Una Corda vs Noire

The primary distinction between Noire and Una Corda lies in their source instruments, with Noire sampling a Yamaha CFX grand piano and Una Corda based on a unique single-string Klavins upright. This fundamental difference in instrument type forms the basis for their divergent sonic characteristics and applications. Noire offers two distinct variants of the grand, a pure and a felt-dampened version, while Una Corda presents a single, specialized upright sound.

Sonically, Noire delivers a warm, intimate, and atmospheric grand piano character suitable for recording and film scoring, enhanced by a unique 'Particles Engine' for textures. Una Corda, conversely, provides an intimate, experimental, and textural upright sound, noted for its pure and resonant tone due to its single string per key design. Noire's larger 16 GB library and 22 velocity layers suggest a broader dynamic range and detailed capture of its grand piano source, compared to Una Corda's 10 GB library.

Choose Noire if you require the detailed sound of a high-end grand piano, including both pure and felt-dampened options, for genres like classical or film scoring, particularly valuing atmospheric sound design. Opt for Una Corda if you seek a distinctive, experimental, and intimate upright piano tone, ideal for textural exploration in genres such as jazz, pop, or film scoring where a unique, resonant character is desired.

Products Compared

Insights from Real-World Use

Una Corda

  • Detailed positive review of a dreamy Una Corda preset's reverb and sustain.
  • I will still give the Kontrol Mk3 4 stars on my product review. Because Una Corda is truly great. But they should give me at least one great option for a...
  • I do like the Noire and Una Corda pianos for organic sounds though. I've found that Spitfire's range is increasingly deep and beautiful. Plus all of their...
  • Una Corda's prepared piano nature with felt creates a very particular and soft sound.
  • Una Corda is a very good piano sound for various music types, especially score music.

Noire

  • I've owned Noire from day one, and I still play it almost every day.. While it's only a sampled version, it's the best a mere mortal like myself will even get since a Yamaha CFX 9' grand piano is fina
  • 45 years playing the piano here, and this is the most amazing piano VST ever made!
  • Noire excels at unique, atmospheric soundscapes for writing and sound design.
  • This plugin is loved for its versatility, tone quality, and great value.
  • Noire isn't a primary detailed acoustic replacement, yet it still offers a nice sound.

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