the need for iLock hardware key.
Absolutely fantastic playing and explanation about all the piano vst’s. I am pianist and composer and I am looking for some of good piano vst for my solo piano compositions. You have a really good experienced about the piano vst. It would be great help if you can suggest some of good Upriht and Grand piano vst’s so I will buy it. I have a questions just need to know which piano are you using to trigger the vst? I will wait for you reply. Thank you so much…Love it! ❤
At 1:36:05 you mentioned cranking up the velocity curve, yet the curve during your playing is the standard linear one. What curve adjustment do you use regularly for the Bösendorfer Upright? I'm asking because I'm also wondering about how to improve the playability. Can you maybe upload a screenshot somewhere or even the curve adjustment file? Massive thanks for the whole video by the way. I'm sure it will come in handy in the future.
Thanks for your comment! :) I use FL Studio. In FL Studio you have an editor window where you can adjust the velocity curve *globally* . Thus it can't be seen in the video. My only choices (since 1 or 2 years now) for curves are ONLY linear functions. Any non-linearity produces very bad effects in my trill playing or repeated note playing. The curve is like the identity function, but just I take the point at (1,1) and drag it to the left, about to (0.9,1) or so. This means that velocities of 110 or so already get mapped to the maximum. This is because my controller limits *internally* already at 110 or so, no matter how hard I play.
For the B. Upright in particular I would use a very steep curve because the loud samples live in a very high region for that one. I would place the point therefore at (0.8,1) or even (0.7,1) and see what happens..
Man... what a great review. Thanks for this. I have the Ravenscroft 275 and trying to decide on another grand...the Garritan CFX full sounds really nice! I also have the Hammersmith, pearl, American concert D, Grandeur, Alicia Keys... I don't like the playability of any of them. Ravenscroft275 is really great though. You should check it out with your amazing playing skills!
Great review Gamma1734. Than you so much. Would you have any interest in doing a review/walkthrough with EW Quantum Leap Platinum Pianos, and 8Dio The New 1969 Steinway Piano and 1928 Scoring Pianos?
Thanks for the interesting video. I think you said that some plugins had touch sensitivity issues. Did you try using an alternative MIDI controller/piano in case there is an incompatability with some of the plugins? I'm a newbie to VSTs, but I have found sensor compatibility issues between a digital piano and a voice/patch expander box. The key sensors seemed to behave a little differently when the box was added, even though both items were from the same manufacturer. I've heard say that on a good digital piano the action is carefully matched to the inbuilt patches or vice versa. Also, you specified that in certain applications the sensitivity and dynamic range issues might not matter. I can say that many compositions in modern music genres do not require the greatest dynamic ranges, but any abrupt tonal changes might be an issue. A litle tuning variance and so on, however, can be fun. In music hall, ragtime and stride, a few imperfections can add valuable character, whereas the cheesy GM "honky tonk" and its typical variations as supplied on DPs are OTT, and unusable.
Thanks for those further points. I had a couple of midi controllers in my life so far, and the way the reacted was rather similar. The only difference is the built in action. The sensors themselves are pretty good always. I used Kawais. One can always dial some knobs to reduce abrupt tonal changes, but everybody is different. I don't play extreme music anymore because most people like waltzes and romantic music. Thus for me it is important to get a good and smooth sound out of the instruments.
Regarding playability: Garritan or one of the VSLs (based on your video maybe CFX is the best)? Which is your overall favorite of the VSL pianos? Ie. if you could keep just one for playing classical music?
i have tried all of the pianos except for the VSL xd. i can say that i cant even imagine or dare to believe any VST will soon or ever beat Gerritan. I do wish that fazioli and steinway were included in the gerritan software, as yamaha does often sound too tense to me. Thats all i can say.
Relative piano newbie here, but I have some expertise in acoustics at least... I really love the ambiance and playability of the Garritan. It sounds realistic and is expertly sampled and scripted. But it just sounds too... generic for my tastes. Ravenscroft is king for me. Just as playable as the Garritan IMO and the staccato samples are impeccable. The piano is also pristine, but also just seems so unique in the way it sings. It sounds like nothing else, and as someone who specializes a bit in acoustics, it just sounds more real than most (the Garritan and VSL are the only comparisons imo). My only caveat is that I'd like a bit more dynamic range in the bass and I wish they'd recorded in a less dry room.
Hallo Gamma, ein fantastisches Video. Danke Dir dafür vielmals. Spielst Du die VSTs nur über Kopfhörer oder auch über Monitorer bzw. die internen Deines Kawais? Ich habe bei mir damit rumprobiert und musste leider immer feststellen, dass die Sounds von der mittleren großen Oktave bis zur eingestrichenen metallisch, drahtig klingen. Ich weiß nicht woran das hängt. Trotz VPC1 und der dort vorhandenen Kurven brachte das keine Änderung. Hast Du einen Vorschlag, was ich machen kann?
great sound recording, do you use external sound card, I m using Macbook Pro 16, must I buy an external sound card to record perfect sounds like you did?
You can just record into a good digital audio workstation like fl studio or logic. They have internal asio drivers which are able to do that recording business with comparatively low latency
I bought a Roland FP-30X to finally learn the piano at 28 (not trying to produce music etc.). In your opinion, which is the best plugin to take the Roland’s sound to the next level? Just started learning about all the available plugins, but I heard about Garritan CFX, Keyscape’s C7, Ravenscroft 275, Pianoteq (to mention a few), are great. What’s your opinion? Also, trying to load Garritan CFX on a Roland FP-30X connected to a desktop PC but I can feel the latency affecting my playing. I can around 2 ms latency but it still feels “slow”. Don’t know if my brain is making this up. How do you load the plugin (VST, Standalone)? How can someone “eliminate” latency, to replicate the feel of a real piano? What is the most responsive (lowest latency) plugin in your experience? Maybe Pianoteq? Currently using Reaper as my choice of DAW (tried Ableton too), I’ve set the Sample Rate to the maximum of 384 kHz that my Chord Mojo DAC supports, which lowered the latency instantly, and now I’m experimenting with the Buffer size, around 128-256 samples, keeping in mind how my system responds, so as to avoid cracks and pops. I’ve also got a Ryzen 3600 system, which handles all this pretty fine I’d say. Still feels kinda slow.
