Akoustik Pianos (4 new Kontakt products)

NI announced 4 new separate piano sound libraries for Kontakt Player / Kontakt 3.5/4.0:
http://www.native-instruments.com/#/en/products/?search=piano

* Berlin Concert Grand Piano
* New York Concert Grand Piano
* Vienna Concert Grand Piano
* Upright Piano

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Can someone confirm: Are the actual samples the same as prior Akoustik Piano product? I'm assuming it's Akoustik repackaged as 4 products that utilize the new Kontakt features.

 

soooo excited for these, as I never got the chance to own the original Akoustik Piano.

Is there any way the same composition on all four pianos can be posted though? I'm having such a difficult time choosing haha.

-Nouri

 

If these are the same samples, NI should offer a cheap upgrade price to all Akoustik Piano owners, including Komplete 5 owners.

 

I think they are the same samples and NI appears to be taking care of former owners of Akoustik. I just received the following mass email a few minutes ago:

As a user of AKOUSTIK or ELEKTRIK PIANO, we would like to
recommend a new and more powerful platform for all your
piano playing needs: the free KONTAKT PLAYER. This
advanced sample player is based on the brand-new KONTAKT 4
and offers improved efficiency, multiprocessor support and
64-bit compatibility. And of course it is compatible with
all current audio hosts and operating systems.​

I'm not posting specific download instructions, I'll let NI do that -- I'd recommend checking service center or Akoustik forum under discontinued products.

Also Note: Kontakt 3.5 update had instrument versions for Elektrik and Akoustik owners -- not sure if above announcement is same as that.

I'm still not 100% certain all the samples of the new library are the same, but from product description I suspect it is.

 

I would hope they'd offer a free (downloadable) upgrade... the samples look to be the same size and have the same features as Akoustik piano; they're just different names. I'd rather not have to install anything off my old Komplete 5 discs once I upgrade to Komplete 6...

 

I'm with you guys - hopefully there's a free upgrade. (Dealing with the nightmare that is integrating Kore 2 and Komplete 6, I feel we deserve it!)

 

I found the post when they announced old Akoustik product discontinuation:
http://www.native-instruments.com/forum/showthread.php?t=92744

"Akoustik Piano: The sounds of this instrument can and should be used with the free Kontakt Player, which is a much better platform regarding its sample engine and compatibility. The four individual piano models will also be re-issued as Kontakt-Powered instruments for download in the near future."

It's the same basic product reincarnated in Kontakt / Kontakt Player -- some differences, but same pianos.

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Last 2 cents for users not having prior Akoustik: The 3 grands are all equally great, upright would rank slightly below the others. Upright is good, but I would have preferred a more honky tonk sound. I'd probably pick Berlin to cut thru a heavy band mix (a little brighter), Vienna for solo classical playing -- New York falls between these and is very expressive. Really the 3 grands are all versatile and the upright is useful, so listen to demos for your personal taste.

I would think 1 grand piano will probably cover most users needing a high quality piano, but the whole collection is nice for those where piano is central to their music. Although the new pricing scheme is higher for full collection (and worth it IMO), it does make buying one piano more accessible for many.

Who knows ... maybe they'll add other models someday.

EDIT: with new names, I confused which piano was "New York" (Steinway) & "Berlin" (Bechstein) -- now corrected in above post.

 

all great points Kevin. I initially was drawn to Vienna and Upright for their solo piano performances and range of dynamics, but Berlin started to grow on me - great sounding in those full band compositions.

 

very good NI. i am very happy with this indeed. about time they released this. i thought it would be never happening... now all NI needs to do is make B4III and release the elektrik piano as a pack. NI is really lacking with their electric piano sound in kontakt. its the worse ive ever heard

 

Kontakt 4 contains all the sounds from Elektrik Piano.

 

no it doesnt man. they said that about akoustik piano. now they are releasing it as a pack. so why would they do that if its the same.
they also said kontakt 4 can be used for the b4 II. which is again not the same. and they said it about the 57 drawbar organ. its nothing like a b3 its created after a c3. totally different organ.

 

They never said that about Akoustik Piano - it's been the plan all along to release the AP models as Kontakt instruments.

All four pianos from the Elektrik Piano library, on the other hand, are definitely included in Kontakt 4.

I never saw anything about using Kontakt 4 for B4 II - this doesn't make sense, as B4 II is based on a synth engine, not samples.

The B3 and C3 organs were/are exactly identical except for the C3's addition of wooden panels designed to hide the feet of the organist from the audience. Sound & functionality are the same - it's just a different casing model for the exact same organ.

