I am reposting my Ska-oriented preset from May 2019, made for the Bluethner when it was brand new, as it was a bit too quiet compared to the others. Only two mics are used, but I raised them both by a hair, keeping the same balance though.
This is an intimate patch that moght require the Full Library (I'm too tired at this late hour to check), and was tweaked to work well in the context of the "bubble" used for reggae and ska music.
It also works well outside those genres, but my newer Glass Piano preset is perhaps a better starting point for a lot of other contexts outside the island genres.
For many years, I had been using various Yamaha grand pianos and uprights -- or even the hideous but commonly-associated-with-late-80's-reggae Korg M1 -- but I am finding that this Bluethner piano really opens up the sound more and helps the brass to shine better when present in the arrangement (common for ska, and sometimes for reggae as well).
By now, I have vetted this preset on far more than just up-tempo ska, including slower reggae, calypso, and even some pop songs that have a 60's influence such as early R&B.
I did retain, and mildly tweak, some EQ presets that came with one of the factory "intimate" settings. I always turn off the reverb though, as these are already pretty roomy libraries, even when using mostly (or exclusively) the close mics.
File Attachment(s):
SkaU0020Piano.vsynpreset.zip
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