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What's the best Piano/E-Piano app as of 2018

There are few older threads about this, but maybe there is a new favorite for Piano, Rhodes, Wurlitzer, etc. sounds?

Comments

  • My votes:

    Best Piano: Ravenscroft 275
    To my ears, Ravenscroft is the best sounding piano available on iOS. It's AUv3 compatible, the velocity layers and tone options are very good (you can go from really gentle, soft playing to bright and plinky.)

    Best EP: Neo Soul Keys Studio
    Also AUv3, this is apparently a 1:1 port of their desktop plugin. Beautiful sounding samples, tons of options, great presets.

  • Electric Pianos - Neo Soul Keys Studio, hands down.

  • Personally I'm really digging the pianos in SampleTank. I have the Allan Parsons Piano and also the Brandenburg IAPs and I like both. The pianos and electric pianos in the SampleTank Pro pack are also really nice.

    Neo-Soul Studio is also very good, as is the piano IAP in BeatHawk. I don't have the Ravenscroft (yet).

  • edited January 2018

    Best Piano: Ravenscroft 275. I'm junky for this thing, i have the vst software version so i had to get the iOS version.

    Electric Pianos: Probably Neo Soul Keys Studio. I didn't like it when i launched it for the first time and auditioned the presets. It just didn't connect with me and lacked warmth. But once i started tweaking the init preset to my liking, we turned 180.

    I'm also a big fan of Garageband's electric piano which i suspect is a mini version of Logic's EVP88 (?)

  • Long-time classically trained pianist chiming in. For a “real” piano sound, Ravenscroft 275 is definitely the best on iOS (IMHO of course :smile: ). For electric pianos, Neo Soul Keys Studio is simply amazing and makes me smile every time I play.

  • @Keepitsimple said:

    I'm also a big fan of Garageband's electric piano which i suspect is a mini version of Logic's EVP88 (?)

    definitely seems so and it sounds just great

  • I recommend reading https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/20334/the-piano-poll/p1

    From https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/comment/399120/#Comment_399120 on, there are sample to be compared - write your opinion and you get the resolution by PM

  • I agree with many earlier commenters: IMHO, Ravenscroft 275 is indeed king of the iOS pianos (for its warmth, realism and individuality) and Neo Soul Keys Studio is indeed the best Rhodes/EP emulation on iOS, or just about anywhere (for its authenticity and deep customisability).

  • edited January 2018

    I found this really interesting comparison between the two most expensive/largest piano apps on iOS

    For E.Piano, definitely Neo Soul Keys Studio

  • piano - Ravenscroft 275

  • Hey guys. I might have missed this. And I’m totally bummed if this is the case, but where is the sustain button when you are in AU mode on the Ravenscroft? Can’t find in or how to utilize it when I’m in AUM.

  • Another +1 to the conventional wisdom repeated repeatedly above.

    Piano samples are a little funny when trying to work them into a mix for me. Sometimes you want that sorta thin thing, etc. Only mean that to say: lots of apps have piano samples that may or may not be the right thing for a given song/moment. EPs though, there's just not any sort of question. GB's is indeed good but NSK is, pardon the overused phrase, on another level. Makes me want to dedicate a controller and iOS device to it so it's always available to play, just like the real thing.

  • I was about to say NeoSoulKeys as well.
    Would also like to point out, NeoSoulKeys sounds incredible, you don't necessarily need NeoSoulKeysStudio.

    Ravenscroft I've never tried. But at ~850MB I'm not surprised it sounds good.

  • For me the best piano varies, but a great iOS solution is combining RC275 with Module 's AmD in app. Very rich sounding, IMO. Your own experimentation with piano combos might provide perfect results for you. Beware of phasing issues!

    @necrome, I liked both, the second maybe more, but it had more reverb,, no? and what are those castanets? Dealbreaker if inevitable.

    @30daypiano ... is this an ad?

    God, I would love to pull on Jordan's beard.

  • Hate to be so unoriginal but add me on: Raven/Neo.

  • I put created three versions of the same MIDI track for 3 Top Pianos.

    NOTE: The player of the instrument matters. I should re-do this using a MIDI file from a pianist with top skills. A shorter instance that has dynamics, slow/fast playing, etc would be helpful. But you asked and each piano takes me 5-10 minutes to add to the SoundCloud.

    LISTENING TIPS: They differ in Tone (bright, dark, etc) and this test will highlight the tone. They also have depth in the samples and you'll also get a sense of the original recording quality. This sample will not show the apps ability to render rapid complex playing or demonstrated the layering of soft vs loud playing.

    I own all the EP"s too so I could create a post of them later this week.

    Salamander - a free soundfont usable in anything that accepts SF2's

    RC275 - $36 from UVI

    BeatHawk - $8 after buying BeatHawk

    https://soundcloud.com/user-403688328/piano-in-beathawk

    There are more great pianos but these are a start. I tried to put up iGrand but hit a technical snafu.

  • @McDtracy said:
    I put created three versions of the same MIDI track for 3 Top Pianos.

    NOTE: The player of the instrument matters. I should re-do this using a MIDI file from a pianist with top skills. A shorter instance that has dynamics, slow/fast playing, etc would be helpful. But you asked and each piano takes me 5-10 minutes to add to the SoundCloud.

    LISTENING TIPS: They differ in Tone (bright, dark, etc) and this test will highlight the tone. They also have depth in the samples and you'll also get a sense of the original recording quality. This sample will not show the apps ability to render rapid complex playing or demonstrated the layering of soft vs loud playing.

    I own all the EP"s too so I could create a post of them later this week.

    Salamander - a free soundfont usable in anything that accepts SF2's

    RC275 - $36 from UVI

    BeatHawk - $8 after buying BeatHawk

    https://soundcloud.com/user-403688328/piano-in-beathawk

    There are more great pianos but these are a start. I tried to put up iGrand but hit a technical snafu.

    DISCLOSURE: BeatHawk paid for a larger image to be used. They paid me $4.99 for a cup of StarBucks coffee. Starbucks will now give me the coffee for the on-line mention.

  • Neo Soul Keys, whatever the latest version is, is the absolute best. The only reason it's not my fav iOS app is because I'm not a great keys player. But it is so impressive, I always recall that As Good As It Gets compliment from Jack Nicholson: "You make me wanna be a better man."

  • Guys, the answer is BM3, some very expensive mics, some very old instruments and a lot of free time.

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