Recording - November 2010 - 63

VSL’s original 24-bit/44.1 kHz sample material clocked in at approximately 500 GB—the end product has undergone VSL’s “lossless” compression scheme and is uncompressed in real time as you play. I am obviously unable to compare the original material to that which reaches the end user’s ears, but what counts is that the audio quality is extremely impressive. Hard drives are cheap these days, and RAID arrays are easy to build, so you’ll probably not worry too much about the size of this library. You can load each of the three mic positions separately, even on different drives, so if you find that one position perspective is your favorite you could delete or archive the other two. By the way, you can also save RAM by not loading release and soft-pedal samples when you actually go to use the library, although there’s no option to eliminate installing them. Basic and Advanced A pair of tabs on the plug-in’s main screen let you choose between Basic and Advanced Views. In Basic View

hokey but this set of bars will give you a realistic visual image of the range of MIDI values to which Vienna Imperial is responding. Adjusting the MIDI sensitivity slider makes a significant impact. The Dynamic Range slider— which seems to act as a MIDI compressor/expander—also will help you adjust Imperial Piano to your touch and that of your controller. The three convolution reverbs— Grosser Saal, Mozart Saal, and Neuer Saal—and the slider that lets you control the amount of reverb applied are also available in the Advanced window. They are of very good quality; I don’t use them as much as you might, simply because I love Audio Ease’s Altiverb 6, a full-on convolution reverb plug-in. [As we went to press, Vienna Imperial released an updated version that includes a more CPUfriendly algorithmic reverb in addition to the convolution reverb; Gary did not have time to test this new effect.—Ed.] The library gives lots of nuance, with sympathetic resonances and repetition samples for pedal-down playing, multiple release samples, etc.; the only

The size of this library is about 47 gigabytes. Hard drives are cheap these days, and RAID arrays are easy to build, so you’ll probably not worry too much about the size of this library.
you’ll load one of the three piano perspectives. You can also call up one of the 11 pianos that VSL has designed using the convolution and three-band equalizer that ships with the program. You might find these useful, but I quickly moved on to Advanced View (see below). Including an equalizer is a good idea. Even though every DAW has eq, it’s convenient to be able to roll off some of the low end and tweak the mid and high ranges to suit your taste and the piece you’re working on directly within the plug-in. Being able to tweak the eq and attack parameters, which you’ll adjust when you move into the Advanced View, significantly broadens the appeal of this plug-in. To get a feel for how Vienna Imperial works with your keyboard controller, start by playing in a 16-bar phrase. Be sure to whack a few notes and apply your most delicate “artiste” touch to others. While playing back the resultant masterpiece take a look at the Velocity Histogram in the lower right corner of the Advanced window. The nomenclature might seem a bit feature I completely turn off is Pedal Noise. You might care enough about ultimate realism to miss it if it’s not there, but personally I get rid of any and all pedal noise wherever possible! So... So—how close are we to replicating the sound of a grand piano that costs as much as the house you grew up in? As Austin Haynes—the savvy tech support guy at ILIO, the West Coast company that markets VSL products in the US—puts it, the fairer comparison is between a sampled piano and the sound of a beautifully recorded grand piano, both coming out of the same set of speakers. Against this metric Vienna Imperial is a major advancement. Hands down: If you need to have the most realistic sampled grand piano available at this time at your fingertips, you’ll need to check this product out. Gary Eskow (eskow@recordingmag.com) is a composer, journalist and recording engineer. His work can be heard and read at his website, www.garyeskow.com.
RECORDING NOVEMBER 2010

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http://www.t-funk.com http://www.t-funk.com http://www.garyeskow.com

Recording - November 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - November 2010

Recording - November 2010
Contents
Fade In
Talkback
Fast Forward
A Studio Journey With Larry Carlton
Akai MPK Series USB/MIDI Keyboard Controllers
The Keys To The Studio
Telefunken Elektroakustik AR-51 Tube Microphone
Novation SL MkII USB Controllers
ADAM Audio A3X Active Monitors
DAW Details
Waves Tony Maserati Artist Signature Collection
Solid State Logic XLOGIC Superanalogue X-Rack and X-Desk
Roland GAIA SH-01 Synthesizer
Recording’s Keyboard Column
It’s Your Music—Know Your Rights. Chapter 8: Digital Distribution
Korg microSTATION
Readers’ Tapes
Recording’s Showcase of Sounds
Advertiser Index
Fade Out
Recording - November 2010 - Recording - November 2010
Recording - November 2010 - Cover2
Recording - November 2010 - 1
Recording - November 2010 - Fade In
Recording - November 2010 - 3
Recording - November 2010 - Contents
Recording - November 2010 - 5
Recording - November 2010 - Talkback
Recording - November 2010 - 7
Recording - November 2010 - Fast Forward
Recording - November 2010 - 9
Recording - November 2010 - 10
Recording - November 2010 - 11
Recording - November 2010 - A Studio Journey With Larry Carlton
Recording - November 2010 - 13
Recording - November 2010 - 14
Recording - November 2010 - 15
Recording - November 2010 - 16
Recording - November 2010 - 17
Recording - November 2010 - Akai MPK Series USB/MIDI Keyboard Controllers
Recording - November 2010 - 19
Recording - November 2010 - The Keys To The Studio
Recording - November 2010 - 21
Recording - November 2010 - 22
Recording - November 2010 - 23
Recording - November 2010 - 24
Recording - November 2010 - 25
Recording - November 2010 - Telefunken Elektroakustik AR-51 Tube Microphone
Recording - November 2010 - 27
Recording - November 2010 - 28
Recording - November 2010 - 29
Recording - November 2010 - Novation SL MkII USB Controllers
Recording - November 2010 - 31
Recording - November 2010 - 32
Recording - November 2010 - 33
Recording - November 2010 - ADAM Audio A3X Active Monitors
Recording - November 2010 - 35
Recording - November 2010 - DAW Details
Recording - November 2010 - 37
Recording - November 2010 - Waves Tony Maserati Artist Signature Collection
Recording - November 2010 - 39
Recording - November 2010 - Solid State Logic XLOGIC Superanalogue X-Rack and X-Desk
Recording - November 2010 - 41
Recording - November 2010 - 42
Recording - November 2010 - 43
Recording - November 2010 - Roland GAIA SH-01 Synthesizer
Recording - November 2010 - 45
Recording - November 2010 - 46
Recording - November 2010 - 47
Recording - November 2010 - Recording’s Keyboard Column
Recording - November 2010 - 49
Recording - November 2010 - 50
Recording - November 2010 - 51
Recording - November 2010 - 52
Recording - November 2010 - 53
Recording - November 2010 - 54
Recording - November 2010 - 55
Recording - November 2010 - It’s Your Music—Know Your Rights. Chapter 8: Digital Distribution
Recording - November 2010 - 57
Recording - November 2010 - Korg microSTATION
Recording - November 2010 - 59
Recording - November 2010 - Readers’ Tapes
Recording - November 2010 - 61
Recording - November 2010 - Recording’s Showcase of Sounds
Recording - November 2010 - 63
Recording - November 2010 - 64
Recording - November 2010 - Advertiser Index
Recording - November 2010 - 66
Recording - November 2010 - 67
Recording - November 2010 - 68
Recording - November 2010 - 69
Recording - November 2010 - 70
Recording - November 2010 - 71
Recording - November 2010 - Fade Out
Recording - November 2010 - Cover3
Recording - November 2010 - Cover4
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