Piano Colors From Native Instruments | Beyond NOIRE | Livestream Flashback

[@JustPlainFolks]

Simeon, you are, hands down, a 10 times better educator/salesman of these products than the actual manufacturers. Seriously, I watched both NI videos and felt disappointed in their efforts. I suspected it was because the product just wasn't very good and they had little to work with. Your effort however completely dove into practical use and results of the product far beyond what they did. Thank you for the superior evaluation to make buying decisions clear and easy for your viewers. You are second to none in this. Rock on brother Simeon!

[@PraiseTracks]

It is my pleasure. I enjoy taking you on the journey of discovery with me, that is why I have a hard time scripting anything outs as I just want to provide as much of an authentic experience with the libraries as possible. Thanks so much for those encouraging words, they are much appreciated. I look forward to seeing you on our next adventure. All the best.

[@ReginaldKSon]

Agreed. I wasn't sold on it until now. Well done.

[@PraiseTracks]

Thanks so much, I so appreciate the encouragement, what a blessing. All the best.

[@zamora_5312]

Amen to that. Because of simeon I purchased Chroma & Spitfire intimate piano.

[@alexfieldsmusic]

I agree! We need to hear more of the music and beauty that comes out of a Virtual Software , rather than the technical aspect of it.

[@aloisraich9326]

Thank you for singing your spiritual songs, that really touched me.

[@danielkinney6325]

I could stay up 24/7 365 watching you on youtube. You are so awesome & fun to watch. I just love how you present yourself and how creative you are.

[@georgefenning4844]

I have just bought this and wondering if I had a made a mistake until I saw this video. Your enthusiasm and demonstration of what could be achieved has really helped me understand how I can use this . Initially, I feel there were too many noise sounds and less piano type sounds . I was disappointed about the musicality and usefulness of this library until I heard you playing. This has all changed . Thanks

[@GNinja]

Sir, I get chills listening to you play. I’m only 10:30 mins in and your mastery is really making these instruments sing🎶. Let’s see what other videos you got bc this is already top notch 🧐

[@DavidMaclin351]

❤ Thanks for these! Between this and Lores I am just having the best time playing and not trying to even track anything for the past week. 😊

[@theodoreleon2882]

I just want to say, you are one of the best pianist I've ever seen. Great review man !

[@hlcotten6587]

Simply majestic sounds. ✨💎💎💎✨ Anointed hands on those 88 keys..✨

[@PraiseTracks]

I really enjoy playing when the sounds sort of just take you away. Thanks so much for the kind support, I so appreciate it.

[@d.estrada420]

Excellent video….nothing better than “show and tell”! You convinced me into purchasing…TY!

[@PraiseTracks]

My pleasure. Thanks for watching and the kind words, I hope you will enjoy using Piano Colors. Joyfully!🎹

[@chrisdkramer76]

My gosh I’m getting shivers over here. I am appointing you the Bob Ross of soundscape improv.

[@PraiseTracks]

Chris, it is a lot of fun when a sound sneaks up behind you and takes you to a place you did not expect. Thanks so much for watching along with your kind words.

[@SShorey99]

Great demo! Super informative, and I always enjoy your warm energy that comes through in these videos. I always feel like I need to practice piano more after watching your stuff lol

[@PraiseTracks]

That is very kind Steve. Thanks so much for watching. Joyfully!

[@AndreasScheffer]

Great demonstration, Simeon! I felt very much inspired both by Piano Colors and as well as your sparkling musical creativity. Thank you for that!

[@PraiseTracks]

Thanks so much Andreas, I love what they have done with Piano Colors as well as the work they have also done with NOIRE, it is a perfect followup. Thanks again for watching along with the kind words. Joyfully!

[@sampokantele]

As guitar player I've been possesed for years by G.A.S (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) bying and selling pedals, amps and instruments ... now I'm considering pros and cons of different piano libraries and I don't even have good enough computer for them. Thanks a lot Simeon! :)

[@PraiseTracks]

My pleasure, thanks so much for the kind support. All the best.

[@carlosroberto366]

Still watching here but had to rewind a couple of times at the Rich Harp, 15:05 transition got me ... nice one.

[@PraiseTracks]

You had me rewinding as well 🤓 I am so glad you enjoyed watching. Thanks for the kind support.

[@danielkinney6325]

ok glad i found this. I saw PIANO COLORS on the LIVE VIDEO you did with DANNY and I saw it on the screen.

