Simplesam releases Signature Grand

[srkrishnan]

https://simplesamsamples.com/

[Tanuj Tiku]

For $50, this sounds like a steal!

[Ashermusic]

Oh god, another good sounding piano.

[Piet De Ridder]

Quite good, this one. (Exactly what I expected/hoped CinePiano to be, but isn't.) Clever concept, versatile timbre, decent sound, wisely chosen set of parameters and no ballast (except for the half-silly 'Glenn Mode' button which adds Gould-like murmurings to the piano playing).
And the introduction price should indeed blow away whatever last doubts anyone who's interested in this, might have.

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[Lawrence]

(sigh) Yet another shot at the elusive Holy Grail, the Tantalusean fruit out of reach, the brass ring grabbed at last. Piano #Infinite.

[Ashermusic]

I used Logic’s new Auto Sampler to capture the Italian Grand (Fazioli) from my Dexibell Vivo S7 and while not 100%, pretty good. I also used it on the Embertone Walker Steinway D to make a Sampler, formerly EXS24 version. Again, ptetty, pretty good.

[srkrishnan]

Anyone bought it? Would love to know how the play-ability is!

[Piet De Ridder]

Playability is decent. Not outstanding, but certainly no worse than that of many other sampled pianos. For me, there's a transition, when the piano climbs from mezzo dynamics to higher dynamics, that doesn't feel entirely right, but it's a minor thing. And, of course, a lot of it depends on how you play and how you've got the communication between your controller keyboard and the library set up.
All in all, I certainly wouldn't let any doubts about playability stand in the way of a purchase, should you be interested in this instrument.

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[woodrose]

Playability is decent. Not outstanding, but certainly no worse than that of many other sampled pianos. For me, there's a transition, when the piano climbs from mezzo dynamics to higher dynamics, that doesn't feel entirely right, but it's a minor thing. And, of course, a lot of it depends on how you play and how you've got the communication between your controller keyboard and the library set up.
All in all, I certainly wouldn't let any doubts about playability stand in the way of a purchase, should you be interested in this instrument.

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How does it compare to CinePiano in terms of playability? That piano usually my go-to, but it's left me wanting of late.

[Piet De Ridder]

It’s just my opinion of course, but I don’t think either deserves an award for playability. Each for different reasons however. On the whole though, I think I find CinePiano the more enjoyable instrument to play: it’s got more timbral variety and richer sounding attack transients. The pianissimo layer of the Signature is also not quite as tender and feathery as that of CinePiano.

Not in favour of CinePiano is that, under my fingers at least, its response feels, for want of a better word, doctored. Even with all the dynamic range and response parameters at default value, the piano still feels as if its tampered with. Or as if the hammers are not at the right distance from the strings or something. Which is not true of course, but still. It's very difficult to describe. It’s not a major distraction, but I’ve experienced several times already and I can’t seem to get rid of the feeling, no matter how I adjust the available controls.

And both of these pianos have nowhere near the level of playability which the VintageD has. (That’s all still strictly personal opinion of course.) It’s a comparison that makes sense though, because the VintageD is also one of those libraries with a limited number of velocity layers, just like the Signature and CinePiano. It never ceases to surprise and please me how much more colour, detail, subtlety, character and dynamic differentiation the Galaxy piano is able to draw from that fairly low number of layers, compared to many other sampled instruments, some of which have double the amount of layers or even (a lot) more.

But back to the two others. I have to retract what I said earlier, about the Signature being “all that I hoped CinePiano would be but isn’t”. Now that I have spent plenty more time with both, my initial enthusiasm for the Signature as a playable virtual piano, has already waned a bit. It should still prove a satisfying purchase though, if you like its sound.

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[Guy Rowland]

he pianissimo layer of the Signature is also not quite as tender and feathery as that of CinePiano.

Thanks for comments here, can I ask a very belated bonus follow up? Despite everything I've said about everything, I appear to be on the lookout for a scoring piano with a gorgeous feathery pp and also able to cut through when being whacked without sounding overly bright. Is CinePiano the one? Or Fluffy's Scoring Piano perhaps? Maybe the Cinematic Studio Piano? The price for this is wonderful, but from the demos I really don't think it quite has what I'm looking for.

