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Samples » Kontakt
BigCat Piano Collection Version 2 KONTAKT screenshot
free | 25/08/2014 | 2.7 GB
Its time to update the Piano Collection. The biggest addition is the Summer Piano recorded from a Yamaha Disklavier Pro with over 800 samples including true sustain samples. Also new to the collection are three lightly sampled acoustic pianos including an Upright and a Fazioli and several Electric Pianos.
The pianos from the first collection have had the NI Piano Pedal Script added to emulated the sustain pedal correctly. A few mistakes have also been corrected.
Thanks to Dave aka Dathyr1 and FrozenJazz for finding many errors for me.

--The BIG Four
Along with the Maestro Grand and the Piano in 162, these are the most fully sampled and best sounding free pianos available for Kontakt.

--Summer Piano with no Release Samples - Yamaha Disklavier Pro
--Summer Piano with Release Samples - Yamaha Disklavier Pro
The Summer Piano has actual sustain samples, so using the sustain pedal should (hopefully) sound very close to what it sounds like on a real piano. It is sampled every third note with roughly 12 to 16 velocity layers for both sustain and non-sustain. The sharp ringing Yamaha sound makes it good for cutting through a pop soundtrack.
The OLPC Project has 8.5 gigs of Creative Commons instruments. Dr. Mikhail Krishtal and Zenph Studios recorded well over a 1000 samples of a Yamaha Disklavier Pro including both sustain and non-sustain versions of each note in roughly 12 to 16 velocity layers. I added in the release samples from the Salamander Piano, also a Yamaha, into the piano. you can try it with or without my grafted on release samples. They also have Staccato and when I'm less lazy I'll add those in too.

--The Salamander Piano - Yamaha C5
One of the most famous free pianos, this Yamaha is sampled in minor thirds from the lowest A with 16 velocity layers. At just a shade under a Gig in size there are a lot of stereo samples and it shows with a good tone and one of the smoothest velocity curves in a free piano.
I've done some correcting on the Salamander. The velocity faded too sharply before and there was a problem with the release samples. These issues have been fixed and the Piano Pedal Script added.

--The City Piano Joe's Version - Baldwin Grand, Warm and Dirty
--The City Piano Vospi's Version - Baldwin Grand, Clean and Crisp
Every note is sampled in four velocity layers with per note release samples. I know because I did it myself. Baldwin pianos pop up in homes and churches all over the place, but are rarely sampled because they aren't a prestige brand.
Joe's version is the one I came up with after lots of help from the folks at KVR. It is warm and a bit dirty and sounds pretty analogue for a digital piano.
Vospi's version is a cleaned up version of the Clean Version that Jeff from Critical Vibrations created. How's that for confusing! It is much cleaner and crisper as the you can probably guess.
To me the two sound different enough that you might give each a try.
A bad note was fixed and the Piano Pedals script added.

--The Iowa Piano - Steinway
Public Domain License created from University of Iowa Musical Instrument Samples.
A solid Steinway in under 200 megs. The Iowa has almost every note sampled in three velocity layers. The only real negative is that the tuning is slightly off and can jump a bit between velocity layers. My EDM friends over at Reddit really fell in love with this piano, so I suspect it works well for that genre.

--the little three
While taking up only 25 to 50 megs each, these three pianos each have a pleasant and distinctive sound. They include a Fazioli and an Upright, both rare in the free instrument world.

--Skerratt London Upright Piano
This piano is lightly sampled with only one velocity layer but with that distinctive upright sitting around the house sound. It sounds slightly unlike any other digital piano. It also has very long samples that work nicely to emulate sustain using the NI Piano Pedals Script.
KungKrill sampled his parent's Skerratt London Upright Piano. He says "You are allowed to do whatever you want with the samples." So I suppose it is Public Domain, through crediting KungKrill would be polite.

--The Musyng Kite Acoustic Grand - Fazioli
Created by Sarcyan for his Musyng Kite soundfont, this is another rarely found piano. This time it is an Italian Fazioli. The company only produces about 125 pianos a year. Sampled every third note (except for the very ends) and in five velocity layers, the piano has a small footprint but a rich sound.
The velocity response is now more corrector and it uses the NI Piano Pedal Script for sustain.

--Sonatina Grand Piano
"Licensing - SSO is a free (as in speech, and beer) library released under the Creative Commons Sampling Plus 1.0 license." Created by Mattias Westlund.
This piano has an interesting resonance. I have no idea who manufactured it or where the samples came from. It is sampled every third note and has two velocity layers. It's main fault is that the notes are just too short.

The Specialty Pianos

--The Whisper
This Intimate Piano is derived from the softest layers of the City Piano and is Public Domain. A bad note has been fixed and the Piano Pedal Script added.
Black Winny on Soundcloud said "The nightly ambiance of the most quiet parisian cabarets in 1910 at Montmartre... Lovely! I adore!" Which sums up the sound better than I ever could. Thank you!

--Shoot the Piano
A Honky-Tonk Piano also derived from the City Piano and Public Domain. It basically uses samples mistuned by 5 cents both up and down to simulate the tinny sound of the classic barroom piano.

--A Prepared Piano
This piano has true sustain samples which the addition of the Piano Pedals script should enhance.
Kurt James Werner sampled a prepared piano on the CCRMA stage at Stanford and kindly shared them.

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comments

  Resident 7.01.2008 1274
+338
Our very greatest thanks for these great instruments and your expensive/consuming work for it.

Nothing is of course ...
and I hope that the" generation of all the free" and the musicians community duly appreciate this.
only-idiots-wear-fur
STOP torturing intelligent animals to raise fur .
Finaly punish fur 'breeders'
  Resident 21.06.2013 599
+228
Yes, I second that.
  Member 4.06.2014 41
+1
Yeah man! Much Thanks!

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