[@matthewmcclure3181]

Another great presentation with ample detail to get a sense for the instrument. Thanks for pointing me in this direction from your UVI Augmented Piano video. This is quite an expansive VI, and at times feels more like a synth than prepared piano in terms of functionality. I liked what I was hearing but it took about 30 minutes for me to hone in on the role it would play in my library, which ultimately led me to think about Piano Colors as two distinct distinct instruments. The dominant one of the two is as a really unique synth, with great movement and texture. I could actually see it becoming the primary synth for the cinematic side of my productions. On the flip side, my current priority is a prepared piano with a more traditional approach towards the augmentation. Well, you certainly muddied the water, but in a really good way! My biggest takeaway from today is Randy's Prepared Piano, Augmented Piano, and Piano Colors are fairly distinctive from one another, rendering an attempt to evaluate them against each other an unproductive exercise. Randy's and Augmented fill the same role for me but they are tonally quite different, and even the choices for material augmentation were fairly different. They both will work well for my Rock/Pop side. There's nothing wrong with this aspect of Piano Colors, but I sense it will be a more difficult VI to mix in the context of a dense mix. It just occupies a large and wide frequency range, and has a lot of weight to it. It would require a lot of surgical EQ work for my typical Rock/Pop productions. In a sparse mix where Piano Colors is the focal point, I think it could be fantastic. I'm very interested in it for cinematic applications. So in conclusion we are extremely fortunate to have these distinct options. I'm pretty convinced I want to add all three and don't believe they will be redundant. Thanks again for the outstanding quality of your demonstrations.

[@PraiseTracks]

I continue to be so amazed at how far things have come. Also that each library does have its own unique personality and utility. Thank you so much for sharing such deep and thoughtful feedback. All the best.

[@robertshamansky1912]

There’s some great tones in here. I like the Hammer & Waves demo you did too

[@PraiseTracks]

Putting the two of them together would be 🤯 Piano Colors can take you into some very amazing places.

[@TerenceKearns]

Another great playthrough. Thanks so much. I just picked this up yesterday because of the 50% off sale.

[@PraiseTracks]

So glad you enjoyed watching. The team at Galaxy Instruments is incredible at what they do and Piano Colors takes things to another level, I am sure you will enjoy discovering it. Joyfully! 🎹

[@goatnamese]

10 minutes into this, I buy.

[@PraiseTracks]

This is a great follow up to NOIRE from Galaxy Instruments, there are some lovely possibilities. Thanks for watching. Joyfully!🎹

[@alexfieldsmusic]

Amazing as usual!

[@oliverrees9397]

Love your channel I got this today and it's great

[@PraiseTracks]

It is a very wonderful library, Galaxy Instruments knocked it out of the park again. Thanks so much for watching and for the kind support.

[@oliverrees9397]

@@PraiseTracks anytime always go to you for reviews still watching it by the way but had to comment.. there is so much you can do.. amazing textures

[@RideTheFuture]

Really enjoying the harmonic spaces you are opening up - and the joy you are communicating. Is there any way you could increase your buffer setting so these annoying clicks disappear? Would make it even more enjoyable for me to listen more. Great work!

[@PraiseTracks]

Stephan, thank you so much for the kind words. Yes, the crackles are annoying and tracking down the exact cause is something I am constantly working on. I think I am close to a solution, and it has to do with my DAW and OBS being synced properly to the audio driver. There is also the CPU issues that occur when playing and live streaming. I always want to do my best and I really appreciate the feedback and support. All the best.

[@brothertv9370]

This is a veeeeery good presentation! I tip my had for that.

[@PraiseTracks]

I am so glad you enjoyed watching. The possibilities that these virtual instruments provide are astounding. Thanks for your kind words of support. Joyfully!🎹

[@iamthatiam1]

Well, Piano Colors didn't last long on my Wish List...I broke down this morning and bought it. I finished a track effortlessly with a custom preset from it, so totally justified the purchase. ;) Looking forward to diving deeper and layering this amazing library in Unify!!

[@pranicmusic]

Yeah, this happens! (quite a lot) in my life!

[@shogunarki1139]

Your videos are great thank for them

[@PraiseTracks]

It is my pleasure, I so enjoy being able to share them with you. All the best.

[@shogunarki1139]

@@PraiseTracks Oh and Piano Colors sound fucking great xD

[@Triumphinchrist1]

Great demo! Lots of ambient sounds & guitar like strumming.Maybe good for contemporary christian music.Thanks.

