🎹Best Piano VST Plugins Compared Part 3: Native Instruments, Pianoteq 7, Vienna Symphonic Library🎹

Рет қаралды 12,269

3 жыл бұрын

Native Instruments Noire: 1:04
Pianoteq 7: 6:45
Ravenscroft 275: 13:28
VSL Yamaha CFX: 19:15
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#VST #Plugin #Piano
Hello and welcome to another piano review at the Merriam Pianos KZfaq channel. Here is the third and final installment of our 10-way comparison video of all of the VST’s we’ve looked at over the past two 2 months.
Please like the video below, and if it’s your first time on the channel, subscribe and hit that notification bell!
Overview:
We’re in a truly golden age of instrumental technology - both digital and acoustic, and our selection of VST’s is absolute proof of that. We looked at everything from $79 to $799 in our quest to sample the whole landscape of VST’s, and this is our last walk-through before we move back to acoustic and digital piano reviews.
Noire:
Noire is an interesting beast. The purpose of this VST isn't to present pure, clean acoustic piano sound, but rather, to simulate the sound of innovative German composer Nils Frahm. There are very interesting presets with unique combinations of pianos, keyboards, and synths. The particle accelerator feature is especially cool! Very moody and melancholic, excellent for those seeking that particular vibe.
Pianoteq:
Pianoteq is a giant of the VST space, and is quite unique in how it delivers sound as it is a modeling-based engine, compared to the other 9 we’ve looked at which are all sample-based. It uses an incredibly sophisticated computer model with all of the parameters open to the user for editing. This allows the user to modify and construct your perfect piano with an amazing level of control over a staggering amount of parameters. One criticism is that the plugin always sounds too ‘perfect’, and doesn’t do a great job of incorporating the subtle imperfections you get with a real acoustic piano.
Ravenscroft 275:
This engine is a sample of the Ravenscroft 275 concert grand piano, which is an extremely limited edition instrument built to order by a 3 person team of master piano builders. There’s four different sample captures with this VST, and you can mix them independently of one another. There’s not a ton of editable options, but all of your core features are covered, This is another excellent capture of a truly special piano, with a simple-to-use interface.
VSL Yamaha CFX
The VSL Synchron VST has different sampled pianos available for the user to buy, and we went with the Yamaha CFX. We felt the need to adjust the touch curve on this one right off the bat, but other than that, this is a fantastic plugin, and easily one of our favorites. There’s an incredible amount of detail packed in, and it truly recreates the feel and energy of being behind a 9 foot piano better than any other.
Conclusions:
Thanks so much for being with us through this marathon of a review. It’s been a fun adventure exploring the world of VST’s over the past couple of months, and we sincerely hope you’ve enjoyed this series.
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Пікірлер: 58

@okay1904 3 жыл бұрын

Your piano reviews meet an extremely high standard. The video presentation, the audio authenticity, and your playing is very good in a way that brings out the variations in tone from one instrument or patch, to another. These are the one of the very very best piano instrument reviews, that conveys the strengths and biases of each library. I must put these reviews in a playlist and listen to them together. Good job - you deserve our highest commendation.

@JoeLinux2000 3 жыл бұрын

I agree fully with your assessment. Not all persons reviewing pianos have his pianistic skills, plus he is both honest and articulate. These are not common characteristics of people marketing products.

@criskeys14 2 жыл бұрын

Bro, this man is an insane piano player, but most importantly an IQ monster and ear blessed with the acoustics and synthetics sounds.

@GFhornet 3 жыл бұрын

This is the ultimate vst review!!! Congratulations again and again Stu. I am a pianoteq fun, but you make me to want them all.

@l.mrteera 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you! I love all the VST in this video.

@markmallinder7618 2 жыл бұрын

Fantastic review. Very helpful.

@johngrey4325 3 жыл бұрын

Your playing and reviews are the most compelling online. Thank you so very much! You have inspired me to get several of these lovely instruments. And VSL is offering a demo month to try all of their offerings and I am sure I'll get one of those. I also have a request, if you have stored any of your demos as midi files... I'd love to get the improvisation you did for the Noire Emotional setting. It really touched me and I'd love to learn from it. You are very gifted! Thanks again.

