Hammersmith Free vs Soft Piano

The fundamental difference between Hammersmith Free and Soft Piano lies in their source instruments and the resulting sonic character. Hammersmith Free is a grand piano emulation, specifically a Steinway Model D, aiming for a clean, balanced, and natural sound suitable for classical or jazz, while Soft Piano originates from an upright piano with a felt strip, designed for a warm, dark, and atmospheric tone.

Hammersmith Free offers a substantial 21 velocity layers and a library size of 4.8 GB, capturing a broad dynamic range and instrument nuances including pedal noise and thumps. In contrast, Soft Piano, with its much smaller 0.4 GB library, focuses on its unique felted timbre, which is achieved by placing a felt strip between the hammers and strings to dampen the sound, making it inherently softer and more intimate.

Choose Hammersmith Free if you require a versatile grand piano sound with a wide dynamic range for recording, classical performances, or jazz compositions. Choose Soft Piano if you need an intimate, warm, and atmospheric upright piano sound, particularly for film scoring, ambient music, or songwriting where a softer attack is desired.

Products Compared

Insights from Real-World Use

Hammersmith Free

  • The inclusion of studio impulse responses is a valuable and appreciated feature of the Hammersmith Free.
  • The Hammersmith Free's Hamburg action provides a unique, desirable bite not found in other Steinways.
  • Hammersmith Free (Hammersmith Free) sounds almost as good as the more expensive Pianoteq.
  • Hammersmith Free is one of the most realistic free pianos available.
  • Hammersmith Free is excellent for a free piano, offering many beautiful impulse responses.

Soft Piano

  • This Soft Piano sound is amazing and I would pay for it, even though it's free.
  • Overall, the speaker likes the Soft Piano, highlighting its fair price and sufficient parameters.
  • This free Soft Piano plugin is a game changer for achieving soft, beautiful, and lush piano sounds.
  • I love this Spitfire piano for its sound, nuanced fields, and hammer noise.
  • The 'space' and sustain when holding notes on the Soft Piano is beautiful.

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