Hello David, 

I have already answered to your mail to our support team. 

Una Corda is an interesting option in the hands of a profesisonal piano-tuner - you can manipulate many parameters here, and adjust it to each player's preference. 

We have decided to emulate the effect internally, without too much interaction with the original sound, to offer this rather rarely-used option for everyone interested - without doubling both our recording and editing efforts and also the sheer data size of the already huge piano. 

I'm sure that you understand this decision, the feedback we have received over the last 5 years (since the first Synchron Piano, the Yamaha CFX) indicated that pianists out there are happy with the current solution. 

As you have probably already seen, our software is a subject of continuous improvement - let's see what else we can come up with. There's always room for improvement!

Best, 
Paul

Hi Paul!
Yes, I did reply your email this morning my time. And I think it would be possible to explore these options:
1. Lossless sample compression for better footprint. You might know that Ravenscroft 275 was 35 GB, but VI Labs managed to pack it into a 6GB actual usage space so it becomes very efficient to use;
2. An adjustable filter for the una corda so you won't have to record the samples. This filter basically determines how muted the desired sound would be. There is a huge difference between what the una corda behaves in the library VS the una corda in the video in my main post, and I hope you can somehow bridge the gap so the library really reacts like a true acoustic piano. This filter idea wouldn't need extra samples, just some careful computer programing;
3. sympathetic resonance when a key is pressed down silently, pressing other keys would excite the strings of the pressed key to vibrate harmonically. This can either be sampled or modeled, but I don't know how to do it well because I'm not an engineer;
4. silent keys -- related to the sympathetic resonance, and also in conditions where keys must be sustained minus the sustain pedal, like the cadenza in the first movement of Grieg's Concerto in A Minor, there is such a moment before the end of the cadenza that the score draws a pedal off, but the left and right hands are still sustaining two keys that make up an octave. Hope that was clear enough. :)
Thanks,
David

Hi David, 

Thanks. We'll look into it!

Best,
Paul

Great! Hope you can keep me posted about this, and I do hope that these things can be added in the not-so-distant future!
Sincerely,
David

@Paul said:

Hi David, 

Thanks. We'll look into it!

Best,
Paul

@Paul said:

.... to offer this rather rarely-used option for everyone interested - without doubling both our recording and editing efforts and also the sheer data size of the already huge piano.

Rarely used?😳

Hi John, 

You are right, I didn't pick the right wording. It is of course used by professionals a lot. 

Let's see what we can come up with. 

Best, 
Paul

Probably a matter of taste, but I find the implementation on the D-274 really helpful.  Some of the real instruments are still very expressive and powerful on a single string.  Horowitz by the way advocated for its use to help colour louder sections, and this explains his hallmark crashing fortissimo when he finally lets it off.

I definitely don't oppose the possibility of even greater realism.  Just wanted to say I use it a lot and appreciate the general way it is balanced.  (I'm worried if it simply gets muffled I'll hardly use it any more)

Hi everyone!

We are currently evaluating your feature request regarding una corda.
Just a thought for an immediate solution: Use the Vienna Ensemble Pro 7 Standalone as host and insert an EQ to shape the una corda sound. Then set automation up to control the EQ's bypass via the soft pedal.

Best, Ben

Thanks Ben for posting this work around! I will need some exploring to do for now. 😊
Meanwhile, looking forward to the features being implemented and getting excited!!! 😊
Best,
David

@bbelius said:

Hi everyone!

We are currently evaluating your feature request regarding una corda.
Just a thought for an immediate solution: Use the Vienna Ensemble Pro 7 Standalone as host and insert an EQ to shape the una corda sound. Then set automation up to control the EQ's bypass via the soft pedal.

Best, Ben

Is Pro 7 required for this, or free 6 is enough? Oh, it looks like I found the answer (I would need Pro) here: https://www.vsl.co.at/en/Vienna_Ensemble_PRO/Product_Comparison

I would assume this can also be implemented with a third party free host and separate EQ plugin.

Another thing to consider is how hard the EQ plugin may increase latency.

Yeah, it would be a shame if such things can't be done for free! Meanwhile hoping they would do something to complete the puzzle of the una corda!!!

