Mason & Hamlin A174 vs Modern D

Modern D wins on pristine playability; The Experience Piano Collection offers a broader palette of pianos but introduces specific sonic compromises. Modern D delivers a realistic sound and responsive playability, consistently praised as a top-tier instrument for practice and performance. Its pristine sampling and well-designed controls contribute to its reputation as an "endgame" VST. This focus on a single, high-quality instrument means less sonic versatility compared to other libraries.

The Experience Piano Collection offers a collection of distinct pianos, each with unique character from diverse mic positions, providing impressive value. However, this diversity comes with the cost of static releases, impacting realism for nuanced playing. Its immersive quality comes from careful sampling of multiple pianos.

Choose The Experience Piano Collection if diverse piano characters and mic positions are paramount, and minor sonic imperfections are tolerable. Choose Modern D if you prioritize pristine, flawless playability and a consistently realistic sound from a single instrument.

Products Compared

Insights from Real-World Use

The Experience Piano Collection

  • Exceptional piano quality for the price of $299 makes The Experience Piano Collection a great deal.
  • Mic positions and settings reveal impressive, diverse piano characters.
  • Excellent sampling quality captures distinct character and tone for each piano in The Experience Piano Collection.
  • Static releases really kill those instruments. Some of the most incredible sounds I've ever heard in a piano library, and yet... Once you let go of the sustain pedal and try to play something nuanced
  • Hard to find comparable playability and realism at the $299 price point.

Modern D

  • The Claire had a nice upper range, but it really felt dead in the lower mid range. The Modern D sings throughout all the registers. IMO, it's the best virtual piano on the market today.
  • I just picked up the Steinway D, I must say, I was veeery hesitant. I own some other vilabs pianos, The Ravenscroft among them, and feel like those instruments did not live up to their hype. That said
  • I purchased it today after listening to this excellent demo. It sounds pretty realistic and may work better in my pop-rock tracks than Ivory American D or the Keyscape C7 I've been using. I had to bri
  • It sounds very nice, but (to my ear) not as good as my custom C. Bechstein DG preset on Pianoteq, so... for now, I'll keep my wallet in my pocket.
  • Modern D's playability is awesome and better than Garritan CFX and Fazioli.

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