Etude by Steinberg

by Steinberg · $99.99

Overview

This world-class grand piano, a beautiful Yamaha C3X, was sampled in a recording space which was acoustically designed especially for playing and experiencing pianos.

Key Features

  • Adjustable resonances
  • Adaptive release samples
  • Piano noises
  • Chromatically sampled
  • Compressed from 45 GB
  • Sound experience

Technical Specifications

Library Size
18 GB GB
Velocity Layers
12 layers
Mic Positions
4
Plugin Formats
AAX, AU

Ideal Use Cases

  • Film composers needing a richly detailed grand piano for dramatic and emotional scoring.
  • Music students and educators practicing and teaching classical and contemporary piano repertoire.
  • Songwriters and producers requiring a versatile and expressive grand piano for track building and arrangements.
  • Sound designers creating realistic acoustic piano elements for games and multimedia projects.
  • Home studio enthusiasts seeking a high-quality, authentic grand piano sound for their personal recordings.

Insights from Real-World Use

Strengths

  • well crafted mic positions
  • larger piano sound
  • important things to get you connected with the instrument
  • velocity sensitivity
  • feels like I'm playing a real piano
  • control
  • realistic pedal
  • good bread and butter sound
  • winner in terms of value
  • perfectly balanced sound
  • delicate harmonic richness at the top end
  • deep, warm tones in the lower
  • modern piano sound
  • more versatile
  • nice singing voice in the upper range
  • hit the “inspiration button”
  • top3 of virtual pianos
  • truly moving and stunning sound
  • reigniting that spark
  • lovely sounding piano
  • mellow character
  • smooth and well-rounded tone

Weaknesses

  • treble end... too stringy and thin
  • Not my favorite sounding grand VST

Tone: warm, mellow, cool

Review Snippets

  • Loves velocity sensitivity, realistic feel, and the piano's good, versatile sound.
  • A good, versatile piano to be used frequently in many situations.
  • Etude's scripting makes the playing experience nice and immersive.
  • You can hear this in every nuance of Etude, its sound perfectly balanced with a delicate harmonic richness at the top end and deep, warm tones in the lower.
  • This has what I call a modern piano sound. Similar to Spotlight Piano. Etude is more versatile imo.
  • I find the treble end of their pianos to generally be too stringy and thin. But the Etude has a nice singing voice in the upper range. I'm still getting used to...
  • Etude is affordable, accessible, and simple to use, especially great for mixing tracks.
  • Listening to the Steinberg A2 Grand Piano, it's clear that this instrument has a cool, mellow character. The tone is smooth and well-rounded, especially in the...
  • The thing that stood out to me was the reverb. It almost sounded like a bit of a synth pad behind it. Very nice.
  • Etude is a good recommendation for those new to software pianos or seeking a budget option.
  • Etude feels like an older piano and the piano or the recording lacks a bit of air. Luckily the pedal down resonance is quite good. I also discovered that I like...
  • Mic positions are well crafted; the room mic is balanced and versatile.
  • Appreciates the piano's beginner-friendly EQ and compressor presets, simplifying use.
  • Great control and character; the noise features are a favorite.
  • Etude is killer for keyboardists and piano players looking for a piano that can be in the mix.

Frequently Asked Questions

What host or player is required to use Etude?
Etude requires Halion Sonic 7 to operate.
Is Etude a sampled or modeled piano VST?
Etude is a sampled piano VST, featuring a chromatically sampled Yamaha C3X grand piano.
What is the library size and how many mic positions does Etude offer?
The library size is 18 GB and it offers 4 microphone positions: Player, Mid, Tail, and Room.
Does Etude support sympathetic resonance?
Yes, Etude includes adjustable sustain and sympathetic resonances as a key feature.
What operating systems are supported by Etude?
Etude supports macOS Big Sur up to macOS Tahoe, and Windows 10 (64-bit) or Windows 11 Version 21H2 (or higher).
How many velocity layers does Etude have?
Etude features 12 velocity layers to capture expressive performances.

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