In my opinion, this is THE best piano vst available to this date. Huge dynamic range with alot of variation in timbre across the velocity ranges going from mellow soft and sweet to raw powerful and thunderous, and very good long sustain even in the higher registers, which other vst's sometimes lack. I have all vsl piano's, they are all amazing, but this one takes the cake, it just has it all.
Several seconds before you started playing the tune, I literally thought "man I'd like to hear him play Spain" and then you did...still can't believe it...great rendition btw, wish you kept going with it Lol!
I thought the VSL CFX would be my least favorite of the VSLs. Now that I've bought it, it may actually be my favorite. The CFX was the last VSL piano I acquired, figuring I was covered by the Garritan CFX and Noire, and that I'd enjoy the other VSLs more, since I was never crazy about the actual CFX as an instrument anyway. I was wrong. To me, VSL's CFX might be the very best grand piano VST on the market, with its only flaws being shared with other VSLs like the lackluster sympathetic resonance engine and lack of real una corda. The garritan and noire still share a certain CFX-ness, but they are absolutely different pianos -- even if you already own those, I suggest you give the VSL CFX a try. In particular, the VSL CFX has much more engaging release samples and more character than the garritan CFX, which is otherwise quite close to perfection. It can also get a little dryer for those who need that. Compared to the other VSLs, the CFX is one of the most playable out of the box (much more than the steinway). I really like the Bosendorfer Imperial too, but for some reason its pedal down samples do not handle the ppp-p range very well (it's fine with the pedal released). it feels like p is the lowest dynamic I can achieve with the pedal down. Plus I know the BI's character isn't for everyone. The Steinway is also great, having great performance in the softest dynamics in particular. But for me it took A LOT of specific velocity tweaking to get it sound and play right. The CFX has a similar amount of playability in the lowest dynamics while also having much more engaging release samples than the steinway IMO. The 280VC I just don't get along with, and I love both the Bosendorfer upright and the Bluthner in particular, but the limited bass dynamic range and tonality isn't always the most suitable. To me what sells me on CFX are really its release samples. To me, good release behavior is one of the most important things for replicating the sound and feel of a real piano, as it's one of the way you can create color and variation in touch, such as with staccatos. It's where pianoteq fails for me (somewhat surprisingly, given it's a modeled instrument), and where VI Labs' ravenscroft and Modern U really excel
Thanks for the review, I've gotten tired of Garritan and even with significant tweaking of velocity curves could never get it where I wanted it. With Modern U for instance, even though the piano sampled is inferior to these grands, it feels much more like I'm playing a real instrument. Garritan feels sterile and somewhat digital. I was considering getting Ravenscroft, but I may save my money for the VSL.
When I listen to the various piano demos and reviews on TH-cam, of the same piano such as the Yamaha CFX as sampled by VSL, its amazing to find out how different the piano sounds, because of the difference in how each of these samples is "setup" and adjusted to the velocity of the keyboard controller, each reviewer uses, and their own personal sensibilities. Simeon Amburgey for example favours the higher velocities in his playing, either out of not realising how sharp this sounds, or possibly because his monitoring environment or headphones, does not reveal to him the full transients of the sharpest attacks, so he does not typically adjust his velocity curve to match. Clearly the best sampled libraries also need to be properly setup, with respect to velocity sensitivity and alignment to whatever keyboard controller is used, and the listening environment also needs very good speakers or headphones, ideally in a treated room with frequency corrected by some form of measurement microphone and speaker/room correction. The TH-cam examples demonstrate that it takes much more than a good quality sample library, to sound realistic, it also needs proper adjustment by the end user. Stu/Merriam Music, after extensive listening as I have had the opportunity to improve my listening environment, clearly has the best demo's and alignment of his controller keyboard, to the sample library, of all the demonstrators I have listened to, on TH-cam. I can imagine that the VSL samples will provide the best source for many a piano focussed recording, huge dynamic range, exquisitely sampled. I also think some post production with EQ, compression, tape saturation, etc, can also be used to lean the recording, in any direction intended. Unfortunately no two pianos will ever sound the same, and one has to accept that we will always need more piano samples, to address a wide range of tones/genres. Nevertheless the VSL pianos, when properly adjusted as is the example in this video, cover their territory and deliver a tone that is definitely a must have, in the myriad of possibilities. Definitely worth saving up for.
For me It's like "buy this and you're done"😁♥️ the "less_bell-like-tone" is Fantastic i love it (all the other vsl pianos has that and for that specific reason I can't love them- i hardly tried of course, cause I'm an Steinway guy when it comes to pianos but in synchrons, the cfx is the actual best I wish they sample an older Steinway D in the futurr... like the one that native instruments captured "GRANDEUR" Thanks for the video♥️
You're very welcome! Thank you for tuning in! You are certainly right about the samples being quite captivating. VSL does an excellent job with these sample packs! :)
Beautiful playing Stu - and the most useful review of this instrument in my opinion. The music you're playing between 8:22 -> 9:56... is that just pure improvisation, or is it based upon a piece? I'm about to transcribe it if you were just noodling (bravo!)
What a great demo... actually first listened when it came out and have returned several times. Bought this library in June 2020 and never looked back. Funny, Stu mentioned 7200 rpm drives and standard SSDs and the load times, and boy is he right. Just built a new DAW tower with a PCIe 4.0 motherboard and a dedicated PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD (Samsung 980 Pro) for my VSL Pianos, and NOW the load times are just a few seconds. SO if you're going to consider this library, try your best to store it on a PCIe 4.0 NVMe. An external NVMe drive will work OK if your have 40gb Thunderbolt, but internal on the motherboard is really the best scenario to keep your sanity, lol.
Thanks for tuning in! We're glad you enjoyed the video and found it useful! :) And thank you for your insights. I'm sure many of our community members appreciate the suggestions. I'm glad to hear that you found a viable solution with your setup. Thanks again and all the best!
Stu! It's outstanding! Both what you do and the piano. And yes! I too share the opinion that Together with keyscape this VST is the one that most accurately represents the acoustic pianos in terms of sound. And yes again! The touch curve must be readjusted by users. When I first played this myself, and even when I've heard others do so, I could feel the tendency of sounding mezzo-forte and above without any struggle. I guess you found a splendid touch sensitivity for your CFX. All the best to you always! .
One more - hard to choose: "Imperial Grandeur" (Boesendorfer Imperial 290-755) or Steinway D-274 (Hamburg) or Bluethner 193 (1895, Aliquot strung) - which will it be? - ö is German shorthand for oe - pronounced like a hard French "eu" - ü is German shorthand for ue - pronounced like the French "u" - 290 cm = 9' 6" - 274 cm = 9' - 193 cm = 6' 4"
Wow, breathtaking. Thank you for this video. Ugh, the more demos I hear, the more my opinion expands about which synchron pianos I want to get (haven't pulled the trigger on any yet). Might have to just take the plunge on the whole bundle...
