Piano Sound Sources Edition - A Must-See for DTMers! An Introduction on Recommended Sound Sources

Hello!
It’s Kaoru the composer here!

When beginner DTMers first start out, one of the biggest questions they have is probably,

“What sound source should I buy??”

I myself remember being completely lost at the beginning.
So, for beginner DTMers, I’ll be introducing how to choose sound sources and the features of each one.

I’ll be organizing them by category—electric/acoustic guitar sound sources, bass sound sources, drum sound sources, orchestral sound sources, and more—so please use this blog post as a reference.
The first blog post of this series is the Piano Sound Sources Edition!

Alright, let’s get started!!

SPECTRASONICS / Keyscape (USB Drive) SP — Software Keyboard Sound Source

The keyboard sound source is from SPECTRASONICS, a company that has established its position with high-quality software instruments.

I highly recommend this to anyone thinking, “I only have the keyboard sounds that come with my DAW!”

• ACOUSTIC PIANOS
• BELLTONE KEYBOARDS
• CLAVINETS
• ELECTRIC PIANOS
• HYBRID PIANOS
• KEY BASS
• MINI PIANOS
• PLUCKED KEYBOARDS
• TOY PIANOS
• VINTAGE DIGITAL KEYS
• WIND KEYBOARDS

It comes packed with an enormous variety of sounds like these.
With this much included, it can be used regardless of genre.

You can immediately incorporate faithfully recreated sounds of legendary classic instruments into your own music.
Why not try introducing a sound library that was carefully crafted over more than 10 years without compromise?

*It requires 80GB of free disk space, so be sure to check your PC before purchasing!

SYNTHOGY/ Ivory II Grand Pianos – Simplified Package

From my experience, this is a sound source that a huge number of professionals rely on.
It’s what you’d call a standard piano, so it’s very easy to use, and I think it’s valued for its ability to handle everything from rough sketches to fully finished tracks.

The “ultimate” sound source that includes a massive 77GB of samples in order to fully recreate the appeal of three concert grand pianos.

It delivers outstanding performance not only for creators, but also for pianists.

It achieves a level of realism that makes it almost impossible to distinguish from a live recording.

In addition, the following are also available, so please choose the one you like:

• Ivory II Grand Pianos
• Ivory II Italian Grand
• Ivory II Upright Pianos
• Ivory II American Concert D
• Ivory II Studio Grands

XLN AUDIO (XLN Audio) / Addictive Keys: Trio Bundle – Download Delivery

A keyboard sound source from XLN AUDIO, a company also well known for the drum instrument “Addictive Drums 2.”

• Studio Grand
• Modern Upright
• Mark One
• Erectric Grand

There are four types of sound sources available, and with this bundle you can choose and install three of them.

Despite all of them being very high quality, each one is around 6GB in size, so they won’t put too much strain on your HDD or SSD.

All of them are excellent sound sources, but the one I especially recommend is “Studio Grand.”
Studio Grand faithfully recreates the sound of the legendary Steinway Model D concert grand piano.

During recording, environments such as the Swedish Broadcasting Corporation were used, and the samples were carefully captured in conditions that bring out the piano’s character to the fullest.
I recommend this to anyone who wants to experience even the unique sound quality only a piano can produce.

TOONTRACK / EZ KEYS – UPRIGHT PIANO

This is a sound source that faithfully reproduces the vintage Ostlind & Almquist pianos.
Its warm sound can be used across any genre:

• Pop
• Rock
• Gospel
• Jazz

and more, making it versatile for a variety of musical scenes.

The biggest feature of this sound source is that it comes with MIDI data.
It includes a wide range of MIDI phrases performed by top pianists, covering multiple music genres. With drag-and-drop functionality, you can easily incorporate these phrases into your tracks.

I recommend it for anyone who:

Can’t think of ideas…
Has a tight deadline…
Lacks piano knowledge…

Additionally, multiple piano sound sources in the same series are available, so it’s also great for those who want to be picky about the sound!
I think this is a sound source that has been attracting a lot of attention recently, so you should definitely check it out!

That concludes my recommended sound source introduction: Piano Edition.

The piano is a highly versatile instrument, so there’s no such thing as having too good a sound source.
Among all the instruments, I think this is one to pay special attention to, so just pick one you like and try it out!

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