Synthogy's Ivory Italian Grand Expansion Pack

[leonardomus44]

My friend! What's the monitor speaker did you use with Ivory?

[gotitans999]

Just got Ivory Italian Grand. Way better than Alicia's Keys which I've tried also.

[clrjazz]

Nice.

[jamestakeshi]

I've been using True Pianos for quite a long time. Based on other reviews, Ivory 2 is still the best grand out there. I just hope I have the hard drive capacity to install such huge library... =(

[shelleybobelly1]

that was way better than what I commented about previously...way more organic

[Em0killer13]

Do you need the original version for this one to work? or can the Italian Grand expansion pack be used by itself. (in spite of it being an "expansion")

[Webilosopher]

Hi. I love your playing on this demo, and the sound of the Ivory!! I don't suppose you have a MIDI file of your playing on this? Some of your voicings were especially cool, and I'd love to pick up a few tips. Keep up the wonderful playing! Thanks, Jim

[freeloaderdnb]

awesome, i'm buying that. now.

[mihaelkYeah]

I just melted both at the sweet sound and your performance <3

[rjk1482]

Never mind the piano sounds , that is some tremendous Jazz there - beautiful. I play most things by ear. But jazz... jazz remains a dream.

[ETSJoshVoxx]

u play beautifully

[andrefavreau]

Yes Wonderful!

Soft Synths have the potential of sounding so much better than all pianos put chip rom keyboards/pianos.

Among soft synths, the 2 most recognized are Ivory from Syntogy and Akoustik Piano form Native Istruments. Among theses: I prefer the Ivory Italian Expansion (Fazzioli) with the Steinway from NI close second (others might prefer NI). Akoustik Piano is much more efficient with memory though).

I can't wait to hear the new Ivory.

[abmendoza1]

@andrefavreau u should look for (east west quantum leap pianos) you will like it!!!!! 

[andrefavreau]

@abmendoza1 Thanks! One thing for sure, I want a Faziolli. I use to have another EastWest piano many years ago with Yamaha, Steinway and Faziolli on it and guess what? The faziolli was my favorite one again! I don't think it's a coincidence.

The Faziolli has to my ear a nice EQ to it and the Steinway is more classical with a darker sound.

[ryancangri]

Sounds sick yo. Can it be used as a stand-alone version?

[fingerblips]

Sounds good on my headphones but terrible out of speakers. Can you give me a recommendation for speakers?

[mmbkmm]

isn't the controller you're playing better than the axiom 61 on the top rack? can somebody please explain to me what the purpose is of having two controllers? I'm just curious because a lot of people do it.

[PaulJohnLeonard]

On my machine the latency is 64 samples or 1.5ms

[cubusdk]

@PaulJohnLeonard What are the specifications for your machinery?

[PaulJohnLeonard]

@cubusdk

it's 2.6GHz i7 with an maudio 1010LT

64 samples is the smallest buffer size the sound card will let me set.

[cubusdk]

@PaulJohnLeonard I use currently an USB soundcard CI1 and I can't go lower than 256 samples ~ 10 ms without crackles. Unfortunately that is a noticeable latency.

[phoenamandre]

That's sounds good !

Do you have any latency while you're playing ?

[sal595mon]

can this Synthogy's Ivory Italian Grand Expansion Pack be used with any type of midi controller (like an MAUDIO keystation 88es

[liquidicesong]

Beautiful playing, as always.

What system do you run with Ivory? Seperate SATA drive (7200, 5400), Firewire Audio Interface?? Which one?

[2strong2cool]

@ferrybeer come on then,asshole, lets hear your opinion on whats "best"

[Paramite84]

@2strong2cool

Let's face it, Italian grand is getting old. But it's such a pleasure to play.

Although Ivory II is coming soon, VSL Vienna Imperial's 100 velocity layers are hard to beat. I'm still planning to upgrade my Italian Grand to Ivory II, because it's so cheap.

[Paramite84]

The Italian Grand expansion beats the other Ivory pianos hands down, when it comes to authenticity and playability. Too bad I don't like it's tone as much as I like the Steinway D. :( But yeah, I use the Italian Grand because it's so much better to play.

