VI Labs Summer Sale

I can vouch for Modern U and Ravenscroft 275 to be very nice VSTs

Time to gear up!

Hello,

Uh-oh 😋.

Cheers and happy hoarding,

HZ

PS Can certainly vouch for Modern U as well, and am still battling those Ravenscravings... 😉

+!

For the first time I listened to the Modern U demos on the website (is the David Lai there the one who is also in the forum?) and I enjoyed it very much. What a beautiful upright sound, very intimate and warm, and I love the resonances and the key and pedal noises too. I would love to purchase one as an alternative to Pianoteq, but I am not sure if it will run on my system. It's an older 2013 MacBook Air, with an 128GB SSD, 4 GB Ram and an 1,3 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5.

The requirements on the website:

6.5GB free disk space (plus 4.5GB for the download install file)
Mac OSX 10.9 or greater or Windows 8 or higher and 64bits only
Minimum CPU requirements: Intel Core i5 System
7200rpm hard drive (Solid State Drive (SSD) preferred for best performance)
4GB of RAM

Could work, but it meets the bare minimum... What do you think, has anyone experiences?

And does anyone know if it is it based on an U1 or U3?

Yes, David Lai is the same David Lai we are honoured to have here!

I would say it will work, but can't tell you for sure, my system is a bit more powerful (i5 also but desktop and 4 cores)

It is based on a U3. And it really capturates its essence (I own one and can compare)

Thanks for your answer! Hm, difficult to estimate if it will work on my system. But as you can activate on up to three computers I could definitely install it on the M1 MBP of my partner.

FYI my i5 is a 2014 model (4th generation), so it is not far from your 2013 i5 generation, and runs easily at very low percentages of CPU power. So I think yours should do. If not directly, with some VST tweaks (i.e. removing things like pedal noise, hammer noise and such)

Hello,


Also, if it doesn't work well on your computer, you can easily 'un-activate' it on that computer; in other words you never lose that activation.

And yes, Modern U is lovely.

Cheers and happy decision making,

HZ

Thanks! I think I will purchase it. But for now I just bought the Pianoteq U4 (and Steinway D and B...) on the Pianoteq summer sale. I just played 30 minutes and LOVE it. There is something about the sound of Uprights, an intimacy and richness and directness of the resonances (especially in the treble) und the rumble in the bass that I just love. I lose myself easier. Maybe because they are more common. Lovely additions to the grands I have (the three German and the Czech :)).

I love this one: https://www.xlnaudio.com/products/addictive_keys/instrument/modern_upright, got it for free but it's a really good upright. Still debating if I need the Modern U also

Well, I have both... And, whilst the XLN one is nice to play (and uses lots less resources), the Modern U is on a different league

I keep looking at the Italian Grand.

Just not sure how it holds up to the Upright and Ravenscroft in quality or will it be more like American D which I found completely dissatisfying.

Ron

If you want a Fatzioli, WavesFactory Mercury is also 30% https://www.wavesfactory.com/kontakt-libraries/mercury-piano/
I don't know which is better. I have all the VILabs pianos, the German is my favorite, I prefer it even over the Digital Bechstein.

Goddamit, don't tempt me devil .

Personally I think the Italian is the best of the three, don't buy it though. The bundle goes on sale ever so often for 99$, you'll get all three there for the price of one.

Hello,


Same here, but with the R275. Same temptation all over again, just as not too long ago with another 275 sale.

Thanks a lot Jose! 😉

Cheers and happy playing,

HZ

Ah damn it, I bought the Modern U and I regret nothing. It's glorious and a fine addition to my lineup.

Not I have all the VI labs products, no temptation for me anymore until the make a new one.

Sorry

But I am happy you got it and you enjoy it!

I am just about to play it a bit

Hello,


I just finished a practise session -- on the Modern U -- and it is succulently delicious 🍰 😋.

Before that, I went through all the 'player' presets in Pianoteq 7 (standard demo install), and nothing there comes close to the fullness, completeness, refinement and musical quality of Modern U. I love it.

Congratulations with your purchase -- enjoy!

Cheers and the happiest playing,

HZ

I bought both R275 and Modern U after a recent MASSIVE piano VST buying spree.

These 2 are glorious, and are my new practice tools, even over VSL.

Seriously looking at the grands, but if they go on sale for $99, I can wait.

Viva UVI

I found RC275 to be one of the best sampled and scripted piano VI I've used, but I got tired of its sound and sold it. Oooh, I hope that sale ends soon, since I'm thinking too much about buying their Fazioli or Modern U now. Not a fan of uprights in general, but so many people seems to like it.

Hello,


Listening to R275 examples, I could foresee this happening for myself as well, and that worries me. How would you describe getting tired of it? What aspects made it tiring to you?

Selling licenses to other users isn't always possible with some VSTi issuers, how does that work in the case of VI Labs?

