Ketron SD2 Orchestral Wizard Sound Module Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Like the prior reviewer says the acoustic instrument sounds in the SD2 are far better than similar Roland synth modules. I've been searching for the best acoustic musical instruments for many years and not other module even at 2 or 3 times the price has as many excellent sounds.
The Tenor Sax, in fact, is a wonderful breathy Tenor reminiscent of Stand Getz not only in the low register but also in the upper one, whereas I find the baritone sax to be too harsh, I prefer a more mellow Gerry Mulligan quality.
The clarinet is also excellent, especially in the upper register where it has a rich, brilliant voice -perfect for jazz.
The violin and viola recorded w natural vibrato are also top notch -with wonderful dynamics.
The Golden Trumpet is one of the smoothest trumpets you can find and the various muted Trumpets are also pretty good.
The flute is quite good, but I've got better trombone sounds elsewhere.
This synthesizer works fantastically well with a wind controller such as the EWI-4000s, the newer EWI-USB, or Yamaha models.
For the maximum fun, be sure to use it with Band-in-a-Box and you will have a wonderful combo going in no time at all. You will notice that when you enable an entire family of an instrument, you will get some instruments that obviously are outside the family. This is because the SD2 has a modified General Midi implementation, done, I'm told by the manufacturer, in order to remain compatible with some older Ketron synth modules/instruments which were designed prior to the popularity of General Midi. If you want to hear some samples of what this synth sounds like, go to the manufacturers site, or go to[...] music site and look for my Jazz2010 page.

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The Ketron Orchestral Wizard (SD2) is a pocket size sound module designed for all PC and Midi applications. Equipped with the same sound engine found in the new Ketron SD5 keyboard, the SD2 has all the latest features for recording, programming and live performances, featuring a New Stereo Grand Piano and huge Orchestral voices such as Saxophones, Brass, Woodwinds, authentic Guitars, Accordions and many others. The quality of these instrumental voices (following the traditional Ketron Best Natural sound heritage) is a remarkable advantage on the SD2, especially when stacked against other competitors. In addition, the SD2 includes very distinctive Audio Drum and Percussion Loops selected from Slow, Jazz, Latin, Acoustic, Traditional, and Dance styles.

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Acoustica Pianissimo Virtual Grand Piano Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)If you are in need of a Virtual Grand Piano which can be used in live performance, I believe this is your best bet. I have tried many software pianos. Most of the free ones just don't have enough depth or expressiveness. And the Gigapianos are totally impracticle. Large sampled piano libraries that have to be constantly streamed from the hard drive can be far too CPU intensive and therefore too risky to be dependable for a live gig. The newest generation of virtual pianos has addressed this by combining sampling, modeling and morphing technology. The libraries are smaller in size and the marraige of these technologies has really trimmed the demand on the CPU. Best of all it has produced a richer more natural feeling, sounding and playing experience. The three top contenders in this category are Acoustica Pianissimo, 4 Front Truepianos, and Modartt Pianoteq. I have tried them all. And though they are all quality instruments, I feel that Pianissimo is the clear winner on sound and playability, alone. The fact that it is by far and away the most inexpensive is just a wonderful bonus. Try the demo versions of these pianos for yourself. I think you'll agree.

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Acoustica's Pianissimo is a virtual instrument that uses a combination of sample playback and advanced physical modeling to create a stunning acoustic grand piano sound. Starting with 250MB of high quality samples of a Steinway Model D grand piano, the Pianissimo plug-in uses complex signal processing and programming to recreate the warmth, response, and playability of a real grand piano. This natural sound is then paired with a professional studio-quality reverb algorithm to add the depth and ambiance of a true acoustic space. Add in modeled sympathetic resonance, incidental mechanical hammer sounds, remarkable control over tone and velocity response, 256 voices of polyphony, and incredibly low CPU usage, and Pianissimo might just be the best sounding, most playable virtual piano you've experienced.The VSTi plug-in will operate in any DAW with support for virtual instruments in the VSTi format, including Mixcraft. The standalone version supports any MIDI device, and any WAV, ASIO, or WaveRT device. It allows for two-track recording, loading, and saving of standard MIDI Type 1 files, and supports mixing down to WAV, MP3, WMA, and Ogg Vorbis files.

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