[@PraiseTracks]

It really shines when layering with another more traditional piano library. It is most surprising how much I like the "toilet brushes" ;^) This library has so much potential, it is really wonderful. Thanks so much for watching.

[@Capt-Cran]

Thank you Simeon … good stuff … Donnie …

[@PraiseTracks]

My pleasure. I am so glad you were able to be on the stream while it was live, always great to see you.

[@misterpete1928]

Brilliant video Simeon! I just picked this up today! :)

[@PraiseTracks]

Thanks Pete, I know you will enjoy discovering this beautiful library. Joyfully!🎹

[@perlberl4914]

You are BEST !!!

[@PraiseTracks]

Thanks so much Perl, I so appreciate your kind support.

[@Asdfg29103]

Thank you Simon for a pleasant evening Russia .

[@PraiseTracks]

It is my pleasure, I am so glad you enjoyed watching. Wishing you all the very best.

[@jloiben12]

This is a cool piano

[@PraiseTracks]

Oh yes it is 🤓 Thanks so much for watching. All the best.

[@section23]

Still undecided if I should buy it but this helped a lot! Thank you

[@PraiseTracks]

Always my pleasure. Thanks for watching.

[@bernios3446]

I like your playing style more than the presented instruments - you might do some playing tutorials once in a while about chord progressions and how to rhythmically play them. Very nice (also in the Pianoteq felt upgrade video).

[@PraiseTracks]

Thanks Bernios, I am always trying to find ways to communicate some of the musical techniques but they sometimes get away from me in the moment ;^) Thanks for the continued support.

[@bernios3446]

@@PraiseTracks But as you have to record it anyway, you can record it when they come back to you :-) I know it is a lot of work to make good tutorials, but maybe you succeed nevertheless....

[@PraiseTracks]

😎

[@CesenaticoOfficial]

Beautiful demo. You are touching in your playing.. just a question.. can you save a patch modified as your own new sound? Thank you

[@PraiseTracks]

Andrea, yes you can modify any sound in Kontakt and then save it as a user Snapshot (click on the Camera Icon to save Snapshots) or you could save it as a new NKI preset file. Thanks for watching and the kind words. Joyfully! 🎹

[@carloscalera8110]

Inspirational and informative video, as usual! Which keyboard are you playing?

[@PraiseTracks]

Thank you so much. I have been using the Studiologic SL88: Grand for about two years, it has been a very good performing and responsive controller for me.

[@carloscalera8110]

@@PraiseTracks Many thanks for your quick reply and for sharing your wonderfully created music. Well done!

[@joelwybrew]

Amazing video as always Simeon. God bless you, you wonderful man! If you were to recommend a prepared piano instrument to someone who was only looking to own one (for the foreseeable future), is this the one you would recommend? Over, say, UVI's augmented or prepared pianos?

[@FFStudioMy]

Naissss

[@PraiseTracks]

Yessss! 😎 Thanks so much for your continued kind support. All the best.

[@calebemoraes3536]

Is there a way to install a tone like this on the keyboard? (piano colors)🇧🇷

[@PraiseTracks]

No, virtual instrument libraries like this are run inside the computer. Thanks so much for watching.

[@rjw8631]

nice job simeon. just wondering about something: there are audible crackles throughout your demo. they don't seem to be coming from the plugin's sound. so is the plugin a resource hog, demanding tonnes of RAM and/or CPU power? or is your computer in need of an upgrade. thanks, rob

[@PraiseTracks]

Rob, I am running an i9 9900k with 64gb of Ram and running everything from solid state drives, I had just built this system right at the beginning of 2020. The problem is that when you are running virtual instruments and trying to handle the livestreaming overhead as well, things can get tricky. During the full livestream, I mention some of the numbers but with the Particles Engine, things can hit the CPU a little extra hard causing some occasional spikes. I felt once we got through some things at first, it started to smooth out quite a bit. I am always looking for ways to get things running as smooth as possible, but you still run into these things at times. Thanks so much for watching and enjoying the replay. All the best.

[@rjw8631]

@@PraiseTracks simeon: thanks for the prompt reply. you certainly have plenty of computing power and memory. after hearing you today, i played my Noire for the first time in awhile and, yes, i heard similar crackles. you are right. particles causes occasional cpu spikes, and not always where you expect them to be. and you are also right that the problem pretty much disappeared by the end of your video.

[@TomVanSchoor]

@@rjw8631 the one thing that does help is make the audio buffer a bit bigger in the preferences. The crackles will disperse.

