Seven Seas Grand Giveaway

[Worra]

http://www.sampletekk.com/prodimages/7CGBig.jpg

The Seven Seas Grand, 7CG, sets new standards when it comes to sampled pianos.
Recorded close, for details, nuances and contour, using vintage Neumann tube microphones for warmth, is what gives 7CG it's unique character.

A piano is one of the most dynamic instruments there is. This is why a piano can be used in so many different musical genres. It has such a dynamic range!
The only way to capture that range in a natural way is to record extremely many velocity samples. From the softest pianissimo, to the fiercest forte, and all in between.
7CG has no less then 93 samples/recorded note! That's 31 pedal up, 31 pedal down and 31 release samples. This is something that totally unique for SampleTekk and this is what makes 7CG breathe!

Listen to these demos (these demos replaces the ones posted elsewhere before):

7CG Demo 1 (http://www.sampletekk.com/proddemos/7CG/Triana7CG.mp3)
7CG Demo 2 (Christmas Time is Here - performed by Sue Keller) (http://www.sampletekk.com/proddemos/7CG/Christmas7CG.mp3)
7CG Demo 3 (http://www.sampletekk.com/proddemos/7CG/Rose7CG.mp3)
7CG Demo 4 (http://www.sampletekk.com/proddemos/7CG/Lune7CG.mp3)
7CG Demo 5 (http://www.sampletekk.com/proddemos/7CG/Rach7CG.mp3)
7CG Demo 6 (Stella by Starlight - performed by Richard Krull) (http://www.sampletekk.com/proddemos/7CG/Stella7CG.mp3)
7CG Demo 7 (http://www.sampletekk.com/proddemos/7CG/Adagio7CG.mp3)
7CG Demo 8 (http://www.sampletekk.com/proddemos/7CG/Chopin7CG.mp3)

All demos where made using 7CG and nothing else, no effects, no nothing. Impulses are recorded to be used with convoluting reverb, but on these demos it's the samples, pure and easy!

The 7CG will be released the 1:st of June. From May 15:th you will be able to buy 7CG at a special pre-release price.
Normal price will be $199 and the special pre-release price will be $119
There will be a bundle with 7CG and TBO, TB2, which will sell for $318
Upgrades for registered TBO users will be available for $119

Up until May the 15:th you can participate in a 7CG giveaway! We will draw three winners that will get a copy of the 7CG each. To enter, just post a reply here, letting me know what you think of the 7CG, say hello or do a limerick!

[Laurent]

That's generous !

A limerick... huug... :o

Why not a song ? ...Hum, for that I would need the piano first...:D

Good luck for this new baby !

[freeccm]

Wow.... After TBO released, I really like the Yamaha Grand Sounds... (I have some Yamaha Grand Piano Samples)


Thanks for making greatest piano samples..!!!

[sghoughton]

I'm now 1 piano behind a full sampltekk set of pianos again. This sounds beautiful. Can't wait to get it. I love TBO too in it's current form.

steve

[mr_es335]

Worra,

Hello!

At a time when I thought that the TBO! could not be undone, then along comes the "Seven Seas Grand"!

What those of us could do with the Black Grand series, with its various perspectives, we now have the opporutinity of doing wth the TBO! and the Seven Seas Grand!

Comparing the Stella by Starlight demos of TBO! and the Seven Seas Grand especially, we can immediately hear the warmth and distinctive characteristics of this great piano! I look forward to hearing it on the Chopin Ballad as well!

PS: I have spent many hours hearing the Stella By Starlight particular demo of the TBO! and to now hear it on the Seven Seas Grand is a true listening experience indeed!

Great job very, very well done, Worra!

Any piano serices like this that you do, you can be sure, that you can put me down for one. I look forward to receiving a opy of the Seven Seas Grand!

Dell

[Rob Elliott]

Worra,

Sounds good. Does the first demo have any added convolution ambience at all?


Rob

[Iplayjazz]

.............can't Wait To Sail The Seven Seas..................thanks Worra!

[amyhughes]

Eh. It's okay. I could probably find a use for it. ;-)

Muah ha ha...gimme gimme gimme!

