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#SteinwayD #YamahaCFX #Bosendorfer

Hello and welcome to the Merriam Pianos YouTube channel for another video. In this video, we’ll be looking at the Vienna Symphonic Library Synchron (VSL) VST again as we compare renderings of the Steinway D 274, Bosendorfer VC280, and the Yamaha CFX.

These are high-end renderings designed for professional studio use, and really represent the cutting edge of what VST’s are capable of in 2021.

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Background

We first dove into the VSL Synchron engine several months back when we did our extensive series on VST’s. There’s a very wide range of VST’s available that span numerous price points, each occupying its own unique space in the industry.

What struck us about the VSL Synchron engine is just how well they captured the feeling of being in front of a real 9-foot concert grand as a player.

These three specific VSL plugins we’re looking at today are actually all recorded in different ways, adapting to the specifics of each instrument. This makes our comparison not an exact ‘apples to apples’, but it’s understandable why VSL did it this way.

Now, given how well these plugins are rendered, it can be a challenge to keep our assessment focused on the plugin rather than the piano itself, but for the purposes of our review, we’re going to stay focused on the piano as much as possible.

Steinway D

The Steinway D plugin features a beautifully blended tone, with a uniform envelope to all of the notes across the entire range of the instrument.

It’s clearly been recorded with the right microphones and mic placement to really bring out the subtleties of the piano.

There’s a lot of editable effects and presets to mess around with to refine the sound to your own preference, and the option to change the mics as well.

We found the touch curve required some editing, bringing it down to about 80%, and this made the sound behave more accurately in our opinion.

Yamaha CFX

A different tone here is noticeable right away. The Steinway D produces an almost descending pyramid of harmonics with each note, while the Yamaha CFX has a much more prominent fundamental, with wider jumps to each harmonic.

As such, the CFX doesn’t require any adjusting of the velocity curve, but we like toning the reverb down and instead relying on the natural room reverb they’ve captured.

The CFX is a much brighter tone, as one would expect from a Yamaha, with a very prominent mid and upper range.

Like the Steinway D, the CFX is wonderfully recorded and highly versatile. Neither really stands out above the other, and which one you happen to select will come down to the specifics of a given project and your own personal preference.

Bosendorfer VC280

The Bosendorfer VC280 is more distinctly different in character from the other two. It was recorded in a much smaller room which is certainly a big reason why.

There’s a very prominent mid-range bloom to the tone here, with a ton of warmth. Higher volume dynamics in the mid-range doesn’t seem to open up as much as it would on an acoustic piano, and the treble feels a little bit glassy.

But again, the warmth is incredible.

We’d recommend activating the external reverb engine since the piano was recorded in such a small room, along with a few other adjustments to optimize the tone.

Summary

Steinway and Yamaha present pretty equally, but with obvious musical differences. The Steinway especially has been captured meticulously.

The Bosendorfer is a different vibe and may take a little bit more time to get used to.

All in all though, three fabulously rendered plugins through and through.

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