Building on the template laid down by its Strings and Voices plugins (both included in V Collection 9), Arturia has released a third instrument in its ‘Augmented’ range that focuses on the grand piano.
Like its stablemates, Augmented Grand Piano blends samples and synth engines to create cinematic sounds that are suitable for film scoring, video game soundtracks and library music production. Or, we’d suggest, any tracks that might benefit from a piano-themed soundscape.
The samples are taken from an ‘80s Steinway grand, but aren’t the simple recordings you might be used to. Unusual techniques involving bowing, ping-pong balls and tape processing were used in their creation, and that’s before you even get to the synthesis layer.
The resulting timbres are said to range from the familiar to the far-out and to blur the line between acoustic and synthetic. You can fine-tune sounds with the Morph control, moving between layers and making other changes as you turn.
Other macros cover dynamics, articulation and timbral control, and you can choose whatever combination of samples and synthesis that you require. Deeper tweaking options are found in the advanced panel, which includes modulation options and smart arpeggiation.
Both new and registered Arturia users can benefit from introductory pricing on not only Augmented Grand Piano, but also a bundle containing all three Augmented series instruments. Log in to your account to discover your offer, which applies until 3 November.
Find out more on the Arturia website. Augmented Piano runs on PC in Mac in VST/AU/AAX and standalone formats.
