Alicia's Keys

[BlackPanther]

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What do you guys think? I think I'm gonna get it my next paycheck. I don't have any piano samples so this'll be a nice plus for me. I'm still not really technical with sample talk but I would like to hear what people have to say about it like if it's worth gettin or not, or noting some of the features it has.

[Brandon Strader]

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What do you guys think? I think I'm gonna get it my next paycheck. I don't have any piano samples so this'll be a nice plus for me. I'm still not really technical with sample talk but I would like to hear what people have to say about it like if it's worth gettin or not, or noting some of the features it has.

I wouldn't get a piano library named after a popstar who probably really doesn't know that much about pianos. BURRRN haha... but no.. Hey, Art Vista Virtual Grand Piano is the most realistic piano library I've ever heard, ever! I would totally recommend that. It all comes down to if you listen to each library and one sounds better than the other to you, then go that way. Eh?

also i'mma get you them dialogues

[DarkeSword]

I wouldn't get a piano library named after a popstar who probably really doesn't know that much about pianos.

Alicia Keys plays the piano.

[zircon]

AK beat Synthogy Ivory, considered by many to be a gold standard of piano libraries, in a shootout on VI Control (ie. two unmarked demos posted, same material, users were asked to pick which they liked more.) The same test was done at Gearslutz, with the same result.

Alicia's Keys is definitely high quality.

[dannthr]

AK beat Synthogy Ivory, considered by many to be a gold standard of piano libraries, in a shootout on VI Control (ie. two unmarked demos posted, same material, users were asked to pick which they liked more.) The same test was done at Gearslutz, with the same result.

Alicia's Keys is definitely high quality.

Yeah, Alicia's Keys was developed by Scarbee, a rock solid sample library developer who has recently partnered with NI to port all their libraries (bass guitar and electric keys) to the Kontakt Player.

Alicia's Keys is sampled off of a custom built Yamaha Grand C-9 (very few of them around) and has a distinct sound to it.

If you like Yamaha C grands, go for it (I actually really don't like the Yamaha C grands, I always feel like their tone is real bright and catered toward pop and bright jazz music--but that's just my opinion--my girlfriend loves that crisp Yamaha C sound).

Alternatives to Alicia's Keys would be QL Pianos which has a sampled Yamaha C7 and Synthogy's Ivory Grand Pianos which has a sampled Yamaha C7 (the C7 to me sounds pretty similar to Alicia's C9--though there are variances--and both have that crisp, ear-popping tone that makes Yamaha grands perfect for pop/rock music where the piano has to really stand out in a loud setting).

All things being equal (and based purely on the demos), I would probably pick QL Pianos (personally), as I prefer their Yamaha C7 to both the Ivory and the Alicia's Keys.

But all things are not equal and I have many issues with PLAY.

Still, make no mistake, Scarbee is an EXCELLENT developer and frequently teams up with one of the worlds best Kontakt programmers (Nils Liberg) on his products. So, I wouldn't hesitate on this buy based on the name branding--just be clear that it's actually Alicia Keys' personal custom Yamaha C9 that is sampled.

[Jens Wulvik]

I have tried many different sampled pianos, including The Grand 2, Art Vista Virtual Piano and Synthogy Ivory. I have now recently got Alicias Keys, and for me it sounds like a true dream! I would describe the sound as being crisp, but not actually bright. It got a very full sound, with breathtaking detail. I recommend it!

[prophetik music]

I wouldn't get a piano library named after [alicia keys] who probably really doesn't know that much about pianos.

this might be worse than that time that garrett graves said,

Yeah intonation can really mess up your sound. Even the best guitars out there can sound outta tune with bad intonation.

funniest thing i've ever heard on these boards.

you know alicia keys was at columbia university for music before she dropped out for her 'songs in a minor' record contract, right? that she graduated prep school in three years? that she won like five or six grammy awards as a result of her first album? have you ever heard her play the piano? yeah, that's just a songwriter doing it for her. not like she's been writing songs since she was 14 or 15 or anything.

in other news, this sampleset is the best piano sampleset available now for anything that's not historically accurate classical works. it can do anything.

[Kanthos]

I've only heard the samples on NI's website, but Alicia's Keys sounds great. I just ordered the Classic Piano Collection this morning for live use, but the only reason I didn't get Alicia's Keys instead is because I want the variety of a few different pianos to choose from, and for the memory usage, I can fit the 3 grands and 1 upright from Classic Pianos into not that much more RAM than Alicia's Keys. I'll certainly end up getting Alicia's Keys as well in a month or two when I've got a bit more cash, and after I've played around with the Classic Pianos, probably end up replacing at least one of them for live use, unless I end up having the RAM to keep them all loaded. Alicia's Keys sounds incredibly realistic though, and I'd definitely recommend it as someone who needs great pianos as a key part of my sound.

(Though any sampled piano library will probably be a big improvement over the smallish Yamaha C7 samples loaded on my Nord Stage).