poorsod
10-06-2007, 01:14 PM
I figured it would be best to review the bits of K4 individually as I get around to them. These two sample libraries are probably the best place to start.
In many ways the Akoustik and Elektrik Pianos are the centrepiece of the K4 package. Together they take up over half the 8 DVDs in the oversized box, and Akoustik has become possibly my most used sample library in the few weeks I've had it.
Both the instruments are essentially instances of Kontakt running under a different interface, which means all the presets included with the libraries can be loaded up in Kontakt 2 and they will sound and act exactly the same. While this does leave you with a lot more room for experimentation with unconventional loops and so on, the standalone instruments are not to be overlooked either.
I found Elektrik Piano to be the slightly more intuitive of the two devices because it looks just like the real pianos we are all familiar with. Besides the obvious pan, gain and tuning controls there are four conditional dials that depend on the patch loaded. They tend to correspond to staples like vibrato and so on. These are also transferred correctly to Kontakt.
The Akoustik interface is a little more involved. While selecting a piano on the left (one of four classics: naturally the Steinway D as well as a Bechstein D280, Boesendorfer 290 and one vintage upright from Steingraeber) and a reverb environment on the right (cathedral, concert hall, jazz club and studio) could not be easier, there is room for tweaking tonal quirks (like release resonance or lid position) and EQ controls which require a deeper understanding of how the sound of a piano resonates.
The sound, then. The samples on both were meticulously arranged so there are no missing keys, and all have the full velocity range as well as hammer noise and release resonance sounds. Both are flexible to a number of styles and NI have done a great job of capturing the nuances of each model they sampled. This, of course, makes for an extremely authentic sound and listening back to records which include real versions of these pianos I could not hear any difference when playing them on the plugins. I also own Propellerhead's Reason Pianos, and despite the Props' detailed microphone choices and innovative Combinator jiggery-pokery I find there to be no competition between it and Akoustik. I put this down largely to the missing notes and interpolated velocities on Reason's version. They also sound better than their equivalents from the Kontakt library, Ableton's EIC and the Reason factory sound bank.
Put simply, for any producer or writer who requires an authentic piano sound on a budget, A and E have my full recommendation.
In many ways the Akoustik and Elektrik Pianos are the centrepiece of the K4 package. Together they take up over half the 8 DVDs in the oversized box, and Akoustik has become possibly my most used sample library in the few weeks I've had it.
Both the instruments are essentially instances of Kontakt running under a different interface, which means all the presets included with the libraries can be loaded up in Kontakt 2 and they will sound and act exactly the same. While this does leave you with a lot more room for experimentation with unconventional loops and so on, the standalone instruments are not to be overlooked either.
I found Elektrik Piano to be the slightly more intuitive of the two devices because it looks just like the real pianos we are all familiar with. Besides the obvious pan, gain and tuning controls there are four conditional dials that depend on the patch loaded. They tend to correspond to staples like vibrato and so on. These are also transferred correctly to Kontakt.
The Akoustik interface is a little more involved. While selecting a piano on the left (one of four classics: naturally the Steinway D as well as a Bechstein D280, Boesendorfer 290 and one vintage upright from Steingraeber) and a reverb environment on the right (cathedral, concert hall, jazz club and studio) could not be easier, there is room for tweaking tonal quirks (like release resonance or lid position) and EQ controls which require a deeper understanding of how the sound of a piano resonates.
The sound, then. The samples on both were meticulously arranged so there are no missing keys, and all have the full velocity range as well as hammer noise and release resonance sounds. Both are flexible to a number of styles and NI have done a great job of capturing the nuances of each model they sampled. This, of course, makes for an extremely authentic sound and listening back to records which include real versions of these pianos I could not hear any difference when playing them on the plugins. I also own Propellerhead's Reason Pianos, and despite the Props' detailed microphone choices and innovative Combinator jiggery-pokery I find there to be no competition between it and Akoustik. I put this down largely to the missing notes and interpolated velocities on Reason's version. They also sound better than their equivalents from the Kontakt library, Ableton's EIC and the Reason factory sound bank.
Put simply, for any producer or writer who requires an authentic piano sound on a budget, A and E have my full recommendation.