Gambold wrote:RESULTS:
Thanks to everyone for taking part in this extremely informal "poll" of acoustic sample preferences. I know we do these all the time on this forum, but offerings, tastes, and participants change so frequently that it's always useful to see the current zeitgeist! Plus - some of us don't strictly "trust our own ears" and it can be very helpful to hear the opinions of others on the merits or demerits of certain samples.
The method was not very scientific - I assigned points based on how a user ordered their preferences. 3 points for the first piano, 2 for the second, and 1 for the third. If there was less than three pianos listed in a post, the first got 3 points, the second (if present) 2 points. A few posters were a little vaguer in their rankings but I went with what seemed to be the piano(s) they preferred, based on their comments.
White - 29 points
Royal - 15 points
Imperial - 10 points
Bright and Silver - 7 points each
Bambino - 5 points
Amber - 4 points
Italian - 2 points
Thoughts:
--White is the king by far. It's the newest sample, three years younger than the next one. Is it newness or quality that make it king - or both?
--Royal holds second place - after holding first for a long time. Yamaha samples dominate the digital keyboard world and this one is Nord's best
--Imperial was the big surprise. This piano has made a comeback! It's one of the "classic" Nord samples that appeared in 2011.
--Bright and Silver are now running neck-and-neck for dominance in the "I need a sample that cuts through the band mix" category.
--The Bambino edged out the Amber for favorite upright - likely because of its very distinctive sound.
--Ah, the Italian - once upon a time it was considered one of the best. This one fell out of favor quickly.
--No Grand Lady D! This one was on everyone's fave list for a long time - age has finally taken its toll.
--The elephant in the room - no love for the Velvet. A newer sample that wasn't a hit even when it was first released.
Thanks again everyone!!
--Gambold
Interesting summary.
White is my top choice in almost all situations.
Lady D is my #2, I use it a ton more than Imperial and the Studio C7, those both of those share my #3 spot.
Amber is still my favorite upright. And yes - Silver cuts through like a knife…
Where Amber and White are relatively new, I suppose it’s possible newer sounds are more shiny pennies in our ears, but I suspect it’s because Nord gets better at their sampling process over time - perhaps some of both.
I would LOVE a new Lady D XL and Yamaha C7 XL that have the feel and depth of the White (Steinway B). But honestly, they’re all pretty damn good.
Except for Royal.
How that rates on anyone’s list is a mystery to me. I realize everything is subjective and a matter of personal taste. I WANT to love it. But I hate it! I’ve never found a setting (other than headphones) that makes sense to me or feels remotely useable! Even in phones, it’s never grabbed me like the others.
I’ll also add that over the years, I thought I was getting a good mono sound from my Nord with my Bose L1 system (when traveling with just one of the two I use for a stereo setup). But I’m finding the Ravenscroft 275 on my iPhone provides a superior mono performance over any of my Nords in that unique situation. Otherwise, White, Lady D, Imperial and Studio are an absolute delight through a pair of Bose L1s in stereo!