You're welcome! Thanks for tuning in! They are certainly quite impressive to say the least. Having multiple sample sets in your arsenal is also incredibly appealing of course. :)
I just did the same adjustment on the velocity curve right out of the box. It changed dramatically the realism of the touch. By the way, I'm using a Yamaha Silent U3 SH2. I can't understand why this tweaking is necessary on my acoustic piano, but there it is. Great video as always. Best regards.
Thanks for tuning in! I am happy to hear that adjusting the velocity curve helped enhance the authenticity of the playing experience. Thanks again and happy playing! :)
The main challenge of these pianos is similar to buying a high performance car - you have to upgrade everything else such as your fuel, which in this case would be the speakers and piano controller. I was just listening to these on a specially configured speaker, and it sounded so different from what I had been listening to on what I had considered were a pair of also well configured headphones. I have been listening exclusively on headphones for a while. Each level higher you go in the accuracy of your reproduction speakers, you just hear so much more. Clearly in my opinion, you need to spend a fair amount in teh region of over a thousand US dollars for a decent pair of studio monitors, and "tune" them properly, to really hear what is in these samples. I do not think there are any headphones that can do them justice, after what I just heard on a custom configures set of speakers. The piano sounded very lifelike, like I was in the hall, where the piano was recorded.
Thanks for tuning in and sharing your insights! There is definitely a lot of truth to what you've shared. The higher quality of sound engine or VST, the more detail that will be captured. Whether you are playing through headphones or monitors, it is worthwhile to get a good pair to enjoy everything your instrument has to offer. :)
I was unfortunately fooled by the lackluster samples on the VSL website and was under the impression that the CFX's treble was weak. I got the Steinway instead, which I hope to try soon. I'm not upset, though, since I already have Garritan; my main thought was that I should get the Steinway since it's an entirely different piano.
Did you try it? I'm also considering VSL CFX and Concert D, coming from Garritan.. I have to say, the thing that bothers me the most on Garritan is the noise in the soft parts, if that wasn't a problem probably I wouldn't look for an alternative. However, I'm afraid that this problem will be present also in the VSL libraries.. From the demos I heard until now it often seems like the case..
@@joefalchetto94 yes, I did! I have a few issues with it-many of which overlap with Garritan, ironically enough-but it's been growing on me the more I tamper with the dozens of knobs. I do own Garritan too, as I said, so I'll use it as a reference point: - VSL's engine has _way_ more parameters, as you can create EQs for, tune, and modify the volume of each individual note; the mic positions also have their own EQ curves. It's almost perfect, aside from the fact that it doesn't seem like there's a way to modify the notes like that for individual mics. With regard to software complexity, I imagine the only comparison would be to something like Pianoteq, though I've never tried it and don't intend to. - Having 5 mics is a lifesaver. I'm really not a fan of the condenser mic, which is unfortunate; I'm interested in demoing the full version because it comes with 2 additional close mics, and I hope they're better, but I'm trying not to be greedy and waiting until I have a job out of college before I buy more music stuff I don't need. I'd say Garritan's dry sound is probably higher quality, but by the time you actually achieve that dry sound, you've probably turned just about every knob to 0. The VSL products seem to nail the big, roomy sound, though; the room mix mic is phenomenal and the main/main-C ones are good too. - Not sure what's up with these VSTs (VSL Steinway and Garritan included) regarding sympathetic resonance; you get some _weird_ effects from turning those up. The only VST I've tried that knocks it out of the park is Ravenscroft, which still may be my overall favorite despite its shortcomings. - The velocity curve on the Steinway is weird. It feels like there's no way to get it quite right, which wasn't an issue I had with Garritan-the default linear curve works just fine for me. - The timbre is brighter than I expected. Garritan is a Yamaha, so I expected that one, but I was surprised by the Steinway. About your concern, what kind of noise are you talking about? Just pure ambient noise caught by the individual note samples? Or is it something else? What may throw you off with VSL's pianos, for example, is the pedal noise; Bösendorfer Imperial in particular has very loud pedal noise out of the box and that may be an issue when comparing demos. If you're worried you'll regret the purchase, VSL has a 14-day return policy, so pick a week when you have time to play with it and learn the interface.
@@BlueGrovyle First of all thank you for the vast answer!! Regarding the question, my problem is related to the "hiss" noise in the samples, very audible especially when there are group of notes played softly. If you play for example (without EQ and without pedal noise) C-D-E-F-G in the medium register (or 1 octave higher) as soft as possible, you will hear more noise than sound probably. It's possible to manage it with some of the internal EQ on medium-high frequencies but it will also make the sound lose some nice brilliance.. For recordings it would be necessary to make an automation on the EQ based on dynamics, so when dynamic is piano the EQ acts in a way and when it's forte in another way ahah. However, my biggest curiosity is how the VSL compares with Garritan in this noise aspect! I can also suggest you the video "Battle of the Giants - Garritan CFX & Ravenscroft 275", in the first 30 seconds you can hear the big difference between Garritan and Ravenscroft regarding the noise (headhpone or audio monitors needed :) )
We are probably hearing this direct line out, but what monitors do you use in your home studio? If someone complains about your concertizing today, I'm going to digitally kick their butt.
Hey IPA! Great to hear from you as usual. I've got a pair of Genelec 8020b monitors. Yes, direct outs is what you're getting 90% of the video, but the lav mic will be picking up some of the monitor output. And...lol...grateful for your support as always. We can't please everyone all the time, eh? That guy...
@@MerriamPianos Stu, my DGX arrived this morning. When I first played it by itself, it was OK but not exactly knockout. Then I paired it with my Pianoteq 7 Pro Concert Recording Bluethner. Oh my God, it's completely knock out. It's like what you are describing in this video. Any issues with the action completely evaporated in the gorgeous richness of the sound of an exquisite large concert grand. The DGX is using it's speakers, and the Pianoteq has it's own set. Each has independent volume control but set at a nearly equal level. It is so thick and lush it's completely mind blowing. I'm getting all the harmonic trash that is found in a concert grand. This is probably one the very best piano set-ups on the planet that can be had on a budget. It's like the presidential suite in the Sheridan Waikiki for the price of a Motel 6 room in rural Nebraska. The synergy of the two is better than either one by itself.
I switched from the Bluethner to the NY Steinway Classical Grand. The Steinway is cleaner. The Yamaha CGX voice supports the Pianoteq voice which is the primary voice. The CGX adds thickness and depth to the Pianoteq voice. It's very similar to what you are playing. It's only possible because there is no latency between the two.