Great video thank you! I’m surprised you’re using FL and not das bitwig studio which ist sehr güt! p.s. untrained novice here, I’m wondering what’s the significance of your profile picture? a forte A sharp major, I’m guessing a joking complexity in notation? p.p.s. i choose to interpret gamma as the lorentz factor of course
I’m currently using Noire as my go to and find it has a nice balanced sound and playability. However, I’m considering upgrading this for something that offers even more realism. I’m considering either VSL, or Production Voices 300 Grand. From the audio demos I like the VSL CFX and Fazioli the most. 300 Grand also has a really nice sound and I’m wondering what you would recommend?
@@PianoScoreVids Ah, ok. The VSL CFX and Fazioli would be my first choice. The Fazioli sounds slightly dull in the highs from the demos I’ve heard? What are your thoughts on the VSL CFX vs Fazioli?
The sound and recording quality on the fazioli is really good, but I remember really liking the tone and message of the CFX. I think I would prefer it.
Excellent Comparison..Thank you for Sharing.. I'm New to VST..Humble question for you.. Mostly I Play Pop/ Film Score /Classical Music. Whats your 3 Best Choice from your Personal experience Most suitable Vst for my requirement.. I own Kawai CA 78 digital Piano.. Your answer will help me in selecting Right VST.. Your Playing is inspirational & Selected Music is Great👍.. What music at 37.25 & 39.25 Noire/ 50.55 Garritan Full? Thank you & STAY SAFE🙏
thanks for listening! You already guessed it: I would primarily choose the Noire and Garritan, but maybe the light is even enough. for pop maybe the "TVBO" from sampletekk is an idea,it's only 50 dollars, but I think only today and tomorrow or so. The noire has nice options for film scores with the algorithmic section I didnt even talk about (check other nice youtube videos), and the garritan is just overall a great feel while playing and very versatile, so suitable for classical music. The ca 78 is good, I owned the 98 and 48 at some time in my life. You can definitely do a lot with it. 37:25 is an excerpt from the third piano sonata from chopin, first movement 39:25 was just me fooling around 50:55 was the wonderful elegy from vasily kalinnikov
@@PianoScoreVids what a Great detail reply of my all question.. Thank you so much for taking out time to explain me from your busy schedule❤️.. I have aready short listed But Confuse between Garritan Lite or full/Noire/Vsl Cfx & Bosendorfer 280VC( Both Expensive) ? If I have to choose only 1 from above to start with.. Which is BETTER Choice? Thank you👍 & Yes STAY SAFE🙏
the playability of all of them is great. If I were you I would listen to as many demos as possible and then decide according to which sound is the best to you. Basically at this point you will not do anything wrong with any of them
@@rrjjgg101 I hope to add some useful things into the conversation. Don't go for the Garritan CFX light, as it only has one part of the Classic perspective and the sound is hollow. If you are going for the Garritan CFX, go for the full version. With some mixing possibilities, you'll be able to reduce the lower velocity sample hiss IMO. But you need the ambient mics in the room with you!
I have the Ivory II American and have been looking for something better. Would the VSL line be any better for classical and romantic? as far as control and that concert hall sound.
@@PianoScoreVids Wait till it's on sale for like $30 or so. I've been using The White Grand for over 15 years. It's great for cutting through the mix and it has a sound and character that I haven't found in other pianos.
Thanks! i bought the garritan lite but i can't get this sound.. what settings did you use ?? The full version Is that Better? worth upgrading? I don't have this player so complete but only a symple interface
what would you say is the best out of the VSL Steinway, the VSL Bluthner and the VSL Bosendorfer Imperial? I play alot of romantic, Early jazz (stride), film scores and anime music (i was thinking to buy 1 of them because the set is very expensive)
@@PianoScoreVids Bummer! I was hoping they would have those specially recorded as they do with pedal noises and dampers with multiple Binaural mic positions.
I really enjoyed your reviews and comments. Thank you. I tried VSL very recently and I removed it. It is not about the sound but (in my mind) overly complicated setup. I could do it (I am not computer naive by any stretch of imagination) but I find the layers of installation bizarre. I can do but the cost, size on disk etc are working against it even though that I liked the sound. I am just staying with Pianoteq and Garritan CFX. It is enough for me and I really like Pianoteq Steinway D NY. There are many experienced pianists who use it (Phil Best or Hugh Sung come to mind).
Hi, I'm new to vst...What is Kontakt and FL studio? I guess you can put all vst in Kontakt for easy to launch, and the FL studio is recording software, am I right?
Fl Studio is my digital Audio Workstation. It is not only to record, but to cut, edit, mix, create music in general. Kontakt ist a program which hosts vst plugins. You can't just open a vst on windows, you need a daw like Fl studio to be able to open Kontakt (but maybe there is a standalone version too), and inside kontakt you can then open a vst. If a vst is a so called 'kontakt instrument' you can ONLY open it in kontakt - some plugins require the full version of Kontakt, which you first have to buy, so care is needed there. Many plugins work in the free version though, the so called Kontakt Player.
