Spitfire Audio | BBC Symphony Orchestra Piano | VST Review

[@jamesewanchook2276]

Great review. Cheers from VAncouver!

[@AlvinSWongMusic]

Thanks and hello there. 🍁

[@marcosmusicstudio]

excellent example Alvin, thank you for the exposure. I have a question do you think is a great difference between the slighty version of discovery and the core version? It sounds to me great as well so not sure if I need to buy the core version

[@smotive5785]

I'm using the BBCSO Piano Pro. I can't get a clear answer no matter how hard I try Googling, so I'm just asking you a question. Is it normal for the sound to be tilted to the left when playing using the microphones of Mix1 and Mix2 in the default setting? Even though the pan value is in the center, when it is Mix1 and Mix2, it is much louder in the left speaker, so I have a little question about how to set the pan value for a solo piano song to hear the sound in the center. Please tell me it's not a problem with my speaker or DAW...

[@AntonioBrandao]

Would have been great if the demonstrations in the video didn't include the sound of your mic above the keys while playing

[@AlvinSWongMusic]

Thanks for the feedback!

[@joshrainbow-IceTenor]

Hi Alvin, wonderful video. I have a question - I own the core BBCSO and use it for mainly writing orchestral music. I also do movie score and trailers, meditation music, classical song with orchestra, all home based stuff. I am now using the Universal audio Ravel piano which is probably more used for pop music...For what i do would it be more logic to buy the core version over the pro? I have asked if the Pro version would work with the core orchestra I have but haven't received an answer yet. What are your thoughts? Would the core version be the best choice in my case? Love to hear...

[@AlvinSWongMusic]

Hi Josh, Yes you can technically have the pro version of piano but only have the core version for the rest of the BBC SO. I have that exact setup. The only difference between core and pro are the 15 mic and mix signals with pro vs the 1 for core. If you find you often want to tweak then maybe worth it. For most who just want the sound to sit nicely in the room with the rest of BBC SO I would say Core is enough. Thanks for stopping by and the feedback and question!

[@joshrainbow-IceTenor]

@@AlvinSWongMusic thanks Alvin for the fast reply, really appreciate it. So if I understand correctly, I can purchase the pro version and it’ll work in my BBCSO Core version. The instruments of my core version will appear in the piano menu! - the discount is already awesome for spitfire members. I will watch your video again and the pro video and make a choice. Thanks so much for the fast reply :-)

[@AlvinSWongMusic]

@joshrainbow-IceTenor I was provided both Core and the Pro versions of the Piano to review and I had only owned Core. What it would look like is your BBCSO plugin will default to Pro and only show the piano. And then to use the rest of Core instruments you can switch up top with the version drop-down list to choose Core if you want the rest of the core instruments. Hope that helps. Each instance of the plug-in can run in either version.

[@joshrainbow-IceTenor]

@@AlvinSWongMusic Good morning Alvin, clear, thank you :-) - When the piano plug in opens in Pro but I change it to Core does the CPU change to what the core version would use, or does the CPU stay Pro version when open it in Core? I presume that when I change it to core the core version piano shows am I correct?

[@AlvinSWongMusic]

@joshrainbow-IceTenor changing to core will change piano to core for that plug-in instance. If you want pro you can open a separate plugin instance/track. It won’t affect the core version in the other track.

[@davidk3872]

There is a demo available for this plugin ?

[@AlvinSWongMusic]

You can get the free BBC SO Discover edition which has a single mic lite version. It is free with a full orchestra!

[@judepatten]

Great video, Alvin. Just a quick thought, it may be beneficial to mute your microphone during the pianos demos, that way there’s nothing to distract from the sound of the instrument.

[@AlvinSWongMusic]

Thank you very much for the feedback. Totally my bad on that. I had some recording audio separation challenges with DaVinci Resolve editing. Will improve on this in the future 👍.

[@electedmusic7685]

Hello friend, is this better than vsl SYNCHRON steinway piano?

[@AlvinSWongMusic]

I have heard good things about Synchron Concert D. I have not had a chance to get my hands on that library! It is quite a bit pricier but has a ton more features. On my radar for sure.

[@electedmusic7685]

I have it and it is brutal my friend. the vsl steinway is a safe investment, for me, the ultimate piano. I imagine that the spitfire is not up to the task because it is more limited. I have configured my patch in the vsl and it is brutal.

[@AlvinSWongMusic]

@electedmusic7685 Thanks for the info! I’ll have to give it a whirl and reach out to VSL. Don’t own anything of theirs myself.

[@louisrmusic]

Had Core at 66€ because I already own the orchestra. I think most people won’t need all the mics so Core is a great starting point. The base price is the same as XLN Studio Grand and sounds much better, even though it only has a single mix. XLN really lacks the dynamics and sounds either over-processed/artificial or too dry in comparison. The BBC piano sounds like we are listening to a live performance sitting in front of it.

[@AlvinSWongMusic]

Thanks for comparison to XLN. Agree about the live sense in the space. Yeah I think Spitfire is doing an intro cross grade deal or existing owners to get 30% off.

[@JayTheLane]

6 dynamic layers is pretty limited across the board regardless of Pro or Core.