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I just got notice that it is now shipping.

Highlights:


- 1951 New York Steinway D selected by Steinway & Sons for artist promotion
- 49GB Core Library
- Up to 20 Velocity Layers
- Harmonic Resonance Modeling for True Sympathetic String Resonance
- Custom Soundboard Emulation DSP
- Half-pedaling
- Pedal Noise Enhancements
- Release samples triggered by velocity and duration
- Una Corda (soft pedal) samples at multiple velocities
- Native 64 Bit Support
- Timbre-shifting, Parametric EQ and Synth Layer controls for powerful sound sculpting capabilities
- Incorporates exclusive Sample Interpolation Technology used for ultra-smooth velocity and note transitions
- World class digital FX including Real Ambience, Chorus and EQ
- Customizable User Controls for Timbre, Stereo Width and Perspective, Velocity Response, - Mechanical Key Noise, Lid Position and more
- Tuning Tables
- Dozens of new programs and effects presets

Judging from the 2 demos, it sounds very similiar to their German D. Could be an option for people who don't want to shell out the cash for Ivory II and don't need the other pianos included in that.

A Google search for "1951 New York Steinway D (CD 121)" landed this link with some pictures of the piano and a description of how it was rebuilt:

http://mp2w.tripod.com/mp2w/id23.html

When they rebuilt the piano, they built two actions for it -- a NY action and a Hamburg action.

if you listen to the Geoffrey Gee demos on the American, and then listen to his demo of the German Grand (Beauty)- i hear quite a difference. They are both obviously Steinways, but i hear much greater power and drive from the American. The German (which i own and use all the time), has a sweeter and more introspective tone, at least to my aging ears. I'm hoping to use the German for "standards" with more jazz chordings, and the American (which i just ordered) for more pop/rock/gospel influenced arrangements.

I sure hope this is the last time i buy a software piano for awhile.

Between the German, the American, and the Vintage D (plus a small acoustic steinway grand), i think i've finally put to rest my curiosity for other piano makes and have decided i really do like the Steinway sound. At least all this has accomplished that... its made me greatly appreciate my acoustic a lot more than i used to! I do like the Yamaha action better than Steinway, but I'm at peace with the quality of the sound produced.

I have a copy of the American D. I did some beta testing...basically loading it to see if it worked. I'll try to put something up on youtube/soundcloud this weekend. If you have any suggestions of what you want to hear, let me know. fwiw, I really like it. It is in my top three (Ivory German D, Galaxy Vintage D are my other two favorites). It is pretty different from the Ivory German D. German D is delicate and more string oriented. American D has more wood and body to the sound, sustains longer, has some age on it, and at least sounds a little bit more closely mic'd (I don't know if it actually is or not).

That sounds as if I would like it. I'll have to find somewhere to order it.

Awesome. I know I'd love to hear some more clips (the ones on the site don't seem very representative).

How do you compare the sound to Vintage D? I've kind of been curious how similar they might be since they are both vintage Steinways. Of course, Vintage D is not what I'd call closely miced, so that could be quite a difference right there.

PS: 7notemode, your playing is awesome. love your youtube videos.

Macy, i ordered mine directly off the Synthogy website- linked to Ilio. I don't think its shown up yet at the online retailers or amazon. No deals at this point. $199 plus shipping. obviously at 49 GB its too heavy for anything but physical disc shipment.

gvfarns:
The Vin D and Ivory Am. D are more similar to each other than either of them is to the Ivory German D. The Vin D and Am. D are both older, and similar in that way. The German D is a crisp new piano. I really like the sound engine in Ivory. The string resonance and sustain resonance is subtle and realistic to my ear. Also, Ivory has been very stable for me (no glitches).

bfb:
Thanks....much appreciated.
Yes, a 49 GB is a lot to load, took me all of one evening, but it went in to my pre-existing Ivory library fairly easily.

Yeah, Sweetwater is $179 but they don't have it yet. Guitar Center doesn't even list it yet.

+1 ....Amen, brother. The ivory II/ Cantabile platform is a joy to work with. Completely stable. works great at 256 sample buffer setting with my firewire 410. no drops, glitches, even handles the pad/strings overlay flawlessly.

so you didn't have any problems with files not loading - as with the Bos and German D off the ivory II disks? having to download the corrupted files from their website was a colossal pain.

OK, I used the same midi file to render a recording of
Ivory II Steinway American D
Ivory II Steinway German D
Galaxy Steinway Vintage D

http://www.7notemode.com/2012/09/ivory-ii-steinway-american-d-great-new.html

If interested in the details, I recommend downloading the files. Soundcloud only streams 128 kb/s mp3's, but the download is a 256 kb/s mp4, which has more detail. The midi file was recorded using the internal sound of a Yamaha CP300. Peak loudness is the same but average loudness and dynamic range differ because of compression differences and the underlying loudness characteristics of the samples themselves. I'll put up something live on youtube this weekend if I am able.

beautiful arrangement.....

to me- and i know i'm biased because its new and i don't own it yet and haven't gone through the typical I love it, I hate it period with every sampled piano- but the American D has more presence. Its a little punchier in the upper register than i like, but it has real presence- very multi-dimensional.

The German D is consistent and nice but doesn't have as much depth, does it...?

and the vintage D- i guess i'm going through my "ugh" period with it, because i hear something sonically there that i just don't like- and i notice it playing it myself - it has sort of a nasal sound- like speaking with your nose clamped. I'm not sure how to describe it, but the tone wavers somehow and sounds more artificial... I do notice that tweaking to a brighter sound helps somewhat. its probably a filter on there that i don't like

thanks much for the great rendition!

I didn't realize that about SoundCloud.

Really lovely - thanks!

They all sound good to me. The Vintage D stood out a bit as having more more hammer thud, and I slightly preferred the Ivory recordings.

Greg.

bfb,
I do the same thing. Anything new and shiny mesmerizes me. As familiarity grows, the limitations become more apparent. The American D does have more pop on the attack, which is nice. If you think of those examples as all having the same peak loudness, the Ivory piano's go softer at lower velocity levels and give a lot of dynamic variation. I really like that.

Mel.Mus:
SoundCloud streams 128 but the download is identical to what you upload. I uploaded 256 kb/s mp4's, so that's what downloads. If you upload 16 bit wav files, that is what downloads. For me the 256 kbs mp4's are a good compromise between size and quality.

sullivang:
I agree...I like all three (my favorites so far).

Really nice. I like them all, but of the three I think I could listen to the Vintage D on this kind of material all night. Not sure I could the American D.

But I'm a believer that you have to play the same material on each to optimize the result of each, not play the same MIDI recording on each. i.e. you play each piano differently to fit its individual character.

thanks for this comparison, it help.

i allow myself to ask you if you may take a screen capture of your Vintage D settings for Classical and Jazz... (as you are a lucky man to own a real piano, your settings must be close perfection)

(i love the way you play your last improvisation on youtube... there is so much sensitivity in your play)

i agree with you. every piano has a unique feel to it, even sampled pianos. and of course differing velocity level trigger points make it tough to slap a midi file created on one piano onto another. Maybe subtle enough not to sweat over, but the overall character of the instrument certainly does influence your approach to playing it...

imyself,
Thanks. Honestly, I don't think I have any special insight into making the Vintage D sound more realistic. I'l take a screen capture next time I play it.

Macy,
Agreed. I had to change the velocity map on all three pianos to fit the midi file. Weirdly, sometimes I get a better performance sound when I switch to an instrument different than what I played it on.