Felt Seiler Free vs Midnight Grand

The fundamental difference between these two instruments lies in their specific source pianos and their approach to additional sound layers. Felt Seiler Free utilizes a Seiler grand piano, prepared as a true felt piano, and includes three distinct, named synth layers for mood sculpting. In contrast, Midnight Grand is based on a Steinway Model D, prepared with cotton on its strings (a variant of the felt piano technique), and offers generic "Atmosphere Layers" derived from various sources.

Sonically, Felt Seiler Free features one microphone position and a smaller library size at 2 GB, suggesting a more concise sample set for its 4 velocity layers. Its inclusion of "Warmth, Ache, and Loneliness" layers points towards very specific emotional tonal shaping built into the instrument. Midnight Grand features a larger 3.9 GB library, implying a more detailed sample capture of the Steinway D, and its Atmosphere Layers are described as sound-designed pads which may offer broader ambient textures rather than specific emotional tones.

Choose Felt Seiler Free if your workflow benefits from a free instrument recorded in a specific studio, and you prioritize ready-made, emotionally-themed sound design layers like "Ache" for textural compositions. Choose Midnight Grand if you prefer a paid, more deeply sampled Steinway Model D with a slightly larger library size and more general "Atmosphere Layers" for versatile ambient and intimate film scoring.

Products Compared

Insights from Real-World Use

Felt Seiler Free

  • Felt Selier Free is a great sound library, especially since it's free.
  • The interface is user-friendly with few buttons yet offers many sound possibilities, which is very nice.
  • This felt piano is beautiful and offers a distinct tone and feel compared to other felt pianos.
  • Strezov Sampling offers The Felt Seiler Free Edition for Kontakt Player. We've been on a pretty epic run of FREE pianos recently, and I'll never have too many
  • Felt Selier Free has a nice feel, but its basic sound is the main draw, not its effects.

Midnight Grand

  • Midnight Grand's Steinway base provides a unique, warm felt piano sound.
  • Midnight Grand's felt-modified Steinway creates beautiful atmospheres and emotions.
  • Midnight Grand is a 'gentle giant,' sounding huge yet tame and very playable.
  • Midnight Grand has stunning character and flexible response.
  • Both pianos are solid, affordable, and playable, making them must-haves for scoring.

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