[@user-qw4gt2vw8v]

What expression midi controller are you using while playing this vst?

[@PraiseTracks]

I am not quite sure if I was using an expression pedal specifically for this particular library. I can tell you at the time it seems I would have had the SLPD3 Three Pedal controller for the SL88: grand. It has the three pedals you would traditionally see on a piano with the sustain being variable instead of the usual sustain on/off. Some piano libraries have half-pedaling to behave more in the way a real-world piano would handle the sustain pedal. Thanks for watching.

[@galaballi]

Hey Simeon really enjoying your videos first time I'm commenting though I wonder if I should get it if I ave the noire and the una cords in your opinion thank you :)

[@PraiseTracks]

GAL, Piano Colors would not be a replacement for the titles you already have but rather it is an extension of the concepts Galaxy introduced with NOIRE. Colors can stand on its own of course but it will add, here we go, more “Colors” to the pallet 🤓 Thanks so much for watching and supporting the channel. I enjoy answering questions and helping viewers whenever I can. Joyfully!🎹

[@galaballi]

@@PraiseTracks it just so overwhelming the amount of options to choose from so I watch your beautiful videos for spitfire olafur Arnalds and heirloom decided to save the money and stick with my tuna cords Noire and the Giant and now they're having a sale for this one 99$ I don't really like to but individual sounds from native instrument and Down the Komplete 13 wondering if you think it's worth or should I try something else from spitfire maybe? sorry as I said its just so confusing to know what to go with really appreciate your help and videos :) thanks again

[@PraiseTracks]

It all depends on what you feel might be missing. What sounds are you wanting to achieve? If you typically upgrade to a KOMPLETE collection then it might be something to hold off on. The issue might be in we do not know how this round of Komplete upgrades might go since Native Instruments is now a part of SOUNDWISE. Do not feel pressured to purchase anything if there is not a genuine compelling reason to do so.

[@galaballi]

@@PraiseTracks 🙏🏻❤️

[@JasonHeilmanMusicalRemedies]

1:16:40 thank you bro

[@eylab1541]

Does this have a pure piano and a felt piano only patch at all? I have not been able to hear that anywhere...

[@PraiseTracks]

It’s been a while since pulling this up. I will take a look. Stay tuned.

[@PraiseTracks]

I pulled it up a few minutes ago and there is only a PURE SOFT PIANO, something like a soft felted grand. The idea behind Piano Colors is to go outside of the traditional piano tones, more like a prepared piano collection of tones and colors with the added functionality of particles, layers and effects. I hope that helps. Thanks so much for watching.

[@SR1Records]

If you just wanted a really nice sampled piano, would you recommend Noire or Colors? What i mean is can Colors do everything that Noire can do but adds more, or as a sampled piano only is Noire better? I just want a really nice sampled piano.

[@PraiseTracks]

I would start with NOIRE. Piano Colors is great but focuses more on the prepared piano side of things whereas NOIRE is aimed at creating more expressive core types of piano environments. Also having the Pure and Felt versions included with NOIRE is a bonus.

[@PraiseTracks]

Piano Colors would be an excellent addition to extend the possibilities beyond what Noire initially presents. Thanks so much for watching.

[@SR1Records]

@@PraiseTracks Thank you

[@DonaldSorah]

Hey Simeon! I’ve been looking at three piano packages: Spitfire Olafur Arnalds Stratus, Hammers+Waves, and Piano Colors. Do you have any insights toward your preferences and if any of them stand out sonically or because of programming? Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts!

[@PraiseTracks]

Hammers and Waves is a definitive collection, if you saw the livestream replays you will see what I mean. I cannot speak to Stratus but from what I understand about it is that it is more of a specialty piano library for a particular performance style, I will see what else I can find out about it. Piano Colors takes the idea of NOIRE into the next chapter, not by providing pure or felted pianos but bringing new insights into prepared and processed textures. The addition of an arpeggiator to the updated Particles Engine adds to the potential. Piano Colors really comes into its own when layered with other instances of itself or more traditional piano libraries. Also Hammers and Waves features some very advanced textures and layering engines as well. Now to go check out Stratus.

[@DonaldSorah]

@@PraiseTracks So you’re saying that I should buy all three. Hahah! I know the most about Stratus from watching all the walkthroughs. I have seen your Hammers+Waves livestream and am about half way through your video on Colors. I guess I’m looking for very realistic piano sounds with the creative options too that I have seen from Noire Particles, Color Arpeggiator and Particles, and H+W Fractals.