Hello, Im new into this VST stuff, I would like to use the free mason & hamlin VST you linked. I download the four archives... How I can use it now? Thanks!
This is the first time I stumble upon this channel... congratulations for such a great selection of pianos! I hope in the next review we'd find Keyscape from spectrosonics, which is outstanding! Anyhow! The best digital piano doesn't have a better piano sound than the worst piano VST represented here. Loved it!
I like your video, but man, you destroyed the great Hammersmith! You are right that its dynamics are extreme and the bass sounds a bit weak, but these things can be fixed with the Kontakt inner programming (not with the settings that come with the vst). Is a bit laborious but is very easy to solve. I also recommend the Imperfect samples walnut extreme (the one with 4 microphones and 54 gigas), I purchased it few days ago and is gorgeous.
@@PianoScoreVids You want to destroy it definitely and don’t accept dissuasive arguments, it’s ok. You are very skilled like pianist by the way, congrats!.
@@PianoScoreVids It’s a severe problem for you, and I’m a pro pianist too, but the lack of the half pedal is not a reason enough to dismiss it for me, is very unfair taking into account its advantages, but, at the end, we are free to choose our favorite resources to work. The important thing is to have the money to buy whatever vst piano we want, and fortunately, they are much cheaper than a real acoustic.
@@PianoScoreVids then you need to explore the settings and understand them...its a lot more functional and sounds just as good or even better than even a real grand piano.
sorry, i don't have that. always thought about buying it and maybe i will. problem is , it doesn't have very many grand pianos for that rather high price to offer.
@@PianoScoreVids aaah, i can understand that, but i think they can compete really well with all your vst, anyway, thank you for your review, that is very helpful
@@PianoScoreVids Is it a hybrid piano? Or digital ones? .... BTW, I found your channel very inspiring! You have put a lot of energy and effort in your passion. You also help to us to introduce unknown music to the world... Thanks for that! Are you german or swiss, by any chance?
I used to be able to play test an 8Dio steinway product and I remember it was nigh impossible to play it, let alone for classical pieces. The playability was absolute garbage, the attack and velocity would widely changes at the slightest pressure changes on keyboard, playability was totally inconsistent to the point you'd ask yourself if the people behind the VST actually ever played the piano to begin with...
@@MrMusicopath I've tested a fuckton (pardon my french) of piano VST over the years as whenever I can do it, I download them illegally - cough - to test what I consider the core of them that's rarely really properly reviewed, that is the playability. Playability is of the essence for a VST. Most reviews focuses on sounds alone or almost. Then if I'm happy with it, I buy the product. So many times (we're talking 90% of the time, really) a vst would sound good/great but playability was bad or simply not good enough. I can't fathom how much money I've saved doing this. Playability should be the core of a review. So many piano VSTs are just "a type of piano sounds for your recordings/musical projects/mixes" and not thought out as a good instrument for a piano player to begin with, if you get my drift... I play on a Kawai MP9500 of which the action is still top of the line as of today (if maintained well, that is). The VPC1 is built on that foundation and the action has barely been upgraded. It was that good at the time to begin with. Only the hybrids really goes further than this. Suffice to say, with all the nuances it permits, all VSTs can unveil their fullest potential with it, or much quickly falls short. And boy do soooo many VSTs falls short lol Also, for me, classical music, especially from the romantic period, is an absolute must for reviewing a piano VST. If it can pull off convincingly a Chopin or Rachmaninov piece with all the rubatos, pianissimos and all the nuances required like a real piano let me do it, then it's a good instrument that will be able to pull off just about any kind of music convincingly, be it pop, jazz or otherwise. Because it will act like a real piano, not like a sound library if you know what I mean. AND ONLY THEN should the vst brings its own sound identity in the equation. I think this way I thoroughly tested probably around 20 piano VSTs if not more, the vast majority of them were deceiving in terms of playability or just couldn't adapt to any type of music like a real piano would. 8Dio, of all the one I tested, was some of the worst, if not the worst of them all. Laughable. Completely unplayable on my Kawai. I think it was the 1928 Steinway I tested the most, it was a complete joke, a disaster... it crapped itself so bad on classical it was embarrassing, bit of a shame for a Steinway of all pianos! I see they've supposedly overhauled their products (that pesky 1928 has a brand new interface for example), so maybe they upped their game since then... but I wouldn't trust them one bit. Whoever was in charge of that vst back then is no piano player to begin with, no way. And it was probably design with cheap (in terms of action at least) master keyboards in mind, just to bang some chords with a steinway sound and throw them into a pop-like mix.
@@PianoScoreVids Which hybrid upright do you have? I have been considering getting one. Thank you for the excellent video and I really enjoyed listening to you play!
Wow, great job. Regarding the Mason & Hamlin Model A from Dore Mark. You might wish to check out his newer pianos, since he has upped his game. Pianobook has three in The Experience series: Fazioli F308, Yamaha S6, and New York S&S Model B. Would love to know your opinion. I've just released a video demonstrating those and 20 other piano plugins, focusing on free/inexpensive options: th-cam.com/video/Fld8f0sU6ko/w-d-xo.html
![Как устроен QR-код? [Veritasium]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/nKY00hHtIxg/mqdefault.jpg)
Impressive as always! It's also nice to see that you reviewed both the lite and full versions of CFX Grand
thank you! :) yes i thought this was a reasonable thing to do.
I think everyone can thank you for this huge comparison
thanks:)
One of the finest perspectives on vsts on TH-cam from a nusician's point of view. Thsnk you so very.much
great thanks!
Spoiled pianoteq guy here 😜 with samples I just miss all the tweaking options. I find that I can make it sound as good or better than sampled pianos. Plus it's always being improved...the team is very active in their community.
