MusicRadar Verdict
Pearl Concert Grand sounds lovely and plays well, holding its own against competing pianos costing considerably more. Well played, Impact Soundworks.
Pros
- +
Excellent sounds. Great to play. Represents excellent value.
Cons
- -
Very little.
MusicRadar's got your back Our team of expert musicians and producers spends hours testing products to help you choose the best music-making gear for you. Find out more about how we test.
For Impact Soundworks' first serious piano library, a Yamaha C7 grand has been captured in "a concert hall" from four mic positions to generate over 14,000 samples, provided in 16- (12GB) and 24-bit (27GB) formats.
"There's enough processing power to design any piano sound you're likely to need"
Eight velocity layers are in effect, with two round- robins per note, and completely separate sample sets for sustain pedal up and down.
The interface gives control of volume, width, sample offset, EQ and compression for each of the four mic channels (Close, Pedal, Stage and Hall), as well as five effects - enough mixing and processing power to design any piano sound you're likely to need.
Velocity scaling and microtuning are adjustable, as are key and pedal release noise, and the dynamic response of the instrument is totally customisable, right down to individual notes.
“One of the concepts we are exploring is whether an artist could continue to create work after they have passed away”: The groundbreaking tech that will shape the future of music production
“If you messed something up on a production, admit it, fix it, and move on”: 8 cost-free tips to improve as a producer in 2025
"I switched to a Stratocaster - I got a really good deal in the middle of the night for $120 - and then in 1972, Lowell George showed me his MXR compressor pedal”: Bonnie Raitt on how she developed her famous slide guitar style