Amy like. Can't wait to play it, even if I have to pay for a copy...

[janila]

Are there any specific Kontakt 2 functions implemented?

How much memory will the full set need?

Can you tell us more about the piano you used?

[Malo]

Hi, Worra!

These demos sound great! I really like the dynamic range of the 7CG. It sounds equally good in quiet and stormfull passages - and those in between.

It also sounds good without any reverb. That's always a good sign!

Congratulations!

[fgrittner]

There once was a sampler named Worra.
Whose wave files reached a plethora.
We begged him “Oh please,
Make more layers for keys”
So 7CG is not less it is morra.


Fred Grittner

[mr_es335]

Worra,

Could you provide a sample of the Chopin Ballade as well! This is the one in Gm.

Thanx,

Dell

[zvenx]

I like the space of it.. I rarely like ambiant samples.......yeah yeah....just my taste. but this have a lil bit of it but not too much....as the goldilocks and three bears story goes "this one is just right"


by the way is there a special price for TBO users from may 15th? I notice the pre-release price is the same as the TBO users price...

thanks
rsp

[NothanUmber]

Normal price will be $199 and the special pre-release price will be $119
There will be a bundle with 7CG and TBO, TB2, which will sell for $318
Upgrades for registered TBO users will be available for $119

Hm, following that scheme a registered TBO user who buys the 7CG during the pre-release period has to pay $71... shouldresisttobuyyetanotherpianolib... this one sounds tempting though...

NothanUmber

P.S.: I have a clear vision of the next SampleTeKK instruments to come: 7GG, 7DG, 8AG (at a premium price)... one simply has to have them all (at least if one wants to play Bach's chromatic Fantasy&Fugue) :D

[zvenx]

maybe today is my slow day :-),
but how did you get this:
"Hm, following that scheme a registered TBO user who buys the 7CG during the pre-release period has to pay $71... "


rsp

edit: ah you used percentages, is that in fact what he will do for us TBO users in the pre-buy?
rsp

[NothanUmber]

how did you get this:

The pre-sale discount is about 60% as well as the TBo-owner discount. Now if I apply both of them... but the question is whether Worra's personal cash-per-samplelib-calculator comes to the same results... ;)

NaN

[MindToAsk]

I never bought a SampleTekk piano before but man! this one is so tempting!
Even better than TBO. Just my kind of piano sound.
I only hope I can raise the money until June 1st.:eek:

Nice job Worra! You've outdone yourself! ;)

[Marcussen]

Sounds really good - judging by the demos I prefere this one over TBO which also sounds really nice...

Sweet...

[lallis]

Very promising demos, Worra! Could this be the one that jazz ballad players have been searching for?

I expect I'll have to buy it to find out, because I never win any contests.

[gigagagga]

Would love to a copy of the 7CG.

Sounds great by the way

giga...

[Allmoge]

"7CG- the world's largest sampled piano no 2". So, who is the biggest? :)

Nice beginning chords in the Rachmaninov prelude. Perhaps a bit too "damp" in some parts of Clair de Lune.

Which piano is 7CG? What differs from TBO? And how can I make room to fit all these big instruments...it's starting to feel like fitting the real instruments in i normal flat!

Good work!

Cheers,

Chris

[Nickie Fønshauge]

Sigh ... yet another instrument added to the wishlist. Does it never end? :(

The Seven Seas sounds like your finest to date - an achievement in itself :|:

Kudos! :)

[Worra]

Worra,

Sounds good. Does the first demo have any added convolution ambience at all?


Rob

No reverb, no effects, just the samples.

[seclusion]

There once was a man from mantuckit who's .......
Yes, just did the income tax and the wife was wondering what all the piano samples are for... Yes will we ever have enough?
Later
The BriGuy

[ed hamilton]

I own everything worra makes.

7C's is a must have. take my Credit card. keep it. and just send me whatever you make next.:D

[thesoundsmith]

The piano demo of Stella
is played by a musical fella,
Dynamics are great
and I just can't wait.
That 7CG is a hella!

