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  4. Synchron Pianos - Sustain notes are 4 times louder than non-sustain notes

  • Synchron Pianos - Sustain notes are 4 times louder than non-sustain notes

    C
    C

    Hi VSL Team,

    So I have been trying to make some piano recordings and couldn't figure out why I couldn't achieve any sense of balance in my performances.  I just this moment accidentally realized that it's quite simple.

    When I depress the sustain pedal and push a note, it's 4 times louder than the exact same note, same pressure, same velocity played with the sustain pedal released.  This is most noticeable in the very softest ppp playing, or essentially all the notes I play below 15-20 velocity.  Here's how to reproduce this result:

    1.  Load up the Synchron Bosendorfer and change to "Intimate" position.

    2.  Turn the Pedal Noise to -inf dB.

    3.  Leave the pedal alone (in the up, non-depressed position) and play a note with velocity 1.

    4.  Now depress the pedal and play the same note with velocity 1.

    This note will be tremendously louder.  It happens for me on all notes of the keyboard.  I have also just tested all the pianos as I own them all and they all do it.  I also realize that it doesn't matter what player position I choose, they all do it.  Is this a bug or are these pianos not sampled at the same velocities for all scenarios of pedal depression techniques?

    Is there a fix for this?  It's impossible to use these pianos this way and is playing mind games with my finger pressure during performances.

    Thanks
  • M
    M

    Hi,

    when pressing the pedal on a grand piano, there is no added resistance for the key to push up the damper pin, resulting in more velocity for the hammer, causing a louder sound.

    The VSL pianos aim to preserve every nuance and characteristic of the sampled pianos, and will therefore behave exactly like their acoustic counterparts for a given strike velocity.

    Image
  • K
    K

    Thanks for the info on this.

    i had not got around to puzzling it out. I mostly play romantic era composers and use plenty of sustain. But for a Mozart piece I have been learning, I do not use any and the recording of my progress With this piece is a lot quieter.
    Now I know and understand the reason.
  • K
    K

    It just occurred to me. I wonder if any digital pianos make the same adjustment. Such that they send a higher midi velocity value for the same force applied to the key when the sustain pedal is pressed?