Battle of the pianos: Ravenscroft vs Pure Piano

[@Payntorget]

Hi Si! As you said, the pure piano sounds are much easier to tweak than the UVIs. Think i will use PURE more often! Nice video btw. like your style!

[@SiEffen]

Thanks Payntorget! It's great to have 2 solid pianos now :-D

[@kobolto]

Thank you very much for the video, very illustrative. This is a very personal opinion, and it is not my intention to make a destructive criticism, but hearing both pianos during the comparison, I felt with the Ravencroft that my ears had been uncovered, and with the Pure Piano my ears were plugged again.

[@SiEffen]

Thanks for watching. Both piano apps are very good and it's not unusual that one sound might appeal more to one person than another. I think that's a testament to the quality of them both.

[@charliebarredafriends61]

Thanks for the video, it's clear to see that the Ravenscroft sound brighter than the Pure Piano. I got the Ravenscroft over a year ago and I'm not quite sold yet, somehow I can make it sound like samples like yours and other on KZbin. I've been looking at the Pure Piano and out of curiosity and the reviews I see, I think I'll just buy it. Sometime ago when I had my Korg SV1 on repair I did a couple of gigs with ipiano and ielectric piano I have on my ipad mini - I was pleasantly surprised to be able to do the gigs with nice sounding keyboard apps that are available these days for ios.

[@SiEffen]

Glad it was useful. I think my prefered Ravenscroft preset is the concert grand. It tends to be brighter that Pure Piano. Have a look at my updated v2 video where I also included Pure Upright in the comparison.

[@edzielinski]

Well done, Si. This is an excellent demo and comparison. I just got Ravenscroft on sale last month but I am very impressed by the Pure Piano.

[@SiEffen]

Thanks Ed, glad it's useful. I too only recently got Ravenscroft. Basically having either will be enough as you can tweak the settings in both.

[@EdwardLomax]

Should Ravenscroft work connected directly between the piano and the app with the correct cable? You have an interface presumably to run the two apps. My iPad complies with system requirements. My cable works with other similar apps. Pianoteq demo version for example. Good video, thank you.

[@gbcraw]

Thanks for the comparison, Si. I like both. (Can't afford either right now; will keep an eye on sales.)

[@SiEffen]

Thanks for watching, they're both great instruments. If you're after a sampled piano on a budget, BS-16i has a nice piano and there's several on pianobook.co.uk which will work with DecentSampler.

[@geoffk777]

Thanks for the comparison. As everyone noted (and as you can even see on the AUM meters), RavensCroft is a lot brighter. But RavensCroft also seems to have more string resonance and sustain and a more open, resonant quality to it. I have both, and I like the morph pad in PurePiano, but I suspect that I'll keep using RavensCroft, as it seems the more realistic and interesting of the two. Maybe PurePiano would be more comparable to RavensCroft on the Bright setting or morphed somewhere closer to it (i.e. between Bright and Pure).

[@SiEffen]

Thanks for watching. I enjoy playing both pianos and it's nice to have the options depending on the piece of music.

[@robertsteinberger5667]

Great that you make a video exactly what I was looking for. I do have the idea that the settings were different of the pianos. for instance the ravenscroft sounded brighter, the pure piano more romantic but i dont know if this is a matter of settings or this is inherently so.

[@SiEffen]

Thanks, glad that it was useful. They're both competent pianos. You can adjust both pianos to recreate similar sounds depending on how much fiddling with the settings you're prepared to do.

[@damongriffin6529]

Thanks for the comparison. I had Ravenscroft, but went ahead and purchased Pure Piano for the introductory price. Ravenscroft does sound brighter, but I do like the morph pad feature with Pure Piano for adjusting the sound.

[@SiEffen]

Glad it was helpful, I also like the morph pad for adjusting Pure. Thanks for watching

[@tewnafishmusic]

Tanks for the video Si ..... I have Ravenscroft. but thinking of getting Pure as I love the more mellow sound. I need one for my next song :)

[@SiEffen]

I don’t regret having both as they are good at different things. 😎

[@netocostapb]

Parabéns. Um vídeo de comparação de alta qualidade. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@SiEffen]

Obrigada!

[@tpike32]

While listening through iPhone , this is the first video where I can actually hear the difference.. Ravenscroft is brighter while pure piano sounds dampened While they both sound great . It all depends on the music you are playing and the final mix 👍

[@SiEffen]

Thanks for watching, glad it was useful 😊

[@leonlkowalski]

Hi Si. Just found your channel, and of course subcribed immediately. Very helpful comparison! Now how about a tutorial for the turkish march? I played it 30 years ago, but I've totally forgotten how to play it...😜

[@SiEffen]

Thanks Leon! Yes I learned it 30 odd years ago and I'm a bit rusty to say the least (I did a longer rendition in my Pure Piano review)!

[@leonlkowalski]

@@SiEffen Same for me, except that I'm not rusty, but totally oblivious about all the classic pieces I played when I was younger... well, no, in addition to that I'm rusty, too...😬

[@jaywinterbrook]

Thanks. Pure Piano sounds like its’s mixed, ready to record. Ravenscroft has frequencies I want to tame before recording.

[@SiEffen]

Very true, I find the two pianos excel in different situations, but it's good to be able to tweak them to taste.

[@jaywinterbrook]

I appreciate your comment. That’s what I hear and I don’t always trust what I think I’m hearing. 🙌

[@jgmedium]

We’re hearing two different pianos. One of course is the Ravenscroft, the other is a Hamburg. I guess I’m drawn to either or depending on the genre of music I want to play. My ears swings more towards Ravenscroft in general though.