 

its not because i own a b3 and a c3, they are totally different in sound.

im just giving an overall quick talk of how NI has let alot of ppl down.
then offered a ridiculous price for the packs themselves. what about the original owners of akoustik piano, to have it dead like that and having to go out buy the packs again.

they did say it would be in kontakt 4 they have just taken that out of the forum now.

yeh well read the forum and ull see it says u can get the same sounds of b4 with kontakt 4/kore.
which is why i agree with u as its modeling not samples.

 

Hi again. There's really no way around it; the B3 and C3 have the exact same stuff inside. It's quite possible that your two models sound different, but in general they are certainly not "totally different" organs as you said. Identical drawbars, busbars, transformers, contacts & connections, all in the same place. Only the cabinet is different, and a real life B3 and C3 from the same production run in the same condition are going to sound very much the same.

NI announced that Akoustik Piano was discontinued on September 2. And I quote:
"The sounds of this instrument can and should be used with the free Kontakt Player, which is a much better platform regarding its sample engine and compatibility. The four individual piano models will also be re-issued as Kontakt-Powered instruments for download in the near future." - Thomas @ NI

If there was ever anything stated before this about Akoustik Piano being included in Kontakt 4, I really find it hard to believe it was said by anyone at NI.

Regarding B4 - Perhaps you're referring to the message on the product page:
"This product is discontinued. You can find high end organ sounds in other NI products such as KONTAKT 4 and the '57 Drawbar Organ."

Perhaps this may be misleading, but it certainly doesn't state that the exact same sounds from B4 are included in those two packs. And certainly, the tones you get in those apps are not completely identical to the sounds achievable in B4. Still, I don't think I ever saw NI set it up as thus.

I'm millions of times more peeved by their promise of Kore 2/Komplete 6 integration, which is deceptive at best.

Still, I'm glad to see these AP packs have been released, and I'm still hoping that they'll provide some sort of cheap or free upgrade path to the new, (slightly) revamped models for Akoustik Piano users.

 

Here's Native Instrument's description on piano samples (from previous Akoustik manual):

Berlin (formerly called Bechstein 280)

"This piano is known for a clean, thin treble and strong, velvety bass, thus allowing players to produce powerful temperaments while retaining full freedom of expression."

New York (formerly called Concert Grand D)

"... the Steinway Model D ... optimized for the lightest playing style ... particularly suited for solo piano work, jazz, classical, new age and other styles of music"

Vienna (formerly called Bosendorfer 290)

"...known worldwide for unsurpassed power, mellow tone, and a resonance that seemingly lasts forever... the chosen grand to faithfully reproduce the works of Bartok, Debussy, Ravel and Busoni."

Upright (formerly called Steingraeber und Soehne 130)

"... warm, charismatic, and compact sound which ideally suits productions that attain their charm through small quirks and imperfections ... used for blues, jazz, blue grass and individual forms."

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If I seemed negative on upright in earlier post, I totally agree with NI's above description. It just wouldn't be my first choice. Upright reminds me of playing on a typical piano you'd find in someone's home ... very authentic, organic without sparkle, sounds like you're practicing in your parent's living room. However I can see how it could be perfect for the right tune.

After playing the 3 grands this evening, if I was forced to pick ONLY ONE the New York (Steinway) would be my first choice. Berlin (Bechstein) would be my alternate first choice IF not buying New York.

Either way, the Vienna (Bosedorfer) would be my second choice as it's a good contrast from the other two grands.

Truthfully, I'm glad I have all 4 pianos.

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Thoughts based on Kontakt 3.5 update of Akoustik and reviewing screenshots of new product:

Main wishlist for new version: EQ controls should have stayed on front page. EQ changes are accessible, but it takes a little digging in Kontakt to get to effects subpage. Some solo pianists may miss MIDI recorder, although I didn't use it. In general, I actually prefer old product GUI.

Main apparent pros of new version for me: 1) Ability to apply Kontakt effects and tools. 2) Faster in standalone to switch to other Kontakt instruments such as Elektrik Piano.

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OT: Still shedding a tear for B4 demise. Glad I got mine.

 

I'd like that new Kontakt skin though so even if they are the same samples I hope there will be a small update to the instruments posted in the user area soon (just checked - nothing so far)

 

Kevin,

Thanks for being so helpful! Based on your input and further listening of the samples, I looked for deals on Akoustik Piano and found a great one.

But now I'm wondering if I should get a discontinued product, is its integration with Kontakt Player 4 seamless? Just open nki and play?

 

I'd like that as well.

 

Yes, these four products are basically the same instruments as those in Akoustik Piano.

There is really no point in an "upgrade option". If you load Akoustik Piano into the current Kontakt Player, you have the exact same instruments as those that are now available as individual downloads.

 

Thanks Thomas!

Just bought Akoustik Piano, and Elektrik Piano & B4 II with the money I saved.