They both sound similar. I own the VSL CFX and have just started testing and using it and like it. It is an vast improvement over the last generation smaller sampled piano libraries. Having more layers allows for more expressiveness in bringing out melodies. It also makes it easier to play. I use a Kawaii VPC1 88 note controller which imo feel most like a piano with its grand piano action in the VPC1. My only critical comments of both the CFX and Steinway are based upon the tuning problem and lack of sustain in the upper two octaves. I also hear the tuning issue with the Steinway especially in the lyrical sustained melodic playing of the first example played in this video (The Steinway seems to have a slightly better sustain in the upper register). The shorter notes are not as noticeable as to out of tune samples in the upper two octaves. I would say the tuning is a little better, but still not right, with the Steinway over the Yamaha CFX which I own. I would still recommend purchasing either as they are useable and most piano recordings are slightly out of tune so you could argue that the samples sound more real being slightly out of tune, However, I would prefer an in tune sample but I will take the best I can get and right now it seems to be from VSL.
I bought the D-274 I don’t regret the choice it’s all up to the players personal taste and preferences they both sound great I play classical and play higher intensity music far more often than soft and subtle so for me I prefer a brighter sharp tone the steinway still handles softer passages but it’s undeniable how smooth and articulate the CFX is for lower and medium velocity playing when compared to the 274 which is a lot brighter in tone at the same velocity so you have to play gentle or at least be mindful on the 274 so the notes don’t sound uneven with a bright note in the middle of a soft passage VSL is quite playable so it’s not too difficult to achieve I had to adjust the velocity curve on the bottom end for my preset my midi controllers just a FP-30x so you’ll end up with ghost notes at default otherwise it’s feel great to play both are an excellent option especially if you practice on a real grand or upright the sound of any market digital piano leaves a lot to be desired
I have to say, this piece chosen was no help to decide anything between these 2 although I appreciate the person trying to help out to make a comparison.
Indeed very hard to choose Peter. I think the Steinway has a bit more depth and complexity of sound and the responsiveness seems a fraction better. But I enjoy the clarity of sound of the cfx, maybe in a way a more modern sound that sits well in a mix of popular music. I will probably use the cfx the most.
These two samples are really so close it's hard to choose between them. How much tweaking has been done to achieve this result? Usually sampled pianos have more unique characteristics... However both are absolutely fantastic! Was thinking of buying the Steinway..
Nice work! There's one very important distinction between piano vsts: Realism vs Playability. Pianoteq (mentioned below) is 200% playability, but if you listen to a recording made with Pianoteq, you'll notice that it's not very "high end". It just doesn't compare AT ALL to a professional recording of a Steinway, or Yamaha, or Bos. The VSL Synchron Steinway and Yamaha put a premium on REALISM. Unless you have a very, very fast computer, you'll notice that these samples aren't as easy to play as Pianoteq. The tradeoff is that you can make solo recordings with the Synchron VSTs that sound pretty close to many professional piano recordings. But even Synchron VSTS are a bit of a compromise. You don't get the highest realism possible, because (unlike chess software) computing power is still not quite there yet. The best example of what I mean is the somewhat controversial "Hans Zimmer" Steinway. Only 4 layers, I think. And poor pedaling. So almost useless as a practice piano, or for live playing: the samples for each note are so huge that many computers will struggle with a live performance employing only ONE microphone! So HZP may not work well in most live applications. But the realism is so impressive that the quality or "realism" of the vst meets or exceeds the quality of high-end solo piano recordings. Once personal computing power advances over the next few years, we'll get the best of both worlds: realism AND playability. No question about that.
John Grant I agree, it’s certainly more for studio work after you recorded the midi than live performance unless you have a 128 gb of ram with Xeon processor on stage.
Roro Bobo Super high RAM capacity isn't a factor here, it's RAM speed/latency if anything. And for the processor I would think clock speeds (high end i7/i9) would matter more than core count (Xeon) for live performance with a single VST. It's a good point though that, if you're not on a high end rig, it's good practice to track into your DAW with the low latency VST for feel, then apply the high end sound-quality-only VST in post. Assuming the low latency piano is dynamic and realistic enough so as to not otherwise hurt your performance. Pianoteq seems to fit that.