I use pianoteq all a timre, but i start to be bored. I can't here bass well, and i fell a lack off power..
Extremely informative and in depth analysis. As a piano player, I so appreciate your review. Thanks and keep up the great work. BTW: You're an amazing talent!
thanks a lot!
This is one of the best VST piano reviews I've come across. So many vst's reviewed are about wacky or cinematic fx piano's and not just a decent piano sound. This gave a good review of the sound and playability of these vst's.
I'm not a pro player or classical player, but im on the hunt for a certain bechstein sound. Bechstein often gets missed and the one ive liked the most tone wise is the maverick which you reviewed. Great review.👍
You and Merriam Music provide such a good complement of reviews, of many of the pianos I would have shortlisted in my own piano library ambition, hopefully both of you will get to review some of the Production Voices pianos.
Amazing demonstration of all the VSTs. I really appreciate your effort. Thanks and great job. :)
I love your chopin playing. Great review
Hey Gamma, ich habe bis jetzt noch gar nicht dein VST Review 2021 Video gesehen. Finde ich gut, so bleibt man etwas uptodate, was so Gutes und Empfehlenswertes auf dem Markt ist. Gutes Video!!!
Brilliant demo. The Vienna instruments sounded wonderful except for the clicks and pops. It would be extremely helpful if you gave some idea of the limitations in your system, and how much more one would need in terms of resources to have them run smoothly on similar performances. Otherwise, an outstanding video.
Also, I’ve watched some of your performance videos. It would be helpful there if you listed in the notes what instrument/plug-in you are using.
Good morning. Thank you for the beautiful Music that you make us listen to.
Knowing that you are the Musician was a wonderful surprise, a surprise proportional to your skill.
Thanks again, looking forward to Your new songs.
Good morning - happy listening to these videos :)
15:15 oh, where's the sound? ^^'
Just my two cents:
The sample sam is absolutely amazing!
The garritan CFX light and the Waves one however sound quite artificial to me.
The Ravenscroft has a nice light sound, but I think its soundstage sounds a bit weird.
I think out of all I like the Bösendorfer 280 and the Noire the most
Oooh 🙈 The editing was a nightmare, I am so bad at this...
Thanks a lot for your feedback, it is very interesting to me.
Die VSL Instrumente sind echt der Hammer!
absolut!
This is improvisation! Real gentleman)))
Wow the vsl lineup is amazing
And my new favourite is the 280vc❤
Hi Gamma 1734! Thanks for this extensive walk through your VST library!!!
I loved the VSL Bosendorfer 280 VC as well as the Garritan CFX full!!! I don't know, but I hear some tuning problems with the VSL CFX. Because of my SSD, and the fact I still have the VSL Steinway, I can't yet get the 280 VC. But I love playing the Garritan CFX, and I can be very expressive with it. As long as the mixing and panning is good, the problem with lower velocity hiss can be resolved. Thanks again for your review!!!
Beautiful playing and a really useful comparison video! Could you let me know what piece you are playing at 30:30? It really suits the Maverick!
Thanks for your comment and listening - that piece is in a set from Samuel Maykapar, 12 Album leaves for the youth, it is a valse melancolique.
Fantastic video, nice playing, honest product opinions, thank you.
Nice review, thanks for sharing! Do you forgot about Pianoteq?
Unfortunately I don't like the Pianoteq grand sound. I don't know why I didn't mention it at all, but I wouldn't have been to positive about it. Also I only have version 6 and not the new 7. But I really love their historic instruments, which are the best in the market in my opinion.
@@PianoScoreVids Understood. Thanks friend.
Amazingly comprehensive review of piano libraries. Really helpful
What a comparison! Thank you very much. It is hard for any piano to compete with those VSL beast. I feel I should go the VLS 6 pianos bundle but man that price... Probably gonna have to pick one, most likely the Bösendorfer Imperial. However, I recently discovered the Realsamples and those are absolutely great too. I mean, it sounds very old which it is supposed to be, very far from moderm bright and distinct sound, but for classical pieces it is just great. Got the Rare Pianos bundle, Piano Pioneers bundle and Italian Harpsichords bundle on Audioplugin deals currently for like €40 each. Definitely gonna get their Lute Harpsichord, Therbo Harpsichord, Austrian Harpsichord and Grand Piano. I absolutely LOVE playing like Beethoven on these vintage pianos. Mozard on Early Pianoforte sounds magnificient.
From the list you provided here I mostly use Noire because from my pianos it has the best overall sound. I also use The Grandeur a lot which was not on the list but has nice bright sound. For romantic pieces I used to use The Maverick but I often switch to the realsamplet Lutheal now. I also got Alicia Keys which I use not that much and The Giant, which I really don't like the quiet sample sound. Compared to other pianos it is so extremely silent it is very hard to get it in a mix. However I got all these in the Komplete 13 Ultimate bundle so I don't really complain. 🙂
Great work here, keep it up!
Brilliant playing.
Love the VSL Yamaha and Imperial. The 280VC sounds so clear, but I'm not keen on its timbre, I prefer the Imperial's, even if it sounds a bit muddier. Thank you, Julian!
To anyone considering the garritan be aware that the aria software is not friendly to all audio interfaces, mine in particular (presonus firestudio) makes it completely unusable. I am fond of the NI maverick piano, I like bechstein and it has proper sostenuto support which works with my piano very nicely!
Can you please explain the use of audio interface, I'm new to this stuff, i just connect my digital piano to a daw with vst and record it with no audio interface.
Wow this is so interesting! I'm thinking about uploading some of my music on youtube in the future, so this is extra helpful!!
wow that's great to hear i could help!
My favorite is VSL Steinway D
Thank you very much for doing this review!