Thank you!

Cheers and happy playing,

HotelZuluPapa 😉

PS Modern U is lovely. I can't see myself getting tired of that one anytime soon. Why? Hard to say... It is so realistic for my piano studying and practising, it never fails to lift my spirit in one way or the other. Hope that experience lasts, up to now, it does 🍾.

I have all of their pianos and I only play the Ravenscroft and sometimes the Modern U. The others have weaknesses that, over time, resulted in not playing them. The Italian (Fazioli) could have been fabulous but they blew it. At first, you will be excited by the great sound... then you experience their weaknesses like bad sustain. Don't bother with the other three pianos.

I favor the Ravenscroft mostly because of the great lower register... I love the big sound. Keep in mind, I have a pretty great replay system with expensive speakers and amplification. However the Modern U shows the company is learning how to record these things and get more out of their efforts. I would love for them to re-do the Fazioli... that has great potential.

Peace
Bruce in Philly

With VI Labs it's easy and quick, but 25$ iLok transfer fee must be paid. Still, good that's possible at all. I have at least 4 piano VIs which I'm not using and never going to use and I cannot sell them (Cinepiano for example).

Regarding Ravenscroft: I got tired of it's boomy bass (I know, it can be tamed by EQ), some phasing issues using Close mics and the sound character in general. Too clean, sterile? I kind of don't feel like I'm playing a piano. Maybe it's because I'm not used to original Ravenscroft grand piano sound (we're all surrounded with Steinways and Yamaha recordings). It's important to mention that I really liked RC275 at the beginning. Also it's a great scripted, consistent and very, very efficient VI.

Hello,

Thank you, @AlphaBravoCharlie!

Your description is consistent with my reservations, so good to know. Also, I am very sensitive to phasing issues (and would want to use those close mics primarily, I assume) and other strange things in finer resonances, the latter I do find in many internal digital piano sounds and VSTi pianos. Almost no such problems in Modern U, one major reason to be so grateful for it.

Again, good to know.

Cheers and happy playing,

HZ

Yea, the other two are worth their money, especially on sale but for the True Keys bundle I feel that 99$ is about what they are worth in 2021. Personally I really like their sound, but as others said if you really are a good player you will feel their limitations quickly.

The bass of the main presets have been EQ-d with a HP filter (up to 84.35 HZ) and don't feel boomy to me, not even on my rather boomy Sony MDR-1A headphones. On other devices, it sounds a bit bass shy.

I like powerfull grand bass in general, but with RC275 I had impression it's artificially boosted. Like I mentioned and as you @Alex C wrote, it can be tamed by EQ.

I have learned that the higher and lower registers of source material can challenge any replay system. The differences that we hear in the RC275 may be more related to the quality and type of playback systems we have than the actual recordings. Highs, lows, and their dynamics (loudness to softness) are a challenge and one of the biggest reasons playback systems can vary so greatly in price. Higher priced systems just sound better if you have quality source material (most of the time).

So a question: Do you want your VST to compliment your playback system, or do you want a playback system that can accurately play back any VST you may own (warts and all its goodness)?

Peace
Bruce in Philly

Regarding 'playback systems', I own/owned/tested many headphones, starting from chi-fi territory, through typical AKG/Sennheisers models up to some Stax. Focals, MrSpeakers offerings, with various AMP options. Up to certain point going higher in price usually improves the listening experience, but I dare to express opinion that a typical recommended 200$ good pair of headphones is perfectly capable of reproducing all the needed frequencies of the music (or piano sample sound in this case). Not to start speakers discussion. The 'boomy bass' I mentioned is a trait I noticed when comparing RC275 to other piano libraries I own (the number is around 20 now and growing). It can also be measured in any DAW. I don't call it a 'flaw', but exactly like I expressed, a 'trait'. Some might like it, others might not (I do not).

If I understand you correctly, it seems you're suggesting that buying better 'playback system' is going to make a significant difference in perceiving piano VI sound. I dare to disagree as long as someone already has something decent, not 5$ Walmart IEMs or PC stereo speakers. There are so many threads around the internet where people are advised to 'upgrade' their speakers/headphones, amps, DACs, move to 96kHz etc. and spending thousands of hard-earned dollars on something that will make marginal (if any) difference, while the source material (music/samples in this case) is the thing that matters the most.

AlphaBravoCharlie,
I made the same experience and wholeheartedly agree. I went from cheap headphones to AKG K272 to an Adueze LCD-2, than LCD-3 (2000 $), same with amplifiers (unpopular opionen: the make no real substantial difference!). Then I downsized to a Sennheiser HD 650 and AudioQuest Dragonfly and I'm perfectly happy since a few years. Same with speakers: cheap speakers -> Adam A5X -> Harbeth C7ES3 and back down to JBL LSR 305 and I am also happy. Don't let yourself talk into that rabbit hole. It's just an industry trying to make money out of marginal differences some people wouldn't even notice in a double blinded experimental test.