@@JoeLinux2000 Did you pair Pianoteq and VSL CFX if I understood correctly? I was thinking the same thing just today ahah.. Are you going to upload something in the future?
VSL have the best sampled pianos in the world - period. The only caveat is of course they have not sampled every type of piano in the world, so what they have sampled may not suit your music. I look forward to the collection growing to include more ordinary pianos such as a Yamaha C7, and some other pianos more suitable to pop. The quality of audio on offer, is second to none. The only question is simply - for each of their pianos, is this the sound that complements your music piece? Look forward to upgrading my computer and purchasing one of these soon, by God's grace, so I can finally enjoy simply sitting down to play what would be the closest experience we can have today, to playing a real piano, in the virtual world. I keep coming back to VSL instruments, cos what I hear is excellent - no semblance of velocity gaps in the layering. They do not mention how many layers were sampled in their documentation - sneaky!!
The VSL piano plugins are quite impressive to say the least! Of course, things will always come down to a matter or preference and the context in which the piano sample will be used in. However, it is hard to deny that the VSL Yamaha CFX plugin is not an excellent piano sound to have available in your arsenal of VST piano plugins. :)
The differnce between Standard and Full libraries in the (Vienna's Synchron Era): Standard Libs are stereo, while Full Libs are Native Surround with enough microphone positions for 3D immersive audio, up to and including Dolby Atmos. This applies to all Synchron instruments not just pianos.
Thank you for survey of VSTs. I've never tried one and have been intrigued by them and impressed by their sound. The thing that concerns me most is the response latency. Can you comment on this? Digital pianos typically have little or no latency issues but then I don't think their sound engine is quite as elaborate as the VSTs. Thanks.
If latency is your concern you may want to consider Pianoteq by Modartt. Synchron Pianos are resource intensive. You can install Pianoteq on a weak laptop and run your audio interface with low latency.
It's a Vst too, I play with live gig with Steinway D274, but need cpu 8 x 3600 Mhz for full microphones, I have 4 cores only, but cpu speed is most important, and PCIe RME sound card, 64 buffers, I think USB has a little more latency.
for some reason, I listened to the DGX670 with CFX voice and it was beautiful. The VSL one doesn't sound as good... or could it be that it is recorded from the speakers, not by line-out? (Update, in the review of Simeon Amburgey, it actually sounded quite good... probably he used line-out to record it). It was a bit of a joke because I tried the Pure Imperial on VSL and then there is the CFX Demo and Steinway Demo on the VSL.... I tried and tried and cannot get them to work. It turned out that I have to activate it, even for the demo. And to activate it, I actually need a physical iLok USB key... even for the demo. So that's a few hours wasted there.
Thanks for tuning in and sharing your experiences! I'm sorry to hear that it took a few hours to get the demo activated. With that said, I am sure many of our community members appreciate you sharing that info as it will undoubtedly save them time. Thanks again! :)
Yeah. Well, I like the 280VC best out of all the pianos. I think the others (CFX, Hamburg Steinway D, Bos Imperial) depends on the piano. But I think the 280VC is the newest of the VSL sampled pianos.
@@benjaminsmith2287 it is the newest one, but the only Piano model that isn't actually a "highest end" instrument, since they have the imperial which is "supposed" to be better, but sounds a bit too disconnected between the bass, mids and treble imo
@@ErainiaI think the 280VC is the new highest end. The VC line is Bosendorfer's newest and the 280VC is the flagship of that line. The Imperial has the extended keyboard with the lower bass notes but it is a much older design but yes, it's larger than the 280VC.
i've never seen stu use so much body english. must really like it. :). Samples do sound tremendous. On many VSTs the upper register doesnt have nearly the # harmonics & they sound like a sine wave source. Really great.
Dear sir, I salute to you your all the reviews are super useful to me and the best thing is you are doing reviews on vst I am totally depended on vsti as I don’t have other sources for piano sounds. This particular vst I was not aware it’s just amazing it’s so close to the acoustic what I always looking for. May I know the price of this? I may think if fits in my budget. Thank you so much ❤️
Some players won't resonate with each piano VST. Thankfully, there are a plethora of options out there to choose from, so finding one that you really love is usually possible. :)
Of course we've all had the experience of playing the piano at a music festival. I mean, who hasn't, right? Right? Anyway, I'm here for your VST habit and enjoying your playing and enthusiasm. I've been able to protect my wallet so far, but there might be a Noire with my name on it once the Native Instruments summer sale rolls around…
Can you tell us the name of the minimum VSL bundle/volume/package that this CFX piano comes in? There are so many, and some instruments are not listed by my supplier.
I'm trying right now this VST but it's kind of difficult to manage. First the sound volume is a puzzle. You don't know why and how it's so low whatever you do. Do you have a trick for that ?Then I can't help from thinking that the reverb/resonance is kind of weird on my machine. Not smooth at all, very boxy. Do you have any clue why ? Even with a headphone of good quality (Focal or Philips) I have a blurry sound. Is it possible that it could come from my quite old processor even if it's not overloaded ?
Hi! Brent here! It is very possible that the issues you are experiencing are related to your processor not being able to handle the load being put on it. VST plugins are extremely large and demanding sometimes, so it is very possible that is what it occurring in your case.
To me... it's the piano not the room or the software that makes the difference to me (IMHO). Say... which VSL Grand do you like for contemporary and jazz? Looking forward to trying them soon. Thanks!
Get the Bosendorfer 290. VSL has a sound comparison on their channel and the BASS of the Bosendorfer "sonned" the Steinway 274. Their recording of the 290 will change your mind on the Bosendorfer vs Steinway comparison.
Of course the Bosendorfer Imperial 290 does have an extra lower octave. 9 additional keys will blow anything away when speaking of bass. But that wouldn't be a fair fight. I don't recall but they must have played the same piece on all 3 Concert Grands?
hey... insane paino you said that you're gonna test at least one more to dind out more about what makes these sound this good.. i saw the other video but unfortunately didn't find the answer... so i'm asking this from you... are the other ones this good??? especially the stage one's like Steinway and imperial
Hi there! We are certainly going to try to tackle more of the VSL Synchron pianos and will do our best to get those videos out as soon as possible. Thanks for tuning in! :)
Thanks for the video. So Stu, does this mean you feel more at home practising with this rig than say practising on a non-virtual Yamaha C3 or C7 piano? I'm just asking about practising here - I do realise that performing could be another issue. Also, it seems to me that implementation is more important than brand or model. The Yamaha CFX may not be the first choice on every concert platform, but IMO the differences in beauty at that level are more subjective than absolute. Putting it another way, I think that Yamaha grands are still underrated in some circles, and it is no surprise to me that you're loving a good sample of the CFX. I'm delighted by the clarity and expression of the CF sample on my digital piano, because the quality of the sample is exceptional (as dp samples go) and my dp can exploit it. After adding my nearfields too, issues like acoustic vs digital become irrelevent. I'm just playing piano and loving every chiming note. I'm slightly scared of trying virtual pianos in case they make me grow dissatisfied with what I've got. I'm not dragging a computer to gigs! I've seen some virtual addicts slate dps, but have they tried them all, and have they tweaked them? For the moment, I'm happy in my ignorance. If it ain't broke, why fix it? Hmmm, I'm going to sneak off and practise a bit more soon! And I suppose that a Steinway D sample of the same quality as my CF would make me just as happy. I think it's the quality of the sampling that really matters, but it may be that certain models are easier to sample than others.