I'm curious to see how The Grand 3 can compare to this. 20 velocity layers sure sound awesome, but if the software sucks, they don't really matter. We'll see...

[system252]

does the software work on windows seven ?

[tunglour]

I really like the sound of this. I improvise a lot on F minor (the key you're playing it on?), but I'm much worse at it than you.

What midi keyboard are you using?

[GadgetAddicted]

I came here to hear Ivory...totally mesmerized by your piano playing. Damn...still have goosebumps!

[sXeBrutis]

I love the sound of "Ivory" :))

[Reverse61]

M-audio is the best Becuz its cheap and gives you the quallity that others cant offer

[7Umudo7]

Can someone help me? I have installed Synthogy Ivory 1.5 on my mac, i just can't open it. where's the UI? Mainstage 2 doesn't see it :S

[tooosweeet]

would this sound this good on a cheaper keyboard? like an older yamaha p series (I'm talking pre p70).

[deshawnpenrose]

yup

[joshuanaconda]

yes, it will sound the same

they are samples

he is playing it by midi

[DJRosiel]

If it's a MIDI keyboard, it should sound roughly the same. The actual keyboard itself isn't relevant as this uses samples for sound. Think of it like a video game and your keyboard as the controller. If you have a cheap keyboard, or if by analogy a cheap game controller, it will work the same as a name brand/expensive one.

[idleminds1]

@DJRosiel i have a piano which dont have a touch response. how about that?

[DJRosiel]

The program will work, but you'll be missing out on so much (but then again, just the same as any program with a non-weighted). Really, you will get all the samples, but since all volume will be static, there won't be the subtle differences you'd get with an actual piano, it'd just be more 'robotic'.

So if it's not too much of an issue to you, go for it, but it's strongly advised that you at least get a cheap weighted keyboard.

[plaswer]

acoustik piano sucks (I own it and never use it) I haven't heard enough synthogy demos to make me spend that kind of money. IMO art vista virtual grand is the best sounding and most versatile piano vst.

[jrel2785]

Sounds like a keyboard. Not a software thats suppose to sound like a real piano. I'd still use a roland or yamaha for everything.The Nord stage piano is the closest to a real piano. But they are sellin for $3000.. Sooo.with that kinda money you can buy an upright and take it to the gig!!

[korsound]

I've tried most of them, akoustic, galaxy 2 etc... In my opinion Ivory's german concert D is by far the best I've heard. Keys around C5 to C6 often don't sound right to me, but Ivory sure did a good job on this. Ivory also loads quite fast, and you can use it for live permormance with cantabile. I recommend it, and never use anything else. If you're on a tight budget Pianissimo is pretty good, but after trying Ivory you won't like it.

[danofsydney]

I tip my hat to the artistry and skill of Fazioli, Synthogy and the dude playing here!

Bravo Italiano e bravo hnsmusic !

[MaxSardius]

Great sound, great playing. Can you kindly tell whats the type (brand) of audio interface you are using or recommend? thank you.

Max

[bigtriece100]

Well, Ivory is still the best.

Akoustik Piano - the most buggy software ever, the notes sustain for about 2 seconds and sound nothing like a real piano.

Garritan Steinway - Sounds cheap and presentation is amateur.

Galaxy 2 - buggy native instruments player, and crappy choice of pianos.

[cnegrea]

don't forget Reason Piano, the worse i ever seen

[TheSleepersBeats]

gaaarbage

[xlorenzo68]

hi!! i use ivory too and find it the best virtual piano. you are a super pianist

[detractordeimbeciles]

hey whats the controller name he is playing??

[mysticradio]

how about the new Garritan authorized Steinway piano?

any thoughts anyone?

[SHDnetworkTV]

wow, can you give some tutorials on that piece, keep up that great work......

and ARE YOU SURE THATS A SOFTWARE PIANO WOW...........