[Markleford]

If it were truly the world's largest sampled piano, shouldn't it be at least an octave or two lower? ;)

- m

[wind]

yeah :p ;) :D :o :) :rolleyes: :cool: :p ;) :D

[Jaspo]

I once knew a flautist from Nantucket.

Oh wait ... might not be appropriate.

[sammy24]

hi, sounds great-- i think dasher definitely wins the limerick contest :) -- this piano really does seem to capture the dynamics of the instrument

thanks and congrats on the new library--

[Hermitage59]

I'm not a Kontakt user, so i'll simply say the best of luck with this Worra.

Alex.

:)

[Pingu]

There's a piano called 7CG,
Which I'd like to get for free,
So I'm writing this ditty,
Which may not be witty,
But might bag that piano for me.

Congrats Worra. The demos, yet again, sound great.

[PeterMR]

Pianists with a need for exactness,
Want a sampler whose work can extract this.
So Worra made layers
to respond to great players,
But what -I- need's not the piano...I need practice.

[matto]

Wow...Worra you've outdone yourself with this one! :eek:
I always liked the concept behind TBO but the sound itself was just too in-your-face and "wirey" for my taste and applications.
This sounds exquisite, and the dynamics are unmatched. Perhaps the finest allround sampled piano yet. :cool:

matto

[Worra]

I'm not a Kontakt user, so i'll simply say the best of luck with this Worra.

Alex.

:)

Thanks!

7CG will be in Gigastudio, Kontakt, HALion and EXS24 MkII format...:)

[karmacomposer]

This sounds really awesome - I could really use a great piano like this - especially since I missed the last group buy and work has been sparse lately.

A man named Karma was pleased
Composing instrumentals and songs with ease
But one thing was lacking
His brain he was wracking
It was the Piano called the Seven Seas

Hope you liked that.

Mike

[Worra]

Some have asked for a Chopin demo using 7CG, soooo, here yuo go:

7CG Demo 8 (http://www.sampletekk.com/proddemos/7CG/Chopin7CG.mp3)

No effects, no reverb, nothing but 7CG - straight out of the box!

Btw, someone pointed out that Queen has a song called "Seven Seas of Rye", Well, check out the passage about 2:39 into this! Then think the guitar riff that starts off "Death on two legs"..... pretty cool!

[thesoundsmith]

hi, sounds great-- i think dasher definitely wins the limerick contest :) Thanks, sammy - now if only that were the contest for the piano! :D

[thesoundsmith]

If it were truly the world's largest sampled piano, shouldn't it be at least an octave or two lower? ;)

- mPresenting... The Seven Seas Contra-Piano - Low note is A 6.375 Hz(6 octaves below middle C. Worra hole in the carpet trying to hear it... :D

[wes37]

Sounds great! How large is the library?

[soundcreations]

Count me in!
The demos sound very nice.

[Per K]

hey now!

listening to "stella" right now... nice

[Eldhrimnir]

Whoah...really impressive sound! This would fit perfectly with an upcoming
recording session with a young tori amos-style singer/piano player.
And a poor guy like myself who can neither afford nor fit,
a Concert Grand in my basement studio, would really benefit
from owning this one!

It's too late now for a witty limerick really ;) bed calls...

Nighty
/Daniel Beckman

[ddarwin7]

Very appropriate name for such a grand sounding instrument. Congratulations to the naming winners. I really enjoyed the warmth of this piano. All I can say is it sounds simply stunning. Job well done Worra.

Dd

[Worra]

Sounds great! How large is the library?

About 11Gb

[steff3]

The demos sound really impressively. Seems to be a great lib, nice tone. Sounds great in the different playing styles too. Really nice.

best,
Steff

[Fabio]

Listening to the demos, the sounds show equilibre and richness.

If they are also flexible to different requested ambience (e.g. chamber or orchestral mix) it is really a great tool.

[Ivan P]

Albeniz and Chopin are superb...clear, über mellow, you can feel the piano at your tips...

count me in as well :)

Iván

PS: Will you also be releasing a smaller version ?

[Johannes]

Hi,
still another grand piano - but sounding so nice... :) and real :eek:.
Big temptation!


Regards,
Johannes

[kotori]

Great demos! Very promising.
Worra, what will the pre-release upgrade price be for registered TBO users?