Best piano vst review ever great job brother 👏
thanks man!
Awesome comparison. The developer of Garritan said that the volume sliders could be raised a bit, but near/at the top there may be some digital clipping noise.
good info thanks
@@PianoScoreVids That is from Jeff Hurchalla in the Piano World forums. I might have spelled his name wrong. But that is a credible source.
The Pearl sounded wonderful to me, but playing is another experience I realise. The Black Grand Steinway D sounded tawny to me, and was very interesting because of that. I liked it more than the C7 following it.
Tawny, never heard that word before :) Good description.... one can also say it has "character".
Love your stuff. Thanks for putting this together. I want to love that Bosendorfer upright but it def sounds like its being recorded while wearing a winter blanket. So muffled to my ears. Cheers!
EQ can help but it should sound brighter out of the box I agree
Vsl cfx is excellent❤ thanks for sharing your thoughts
Great video, thank you! The VSL pianos are stupid good, wow. And Garritan Full.
Great video, thanks, particularly because of focus on classical music (with exceptions).
All I can say is that I had nothing but problems when installing and trying to use Synchron. I already have Pianoteq and Garritan CFX (no problem installing or using them with the exception of CFX that I cannot reduce key return noise to 0). First of all, Synchron piano installation is unnecessarily complicated (I tried both free Soft Imperial and Bosendorfer Upright - both relatively small as far as library size). Secondly, no matter what file installation defaults I set, I had installation spread between two disks: numerous directories on my slower disk C: and some (library in particular) on dedicated, faster drive H: (I only want to have this drive used for VSTs). Finally, I had big lag between pressing the key and getting the sound. I have a specific setup. I use FP-90X connected with USB MIDI to my computer and I use USB Digital Interface option Roland has to send the digital signal over the same USB cable to FP-90X (Roland’s DAC, amp and speakers are used). It worked perfectly with Pianoteq and Garritan but no matter what parameters I set, I have this unacceptable delay. I have to use Roland as output for Synchron piano and Roland appears on the list of audio output options (only one option!). Their support did not get back to me. My experience witch VSL is bad (to say the least). I have no idea why no reviewer ever mentions the installation issues and the need for iLock hardware key.
Absolutely fantastic playing and explanation about all the piano vst’s. I am pianist and composer and I am looking for some of good piano vst for my solo piano compositions. You have a really good experienced about the piano vst. It would be great help if you can suggest some of good Upriht and Grand piano vst’s so I will buy it. I have a questions just need to know which piano are you using to trigger the vst? I will wait for you reply. Thank you so much…Love it! ❤
Awesome job, but wondering why you didn't include Pianoteq in the mix?
I basically forgot it
It would be great to hear about Pianoteq and Acousticsamples’ pianos.
You deserve more likes my friend, thank you.
At 1:36:05 you mentioned cranking up the velocity curve, yet the curve during your playing is the standard linear one. What curve adjustment do you use regularly for the Bösendorfer Upright? I'm asking because I'm also wondering about how to improve the playability. Can you maybe upload a screenshot somewhere or even the curve adjustment file?
Massive thanks for the whole video by the way. I'm sure it will come in handy in the future.
Thanks for your comment! :)
I use FL Studio. In FL Studio you have an editor window where you can adjust the velocity curve *globally* . Thus it can't be seen in the video. My only choices (since 1 or 2 years now) for curves are ONLY linear functions. Any non-linearity produces very bad effects in my trill playing or repeated note playing. The curve is like the identity function, but just I take the point at (1,1) and drag it to the left, about to (0.9,1) or so. This means that velocities of 110 or so already get mapped to the maximum. This is because my controller limits *internally* already at 110 or so, no matter how hard I play.
For the B. Upright in particular I would use a very steep curve because the loud samples live in a very high region for that one. I would place the point therefore at (0.8,1) or even (0.7,1) and see what happens..
@@PianoScoreVids Awesome, thanks for the quick response! I'll try that.
Well done... great review!
What digital upright are you using as controller? Seems to wed to the sample libraries very well.
I’m curious to hear your impressions of the various Pianoteq pianos.
i don't really like them.. but the harpsichord and fortepianos are amazing
Awesome extensive review, nearly 2 hours wow! please enlighten us: which is your favorite? or top 3 atleast?
I use Garritan most of the time.
Dein Rechner stirbt den Heldentod mit dem Synchron Player. :D
Nice review. I am impressed with the Simple Sam grand. Very nice tone for the $$. Have you tried Skybox Audio's Hammer and Waves? Thanks!
Man... what a great review. Thanks for this. I have the Ravenscroft 275 and trying to decide on another grand...the Garritan CFX full sounds really nice! I also have the Hammersmith, pearl, American concert D, Grandeur, Alicia Keys... I don't like the playability of any of them. Ravenscroft275 is really great though. You should check it out with your amazing playing skills!
The Ravenscroft is in this video, he already has it! :) @ 1:20:39
Great review Gamma1734. Than you so much. Would you have any interest in doing a review/walkthrough with EW Quantum Leap Platinum Pianos, and 8Dio The New 1969 Steinway Piano and 1928 Scoring Pianos?
Thanks for the interesting video.
I think you said that some plugins had touch sensitivity issues. Did you try using an alternative MIDI controller/piano in case there is an incompatability with some of the plugins? I'm a newbie to VSTs, but I have found sensor compatibility issues between a digital piano and a voice/patch expander box. The key sensors seemed to behave a little differently when the box was added, even though both items were from the same manufacturer. I've heard say that on a good digital piano the action is carefully matched to the inbuilt patches or vice versa.