[wkemenes]

Can you please explain me how to conect my digital piano with Synthogy´s piano software. Do I need an USB Audio Interface ar any other hardware.

Thank you in advance

[tutumarambah]

SAD

[will4fang]

Fuckin' awesome. I'm installing ivory right now I think the basic grand piano version has samples from the Steinway D, Bosendorfer 290 and the Yamaha C7. Sweet.

[glasspig]

okay now, i get it. the italian grand pack only has ONE piano, but was recorded at 12 velocity levels instead of 10 like the others that they make. i see.

[electriktricks]

hi, nice playing

how do you find the keys on the axiom compared to other controllers. I don't really have the space (or budget) for a proper digital piano, so I'm getting a 3 octave novatio synth action controller for VSTi synths, and I was thinking maybe in the future a 5 octave axiom for piano playing? I've heard mixed opinions on the axiom's keys.

Thanks

[hnsmusic]

The keys on the Axiom are good, not great, though the unit is feature rich.

[electriktricks]

thanks- are they significantly worse than say, the controller you are actually playing on (btw would you mind telling me what it is?)

[hnsmusic]

Thats a motif es8

[electriktricks]

thank you, are you just using the motif as a (rather expensive) midi controller then?

what's the piano sound like in the motif, is it as good as the ivory

[hnsmusic]

Yes and no. I use keyboard and Ivory piano sounds for different situations. Playing live for weddings and get togethers calls for ultra realism. Playing in live bands and black churches calls for a more percussive cut through a mix pianos that the motif gives.

[3e3op88]

Sounds nice, but no better than my Kurzweil PC88

[KevinOnKeys]

You are TRIPPING. A PC-88 sounds NOTHING like this, get real!

[041222333]

Maybe you have tried Steinberg's 'The Grand'? I read it's good, and I am about to get it; so I really need an opinion from a professional. It's important.

[hnsmusic]

I haven't tried that one, but let me tell you that the only way for you to judge if you like it or not, is if you try it yourself. Sadly, there's no functional demo of Ivory that I know of, or The Grand for that matter.

[soulcafe2]

steiberg the grand is Great i Have the grand first version runing on pc windows xp kurzweil pc 88. SOund is warm i very playable. would like to upgrade to ver.2 but Steinberg

discontinued the Grand.

[andrefavreau]

@041222333 In the Electronic Musician Mag of October 2006 (Vol. 22, No.10), several piano players made extensive tests without knowing which was which. They compared Art Vista Virtual Grand, Best Galaxy Steinway, EastWest Bosendorfer 290, Native Akoustik Piano, Steinberg The Grand 2, and Synthogy Ivory.

They clearly prefered Akoustik Piano and Ivory with a slight advantage to Akoustik.

At that time, The Italian Grand from Ivory wasn't quite out. So at home, I tried Akoustik vs Italian...

[andrefavreau]

@041222333 For me, it was a tie, but personnally, I like Faziolli pianos.

Now, NI doesn't sell or support akoustik and Synthogy has continue to improve Ivory. The new enhance Italian is coming out soon!!! That's the one I want!!! Be careful though, it is computer hungry. In that sense, NI Akoustik was more efficient with memory and with less parameters, but I feel that Synthogy are really comitted to their product and will continue to make sure the're ahead.

[chillmetal]

@041222333 Ivory is WAYYY better than the grand

[Mahavishnu80]

Lovely thick tone unlike a lot of others ive tried if there are too many mids its sometimes too noticable there is a vst and not a real piano.

[glasspig]

hey man

i need to know

is Ivory or EASTWEAST better sounding ??

i've heard both of them, but never driven them.

I've heard Ivory is better for pop/rock and jazzy stuff, and EAStwest is more old fashioned/classical...?? yeah??

[hnsmusic]

Theres more to a piano sound than sounding good. It has to be playable. Ive played sound libraries that sound like a million bucks, but play like poo. Ivory sounds perfect, almost too perfect, and it plays well. If you dont mind dealing with an iLok device, Ivory is the way top go. Although, I have yet to try Garritans Steinway D.

[glasspig]

word.

