The samples were recorded in stereo, and there are 24 velocity layers in total for each of the 88 notes on the piano: 12 with the sustain pedal up and 12 with it down. To create the Digital Model One, Ernest and Dan recorded Blüthner's flagship Model One grand piano at the scoring stage of Lucasfilm's Skywalker Sound facility, using 'hand selected and modified' microphones, Grace Design preamps and Pacific Microsonic's HDCD A-D converters, which many engineers consider to be the finest A-D converters ever released. Although the Blüthner name is perhaps not so well known as Steinway or Bösendorfer these days, the company was founded in Leipzig, Germany in 1853 (the same year that Steinway & Sons was founded in New York) and their pianos have attracted a long list of high-profile admirers, including Arthur Rubinstein, the Beatles, Rachmaninov and Queen Victoria. Rather than sampling yet another Steinway or Bösendorfer piano, Dan Dean and Ernest Cholakis have instead opted for a Blüthner Model One, and the Digital Model One is actually an officially licensed product of the Blüthner company. I should mention, before continuing, that my vantage point is that of a classical pianist, so my comments reflect this perspective.

So I'm always curious to try a new virtual piano instrument in the hope that I'll find something I really like. For me, some virtual pianos just sound bad, some feel bad, and some, well, feel and sound terrible. However, as a pianist, I have to confess that I've yet to find an acoustic piano virtual instrument that I really like. Another sampled piano! And, to be fair, since the release of Steinberg's The Grand back in 2001 there has been no shortage of extensively-sampled virtual piano instruments to complement the already vast collection of piano sample libraries in existence. The Digital Model One's Kontakt 2-based interface allows easy access to all of the parameters of the instrument.Just what the world needs, you might be thinking. After a few years away from releasing new sample libraries, Dan Dean has returned with a brand-new piano library, developed in collaboration with sound architect Ernest Cholakis, that offers an unprecedented level of tonal control.

Dark darker yet darker virtual piano