Also, you specified that in certain applications the sensitivity and dynamic range issues might not matter. I can say that many compositions in modern music genres do not require the greatest dynamic ranges, but any abrupt tonal changes might be an issue. A litle tuning variance and so on, however, can be fun.
In music hall, ragtime and stride, a few imperfections can add valuable character, whereas the cheesy GM "honky tonk" and its typical variations as supplied on DPs are OTT, and unusable.
Thanks for those further points. I had a couple of midi controllers in my life so far, and the way the reacted was rather similar. The only difference is the built in action. The sensors themselves are pretty good always. I used Kawais. One can always dial some knobs to reduce abrupt tonal changes, but everybody is different. I don't play extreme music anymore because most people like waltzes and romantic music. Thus for me it is important to get a good and smooth sound out of the instruments.
Very good job! Thank you.
Regarding playability: Garritan or one of the VSLs (based on your video maybe CFX is the best)?
Which is your overall favorite of the VSL pianos? Ie. if you could keep just one for playing classical music?
i have tried all of the pianos except for the VSL xd. i can say that i cant even imagine or dare to believe any VST will soon or ever beat Gerritan. I do wish that fazioli and steinway were included in the gerritan software, as yamaha does often sound too tense to me. Thats all i can say.
my newest video is the newest vsl. check it out for a sound demo ..
Relative piano newbie here, but I have some expertise in acoustics at least... I really love the ambiance and playability of the Garritan. It sounds realistic and is expertly sampled and scripted. But it just sounds too... generic for my tastes.
Ravenscroft is king for me. Just as playable as the Garritan IMO and the staccato samples are impeccable. The piano is also pristine, but also just seems so unique in the way it sings. It sounds like nothing else, and as someone who specializes a bit in acoustics, it just sounds more real than most (the Garritan and VSL are the only comparisons imo).
My only caveat is that I'd like a bit more dynamic range in the bass and I wish they'd recorded in a less dry room.
Hallo Gamma,
ein fantastisches Video. Danke Dir dafür vielmals. Spielst Du die VSTs nur über Kopfhörer oder auch über Monitorer bzw. die internen Deines Kawais? Ich habe bei mir damit rumprobiert und musste leider immer feststellen, dass die Sounds von der mittleren großen Oktave bis zur eingestrichenen metallisch, drahtig klingen. Ich weiß nicht woran das hängt. Trotz VPC1 und der dort vorhandenen Kurven brachte das keine Änderung. Hast Du einen Vorschlag, was ich machen kann?
great sound recording, do you use external sound card, I m using Macbook Pro 16, must I buy an external sound card to record perfect sounds like you did?
You can just record into a good digital audio workstation like fl studio or logic. They have internal asio drivers which are able to do that recording business with comparatively low latency
I bought a Roland FP-30X to finally learn the piano at 28 (not trying to produce music etc.). In your opinion, which is the best plugin to take the Roland’s sound to the next level? Just started learning about all the available plugins, but I heard about Garritan CFX, Keyscape’s C7, Ravenscroft 275, Pianoteq (to mention a few), are great. What’s your opinion?
Also, trying to load Garritan CFX on a Roland FP-30X connected to a desktop PC but I can feel the latency affecting my playing. I can around 2 ms latency but it still feels “slow”. Don’t know if my brain is making this up. How do you load the plugin (VST, Standalone)? How can someone “eliminate” latency, to replicate the feel of a real piano?
What is the most responsive (lowest latency) plugin in your experience? Maybe Pianoteq?
Currently using Reaper as my choice of DAW (tried Ableton too), I’ve set the Sample Rate to the maximum of 384 kHz that my Chord Mojo DAC supports, which lowered the latency instantly, and now I’m experimenting with the Buffer size, around 128-256 samples, keeping in mind how my system responds, so as to avoid cracks and pops. I’ve also got a Ryzen 3600 system, which handles all this pretty fine I’d say. Still feels kinda slow.
Gute Arbeit, nettes midi keyboard!!!
Great video thank you! I’m surprised you’re using FL and not das bitwig studio which ist sehr güt!
p.s. untrained novice here, I’m wondering what’s the significance of your profile picture? a forte A sharp major, I’m guessing a joking complexity in notation? p.p.s. i choose to interpret gamma as the lorentz factor of course
I’m currently using Noire as my go to and find it has a nice balanced sound and playability. However, I’m considering upgrading this for something that offers even more realism. I’m considering either VSL, or Production Voices 300 Grand.
From the audio demos I like the VSL CFX and Fazioli the most. 300 Grand also has a really nice sound and I’m wondering what you would recommend?
sorry, i don't know the production voices one.
@@PianoScoreVids Ah, ok. The VSL CFX and Fazioli would be my first choice. The Fazioli sounds slightly dull in the highs from the demos I’ve heard?
What are your thoughts on the VSL CFX vs Fazioli?
The sound and recording quality on the fazioli is really good, but I remember really liking the tone and message of the CFX. I think I would prefer it.
Excellent Comparison..Thank you for Sharing..
I'm New to VST..Humble question for you..
Mostly I Play Pop/ Film Score /Classical Music.
Whats your 3 Best Choice from your Personal experience
Most suitable Vst for my requirement..
I own Kawai CA 78 digital Piano..
Your answer will help me in selecting Right VST..
Your Playing is inspirational & Selected Music is Great👍..
What music at 37.25 & 39.25 Noire/ 50.55 Garritan Full?
Thank you & STAY SAFE🙏
thanks for listening! You already guessed it: I would primarily choose the Noire and Garritan, but maybe the light is even enough. for pop maybe the "TVBO" from sampletekk is an idea,it's only 50 dollars, but I think only today and tomorrow or so. The noire has nice options for film scores with the algorithmic section I didnt even talk about (check other nice youtube videos), and the garritan is just overall a great feel while playing and very versatile, so suitable for classical music. The ca 78 is good, I owned the 98 and 48 at some time in my life. You can definitely do a lot with it.
