Hi,

If an instrument is sorely missing from the market, it is a sampled fortepiano. Strongly needed for accurate rendition of Mozart's music, we can only use the humble and dated Bolder Sound's, or the oddly sounding models included in Pianoteq.

It would be a great completion to the Keyboard VI collection an instruments sampled as VSL usually does. Hoping it will be part of the VI series, not the Synchron.

Paolo

+10

+1. There is one other option - Realsamples' Early Piano, which is a 1793 Stein. It was a state of the art sample library when it appeared a dozen or so years ago, and it still sounds very good, except that it is cumbersome to use (it's a Kontakt library, and I've never found an obviously easy way to load it), and perhaps most importantly, there is no change in timbre with the dampers off.

It's not the only enormous gap in the piano collection, though. It would be great to have a good 1830s Erard, or any of a large number of later wooden-framed or even early steel-framed instruments.

Originally Posted by: pianoguy

It's not the only enormous gap in the piano collection, though. It would be great to have a good 1830s Erard, or any of a large number of later wooden-framed or even early steel-framed instruments.

Again, some excellent pianos in that style are in the Realsamples Beurmann collection. They have a Traugott Berndt from 1848, that should be still similar to pianos from the 1830s, and a more recent Erard from 1873. This latter should be very different from VSL's Blüthner 1895, looking like a straight-stringed instrument instead of cross-stringed.

Should VSL continue with restored originals, like with the Blüthner, or go for replicas? As much as fascinating the real things are, I think the Realsample collection has them covered. I would much prefer modern replicas, that can immediately be used in production.

Theatres do the same: keeping older instrument in tune is not easy, and maintaining them is working on a precious museum piece. They usually go for excellent replicas.

Paolo

Now that VSL has learnt something about sampling keyboard instruments, isn't it time for the fortepiano? Possibly, a Stein as the one used by Mozart, Haydn and the young Beethoven?

The other instruments suggested by Mark wouldn't disturb, either. There is no competition, so they will be the forced choice for anyone wanting these instruments. And they will be great, unheard basis for creative presets to be used in the most sophisticate songs.

Maybe I've already told this: I'm hoping it will be a replica, and not an out-of-tune, rusty authentic one. Replica instruments are not copies. They are the real instrument, but new as when the greats were playing it.

Paolo