I just can't get over the fact that i can't sit in the control seat and actually USE them before i can make a decision !!

do you know if its possible where i could test out any of these things??

[hnsmusic]

I agree 100%. Maybe even a fully functional timed demo. I made a "BIG" mistake getting Akoustic Piano. The demo mp3s just dont cut it. When I installed it, it only took 10 minutes for me to stop playing it and take my losses. For beginners up to intermediate, most piano soft synths will be fine, but if your advanced and experienced, you know now your instrument is supposed to react. Some software gets in the ballpark, most dont. Problem is theres no going back once youve taken the plunge.

[glasspig]

oh wait a minuteeeeeeeeeee

you ever played Galaxy 2 Pianos ????

they sound nice,

i still havent decided whether i want East West, Ivory, or Galaxy 2 pianos.

which one man ???

[bchamorro]

do you have the two keyboards connected together? can you use them simultaneously with the plugins?

how are they connected to your MacbOOK pRO?

[Royalorgans]

Could you think that the piano sounds this way because of the amplification system that he is using.

[hnsmusic]

Your not hearing amplification. Its a direct feed from Logic. You Tube's audio quality for this type of thing is marginal at best. You can check my podcast for a stereo version.

[loncaliproductions]

This is a terrible product, Akoustik Piano is the King of Computer Pianos:

1. First of all its not even compatible with Leopard - unless you buy an additional dongle, which is a waste of money and takes up a valuable USB port.

2. The sound of this is crap compared to Native Instrument's Akoustik Piano. Akoustik Piano has a much cleaner and fuller sound, Ivory sounds like it was recorded with $50 microphones compared to Akoustik.

3. CPU use -Akoustik uses like 1/2 Ivory's CPU and memory.

[hnsmusic]

I was very upset at first when Ivory began using iLok for their copy protection. So much so that I went to the music store and picked up Akoustic Piano. Im not going to tell you how long Ive been playing or where Ive been musically to strengthen the weight of my opinion. Im just going to say that if Akoustic Piano is the only other alternative to Ivory. Ill stick with Ivory. There is just no comparison.

[loncaliproductions]

Re Ivory Italian

Higher up the octaves, the notes don't hold the same tonal fullness as a Steinway. (This is just my personal preference, some very famous pianists prefer the Fazioli sound). To my ears, it sounds very similar to the Yamaha C7, which suffers from the same weakness.

[hnsmusic]

Italian Grand isnt a Steinway Sample.......Nevermind

[TheTokyoDude]

AkoustikPiano has serious flaws (do a Web search or look at their forums), and Native Instruments tech support is a joke.

As a professional musician that's used both, my opinion is that Ivory is head and shoulders better than AkousticPiano in every respect.

[piano2nrtech]

I bought Italian grand today. Disappointed. Ivory's own German D has more sing and sustain, this "dies" unlike the real thing which I played at David Abell's years ago. Not the holy grail

[musician788]

it sounds amazing of course its not going to be the same feeling as playing a real grand but u have to admitt if u shut your eyes u can almost imagine your playing a grand admitt the sound is pretty damn close to the real thing.

[Mickiecp]

Yeah! This is really great for those of us with little or limited space. Especially with Hammer-Action...

[pianokid100]

nice playing, and im the pianokid saying this

[Lot2learn]

This sounds great - expansion pack AND the playing! Nice job.

[KleptHoeManiac]

Is that a MacBook you're using for this?

[hnsmusic]

Macbook Pro. Its he older 2.33 model.

[Archiiii]

you have the gear of my dreams... :-(

hope one day can reach that...

you play great men...

[dbajram93]

man where i can find the torrent of this!

[desultoryfunk]

dude even if you could find it, good lucky waiting for the downlaod cuz the whole software is 40gb!!! i'm just going to buy it when i get the money.

[Rhettsta]

man thanks for uploading i was tossing up wheaver to get this or not also nice playing

[dn60139]

I have never seen or heard beautiful playing such as this!! You are simply amazing! What is the name of that tune? Do you give lessons? Thanks for sharing!