Ivory II Studio Grands

Name: Ivory II Studio Grands
Price: 149 USD
Author: Synthogy

by Synthogy · Keys · Sampled studio grand pianos

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Ivory II Studio Grands has two studio pianos: a Steinway Model B from Power Station New England and a Bösendorfer 225 from Firehouse Recording Studios.

It is a 112 GB library on the Ivory II engine with 24 velocity layers, for $299.

Best for: Keys & Synths, Acoustic Instruments. Genres: Pop, Jazz, Acoustic & Classical, R&B & Soul.

Keywords: grand piano, sample-based, multisampled, smooth, intimate.

What it does

Ivory II Studio Grands samples two seven-foot-class grand pianos, each recorded in a well-known studio. Synthogy pitches it as a piano for recording and live work in all styles of music.

Steinway Model B: a 7-foot grand hand-selected by Steinway & Sons and recorded at Power Station NE in Waterford, Connecticut.
Bösendorfer 225: a 7-foot-4 grand recorded at Firehouse Recording Studios in Pasadena, California, a piano Synthogy says has appeared on Grammy-winning records.
Deep sampling: 24 velocity levels per note with Sample Interpolation and Timbre Interpolation for smooth changes between layers.
Resonance: sympathetic string resonance (Harmonic Resonance Modeling) and soundboard sustain resonance.
Pedal, lid and noises: half-pedaling, real release samples, una corda soft-pedal samples, pedal noise, lid position and mechanical key noise.
Tone controls: timbre shifting, a Shimmer control for sustain and decay, stereo width and perspective, and user-editable tuning tables.
Effects and layers: parametric EQ, chorus and ambience, plus up to 8 synth layers to blend under the piano.

It uses the Ivory 2.5 engine, and the library can also be loaded into Ivory 3.

Source: Synthogy product page

When to use it

Ivory II Studio Grands is the better pick when you want two contrasting studio grands with a close, mix-ready sound rather than a big concert-hall piano. Compared with Abbey Road Studios CFX Concert Grand it trades one concert Yamaha for a warm, woody Steinway B and a brighter, singing Bösendorfer. Against Keyscape or Addictive Keys it covers fewer instruments but samples each piano in far more depth, with 24 velocity levels. Unlike Pianoteq 9 it is a large sample library rather than a small modeled instrument. Sound On Sound also noted it has only one mic perspective, while Synthogy's Ivory 3 German D offers four mic positions and continuous velocity.

Best for: studio piano parts, intimate solo playing and accompaniment, and jazz piano on the Bösendorfer.
Genres: pop, R&B, jazz, songwriting and acoustic.
Look elsewhere if: you need several mic positions or the newer engine (Ivory 3 German D), or a lighter option for a laptop (Pianoteq 9).
Tip: both pianos are fairly mellow at high velocities, so use timbre shifting or EQ when a part needs to cut through; Sound On Sound found brightness limited without it.

What producers say

Reviewers rate the sound very highly; the complaints are about the single mic perspective and setup.

Sound On Sound (January 2018) called it "another great showing from Synthogy" with "no whiff of artificiality" in a mix, but suggested it may suit best as a second piano package.
MusicTech gave it a MusicTech Choice award, praising two "ultra-realistic" pianos and the smooth velocity transitions.
Criticisms: a single mic perspective, slight unevenness on some notes (Sound On Sound) and a small GUI (MusicTech).

Where to buy

Synthogy: $149
Best Service: $279

Tutorials and reviews

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