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New Technology in Synthogy Ivory 3 German D Virtual Piano

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It features “unlimited degrees of velocity,” which could be a breakthrough (or not, we’ll see!)

Synthogy Ivory has been one of the gold standards of sampled pianos from the beginning. Its distinctive sound is obvious in the short video above even on computer speakers, but they’ve developed a new “engine” that evidently does some interpolation between sample layers to produce “unlimited degrees of velocity.”

There are modeled software pianos that respond amazingly well to the touch, and there are sampled pianos that sound amazing but are less playable. Now, we don’t want to get carried away without having had our hands on this instrument, but if it really is a bridge between the two, it’s a breakthrough.

The Mac version is out now, Windows to follow.

Please stay tuned. Here’s the company description:

The debut product for the Ivory 3 platform features the custom RGB Engine, a powerful, expressive new technology that behaves like modeling, yet with the realism of digital sampling. All new recordings of an exceptional German Steinway® D Concert Grand, beautifully captured in multiple microphone perspectives, are brought to life here in the Ivory 3 engine.

Ivory 3 German D is a free-standing virtual instrument, and no previous version of Ivory is required. Existing Ivory II owners will find that it installs quite readily into their current library. All of their previous Ivory II libraries, presets and projects will open within the Ivory 3 engine and environment.

Continuous Velocity To Timbre

Principle among these features is Ivory 3’s Continuous Velocity to Timbre. Gone are the limitations of velocity layers or levels. Continuous Velocity provides real-time velocity to timbre change at every attack velocity. Whether your controller is sending 127 values of MIDI 1.0 velocity, 16,384 values with MIDI (CC88) Velocity Extension, or 65,536 values of velocity with MIDI 2.0 16 bit Hi-Resolution velocity, Ivory 3’s Continuous Velocity feature provides endlessly smooth velocity to timbre change for each value sent. In musical terms, this translates to limitless degrees of tone color!

RGB Engine: The Heart of Ivory 3

Ivory 3 builds upon Synthogy’s critically acclaimed, award-winning technology of Ivory II. All of the features from Ivory II have been carried forward into their new platform, along with complete support and compatibility for Ivory II pianos and presets. However, the heart of the Ivory engine has been replaced with Synthogy’s proprietary RGB technology. The RGB Engine (Real-time Gradient Blending) is Ivory 3’s new real-time playback and DSP technology that provides unprecedented expressive capabilities and stunningly realistic sound. Custom designed by Synthogy DSP guru, George Taylor to be innovative, extensible and flexible, Synthogy’s RGB engine provides the foundation for a powerful new generation of real-time audio platforms. 

The RGB Engine powers such new features as Continuous Velocity, which means real-time velocity to timbre on every piano strike. No more discrete velocity levels! Dynamic Shift provides fine control over your Hi-Resolution velocity to timbre response. Hammer Strength changes the character of piano strikes from soft hammer to hard. Enhanced Sympathetic Resonance and Sustain Resonance brings Ivory II’s Harmonic Resonance Modeling to a new level, with more harmonic overtones and dynamic control.

New! German Steinway D Concert Grand Piano

Ivory 3 German D features all new recordings of an exceptional Hamburg Steinway® D Concert Grand Piano. This majestic D-274 is characterized by its powerful, deep, resonant bass, and the round, singing tone of its treble. Meticulously cared for by master concert technician Michel Pedneau, the instrument is distinguished by its unmistakable clarity and a highly refined balance of tone throughout all registers, a classic example of the beautiful and indelible Steinway® sound. The recording sessions reunite engineer Mark Donahue of Soundmirror, and producer/performer Joe Ierardi in the magnificent, acoustically perfect, Le Domaine Forget de Charlesvoix Concert Hall, the same team and venue that produced the legendary Ivory II American Concert D. Together they poured their years of expertise and experience into capturing every detail of this remarkable instrument, now brought to life here in the Ivory 3 engine.

Ivory 3’s new platform architecture also includes Multiple Microphone Perspectives, with multiple close, mid/side and ambient perspectives available. Each Stereo Microphone set is loaded and ready at the touch of a button, and each Mic may be routed, mixed and processed in real-time through Ivory 3’s new mixing desk.

Powerful, Custom On-Board Mixing Desk: Each Stereo Channel in Ivory 3’s Mix Desk has its own Trim, Gain, Polarity invert, 3 band EQ, Compression, Ambience, Chorus/Delay, Balance, M/S processing, Bus sends, plus multiple signal paths for parallel processing and more!

Ivory 3 also includes New Synth Layers including a beautiful Ensemble Strings sample by Audio Bro.Additional Synth Layer features such as Envelope Attack control have been added to the Synth Layer section as well as a dedicated channel of the mixer for processing the Synth Layer with the full complement of channel mixing and effects.  

All of these features are accessible through Ivory 3’s All New Graphical User Interface. The Ivory 3 GUI has been elegantly redesigned from the ground up. The focus has been to create an interface that is fun and easy to use while providing logical and ergonomic access to the tremendous power in the Ivory 3 engine.

Ivory 3 also provides a new, simplified Preset structure that makes it easier to save and recall your custom presets. What were once separate presets for Programs, Effects, and Sessions in Ivory 2 have now been incorporated into the single Design Preset. At the same time, the Ivory 3 engine will support all of your old Ivory II presets and libraries for full backwards compatibility!

Synthogy has always focused on integrating cutting edge technology with legendary sound quality. Ivory 3 takes this to new heights producing a Musical Instrument of unparalleled expressivity, beauty and power. It is our extreme pleasure to put this power into your hands.

Highlights of Ivory 3 German D:

All new recordings of an exceptional Hamburg Steinway® D Concert Grand Piano

Includes the all-new Ivory 3 piano engine 

Continuous Velocity to Timbre for limitless degrees of tone color. No more discrete velocity levels!

The RGB Engine, a new real-time playback and DSP technology that provides unprecedented expressive capabilities and stunningly realistic sound

Dynamic Shift provides fine control over your Hi-Resolution velocity to timbre response

Hammer Strength changes the character of piano strikes from soft hammer to hard

Enhanced Sympathetic Resonance and Sustain Resonance is Harmonic Resonance Modeling evolved, with more harmonic overtones and dynamic control

Multiple Microphone Perspectives, with multiple close, mid/side, and ambient perspectives available 

On-Board Mixing Desk: Each Stereo Channel has its own Trim, Gain, Polarity invert, 3 band EQ, Compression, Ambience, Chorus/Delay, Balance, M/S processing, Bus sends, plus multiple signal paths for parallel processing, and more!

New Synth Layers including a beautiful Ensemble Strings sample by Audio Bro

All New Graphical User Interface. The Ivory 3 GUI has been elegantly redesigned from the ground up

Simplified Preset structure that makes it easier to save and recall your custom presets. What were once separate presets for Programs, Effects, and Sessions in Ivory 2 have now been incorporated into the single Design Preset

Support for Ivory II presets and libraries for full backwards compatibility

Current price: $259

Click here for more info

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