37:25 is an excerpt from the third piano sonata from chopin, first movement
39:25 was just me fooling around
50:55 was the wonderful elegy from vasily kalinnikov
@@PianoScoreVids what a Great detail reply of my all question..
Thank you so much for taking out time to explain me from your busy schedule❤️..
I have aready short listed But Confuse between Garritan Lite or full/Noire/Vsl Cfx & Bosendorfer 280VC( Both Expensive) ?
If I have to choose only 1 from above to start with..
Which is BETTER Choice?
Thank you👍 & Yes STAY SAFE🙏
the playability of all of them is great. If I were you I would listen to as many demos as possible and then decide according to which sound is the best to you. Basically at this point you will not do anything wrong with any of them
@@rrjjgg101 I hope to add some useful things into the conversation. Don't go for the Garritan CFX light, as it only has one part of the Classic perspective and the sound is hollow. If you are going for the Garritan CFX, go for the full version. With some mixing possibilities, you'll be able to reduce the lower velocity sample hiss IMO. But you need the ambient mics in the room with you!
@@PianoScoreVids Hi Dear..Thank you again..Already watching
All available Videos Comparission of Vst ...👍STAY SAFE🙏
what is name of the music on 16:00 or who is composer?
How did you activate your sustain pedal in FL Studio?
Great review thank you. Is it possible that the stereo channels are swapped in the video? I hear bass in the right and treble from the left.
possible, but it's not wrong: you can stand on either side relative to the grand.
I have the Ivory II American and have been looking for something better. Would the VSL line be any better for classical and romantic? as far as control and that concert hall sound.
sorry, i don't have the ivory.
The VSL stuff seems to be the highest end from many recommending it, and it's used for classical.
Hi there, could you tell me what excerpt you are playing on the Aria Silk Grand (3rd appassionata? Beethoven?)
what do you think about ivory II?
sorry i don't have it. i would assume it's very good. if i had more money i would probably buy it
Where's Sampletekk's WG2 MkII? IMHO, it's probably their best sounding grand! :D
I'm afraid i don't have that one!
@@PianoScoreVids Wait till it's on sale for like $30 or so. I've been using The White Grand for over 15 years. It's great for cutting through the mix and it has a sound and character that I haven't found in other pianos.
Thanks! i bought the garritan lite but i can't get this sound.. what settings did you use ?? The full version Is that Better? worth upgrading? I don't have this player so complete but only a symple interface
what would you say is the best out of the VSL Steinway, the VSL Bluthner and the VSL Bosendorfer Imperial? I play alot of romantic, Early jazz (stride), film scores and anime music (i was thinking to buy 1 of them because the set is very expensive)
take the Steinway and bi, play them for a week and return one with their return policy
it's a Sampletekk Black Grand detuned??
You were struggling with the Hammersmith Pro and that came out in the music. Did you disable the round robins?
good idea for trying again but no half pedaling is almost a deal breaker anyway. my pedal poositíon average is pretty much in the middle very often
Do any of these VSTs reproduce, faithfully, the inhales, exhales, and grunts of the instrument?
no not really
@@PianoScoreVids Bummer! I was hoping they would have those specially recorded as they do with pedal noises and dampers with multiple Binaural mic positions.
Synthogy's Ivory Pianos, all of them, have nice pedal noises, I think. Garritan and VSL has less stellar ones, IMO. :)
I really enjoyed your reviews and comments. Thank you. I tried VSL very recently and I removed it. It is not about the sound but (in my mind) overly complicated setup. I could do it (I am not computer naive by any stretch of imagination) but I find the layers of installation bizarre. I can do but the cost, size on disk etc are working against it even though that I liked the sound. I am just staying with Pianoteq and Garritan CFX. It is enough for me and I really like Pianoteq Steinway D NY. There are many experienced pianists who use it (Phil Best or Hugh Sung come to mind).
great content! thanks!
please, does anyone know name 30:30
Pls check the comments where someone asked that
@@PianoScoreVids thank you
hy what are the 5 best for u? 1° 2° and 3° ecc...
Hi, I'm new to vst...What is Kontakt and FL studio? I guess you can put all vst in Kontakt for easy to launch, and the FL studio is recording software, am I right?
Fl Studio is my digital Audio Workstation. It is not only to record, but to cut, edit, mix, create music in general. Kontakt ist a program which hosts vst plugins. You can't just open a vst on windows, you need a daw like Fl studio to be able to open Kontakt (but maybe there is a standalone version too), and inside kontakt you can then open a vst. If a vst is a so called 'kontakt instrument' you can ONLY open it in kontakt - some plugins require the full version of Kontakt, which you first have to buy, so care is needed there. Many plugins work in the free version though, the so called Kontakt Player.
@@PianoScoreVids Thank you so much.😊
Hello,
Im new into this VST stuff,
I would like to use the free mason & hamlin VST you linked. I download the four archives... How I can use it now?
Thanks!
When you are using the silent mode are you still using kawai sounds or do you prefer runing a vst like vsl or garritan cfx ?
no i always use silent mode with a vst
This is the first time I stumble upon this channel... congratulations for such a great selection of pianos! I hope in the next review we'd find Keyscape from spectrosonics, which is outstanding!
Anyhow! The best digital piano doesn't have a better piano sound than the worst piano VST represented here. Loved it!
