Soundiron’s
Emotional Piano version 2.1
The Emotional Piano currently is available in the Kontakt Open format or the Kontakt Player format. The open format is $159 and the Player format is $175. The Player format version samples are compressed to Native Instrument’s lossless format (2.75 GB), while the open format version is standard 24 bit/ 44.1kHz stereo PCM wav files (4.84 GB). Other than that, the two versions are the same, including the presets. An incidental fact that seemed significant to me is that all 88 keys are sampled with up to 15 layers. As I mentioned, there are 35 presets included in Emotional Piano. The basic presets include Master, Jazz, Soft, Gentle Blur (pronounced lows and a longer release), and Pseudo Granny (subtle random detuning and
EQ to create an “aged” sound). Each of these also has a lite version. Then there are 25 FX presets. Obviously, the basic presets are the focus of Emotional Piano – that would be the reason for purchasing the library, but these FX presets have some practical applications. Presets like Wet Bright Room, Wet Bunker, Wet Cathedral, Wet Church, Wet Garage, and Wet Hall are good examples of practical presets. The House Music preset is another example of a preset that might come in handy. Then there are presets like the Synesthetic Drone preset, which is an ambient-style synthesized drone made with the piano samples. Presets like this extend Emotional Piano’s usefulness. The presets contain some real-time controls that can help you tailor the December 2011
by David Keenum
preset to your needs. The front panel controls can include Attack, Release, Pedal Volume, Decay, Dynamics (controls how sensitive the instrument is to velocity changes), Release Volume (the volume of the release samples), and Damping On/Off Button (overrides the piano’s natural behavior of allowing the high notes to ring out). Impressions I think one of the difficulties in creating a new sampled piano has to lie in what is already available. There are so many excellent libraries available, and, generally, each has its own sound and focus. I guess it would have to start with the piano that is chosen. Some libraries seem to look for pianos with “imperfections” www.WusikSoundMagazine.com
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