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The Bechstein D-280 Platinum Black Friday deal from EastWest Sounds takes 55% off, which puts this sampled concert grand at $44 until Jan 17, 2027.
The maker says the Bechstein 280 is the clear winner for detail and note separation among the pianos in its Pianos line.
Where the other instruments in that line go for a larger-than-life acoustic sound, this one aims for precise harmonic separation between every note.
EastWest describes each note as slightly thinner than on the other pianos in the series. The idea is that you can play complex passages and still pick out every individual note, however big the chord stacks get.
Recording took place in a dedicated piano space, using classic Neumann mics, Meitner analog-to-digital converters and an 8078 Neve desk from the vintage era.
In the software, you can mix mic positions, swap the stereo image and simulate lid position.
Each piano in the series comes with eight articulations:
Sustain and sustain with pedal are sampled at 10 to 18 velocities per note. Repetitions and repetitions with pedal get 8 to 12 velocities per note, and the soft pedal articulations get 5 to 8. Staccato is sampled at 16 velocities on every piano.
The repetition samples come from performances played at 180 BPM. The maker says this gives a true repetition sound rather than an alternate take, and the software detects true repetitions when you play them.
Pedal resonance was recorded for every note at multiple velocities, and also with the soft pedal down. Release samples run through a software envelope follower, so the tail follows how you let go of the key.
An articulation matrix handles loading, so you can pull up the articulations you need quickly. EastWest calls the streaming engine the most powerful available, with the highest polyphony counts, which matters when you hold the sustain pedal through dense chord work.
Yes. The Bechstein D-280 Platinum Black Friday deal takes 55% off, leaving it at $44 until Jan 17, 2027.
There are eight: sustain, sustain with pedal, repetitions, repetitions with pedal, soft pedal, soft pedal with sustain pedal, staccato and release trails. An articulation matrix lets you load them quickly.
It was recorded in a proper piano environment using vintage Neumann microphones, Meitner AD converters and a vintage 8078 Neve console. Software options include mic position mixing, stereo swap and lid position simulation.
Repetition samples come from 180 BPM performances, and the software detects true repetitions. Pedal resonance was recorded for every note at multiple velocities, plus with the soft pedal down.
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