that "Shawshank Redemption" piano sound..........

Question

that "Shawshank Redemption" piano sound..........

Hi all,

I'm in the market for a professional piano-sample library for exs/kontakt....

The sound I'm looking for is that ultra quiet, intimate, Thomas Newman "Shawshank Redemption" tone.....

I need a library that really focuses on the ultra-soft hits of the piano (prefer not only at least 10 velocity levels, but also 10 or more hits for each velocity-level....to randomise between, if I restrike same key multiple times)

ps: Is that sound an upright, or some sort of grand?

thanx,

SvK

Posted on Sep 30, 2005 9:33 PM

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Answer 1

Sep 30, 2005 9:49 PM in response to Steven von Kampen

Hello Steven,

I dont know the answer to your question, but if anyone would, it would be the people over at northernsounds. There are many sample library developers who frequent their forums, as well as guys who are professional media composers. They should be able to point you in the right direction.

Isn't Thomas Newmans pallet simply amazing? I cant get enough of the warmth and depth of his strings, and when combined with the piano sound you described, it just pulls you right in.

Best of luck in finding the sound, and I'd love to hear the piece you write with it, so keep us updated!

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Answer 2

Sep 30, 2005 9:56 PM in response to Steven von Kampen

thanx Jonathan.....btw congrats on your scholarship (you've been googled;-)

and yes.......the Newman pallet is awesome....

I love "simple" film-music (heavy on melancholy)

My current favorites: Howard Shore's "Copland"

and the Breathtaking "State Of Grace" score by the unbeatable Ennio Morricone

Oh yeah, the sixties score of "Fahrenheit 451" by Bernie Herrmann reduces me to absolute blubber 😉

SvK

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Answer 3

Sep 30, 2005 10:23 PM in response to Steven von Kampen

It's a grand piano.
It's the way it's played.

With a light touch.

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Answer 4

tbirdparis

Level 5

5,524 points

Sep 30, 2005 10:24 PM in response to Steven von Kampen

If you want soft, warm piano with lots of woody mallet sounds and so on, the ivory piano steinway is exactly what you want.

they have separately mic'd up the soundboard and you can wind more volume of it into your sound, which really really gets that intimate, woody sound you are after. absolutely love it.

ah, herr hermann.. I don't care how many layers of sampled brass mr zimmer blows into his work (gladiator.. a million horns playing naff notes, and painful shopping-mall enya... ewww....)
cape fear - now that's a theme. confident, bold and spine-chilling. if this isn't what film music is about, then I don't wanna play any more.

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Answer 5

Oct 1, 2005 3:15 AM in response to Steven von Kampen

I've not been that impressed with any of the piano "sample" libraries:their tonal variation over the full dynamic range isn't great. I use a Gem Promega 3,which is,to some extent,modelled,and has sympathetic resonance.It's quite stunning,but weighs a ton. It has a graphic EQ ,which,when used with the right piano sound (it has a 9' classical piano,a Fazioli,to mention two ) will give that intimaate warm "Newman" sound.Lightness of touch is the thing,as a previous poster mentioned. Having said that,there's absolutely no substitute for the real thing.

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Answer 6

Anton

Level 2

175 points

Oct 1, 2005 5:11 AM in response to Community User

Try Bosendorfer 290 by EastWest or Ivory from Synthogy.
Anyway Newman sound Piano is a Staynway very close mics.
In Ivory you can adjust all parameters including the close mics
relation.

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Answer 7

Oct 1, 2005 7:35 AM in response to Steven von Kampen

ah, my inclination to express my knowledge about what is an open trade secret is overwhelming my desire to keep it.

the secret to the newman piano sound is eq - not even light touch. put a high cut filter all the way down to about 400-500 hz on close mic'd piano. ivory even has settings that will emulate the sound. oh and plenty of warm reverb.

ivory is probably ideal for this, and the steinway is seriously lush.

but you can even get the effect pretty well with logics own bog standard yamaha samples, but ivory will give you that extra "yumminess" for want of a better word.

I have played the piano live on sessions to create the effect and i am always told to play a little louder, believe it or not.

if you are interested i have on my ftp site a rough demo for a production i will be starting on soon that uses ivory steinway and eq'd into newman territory. not all the way - i wasn't aiming for that amount of intimacy, but it gives you the idea.

you can get it here (piano comes in after duduk opening)
http://www.stevenson.homechoice.co.uk/documents/persianedgelight.mp3

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Answer 8

Oct 1, 2005 1:18 PM in response to Steven von Kampen

Rohan, Anton, Third Paris,

Thanx....

Just went to local store to purchase IVORY.....installing now 😉

I listened to the demo's of NIs Akoustik......unfortunately the demos are quantised and sound harsh to my ears...so no go on that 1. I was going to buy the Boesendorfer 290 library (as I liked it's demo sounds best) BUT my store was out of stock, so I purchased IVORY....which 3 of you said is what I'm after anyhow 😉

OK.....

