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OldBlackGrand

UVI playerThe original version, unchanged. Runs in the free UVI player and is authorized with iLok.
 Add to cart99€

A 1928 PLEYEL GRAND

OldBlackGrand is a Pleyel grand piano, an F-71240 model built in 1928, with a warmth and depth of sound that is seldom heard in today's pianos.

We sampled it with appropriately vintage gear - a Studer console and tube microphones - from two microphone positions: around 3000 samples, with 9 velocity layers for the sustain and 9 for the release, plus key noises and sustain pedal noises.

Watch

Overview & walkthrough

Listen

  • 1 Stomp - Jean-Michel Bernard (no effects) 48,677 plays 2:50
  • 2 On stage (ft DrumTasteBrush and Akouskontr) 29,905 plays 1:22
  • 3 Quick impro (no effects) 26,884 plays 0:34
  • 4 Souvenir of you (no effects) 21,118 plays 1:10
  • 5 Jazzy (no effects, close position) 19,598 plays 2:24
  • 6 percussivdemo2.mp3 28,567 plays 2:04
  • 7 Hey Monk (no effects, rim position) 10,099 plays 1:30
  • 8 obg-demo5.mp3 11,793 plays 2:45
  • 9 Comptine (no effects) 9,926 plays 3:00
  • 10 Bluesy baby (no effects) 10,639 plays 1:13

Interface

OldBlackGrand interface
Preferences
OldBlackGrand interface
Microphone positions
OldBlackGrand interface
Resonances
OldBlackGrand interface
MIDI controls

Non plus ultra

Pleyel & Cie was founded in 1807, and its pianos were the instruments of choice for Debussy, Ravel, Stravinsky and Saint-Saens. Chopin famously called them 'non plus ultra' - pianos would never get any better than this.

If you already own dozens of virtual Steinway Bs and Ds, this is a different voice. It serves jazz just as well as the classical repertoire, particularly in the style of the golden years, and the demos are played by Jean-Michel Bernard (former composer for Ray Charles, film music composer) and Romain Collin, a French jazz pianist based in New York City.

Close and side microphones

The Pleyel was recorded with two microphone positions. The close pair sits near the strings inside the piano, for deep bass and rich resonances; the side pair sits in the well of the piano and leans towards the listener's perspective.

Mix them individually to tailor the sound, or unload the one you do not use to save RAM.

Close and side microphones

Resonances

When all the strings of a piano start resonating, they give it a kind of natural reverb. Two resonances matter most: the pedal down resonance, and the sympathetic resonance between held notes.

Both are in OldBlackGrand and each can be adjusted on its own, including the true pedal action - the progressive resonance when you press the pedal after the chord.

Re-pedalling and half pedalling

On a real piano the pedal is not a simple on/off switch, and classical players use a range of techniques. Re-pedalling lets you catch a chord released with the pedal before its decay has ended - especially useful to blend chords together.

Half pedalling is the sound of the pedal pressed half-way: a distinct variation, with a much quicker decay in the lower register. The size of its CC zone can be set from the interface.

Re-pedalling and half pedalling

Preferences and MIDI controls

OldBlackGrand is in its third version. It is very playable straight out of the box, and the preferences let you fine-tune the release volume, key and pedal noises, tone, reverb, polyphony and a software round robin.

The MIDI controls added in V3 let you set the sustain and sostenuto CCs - to use an expression pedal instead of an on/off pedal, for example - and adjust the MIDI curve, dynamics and velocity response to your keyboard and playing style.

Tech specs

12.89Gb uncompressed, 2Gb compressed in lossless flac format, around 3000 samples.
2 microphone positions that you can mix from the interface (close and rim).
9 Velocity layers for the sustain.
9 Velocities for the release.
Pedal down resonance and true pedal action.
Key noises samples.
Sustain pedal noises (up and down), triggered automatically.
Sostenuto (middle pedal).
Advanced midi controls.
Advanced UVI scripting giving you access to a simple yet powerfull interface and advanced features.

 

Sample player

OldBlackGrand comes with its own sample player, the UVI Workstation 3 (requires v3.1.6 or later). We provide it for free with every library that you buy, you don't need to buy an expensive sampler to use our products. It works on Mac (10.14 or later intel or arm processor) and PC (windows 10 or later), in standalone or as a plugin (VST / VST3 / AU / AAX) and in 64 bits only. You can find more info about it here.

VSTVST3AUAAXStandalone

Copy Protection

We use the iLok system to protect our products and you can choose to register your license to your computer or to an iLok dongle. If you decide to use an iLok dongle, both V1 and V2 are compatible with our products. You can activate your license on up to 3 computers or iLok dongles at the same time and you can deactivate one and activate another as many times as you want.

Registration

Once your order is complete, you will be provided with a serial number. You will then be able to register it to your iLok account from our website on this page (you need to be logged in to access this page). The whole process is described in the FAQ (instructions + screencast).

Video reviews & demos

 

 

 

Reviews

MNOnline
★★★★★

I am so impressed of how this sounds. The beauty of this instrument by AcousticSamples it's just irresistible. I have tons of different piano VSTs, and so far, this is my favorite one which I will use for every single application.
It's hard to believe that an old pleyel grand can sound even better than many of the famous grands out there; you don't want to believe it. But at the end of the day you say to yourself: hey, maybe this is one of those secrets that some great piano players have out there, and they don't want to tell you. I was comparing it with a piano that I hear in some great recordings, and wow this is it. Yes, this is it.
It sounds rich, sweet, big and bold. Not just that, this gives you the illusion that you are playing a real piano! You can feel the vibration of the strings inside of the soundboard, and I don't know, there's something very special with this VST.

MNOnline
★★★★★

It sounds rich, sweet, big and bold. Not just that, this gives you the illusion that you are playing a real piano! You can feel the vibration of the strings inside of the soundboard, and I don't know, there's something very special with this VST.

Craig
★★★★★

There is something unique about the tone of a high quality piano of this vintage, that modern pianos can't capture. The aged soundboard of a handcrafted piano such as the Pleyel sampled here is a beautiful thing. This sound breathes and sings like very few other virtual pianos - you can really get lost in the music.
With all virtual pianos I own, adjusting the velocity volume, dynamics and velocity curve is essential to bring out the best tone, dynamics & responsiveness. Default settings often sound flat on my setup (Yamaha CP4 Stage), but once matched to the keyboard velocity & touch, they really open up and sound/feel much better. The Old Black Grand benefited greatly from this process, although it was much easier & quicker to find the "sweet spot" with the settings.
The upper register is stunning, and the resonances absolutely beautiful and authentic. UNIQUE and INSPIRING!

Carl Bugbee
★★★★★

Fantastic Sounds! These samples are really top notch and blows away most workstation and sampling keyboards. Not only is this product awesome, the customer support is better than any I've ever encountered. I had a couple suggestions and an issue, they not only responded quickly, they ended up editing their program to fix the issue and added a volume adjustment tool for every key in case certain notes were strangely louder than others. Absolutely amazing.

Audiofanzine
★★★★★

http://fr.audiofanzine.com/piano-acoustique-virtuel/acousticsamples/A-PIAN/editorial/tests/touches-fran-aises.html

Richard Kurek
★★★★★

another sweet piano , I must say acousticsamples pianos are addictive, I'll be waiting for more maybe a Bechstein

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