AvengingEnder My friend has the complete collection since he works for ILIO the distributor for VSO. He has an 4.0 ghz I7 64 gb of ram IMac to run it. It sometimes still can’t handle it. He told me xeons can run it because there’s so many different samples to access to make the nuances in sound and when you have so many cores pulling up all the sounds it helps. Speed of course does matter too, I9s might be able to on a beefy computer, but I heard they even have trouble.
@@rorobobo8401 Hmmmm, yeah I suppose that might help. If that's true then it's nuts how bleeding edge those Synchron pianos are. I've never had any high end music software even crack 20% on my 8700K. But I'm not an expert on core count vs virtual instruments. I don't have these Synchron pianos currently, was heavily considering buying them on sale right now but I think I'm gonna wait on it (for other reasons).
The decca tree with no body or sympathetic resonance really makes the CFX sound like a tin-box compared to what I hear with my own copy with a fuller mix and body plus resonance.
For now, I prefer the sound of the Yamaha, the Steinway is too bright for my taste. What I love the most about VSL is the customization features. After some days of tweaking the 30-day trial, I have made a velocity curve adjustment (I use a Yamaha U3SH2 piano) and you can almost achieve the same tone and feel of the acoustic piano itself. And I haven't even started 'balancing' the volume for the different parts of the keyboard under "edit" option (which is awesome)...I feel there is no limit for customization. This is phenomenal.
i have a lovely Garritan Steinway (NY) from 2012 and wish someone could compare it...but it doesn't run on newer Max OS 😔...i use it in my electronic music tracks
They both sound similar. I own the VSL CFX and have just started testing and using it and like it. It is an vast improvement over the last generation smaller sampled piano libraries. Having more layers allows for more expressiveness in bringing out melodies. It also makes it easier to play. I use a Kawaii VPC1 88 note controller which imo feel most like a piano with its grand piano action in the VPC1. My only critical comments of both the CFX and Steinway are based upon the tuning problem and lack of sustain in the upper two octaves. I also hear the tuning issue with the Steinway especially in the lyrical sustained melodic playing of the first example played in this video (The Steinway seems to have a slightly better sustain in the upper register). The shorter notes are not as noticeable as to out of tune samples in the upper two octaves. I would say the tuning is a little better, but still not right, with the Steinway over the Yamaha CFX which I own. I would still recommend purchasing either as they are useable and most piano recordings are slightly out of tune so you could argue that the samples sound more real being slightly out of tune, However, I would prefer an in tune sample but I will take the best I can get and right now it seems to be from VSL.
I bought the D-274 I don’t regret the choice it’s all up to the players personal taste and preferences they both sound great I play classical and play higher intensity music far more often than soft and subtle so for me I prefer a brighter sharp tone the steinway still handles softer passages but it’s undeniable how smooth and articulate the CFX is for lower and medium velocity playing when compared to the 274 which is a lot brighter in tone at the same velocity so you have to play gentle or at least be mindful on the 274 so the notes don’t sound uneven with a bright note in the middle of a soft passage VSL is quite playable so it’s not too difficult to achieve I had to adjust the velocity curve on the bottom end for my preset my midi controllers just a FP-30x so you’ll end up with ghost notes at default otherwise it’s feel great to play both are an excellent option especially if you practice on a real grand or upright the sound of any market digital piano leaves a lot to be desired
I prefer the CFX. A bit more character. I go for articulation and it's crisp in the CFX. Both are very good for what they are.
i tried the VSL Bosendorfer Imperial and it has a lot of pedal voice when the song uses pedal (moonlight sonata)
I have to say, this piece chosen was no help to decide anything between these 2 although I appreciate the person trying to help out to make a comparison.
Indeed very hard to choose Peter. I think the Steinway has a bit more depth and complexity of sound and the responsiveness seems a fraction better. But I enjoy the clarity of sound of the cfx, maybe in a way a more modern sound that sits well in a mix of popular music. I will probably use the cfx the most.
Hard to choose. I think I prefer the CFX. Which do you prefer, Rik?