Nils

[Pingu]

There once was a young man from Sweden,
Whose samples give me the freedom
To write fugues on the plane
And gigues on the train
Just wherever my mouse may lead 'em.

[vic_france]

Yet another one that's going to be hard to resist! :)

[Dis]

Worra: Great! But how did you determine "reality-like" release time of the samples, so it sounds even dry so real?

[Worra]

Worra: Great! But how did you determine "reality-like" release time of the samples, so it sounds even dry so real?

Some secret is how the releasesamples are edited but big thing is that you have so many (31/recorded note) and that they are matched against the sustained notes.

[fizbin]

Sounds fantastic Worra! More hard drives for everyone!
Jay

[mr_es335]

Worra,

Here are a few,

There was a piano, called TBO!
The biggest, the best, it stole the show.
Then along came another, just like the big brother,
More mellow and warm, like no other!
~
This was a guy name Per,
Who took a C7 and where,
Did a little of this, and a little of that,
And made the TBO! C7 so phat!
~
This was a guy name Per,
Whose samples were created with care.
So happy are we, that we now have The Sevens Seas,
To play more muscically and free!

Enjoy! Looking forward to the new piano!

Dell

[Trace]

Wow those samples are a peach.
With my laptop I'd play them on the beach.
And although the price
is exceptionally nice
For me it is still out of reach!

Great stuff!;)

[Pingu]

Our Per and his hot samplist team,
Have brought us the ultimate dream
A piano that sounds
Like a million pounds
With a price tag that won't make you scream.

[seacave]

seven seas?
My, oh me.
I would sail away on those lovely keys.

:0)

[Hans Grubner]

A little german poem:


Pianophilie?

Seven seas so Grand
führten mich zum Rand
des Irrsinns. Doch ich kanns nicht ändern,
durch der Töne Wald zu schlendern.

Da kam der Wahnsinn um die Eck,
schuld daran
war Sampletekk!

Kaufte tausend Pianoforte,
geil wie feine Sahnetorte.
Ich will haben immer mehr,
Worra bringts, der Pianobär.

[ddarwin7]

After listening to the chopin demo like 5 times, I am again impressed with the sound of this piano. Looks like it can stand on its own as a solo piano, completely exposed. Great sound for classical works.

[Sr_Velasco]

Sorry, english is not my native language. Anyway...

This new Grand of many layers
Soon will reach the heaven
'Cause a group of many buyers
Can't afford a real C7

Good luck to everyone!!!

Cheers

[karmacomposer]

A bump for the sake of a bump like a slap in the back - C7 goodness is what I lack

Mike

[Mytheodos]

Hi worra! Superb sounding piano! Here's my limerick..



There once was a man named Worra
Who sampled a piano some morra
When his project was done
He had so much fun
Yelled "SEVEN SEA GRAND" in Euphoria!

Mytheodos.

[Bruce A. Richardson]

I loathe limericks. Haiku has more class and doesn't smell like stale beer.

Worra's pianos
Humbly and expertly made
Are simply the best.

Pianissimo
Neglected by so many
Is the holy grail

Why many layers?
One can always load fewer
Reverse logic fails.

In all seriousness, Per's piano libraries just continue to get more and more refined. There is no substitute for the results he is getting, in terms of not only expressiveness, but in the stability of imaging.

We will continue to see various modeled approaches evolving beautifully. Some are outstanding. But I don't believe history has indicated any devaluing of the discrete approach that Per has taken with the SampleTekk series. Just like people will still pay top dollar for a hand-soldered, top shelf piece of gear like Manley, et. al., there will also always be value in a huge discretely recorded library...because as compelling as other approaches are, they don't devalue the equally compelling result of a super-detailed snapshot like this.

It's great that in 2006 we essentially get to have our cake and eat it, too. A good time for musicians.

[ddarwin7]

I figured if Bruce can do it, then so can I

Ok, here we go, I don't even know what a limericks is, but I am going to make things rhyme. It may sound lame but its the best I can do.

