Ivory II Grand Pianos

The world’s most popular virtual grand piano collection just got better with the creation of Ivory II Grand Pianos. Featuring a greatly expanded sound set with nearly double the velocity layers, and the powerful, new Ivory II piano DSP engine with Harmonic Resonance Modeling for true Sympathetic String Vibration, Ivory II Grand Pianos soars at the highest possible levels of sampling
and synthesis technology.

The library contains the following three Grand Pianos:

• Bösendorfer 290 Imperial Grand
• German Steinway D 9’ Concert Grand
• Yamaha C7 Grand

The playing experience is simply extraordinary with an emotional range extending from the heartiest fortissimo to the most delicate and nuanced
pianissimo. Ivory II Grand Pianos will breathe under your fingers, inspiring your best performance from a truly organic instrument.
A host of new piano-centric features have been added to the Ivory II engine. Principal among them is Sympathetic String Resonance, a long sought after but elusive characteristic of real pianos that Synthogy approaches in a completely new and unique way, realizing the true complexities and subtleties of sympathetic string excitation. Harmonic Resonance Modeling is a brand new technology that does not rely upon triggering additional samples, ordinary sine waves, or recordings in any way. Rather, notes struck that are harmonically related excite the actual complex overtones of the notes that are being held, in the same manner that undamped strings ring in a real acoustic piano. The resultis an unprecedented new level of realism.

Ivory II also delivers some of Synthogy’s most frequent customer requests, with features such as Half Pedaling, Lid Position, Pedal Noise, and Tuning Tables to provide even greater detail and control. Additionally, features like Timbre Shifting, Parametric EQ, and new Synth Layer controls offer powerful new sound sculpting capabilities for custom piano programming and sound design.
At the heart of Ivory II are Ivory´s legendary pianos. Each Ivory piano has been further refined and developed, including expanded velocity levels (up to 18 per piano), additional soft pedal samples, and more release samples. Synthogy´s decades of expertise in piano development, along with proprietary "timbre interpolation" technology combine to deliver greater fidelity, unrivaled playability, and a musical experience that is unsurpassed.
Ivory II represents the most significant design enhancement to Ivory´s custom piano technology since its introduction. Years in the making, every effort has been taken to assure that Ivory II is a true and worthy successor to the legacy established by our original Ivory products.

Ivory II Grand Pianos Features:

• Over 77 Gigabytes of stunning, Acoustic Grand Piano sampled instruments:
  Bösendorfer 290 Imperial Grand
  German Steinway D 9’ Concert Grand
  Yamaha C7 Grand
  (Each piano can be installed separately)
• Up to 18 discrete velocity layers with Sample Interpolation Technology for ultra-smooth velocity and note transitions
• Harmonic Resonance Modeling for the most realistic Sympathetic String Resonance possible
• Half-pedaling
• Synthogy’s exclusive, powerful 32 bit Sample Playback and DSP engine, engineered specifically for recreating the acoustic piano
• Sustain Resonance DSP for realistic Damper Pedal response
• World class digital FX including Real Ambience, Chorus and EQ
• Customizable User controls for Timbre, Stereo Width and Perspective, Velocity Response, Mechanical Key Noise, Lid Position, Tuning Tables, and more
• Timbre Shifting, Parametric EQ and new Synth Layer controls for powerful sound sculpting capabilities
• Expertly tuned and regulated pianos in world-class studios and concert halls
• All 88 keys individually sampled in up to 18 dynamic levels (plus Bösendorfer extended low octave)
• Incorporates exclusive Sample Interpolation Technology used for ultrasmooth velocity and note transitions
• Real Release samples, Soft Pedal samples, and Pedal Noise enhancements
• Optional synth pad layer for modern/pop combinations
• Dozens of user-adjustable presets

Fazit

Bei dieser schieren Masse an Sounds muss das Fazit zweifelsohne lauten, dass mit Ivory eine der am umfassendsten und besten Sample-Libaries in Sachen Konzerflügel geschaffen wurde. Die Sounds sind mit Liebe zum Detail gesamplet, genauso wurden nützliche und praxisnahe Features im Plugin implementiert. Zwar wirkt der schiere Funktionsumfang und die vielfältigen Paramter auf den ersten Blick unter Umständen mehr abschreckend als einladend, hat man das Grundprinzip von Ivory aber verstanden, kann man schnell zwischen den Ebenen hin- und hermanövrieren und den Klang entsprechend den eigenen Vorstellungen formen. Man sollte also keine Angst haben, wirklich extensiv die Features von Ivory zu nutzen, aber auch wenn man lediglich auf die Presets zugreift hat man fast für jede Gelegenheit den passenden Flügelsound, denn die verschiedenen Typen untereinander liefern nochmals genügend Variationen. Dabei reagiert jeder Flügel individuell und mit eigener Note.

