Piano Sample Libraries You Love to Hear

I’m working on a new piano album. So, I’ve been thinking and listening a lot about piano sounds — aka sample libraries.

Sample Library Losers and Winners

Over the years, I’ve collected quite a few piano sample libraries. Previously, I compared four of them: Walker 1955 by e-instruments (Native Instruments Kontakt), Ivory by Synthogy, Ravenscroft 275 by VI Labs (UVI Falcon or Workstation), and The Hammersmith Pro by Soniccouture (NI Kontakt). Those all are in this current comparison as well.

I’m amazed at how many different attempts there have been to capture the beauty, richness, and nuance of the piano. Each sample library comes at it from a slightly different vantage point leaving us to judge how well they did.

Tech-head Stuff

I used the same MIDI file for all of the sample libraries in this comparison. First, there is a 48-second A-minor bit to demonstrate the range of the instrument. It starts at the lowest A on the 88-key piano range and goes to the top C. This bit is played first with no sustain pedal and then with normal sustain pedaling. After that comes an improvisation in Db-major.

For each instrument, I chose a basic setting, but removed any effects: notably compression and reverb. I wanted to be able to hear the sample library on its own without being embellished. Even during mixdown, I did not use a compressor. Instead, I normalized the resulting audio files to -1dB. This makes it easier to compare the examples since one is not significantly louder or softer than another.

Of the 38 grand pianos you can hear on this page, 22 of them run in Native Instruments’ Kontakt 5, 6, or 7. For simplicity, I ran all of these in version 7.

From the Bottom to the Top

Some contenders did not make the cut. We’ll start with those.

I have used and appreciated some of the sample libraries from Kirk Hunter Studios. However, their pianos do not measure up. The one above is a Yamaha C7 from “Traveling Pianos”. There must have been some extreme EQ settings to get the strident sound you can hear especially in the improvisation.

Different Virtual Instruments

Next up is a piano sample library that goes far beyond the sound of the pianoforte. Sound Yeti did a decent job of sampling the instrument, but I would not use it on it’s own in a recording.

Where this VI (virtual instrument) succeeds is with its 4-layer engine (built in Kontakt from Native Instruments). Once you layer this piano (or another one) with their complementary synth and acoustic sounds, you can create some magical music.

Sadly, I could not find any such redeeming factors with the next six contenders in our comparison. Well, the “Piano In 162” is a free download. Another noteworthy mention is that the Arturia pianos are not sample libraries. Technically, they don’t belong here, but I wanted to compare this physical-modeling instrument side-by-side with the libraries.

Not Quite

The next four of our listening choices are from EastWest (aka SoundsOnline). Note: I did re-record these after another astute listener on vi-control noted that these didn’t sound right. I had to switch from using the close and room mics to only the player mic to get a decent sound.

The next three are from the UVI KeySuite series. There are so many piano VIs better than these, so I cannot imagine using these in a recording either.

Getting Better

Before I licensed some of the top contenders in this list, I recorded with these next five sample libraries. They cover the basics, but these do not have the full nuance available in some of the better libraries.

Sample Libraries – Almost There

Like the Sound Yeti piano, ASCEND Modern Grand from Heavyocity is a gem. Besides a well-sampled (not quite ready for a solo, in my opinion) grand sound library, there are lots of tweaks and additions that will spark inspiration for many composers. I often turn to ASCEND when I want “more than a piano”. But for this comparison, here is the raw piano.

Hammers + Waves from Skybox does a similar set of sparkles in their Modern Grand VI. See what you think of their un-sparkled grand piano sample library.

Now We’re Talkin’

Next up are ten piano sample libraries you’d be proud to use and inspired when you play. See if you agree.

Top 6 Piano Sample Libraries

Here are my current top-six picks for grand piano VIs. Even if you disagree, I hope you’ll find these examples helpful in picking the one that’s right for you. Be sure to also check out the Web-Story (short) version of this post.

Bonus Sample Libraries

Here are 11 upright pianos. These are such a different sound from the grand pianos. Quite delightful in many contexts. Check these out (in no particular order).