Here's my poem to worra

I don't have to sail the seven seas
To finding something to please
My ears, as worra had done it again
And again and again, for my gain
I really love worra, but in no way am I gay
I think worra and sampletekk are here to stay
I really love the white grand and her sister too
The black grand also sounds amazing and so true
The big one and the small one and everything in between
Gives you choices from pop to rock to beethoven
Now worra has made it possible to sail the seven seas
Without ever leaving you room

Dd

[Tangram]

Sounds great!

/Mats

[Pingu]

I loathe limericks. Haiku has more class and doesn't smell like stale beer.



There once was a fella called Bruce,
Who just couldn't help being obtuse,
He'd argue that white
Was the colour of night
Before he'd write a common poem, with a rhyme scheme, and meter that scanned.

Come on Bruce, join in the low-brow fun...

But if we are going all high-brow, then how might Shakespeare have responded to this thread-

Shall I compare thee to a Yamaha grand?
Thou art more lyric and well-tempered.
Rough players do shake the real thing in their bands,
And strings from keys are dismembered.
Sometimes too hot the temperature may be,
And at others Yamaha complains it’s cool;
Or it may moan of high humidity,
And repeating action fails to work at all.
But thy eternal good tuning shall not fade,
Nor thy layers cease to be consistent,
Nor thy perfect decay alter one shade,
For thy programmers are so persistent.
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
I shall prefer thee, 7CG.

[higain_guitar]

Just when I think Worra has reached the pinnacle of perfection; he releases a new piano that raises the bar...amazing...

[lukpcn]

Sounds really cool. :n:

[NeoDavinci]

Hello Worra,
Nice demos!

[gigausr]

Hello! ;-)


Though this should have been sufficient to win one of the free versions ;-) ,
I'd like to add:
1. The demos sound very promising indeed.
2. I suppose, it will be available for GigaStudio 3?

Matt

[Worra]

Hello! ;-)


Though this should have been sufficient to win one of the free versions ;-) ,
I'd like to add:
1. The demos sound very promising indeed.
2. I suppose, it will be available for GigaStudio 3?

Matt

Yes, there will be a GS3 version. (and Kontakt, HALion and EXS24 MkII)

[andreas]

7CG sounds great! (as do all your other pianos)

Thanks for making such wonderful instruments!!

[Udo]

I went through 50 or so Viking Gods, from Aegir, ... Freyja, ... Gullvig, ... Hod, ... Kvasir, ... Loki, ... Odin/Woden, .... Thor, all the way through to Vidar, Vili and Vor... but I couldn't find WORRA!

Anyway, the samples sound great!

As a side note, for your next piano project, may I suggest you consider a Stuart Piano. It has longer sustain, greater clarity and dynamic range than any other piano. It uses a unique device (agraffe) to couple strings to the soundboard, which causes them to vibrate in a more controlled manner. Vibrations remain even and vertical longer. It has an extended range of 97 keys and a 2nd soft pedal. They're made in Australia, stuartandsons.com. The site has demos, videos and a list of records. There are several Stuart pianos located in Europe, I believe. Of course, you could come to sunny Australia and combine it with a holiday :)

[pmwaring]

There is a young fella name Per
Who samples pianos with care
With 93 samples
Per note which is ample
And pricing that's terribly fair.

:)

[Duncan S.]

The demos sound great! Cheers for the contest, too. And, hey, just for the sake of it:

There once was a Swede from the 'Tek
Who gathered much stress in his neck
Making samples for pay
And sometimes give away
To a bunch of cheap blokes on the 'net

Ugh, think I'll stick to music from now on.

[berrevd]

Wow!!

This one's a beauty! I would love to play that one!
And lo and behold, here's a (almost too simple) contest to get it for free!! Waaw, I think I'm dreaming, or am I??

Anyway, nice way to get this beauty promoted.

Grtz

[dnata12]

Santa-Klaus must be confused this year or Worra knows him personally! Well, Santa-Worra I already cleaned my 300GB-room to give this new gorgeous piano a nice place! :D :D

[charl_charl]

Uhmmm...

Just passing by...

: )

[Jeff4h]

one of the best ive heard very nice Jeff

[K Lundquist]

Limericks, eh? uhmm... how about a joke about a 7 inch pianist? because a 12 inch is a tad optimistic :/

[Worra]

Updating site now with pre-release offer and 7CG stuff! When it's ready, I'll draw the lucky winners, still a couple of hours left though.....