@Konstantin Ridaya Certain pianists are paid to play certain brands. I know that Gerald Clayton is a "Yamaha Artist." When he plays in Honolulu they have to move a Yamaha in for him even though the venue owns a Steinway. I think Valentina chose the Playel because she was doing her recitals in France. It's a way of selling herself to the French people, and makes for good conversation. Being Russian, she seems to be willing to play on almost anything. I'm pretty sure she owns a Bösendorfer. There's a relatively young female pianist here in Denver who is a "Steinway Artist". Naturally they use her to promote Steinway Pianos here in the Denver area, and they make a big deal about how difficult it is to become a Steinway Artist in the 1st place. Piano sales is as much about marketing as anything else. Certain brands become popular in certain regions because of that marketing. In Denver there's a Subaru on every block.
@Lagunakid24 Agreed. Honestly, it's mostly Steinway and Sons that we see. And in venues, Steinways or Yamahas. Two much of the pianos by these two makes as much as I do like both Steinways and Yamahas. The others are worthy of hearing too.
@@benjaminsmith2287 I think a lot of that focus on a few makes has to do with what Internet Privacy Advocate was saying. I still dream of getting sponsored by any brand. Yes, dreaming on... In another video, someone said that Steinway Ds are a bit more forgiving than some other concert pianos. Artists who want to focus more on expression than technique might appreciate the slight cloudiness (or extra sweetness?) in the tone.
The only question I have is how long is it going to take for manufacturers to release reasonably priced slab pianos with this sound quality? Obviously the market for high end pianos is being protected. It's a PITA to haul a computer around to achieve this. The advantage of Pianoteq is the very small foot print, but I acknowledge that these sample libraries sound magnificent. This one in particular is beyond absolute sonic loveliness. We are in a digital age where artificial reality surpasses reality. When I sneak onto the stage at Lamont and play their concert Steinway, I find it noisy. I really prefer the clean sound of digitals.
They captured the CFX well. The "perfume" quality of it as well as the very precise articulation and excitement of it when it is played spiritedly. The funny thing is, I didn't think I liked the way the real piano that it was sampled from sounded in the comparison video with the Imperial and the Hamburg Steinway D. It sounded too open and lacking depth and power. But here, it just sounds wonderful. I guess you can tweak it and virtually voice it to have whatever quality you want. But, yeah, it's a huge program. And an expensive one. But how much does a real CFX cost? Maybe this is the closest thing. Or is it Garritan? Can't go wrong with either.
Stu showed half of the microphone sliders not working and said he didn't shell out a lot of money. This is the standard one. Only 5 microphone positions and 119,020 samples, instead of 10 and 238,040
I just bought this plugin (standard version) based on this review. I already own the Garritan and Ravenscroft programs but the VSL is a whole other level of piano! I'm now waiting for when you review the full $700 version so I can decide whether to upgrade to that one! Great playing by the way, and I look forward to more VST reviews in the future. You guys should really be getting a commission on these sales!
It appears to me that getting the full library is simply not worth it unless you're looking for movie score-esque/orchestral perspectives of the instrument, or you _really_ want the ribbon mic for another close perspective. I think it'd be smarter to buy the standard library and learn some mixing techniques to compensate, and if you really want to spend the extra money, get the standard library of another Synchron piano or other instruments. I also never recommend buying these at full price, of course. Waiting until they're on sale is, I'd argue, a necessary decision.
Are you by any chance also planning a review of the VSL Bösendorfer Upright? I recently got the standard version and find it amazing soundwise but harder to control than the native instruments libaries when playing softly. Also I was wondering about evenness of volume from bass to treble. Some of the higher notes (mainly between C6 and C7) seem weaker than others. I would really appreciate your opinion on it.
@@Cyb3rAssassine I would agree in terms of control in the lower end of the dynamic range, but the quieter treble notes surprised me. But then again, I have never met a Bösendorfer piano in person.
I'd like to believe in modeling, but I still think it has quite a ways to go. Pianoteq 7 is getting better, but there's still something synthetic sounding in it my ears keep picking up on. I can best to describe it as a cross between a real grand and an electronic piano.
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In my opinion, this is THE best piano vst available to this date. Huge dynamic range with alot of variation in timbre across the velocity ranges going from mellow soft and sweet to raw powerful and thunderous, and very good long sustain even in the higher registers, which other vst's sometimes lack.
I have all vsl piano's, they are all amazing, but this one takes the cake, it just has it all.
Several seconds before you started playing the tune, I literally thought "man I'd like to hear him play Spain" and then you did...still can't believe it...great rendition btw, wish you kept going with it Lol!
Haha that is awesome and quite serendipitous! Thanks for tuning in! :)
If Garritan CFX and Ravenscroft 275 had a baby together then it'll be VSL CFX.
This is my current favorite library.
Haha that is a good way to put it! :)
Your piano playing is superb
I thought the VSL CFX would be my least favorite of the VSLs. Now that I've bought it, it may actually be my favorite.
The CFX was the last VSL piano I acquired, figuring I was covered by the Garritan CFX and Noire, and that I'd enjoy the other VSLs more, since I was never crazy about the actual CFX as an instrument anyway. I was wrong. To me, VSL's CFX might be the very best grand piano VST on the market, with its only flaws being shared with other VSLs like the lackluster sympathetic resonance engine and lack of real una corda. The garritan and noire still share a certain CFX-ness, but they are absolutely different pianos -- even if you already own those, I suggest you give the VSL CFX a try. In particular, the VSL CFX has much more engaging release samples and more character than the garritan CFX, which is otherwise quite close to perfection. It can also get a little dryer for those who need that.
Compared to the other VSLs, the CFX is one of the most playable out of the box (much more than the steinway). I really like the Bosendorfer Imperial too, but for some reason its pedal down samples do not handle the ppp-p range very well (it's fine with the pedal released). it feels like p is the lowest dynamic I can achieve with the pedal down. Plus I know the BI's character isn't for everyone. The Steinway is also great, having great performance in the softest dynamics in particular. But for me it took A LOT of specific velocity tweaking to get it sound and play right. The CFX has a similar amount of playability in the lowest dynamics while also having much more engaging release samples than the steinway IMO. The 280VC I just don't get along with, and I love both the Bosendorfer upright and the Bluthner in particular, but the limited bass dynamic range and tonality isn't always the most suitable.
