Vienna Imperial vs Yamaha FX thoughts

[littlewierdo]

I have a Motif XF and have grown quite fond of the piano provided with the Motif XF. It is very full, bright, and blends in quite nicely with orchestral pieces. This is a playlist of half a dozen or so pieces I have written, recorded directly off the board.

My tracks

When I listen to both the Bosendorfer and the Vienna Imperial, they both sound flat to me. I am aware that these might possibly sound better with some EQ and light compression, however, since I am not a sound engineer, this is a daunting task to recreate the same type of sound.

When I listen to the Yamaha FX on the other hand, it is much closer to the same type of sound on my Motif, with exception to the mids being a bit high for my taste.

I am not familar with the Synchron series (to give you an idea, I am working with the Special Edition library as I am a full time student on a tight budget) with a couple MirX venues and Instruments Pro.

Anyway, to my ears, the Yamaha sounds much better, and as best I can tell, the standard library would service my needs fine, and, it is half the price of the Vienna Imperial.

Strongly considering buying the Yamaha, when money allows for it. I really think the Vienna Imperial pricing is a bit high, especially considering, in my opinion, the Spitfire Hans Zimmer Piano demos I have listened to have much more nuance to them, they sound much more natural, especially with more softer passages, and it costs less. The Yamaha Synchron also sounds quite good, I just wish there was more to listen to with a comparison between different dynamics.

Anyway, those are my thoughts. As a pianist first, composer second, my piano has to be spot on. Im super picky about my piano sounding and feeling 'right'.

Oh, and just fyi, the piano included in the special edition? Absolutely awful. There are free piano sound fonts that sound better than the one provided with the Special Edition (might be worth looking at what is provided with the Special Edition and bumping the 'quality': velocity layers, more samples, whatever it is that makes a soundfont sound more natural).

My recommendation, if you are looking at which to buy, I think the Yamaha Syncrhon is the way to go.

[stephen limbaugh]

Yamaha CFX is the best on the market, and I'd include that it is the best on the market of actual real CFX pianos mic'd up in similar studio situations.  I highly recommend getting the full library, as those highs and surround mics are magical.

The only piano that will come close in the next half decade will be the Synchron Steinway.

Anything from that other library that has "HZ" in front of it is for people who can't play. 😎

[littlewierdo]

haha, well, yea. I think the synchron yamaha is my preferred choice. Problem is, funds are tight.

I have, since I own the board itself, decided to download the sounds for my Motif XF8. I dont know the legality of this, but since I own the board, and I dont know how to tell Cubase to use the piano from my board directly (Im still VERY new to all of this) for playback in my compositions, I figure, this is my next best option until I can swing the money for the yamaha synchron.

I just dont understand why the bosendorfer included in the special edition is so awful, I mean, it isnt even mediocre, its just terrible. Compare this to the other sounds in the special edition, which are more than serviceable to my ears.

The $500 Euro Vienna Imperial just doesnt sound comparable to the Yamaha, yet it is more expensive (standard library $255 Euros), even including the full library ($490 Euros)

I suppose the $100 Euro Bosendorfer is what it is for the price...

Im suggesting Vienna look at their pricing for the Vienna Imperial and maybe up what is included in the Special Edition...