Billy86

Sanderxpander
That Upright is quite nice, there aren't that many well done regular uprights.
For grands, the only VSTs I've actually really liked and didn't feel like I need to wrestle with were Ivory and KeyScape. Different price bracket though. Addictive Keys is decent if you don't need to use the close/wide mics which have crazy high resonance in the highs.

I'm fighting with resonance in my Addictive Keys grand. Have you had any luck overcoming this with the mic choices? If so, what did you use for a configuration in the AD suite? 

Thanks for any help.
Billy
 

The ribbon mics are a lot better if you don't mind and a slightly different sound. Other than that, it does depend somewhat on the track, sometimes it doesn't matter as much. But on the whole I just use it somewhat less than I had hoped I would.

Studioguy1
One must be aware that often the piano sound sounds great alone, but does not sit well in the mix.  That is really the most important fact.  How does your sound complement or augment the mix.  Does it get lost?  Is it bland?  Or does it sit very well with a distinctive piano sound, yet not overburdening the total output.  Just some thoughts from an old time recordist.

Yes! An analog guy! I started out on a Tascam 4-track/tape. Overall, through the course of the song it sounds good. But the song opens with a hard-hit and resounding piano chord all on its own (this is a MIDI performance triggering the Addictive Piano Grand), which is where the resonance is most noticeable. It's not like meter-pegging ringing, but it's definitely there, and it bugs me. Essentially, the first 5 seconds of the song, then things blend in as the vocal, etc. comes in. 
 
I've tried some aggressive dynamic-EQing, sweeping to find the offending frequencies, and I've tamed it a bit, but I don't want to suck the life out of the tone. I started on an old German upright, so I tend to compare digital piano sounds with analog. The digi pianos have gotten a lot better through the years, but call me a picky when it comes to tone. 

Sanderxpander

Billy86

Sanderxpander
That Upright is quite nice, there aren't that many well done regular uprights.
For grands, the only VSTs I've actually really liked and didn't feel like I need to wrestle with were Ivory and KeyScape. Different price bracket though. Addictive Keys is decent if you don't need to use the close/wide mics which have crazy high resonance in the highs.

 
I'm fighting with resonance in my Addictive Keys grand. Have you had any luck overcoming this with the mic choices? If so, what did you use for a configuration in the AD suite? 

Thanks for any help.
Billy
 

The ribbon mics are a lot better if you don't mind and a slightly different sound. Other than that, it does depend somewhat on the track, sometimes it doesn't matter as much. But on the whole I just use it somewhat less than I had hoped I would.

Thanks for the tip on the mic choice. I'll keep that in mind for the future...
 

+1 to " it has to sit in the mix" 
I've even reverted to using a TTS-1 piano on songs where True Pianos just wouldn't cut through the guitars. 
What every "sounds " right as far as I go. I'm looking at the recommendations on this thread as I'm not that thrilled with True Pianos Amber. Think I'll try the Air as so far I like what I've bought from them a lot. 

ravenscroft

slyman
Pianoteq
Pretty amazing.

I agree. Best one I've played to date and I have the least expensive version.

Cactus Music
+1 to " it has to sit in the mix" 
I've even reverted to using a TTS-1 piano on songs where True Pianos just wouldn't cut through the guitars. 
What every "sounds " right as far as I go. I'm looking at the recommendations on this thread as I'm not that thrilled with True Pianos Amber. Think I'll try the Air as so far I like what I've bought from them a lot. 

I don't have any high end piano VSTs to compare to, but ...
 
The AIR Mini Grand that I got with the AIR bundle is decent.  I like that sound better than any piano sound in the Cakewalk plugin bundle, including True Pianos Amber.  Dimension Pro actually has some decent piano samples, but it can be a challenge to tweak them to your liking without deep diving the synth parameters.  Check it out, but YMMV.
 
I also got the SONiVOX Eight Eight Ensemble 2.5 with their Premier bundle, which is a recreation of the Steinway 9-foot CD 327 grand piano.  I like this better than the AIR piano.  But I would try to find a good deal on the SONiVOX Premier or Film Score Companion bundle , for the price of the piano alone.  They have a trial version of the piano available to check out.  http://sonivoxmi.com/products/details/eighty-eight-ensemble-2
 
The recording philosophy employed in creating Eighty Eight Ensemble 2 was based on using a simple signal chain, the finest A/D converters, and exceptional microphone preamps. The result is some 1500 sample recordings, with 16 dynamic levels captured and preserved for every key.
 