@mfurman 3 жыл бұрын

I have been reading about and watching reviews of many piano VSTs but I understood all the nuances only after watching Stu’s reviews. Excellent series of reviews Stu! By the way, I have been using Pianoteq.

@twtobin941 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks again, Stu... excellent comparison. I almost missed this one because Ravenscroft wasn't in the title!

@shawnalove5050 2 жыл бұрын

Your playing is wonderful!!

@nathapatel 3 жыл бұрын

When I was looking at VST’s a few months ago one thing I wanted the reviews to mention was whether it had a full three pedal support with una corda and sostenuto. I know the Native Instruments one I had did not, but I ended up going with PianoTeq and have really like it.

@tomsl36 3 жыл бұрын

Really enjoyed this series of piano VSTs. Your playing really makes the individual tone of each one shine through. So far I have to agree that VSL has nailed it, though I like the Ravenscroft too. If you are doing any more of these reviews in future I would highly recommend Bechstein Digital and the Production Voices Production Grand. Both very unique and I think you are the player to do them justice.

@thomasschatton3481 3 жыл бұрын

Great series about Piano VSTs. Thanks a lot for producing all those videos. Stu, your pronounciation of German names like Nils Frahm, Bösendorfer etc. is actually pretty good and quite close to how we as Germans would pronounce them! 👍

@Transterra55 3 жыл бұрын

The Ravenscroft is astounding!

@BlueGrovyle 2 жыл бұрын

I love it. It responds to staccato so nicely. The only serious flaw it has is the limited number of samples and the timbre imbalance in the upper mid register, but it's still a phenomenal virtual instrument. I'll have to see how VSL Steinway compares when I finally download it.

@Gardener7 Жыл бұрын

@@BlueGrovyle Do you think the VSL Steinway is better? Did you buy it?

@BlueGrovyle Жыл бұрын

@@Gardener7 I did eventually buy it, yes. Whether or not I prefer the sound is a tricky question, though. VSL's plugins are _way_ more sophisticated and feature-rich than any of the other sample libraries I've tried, so that's a plus. The primary issue I have with VSL Steinway is that I can't seem to "unbox" the sound: it's quite a bit "boxy", and it's bizarre because it was recorded almost identically to VSL Yamaha CFX, which I strongly prefer as of now. The sound of VSL Steinway is rich and delicate, but there's just something off about the panning that makes it feel either too distant or too fake-the condenser mic is the worst offender in terms of fakeness, and I'm not the biggest fan of the mid mics, but at least the distant ones sound great. VSL Yamaha is the best of all plugins I've demo'd and is far superior to Garritan, in my opinion. As opposed to liking _most_ of the mic positions as with VSL Steinway, I think they all sound pretty fantastic. Just about everything I could ask for. If I had to rank the ones I've demo'd in terms of how much I like the sound, it's probably (from greatest to least): VSL Yamaha, Ravenscroft, VSL Steinway, Garritan, Keyscape

@Anatidaephobe 6 ай бұрын

Loved the Noire “emotional” piano improv. Especially the part just before Stu’s smile at 5:09. I know that smile. It’s what happens in the moment when you are in the zone, play something that touches your heart, and you are able to expresses yourself in the language of music that makes all those difficult years of practice, hard work, and study worthwhile…that’s the smile. Bravo, Sir!

@MerriamPianos 6 ай бұрын

Absolutely! It is tough to hide the sensation when you feel connected with an instrument's voice and musicality. :)

@death2pc 3 жыл бұрын

Any viewer be it myself, yourself is clearly beneficiary........... As always, most appreciated, thank you.

