[CAUT] Compare, contrast, critique, anyone?

[Kent Swafford]

Decades ago Rachmaninov recorded his arrangement of Flight of the  
Bumblebee on a reproducer. Years ago Wayne Stahnke converted the roll  
and others for a Telarc CD, Window in Time. As a part of promoting the  
project, the Flight of the Bumblebee was distributed on the internet  
as a Disklavier file. The files I sent are made from this Rachmaninov  
performance; the tempo is correct, or at least agrees with the CD. The  
CD track is at the following link:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00150I7HM/ref=dm_mu_dp_trk3

So, the 3 MP3 files that I sent are all of the same Rachmaninov  
performance, each playing a different software piano.

bbgs  =  Garritan Steinway Virtual Grand, samples of a Steinway D  
prepared with the cooperation and active participation of Steinway.

bbig  =  Synthogy Ivory Italian Grand, samples of a 10' Fazioli

bbpt  =  Modartt Pianoteq 2, modeled piano, no real piano involved

These software pianos, in the hands of real recording engineers, are  
the state of the art in digital pianos.

Those who are accustomed to listening to software pianos can usually  
spot them when they hear them. There is something not quite right when  
a software piano tries to play the sound of an already-vibrating  
string being struck again by a hammer; this is quite noticeable in  
fast repeated notes, and IMO this is why this performance might not  
have sounded "real".

That said, these software pianos are quite good and are very playable  
in that they respond well to dynamics.

As is clear from everyone's comments, these software pianos also have  
difficulty maintaining correct timbre and balance through the scale  
and through the dynamic range. I thought that the high treble of the  
Pianoteq would be a dead giveaway -- not a real piano. I guess even  
pianos have a relatively large range of timbres that may be recognized  
as _piano_.

Thanks everyone. Listen again and say what you think _now_, if you like.


Kent




On Jun 5, 2008, at 9:25 PM, Kent Swafford wrote:

> Anyone care to listen to 3 Flights of the Bumblebee, and say what  
> you think of each?
>
>
> http://www.kentswafford.com/mp3/bbgs.mp3
>
> http://www.kentswafford.com/mp3/bbig.mp3
>
> http://www.kentswafford.com/mp3/bbpt.mp3
>
>
>
>
>
> Kent
>