To me what sells me on CFX are really its release samples. To me, good release behavior is one of the most important things for replicating the sound and feel of a real piano, as it's one of the way you can create color and variation in touch, such as with staccatos. It's where pianoteq fails for me (somewhat surprisingly, given it's a modeled instrument), and where VI Labs' ravenscroft and Modern U really excel
You typed all that just for a little praise look at you
Thanks for your review on the CFX Napilopez:)
Thanks for the review, I've gotten tired of Garritan and even with significant tweaking of velocity curves could never get it where I wanted it. With Modern U for instance, even though the piano sampled is inferior to these grands, it feels much more like I'm playing a real instrument. Garritan feels sterile and somewhat digital. I was considering getting Ravenscroft, but I may save my money for the VSL.
@@user-dz9yx3et9y or perhaps they were trying to help and inform someone?
I am in LOVE! Such an extraordinary sound--this VST will make people cry.
When I listen to the various piano demos and reviews on TH-cam, of the same piano such as the Yamaha CFX as sampled by VSL, its amazing to find out how different the piano sounds, because of the difference in how each of these samples is "setup" and adjusted to the velocity of the keyboard controller, each reviewer uses, and their own personal sensibilities. Simeon Amburgey for example favours the higher velocities in his playing, either out of not realising how sharp this sounds, or possibly because his monitoring environment or headphones, does not reveal to him the full transients of the sharpest attacks, so he does not typically adjust his velocity curve to match.
Clearly the best sampled libraries also need to be properly setup, with respect to velocity sensitivity and alignment to whatever keyboard controller is used, and the listening environment also needs very good speakers or headphones, ideally in a treated room with frequency corrected by some form of measurement microphone and speaker/room correction.
The TH-cam examples demonstrate that it takes much more than a good quality sample library, to sound realistic, it also needs proper adjustment by the end user. Stu/Merriam Music, after extensive listening as I have had the opportunity to improve my listening environment, clearly has the best demo's and alignment of his controller keyboard, to the sample library, of all the demonstrators I have listened to, on TH-cam.
I can imagine that the VSL samples will provide the best source for many a piano focussed recording, huge dynamic range, exquisitely sampled.
I also think some post production with EQ, compression, tape saturation, etc, can also be used to lean the recording, in any direction intended.
Unfortunately no two pianos will ever sound the same, and one has to accept that we will always need more piano samples, to address a wide range of tones/genres. Nevertheless the VSL pianos, when properly adjusted as is the example in this video, cover their territory and deliver a tone that is definitely a must have, in the myriad of possibilities.
Definitely worth saving up for.
Truly talented! Thank you for giving the beautiful demo! 🙀
For me It's like "buy this and you're done"😁♥️ the "less_bell-like-tone" is Fantastic i love it (all the other vsl pianos has that and for that specific reason I can't love them- i hardly tried of course, cause I'm an Steinway guy when it comes to pianos but in synchrons, the cfx is the actual best
I wish they sample an older Steinway D in the futurr... like the one that native instruments captured "GRANDEUR"
Thanks for the video♥️
You're very welcome! Thank you for tuning in! You are certainly right about the samples being quite captivating. VSL does an excellent job with these sample packs! :)
No doubt one of the best piano VST out there . Love it ❤️
My credit card is scared to watch this
As it should be!
Omg same!! 😭
damn... the sound is stunning.
the sound is so good
Beautiful playing Stu - and the most useful review of this instrument in my opinion. The music you're playing between 8:22 -> 9:56... is that just pure improvisation, or is it based upon a piece? I'm about to transcribe it if you were just noodling (bravo!)
What a sound and what a player....
Wow dude...I'm speechless. Awesome man! Your reviews are just awesome! Great job.
What a great demo... actually first listened when it came out and have returned several times. Bought this library in June 2020 and never looked back. Funny, Stu mentioned 7200 rpm drives and standard SSDs and the load times, and boy is he right. Just built a new DAW tower with a PCIe 4.0 motherboard and a dedicated PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD (Samsung 980 Pro) for my VSL Pianos, and NOW the load times are just a few seconds. SO if you're going to consider this library, try your best to store it on a PCIe 4.0 NVMe. An external NVMe drive will work OK if your have 40gb Thunderbolt, but internal on the motherboard is really the best scenario to keep your sanity, lol.
Thanks for tuning in! We're glad you enjoyed the video and found it useful! :)
And thank you for your insights. I'm sure many of our community members appreciate the suggestions. I'm glad to hear that you found a viable solution with your setup. Thanks again and all the best!
Stu! It's outstanding! Both what you do and the piano. And yes! I too share the opinion that Together with keyscape this VST is the one that most accurately represents the acoustic pianos in terms of sound. And yes again! The touch curve must be readjusted by users. When I first played this myself, and even when I've heard others do so, I could feel the tendency of sounding mezzo-forte and above without any struggle. I guess you found a splendid touch sensitivity for your CFX.
All the best to you always! .
Fantastic playing and inspiring review. Can't wait for your take on the VSL D-274!
One more - hard to choose: "Imperial Grandeur" (Boesendorfer Imperial 290-755) or Steinway D-274 (Hamburg) or Bluethner 193 (1895, Aliquot strung) - which will it be?
- ö is German shorthand for oe - pronounced like a hard French "eu"
- ü is German shorthand for ue - pronounced like the French "u"
- 290 cm = 9' 6"
- 274 cm = 9'
- 193 cm = 6' 4"
Yeah, need you to review the Steinway
Not sure if it was intentional, but that slight bit of "Wake up and dream" intro instantly brought that CFX sound out from my memory for comparison.
Wow, breathtaking. Thank you for this video. Ugh, the more demos I hear, the more my opinion expands about which synchron pianos I want to get (haven't pulled the trigger on any yet). Might have to just take the plunge on the whole bundle...
You're welcome! Thanks for tuning in! They are certainly quite impressive to say the least. Having multiple sample sets in your arsenal is also incredibly appealing of course. :)
I just did the same adjustment on the velocity curve right out of the box. It changed dramatically the realism of the touch. By the way, I'm using a Yamaha Silent U3 SH2. I can't understand why this tweaking is necessary on my acoustic piano, but there it is.
Great video as always.
Best regards.