[@PraiseTracks]

🤓, well I will just say that Spitfire is starting their Summer Sale on Monday (August 2nd).

[@PraiseTracks]

Another thing I appreciated about Skybox Audio was their 14 day return policy, which is very rare for software companies.

[@DonaldSorah]

@@PraiseTracks Yes! I just received a bonus from my work for doing a lot of committee work this summer. Convenient time with the Spitfire sale coming on Monday. I’m really liking Colors, especially because I know how Noire works and the ins and outs of the interface. But the H+W guarantee is nice as well.

[@scottt9382]

What app do you use to display your chords/intervals? Similar to Chordie?

[@PraiseTracks]

Hello Scott, the app is called MIDIculous from Gospel Musicians, I have put a link in the description. I think it is similar to Chordie. Thanks so much for watching. Joyfully!🎹

[@pierrelepage339]

Is this plugin compatible with any other DAW ?

[@PraiseTracks]

Oh yes, it comes as a Kontakt Player library that is compatible with all DAWs. Thanks so much for watching.

[@bhavearth]

Thank you. I here some choppy in the audio, feels like another CPU intensive one with these granular

[@PraiseTracks]

My pleasure. Yes, the Particles Engine can hit the CPU sometimes, this was especially true while also running the things necessary to livestream. I felt that things actually calmed down later on and just had some issues early on in the stream. Thanks for watching, I really appreciate the support.

[@JustPlainFolks]

@@PraiseTracks if it was bogging down your cpu, can you share what the specs are? How much ram and processing? This is my biggest fear. I got an i7 windows processor but my max ram is 16 gig which seems unlikely enough. I wonder if any laptop is powerful enough to run full blown NI set ups with multiple instruments. I am so at a loss on what is truly needed to be able to use all this amazing technology.

[@PraiseTracks]

@@JustPlainFolks, I am on an i9 9900k with 64 GB of ram that I built at the beginning of 2020. When you are live streaming there is additional overhead you have to deal with and that sometimes is enough to throw things over the edge at times. Running at low latency also is a factor, but I want to try and get things as smooth as I can and it is a challenge. The Particles Engine has a reputation for hitting the CPU hard at times but it is not totally a deal-breaker under normal production circumstances. In my first NOIRE video, I think I was using an i5 system ;^)

[@KoenTJohnson]

Is there a reason other than different presets for me to upgrade from the Ascend Modern Grand library?

[@PraiseTracks]

ASCEND is a great library with of course HEAVYOCITY’s signature touches. Piano Colors has its own signature and actually uses several different pianos (Steinway, Yamaha CFX, and Uprights), along with many other prepared sound sources. The workflows are also a little different. The only reason to add Piano Colors is if what it offers appeals to you and you feel you are not able to do the same with ASCEND. One thing I found with Piano Colors is that while it is not always going to be your primary piano, it really shines when you layer it with itself or another piano, I would imaging it would sound pretty amazing layered with ASCEND. I hope that helps. Thanks for watching,

[@andrewthompsonmusic929]

hi do you think this can act as an alternative to Noire ? i need to choose 1

[@PraiseTracks]

I would say that Piano Colors is the sequel to NOIRE, it acts as sort of an extension of the original premise. I would say start with NOIRE, as it will give you two solid piano foundations to start with (Pure and Felt), along with the Particles engines. You can always add Piano Colors later to provide additional textures and possibilities. Thanks so much for watching. Joyfully!🎹

[@zamora_5312]

Is this vst something like Noire? is it useful for worship?

[@PraiseTracks]

Zamora, I see Piano Colors as wort of an extension of NOIRE. It has beautiful possibilities and think it would sound great when used as a secondary layer to a more traditional piano library. I will have to dig in a little more and see what the possibilities are in a worship service context. Thanks so much for watching. Joyfully!

[@pablovasquez2166]

Hi there....nice demostration I would like to know if piano colors works with the free version of kontakt.

[@PraiseTracks]

Yes, it is compatible with the Free Kontakt Player. Thanks so much for watching.

[@datapointsoftware4920]

KOMPLETE KONTROL and KONTAKT really sucks ! IT HAS TO BE COMPLETELY REBUILD. Endless problems, unable to read tiny fonts., not scalable plugin interface, almost no customization, SUPER ANCIENT TECHNOLOGY from Window-95 Era. Despite of that they want you to pay money for it ? !!! PATHETIC !