Concert Grand Piano (modified)

[bpoodoo]

To my ear, New1>Concert Grand-L and New1>Concert Grand-R are the best built-in piano multisamples for Triton Studio and Triton Extreme.

Program A001 Concert Grand on the Extreme uses these multisamples. However, in this A001 program, the ADSR decay slope is very steep such that the notes are quite short, even holding the sustain pedal, especially for notes in the octaves nearest middle C. The stereo field is rather monophonic and motionless. It just doesn't have the sound or feel to me of playing a grand piano.

So I spent a few days modifying this program, the goal to have one program I could use generally for solo piano pieces. I think the result was pretty good, so I figured I'd share the .PCG file. I won't call it better, or new, or improved, as this is quite subjective. I'll just call it "Concert Grand 2". It is the piano program I used in this performance https://youtu.be/p54TLNoyNoo .

Here are 2 WAV files playing the same 25-second sequence for comparison (for some web browsers for WAV playback e.g. Amazon Silk, you might need to reduce the on-screen volume to just above Mute).

CG.WAV (Program A001 Concert Grand)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/15Q9PQe ... p=drivesdk

CG2.WAV (Program E001 Concert Grand 2)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/15TVosy ... p=drivesdk

And the PCG file with only Program>Bank E with E001 Concert Grand 2. All the other Bank E programs in this PCG file except E001 are InitPrograms. The usual caveat applies for loading any PGC file - make a backup copy of your current PGC before loading this one.

CG2.PCG (MEDIA>Open CG2.PCG>Open Programs>Open Bank E>Load E001 Concert Grand 2)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/15Xhubx ... p=drivesdk

[bpoodoo]

While this thread is mainly about modifying factory piano programs, for another point of comparison, here's that same sequence played back using a purchased sampled grand piano loaded into 94Mb RAM:

EP.WAV (ksounds.com Epic Piano - Triton Format - combi EG Dynamic 4-Vel)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/15sLNcM ... p=drivesdk

[Tommyboy]

Yep, I like yours best. I think it sounds better than the Krome Ex grand piano, or at least as good as. Can't wait to get my Triton Extreme back so I can try out your pcg for myself! Thanks.

[bpoodoo]

Thanks! Some of the raw samples in Concert Grand-[L,R] in the octave above middle C only last about 1 second before looping, so it's a challenge to lengthen the duration of the note while "masquerading" the loop into as natural sounding a decay as possible. But the effects and program parameters can be edited to do this. I used all 5 of the available insert effect slots and both master effects.

I have been keeping my eyes on the Krome EX - it would be on my short list for replacement if my Triton Ex ever goes belly up. But the lack of audio recording, USB audio, and the use of an internal SD card for factory sample storage on the Krome are concerns.

I think the acoustic and electric pianos on the Krome EX are pretty good.
This is perhaps the best video I've seen focused on the pianos of the Krome EX https://youtu.be/rD6x1ivxYCA . But what I'd really like to hear is the decay rate of the notes in the octaves around middle C to be able to tell just how long these note samples last before looping.

From the Voice Name List, there are 32 multisamples allocated to 3 acoustic pianos: Piano 1 German, Piano 2 Japanese, And Upright Piano. About 40 multisamples are devoted to electric pianos. So on paper, they should sound a lot better!

There are several good sounding preset piano programs, but none that I would really call great. This could be a matter of product differentiation. Krome EX pianos need to sound better than Kross 2, but not better than Kronos or Grandstage, etc. But I suspect some of those programs could be improved or should I say customized with some editing to sound great. The 5 IFX's, TFX, and MFX should really come in handy to do that.

But as you suggested, I'm hanging on to my Triton Extreme as long as it will last. I don't find other offerings substantially better to justify replacing it. I'm also stubborn and cheap .

[JhonSnow]

Ahh, I really missed the live concerts, just before almost every week I went with my husband to classical music concerts under beautiful lighting effects. Now there are such concerts, but many people are not allowed to attend them and you have to book tickets in a long queue. But I would really like to hear the piano music again, it is very similar to your samples, and the light effects from https://www.heathrowpahire.co.uk/ look fascinating A good kind of rest but it's a pity that now it rarely turns out to spoil yourself. All I have to do is listen to music with my headphones on and my eyes closed, because I'm a classical music lover

[bpoodoo]

I appreciate classical music more these days (depending on the composer) whether orchestral or piano solos. And I'm always impressed by musicians who have mastered their instrument. In my neck of the woods there aren't very many venues for jazz piano or jazz trios, except for a few area colleges and universities. However, the Van Cliburn international piano competition is a major draw for Fort Worth held once every 4 years and will be held next year.