Rate ALL Piano Library sounds (Grands and Uprights)

[themixtape]

Hi! Can you guys and girls please rate each piano 1 through 5 (1 worst, 5 best), what styles/genres you feel each works best for, and thoughts on their live sound and recorded sound? Thanks!!

GRANDS

Royal Grand
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Velvet Grand
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Silver Grand
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Italian Grand
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Bright Grand
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Grand Imperial
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Grand Lady D
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Studio Grand 1
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Studio Grand 2
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Concert Grand Close
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Concert Grand Ambient
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UPRIGHTS

Black Upright
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BlueSwede Upright
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Rain Piano
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Bambino Upright
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Mellow Upright
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Grand Upright
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Queen Upright
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HonkyTonk Upright
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Saloon Upright
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Romantic Upright
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Also-- your absolute favorite Rhodes and any effects/amp sim settings?

Me personally, I haven't spent a lot of time with each yet.. but I find the Imperial or Studio Grand 2 are my favorites, usually. I like the Velvet Grand, a lot too. Not really feeling the Italian Grand, though I did at first, when I first got my Nord. Previously, I thought the Queen Upright (medium) was the most universally-appealing sound, but I've changed my mind since... and now go with the Black Upright, Blue Swede and Rain.... as far as most universally-appealing, it might be the Grand Upright. I usually run my Nord through a pair of JBL LSR305 studio monitors, or a Logitech Z2300 2.1 speaker system, and/or sometimes a PA (JBL EON 612's). Those sounds translate pretty well, live... no EQ at all, no amp sim, no reverb... I often keep the long release and string resonance settings OFF... the pianos sound better to my ears, without them. Maybe long release, sometimes...

Re: Rhodes.... I love the EP2 Suitcase, Close Ideal... I think that's the most universally-realistic Rhodes. I also love the EP5 Bright Tines. The Wurly is spot-on... I set mine with the Small Amp sim, drive set to 2.. some slight reverb and the key velocity set to 2 or 3, and I nail the "You're My Best Friend" Queen sound... perfectly.

The kind of music I play is indie/folk... Ida, Azure Ray, Gemma Hayes, L'Altra, The Album Leaf, that sort of thing. Nothing super fancy or technical... on the simpler side, musically.

Thanks, all!

[De fursaK NE5]

Grand lady and blue swede are my best and polyvalent ones for me.
Don't have the courage too rate all the rest

[Nordrik]

I like Bright Grand- studio 2 - Velvet.

[Quai34]

I have really tried two only, and they are the ones in XL in my stage 2, Imperial and grand and Italian Grant....A Bosendorfer and a Fazzioli in a 15 kgs package, how great is the word we are living in....

[zephonic]

Grand Lady D still works best for me.

Bright Grand and Silver are a distant second.

I the only upright I use is the Honky-Tonk one.


Rhodes 1,2,4 &5. 1 for the R&B/neosoul warmth, 4 to better cut through when soloing. 5 with chorus and reverb for that '80's/90's big ballad sound.

[dkernohan]

Still getting used to the various options.

I love the Silver Grand, the Grand Upright and the Black Upright for my rock/soul/gospel playing. I'm also a big fan of the Amped Wurli.

My partner (who is a proper real piano player covering jazz, showtunes and classical) prefers the Velvet Grand and the Lady D.

[maurus]

Hej!

An impossible task?

Just like selecting the right red wine ... what food, what friends, what temperature, what time, what place, what purpose, what curiosity, what mood ...

I strongly believe that it's very individual.

/Vänligen
Michael in Scania

[emediately]

IMO, Bright Grand and Grand Upright works best for me, as they "cut" through the mix well.

[AnEarthquake]

I use only Lady D and Rain Piano.They do the job very well.

[maurus]

Which mix? What job?

Frankly, the variety of Clavia's Nord Piano Library is a great asset of our instruments, and since I finally have an instrument that can hold a few of the L or XL versions of the library at the same time I truly enjoying switching the sounds once in a while. Different sounds for different purposes. And each sounds inspires me differently in improvising. As Marlowes said above, the choice depends on mood - or on the needs/possibilites of amplification, or on interaction with other instruments.

Presently my Electro holds L or XL versions of the Fazioli, the Bösendorfer, the Shigeru, Lady D, Studio Grand 2, the Broadwood piano (which has lots of character), the Mellow Upright and the Black Upright, and I use and enjoy all of them - on different occasions. The available variety is simply awesome. Which is not to say that new piano (and larger Rhodes) samples would not be welcome - they are!