EastWest Unveils Quantum Leap Pianos Sample Library
EastWest has introduced Quantum Leap Pianos, a new library that was recorded with three user controllable microphone positions for each piano.
Every sample was recorded in a proper piano environment with vintage Neumann microphones, a vintage Neve 8078 console, and Meitner analog-to-digital converters. More than half a million dollars’ worth of pianos are included in this collection, including a $225,000 Bechstein D-280 Concert Grand, the same kind of piano engineer/producer Ken Scott used to record Elton John, David Bowie, and Supertramp. EastWest invited Scott to engineer the Bechstein’s close-mic’d recordings to provide users with a cutting, dynamic pop/rock piano sound, in addition to the variety of other piano sounds included in the collection. Other pianos featured in the library include a Steinway D Concert Grand, a Bösendorfer 290 Concert Grand, and a Yamaha C7.
The Quantum Leap Pianos library is packed with 270 GB of content at 24-bit/44.1k resolution, the largest and most detailed piano collection ever created. Using lossless compression, the instruments, if all installed, use 140 GB of hard disk space. The sample management system offers 50 percent more efficiency compared to other piano collections.
Users can install one, two, three or all four pianos on their computer’s hard drive. Three microphone positions are included per piano for maximum flexibility. Ten to 16 velocities are offered per note (and again in soft pedal, sustain pedal, and soft sustain) and every piano offers 16 distinct staccato velocities.
Repetition samples are taken from 180 BPM performances for a true repetition sound and are not simply an alternate take. The software detects true repetitions. Pedal resonance was recorded for every note at multiple velocities, as well as with the soft pedal down. Proprietary resonance was captured on the Bösendorfer. True multi-velocity soft pedal samples with and without sustain pedal are also included, as well as release samples with software envelope follower.
Articulations on each piano include: sustain; sustain pedal; soft pedal; soft pedal with sustain pedal; repetitions; repetitions with sustain pedal; staccato; pedal resonance; and release trails. Additional features include: stereo swap possible in software; mic position mixing in software; lid position simulation; articulation matrix for quick and straightforward loading; powerful streaming engine with (reportedly) the “highest polyphony counts”; and superior reverb impulses recorded by Prof. Keith O. Johnson and Nick Phoenix.
EastWest’s Quantum Leap Pianos costs $495 and will be available at the end of March 2007. More information on EastWest Quantum Leap Pianos.