Thanks for tuning in! I am happy to hear that adjusting the velocity curve helped enhance the authenticity of the playing experience. Thanks again and happy playing! :)
The main challenge of these pianos is similar to buying a high performance car - you have to upgrade everything else such as your fuel, which in this case would be the speakers and piano controller. I was just listening to these on a specially configured speaker, and it sounded so different from what I had been listening to on what I had considered were a pair of also well configured headphones. I have been listening exclusively on headphones for a while.
Each level higher you go in the accuracy of your reproduction speakers, you just hear so much more. Clearly in my opinion, you need to spend a fair amount in teh region of over a thousand US dollars for a decent pair of studio monitors, and "tune" them properly, to really hear what is in these samples. I do not think there are any headphones that can do them justice, after what I just heard on a custom configures set of speakers.
The piano sounded very lifelike, like I was in the hall, where the piano was recorded.
Thanks for tuning in and sharing your insights! There is definitely a lot of truth to what you've shared. The higher quality of sound engine or VST, the more detail that will be captured. Whether you are playing through headphones or monitors, it is worthwhile to get a good pair to enjoy everything your instrument has to offer. :)
I was unfortunately fooled by the lackluster samples on the VSL website and was under the impression that the CFX's treble was weak. I got the Steinway instead, which I hope to try soon. I'm not upset, though, since I already have Garritan; my main thought was that I should get the Steinway since it's an entirely different piano.
Did you try it? I'm also considering VSL CFX and Concert D, coming from Garritan.. I have to say, the thing that bothers me the most on Garritan is the noise in the soft parts, if that wasn't a problem probably I wouldn't look for an alternative. However, I'm afraid that this problem will be present also in the VSL libraries.. From the demos I heard until now it often seems like the case..
@@joefalchetto94 yes, I did! I have a few issues with it-many of which overlap with Garritan, ironically enough-but it's been growing on me the more I tamper with the dozens of knobs. I do own Garritan too, as I said, so I'll use it as a reference point:
- VSL's engine has _way_ more parameters, as you can create EQs for, tune, and modify the volume of each individual note; the mic positions also have their own EQ curves. It's almost perfect, aside from the fact that it doesn't seem like there's a way to modify the notes like that for individual mics. With regard to software complexity, I imagine the only comparison would be to something like Pianoteq, though I've never tried it and don't intend to.
- Having 5 mics is a lifesaver. I'm really not a fan of the condenser mic, which is unfortunate; I'm interested in demoing the full version because it comes with 2 additional close mics, and I hope they're better, but I'm trying not to be greedy and waiting until I have a job out of college before I buy more music stuff I don't need. I'd say Garritan's dry sound is probably higher quality, but by the time you actually achieve that dry sound, you've probably turned just about every knob to 0. The VSL products seem to nail the big, roomy sound, though; the room mix mic is phenomenal and the main/main-C ones are good too.
- Not sure what's up with these VSTs (VSL Steinway and Garritan included) regarding sympathetic resonance; you get some _weird_ effects from turning those up. The only VST I've tried that knocks it out of the park is Ravenscroft, which still may be my overall favorite despite its shortcomings.
- The velocity curve on the Steinway is weird. It feels like there's no way to get it quite right, which wasn't an issue I had with Garritan-the default linear curve works just fine for me.
- The timbre is brighter than I expected. Garritan is a Yamaha, so I expected that one, but I was surprised by the Steinway.
About your concern, what kind of noise are you talking about? Just pure ambient noise caught by the individual note samples? Or is it something else? What may throw you off with VSL's pianos, for example, is the pedal noise; Bösendorfer Imperial in particular has very loud pedal noise out of the box and that may be an issue when comparing demos.
If you're worried you'll regret the purchase, VSL has a 14-day return policy, so pick a week when you have time to play with it and learn the interface.
@@BlueGrovyle First of all thank you for the vast answer!! Regarding the question, my problem is related to the "hiss" noise in the samples, very audible especially when there are group of notes played softly. If you play for example (without EQ and without pedal noise) C-D-E-F-G in the medium register (or 1 octave higher) as soft as possible, you will hear more noise than sound probably. It's possible to manage it with some of the internal EQ on medium-high frequencies but it will also make the sound lose some nice brilliance.. For recordings it would be necessary to make an automation on the EQ based on dynamics, so when dynamic is piano the EQ acts in a way and when it's forte in another way ahah. However, my biggest curiosity is how the VSL compares with Garritan in this noise aspect!
I can also suggest you the video "Battle of the Giants - Garritan CFX & Ravenscroft 275", in the first 30 seconds you can hear the big difference between Garritan and Ravenscroft regarding the noise (headhpone or audio monitors needed :) )
Extraordinário! Saudações do Brasil!
would you be so kind to give links or to tell how how did you connect piano with computer and speakers?
I love your reviews, Stu!
We are probably hearing this direct line out, but what monitors do you use in your home studio? If someone complains about your concertizing today, I'm going to digitally kick their butt.
Hey IPA! Great to hear from you as usual. I've got a pair of Genelec 8020b monitors. Yes, direct outs is what you're getting 90% of the video, but the lav mic will be picking up some of the monitor output. And...lol...grateful for your support as always. We can't please everyone all the time, eh? That guy...
@@MerriamPianos Stu, my DGX arrived this morning. When I first played it by itself, it was OK but not exactly knockout. Then I paired it with my Pianoteq 7 Pro Concert Recording Bluethner. Oh my God, it's completely knock out. It's like what you are describing in this video. Any issues with the action completely evaporated in the gorgeous richness of the sound of an exquisite large concert grand. The DGX is using it's speakers, and the Pianoteq has it's own set. Each has independent volume control but set at a nearly equal level. It is so thick and lush it's completely mind blowing. I'm getting all the harmonic trash that is found in a concert grand. This is probably one the very best piano set-ups on the planet that can be had on a budget. It's like the presidential suite in the Sheridan Waikiki for the price of a Motel 6 room in rural Nebraska. The synergy of the two is better than either one by itself.
I switched from the Bluethner to the NY Steinway Classical Grand. The Steinway is cleaner. The Yamaha CGX voice supports the Pianoteq voice which is the primary voice. The CGX adds thickness and depth to the Pianoteq voice. It's very similar to what you are playing. It's only possible because there is no latency between the two.
@@JoeLinux2000 Did you pair Pianoteq and VSL CFX if I understood correctly? I was thinking the same thing just today ahah.. Are you going to upload something in the future?
Great job sir
Amazing sounds
Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed the video! :)
VSL have the best sampled pianos in the world - period. The only caveat is of course they have not sampled every type of piano in the world, so what they have sampled may not suit your music. I look forward to the collection growing to include more ordinary pianos such as a Yamaha C7, and some other pianos more suitable to pop. The quality of audio on offer, is second to none. The only question is simply - for each of their pianos, is this the sound that complements your music piece? Look forward to upgrading my computer and purchasing one of these soon, by God's grace, so I can finally enjoy simply sitting down to play what would be the closest experience we can have today, to playing a real piano, in the virtual world. I keep coming back to VSL instruments, cos what I hear is excellent - no semblance of velocity gaps in the layering. They do not mention how many layers were sampled in their documentation - sneaky!!
