Uprights vs Grands

[afroskully]

This may be a prickly subject, but I’m curious.. anyone besides me enjoy the uprights (amber, grand upright) more than any of the grands (white xl included)? After hours of eq’ ing, the two uprights I listed still seem to have more of an authentic vibe for me than the grand pianos (I’ve played them all xl). I admit I’m probably comparing it to the actual Baldwin upright I have the nord set up next to, but just curious if anyone else feels similar...

It’s been a while since I’ve done an actual gig and I know this conversation changes with lots of other instruments around you, but solo playing for the last 2 months, this is where I’m at.

[SteveNordP3]

The uprights and grands are terrific. If you’re used to playing an upright, Amber, Rain and others have distinctive upright characteristics to my ears that may sound just right to you. For me, their library is the best collection of *recorded* pianos. Nothing replaces the exact live acoustic experience but as for brilliantly recorded pianos, the collection can’t be beat. White XL has some slight detuning issues which make it all the more real - both C7s sound like recordings of my C7 - I just love the entire library. Solo ballads typically get the White Grand for me and upbeat ensemble pieces seem to like the Amber upright. Whatever works for you is what’s best. There’s no wrong answers in the library. Good luck!

[Rusty Mike]

I’ve always loved the uprights. The Nord upright samples are better than any other hardware implementation I’ve heard. They give a lot of respect to the sound.

The Amber has been my favorite since it came out. It just seems to work with everything I play. I used the Queen Upright before that, but the Amber is so much better. I’m currently mixing a virtual big band recording where I use the Amber. I’ll post it here once it’s done so you can hear how well it works.

[Spider]

I love the uprights, but somehow the Amber doesn't do much for me. I know I'm in a minority (maybe the only one? ) but I don't hear anything special in it. A very good wample, but without much character, like the Italian Grand which I find totally lifeless and sterile. But then again, I don't like the Royal Grand which is everyone's favourite, so there's probably something wrong with my ears.

Also, I don't use samples like the Queen and Grand Upright because they are just too...good! They sound almost like a grand, so if I want that huge sound, I'll just use a "real" grand.
Instead, I love the uprights which have a very distinct "upright" taste: the Black is still a lifelong favourite, and I also love the Rain, Baby and Bambino.

[Hlaalu]

I know this conversation changes with lots of other instruments around you, but solo playing for the last 2 months, this is where I’m at.

What I find interesting is that this conversation changes also by simply playing alone, depending on the "mood" I guess? My personal list of favourites I had written down when I first got the Stage 3 is very different than my present one, and possibly it's going to be different again in the future. This is especially true with Nord sounds as they include all the "imperfections" of the real instruments, so you constantly find yourself chasing a moving target. Not to mention how the amplification system changes the whole game yet again.

I have kinda "ignored" Uprights in the past months I've been using the Stage, and boy! I am realising now what a huge mistake that was! My favourite is probably the Amber, and also the Grand Upright (although I agree it does sound a bit too much like a... Grand), whilst I oddily find the Queen not so interesting for me, despite seeming to be loved by many...

I love the uprights, but somehow the Amber doesn't do much for me. I know I'm in a minority (maybe the only one? ) but I don't hear anything special in it. A very good wample, but without much character, like the Italian Grand which I find totally lifeless and sterile. But then again, I don't like the Royal Grand which is everyone's favourite, so there's probably something wrong with my ears.

I totally second you on the Italian Grand. Well with me it's more of a love/hate relationship, but I totally see what you mean. Too polished, too thin, too perfect already to the point of being uninteresting. But I still think it's suitable for certain things. Probably my favourite among Grands is the Bright Grand, followed by the Royal 3D.

[SteveNordP3]

I love the uprights, but somehow the Amber doesn't do much for me. I know I'm in a minority (maybe the only one? ) but I don't hear anything special in it. A very good wample, but without much character, like the Italian Grand which I find totally lifeless and sterile. But then again, I don't like the Royal Grand which is everyone's favourite, so there's probably something wrong with my ears.

Also, I don't use samples like the Queen and Grand Upright because they are just too...good! They sound almost like a grand, so if I want that huge sound, I'll just use a "real" grand.
Instead, I love the uprights which have a very distinct "upright" taste: the Black is still a lifelong favourite, and I also love the Rain, Baby and Bambino.

Other than disagreeing on the Amber, I agree with the rest of your assessment. I haven’t found a situation yet where Italian or Royal work for me (but I’ll keep trying!). And the Queen and Grand uprights really are too good to use as uprights! They must be massive cabinets and really well crafted to generate that high quality of sound. Bambino sounds like a spinet almost - very familiar in a family’s living room. Amber has good characteristics too but maybe you just haven’t found the right use for it yet. Either way the library is just outstanding.

[lawman]

I've only recently begun noticing the surprisingly high proportion of songs being played on my local Adult Album Alternative station that feature detuned acoustic pianos. For that sound, we must look to the Uprights!

[SteveNordP3]

Commercials too, Lawman. Once you hear them, you can’t unhear them

[Gambold]

The classics are the best ones. Every time a new piano is released we all convince ourselves it's the best yet, but then time mercilessly ticks on and we realize that no, it isn't. The Bright-Bosie-Grand Lady trifecta has proven to be pretty impossible to beat.

A lot of us kvetched for an XL of the Grand Lady and we sorta kinda didn't get it with the White. That's when I personally realized that I was never going to leave the aforementioned Big Three and that barring a major leap in technology, which will require a major new Nord, they will never be bettered. I'm a Bright player live always, and then Bosie or Lady D when entertaining women in my salon.

Same ethos goes for the Uprights. Yes, the Amber-Grand-Mellow group have deeper samples and are more perfect than the earlier ones, but in the end the Black-Blue-Rain era is the classic, crappier-than-a-grand-but-still-great era. I play the Black almost exclusively when I'm feeling uprighty.

[afroskully]

I completely overhauled my piano selection last night...ditched the Bosie and brought back the Royal, ditched the spinet and grand upright and brought back the Black (the only non XL piano sample for me now) and the Baby. Stupid clanky mid-high D aside, I forgot how nice the Royal is... and the Baby Upright... I spent a lot of time with it and seems like I may have wrote this one off way too soon.