[@SiEffen]

They definitely behave differently and I find uses for both in different circumstances. I've done a new version of this video (link the description) where the new Pure Upright is included in the comparison. Thanks for watching

[@3stig]

Thanks Si 😎

[@timitalia]

Thank you for that comparison! Which Settings did you use for the Ravenscroft 275?

[@SiEffen]

Glad it was helpful. Pretty sure I used the 'Concert' preset within Ravenscroft as it has a really rounded sound, especially for classical piano. To be honest you won't go wrong with either app. I use both all the time. I think if you want tweakability Ravenscroft is easier to customise (although I'm not a fan of some of the factory presets!).

[@TheGaragebandGuide]

Brilliant comparison Si. Pure Piano is very impressive! Love the UI.

[@SiEffen]

Thanks Patrick!

[@Bill-Piano]

Thanks for this review. Can you record Ravenscroft via AUM app alone ? Because Ravenscroft has no record function

[@SiEffen]

Yes I recorded all the audio for this video using AUMAdd Ravenscroft in an audio channel and link Rav to your midi controller so you can play. Hit the "R" at the bottom of the channel and then turn on recording in the transport controls at the top of AUM and then AUM will record the audio from Rav. Once you've finished you'll find the recording from the menu under files > date of recording.

[@Bill-Piano]

@@SiEffen thank you so much

[@jjptech]

If you need a clear piano: Ravencroft If you need to tweak the piano sound: Pure Piano I think that I should get both at some point

[@SiEffen]

I'm inclined to agree. I tend to use both in different settings.

[@Bubba-zu6yr]

Don’t make me buy another piano app, Si! lol. Actually great content my friend.😉👍

[@SiEffen]

Haha! Thanks Bubba!

[@robertsteinberger5667]

I got pure piano, its great, the only thing is that there is no full sustain control or release control. Does Ravenscroft have that?

[@SiEffen]

Not 100% sure what you mean, but Ravenscroft does have a sustain button that when you click it, it stays on until you click it again. Does that help? I use the sustain pedal to control the sustain in both apps so it's not a switch I would use myself.

[@deaddaedalus]

I don't believe it supports half-damper pedaling on iOS but the VST does

[@jonathansanchezmedina]

Is it work on my yamaha p125? it is difficult to configure, thanks

[@SiEffen]

I'm not familiar with the P125 so I couldn't say either way. But I just looked on their website and on the tech specs it says there isn't MIDI connectivity, so that would suggest not.

[@jonathanhall1823]

Have you tried connecting it with any music app? If it works on those app then it will work on these apps too. You will need a specific kind of cable to connect digital piano with iPhones or iPads

[@krasko78]

The P-125 has a USB port that is capable of transmitting and receiving both MIDI and audio. It works great. You need a proper cable to connect it to whatever device you want to connect it to. To connect it to a PC you will also need Yamaha steinberg usb driver from Yamaha's web site. Connected to an Android device, either it will work out of the box or you will need to enable the USB port to work as a MIDI port (it is in the Developer settings if I remember correctly).

[@SiEffen]

@@krasko78 Thanks for the info!

[@krasko78]

@@SiEffen Thank you for the video. I am going to get the Ravenscroft as my first sampled VST. I prefer its brighter sound to the muffled sound of Pure Piano.

[@kentaccordionist]

Great comparison si. Love Turkish March you should play the whole piece it was Mozart’s best tune

[@SiEffen]

Thanks Stephen. It was one of the alternative exam pieces I had back when you had to play a full sonata. I opted for the Beethoven one in the end as I tend to play Mozart not in the way it was intended.....!

[@kentaccordionist]

@@SiEffen I’m going to learn the damn tune one day, I can play a little bit of the right hand I just need to find the accordion music Mozart is great on accordion. Been feeling rough all day so not assembled the stand wal made me, nor played any more on my ewi. But i have just found after days of searching helium is finally in store so I just got that with my birthday App Store pressie and starting a little tune, although my shoulders won’t let me play keyboard so I’m just using the piano roll.

[@freesongsmusic]

Pure piano has a plastic kind of sound into it vs Raven which is always sounding better to my ears and more 3D.

[@PianoandKeysStudio]

like both. The Ravenscroft sounds brilliant as a modern concert piano - particularly when playing the likes of Rachmaninov, Scriabin and Busoni. On the other hand, the overall softer tone of Pure Piano lends itself well to mimicking the sound of those legendary concert performers on old 78 gramophone records. (which is a compliment btw - as these old recordings are some of the best imo. I remember my late professor used to get me to go and listen to a few of them).

[@SiEffen]

I tend to swap between them too. Both very competent pianos. Thanks for watching

[@TremorBear]

Dang…Si Effen is a real piano player!

[@SiEffen]

Yup, albeit a bit rusty 🙃

[@toplespecah666]

ravenscroft sound feel like more 'open' and wide

[@SiEffen]

Thanks for watching and hope the video was helpful!

[@antonioperillo1182]

This comparison put in evidence a better quality sound of Ravenscroft than pure piano. Undoubdtely

[@SiEffen]

Thanks for watching!

[@EdwardLomax]

Should Ravenscroft work connected directly between the piano and the app with the correct cable? You have an interface presumably to run the two apps. My iPad complies 3:33 with system requirements. My cable works with other similar apps. Pianoteq demo version for example. Good video, thank you.

[@SiEffen]

Hi Edward Yes it should work the same as for Pianoteq. Depending on what MIDI out options are on the piano (mine is old with 5-pin DIN sockets so needs to go through an adapter to convert to USB). So I can do MIDI out from my piano into a USB cable which plugs into the iPad (via a camera connection kit with a USB A input) and control Ravenscroft that way. Obviously the audio from Ravenscroft will sound out of the iPad rather than the piano if that makes sense.