The VSL piano plugins are quite impressive to say the least! Of course, things will always come down to a matter or preference and the context in which the piano sample will be used in. However, it is hard to deny that the VSL Yamaha CFX plugin is not an excellent piano sound to have available in your arsenal of VST piano plugins. :)
The differnce between Standard and Full libraries in the (Vienna's Synchron Era):
Standard Libs are stereo, while Full Libs are Native Surround with enough microphone positions for 3D immersive audio, up to and including Dolby Atmos.
This applies to all Synchron instruments not just pianos.
Thank you for survey of VSTs. I've never tried one and have been intrigued by them and impressed by their sound. The thing that concerns me most is the response latency. Can you comment on this? Digital pianos typically have little or no latency issues but then I don't think their sound engine is quite as elaborate as the VSTs. Thanks.
If latency is your concern you may want to consider Pianoteq by Modartt. Synchron Pianos are resource intensive. You can install Pianoteq on a weak laptop and run your audio interface with low latency.
It's a Vst too, I play with live gig with Steinway D274, but need cpu 8 x 3600 Mhz for full microphones, I have 4 cores only, but cpu speed is most important, and PCIe RME sound card, 64 buffers, I think USB has a little more latency.
for some reason, I listened to the DGX670 with CFX voice and it was beautiful. The VSL one doesn't sound as good... or could it be that it is recorded from the speakers, not by line-out? (Update, in the review of Simeon Amburgey, it actually sounded quite good... probably he used line-out to record it). It was a bit of a joke because I tried the Pure Imperial on VSL and then there is the CFX Demo and Steinway Demo on the VSL.... I tried and tried and cannot get them to work. It turned out that I have to activate it, even for the demo. And to activate it, I actually need a physical iLok USB key... even for the demo. So that's a few hours wasted there.
Thanks for tuning in and sharing your experiences! I'm sorry to hear that it took a few hours to get the demo activated. With that said, I am sure many of our community members appreciate you sharing that info as it will undoubtedly save them time. Thanks again! :)
My favorite from VSL is the Bosendorfer 280VC, I think its got the best tone of the bunch (I own all of the Synchron pianos) :)
Yeah. Well, I like the 280VC best out of all the pianos. I think the others (CFX, Hamburg Steinway D, Bos Imperial) depends on the piano. But I think the 280VC is the newest of the VSL sampled pianos.
@@benjaminsmith2287 it is the newest one, but the only Piano model that isn't actually a "highest end" instrument, since they have the imperial which is "supposed" to be better, but sounds a bit too disconnected between the bass, mids and treble imo
@@benjaminsmith2287 the samples for the 280vc are also recorded in a smaller room
@@ErainiaI think the 280VC is the new highest end. The VC line is Bosendorfer's newest and the 280VC is the flagship of that line. The Imperial has the extended keyboard with the lower bass notes but it is a much older design but yes, it's larger than the 280VC.
@@benjaminsmith2287 Either way, that 280VC sounds miles better in comparison imo! such a wonderful tone
i've never seen stu use so much body english. must really like it. :). Samples do sound tremendous. On many VSTs the upper register doesnt have nearly the # harmonics & they sound like a sine wave source. Really great.
realy great playing ...thanks
You're welcome! Thanks for tuning in! :)
Hi Stu: It's great you are looking at the VSL items. Thanks for your enthusiasm (my banker isn't happy!) Where can we buy the VSL CFX?
www.vsl.co.at/en/Products
seems like they're sampling this exact instrument (their cfx) in the stage b as well
I am not sure to be honest, but I suppose it is certainly possible. Thanks for tuning in and sharing your thoughts! :)
Great review! You should really try the other pianos also from Vienna Instruments.
Dear sir, I salute to you your all the reviews are super useful to me and the best thing is you are doing reviews on vst I am totally depended on vsti as I don’t have other sources for piano sounds. This particular vst I was not aware it’s just amazing it’s so close to the acoustic what I always looking for. May I know the price of this? I may think if fits in my budget. Thank you so much ❤️
The sustains still sound digital to me, muddy, particularly at 13:00 min. The concert room at 17:00 didn’t seem to have that issue.
Some players won't resonate with each piano VST. Thankfully, there are a plethora of options out there to choose from, so finding one that you really love is usually possible. :)
Simply WOW
Of course we've all had the experience of playing the piano at a music festival. I mean, who hasn't, right? Right? Anyway, I'm here for your VST habit and enjoying your playing and enthusiasm. I've been able to protect my wallet so far, but there might be a Noire with my name on it once the Native Instruments summer sale rolls around…
Good point to wait for the promotions on these products.
Can you tell us the name of the minimum VSL bundle/volume/package that this CFX piano comes in? There are so many, and some instruments are not listed by my supplier.
What is the time delay for live performance?
Can you play on a digital piano and the sound output will be a CFX projection?
Curious, what is your key touch setting on the Roland itself?
I would have to ask Stu as to what settings he had on the RD2000 when this video was shot.
I'm trying right now this VST but it's kind of difficult to manage. First the sound volume is a puzzle. You don't know why and how it's so low whatever you do. Do you have a trick for that ?Then I can't help from thinking that the reverb/resonance is kind of weird on my machine. Not smooth at all, very boxy. Do you have any clue why ? Even with a headphone of good quality (Focal or Philips) I have a blurry sound. Is it possible that it could come from my quite old processor even if it's not overloaded ?
Hi! Brent here! It is very possible that the issues you are experiencing are related to your processor not being able to handle the load being put on it. VST plugins are extremely large and demanding sometimes, so it is very possible that is what it occurring in your case.
@@MerriamPianos Hi Brent! Thanks for your response, that's indeed the only weakness I can see in my system. I'll try and upgrade on that and see.
@@MerriamPianos Something I've just realised is that if I click on the keyboard at the bottom of the window I get a clear and good sound ...
To me... it's the piano not the room or the software that makes the difference to me (IMHO). Say... which VSL Grand do you like for contemporary and jazz?
Looking forward to trying them soon. Thanks!
Get the Bosendorfer 290.
VSL has a sound comparison on their channel and the BASS of the Bosendorfer "sonned" the Steinway 274.
Their recording of the 290 will change your mind on the Bosendorfer vs Steinway comparison.
