Fracture Sounds has released a virtual Steinway D concert grand piano instrument for Native Instruments Kontakt.
Designed with the modern film and TV composer in mind, Midnight Grand was recorded in a concert hall with a layer of cotton between the hammers and strings, to create a delicate, cinematic tone.
This is not ‘just another sampled Steinway’ – it is a carefully crafted virtual piano full of nuance and character, perfect for intimate drama and rich cinematic passages alike. As with all our products, Midnight Grand was developed with ease of use in mind, so you can jump straight in and start writing music. We are confident it will become a staple in many composers’ sample collections.
The instrument was recorded in a modern concert hall environment using a selection of top-shelf microphones (from DPA, Coles, AKG) placed close to the piano and further back in the room. We carefully blended these microphone signals into a single stereo mix. The result is a well balanced and versatile sound – spacious enough so as not to sound boxy or claustrophobic, yet dry enough to offer the flexibility of adding as much or little reverb as you like.
We recorded true pedal up and down samples, for authentic sympathetic resonance when the sustain pedal is held down. Some of our beta testers loved the sound of the pedal down samples so much that we decided to include an additional patch, ‘Midnight Piano (Alt).nki’ which uses only these samples. This patch has a rich, full sound even when the sustain pedal isn’t engaged.
Midnight Grand features
- Steinway D concert grand, prepared with a layer of cotton.
- Beautifully delicate, cinematic and nuanced sound.
- Recorded in a modern concert hall environment.
- 3 unique atmosphere layers.
- True pedal up and down samples, for authentic sympathetic resonance.
- Controllable key release, pedal, and room noise.
- Simple and user-friendly interface.
- 3.3GB download size (NCW compressed from a 6.6GB sample pool).
- Requires the full version of Kontakt 5.3 or above.
Midnight Grand is available at an introductory price of £49 GBP until January 28th, 2019 (regular £69 GBP). Prices ex. VAT where applicable.
More information: Fracture Sounds