logicProBigUser Posted August 17, 2021 Share Posted August 17, 2021 I am trying to get a good sounding piano. By this I mean a round, open, airy sound. Here's a random example of what I am trying to get : I tried all the stock pianos in logic. I've also tried downloading the VST "VSCO2 piano" from big cat. I can't get anything to sound like this. All that I get either sounds too closed (like playing inside a bottle) or not round. Do you guys have any tip? In particular I am wondering whether I should pursue my effort in the direction of 1) adding effect to the stock pianos of logic 2) look for a VST Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlas007 Posted August 17, 2021 Share Posted August 17, 2021 I would try proper EQ adjustment. Here the mid highs are rather prominent which purposely contrast with (Grand Corps Malade) slammer's bassy voice tone. At the bridge (chorist solo) there is a soft bass (guitar) also playing in the background that gets more obvious at that moment, which perhaps could be the subtle roundness you are referring to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logicProBigUser Posted August 17, 2021 Author Share Posted August 17, 2021 I would try proper EQ adjustment. Here the mid highs are rather prominent which purposely contrast with (Grand Corps Malade) slammer's bassy voice tone. At the bridge (chorist solo) there is a soft bass (guitar) also playing in the background that gets more obvious at that moment, which perhaps could be the subtle roundness you are referring to. Hi Atlas, thanks for that suggestion. How would you go about that exactly? Should I add the "channelEQ" effect, and drag up the anchor point at 1k until it sounds good? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triplets Posted August 17, 2021 Share Posted August 17, 2021 Should I add the "channelEQ" effect, and drag up the anchor point at 1k until it sounds good? You need to experiment. And not at just 1k. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logicProBigUser Posted August 17, 2021 Author Share Posted August 17, 2021 Ok, thanks. So it's reasonable to just tweak all the anchor points, until it sounds right? There's no need to do/learn any more than that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
analogika Posted August 17, 2021 Share Posted August 17, 2021 Ok, thanks. So it's reasonable to just tweak all the anchor points, until it sounds right? There's no need to do/learn any more than that? Hehe, I like that you make it sound like "that's all there is to it". Basically, yes, the idea is to tweak until it sounds good. If and when it sounds good to you, it IS good. Note also that the Logic EQ has several useful presets specifically for piano (click in the "Factory Default" drop down menu at the top of the EQ window). Those are good starting points to get you going. Also, experiment with adding a compressor behind the EQ (try the presets here, as well). Note that compressor and EQ interact, as compressors will react differently when different frequencies of the original signal are pushed, so you may be going back and forth a bit between the two. Also key is a bit of nice stage or plate reverb at the end of the chain. Not too much, just a bit of depth. Another thing to note is that depending on what you do, EQ and compressor may get the piano sounding exactly in the direction you want, but expose the limitations of the samples — the Logic pianos themselves just aren't terribly good to begin with. But they're tweakable with EQ/comp/reverb to be useful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logicProBigUser Posted August 18, 2021 Author Share Posted August 18, 2021 Fantastic, thanks a lot for this very detailed explanation, that's exactly what I needed. Among the stock pianos, the closest to a nice round sound is "Boesendorfer Grand Piano". Given that you are saying the stock pianos aren't terribly good, do you have other piano VST to recommend? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
analogika Posted August 18, 2021 Share Posted August 18, 2021 I'm really not so much of a connoisseur of piano VSTs — I have an upright and a CP70 here for the "piano" toolbox, and until recently had access to a gorgeous Petrof concert grand if I needed that. There are tons - the keyboard guys over at Music Player Network seem to love the Ravenscroft 275 ( https://www.vilabsaudio.com/Ravenscroft-By-VI-Labs ), which is also available in an iOS version. I've played the Pianoteq physical modelling piano and was really impressed. Lovely. https://www.modartt.com/pianoteq These are on heavy discount pricing every once in a while. The Synthogy Ivory II is an old favourite for a lot of people. Not sure how it compares to the others these days. https://synthogy.com/index.php/products/software-products/ivory-2-grand-pianos The only one I own is the Sonic Couture Hammersmith free, which is a sample-based piano that's really quite lovely, that I use occasionally when Logic/Mainstage's own somehow don't cut it. https://www.soniccouture.com/en/products/p322-hammersmith-free/ That one is indeed FREE, but they only make a limited number of copies available for a short period every once in a while. It's probably worth signing up to the newsletter for. The Rocksichord from them is also cool. People also love Keyscape, but while that also includes some nice acoustics, the package includes a whole slew of excellent vintage electric piano and mechanical keyboard emulations. https://www.spectrasonics.net/products/keyscape/keyscape-models.php I'm probably missing many great ones, but those are the ones on my radar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlas007 Posted August 18, 2021 Share Posted August 18, 2021 Keyscape is indeed an excellent one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logicProBigUser Posted August 19, 2021 Author Share Posted August 19, 2021 Thanks a lot for this great list. I will check these out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logicProBigUser Posted August 19, 2021 Author Share Posted August 19, 2021 Following your advice, I feel I am starting to get a reasonable sound with the stock pianos of Logic Pro. The one thing missing is the low background noise that a real piano has. I feel the very clean, perfect sound of the stock pianos make it sound not 100% realistic. What is the best way to add this background noise? I tried using bitcrusher, at 14 bits. It seems reasonable, but I worry that a better hear than mine will hear the lower quality. Any opinion/tip on this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlas007 Posted August 19, 2021 Share Posted August 19, 2021 You are probably referring to sympathetic resonance, which I think Logic's pianos presets are lacking of... I doubt that adding noise would make it sound more realistic. Worth trying though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logicProBigUser Posted August 30, 2021 Author Share Posted August 30, 2021 You were right, adding simple background noise is not great. I might have to look into better software instruments. The stock "Steinway grand piano" is almost all the way there to my hear, so it's a bit of a shame. I was hoping that by tweaking it better I could get there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thea.vatlegmail.com Posted September 5, 2021 Share Posted September 5, 2021 Look up the topic "Surgical EQ" and Musician on a Mission on Youtube. They show you how to find the troublesome areas. Often room resonance sits around 200Hz. Try talking of 5-6dB in a narrow EQ cut or a 2-3 dB EQ cut that is more wide around 200-500Hz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blakedirksen Posted September 8, 2021 Share Posted September 8, 2021 If you want to really want some fun piano samples spend some time on https://www.pianobook.co.uk. It is a wonderful way to kill a weekend or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlas007 Posted September 8, 2021 Share Posted September 8, 2021 If you want to really want some fun piano samples spend some time on https://www.pianobook.co.uk. It is a wonderful way to kill a weekend or two.Wow! All free and great stuff there!Big thanx! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logicProBigUser Posted September 12, 2021 Author Share Posted September 12, 2021 So I have played some time trying different pianos. None of them actually fill the space in the way that I want. So now I am thinking that it might actually be an effect, or a mixing technique, that gives the sound I want. Here's another example of the type of sound I want : [soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/pauvrediable/single-note-piano-gt/s-g5FIyTnE1sX[/soundcloud] Is anyone able to tell how to get a sound like this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blakedirksen Posted September 12, 2021 Share Posted September 12, 2021 That is a VERY different piano tone than your original example and I fear you are over thinking this. Pull up one of many good stock piano's in logic and play with EQ presets and reverb presets until you find something you like. Composition and performance is 99.9% of the equation so hopefully you are spending most of your time on that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.