Steinberg The Grand Virtual Grand Piano (Mac and Windows)
Built to replicate the sounds of the world's finest grand pianos, this software also includes 60 high-quality reverb presets to simulate any environment.
Overall User Ratings (based on 46 ratings)
Submitted October 16, 2013 by Vanessa P in Cottonwood, AZ
"The Real Thing"
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My main problem (which isn't actually a 'problem') is that I happen to own a Yamaha Clavinova. From 1994.
If you've ever played a Clavinova, you know that there is nothing in the digital piano universe that rivals its sound. But since mine comes from the 90s, it only has 32-note polyphony. And newer Clavinovas are nearly as expensive as newer Grand Pianos.
So I have been searching for years (seriously) for a comparable piano sound with better polyphony that won't force me to take out a second mortgage.
Enter Steinberg's 'The Grand 3'. You can set your polyphony to whatever your computer can handle up to 256-notes (serious overkill, IMO). And since the famous Yamaha C7 is one of the included samples, I expected to get what I had long been searching for.
As of this review, I haven't yet accomplished that. The Grand 3 has piano sounds that are absolutely authentic and amazing in their own right, but my prejudiced ears still consider my Clavinova to be superior in all aspects.
That said, I have come across nothing else that comes as close to perfect as The Grand 3. Not the Motif ... not the Triton ... not anything other than a genuine acoustic grand.
So while The Grand 3 doesn't rival my Clavinova, it has eclipsed everything else digital that I've ever heard. There are other programs out there like The Grand 3 that have top-notch sounds. From what I've heard, the differences in sound are too minute to adequately rate. You can tell a slight difference in sound space and the tone and timbre of the sampling processes, but each program gives you plenty of options for modifying the sound.
For the money, I would say that The Grand 3 is well worth it if authentic piano sound in a digital environment is what you're looking for.
On a final note ... I must add that Steinberg's eLicense process was a major pain to me. I already have a soft eLicense with the Cubase DAW that I have, but I couldn't use that for The Grand 3. I had to buy a separate USB eLicense "key" to use the software. If that USB 'key' gets damaged or lost, I can no longer use The Grand 3. To me, that is a major design flaw, especially since the soft eLicense I have for Cubase isn't subject to that vulnerability.
Sound
Sound is superb. Record something, sit back and close your eyes, and you can imagine a beautiful grand piano right there in front of you.
Features
The features are relatively few, but that is something thing I love. The software is devoted to authentic sounding pianos, not bells and whistles. You get all the adjustments you could ever want for acoustic piano, plus a few bonuses like pedal sounds and string resonance, for example.
Ease of Use
Apart from slow load times (due to the very large file sizes for each piano) it's pretty straightforward. It was designed in a very intuitive, user-friendly manner.
Quality
Top notch. Best I've heard since I bought my Clavinova back in the 90s.
Value
Well ... hard to say.
I would've said "definitely" except that I also just added XLN Addictive Keys, which is a very similar concept but at a fraction of the cost. The Grand 3 is more comprehensive, but I have to admit that the one grand piano in the XLN Addictive Keys rivals the sound I get from The Grand 3.
Manufacturer Support
This is a mixed bag.
The Steinberg website is - in MY opinion - a convoluted mess. Not remotely user-friendly, which is odd given the simple nature of the software itself.
Steinberg and Yamaha seem to be two sides of the same company. My emails to Steinberg through their website were answered by someone who had a Yamaha email address.
I was pleased with their attention to my questions, so I give them a 50/50 on this one.
The Wow Factor
Pure piano sound and response.
If you have a keyboard with weighted/hammer action and good monitors, you can close your eyes and imagine you're sitting at the real thing.
You can tweak the EQs to suit your preference, and throw in (or throw out) extraneous piano sounds like pedal action, hammer bed action, string resonance and so forth, to give your recordings a more authentic vibe.
Musical Style:
Jazz, Classical, Blues, Rock
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Submitted January 22, 2007 by a customer from hotmail.com
"Good quality piano."
I think I can use this piano sound for a long time.
Sound
It's a beautiful sound. I already play piano for 10 years and the last 2 years I use virtual piano sounds. I tested different models and one thing I can conclude of that: The Grand 2 is ad very good sampled piano.
Features
You can adjust different aspects of the piano sound, which is great. You can make it in a way you like most.
Musical Background:
10 years of playing
Musical Style:
Jazz, Classical
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Submitted November 5, 2005
"Not worth the dough."
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Sound
It's ok but you should really check out the bosendorfer 290 demos and compare them to the demos of all the other pianos on this website. The price isn't bad either. Hopefully i will soon be writing a review on it. The grand is great if you are making a world war II movie and can get away with the weak sound.
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