Software piano specialists Synthogy have just announced that Ivory II Grand Pianos, the successor to their acclaimed Ivory Grand Pianos pack, is now available. Like the original, Ivory II Grand Pianos comprises sample sets of three renowned instruments: a Bösendorfer 290 Imperial grand, a Steinway Model D nine-foot concert grand, and a Yamaha C7 grand. In total, there are a whopping 77GB of samples (for all three pianos), compared with the still substantial 30GB that Ivory Grand Pianos contained, and Synthogy’s UK distributors Time + Space say that these extra samples include nearly double the number of velocity layers.
But sheer sample quantity isn’t the only thing that has improved: Ivory II also features what Synthogy call ‘Sample Interpolation Technology’, which apparently makes for “ultra-smooth velocity and note transitions”. Another new feature is sympathetic string resonance: if a note is struck while others are being held down, the notes that are held will also sound, just as an undamped string would vibrate in a real piano if other parts of the instrument were excited.
And to tempt users of the original Ivory Grand Pianos, Time + Space are offering upgrade deals, which differ depending on when you bought the first version: if it was after November 1st last year, you’ll get Ivory II Grand Pianos for free! If it was before that date, you can upgrade to the latest version for just £59 — which is still a substantial saving over the £235 it costs to first-time Ivory buyers. For more info on where to buy Ivory II Grand Pianos, or how to claim your free or reduced-price copy, check out the Time + Space web site, below.