@VladKo said:

Is Pro 7 required for this, or free 6 is enough? Oh, it looks like I found the answer (I would need Pro) here: https://www.vsl.co.at/en/Vienna_Ensemble_PRO/Product_Comparison

I would assume this can also be implemented with a third party free host and separate EQ plugin.

Another thing to consider is how hard the EQ plugin may increase latency.

Hi guys, 

It's a sunday where I am right now. Please be kind and decent human-beings and allow us to breathe a little, so we can come up with good solutions 😊.

Best,
Paul

Personally, I find the sound of the pianos wonderful, the CFX more so than the Steinway (and I haven't tried the Imperial yet, I will probably buy it soon). However I think the reason why I like the CFX more than the Steinway is that the touch response just harmonizes way more with my MP11. This is why a velocity curve editor is highest on my wishlist. The Synchron pianos definitely take the crown of piano software but a velocity curve editor is a feature a lot of other libraries feature and I think it would really up the value one step further.

That being said, these are wishes. I am very happy piano VSTs on this level exist in this day and age :)

Best,

Mango

Yeah, that would be really amazing, and what you say is quite wonderful, I agree completely! Personally though, the Steinway tone is pretty unique in my opinion, and I'm very happy with what the Synchron Pianos have achieved with it. It's really wonderful and responsive to play for me, who play classical music most of the time!

@MangoD said:

Personally, I find the sound of the pianos wonderful, the CFX more so than the Steinway (and I haven't tried the Imperial yet, I will probably buy it soon). However I think the reason why I like the CFX more than the Steinway is that the touch response just harmonizes way more with my MP11. This is why a velocity curve editor is highest on my wishlist. The Synchron pianos definitely take the crown of piano software but a velocity curve editor is a feature a lot of other libraries feature and I think it would really up the value one step further.

That being said, these are wishes. I am very happy piano VSTs on this level exist in this day and age 😊

Best,

Mango

Greetings,

I am new to this forum, so if this has been requested elsewhere, please forgive the inconvenience. I understand why most of your parameters are per preset. The perspective of each preset presents a unique set of sounds.

Would it be possible to have a global setting for pedal noise and perhaps key noise. I acknowledge that the levels vary with the physical position. I was thinking more in terms of percentage. In other words, if the pedal noise were set at 50%, it would be 50 percent of each preset's default volume. Same with key noise.

I would also like to add my voice to the request for a velocity editor. I have an SL88 controller, which has an excellent velocity system (curve and note by note). Others' mileage may vary.

Notwithstanding the above, I would like to add that I am very impressed with the sample library (Bösendorfer Imperial).

Graham

@Paul said:

Hi John, 

You are right, I didn't pick the right wording. It is of course used by professionals a lot. 

Let's see what we can come up with. 

Best, 
Paul

Reviving this old thread.  I just installed the D274 a few days ago.

While I'm liking the sound very much, I was shocked to discover the lack of una corda samples.  And whatever una corda "effect" there is is much too subtle for my taste.

I realize that solo classical piano may not be the primary audience for this product (when you sell an entire orchestral panoply).  But for those of us who like to try to create ethereal moments from the Berceuse or Barcarolle the different texture of una corda is really missed.  

Even my 10 year-old Synthogy American D has una corda samples.

It seems a shame to cripple what is perhaps the highest-priced piano library available in this way.   Especially since so many other aspects of the library are well executed.

Cheers,

Jane (who is a million kilometers from being a "professional")

Hi Jane, 

Thanks for the reminder!

We have been discussing a few options there, but we didn't find the time... We will see what's possible with the next software updates, which might take a while, still. 

Best, 
Paul

Thank you, Paul!

Actual samples would be preferable, even if those were only available on one of the close microphones.

But since you're presently making the existing "soft pedal" through some kind of processing rather than with actual samples, perhaps it would at least be possible to make that somewhat adjustable?  That would seem a lot less difficult than adding another set of samples after the products have already been released.

The search for the ideal instrument...   Yours have the best samples I've heard.  Other products have advantages in terms of licensing flexibility, "playability", configuration flexibility, etc.  If only it were possible to combine all the good features into one!

Thanks for listening!

Jane

It was a great disappointment for me too when I realized that these pianos have not corda samples, I’m a professional and classical pianist, and the corda is extremely important for me. I purchased the full Blüthner and 280VC and I get very frustrated every time I need to use a corda effect and I can’t, only a simulation that decreases the high frequencies a bit.