Sample Library of an old 1950s-1960s-era Steinway B?

[rm5]

I've played many Steinway "Model B" pianos at various schools, homes, and studios, and I've always LOVED how they sound, so I'm looking for a sample library for such a piano, because unfortunately, I'm not one of those lucky Model B owners.

Specifically, at two different studios fairly recently (in January and just a couple weeks ago), I played two Model B's from I believe the 1950s or 1960s, and those were some of the best-sounding pianos I've ever played.

So, does anyone know of some sample library of such a piano? I've already googled it, and all the ones I could find just don't have that warm resonance that you hear when playing an old Model B. The closest I've been able to find is MeldaProductions' "MeldwayGrand" sample, which is awfully close, but still isn't quite what I'm looking for. I actually wonder if it was sampled off a Model B, it sounds very similar, but again, that resonance just isn't there. I've also played (in real life) a newer B, but I didn't really like it as much—I felt like that warm resonance that I mentioned earlier wasn't there.

I know this is a lot to ask, for a sample of such a specific piano, but I'm just curious to see if anyone else has found something to this effect.

EDIT: MeldwayGrand is sampled off a Steinway D—still sounds great, but again, not quite what I'm after.

 

[Ray2]

Have you tried Steinway?

 

[BrianBaughn]

With what software are you going to be playing the instrument?

 

[Allyance]

When I was on Netflix, they had a documentary on a Steinway Technician prepping a piano for a recording session for a particular client. I was amazed at what they went through to get the sound and action just right. They replaced major parts as well as tuned them. Took 3 or 4 days. Same for major concerts. Non-musicians (like me) would just assumed they would roll out a piano and that was it. Horowitz used to take his own steinway in a fiberglass flight case to his concerts. My father-in-law had a family Steinway purchased in the 1930's. We had it own loan while they sold their main house and had it moved to their lake properties. One Christmas we had a party with about 90 people and had a well known local blind piano/player paly it for us. What a sound, even though the piano needed to be rebuilt which would cost more that it was worth.

 

[Big Bad D]

With what software are you going to be playing the instrument?

Agreed. It's not just having a sample library, but also having suitable software as well as a responsive keyboard to recreate the instrument sounds.

There are Steinway model B sample libraries for Kontakt, which work with a Native Instruments keyboard setup. But difficult to advise further without some explanation of the OP's intended usage.

 

[rm5]

With what software are you going to be playing the instrument?

Logic Pro

 

[BrianBaughn]

Don't get your hopes up. I haven't tried every sampled piano out there but I've heard a lot of them. In general, something that can be used successfully blended into a track with other instruments is easy to find. Heard alone, however, I usually hear something weird going on.

Ten developers could take the same piano and come up with ten different sounding pianos. Rooms, microphones, and all the recording gear influence the end result.

And like other acoustic instruments, the notes are sampled one-at-a-time. So…if you play a three-note chord you get three samples plus the resonance of each of those samples. You do not get the resonance of the three-note chord.

I have faith that AI will used to create acoustic virtual instruments that better approximate the sound of an instrument. Such an instrument would also be highly dependent on the gear used to record it, however.

 

[MajorFubar]

Consider using modelled instruments instead, such as the Pianoteq Model B.
You can download a trial version from their website, which I would highly recommend you at least try (no, I have no affiliation, I'm just a satisfied customer).

With the advent of modelling, sampled pianos are so 2010's. They require gargantuan amounts of disk space which is commonly at a premium since SSD became a thing, and they cannot ever offer the flexibility of modelled pianos. For example, let's see you raise or close the lid, or change the microphone placements, or adjust the pedal noise, or hear the subtle sympathetic resonating of other notes' strings when you bang a fortissimo chord with the damper-pedal pressed. Sampled pianos can never do this, because they are basically just glorified Melotrons.

EDIT: Pianoteq are also the only company in the world making modelled Steinway Model B and D pianos which are officially approved by Steinway & Sons. And IMO the weight of that official endorsement says a lot.

 

[rm5]

Okay, an update—I found a really good one on PianoTeq! You're totally right, @MajorFubar! Hooking my CP88 (which has impeccable action) up through MIDI, wow!!

 

[MajorFubar]

Okay, an update—I found a really good one on PianoTeq! You're totally right, @MajorFubar! Hooking my CP88 (which has impeccable action) up through MIDI, wow!!

It's definitely 'the future', and the accuracy of modelled instruments will only get better. It surprises me that big names such as Roland, Korg and Yamaha are not yet fully embracing modelling technology in their own instruments, and are still instead stuck in the 1980's selling pianos that are basically huge sample libraries triggered by keypresses. Of course over the last 40 years their multi-sampling technology has improved immensely from their first 8-bit pianos but fundamentally it's the same principle. It's like, they're SUCH big juggernauts in the industry, they struggle to change lanes at short notice.