Long release in Electric Pianos?

[Hlaalu]

Does anybody hear a difference between Long release being ON or OFF for Electric pianos? I tried a bunch of Rhodes and I hear no difference whatsoever. Is that a bug or is the difference very subtle?

[FZiegler]

You mean Soft Release? According to the manual (as I'm the "manual guy"), it should affect all piano sounds except those where the feature is disabled. But reacting on the way you play the key. Does that mean: reacting on the way you release the key? Don't have to time to try.

[Hlaalu]

Sorry it is indeed "Soft Release". Yes on certain pianos is not even switchable ON, so I'd assume that, on pianos that it IS switchable ON for, then it should do "something".

On acoustic pianos it prolongs slightly the time the dampers take to sit back on the strings, so basically when you lift your hands from the key the note will sound for a bit longer before being dampened. It's not a dramatic change but it's definitely noticeable.

With Electrics though it sounds to me exactly the same...

[Tasten-Bert]

Sorry, friends, to disturb your thoughts, but it is indeed „Long release“, on nord sound webpage as well as in my manual. As it is supposed to prolong the sound’s release, It seems to be the right wording.
Cheers from Germany

Okay, this subject is quite funny. On the Stage 3 itself it‘s printed Soft. But when it‘s „Long“ in the soundfile ...??

[Hlaalu]

The Stage 3 hardware says "Soft Release", but the name is not the point. The point is whether this makes any actual difference with Electric Pianos.

I remember there was a thread about the difference between Clean and Vintage 1, as tonewheel "modes", which sound so close to be virtually undistinguishable. Some people (including me) suspected a bug. Then some user here run a recording through a spectrum analizer and indeed there was a subtle difference.

I was wondering if the same thing is going on here. I am not a sound technician and running a recording through software wouldn't do much for me -- not to the point that I'd be able to tell by the spectrum itself anyway. Thus I was asking others, if they hear a difference and if so which kind of difference.

BTW: the manual says SOFT Release, page 22.

[maxpiano]

As far as I understand reading Nord Piano Library page and NS2/3 manuals, the Long Release (on NPL info page and NS2 manual, Soft Release on NS3 manual) feature applies to all Grand Pianos, Uprights, Electric Pianos and Electric Grands and should just ad a short "queue of sound" when you release the key, to better support legato playing.

Probably, my thought, this is a setting that operates at Piano sound engine level, altering the looping/enveloping algorithm in a way that is independent from which specific sample you are using (as far as you are within the above "classes" of .npnos).

It is possible that the difference is subtle and more difficult to notice on EPs which have less harmonic content at release compared to attack/decay phases (?).

You may test by sampling one note, triggered via a DAW MIDI track to ensure the same note duration and velocity, 1 time with and another without Soft Release enabled and comparing the 2 samples.

[baekgaard]

From memory: Find one of the EPs with a distinct key off sound, like EP2. Use eg the bright or dyno filter so it's easy to hear. Play some different bass tones and listen to the release. Now engage soft/long and repeat - you may now be able to hear a difference.

Sent from my phone in brevity

[Mr. Marko]

if it is so subtle that we have to examine it...it is not a useful feature for a LIVE instrument. I can't tell a difference either...my 4th NS and that is my final answer!

[baekgaard]

if it is so subtle that we have to examine it...it is not a useful feature for a LIVE instrument. I can't tell a difference either...my 4th NS and that is my final answer!

Well, maybe if you play in a loud guitar-driven rock-band, where I guess no-one may hear the piano anyway, differences in release samples are not meaningful...

But for the type of music I play, I can hear a difference in normal playing. It's not subtle at all... at least not to my ears.

On my Nords, if I e.g. pick the EP2 and play some of the lower keys, for instance a G1, then even without any effects or EQ at all, it is VERY easy to hear the difference between a normal release and a soft/long release. It gets more pronounced with some of the EQ settings (dyno, e.g). It's also very easy to hear the difference especially when you play songs with no bass player and dig into the lower parts of the keyboard; the release sounds are like on a real Rhodes and when you engage the soft/long release the "clack" and "buzz" sounds I like to hear between chord and note changes disappear and the playing sounds less like a real Rhodes. That's one of the reasons I like the EP2, btw, as it reminds me of my long-gone suitcase also in this aspect.

Some of the other EPs have less release sample sounds, but for most it's easy to hear the difference.

YMMV, of course

[Hlaalu]

I'll try hear the difference again, but at this point I am not sure its audible on EPs different than the EP2, which I don't use by the way.

@maxpiano: actually on some pianos the soft/long release is not switchable at all, so I am suspecting it doesn't work the way you speculate.