This makes my heart sad because I [b]love[/b] [b]love[/b] [b]love[/b] the Bösendorfer Imperial and I use it daily, but I can't afford another library (not at this time).

I wish I could trade-in some of the VSL samples that I don't use anymore, e.g., Steinway and CFX. I thought the Bösendorfer Imperial ended my search for a sampled piano and now this comes out. I actually have every VSL offering (except the Vienna Imperial) and I just can't come up with another 400 dollars at this time. Sorry. 

God Bless,

David

P.S. I would happily trade the Steinway, CFX, Blüthner, and Bösendorfer Upright to try this new Bösendorfer 280VC. It's not that the others are no good, I just don't have a use for them after getting the Bösendorfer Imperial.   

@David B. said:

I wish I could trade-in some of the VSL samples that I don't use anymore

VSL allows reselling, so maybe you can find it feasible.

This one is a beautiful new piano. The new 'Yamaha' piano from Bösendorfer, with the clean, bright sound so loved nowadays. But still a Bösendorfer, with all its sweet musicality.

It is also very different from the Imperial, since this one is taken in the smaller room, and has a more intimate sound. Better for small venues (for ballads, jazz), and maybe more versatile if used with MIR. I would even compare it with the older Vienna Imperial than the newer Synchron Imperial.

Paolo

Hello Paul,

• what is the difference to the previous synchronous pianos?
• Is the sound even better?
• Does it have more settings, like overtones?
• Have things been implemented here that were criticized on the other pianos?
• What is the purchase argument for someone who already has all VSL Synchron Pianos and the Vienna imperial?

Georgy

Hello Paul,

will there be demo licenses of 280VC before the promotional price expires?
Thanks

Hi lupine,

I don't know if we can offer free demo licenses with those big libraries... it depends on the band-width, and we don't want to cut the purchasing customers. We'll see.

You always have our 14-days return option!

@Georgy, I have to admit you are making me smile. I'll have to answer as bluntly as you are asking:

• what is the difference to the previous synchronous pianos?
  => It's simply a different piano :-)
• Is the sound even better?
  => It is for sure different. We're trying to capture the essence of each piano. That's the beauty of it :)
• Does it have more settings, like overtones?
  => It has the same settings, but yes, the resonance of this specific piano is quite audible. Very lively.
• Have things been implemented here that were criticized on the other pianos?
  => No new technical implementations on the software side.
• What is the purchase argument for someone who already has all VSL Synchron Pianos and the Vienna imperial?
  => More choice :-)

Best,
Paul

What settings are you using, I have the full library but cant get it to sound good and natural.

I'd looove a VSL sampled Fazioli 308!!

If anyone missed it, I made a very extensive Preset Demonstration video - enjoy the music! 😊

Hi Paul,

Will the FX Presets be available for the other pianos, as well?

Paolo

Hi,

@Bernhard: Those 2 pianos are recorded in different rooms, it's always tricky to get the volume right... but easy to adjust it to your liking 😊

You could use the per-note EQ on the EDIT page to get rid of any unwanted frequencies!

@Paolo: No plans for the other pianos, but you can create your own presets or copy those channels over from the existing presets and then tweak the FX 😊

Best,
Paul

Thank you Paul and VSL for creating another beautiful sample library in the 280VC. I've got about 7 hours of time with it now and I'm quite certain it's going to replace the Bösendorfer Imperial as my number one piano. I had to use the edit feature to tame some of the higher frequencies, but I think that has to do more with the recording process and not the overall character/tone of the piano. 

The 280VC is a real winner. It has the full bodied presence typical of a Bösendorfer with an aggressive attack that is both clear and warm. What an inspiring library to have. I'm thankful I made the sacrifice to get it.

God Bless,

David

I obtained the 280VC (standard library) yesterday and I love it! I recently got a 1Tb SSD drive and was able to now move the files from an old harddisk to the SSD and that worked miracles for the loading speed! I should have done that earlier (I also had some crackling when using the HD).

Love the round warm tone of the 280VC, it's like getting a new piano. :-) (playing on Yamaha P515)

Hello

As there are now three pianos recorded in Stage B, will there be a Synchron Stage B Roompack for MIR Pro to blend the pianos with libraries from the VI Series?

Best, David

Hi David, 

That's a good question. 

We have experimented a bit and find the "NFR HALL" of The Sage Gateshead a pretty good fit! Will post a video about that soon!

Best, 
Paul

Here is my review of this beautiful sampled piano. You guys did an amazing job and I feel its a real privilege to own this. It has dethroned the Bösendorfer Imperial and has become my primary piano. However, I'm not getting rid of my Imperial. It's what made me fall in love with the Bösendorfer sound.

VSL Bösendorfer 280VC Review

God Bless,

David

Nice review, thanks David. Very informative.

Unrelated to the review, has anyone else noticed that the tube mic position is a lot more demanding CPU wise than any of the other mic positions? then it can be quite significant, noticeable playing just a single note but it can really add up when playing using the pedal. At least that is the situation for me.

Got my version yesterday evening...night...far too less sleep last night...anyway

There is a question with the CPU - Meter. The CPU will be max to 12% or 13 %, but the red Peak starts (do nothing on the fresh started computer) with 42 %. Just hit the pedal will rise up to 87% without playing a note. While playing it is about 100% fortunately without any drops...

Not a big deal,  the sound is perfect, but it looks a bit strange to me...others?

Win10pro / i7-7700K@4.20GHz / 32GB RAM / GTX 1080 / SanDisk SDSSDH3 500GB / 10 Fingers / 1 Brain

@migebo said:

Got my version yesterday evening...night...far too less sleep last night...anyway

There is a question with the CPU - Meter. The CPU will be max to 12% or 13 %, but the red Peak starts (do nothing on the fresh started computer) with 42 %. Just hit the pedal will rise up to 87% without playing a note. While playing it is about 100% fortunately without any drops...

Not a big deal,  the sound is perfect, but it looks a bit strange to me...others?

Win10pro / i7-7700K@4.20GHz / 32GB RAM / GTX 1080 / SanDisk SDSSDH3 500GB / 10 Fingers / 1 Brain

I have never been able to play live ANY of the Synchron Pianos... I tried first on a 6-core i7 with 16GB RAM and internal NVMe and I was not even able to complete a piece execution with the Room-Mix mic only because of continuous CPU spikes. Then I tried a 6-core i9 with 32GB RAM and internal NVMe and guess what? Room-Mix mic was ok, but adding another mic produced the much hated CPU spikes again!
In both cases I set the buffer at 64 (since with higher it's impossible to play live) and the preload size to maximum (32768).
If one would play only pedal-less pieces than he MIGHT be able to use more mics, but... seriously?
I've read on another popular forum of people having CPU spikes even on a 2019 16-core Mac Pro!
To me and with my equipment, Synchron Pianos are currently unusable for live playing 😞

I'd very like to know the exact setup that VSL and their demo contributors used to play and record their audio demos.