[Mosquito]

Looks like you got a great product here judging from all those replies :D

[S-dahl]

Hello :cool:

Good luck!

[janila]

Can't bear the excitement. :p

[Worra]

Ok we have picked three lucky winners!
First of all I want to thank all poets, Limerick and Haiku makers! There has been some fantastic creative stuff here, and I hope that 7CG will be the fantastic and a creative tool it was ment to be.
The winners has been picked randomly, so there are no "artistical" aspects....

Ok, the winners are, (drumroll)............

lallis
thesoundsmith
Pingu

If the winners can contact me at per@sampletekk.com we can work out the details.
For all you others, the Seven Seas Grand are now out for a pre-release sale for only $119, save $80!
Check out www.sampletekk.com for details!

[kotori]

Finally! Maybe you should include these poems on the "what users have to say about our products"-page ;).
Congrats to the winners.
Worra, will there be any discount on TBO->7CG upgrades?

[Pingu]

Wow!!!! Thanks Worra. I'll email you in a minute, but I think public thanks are in order first! You truly are fantastic!!

[Worra]

Finally! Maybe you should include these poems on the "what users have to say about our products"-page ;).
Congrats to the winners.
Worra, will there be any discount on TBO->7CG upgrades?

He he, good idea!
The pre-release discount are $80 for everyone

[Worra]

Finally! Maybe you should include these poems on the "what users have to say about our products"-page ;).
Congrats to the winners.
Worra, will there be any discount on TBO->7CG upgrades?


Ah, what the heck:

If you are a registered TBO user, write "TBO7CG", (without the ""), in the coupon file while checking out, for an extra 10% discount. ONLY VALID FOR REGISTERED TBO USERS - Orders made with this code from non-TBO users will be non-valid

[sinkd]

Outstanding.. I'll get in on the pre release.
Yup.


DS

[mal7]

Ah, what the heck:

If you are a registered TBO user, write "TBO7CG", (without the ""), in the coupon file while checking out, for an extra 10% discount. ONLY VALID FOR REGISTERED TBO USERS - Orders made with this code from non-TBO users will be non-valid

Sounds good Worra :-) as I'm a registered user of TBO.

Will you be putting a downloadable 2 octave demo on your site?
Also how does this one differ from TBO?

Mal

[NothanUmber]

If you are a registered TBO user, write "TBO7CG", (without the ""), in the coupon file while checking out, for an extra 10% discount.

Thanks, nice move!

Listened to all the demos once again and I think that probably could be the mark how far one can get with a Yamaha, some good microphones, current sampler technology and today's computers. Wouldn't be surprised if that stays true even for more than a few months this time ;)

So what choice does one have...

NothanUmber

[MMcD]

Sounds great - nice companion for TBO I think.

[Worra]

Sounds good Worra :-) as I'm a registered user of TBO.

Will you be putting a downloadable 2 octave demo on your site?
Also how does this one differ from TBO?

Mal

Hi Mal.

The Yamaha was recorded using two different mic constellations. The TBO was recoded using a Neumann SM2 stereo microphone that was close to the hammers.
7CG was taken using a pair of Neumann U89 that was placed close, but not as close at the SM2.
There will be a 2 octave demo in a couple of days!

[mixolydian]

93 samples/recorded note? Huge work, isn't it? :)

Regards

[Worra]

93 samples/recorded note? Huge work, isn't it? :)

Regards

Ya bet! Took a while recording, took even longer editing +4000 samples....
But it was worth it. Since a grand piano is such a extremly dynamic instrument, that changes timbre from playing soft to hard, in my book, there's only one way to emulate that: By actually recording many velocity layers. Impossible to do this by hand, so we use a specially developed digital recording system that allow us to do this. (No, no mechanical arms....).

This way, we captured the dynamics in a sampled piano in a way that hasn't been done before, (well ok, TBO.....)

[hebjam]

Wow, sounds killer Worra. I have the White Sis and Vertikal but this takes the cake!!
Jamie