First Steinway Demos Now Posted

[Garritan]

We have posted the first of our Authorized Steinway Virtual Concert Grand demos.


Here is the link:

http://garritan.com/steinway_demos.html (http://garritan.com/steinway_demos.html)

We expect this to be our most popular product yet. Like our other products, this list willl grow to many hundreds of demos. These initial demos were intentionally made by working musicians with no external audio treatment. We purposely did not have these professionally produced so you can hear the Virtual Steinway in a variety of real world uses - from live play in Standalone, to sequencer to notation programs. We tried to show a variety of versions and perspectives. Demos from Steinway Artists are also in the works.

Many thanks to Dan Kury (DPDan), David Sosnowski, (etLux), Thomas Penders, David Tkaczuk and Bill DeWitt (valhalx) for doing such an amazing job on these demos. And a big bravo to Steinway & Sons and to David Viens and the team at Plogue for making this possible.

Enjoy!

Gary Garritan

[Garritan]

Here's the first demo on the page:

The Scherzo No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 31 (http://www.garritan.com/Steinway/demos/Dan_Kury-Chopin_Scherzo_Op31.mp3)
Composed by Frederic Chopin
Sequenced byDan Kury
Version: Professional/Classic Perspective
The Scherzo No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 31 is Frederic Chopin's most famous scherzo. This work is very popular among pianists and features energetic, strong chords contrasted with light and playful sections. Dan Kury meticulously sequenced this scherzo and modeled it after a Yundi Li interpretation.

[Michael_uk]

Hello Gary,

My heartiest congratulations.

Whilst I am not a fan of the Steinway piano (I'm careful of my wording here) this is a magnificent achievement.

Now that you have launched this library and am now able to focus attention on your remaining projects I'm looking forward to more libraries using your new ARIA player.

[Garritan]

And the Second:

Images Oubliees No. 1 (http://www.garritan.com/Steinway/demos/David_Tkaczuk-Debussy_Images.mp3) (Reflections in the Water)
Composed by Claude Debussy
Performed by David Tkaczuk
Standalone Mode using Record to Audio
Version: Basic

Reflections in the Water ( Reflets dans l'eau) is one of the Debussy's well-known water pieces which the composer imagined pebbles dropping into the water and seeing the ripples make concentric circles. With this piece, pianist David Tzaczuk shows the tone color potential of the Steinway Basic version in Standalone mode, played live using the Record to Audio feature. Please note this is the $99 basic version.

[englishgent]

Magnificent.

[RobertTewes]

The demos sound fantastic. I look forward to adding this instrument to my arsenal! :D
Congratulations on its release!

[RichR]

WOW!
These are amazing performances on what is going to be a standard that will be hard to beat. My hats off to the Garritan team on this one!


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I am in awe of the sound and the technique of the players and composers. I know some of these are not played live but I could not tell you which!

Also, think about it... we are hearing these in mp3 format. They are compressed. Can you imagine on a good studio sound card and system coming through at full non-compressed quality what these would sound like!

Thanks Gary and all the guys for this!

[Styxx]

Holy Ivory Batman! All I had to hear was the first chord! Yup! That's the unique sound of a Steinway and played perfectly to boot! Gary, I am sure you out did yourself for now. What I mean by "for now" is that you will be up to something just as pronominal soon.
Congratulations to Gary Garritan, Steinway & Son's, and all who had a hand in this totally stupendous library!
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Ok, Mine ... I have to have MINE!

[Styxx]

Where's Clair de Lune byDebussy? :) Someone has to render my favorite piano piece with the Steinway, yes? :)

The demos are fantastic! Wow doesn't do justice. This is ridiculousl real as real sounding can be! Way to go! )(~)(~)(~)(~)(~)(~)(~)(~)(~)(~

[football]

Any Pop style demos on the way?

[Houston Haynes]

Spec-freaking-tacular...

