The Crow Hill Company has announced the release of a new virtual instrument that brings the historic sound and character of Steinway’s WWII Victory Vertical Piano.
Vertical Piano captures its stunning natural dynamics and timbres, and enhancing them with nostalgic tape delay and period-accurate speaker effects.
The Victory Vertical upright piano, hand-crafted by Steinway and air-dropped to US troops during WWII, brought music to difficult times. Crow Hill has had the honourable task of preserving a recently refurbished original Victory Vertical. One of only a handful around the world that aren’t stuck in glass display cabinets. Thanks to its generous owner, Russell Emanuel (CEO of Extreme Music/Bleeding Fingers).
The Vertical Piano goes beyond accurately portraying it’s one-of-a-kind sound, and features a host of advanced effects processes as well as a nod to the era. From modern cinematic mixes and signal processing to period-accurate modeled speakers, signals, and saturation-based effects. All of this wrapped-up in a beautiful and intuitive GUI designed by Prokopi Constantinou.
Over a week spent in Hans Zimmer’s private studio complex in Santa Monica, the Crow Hill team (Cam Minuti-Goold and Christian Henson) carried out a meticulous set of recordings with the aim of capturing this piano’s character born of its incredible story. Through vintage microphones Neve mic pre’s and a vintage Neve desk efforts have been painstakingly made to provide you with something that is both responsive and playable. Whilst also being inspiring and characterful.
Available for Windows and Mac (VST/VST3, AU and AAX), Vertical Piano is on sale for the intro price of £129 GBP until April 30th, 2024 (regular £169 GBP).
More information: The Crow Hill Company
