Here is my favorite preset for the Steinway D (Ribbon mic and Mid 2 mic taking the pole position with the Condenser mic and the equalized Tube mic behind). Hope you enjoy!

Best,

Mango

I've been trying a lot of different settings for my preferred CFX setup. Here's another preset of my latest configuration, I think I'm mostly done tweaking.

Screenshot attached with the preset, shows the EQ settings I've been using. The high shelf on the second EQ, it's currently off on the screenshot, but I've been playing around with it. I feel there's just a slight amount of ligering resonances in high frequencies that can go away when using the high shelf, but I'm torn about also loosing the general brightness when playing the piano harder.

Also, I've attached a quick mp3 improv (with bad notes cleaned up) to demonstrate this preset. Recorded with the EQ settings as shown on the screenshot.

Comments and feedback welcome, thanks!

I think mine (posted at the other thread) are available at the VSL site, or maybe they just show up there when I'm logged in because it knows I posted them and so links them to my account.

I'm kind of busy planning for my godson's wedding, but if I need to repost the presets here, I can do so -- I just don't want to junk up the server with redundant files.

These are my presets of CFX and D-274. (both are Full ver.)

I recommend adjusting the volume to fit your speakers.

Both may sound dry, so I use an external reverb with these presets.

And 'angmyu D-274 (2nd)' preset is for users that has good computer specifications because this uses many mics. I think it will be impossible to operate with a regular computer.

Which reverb do you use?

Here are my Steinway settings:

Please see my updated post for the Ska preset and its minor update.

My first effort to make a fortepiano out of the Blüthner 1895 piano. Full version mics are required, unfortunately. But I guess it can be done with the Standard collection, since what is needed is a dry, less resonant sound. The Ribbon mics are however adding a pleasant quality and musicality to the sound.

If someone can improve on it, I'll be very happy to try it!

Paolo

Hey Stephen,

I'd love to try your preset. Unfortunately it doesn't load for me (it says "Could not load "Steinway 1"). Does anyone else have this problem?

@MangoD said:

Hey Stephen,

 

I'd love to try your preset. Unfortunately it doesn't load for me (it says "Could not load "Steinway 1"). Does anyone else have this problem?

Hmm... anyone else having this problem?  An update wouldn't have changed things, right?

@MangoD said:

Hey Stephen,

 

I'd love to try your preset. Unfortunately it doesn't load for me (it says "Could not load "Steinway 1"). Does anyone else have this problem?

Try this one...

Hello,

the preset you posted works now. I would like to know about the EQ you applied to get rid of the hammer noise. The Steinway D is noticeably harsher than the CFX, I don't know if getting rid of the hammer noise helps with that but I kind of wanted to try it. 

Best,

Mango

I eleborated upon my earlier Ska-oriented preset this past week, to create one that works well on more classically-influenced projects that have arpeggios and/or ostinatos. It uses all of the close and mid mics, and none of the ambience mics, to retaiin an intimate setting.

Due to the heavy Philip Glass influence on the pieces that I thoroughly vetted this preset on, I am calling this one Glass Piano. It also uses the Full Library of the Bluethner.

As all five close mics are in use, this preset may not work well in a broad array of contexts, without sounding a bit phasey. There are probably edits that could take care of that, but in the context of the projects I am using it for at the moment, this attribute is advantageous.

It's only been a few days since I bought and installed the new Boesendorfer Upright, but it was a perfect match for some of my island genre music, so I am calling it Dub Piano even though it ended up being used instead on stuff that is more Calypso inspired (albeit with Reggae and even Ska influences).

As with my other intimate-oriented presets, this one requires the Full Library as it pulls in some of those close and mid mics. It uses no ambience mics at all.

I suspect I may need a tiny bit of EQ on one or more mics, but in the current project use, there are no hump frequencies or other issues.

One thing to note about the new Upright library, is that even the mics that are further out, aren't (for the most part) ambience mics per se, due to the smaller room that was used for this sample set. And of course the close mics are fairly crowded, so this preset might sound somewhat phasey in certain contexts.

I forgot that the earlier preset postings from the original library release topics didn't get moved here, so I'm going to re-post my first two now.

This one is for the D-274, and was initiated by some work on jazz projects but has since then been vetted in other contexts. The version I am attaching is a newer revision than what I first posted way back, as a result, but I think I updated it already in the other topic.

I think this one requires the Full Library, but can check later -- I'm too tired as it is several hours past mnidnight.

The same caveats apply to this Rock Preset for the Yamaha CFX, as it probably uses mics from the Full Edition.

This one has not been as intensely vetted as the others, simply because I ended up switching piano models in all but one or two projects where I was using it, as I generally am not a fan of Yamaha pianos and now we have a wealth of choices that I feel work better in a broader array of styles. I may revisit this library later on though.

I am reposting my Ska-oriented preset from May 2019, made for the Bluethner when it was brand new, as it was a bit too quiet compared to the others. Only two mics are used, but I raised them both by a hair, keeping the same balance though.

This is an intimate patch that moght require the Full Library (I'm too tired at this late hour to check), and was tweaked to work well in the context of the "bubble" used for reggae and ska music.

It also works well outside those genres, but my newer Glass Piano preset is perhaps a better starting point for a lot of other contexts outside the island genres.

For many years, I had been using various Yamaha grand pianos and uprights -- or even the hideous but commonly-associated-with-late-80's-reggae Korg M1 -- but I am finding that this Bluethner piano really opens up the sound more and helps the brass to shine better when present in the arrangement (common for ska, and sometimes for reggae as well).

By now, I have vetted this preset on far more than just up-tempo ska, including slower reggae, calypso, and even some pop songs that have a 60's influence such as early R&B.

I did retain, and mildly tweak, some EQ presets that came with one of the factory "intimate" settings. I always turn off the reverb though, as these are already pretty roomy libraries, even when using mostly (or exclusively) the close mics.

Hey guys,

I want to see what you did with the new Bösendorfer upright. I like it's mellow tone, however I am not a fan of the lowest octaves (as expected with an upright). I would like to see a preset that manages to really balances the sound nicely :) looking forward to it :)

I agree, but I am very disappointed with the Bösendorfer Upright so far.

here's one I did with the Steinway, just the Condenser mic, very close and warm...

condenserEQ.zip-1696491633079-g3o4a.zip