@user-jn7vm2fh1k 11 ай бұрын

Found all parts 1-3 very insightful - a lot of good food for thought

@MerriamPianos 11 ай бұрын

We're very happy to hear that! Thanks for tuning in! :)

@yoni23able 3 жыл бұрын

I think another layer of analysis about Pianoteq relates to it being the instrument, it is not a recording of the instrument. The huge plus is that when you play it, the feel is of playing an instrument in itself. For many people, including myself at my very average level of playing, it certainly feels responsive. A more detailed response to this comes from Phil Best, who goes into this in detail. He feels the immediate response of an instrument responding directly to his playing is fundamentally different from how sample-based software produces a sound. It directly relates, for him, to how you intend and connect with your music. Worth watching. But of course, it comes down to what feels, and sounds, best. As Stu said, the choice of VTSs incredible. What I’ve now got is a set-up where Pianoteq, combined with the speakers I’m using, how they are positioned and so on gives me a piano which means I want to play more and more. I can’t ask for more than that. The quirks and nuance of the sound, which Stu says some of the sample-based software captures, comes from the creaks and rattles of my desk and speakers.

@JoeLinux2000 3 жыл бұрын

I've never played a sample, but Pianoteq's overall footprint is very small and I think number crunching might be faster and more nuanced than calling up various samples. To me Pianoteq still sounds like a recorded piano, but a very good piano and a very good recording. Some of the sampled pianos have a warmth and ambiance that is missing in Pianoteq. What I do know is that layering a Pianoteq voice with a DGX piano voice improves each of them immensely. The DGX becomes more piano like, and the Pianoteq voice has more body, and perhaps sings a bit better in the treble. It's an example of synergy, were the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Luckily there is no latency between the two. With the Casio there was a very noticeable delay.

@yoni23able 3 жыл бұрын

@@JoeLinux2000 Layering sounds is something I had never considered. My other, main piano, is a Kawai CA97. I have tried playing the Pianoteq through its speaker system, but it's never truly satisfying, so I tend to revert to headphones. Coincidentally, after playing my Roland RD88 for many weeks in my studio, going back to the Kawai the keys felt so much more responsive. But, as long I have an instrument where I need it I'm pretty happy.

@briantrout7051 4 ай бұрын

Thanks for taking us through some of these VST's, Stu! Really appreciate your spending some time and showing them off. Quick question for you... have you done a video where you show off the hardware part of making these things play so well? Already have an RD-2000 which I love. Not so sure what other hardware would help me to immerse myself into the sounds these VST's are capable of putting out.

@MerriamPianos 4 ай бұрын

Hi! Brent here! Thank you for the kind words and for tuning in! We also appreciate the suggestion regarding MIDI controllers/hardware. That would be a great topic to cover. While we touch on it in some individual model videos, we haven't shot a dedicated video tackling the subject. Thanks again! :)

@eagereyes 3 жыл бұрын

Your pronunciation of Niels Frahm's name is spot on! Same with how you usually say Bechstein (though in this video you didn't quite hit the 'ch' as well as you usually do ;)

@MQFahey 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks! This is a fun comparison series! I’m curious how these plugins compare to the modeling/sampling found in a physical digital piano. Say the CA99? Further, how would these samples sound through the speakers and sound board of something like the Kawai?

@Saxysellig Жыл бұрын

Great and highly instructive series, thanks Stu! For search engine purpose, you should include "Ravenscroft 275" in the title of the video.

@MerriamPianos Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for tuning in! Also, we appreciate the suggestion! :)

@GFhornet 2 жыл бұрын

All sound perfect! But Pianoteq is alive!!! It reacts to your touch. Not playing a playback another person's recorded touch (samples)

@nelligantetrault2135 2 жыл бұрын

Hello! thx for the video and the nice melody ideas you've given us ;) Quick question regarding velocity with these NI plugins. I own the Gentleman/The Giant and i've always struggled to the get the velocities right. Compared to other brand's plugin which seems to respond quite well to my playing softly or loudly right out of the box. NI vst's gives me more trouble : some notes are gonna stand out loudly in a soft passage or vice versa. I know I can fiddle in the parameters, reduce the dynamic, having 3d party plugin to control the incoming midi, etc. it just seems a pain everytime altough I love their sound :( Wondering if it's the same for you ?

@paradiso76 2 жыл бұрын

Would you review UVI Model D? I'd love to get your thoughts on it. In my opinion an excellent and underrated piano VST.

@abath07 3 жыл бұрын

Which one is Stu’s favorite and which is his second favorite?

@DonswatchingtheTube 3 жыл бұрын

What's the difference between Modartt's and Roland's physical modeling? From the base up are they fundamentally two different approaches?

