Brandenburg Piano vs Art Deco Piano

The primary distinction between the Brandenburg Piano and the Art Deco Piano lies in their sampled source instruments and resultant sonic character. Brandenburg samples a 1958 Bechstein, aiming for a warm, natural, and balanced traditional German sound, often suited for classical and jazz. Conversely, Art Deco captures a 1930s Blüthner PH Grand, known for its unique construction and resulting brighter, cleaner, and more modern tone.

Technically, while both are SampleTank collections, the Art Deco Piano features 8 velocity layers compared to Brandenburg's 6, potentially offering a finer dynamic response. The Art Deco library is also marginally larger at 1.5 GB with 600 samples, versus Brandenburg's 1 GB and 500 samples. Furthermore, Art Deco uniquely includes a model of the actual recorded piano’s soundboard for SampleTank's Acoustic Resonance effect, a feature not specified for Brandenburg.

Choose the Brandenburg Piano if you prioritize a rich, traditional, and warm German piano sound. Opt for the Art Deco Piano if you seek a brighter, more modern, and distinct tone derived from an iconic design, along with slightly more detailed velocity layering.

Products Compared

Insights from Real-World Use

Brandenburg Piano

  • Praises fantastic sound and emphasizes excellent value because it’s currently free.
  • Reviewer expects listeners will approve because the instrument’s sound is superb.
  • Sounds fine, but I already have my favourites (I LOVE the Max Richter piano - my go-to - but far from free!).
  • Fantastic sound. I have secured the library.
  • It's a strange setup, reminds me of the old Cubase system. You've got TWO programmes to get this going: "IK Product Manager" which installs things, and the 'Authorization Manager" which is the one y'a

Art Deco Piano

  • Great sound, good player. I bought one, but it's been a nightmare trying to install it. My DAW Reason can't find it anywhere.
  • Just got this - and it's a very interesting sounding library. It IS a great gesture by IK to provide such an interesting item to users of Sample Tank and IK products.
  • Downloaded and enjoying this unique addition to my VST piano collection. I'm finding that the Art Deco piano, is not only fun to play as a stand alone, but also crates some interesting colors when lay
  • Just got this - and it's a very interesting sounding library. It IS a great gesture by IK to provide such an interesting item to users of Sample Tank and IK products.
  • Downloaded and enjoying this unique addition to my VST piano collection. I'm finding that the Art Deco piano, is not only fun to play as a stand alone, but also crates some interesting colors when lay

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