Matching the complexity and intricacy of concert grand piano (or any piano for that matter) in the box makes some hefty demands of a virtual instrument. Quite aside from the enormous technical challenge of bringing a virtual piano into fruition, developers mustn’t forget that ultimately these instruments will be judged not only on their sounds, but also how useable and playable they are. The best of these possess a magic combo that gets it right at the source, combined with an approachable GUI for musicians to settle into.

IK Multimedia Pianoverse

IK Multimedia have announced Pianoverse, expanding their virtual instrument knowhow into a new voice for composers. This standalone and plugin instrument boasts a series of pianos that set out to deliver concert and cinema-grade instruments with inspiring sounds and cinematic treatments.

The first pianos available are based on a Yamaha CFIII Concert Grand, a Yamaha U5 Professional Upright, a Bösendorfer 280 Vienna Concert and a Steinway & Sons New York D-274 with more coming soon. These will feature models based on a Bösendorfer 200, a Steinway & Sons Hamburg D-274, a Fazioli F278 and a Koch & Korselt Upright. The NY Grand S274 and Black Diamond B280 have just been added.

Central to each instrument’s success is its hand-tuned preparation by a master tuner. The instrument is then sampled using multiple microphone setups and IK's custom-built robotic system. IK Multimedia have also given Pianoverse a new sample playback engine that uses redesigned round robin playback, voice management and other techniques to deliver what they call a seamlessly authentic experience.

In the video we take a tour of Pianoverse to explore its sounds. We show how the instrument’s layout follows the familiar IK family look, with clean, tabbed navigation. After we have sampled a few of the onboard processors and spaces we show how the studio isn’t the only place where Pianoverse will be at home…

Pianoverse is not alone in its mission to bring a good-sounding usable VI to in the box composers. The thing that does set it apart are some of its unique Spaces and Effects that are just as attuned to designing sounds as they are to recreating existing piano and room combinations.

It also strikes a good balance between control and simplicity with, for example just two well-chosen mic perspectives. This helps keep its size down and makes it all the more immediate. Its lack of MIDI will also be a bonus to those who already have that covered. Certainly Pianoverse is small where it needs to be with potential to grow for anyone who wants a good balance of sounds and ease.

Pricing and Availability

Pianoverse is available now as individual pianos from the IK Multimedia online store and from IK authorised dealers worldwide at a special introductory price of $/€99.99 (instead of $/€129.99) per piano.

All-access monthly and yearly plans are also available starting at $/€14.99/month or $/€149.99/year giving access to current and newly released pianos without limitation.