Now to th EQ,

ROHAN,

Are we talking hi-shelving here or actual lo-pass EQ (with gentle curve)....how many DB of reduction?

Now to the reverb....EMT dark plate?

SvK

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Answer 9

Oct 1, 2005 1:23 PM in response to Steven von Kampen

ROHAn,

Gorgeous music 😉

SvK

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Answer 10

Oct 1, 2005 5:02 PM in response to Steven von Kampen

yeah - i mean low pass, and you tweak the curve to suit. its the top end that carries the energy, so you attenuate that. if you are installing ivory, when you get into it you will notice it has some settings and its own eq effects that pretty easily captures the sound your looking for, although, i am also sure some really top end eqs or eq plug-ins might beat them.

I should also say that ivory takes a little while to fiddle with to get the sounds you want - or at least i found that.

the reverb - you just want the warmest you can find. nothing of SD really does it for me. i have just a basic lexicon (outboard) but it really does have a couple of settings that i really love.

i've heard some of your stuff (fantastic BTW) and i really don't think you'll have any trouble getting it sounding right. let us know how you get on though......interesting......

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Answer 11

Oct 1, 2005 5:04 PM in response to Steven von Kampen

how many DB of reduction?

completely the top end (gentle curve - though take it really low 400-1000 khz)

Gorgeous music 😉

cheers!

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Answer 12

Oct 1, 2005 7:03 PM in response to Steven von Kampen

I may be in the minority here, but I've tried to use Ivory on a number of different occasions and just can't get with it (I don't own it, but mix often for a client that doesn't have anything better.) I eq and eq and eq, but I'm afraid I've come to the conclusion that it's just not miked in any way I can use (no matter how those parameters are set) and, of all things, the pianos aren't tuned well, IMHO. I think that's what produces the kind of sour sound I try to work out with the EQ. I've done a lot of T. Newman-esque tracks, and have the best luck using an edited Gigapiano (the original one) with a little Absynth thing drifting very far behind it. The only other piano I've heard that I'm curious about is the Wizoo (there's a page, if you look, that has mp3's of probably 100 different sampled pianos all playing the same MIDI file; it's fascinating to listen through them. The way I've set it up, the Gigapiano has really only the 2 softest velocity levels, and I'm almost always triggering the "damper pedal down" samples. I wrote a simple cue where this piano is way out front here, if you'd like to hear what it sounds like:

http://www.illuminatemusic.com/mp3s/rumination.mp3

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Answer 13

Oct 1, 2005 7:08 PM in response to Steven von Kampen

Thanx Rohan,

OK,

The instrumentation for getting that "Brooks Was Here / Shawshank" thing is....

The Steinway with Rohan EQ (I rolled some lows out to get rid of mud)

Now ....for all you VSL buffs

STRINGS:

Violin Flautando
Celli Flautando
Viola Flautando
Basses Flautando

(Flautando is the very lightest a string section can play...these presets rule)

Also load (for the shimmers):

Violin Sordino (Dynamic so when you turn modwheel they swell)
Viola Sordino (Dynamic as above)
Violin Sordino Trem (Dynamic so when you turn modwheel they swell)
Viola Sordino Trem (Dynamic as above)

Remember to add BUCKETS of reverb PCM91 Large Hall will do BUT keep that ultra quiet piano rather dry of reverb.....AND turn the quiet piano WAY up in the mix.

Now modify all the above string patches to fade volume to zero when you turn the pitch-wheel to the left (this way you can fade in / out slowly)

Also add some RoomTone on top of everything so it doesn't sound so stale...

ps: I also like to add 1 CS80 (or similar) synth pad with heavy delay and pitch-bend set to 1 semitone ala VANGELIS

MOST important for this type of cue....DO NOT record/write with click track..you'll kill it...keep it loose!

that is it 😉

SvK

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Answer 14

Oct 1, 2005 8:49 PM in response to Steven von Kampen

Hi,
I can't say for "absolute certain", but I doubt you'd find a piano "sound" other than a real piano on any of these film scores. Also, you'd be hard pressed to find imitative synthesis. Someone like Howard Shore tends to use electronic instruments to do what they do best: to create sounds unavailable by other (traditional) means.

RW

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Answer 15

Oct 1, 2005 9:05 PM in response to Steven von Kampen

Sure Rick........however "Real Pianos" are EQd to suit the score..........Just did a mock-up of Shawshank ...sounds identical......

Also layering synth pads behind strings is totally common in our field......

very subtle that is the key.....Mind you the ivory has every note of the piano sampled at 8 velocity levels....so that is VERY real sounding.....

SvK

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