VST plugins have advanced by leaps and bounds in recent years, offering users virtual instruments of startling authenticity and utility, easily accessible from your Mac or PC. Whether you’re after orchestral solo instruments like a trombone, clarinet or other woodwinds, or the ubiquitous piano or synth, odds are that there’s a full library of high-quality options to choose from.
One of our favorite VST companies here at Merriam Music is Vienna Symphonic Library and their Synchron Series. Today we’re going to be exploring their fully restored 1895 Bluthner Special Edition plugin, which appears poised to be a popular option in music production when a vintage grand piano sound is required.
Vienna Symphonic Library: Brand Information & Background
Over on our YouTube channel, we’ve spent a ton of time covering various piano VSTs from a variety of companies.
It’s been a lot of fun and it’s also actually been a fascinating exploration of acoustic pianos because many of these plugins offer the user the ability to manipulate very granular aspects of piano tone that help in understanding how a real piano works.
Vienna Instruments, based out of Austria and founded by cello player Herb Tucmandl, make a variety of different plugins for a whole stable of instruments, even things like cellos, oboes, bassoons, timpanis, and even a free orchestral plugin in the form of their Big Bang Orchestra. Each instrument has a variety of dynamics and articulations possible.
All of these are available through a variety of plugin bundles such as the Vienna Ensemble Pro, Vienna Suite, Synchron Elite Strings, Synchron Strings Pro, Synchron Stage Vienna, Vienna Instruments Pro, Vienna Synchron Player, Synchron Percussion, etc.
Bluthner Grand Piano VST Plugin
As cool as Orchestral Strings from their Strings bundle and their other Orchestral Sample Libraries are, we of course focus on pianos over here and we’re excited to be checking out this restored 1895 Bluthner. If you’ve ever wondered what the pianos were like that the great 19th-century Romantic pianists composed or performed on, this plugin is for you.
This sample library gives us an opportunity to go back in time and experience a fully restored century instrument that’s been perfectly rebuilt. We’re not sure who did the rebuilding, but it’s obviously been handled by some very experienced craftsmen. The recording and sampling took place in their B Studio which is the same studio they recorded the Bösendorfer 130 and 280VC in.
They haven’t disclosed the exact size of this Bluthner, but we suspect that it’s somewhere around 7 feet give or take, so definitely not a 9-foot concert grand.
Do Vintage Pianos Differ from New Pianos?
A question we and many others have had for some time is how different were the pianos 100 or so years ago? Were they more or less the same as pianos today? Well, after spending some time with this plugin it’s clear that there are aspects of this piano that are simply magical. At the same time, there are other aspects where 100 years of innovation does genuinely help in delivering a better piano.
In the accompanying video, Stu switches between the Bluthner 1895 and a modern Hamburg Steinway D so you can hear exactly how two German pianos built more than 100 years apart differ.
There are always outliers with every generation of piano, but there’s no question that modern design and engineering improvements have resulted in superior pianos. But that doesn’t mean that a sample library like this doesn’t have a place. This VST plugin instantly transports you back to classic recordings like Rubinstein’s Chopin and others, and if you’re looking to capture that particular vibe, this plugin is one way to do it.
Let’s get into the specifics of the sound.
VSL Grand Piano VST Plugin Sound
The Golden Sound
Bluthner has always had the term, the “Golden Sound”, associated with them. The main for this is the treble register and Bluthner’s unique Aliquot stringing, which means that the treble on their pianos uses 4 strings instead of 3 like other pianos.
The fourth string doesn’t actually get struck by the hammer but is instead left open to resonate when the damper is up. The effect is a layer of extra depth that adds harmonics an octave or two lower than duplex scaling does. This effect is really coming through here with this Module.
A few other observations about this module; the dynamic range on this piano is quite tight – definitely smaller than what you would typically get out of most concert grands.
At the same time, there’s a wonderful delicacy to the instrument, especially in the upper octaves – that’s where the magic really happens.
Comparisons to a Modern Piano
There are a few key differences you’ll notice between the Bluthner 1895 and a more modern piano. There’s zero false beating occurring with the Bluthner since it was rebuilt with the best strings, excellent regulation, and hammers that were perfectly fitted to the strings. This means that the differences we’ll be noting here are fundamental to the design of the piano and not the result of degraded materials.
If you check out the video, you’ll hear that the Bluthner grand piano sounds very different from the Hamburg Steinway D with side-by-side playback.
Most notably, the Steinway D sounds darker, has a wider dynamic range, more natural reverb and quite a bit more projection. It’s going to be more versatile for a variety of playing situations, but again, the Bluthner is capturing a very specific sound that is going to be perfect for certain projects.
Check out the video to hear some specific examples of the differences.
VSL Sound Presets
Like all of the other plugins, there is a wide variety of presets that the Bluthner comes with. The first one is Concert, and this preset is very reverberant and yet intimate at the same time. Satie or Debussy would be absolutely gorgeous with this preset.
Other presets include Player, Pop and Ambience. Again, we’d recommend checking out the video to hear all of these in action.
VST Plugin Sound Wrap Up
After spending some time with this Plugin we think it’s the nicest, vintage-sounding VSL VSTs that we’ve heard, without a doubt, and it certainly blows any of those free instrument plugin options available out there totally out of the water.
In some ways, there’s almost a bit of an upright vibe to the sound, and it could actually be quite versatile because a plugin like this would work really well in an indie rock setting, as well as a 60s, or 70s pop-rock type setting.
It’s not going to be a one-size-fits-all plugin because it simply doesn’t have the size, nor does it have the resonance and the clarity one expects from a modern grand piano.
Final Thoughts
Thanks for joining us for our look at this Bluthner Grand Piano VST plugin – an 1895 rebuilt grand piano recorded in the Synchron Studio B by Vienna Symphonic Libraries.
You’re going to want definitely check this plugin out if you’ve got the need for any of those applications that we’ve mentioned, or if you’re just a piano aficionado and love having access to some super unique sounds.
So at the end of the day, this is a plugin with a ton of character. And if it’s the specific flavor you’re after, this plugin will be tough to beat.
Thanks for reading!
