[linux-audio-user] Pianotest1 recording as requested by Mark and answers to questions by others.

[Roel de Wit]

Hi,

I've uploaded the MP3 recording of this MIDI file to
http://project-portability.foad.nl/mp3/pianotest1.mp3
Note though that it was sampled from Grandest Piano beta v0.1 and thus will
not neccesarily represent the v1.0 release of the piano. Next week two new
sample layers will be added and the amount of velocity layers will be
increased to 127 (which will fully replace the current not so perfect ones).
Also the release values of each note (or layer.. not sure yet) will be
adapted.. I'll provide the website with a recording from v1.0 when it
arrives so I prefer to keep this recording low profile.

The recording was made without any reverb active or any post-processing so
that it shows the actual samples the best way.

Regarding 16 bit vs 24 bit.. I personally don't see the use of 24 bit
samples too much yet. When mixing them is concerned the more bits the
better.

Regading looping etc.. The samples are all unlooped with a maximum of 16
seconds (which is often used).

> Yeah, but what is a tiMIDIty version, explicitly?  If you want to
> please the Linux community, just send us 88 (more?) samples, one for
> each key, and chuck the looping.  Just let them all ring out till
> silence.  Better yet, 4-5 samples for each key at different striking
> pressures would be great.  Don't worry about how or what software will
> sort this all out, we'll figure out something.

With all the sampled velocity layers and huge amount of filtered velocity
layers one soundfont won't simply work on any 'claimed' soundfont compatible
softsynth or device. E.g. LiveSynth Pro a very good SF2 softsynth can't
handle the piano correctly (yet). Our Utopia Live! soundfont (GM/GS) can't
be played back (or even loaded) on anything else than SB Live!/Audigy
hardware. It's the main drawback of 'complicated' soundfonts..

I have all the velocity layers sampled at 88 notes at my harddisk but the
Audigy is stuck at around 330 MB (maximum loadable soundfont size under
Windows 2000/XP). That's why I choose for around 25-28 samples per velocity
layer. The size of the full 88 key sampled piano with 5 sampled velocity
layers would be at least 800 MB assuming I'd stick to 48 Khz stereo
samples.. It might be done in the future, but not now, unless there is a
demand for it. I don't think the difference would be noticable too much..
I'm willing to add around 3 samples to each layer if the beta testers think
this is needed..

> A good idea would be to double all of these samples, one recorded
> with the sustain pedal open, and one closed.  This would allow the
> creation of the interactive effect between the strings which is
> so noticeably lost in most sample sets.  This makes the set too
> large you say?  Not even.  I wouldn't sweat if it was a couple of

That would mean that there would be 3 instruments (MIDI wise) which a
composer would have to switch between.. I'm not sure if this is usefull.

> GIG even.  Hey, it's only one DVD.  Lets start putting today's machines'
> capabilities to good use.  In fact, these samples should be AIFF, WAV,
> or raw, 96k/24bit, mastered digitally with mics and equipment that can
> register frequencies approaching the nyquist.  That way, when we lower
> notes an octave or two for effect, we will still have high end sizzle.

Try to explain to me what the use is of 96 Khz samples ? It's just marketing
nothing more.. 48 Khz makes it possible to represent up to 24 Khz of sampled
frequencies, far about what you can hear. More important is that the device
or softsynth used mixes at higher bitrates and that the DACs are of high
quality (unless you render directly to a .WAV/whatever file).

> Yeah, make that, and I would buy it.  $20.00 - $30.00 say.  As long as
> there were no restrictions through licensing, other than, of course, on
> the resale of the package as a sample set.

No restrictions, other than you are not allowed to distribute any part of
what's in the package that will be sold.

---
Roel / Utopia Sound Division
http://www.utopiasd.com