@JoeLinux2000 3 жыл бұрын

My suspicion is Roland may license Pianoteq's modeling in such away that Roland creates their own virtual piano. The reason I conjecture this is that it seems to me that modeling a piano from scratch is very difficult and Modartt has been at it a long time.

@grahamderreck82 Жыл бұрын

My apologies if this been mentioned elsewhere. In your excellent VSL review, you said you wished that you could play the various pianos to test. VSL has a 14 day test period on their software. Cheers and keep up the great work.

@MerriamPianos Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for pointing that out! That is very helpful to know! :)

@MarianoPerez 2 жыл бұрын

How well does the pha50 action on the rd2000 lend itself at providing a good piano experience with these vsts?

@ravenmusic932 Жыл бұрын

You need to change the key touch to light in order to get the full dynamic range, apart from that it’s really lovely.

@YeahBan 2 жыл бұрын

What piano model did you use for Pianoteq?

@MrDschiesus 2 жыл бұрын

it was the Bechstein in the classic recording setting,i think.

@jellyd4889 2 жыл бұрын

Just love the noire for quiet cool moody stuff.... beautiful. Poor pianoteq being played after it....

@napilopez 3 жыл бұрын

As far as I'm concerned pianoteq and Ravenscroft are the two champs. I've tried all sorts of VSTs but these are the ones I keep coming back to for their playability and character, although you have to do some more coaxing with pianoteq. Ravenscroft is an almost perfect sampled piano for me, except I feel like the bass notes just don't hit with the weight I expect. They're a little dull unless I turn the tone and timbre controls higher, but then that makes the rest of the piano sound too bright. But pianoteq still feels more 'alive' to me. The sympathetic resonances are varied and are real, as opposed to scripted carbon copies. Even if it's digital, you're actually playing a real instrument that responds dynamically to your playing with some randomized qualities. Ravenscroft almost gets there but not quite. The resonances feel cheesy by comparison. (For the love of beethoven, anyone using pianoteq, you need to slide the wear slider up to at least like 0.20 for it not to sound too 'perfect'.)

@JoeLinux2000 3 жыл бұрын

Somewhere on the Pianoteq Control Screen there is a button that allows all parameters to be randomized a certain percent. Someone posted on the Pianoteq forum that they randomize their piano every session which keeps it always sounding fresh and exciting in their opinion. You play the same model all the time, but each day it's just slightly different. And it is true that Pianoteq sounds more authentic slightly aged.

@kosugimon Жыл бұрын

Can anyone please identify the music at 4:50? It’s terrific.

@MerriamPianos Жыл бұрын

Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! I'd have to check with Stu to see what the musical excerpt, but I definitely agree. :)

@kosugimon Жыл бұрын

@@MerriamPianos Thanks Brent - I'd appreciate that. And please pass on my thanks to Stuart. His intelligent and articulate reviews helped guide me to my first piano purchase two weeks ago. A Roland FP-10 to drive Pianoteq with. Really enjoying the combination (here in Sydney Australia).

@JoeLinux2000 3 жыл бұрын

I have said this before. Most of these piano voices are entirely lovely. Unfortunately the general public is completely unfamiliar with this 21sr century technology. In the meantime I'm battling it out with Yamaha Corporation. Their DGX-670 is a great sounding instrument for the price, Unfortunately the digital user interface is by far one of the worst I have ever encountered. It is a complete kludge. Many of the functions that are adjustable have no effect on the voice itself. Others that have an effect do not stick and have to be redone every time the instrument is booted up. The situation is entirely annoying. The worst is the sustain pedal which does not function as one would expect. Many voices such as string ensembles do not sustain with the pedal, but do sustain as long as a key is depressed. . Now for Pianoteq; it is some of the finest software I have ever seen. In contrast to Stu, I only recommend the Pro version with less instrument packs. Most people only own one grand anyway, and Pianoteq has many variations of a single instrument. The pro version is the only version that gives complete control over every individual note, and is well worth the extra cost. If Stu had it, I think he would agree. I use Pianoteq because it not only sounds very authentic, but runs natively on Linux, which is not the case with most of the other "plug-ins" being reviewed. They may sound good, but be incompatible with Linux. An example of this would be the Vienna Symphonic Library.