The four-band EQ allows the timbre of the sound to be easily refined. An improved limiter offers enhanced dynamic control. Even the level of the sustain pedal and hammer release elements that help define the character of the piano can be individually controlled. Eighty Eight Ensemble 2 also adds a new robust reverb section. The high-frequency damping and room size parameters can add just the right ambience to your performance.

soens
Here's a back to back comparison of 23 pianos on youtube.
 
The essence of low and high end keys seem pretty easy to capture. I tend to judge more by the midrange keys as they seem like the hardest to capture, by my ears anyway.

The author of this video comparison offered a few observations and opinions in the comments:
 
"I think Radical Piano "plays" the best, and Ivory II "sounds" the best. PianoTeq plays and sounds pretty good also. Keyscape could be amazing if it supports half-pedaling (but it does not)."
 
"Keyscape is very responsive and sounds very good. The only thing I don't like is its pedal response, it does not support half-pedaling and re-pedaling."
 
"physical modeled piano tend to "play" better, while sampled piano "sounds" better."
 
"Radical Piano "plays" the closest to a real grand, Ivory II probably "sounds" the closest to a real Steinway D in my opinion."
 
0:00 Propellerhead - Radical Piano (Grand)
1:34 Propellerhead - Radical Piano (Upright)
3:07 Toontrack - EZkeys (Grand Piano)
4:40 Synthogy - Ivory II (American Concert D)
6:14 Spectrasonics - Keyscape (Yamaha C7)
7:47 Spectrasonics - Keyscape (Wing Upright)
9:20 Yamaha - Motif XF (Full Concert Grand)
10:54 Yamaha - Motif XF (Yamaha S6)
12:28 Native Instruments - The Gentleman
14:01 Native Instruments - The Giant
15:35 Native Instruments - The Grandeur
17:08 Native Instruments - The Maverick
18:42 Modartt - PianoTeq (D4)
20:15 Modartt - PianoTeq (K2)
21:48 Modartt - PianoTeq (U4)
23:22 Propellerhead - Abbey Road Keyboards (Challen Piano)
24:55 Propellerhead - Abbey Road Keyboards (Mrs. Mills Piano)
26:29 Propellerhead - Reason Pianos (Yamaha C7)
28:02 Propellerhead - Reason Pianos (Steinway K)
29:36 Roland - RD-700SX (Superior Grand)
31:10 Roland - RD-700SX (X-Ultimate)
32:43 IK Multimedia - SampleTank 3 (Grand Piano 1)
34:17 IK Multimedia - SampleTank 3 (Grand Piano 2)

The SONiVOX Film Score Companion upgrade, which include the Eighty Eight Ensemble, is on sale for $46.74 at JRRshop.  Add to cart to see the discount.
 
https://www.jrrshop.com/sonivox-film-score-companion-upgrade
 
* You will need another SONiVOX product to quality for the upgrade price, and you can still get the Orchestral Strings Companion for $1 here https://www.audiodeluxe.com/products/virtual-instruments/sonivox-orchestral-companion-strings
 

TemplesGateStudio
It should be noted.. IF you have a registered Focusrite audio interface (or buy one).. you can get the Addictive Keys (and pick whichever you prefer) for FREE. I picked up the Grand Piano for 0$. But you have to own a Focusrite interface. They do a "monthly" plugin deal where you get free plugins every month and this was just added recently.
 
Just FYI
 
 

rcklln
XLN Audio Addictive Keys might be worth checking out.
 
Edited to add:
 
Addictive Keys has a demo for Studio Grand that has some limitations but might be useful depending on your needs:
 
From the web site:
NO TIME LIMIT - use it as long as you like
INCLUDES demo version of the acclaimed Studio Grand (4 octaves, 3 mic perspectives)
THE FULL VERSION of Studio Grand offers all 88 keys and 6 mic perspectives - or buy any of the other AK instruments or bundles

Thanks for the heads up on this!