Of course the Bosendorfer Imperial 290 does have an extra lower octave. 9 additional keys will blow anything away when speaking of bass. But that wouldn't be a fair fight. I don't recall but they must have played the same piece on all 3 Concert Grands?
hey... insane paino
you said that you're gonna test at least one more to dind out more about what makes these sound this good.. i saw the other video but unfortunately didn't find the answer... so i'm asking this from you... are the other ones this good??? especially the stage one's like Steinway and imperial
Hi there! We are certainly going to try to tackle more of the VSL Synchron pianos and will do our best to get those videos out as soon as possible. Thanks for tuning in! :)
Thanks for the video. So Stu, does this mean you feel more at home practising with this rig than say practising on a non-virtual Yamaha C3 or C7 piano? I'm just asking about practising here - I do realise that performing could be another issue.
Also, it seems to me that implementation is more important than brand or model. The Yamaha CFX may not be the first choice on every concert platform, but IMO the differences in beauty at that level are more subjective than absolute. Putting it another way, I think that Yamaha grands are still underrated in some circles, and it is no surprise to me that you're loving a good sample of the CFX.
I'm delighted by the clarity and expression of the CF sample on my digital piano, because the quality of the sample is exceptional (as dp samples go) and my dp can exploit it. After adding my nearfields too, issues like acoustic vs digital become irrelevent. I'm just playing piano and loving every chiming note. I'm slightly scared of trying virtual pianos in case they make me grow dissatisfied with what I've got. I'm not dragging a computer to gigs! I've seen some virtual addicts slate dps, but have they tried them all, and have they tweaked them? For the moment, I'm happy in my ignorance. If it ain't broke, why fix it? Hmmm, I'm going to sneak off and practise a bit more soon!
And I suppose that a Steinway D sample of the same quality as my CF would make me just as happy. I think it's the quality of the sampling that really matters, but it may be that certain models are easier to sample than others.
@Konstantin Ridaya Yes we agree, in some circles only.
@Konstantin Ridaya Certain pianists are paid to play certain brands. I know that Gerald Clayton is a "Yamaha Artist." When he plays in Honolulu they have to move a Yamaha in for him even though the venue owns a Steinway. I think Valentina chose the Playel because she was doing her recitals in France. It's a way of selling herself to the French people, and makes for good conversation. Being Russian, she seems to be willing to play on almost anything. I'm pretty sure she owns a Bösendorfer.
There's a relatively young female pianist here in Denver who is a "Steinway Artist". Naturally they use her to promote Steinway Pianos here in the Denver area, and they make a big deal about how difficult it is to become a Steinway Artist in the 1st place. Piano sales is as much about marketing as anything else. Certain brands become popular in certain regions because of that marketing. In Denver there's a Subaru on every block.
@@JoeLinux2000 Lisitsa often prefers to play Bosendorfers.
@Lagunakid24 Agreed. Honestly, it's mostly Steinway and Sons that we see. And in venues, Steinways or Yamahas. Two much of the pianos by these two makes as much as I do like both Steinways and Yamahas. The others are worthy of hearing too.
@@benjaminsmith2287 I think a lot of that focus on a few makes has to do with what Internet Privacy Advocate was saying. I still dream of getting sponsored by any brand. Yes, dreaming on...
In another video, someone said that Steinway Ds are a bit more forgiving than some other concert pianos. Artists who want to focus more on expression than technique might appreciate the slight cloudiness (or extra sweetness?) in the tone.
The only question I have is how long is it going to take for manufacturers to release reasonably priced slab pianos with this sound quality? Obviously the market for high end pianos is being protected. It's a PITA to haul a computer around to achieve this. The advantage of Pianoteq is the very small foot print, but I acknowledge that these sample libraries sound magnificent. This one in particular is beyond absolute sonic loveliness. We are in a digital age where artificial reality surpasses reality. When I sneak onto the stage at Lamont and play their concert Steinway, I find it noisy. I really prefer the clean sound of digitals.
They captured the CFX well. The "perfume" quality of it as well as the very precise articulation and excitement of it when it is played spiritedly. The funny thing is, I didn't think I liked the way the real piano that it was sampled from sounded in the comparison video with the Imperial and the Hamburg Steinway D. It sounded too open and lacking depth and power. But here, it just sounds wonderful. I guess you can tweak it and virtually voice it to have whatever quality you want. But, yeah, it's a huge program. And an expensive one. But how much does a real CFX cost? Maybe this is the closest thing. Or is it Garritan? Can't go wrong with either.
Yes you can not compare the Garritan to the Synchron. I have both.
@@MarkHopewell my apologies. I was agreeing with you while replying to Benjamin. There is no comparison.
I would like to see you do a review on Samplson's new Meta Piano.
Thanks for the suggestion! We will certainly add it to the list of potential candidates for future video reviews/comparisons. :)
Is this the standard library or full library version of the plug-in?
Stu showed half of the microphone sliders not working and said he didn't shell out a lot of money. This is the standard one. Only 5 microphone positions and 119,020 samples, instead of 10 and 238,040
a dream would be to get one donated by a kind person
I just bought this plugin (standard version) based on this review. I already own the Garritan and Ravenscroft programs but the VSL is a whole other level of piano!
I'm now waiting for when you review the full $700 version so I can decide whether to upgrade to that one!
Great playing by the way, and I look forward to more VST reviews in the future. You guys should really be getting a commission on these sales!
It appears to me that getting the full library is simply not worth it unless you're looking for movie score-esque/orchestral perspectives of the instrument, or you _really_ want the ribbon mic for another close perspective. I think it'd be smarter to buy the standard library and learn some mixing techniques to compensate, and if you really want to spend the extra money, get the standard library of another Synchron piano or other instruments.
I also never recommend buying these at full price, of course. Waiting until they're on sale is, I'd argue, a necessary decision.
Was this running on an M1 Mac or x86?
Where can you buy this?
Hi! Brent here! You can purchase these plugins from VSL's website, which can be easily searched on Google. :)
Are you by any chance also planning a review of the VSL Bösendorfer Upright? I recently got the standard version and find it amazing soundwise but harder to control than the native instruments libaries when playing softly. Also I was wondering about evenness of volume from bass to treble. Some of the higher notes (mainly between C6 and C7) seem weaker than others.
I would really appreciate your opinion on it.
@@Cyb3rAssassine I would agree in terms of control in the lower end of the dynamic range, but the quieter treble notes surprised me. But then again, I have never met a Bösendorfer piano in person.
The video's out if you haven't seen it yet.
@@BlueGrovyle Yep, have seen it, thanks!
I have no interest in sampled instruments. If it isn't physically modeled, it's dead to me.
I'd like to believe in modeling, but I still think it has quite a ways to go. Pianoteq 7 is getting better, but there's still something synthetic sounding in it my ears keep picking up on. I can best to describe it as a cross between a real grand and an electronic piano.