I like your video, but man, you destroyed the great Hammersmith! You are right that its dynamics are extreme and the bass sounds a bit weak, but these things can be fixed with the Kontakt inner programming (not with the settings that come with the vst). Is a bit laborious but is very easy to solve. I also recommend the Imperfect samples walnut extreme (the one with 4 microphones and 54 gigas), I purchased it few days ago and is gorgeous.
it has no continuous sustain for the pedal which already makes it unusable for me.
@@PianoScoreVids You want to destroy it definitely and don’t accept dissuasive arguments, it’s ok. You are very skilled like pianist by the way, congrats!.
What do I have to do to fix this problem.
@@PianoScoreVids It’s a severe problem for you, and I’m a pro pianist too, but the lack of the half pedal is not a reason enough to dismiss it for me, is very unfair taking into account its advantages, but, at the end, we are free to choose our favorite resources to work. The important thing is to have the money to buy whatever vst piano we want, and fortunately, they are much cheaper than a real acoustic.
@@PianoScoreVids I forgot to write that a solution I use for half pedal is volume automation, to control the decreasing speed of long chords.
Did you use all vsts in default version for this video?
Wheres Pianoteq?!?!?
Sorry, I really don't like the pianoteq sound for grands
@@PianoScoreVids then you need to explore the settings and understand them...its a lot more functional and sounds just as good or even better than even a real grand piano.
@@zumadale it's subjective
@@PianoScoreVids I guess but 127 velocity levels ...my lord...lol
@@zumadale I use pianoteq for my pianoforte and harpsichord recordings. For that it is the best plugin I have. it sounds very great.
What keybed is that?
Have you ever tried Keyscape?
unfortunately never
what about Ivory, Keyscape?
sorry, i don't have that. always thought about buying it and maybe i will. problem is , it doesn't have very many grand pianos for that rather high price to offer.
@@PianoScoreVids aaah, i can understand that, but i think they can compete really well with all your vst, anyway, thank you for your review, that is very helpful
May I ask what is the model of your upright?
the absolute cheapest kawai
@@PianoScoreVids Is it a hybrid piano? Or digital ones? .... BTW, I found your channel very inspiring! You have put a lot of energy and effort in your passion. You also help to us to introduce unknown music to the world... Thanks for that! Are you german or swiss, by any chance?
I'm German, it's the hybrid version, yes
I used to be able to play test an 8Dio steinway product and I remember it was nigh impossible to play it, let alone for classical pieces. The playability was absolute garbage, the attack and velocity would widely changes at the slightest pressure changes on keyboard, playability was totally inconsistent to the point you'd ask yourself if the people behind the VST actually ever played the piano to begin with...
almost 8dio pianos are SO BAD
@@MrMusicopath I've tested a fuckton (pardon my french) of piano VST over the years as whenever I can do it, I download them illegally - cough - to test what I consider the core of them that's rarely really properly reviewed, that is the playability. Playability is of the essence for a VST. Most reviews focuses on sounds alone or almost. Then if I'm happy with it, I buy the product.
So many times (we're talking 90% of the time, really) a vst would sound good/great but playability was bad or simply not good enough. I can't fathom how much money I've saved doing this. Playability should be the core of a review. So many piano VSTs are just "a type of piano sounds for your recordings/musical projects/mixes" and not thought out as a good instrument for a piano player to begin with, if you get my drift...
I play on a Kawai MP9500 of which the action is still top of the line as of today (if maintained well, that is). The VPC1 is built on that foundation and the action has barely been upgraded. It was that good at the time to begin with. Only the hybrids really goes further than this. Suffice to say, with all the nuances it permits, all VSTs can unveil their fullest potential with it, or much quickly falls short. And boy do soooo many VSTs falls short lol
Also, for me, classical music, especially from the romantic period, is an absolute must for reviewing a piano VST. If it can pull off convincingly a Chopin or Rachmaninov piece with all the rubatos, pianissimos and all the nuances required like a real piano let me do it, then it's a good instrument that will be able to pull off just about any kind of music convincingly, be it pop, jazz or otherwise. Because it will act like a real piano, not like a sound library if you know what I mean. AND ONLY THEN should the vst brings its own sound identity in the equation.
I think this way I thoroughly tested probably around 20 piano VSTs if not more, the vast majority of them were deceiving in terms of playability or just couldn't adapt to any type of music like a real piano would.
8Dio, of all the one I tested, was some of the worst, if not the worst of them all. Laughable. Completely unplayable on my Kawai. I think it was the 1928 Steinway I tested the most, it was a complete joke, a disaster... it crapped itself so bad on classical it was embarrassing, bit of a shame for a Steinway of all pianos!
I see they've supposedly overhauled their products (that pesky 1928 has a brand new interface for example), so maybe they upped their game since then... but I wouldn't trust them one bit.
Whoever was in charge of that vst back then is no piano player to begin with, no way. And it was probably design with cheap (in terms of action at least) master keyboards in mind, just to bang some chords with a steinway sound and throw them into a pop-like mix.
You bought ALL of these plugins?
don't forget all those huge SSD's i also had to buy
pls add a limiter
how do you use your real piano as a master keyboard ?
It's a hybrid upright
@@PianoScoreVids Which hybrid upright do you have? I have been considering getting one. Thank you for the excellent video and I really enjoyed listening to you play!
@@PianoScoreVids Please tell us the make and model of the hybrid in the video :-)
Wow, great job. Regarding the Mason & Hamlin Model A from Dore Mark. You might wish to check out his newer pianos, since he has upped his game. Pianobook has three in The Experience series: Fazioli F308, Yamaha S6, and New York S&S Model B. Would love to know your opinion.
I've just released a video demonstrating those and 20 other piano plugins, focusing on free/inexpensive options:
th-cam.com/video/Fld8f0sU6ko/w-d-xo.html
👍
pearl grand sounds really bad