what's your favorite upright sample

[afroskully]

I spent years with the Amber upright as my go to, but recently I deleted it to make room for the XL Pearl upright to try something with a different character. I like the way it sounds, but can't quite EQ it right to sit with a live band. So.... what's the upright you like to use the most in a live setting?
I was gonna go right back to amber, but i wanted to hear what y'all are digging in that arena first

thanks

[Mighty Motif Max]

NS4 owner here - for the time being I've settled on the Queen as my general-purpose upright in band mixes, the Grand Upright for songs with the upright piano upfront, and the Bambino for certain character uses. I also have the Black loaded for a few songs where it fits well (think "Havana" by Camila Cabello). I also play ragtime, so I have both the Saloon and Honky-Tonk loaded, as they blend nicely together for an old detuned piano sound.

I couldn't get the Pearl to EQ nicely either, although I think it has more to do with the resonances at the specific frequency range that the High EQ band/Bright filter sits at on the NS4. I thought the Amber had the same weakness in the high mids, so I find it really interesting that you got along well with that one but struggle with EQ'ing the Pearl.

[afroskully]

funny thing is back when i used the amber all the time it was the XL but the 5.0 version. Now I cant seem to find that old version, and I may be crazy but I don't think the 6.0 version sounds exactly the same.

i'm gonna reload the queen and the grand upright again and give it another try. thanks!

[Rusty Mike]

Amber all the time. It just sings and blends. Before that I really liked the Queen Upright.

[afroskully]

Amber all the time. It just sings and blends. Before that I really liked the Queen Upright.

which version do you have loaded?

[Rusty Mike]

Amber all the time. It just sings and blends. Before that I really liked the Queen Upright.

which version do you have loaded?

V6.2 XL. Can’t recall any distinct difference between this and the v5 sample. I use it live with a big band, so any nuance will be lost on me. It has a lovely singing quality in the upper mids, while the low end is less intrusive than a grand so it stays out of the way.

[Spider]

DISCLAIMER: PERSONAL OPINION WARNING!

While I love Nord's uprights, I feel that sometimes they are almost... too good!
In the sense that samples like the Grand upright or Queen upright almost sound like a grand piano...and so I'll just use the "real" grand pianos instead. The Pearl and Amber are nice and clean, but I find them rather bland, I don't feel much personality in them.

For me, the "uprightest" upright is the Black, I find that it really sings and has a lovely tone immediately recognizable as an upright, but without all the quirks and detuning of the "character" pianos like the Bambino, Saloon etc. Of course when I need that specific flavour I'll also use those samples: the Bambino, Mellow, Saloon and even the venerable Rain are my personal favourites.

[Mighty Motif Max]

DISCLAIMER: PERSONAL OPINION WARNING!

While I love Nord's uprights, I feel that sometimes they are almost... too good!
In the sense that samples like the Grand upright or Queen upright almost sound like a grand piano...and so I'll just use the "real" grand pianos instead. The Pearl and Amber are nice and clean, but I find them rather bland, I don't feel much personality in them.

For me, the "uprightest" upright is the Black, I find that it really sings and has a lovely tone immediately recognizable as an upright, but without all the quirks and detuning of the "character" pianos like the Bambino, Saloon etc. Of course when I need that specific flavour I'll also use those samples: the Bambino, Mellow, Saloon and even the venerable Rain are my personal favourites.

Hot Take Alert! I actually find the Royal Grand 3D to be more like a really good upright than any grand I've played in timbre and "woodiness"..that's probably why I really like that particular sample and Yamaha's own S6 sample in their Motif/Montage line.

[afroskully]

after going through a bunch of them, I feel like the Amber is almost too clean. Sounds great but I'm looking for something different than the White and Velvet grands which are always my go-to's. I've been toggling back and forth between the XL baby upright and the L Black upright. I know i've tried the baby before and it didnt last too long on my board. gonna give it another try, as i'm really liking it for quieter songs.

[afroskully]

played a gig on sunday... rotated through a few uprights. Baby XL... nope. kind of fun for quiet solo playing but just sounds weird in a band setting. Black, nice character but too "honky" with two other guitar players. Amber (L)... ding ding ding! Now to get the others off and put the XL back on.

oh well... it was worth the try. (I actually love the bambino the most out of the uprights that i'll never use live)