Ivory empfiehlt sich sowohl für Klassik-Sounds wie auch für Jazz und Pop/Rock, und man kommt gerne auf das Plugin zurück. Tatsächlich ertappe ich mich zusehends bei der Frage, was ich eigentlich vor Ivory in Sachen Piano-Sounds gemacht habe.

Recording Testbericht IvoryGrand2

Fazit:

Die Synthogy Ivory II Grand Pianos zählen zu den besten Flügel Samples auf dem Markt. Wer genügend Platz auf den Festplatten, oder am Besten SSD´s hat, bekommt mit den Ivory II Grand Pianos die wohl beste Flügelbibliothek überhaupt.

Recording Magazine Calls Ivory II "A Must-Buy"!

In the April edition of Recording Magazine, writer/composer/keyboardist Gary Eskow enthusiastically reviews Ivory II Grand Pianos. Gary lends his critical ear to our new Sympathetic Resonance feature and comes away totally convinced, calling the product a "must-buy". Here´s some of what he had to say:

"The killer feature, the one that makes this a must-have plug-in for all serious piano players who work on a computer, is the other modeled element, which Synthogy calls “Sympathetic Resonance.”

"...hearing the sound of a harmony being affected by the addition of later notes on a computer-generated piano is truly an amazing experience, and it adds a level of realism that puts these pianos in a league of their own."

"If you’re a player who needs the most authentic sounding pianos on the market, you have to check out Ivory II. The new features and added modeling tweaks put this piano collection in a class by itself."

"These three pianos sound fabulous, and the new features for the piano sounds themselves... make Ivory II a must-buy."

Ivory II Grand Pianos Wins Key Buy Award from Keyboard Magazine!

In the March 2011 issue of Keyboard Magazine, Ivory II Grand Pianos receives a stellar review and wins the coveted Key Buy Award.

Here is a glimpse of what Executive Editor Stephen Fortner had to say:

"Superb. Stellar. Excellent. Outstanding. Best in class. Pick a superlative, and it won´t adequately convey how real Ivory II sounds, nor how immersed in the music you´ll feel when playing it"

" ...if you want one software piano that can cover any musical genre, is equally facile onstage or in the studio, and makes zero sonic compromises, Ivory II is the platinum standard. Long live the king!"

"If I had to narrow it down to two products that changed the world with regard to digital instruments sounding like a grand piano, I´d pick the Kurzweil K250 and Synthogy Ivory."

On Ivory II´s Sympathetic Resonance... "the result is the most realistic, and musical emulation we´ve ever heard of the complex acoustical world beneath the piano lid."

"Pros: Software grand pianos don´t get any better. Resonance modeling is incredibly realistic. Surprisingly CPU- and disk-efficient."

Mal schnell einen Steinway D Flügel, einen Bösendorfer 290 Imperial und einen Yamaha C7 kaufen? Das könnte teuer werden – oder man greift auf die grandiose Software „Ivory Grand Pianos II“ von Synthogy zurück. Diese bietet in ihrem Upgrade zu der schon 2006 hochgelobten ersten Version alle drei Flügel in einem Paket, samplebasiert versteht sich.

Das musste MusikMachen.de natürlich testen.
 

Fazit

Die Auswahl in diesem Segment ist groß, letztlich muss jeder selbst entscheiden, welche Ansprüche an einen virtuellen Flügel gestellt werden. Das Budget ist dabei natürlich auch kein unerheblicher Faktor. Für knapp 300 Euro erhält der Käufer mit den Synthogy Ivory II Grand Pianos drei absolut hochwertig und detailreich gesampelte Pianosounds, die für mich das „non plus ultra“ darstellen und meine Suche nach DEM Piano beendet haben. Das muss nicht heißen, dass die Konkurrenzprodukte schlechter sind und die Geschmäcker sind bekanntlich verschieden, aber so ein angenehmes Spielgefühl hatte ich bis dato bei keinem anderen virtuellen Piano. Das Plug-in lief bis auf eine Ausnahme, in denen es Logic (9.1.2) zum Absturz brachte, absolut stabil. Im Standalone-Modus gab es keinen einzigen Aussetzer.

Plus
•Klang
•Einstellungsmöglichkeiten
•Spielgefühl
•Preis-Leistungs-Verhältnis

Amazona Testbericht IvoryGrand2