I finally yielded and bought Modern U. Yes, it's good, but I'm not sure if I like it more than Pianoteq's U4 in the latest update, which is surprisingly good (even if you, like me, don't like Pianoteq). It's only a first impression ... Need to play some more ...

I think they are very different in character. The Modern U is extremely clean, I use the U4 usually a little aged so it get's more character. I'll use them both, depending on my mood

Anyone want to share their best sound settings for Modern U?

Hello,


Let's see:

- Mic 1: KM184, 0dB
- Mic 2: PM40, 0dB
- Mic 3: MA200, 0dB (or a little less, to taste)

- Release volume 0dB
- Key noise +6dB
- Silent strike +6dB
- Sympathetic resonance 0dB
- Sympathetic polyphony 40

- Pedal resonance 0dB
- Pedal noise -3dB
- True pedal action On
- Repedal On
- Repetition strikes On

- Stereo width 0%
- Tone 0.0
- Timbre shift 0

- Pedal CCs As required
- Polyphony Def

- Half pedal On, min/max as required
- Soft/Sordino/Muted strikes as required

- Reverb Off (Alt: Wood Room dry 100 wet 10)
- EQ Off

- Midi response Bend -0.21
- Gain response Bend +0.21, Minimum gain 0.00

- Tuning preset Equal temperament with defaults only

- No UVI Workstation effects

- Set the volume in the UVI Multi\Mixer tab as required but no higher than -6dB to prevent clipping distortion.

There you go!

Cheers and happy playing that lovely Modern U,

HZ

I see that VI Labs doesn't use a physical dongle to lock its products, but what does it use?

It uses an iLok license that you can download.

God bless,
David

This might be seen as sacrilege to upright apostles, but right now, I'm loving the cinematic preset the most. Very spacious and the -1 timbre shift almost gives it the tone of a grand piano.

PS: They should do an update of the Ravencroft using these new reverbs.

You will!

Although I don't use it a ton anymore, Pianoteq is a marvel in some ways. With that said, their upright is the only expansion I've ever regretted buying.

When it comes to the U4, yes.

Thank you!

I caved lol.


It’s amazing though.

Connection to the piano is beautiful. Sound is pretty good.

I’m loving this modern U

Very impressed with vi labs.

It pairs very nicely with the rm3 action from my korg D1

https://soundcloud.com/mark-ali/fools-rush-in-modern-u-20082021-556-pm

https://soundcloud.com/mark-ali/ffx-modern-u

Glad you're liking it!

Hello,

@Mta88, Well done and nice recordings!

Yes, it is lovely and still my one and only piano library I happily play every day.

Perhaps you already found your favorite settings, otherwise, on request of another member I wrote my favorite Modern U configuration earlier in this thread:

https://forum.pianoworld.com/ubbthre...labs-summer-sale-30-off.html#Post3143967

Cheers and the happiest playing,

HZ

Listening to your nice playing, I wonder how far is that sound for the real one you could get from a U3, which is the sampled piano. I have an older U3H and still what I hear when playing Modern U is so close that, for my probably uneducated ears and beginner level playing, is really close to the real thing. Wonderful technology!

Thanks guys

Was fiddling some more today and made some other recordings

I’m very much pleasantly surprised by this vst.

Playability is on point .
Sound is very realistic
And I know a lot of folks aren’t fans of pianoteq here
There is something in the background, probably sympathetic resonance coupled with how all the strings interact with each other to create a unique sound for each song played .

That sort of singing background tone I’m not even sure what the heck I can do to put it into words

It’s often absent with sampled sounds
For whatever reason I’m detecting it in this particular vst
Not entirely sure what they did to capture that

But good job from VILabs

Anyways do enjoy guys
Cheers

https://soundcloud.com/mark-ali/hindi-cover-song

https://soundcloud.com/mark-ali/linkin-park-modern-u-test-1-mp3

https://soundcloud.com/mark-ali/mario-64-dire-dire-docks-modern-u

@HZPiano

Hey this is useful thanks

I used mostly the stock settings so far

I honestly can’t remember which mics I used

Think it was close , player and room.

Noticing that close and room alone with the reverb sounds pretty good though.

Trying to spend less time fiddling and more time playing with this one. It really is remarkable

Hello,

@Mta88, You're welcome 🙂.

Yes, no fiddling all playing is a great intention. After these settings had crystallized, I now have my PC set up so that I only need the power buttons on the piano, amplifiers and PC to play. No screen, no keyboard, no mouse. And I never look back at adjusting anything anymore.

Love it.

And I know what you mean by that singing background. It is lovely. My brother on a recent visit immediately spotted (and loved) it as well.

Cheers and happy playing,

HZ