[Ashermusic]

he pianissimo layer of the Signature is also not quite as tender and feathery as that of CinePiano.

Thanks for comments here, can I ask a very belated bonus follow up? Despite everything I've said about everything, I appear to be on the lookout for a scoring piano with a gorgeous feathery pp and also able to cut through when being whacked without sounding overly bright. Is CinePiano the one? Or Fluffy's Scoring Piano perhaps? Maybe the Cinematic Studio Piano? The price for this is wonderful, but from the demos I really don't think it quite has what I'm looking for.

Out of those the Fluffy Scoring Piano would be my choice.

[Lawrence]

Guy, could you give an example of a piece of music that has the requisite featheriness and can cut through? I don't hear a lot of that out there, it more seems like one or the other. For example, I love the Spitfire Labs felt piano, but it's a one trick pony.

[Guy Rowland]

Ah, the crucial word there Larry in my previous post is when "whacked". ie - soft and feathery when pp, but an ability to cut through without too much crispness at ff. The Signature Grand always feels crisp to me, many pianos do, and that's great but I have that sound. On the other hand, something like felt piano is always soft even at ff, and I don't want that either. I want it to take centre stage without that crispness (can't think of a better word than crispness, sorry). So a broad range in the character of the dynamics, a grand piano, recorded in a scoring stage / hall, but never totally in your face. Really I'm describing Emotional Piano but better and in a natural hall I guess.

(And thanks Jay re Fluffy recommendation).

[Lawrence]

I own Emotional Piano and never use it. Clearly, you have more affection for it.

I’m more likely to take Piano in Blue and eq/place it on a stage or in a hall for that sort of sound. It’s somewhat inconsistent but I like its character better.

[Piet De Ridder]

Guy,

Here’s a comparison between CinePiano and the SimpleSam Signature. Five bits of pp and ppp noodling. Should give you an idea of what each of these sound like in this type of material.
Both libraries are totally naked here and we're focusing exclusively on their lowest velocity layers, so it’s unavoidable that the noise and low frequency rumble is at times quite prominent. I did filter some of the latter out, moderately, because both libraries have quite a bit of it.

I can render this with a few other libraries if you like: the Noire, the Fluffy, Piano in Blue, ...

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[Guy Rowland]

Thanks so much Piet, and wow you're not kidding about the noise, eh? Though I get this is super ppp. Embarrassing question - is the switch between the two at 3'33? (That in itself is revealing - they're not wildly dissimilar are they, except one is 4x the price...)

Piano in Blue's tonal range does sound really good Larry, but I really do want to try and find one on a scoring stage as its one thing I really don't have and I'm curious to know how much of a difference it might make in an orchestral context. And having listened to the demos again, I'm just a bit hesitant on Fluffy's as I think that mid range prominence might be a bit too all-pervasive. In fact that's a general thing I'm finding the more I listen to pianos - that big low mid build-up on softer stuff in particular which is in both Piet's examples. But that's probably a degree of madness on my part having now listened to so many and slowly going crazy as a result, being as this is just how soft pianos sound an all.

Once again, its such a PITA we can't demo this stuff. So wish the old Try Sound thing had really taken off and been embraced by other developers. Piet, I might take advantage of your good nature yet again and drop you a PM...

[Piet De Ridder]

Guy, no, the fragments alternate.
CinePiano does a bit, followed by the Signature, then CinePiano again, then the Signature ... and so on.

Here are the timings:

Fragment 1
0'00"" CinePiano
0'40" Signature

Fragment 2
1'21" CinePiano
2'00" Signature

Fragment 3
2'40" CinePiano
3'06" Signature

Fragment 4
3'33" CinePiano
3'56" Signature

Fragment 5
4'21" CinePiano
5'26" Signature

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[Guy Rowland]

Ah thanks, I've taken stupid pills this morning, its much clearer to me now, I took it initially as velocity changes which it clearly isn't. Actually its the Signature that has the noise isn't it? CinePiano definitely warmer.