Pianos, Compare yourself!

23 Dec 2004, 13:53

Hi all,

Just found this website which has a nice comparison between a wide range of Software and Hardware instruments for the piano sound.

http://purgatorycreek.com/documents/25.html

After listening to all of the samples here is my ranking:

1. Synthogy Ivory - Warm Concert D

2. Roland Fantom X - Ultimate Grand Piano

3. Wizoo - The Grand

p.s. Both motif es and triton extreme just suck!

-Fantom-X's weak spot is the low register. Doesn't sound big.

-I would give the 2nd rank to The Grand if the middle section wasn't so bright and also the higher register didn't have noise.

-I still think that Software samplers are sounding much better than keyboards.

Eager to hear your comments, and more proud of Fantom-X's piano sound!

Sam

March 14th 1984
Music student at Dalhousie
Fantom-X 7

Re: Pianos, Compare yourself!

23 Dec 2004, 14:47

1.The Real Thing - Steinway B

2. P90 Piano

3. Fantom X

Difficult to compare between these three, but The real thing sounds really good...

just my 2 cents...

Sambasevam.S

---------------------------------------------------------------
If at first you dont succeed, then skydiving is definitively not for you.

Re: Pianos, Compare yourself!

23 Dec 2004, 16:23

I found that site long time ago. They evolved by adding more demo to it.
One BIG issue....
Different instruments were recorded by different people(pro studio... to amateur), and different hardware used for recordin(cheapo sound card to highend pro recording studio).
Not to mention original settings of instruments they used(like EQ settings, effects, chorus, output level..etc...)
This site is funded by soft synth piano co. so...
That soft synth piano is even better than real piano...
Give me a break!!!!!

Re: Pianos, Compare yourself!

23 Dec 2004, 16:46

@dkpcola

I don't want to say that your ideas are biased, but they are pessimistic. Both in this thread and the "Best Keyboard Ever?" thread.

Is there any doubt that a good sample of a great Steinway sounds much better than an old and low quality Petrov?! Or even a good miced sample of a steinway can sound better than a bad miced live performance of the same piano?

Sam

March 14th 1984
Music student at Dalhousie
Fantom-X 7

Love this cool...but controversial...site

24 Dec 2004, 10:19

I've been to this site before and I do have to give whoever put it together a lot of credit.

That said, I've heard a number of criticisms of it in the past, including:

1. No standardization of recording methodologies among sample providers, so some may sound better because some of the samplers are using better mastering equipment.

2. The lack of "pedal down" in many of the samples makes them harsher than samples that were able to use sustain

3. The MP3 speed--192--is far too low to allow one to hear subtleties between the samples.

That said, I still think the site gives a good general indication of what these things sound like. You can definitely hear differences among the Roland models, for example.

Jeff in Boston

Re: Pianos, Compare yourself!

24 Dec 2004, 13:17

WELL... sam_vafaei
The Thread is "Pianos.. compare yourself.."
How can anyone compare different pianos system based on this WAY diversely created sounds samples???
You tell me is this the way you compare different pianos???
And I am fully aware of very strong sale point behind that site web page...

Re: Pianos, Compare yourself!

24 Dec 2004, 13:33

dkpcola,

That website doesn't show an ideal comparision for sure. The ideal comparision should be done with a single MIDI file on one computer and completely dry. Also, the information about the Pianos are not right, both Fantom-X and The Grand have individual samples for each note, but that site says they don't.

But it's not useless, is it? and what I said was about this sentence:

"That soft synth piano is even better than real piano..."

and generally about this idea:

"I don't think soft synth will ever take over hard synth."

-I don't think so.

Sam

March 14th 1984
Music student at Dalhousie
Fantom-X 7