CFX Grand VST comparison: 𝗩𝗦𝗟 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝘃𝘀. 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗻 (playing only Bach, Grieg, Chopin, Ellington...)

Comparing the best Yamaha CFX plugins out there: Garritans CFX and the VSL Synchron Piano. The visual representation is quite poor, but I have an explanation, and I invite you to read the description while hearing the pieces in the background. It already took me really quite some time to get all those recordings together... this video is more to be understand as a lexicon style comparison. Click through it if you want.

I played every piece myself AND for each instrument separately. This is a bit unusual, but the instruments feel so different while playing, that my priority was higher to really give a good --performance-- than to simply compare certain "midi values" so to speak.

I tried to capture a wide arrange of sounds one can get out of the pianos, and therefore different pieces and genres. A time stamp

0:00 Bach Prelude d minor (VSL)
1:48 (Garritan)
3:42 Video game music (kingdom hearts tristesse) (Garritan)
4:56 (VSL)
6:10 Chopin last etude c minor (Garritan)
6:55 (VSL)
7:33 Bach Fugue d minor (VSL)
9:48 (Garritan)
11:52 Jazz demonstration: Ellington, (Garritan)
13:02 (VSL)
14:12 Berg Sonata (Garritan)
15:43 (VSL)
17:20 Grieg Entschwundene Tage (Garritan)
20:20 (VSL)

Some explanations: I tried to use mostly presets and no effects or editing at all. In my opinion it is very important that a plugin has great presets such that I can open the product and just start to play without having the trouble of finding certain parameters and stuff. Unfortunately the Garritan has really not good presets for playing classical music. Now to specific choices.

The Bach Prelude I chose a quite dry sound, no pedal of course, so it reveals the weakness of most plugins, which is the pure and dry and precise sound, without sounding fake. For the fugue (starting at 7:33) I took it even further: I selected a sound AS DRY AS POSSIBLE. Especially interesting to hear how the Garritan behaves, who would have thought it can be so free of reverb and sustain!!

Chopin, Grieg and Berg basically show applications of a romantic style sound, with all microphones enabled in the VSL and one of the mic positions in the Garritan. Especially the Chopin I included to hear how big and thick the sound can get with these plugins. The Grieg has a nice dynamic range between the quiet beginning and the loud climax. Ellington and KH are just fun to hear, and show again slightly different contexts.

I will keep the section with my own opinion not too detailed and am happy to read comments about the sound. Again bear in mind that I left a lot of mistakes here in the music on purpose because... I just sat down and played. And that's what you hear. Well, I did the video also because I wondered myself how different these instruments are. I'm really very surprised to see (or hear rather) the big differences in sound of these plugins. Although it is the "same" instrument or model. Very interesting. I think it is application dependant what plugin I would use - reducing thr midi sensitivitx by 15 makes both super playable! Both SOUND phenomenal however. Also it's clear that the Garritan generally sounds more mellow while the synchron piano has more/exposed higher frequencies. At this level of exquisite sound I like to use the metaphor of having a very nicely prepared meal, and we change the final flavor by a certain selection of spices which take the whole meal slightly in a certain direction. I hear a piece with the Garritan and think that it can't possibly sound better, and then the vsl indeed doesn't sound "better" but different, in a good way. And the other way
too.

Видео CFX Grand VST comparison: 𝗩𝗦𝗟 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝘃𝘀. 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗻 (playing only Bach, Grieg, Chopin, Ellington...) канала Gamma1734