It looks like Vienna Symphonic Library is trying to take over the Anaheim Convention Centre with the release of Vienna Imperial. This virtual grand piano was sampled from a Bosendorfer Imperial 290-755, what many consider to be the grandest of all pianos. It's Bosendorfer's flagship piano and its used by everyone from Paul Badura Skoda to Tori Amos.

VSL states pretty boldly that this is the "most precise and by far most extensive piano sample recordings ever conducted in the history of music technology" thanks to a two month recording session at the Silent Stage with an Imperial equipped with Bosendorfer's patented CEUS technology. They might be right, too. With 1,200 recorded samples per key . . . and 88 keys, that's a grand total of more math than I want to do.

The CEUS computer grand can record even the subtlest key movements with microprocessors and very sensitive optical sensors. It uses solenoids installed under every single key to reproduce notes exactly the way they're played. With insanely extreme capabilities, CEUS measures hammer velocity over only a .15" distance with accuracy of one ten thousandth of a millisecond. That's one ten thousandth of a thousandth of a second. That's like one ten millionth of a second.

Thus, the CEUS technology is like steroids for the velocity range of the MIDI protocol. As many as 100 velocities were recorded per key and playing technique (sustain pedal up / down, soft pedal up / down). If you can hear any steps between any single steps between velocity layers, you're a dirty liar. Humans are incapable of playing with such precision.

The computerized grand also allows for perfect timing on release samples. Short note releases between 100 and 1,000 milliseconds were captured in tiny graduated incriments for extremely authentic release sounds, especially when playing staccato passages.

The software player in Vienna Imperial supports sympathetic string resonances, which aren't DSP emulations. They're actual resonance sounds from actual pianos. Variants include sympathetic resonances of individual strings and of all non-damped strings. The former features the overtones of individual strings recorded resonantly responding to other notes being played. The latter refers to the same concept applied to the piano as a whole rather than the individual strings.

Vienna Symphonic Library also includes a customized software player with a piano user interface as the multitudinous capabilities afforded by the CEUS system could really potentially crowd up a GUI. The compression method VSL uses allows for nigh limitless polyphonic playback. Vienna Suite plugin technologies are integrated into the Imperial engine.

Mic positioning was handled in great detail to let sound breathe while still recording the piano -- not the room. Choose from three mic positions placed accordingly to suit orchestral music, balladry and even modern styles from pop to rock to jazz. The most distant placement is from the audience position. This allows for maximal ambience. Mics were also placed in the body for close miking for the most direct sound. In between, the player position gives you the perspective of the virtual ivory tickler.

Recording Styles:

• Sustain pedal up
• Sustain pedal down
• Soft pedal (una corda) down
• Repetition tones for sustain pedal down (hitting the sounding string)
• Repetition tones for soft pedal down (hitting the sounding string)
• Release samples in different lengths
• Release samples in different lengths with the soft pedal down
• Sympathetic resonance tones of individual keys (sustain pedal up)
• Sympathetic resonance tones of the whole piano (sustain pedal down)