The story
Even from Day One, way back in the early days of Pianobook, Patrick was keen to do a Mk II version of my beloved Bechstein – and three years later, here it is.
Interface
Reviews for C.Bechstein Upright 1911 – Version 2
- Sound
- Character
- Playability
- Inspiration
- GUI
Leave a review to let others know what you thought of the instrument!
What a piano
The sound is extremely unique, sort of soft and sneaky. I don't think i've heard such a sound before in a sampled instrument. Its definitely worth the try, if you are looking for some more interesting sounds.
The UI is fairly simple and I would hope for even more distinct experimental sounds or different articulations in this.Nice with a but
I love the tone and character of this piano but.. (yeah, sorry there's a but).
When I play, I like things to feel "tight" - when I strike a key my brain has been programmed to expect an immediate note response in my ears (unless the sound deliberately has a longer attack).
I'm not a piano player (I've never owned one or really ever played on a real one except messing around on ones in various village halls in my youth) and I think I may have been spoiled by the lack of physical mechanism making the notes. The bane of the digital age?
Some of the notes in this library work the way my brain expects - immediate gratification - but, to give an example, one which stood out is the upper velocities for D2 (among others) in the "piano only" patch - there's a noticably higher latency before the note kicks in after striking the key and my brain finds it off-putting when playing and it throws me.
I suspect it's possible to offset the sample playback start point in Kontakt just to tighten that up but I've not really delved under the hood much so need to get the manual and have a fiddle.
As I said, I love the tone and character of the piano - smoky is a really good way that the piano-only patch is described on the GUI. If anyone can hit me up about tweaking the sample start point I'd be grateful :) ... and perhaps educate me about "real" pianos and whether there's a certain amount of playing latency on real keys that I've never experienced?
The most confusing piano I've heard
This piano sound very different than others, with a very smooth and toned down sound, but at the same time it is near-silent, and it feels that to get the highest velocity I need to smash my keyboard with a hammer. Even with ALL the provided microphone knobs turned up, AND with the kontakt instrument all the way up, you may still not hit red, except for some round robins which are not gain-staged equally.
The sound itself sounds nice though, but it doesn't really sound like a real piano either. It's different, which is not necessarily bad, it's just different, especially when you consider that the velocity layers may greatly different from each other.
I'm not sure if the point of a V2 was making it all different, but if I had to choose one of the two, I'd pick the first one.
Nice piano with several issues
The C.Bechstein Upright 1911 – Version 2 is a piano sample library with a unique and mellow sound. It is a good choice for musicians looking for a different sound from the typical grand piano. However, the library has some issues that need to be addressed in order to improve its playability and realism.
One of the biggest problems with the library is the inconsistent velocity triggering. This can make it difficult to play the piano expressively.
Another problem with the library is that the overall volume is too low. The piano sounds too quiet in most mixes, and it can be difficult to get it to sit well with other instruments.
Finally, most of the samples in the library are slightly out of tune. This is a minor issue, but it can make the piano sound "chorusy"Despite these issues, the C.Bechstein Upright 1911 – Version 2 is still a good-sounding piano sample library. It has a unique character that can be useful for a variety of musical genres.
My favorite is the V4 and the Decca mics.
With a few improvements, this library could be a great choice for musicians looking for a different sound from the typical grand piano.
I hope this is helpful
Julian Doe
