IK Multimedia Pianoverse

Breathtaking piano realism meets limitless creativity

Pianoverse combines the world’s finest concert-grade pianos with inspiring, cinematic effects to create an incredibly versatile piano instrument that can excel in any situation where a world-class piano sound is needed, from classical concerts to blockbuster movie soundtracks to live jazz performances.

Explore a breathtaking sonic range, from the most true-to-life acoustic piano experience to the wildest atmospheric and interactive creative textures, all in a single plug-in. And all with incredible ease of use and an inspiring workflow.

Features

• The finest world-class pianos, meticulously tuned and recorded
• Robot-assisted sampling for unparalleled accuracy and precision
• Continuous pedal control for half-and catch-pedaling
• Advanced controls like adjustable lid position, harp resonance, pedal and piano mallets noise
• Multiple instrument and room microphone options
• Studio-essential EQ, compression, limiting and stereo width
• 30 revolutionary generative sound Spaces to explore
• 12 high-end creative cinematic effects to tailor your sound
• New All-access plan option

The world’s finest pianos in one instrument

Pianoverse offers the perfect piano sound for any genre, with superior results in every situation. IK’s team spent months sourcing treasured piano instruments from the most prestigious manufacturers including Yamaha, Steinway, Bösendorfer, Fazioli and more.

Each instrument was brought to one of Italy’s finest studios, hand-tuned and prepared, then sampled using multiple microphone setups and IK’s unique custom-built robotic system that allowed a degree of velocity measurement, sampling precision and repeatability that simply cannot be matched with traditional sampling workflows.

Robot-assisted sampling for unmatched accuracy

Realism is one of the most important things we wanted to translate into the pianos of Pianoverse. Each piano has its own personality, in that it behaves in its own way, and this is particularly true for the dynamic response of the instrument.
A key has its own dynamic curve – the way it responds to varying velocity – and this curve is different for each key.
Only with a high-resolution, high-consistency sampling robot was possible to capture a detailed representation of the entire dynamics of the piano without flattening it or simplifying it too much, which is what necessarily happens with traditional sampling.

Using a mix of hardware technology, proprietary software, and the right dose of craftsmanship in-between, we designed a sampling robot comprised of an extremely precise and silent linear motor with an elastic actuator on top, made with a combination of rubber and 3D printed material, which had to sound like a human finger. The actuator is decoupled from the motor to prevent any shock from spreading to the robot structure and to simulate the aftertouch of a real finger.

The control electronics consist of the motor’s dedicated drive, an advanced programmable logic controller system, as well as some custom electronics we had to design to make the actuation more silent and to send specific control signals to the software. This is where the commands from a computer are transformed into the electric power signals driving the linear motor.
All is connected to the control room computer where our proprietary recording software handles the whole thing, synchronizing actuation and recording. The software is designed to make sure we take all the necessary steps to capture the piano’s true sonic DNA.

The process starts with an articulated calibration that must be run for each piano before it is sampled. This is done to sense the dynamic of the instrument, gage the timbre variation, and check other characteristics of the piano. Once this is done, it helps the operator define the parameters for the sampling of that specific piano and to optimize them for maximum realism.

During the recording, the software monitors everything: it waits for the note tails to fade completely before stopping the recording, constantly checking the meters to avoid clipping, and it also detects potential unwanted noises during the recording. When the note is successfully sampled, it invites the operator to move the robot to the next key.

Striking each key with ultra-precise consistency carefully preserved the unique velocity curve and sonic DNA of each piano, resulting in a breathtakingly true-to-life performance.

A powerful new performance engine

Our sound design team then used subtle techniques perfected over 2 decades of virtual instrument programming to bring these thousands of samples to life. Pianoverse’s groundbreaking new engine uses completely redesigned round robin, voice management and other techniques to deliver a seamlessly authentic experience.

Beyond inviting accuracy and sound

Pianoverse also shines with a unique combination of performance controls for both stage and studio work. To customize each piano’s sound, Pianoverse offers adjustable lid position, harp resonance, pedal noise or even the noise of the piano mallets, all things that are usually only available in modelled instruments.
And for live use, all three pedals offer continuous control, including half- and catch-pedaling and una corda, to deliver an unmatched performance experience. Whether for classical, jazz, pop, Latin or any other genre, Pianoverse always offers truly superior piano sound and feel.

Must-have studio processing

Pianoverse provide two sets of microphones per piano so the user can choose if they prefer a more modern and in-the-face sound, or a more classical sound. On top of that, for traditional sound-shaping and mixing, the Pianoverse engine also offers a comprehensive suite of must-have effects tools.
There’s selectable EQ and compression, each with multiple modes, for both instrument and room stereo microphone pairs. And a dedicated master channel offers EQ and a VCA-style limiter for final mastering polish, while a Stereo Width control quickly sets the width of the image ¬– and even reverses it from player perspective to audience perspective.

Revolutionary generative Spaces to explore

Where other piano instruments end, Pianoverse is only getting started. Using a new generative reverberation engine, Pianoverse transports any of its concert-grade pianos to 30 sonic destinations, each with its own unique ambient sound. These go from traditional concert halls and studio spaces to less traditional ones like a warehouse or a vault, and otherworldly cinematic environments like iceberg, desert or even Mars!

Traditional spaces such as a club and cathedral are perfect for regular piano performances, but journey further afield to discover rich, interactive spaces that are perfect for all types of movie soundtracks. Each space uses unique sound generative techniques to create incredibly evocative soundscapes, inspiring your creativity at each step. Plus each space includes flexible controls to further shape your sound and create never-heard-before cinematic sounds and textures.

These immersive, inspiring sound design options deliver the most complete ambient sound-sculpting piano instrument ever.