@JoeLinux2000 3 жыл бұрын

I've had some luck with learning how to adjust and save the settings for an individual voice, but there is a lot to be desired..

@MerriamPianos 3 жыл бұрын

I'm intrigued now...I always assumed the individual note control wouldn't be that useful to me, but you've peaked my interest. I couldn't agree more with your comments about the Yamaha menu structure on the DGX. Same issue with the 660 model as well..

@JoeLinux2000 3 жыл бұрын

@@MerriamPianos You may not need it. It's hard to say. When I was playing Pianoteq with the Casio, I liked to tweak individual notes. Now that I have it layered with the Yamaha DGX-670 voices, it's not so important. I can honestly say the combination of the two is the best digital piano I have ever had by a long way. One factor I believe is that the Pianoteq has it's own speaker system, and the Yamaha its own. The sound is combined in the air. The Yamaha fattens the Pianoteq sound which in turn adds pianistic realism to the Yamaha sound. Your system sounds great. My Pianoteq speakers were only about $75.00. I'm sure good speakers are important. particularly for the treble section. Too large a cone is not good for the bass notes as it masks the overtones needed for proper sounding bass strings, When you bang on a bass string, it brings out the upper harmonics. This is what I believe is the secret of Pianoteq, and why it sounds so authentic. The Yamaha adds a very strong singing treble notes at least in my set up. The sound is absolutely astounding, Again the Pianoteq is the primary voice, while the Yamaha is the back up singer so to speak. It adds depth and realism in terms of harmonic resonance to the Pianoteq voice. Almost any combination of the two sounds very good, but of course some provide a more authentic acoustic experience and the realism of an expensive concert grand. Neither of my acoustic grands comes close in pure eloquence of tone.

@krasko78 2 жыл бұрын

@@JoeLinux2000 I was immediately amazed by Pianoteq as soon as I tried it - it was such an improvement over my Yamaha P-125. It is undoubtedly a great program but as I was using it more and more I couldn't help hating the artificial sound in the middle of the keyboard. The bass and the treble are mostly fine but between around middle C and an octave - octave and a half above it the notes sound somewhat artificial and percussive, void of life. You can hear it in this video at the beginning of Stu's playing around 9:40. Not only that but in Pianoteq there is always few notes that do not match their neighbors, e.g. they sound louder or quieter or exhibit an added bell-like sound or some other quality that is not present across the whole keyboard. Pianoteq has many parameters to play with but they can never eliminate these annoyances and it is a burden to adjust many parameters most of which actually worsen the sound and rarely improve it. I've upgraded to Yamaha DGX-670 recently and agree with your comments - it is both great for its price and also annoying in some respects (but in the end let's not forget that it costs less than 1000 dollars/euros). However, the acoustic piano sounds are far from a real acoustic piano and now I am also mixing them with Pianoteq with Pianoteq being the primary one. The result is indeed better than each of them - less hammer noise from the DGX-670 (gah, hate it!), and the artificialness of Pianoteq is greatly reduced. Still, the middle of the keyboard sounds average at best with still noticeable dryness and percussiveness. So now I am looking to try out sampled VSTs and the Ravenscroft looks very interesting and balanced. Btw, my string sounds on the DGX-670 do sustain with the pedal (I have firmware version 1.02 - they might have fixed it in that version).

@cosmic_gate476 2 жыл бұрын

I have a Yamaha MOXF6 workstation and it took me a good while to get used to it when I got it. The workflow became pretty easy afterwards though, Yamaha just doesn't know how to make a clean interface. The voice reset issue on the DGX would be a deal breaker for me though, if that board didn't allow you to store your customized sounds in a user bank.

@A1coverRobsonHortenciodelima 3 жыл бұрын

Maybe pianoteq run light in cheap computers

@MrDschiesus 2 жыл бұрын

i believe Pianoteq is rather demanding on cpu usage compared to samplebased instruments. afterall its purely live calculation processes happening while you are playing. the great advantage when it comes to hardware requirements though is that you only need 50MB harddiskspace compared to hundreds of GB with some other instruments.