Made with Passion, Precision, and Perseverance
Powerful, complex, and sampled with incredible precision, the Fazioli F308 from Vienna Symphonic Library is a virtual instrument and sound library created by sampling the largest grand piano in the world, the F308 from acclaimed piano maker Fazioli Pianoforti, capturing a staggering 363,132 samples in Synchron's Stage A, a space which elevates the piano's distinctive sound through the exceptional acoustics of the Stage A hall. With 11 distinct microphone positions and compatibility for numerous immersive mixing methods including stereo, 5.1 surround, Dolby Atmos, and 9.1 Auro 3D, this library provides one of the most sophisticated and comprehensive virtual piano instruments available.
The F308 library comes with the free Vienna Synchron Pianos software, a versatile program that offers multiple tone shaping options, a full mixer with EQ, compressor, algorithmic reverb, and more, as well as a full playback engine that allows you to tweak almost any setting, including tuning range, for individual keys. This plug-in is compatible with both Windows and macOS and available in AAX Native, Audio-Unit, and VST formats.
Note:
This purchase is for the Faziola F308 Full Library, with 363,132 samples and 11 mic positions.
The World's Largest Grand Piano
At a staggering length of 10' 2", the world's largest piano owes its powerful sound and extraordinary harmonic clarity to the increased string length in the bass and middle range, as well as to a host of innovations for which the Italian piano maker is praised among musicians and audiences alike. Fazioli pianos are built with a heartfelt passion for music and musicians, extraordinary craftsmanship, advanced technological development, and a careful selection of materials. The heart of each Fazioli, the soundboard, is taken from the same spruce forest in northern Italy's Val di Fiemme where Antonio Stradivari once sourced his wood for his famous violins.
The Fourth Pedal
The F308 at Synchron Stage Vienna is equipped with a fourth pedal invented by Fazioli, located to the left of the three traditional pedals, which lowers the keyboard and raises the hammers to be closer to the strings. The effect is a decrease in volume of the sound without changing its timbre, sounding the same overtones and resonances, with a soft but very clear and transparent sound. This innovation also facilitates playing soft glissandos, rapid passages, and legatos. What's more, by combining the una corda pedal with the fourth pedal, pianists can increase the variations of soft colors the F308 is able to offer.
Superior Sound
Having further refined and perfected the recording and editing procedures in tandem with their software development, the Synchron Fazioli F308 represents an incredible achievement in the art of sampling pianos. With a total of more than 360,000 samples, this software instrument boasts breathtaking authenticity.
- Massive library of 363,132 samples
- 11 phase-aligned microphones used for recording, available as individual signals
- Synchron Piano Player with preconfigured mixer presets such as Concert, Intimate, Player, Pop, Ambience, and more
- Mixable in stereo, 5.1 surround, Dolby Atmos, 9,1 Auro 3D, and more
The Synchron Piano Player
In addition to creating your sound by mixing several microphone signals, the free Vienna Synchron Pianos software offers multiple options for shaping the sound of the piano and your playing experience. Hosting a high-performance playback engine, the software provides a full-blown mixer with a broad range of effects such as EQ, compressor, saturator, algorithmic reverb, delay, chorus, flanger, rotary, and many more. You may also adjust the volume of body resonances, sympathetic strings, and pedal noises right in the main Play window. In the Edit window, you can even tweak EQ, volume, tuning, dynamic range, etc., for each individual key.
11 Microphone Positions
In order to capture this marvelous instrument in one of the best acoustic environments on the planet, VSL's recording engineers used multiple high-end microphone arrays, affording an abundance of options for creating your individual sound.
- Room Mic (Mix)
- Condenser—Close 1 (Sennheiser MKH 8040)
- Ribbon—Close 2 (Royer SF-24)
- Tube—Close 3 (Neumann U 67)
- Mid 1 (Sennheiser MKH 800)
- Mid 2 (Neumann M 149)
- Main/Room Mic—Decca Tree Stereo (3 x Neumann M 150, L/R)
- Main/Room Mic—Decca Tree Mono (Center)
- Main Surround—Stereo (2 x Sennheiser MKH 20, L/R)
- High Stereo (3D)—Stereo (2 x Sennheiser MKH 800, L/R)
- High Surround (3D)—Stereo (2 x Sennheiser MKH 800, L/R)
Sampling Precision
To capture the sound of the instrument with all its subtleties, VSL's engineers deployed a highly precise motion-control system based on a solenoid that controls a noise-free robot finger. The microcontroller moves the finger with superhuman precision, providing flexible curvatures for down-strokes and release movements, the latter corresponding with the preceding note length and various release speeds.