These two samples are really so close it's hard to choose between them. How much tweaking has been done to achieve this result? Usually sampled pianos have more unique characteristics... However both are absolutely fantastic! Was thinking of buying the Steinway..
Nice work! There's one very important distinction between piano vsts: Realism vs Playability. Pianoteq (mentioned below) is 200% playability, but if you listen to a recording made with Pianoteq, you'll notice that it's not very "high end". It just doesn't compare AT ALL to a professional recording of a Steinway, or Yamaha, or Bos.
The VSL Synchron Steinway and Yamaha put a premium on REALISM. Unless you have a very, very fast computer, you'll notice that these samples aren't as easy to play as Pianoteq. The tradeoff is that you can make solo recordings with the Synchron VSTs that sound pretty close to many professional piano recordings.
But even Synchron VSTS are a bit of a compromise. You don't get the highest realism possible, because (unlike chess software) computing power is still not quite there yet. The best example of what I mean is the somewhat controversial "Hans Zimmer" Steinway. Only 4 layers, I think. And poor pedaling. So almost useless as a practice piano, or for live playing: the samples for each note are so huge that many computers will struggle with a live performance employing only ONE microphone! So HZP may not work well in most live applications.
But the realism is so impressive that the quality or "realism" of the vst meets or exceeds the quality of high-end solo piano recordings.
Once personal computing power advances over the next few years, we'll get the best of both worlds: realism AND playability. No question about that.
John Grant I agree, it’s certainly more for studio work after you recorded the midi than live performance unless you have a 128 gb of ram with Xeon processor on stage.
Roro Bobo Super high RAM capacity isn't a factor here, it's RAM speed/latency if anything. And for the processor I would think clock speeds (high end i7/i9) would matter more than core count (Xeon) for live performance with a single VST.
It's a good point though that, if you're not on a high end rig, it's good practice to track into your DAW with the low latency VST for feel, then apply the high end sound-quality-only VST in post. Assuming the low latency piano is dynamic and realistic enough so as to not otherwise hurt your performance. Pianoteq seems to fit that.
AvengingEnder My friend has the complete collection since he works for ILIO the distributor for VSO. He has an 4.0 ghz I7 64 gb of ram IMac to run it. It sometimes still can’t handle it. He told me xeons can run it because there’s so many different samples to access to make the nuances in sound and when you have so many cores pulling up all the sounds it helps. Speed of course does matter too, I9s might be able to on a beefy computer, but I heard they even have trouble.
@@rorobobo8401 Hmmmm, yeah I suppose that might help. If that's true then it's nuts how bleeding edge those Synchron pianos are. I've never had any high end music software even crack 20% on my 8700K. But I'm not an expert on core count vs virtual instruments. I don't have these Synchron pianos currently, was heavily considering buying them on sale right now but I think I'm gonna wait on it (for other reasons).
AvengingEnder ya it’s definitely the most memory intensive vst I’ve ever seen and used.
The decca tree with no body or sympathetic resonance really makes the CFX sound like a tin-box compared to what I hear with my own copy with a fuller mix and body plus resonance.
For now, I prefer the sound of the Yamaha, the Steinway is too bright for my taste. What I love the most about VSL is the customization features. After some days of tweaking the 30-day trial, I have made a velocity curve adjustment (I use a Yamaha U3SH2 piano) and you can almost achieve the same tone and feel of the acoustic piano itself. And I haven't even started 'balancing' the volume for the different parts of the keyboard under "edit" option (which is awesome)...I feel there is no limit for customization. This is phenomenal.
Hi Carl, there was no tweaking of the sound at all. What you hear is “out of the box”.
What controller was used for these performances??
@@sallywebber6579 Hi Sally, I used Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol S88 MK2.
@@rikbergman thank you
Hello Friend! If I send you a MIDI file, could you render it using Steinway D?
i have a lovely Garritan Steinway (NY) from 2012 and wish someone could compare it...but it doesn't run on newer Max OS 😔...i use it in my electronic music tracks
steinway d
Hi Sample Line, I can render your midi file but I don’t want to post my email adress here. If you post yours, I will contact you.