)(~

[Styxx]

I can't wait to read all the comparisons and controversies of real vs GSteinway and or other piano libraries. This is going to lift a lot of eyebrows.

Would also love to hear the demos played back on various monitors and play back systems. However, even through the inexpensive monitors I have the demos sound awesome and real. Attending 7 years in college studying music and exposed to nothing but Steinway's, the sound of this product is spot on. I'll have to visit my buddy who is the only person I know that has a Baby Grand Steinway in his home and hear his response to the demos.

Nice work Gary!

[danpowers]

I'll have to play these for my wife when she comes home. She's a Steinway girl from way back, and I have a feeling that she'll force me to order this right away, even though the budget isn't ready for it just yet!

[LouisD]

I listened to all the demos and it is a beautiful instrument. Congratulations Gary with this new Steinway.)(~

I have to now convince my wife that I really really NEED it for my next piano concerto so I can have $200 to buy it:D:D:D

[Davidart]

Congratulations Gary. )(~ Thanks for posting the demos.:)

I've also listened to the GSteinway demos. I've listened to many digital piano demo mp3's. So far i prefer Gary's Steinway.)(~

Unfortunately Time+Space don't have it yet.

How can 67 GB fit on 5 DVD's? :wow:

[nikolas]

Ok!

Time for questions and asnwers from my behalf...

QUESTIONS
1. No student discount? I'm a full time PhD student... (still... yes... laugh all you want! I'm a 30 year old student). :D:D So? How about it? Please?
2. 5 DVDs and 67 GB. I'm ready to assume that the DVDs are dual layer, right? Or double sided, or whatever. So each DBD is around 9 GB. 9x5=45 GB... A bit of compression and you're there...

ANSWERS
1. I have Ivory and Pianoteq. I bought Ivory at first and pretty soon, once I got Pianoteq I simply stoped using it! I even deleted all the pianos, except the Steinway.

Now it's time to delete Ivory in all and start using the Garritan Steinway! There is absolutely no question that this is the best piano I've heard.

If we consider that the latest pianos out are 3.5 generation (3rd being Ivory and 4th being truepiano and pianoteq, as true modelled), then Steinway amongs the 3 to come out around this time (Galaxy II, QL Pianos and Garritan Steinway) is FIRST BY FAR!

In all honesty the minute I set foot back to London I should buy it! (the $400 and the price is fine, no probs at all really, even if I'm greedy enough to ask for student discount). But my computer (P4 2.8 GHz single core, 2 GB) won't be able to run this beast properly, so... better to wait I guess... After all a new computer is not THAT far away... 'tis my hope that is...

_____________

Gary and everybody involved. Thank you for this wonderful insturment!

[Styxx]

I have a feeling we're going to be blanketed by tons of pianie music. ;)

[Skysaw]

I wonder if we'll need a new Steinway-only listening room?

[Giorgio Tommasini]

A nice piano evening. I'm enjoying these stunning demos. The instrument sounds excellent. The Steinway has been properly captured. Whoever did this wonderful job, my congratulations. :)

Sincerely,

Giorgio

[Rhap2]

An absolutely marvelous instrument, Gary. Congratulations on a project that will live in infamy for a long time.

My hat is off to all that contributed and especially to DPDan. As an audio engineer that DOESN'T play the piano professionionally, I can't help but believe that "extra forces" were at play while he was preparing his contribution.

Dan's recordings are priceless. The tone, tempi, phrasing, and dynamics are awesome. Thank you DPDan for your talent (I know you are thanking someone else). I haven't heard such great piano mock-ups in all my life.

Congratulations to David Sosnowski, David Traczuk, Bill Jones, Valhalx and Tom Penders. As a pianist, I am very impressed.

[germancomponist]

Oh what a great sound! )(~)(~)(~

[DDW]

Absolutely awesome instrument! And you demo guys did a fantastic job! I don't have the keyboard chops to write anything that demands such a spectacular piano, but now I may just have to try.

Danny