IK Multimedia Releases Pianoverse

IK Multimedia releases Pianoverse, combining the world’s finest concert-grade pianos with inspiring, cinematic effects to create an incredibly versatile virtual piano instrument that excels wherever a world-class piano sound is needed, from classical concerts to blockbuster movie soundtracks to live jazz performances.

Pianoverse lets users 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 ease of use and an inspiring workflow.

Capturing Treasured Pianos

IK’s team spent years sourcing treasured pianos from the most prestigious manufacturers. Each instrument is hand-tuned and prepared by a master tuner and then sampled using multiple microphone setups and IK’s custom-built robotic system.

Using a mix of hardware technology, software and the right dose of craftsmanship in-between, IK designed a sampling robot comprised of an extremely precise and silent linear motor with an elastic actuator on top made to perform exactly like a human finger. All is connected to a control room computer where proprietary recording software handles the whole process achieving the degree of velocity measurement, sampling precision and repeatability necessary to capture each piano’s true sonic DNA.

The result is unprecedented realism across the entire dynamics of each Pianoverse piano without flattening it or simplifying it too much, which regularly happens with traditional sampling.

A Powerful New Engine

The IK 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 Accuracy & Sound

Pianoverse also shines with a unique combination of performance controls for both stage and studio work. To customise 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.

For live use, all three pedals offer continuous control, including half- and catch-pedalling 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 provides 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. 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 the player’s to the audience’s perspective.

Generative Spaces to Explore

Where most 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. These go from traditional concert halls and studio spaces to less traditional ones like a warehouse or vault, and otherworldly cinematic environments like an iceberg, desert or even Mars.

Each space uses different sound generative techniques to create incredibly evocative soundscapes, inspiring creativity at each step. Plus each space includes flexible controls to further shape 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.

Unique Creative Effects

In addition to custom-created Spaces, Pianoverse also offers 12 new creative effects to design sounds. These effects range from new cinematic spatial effects to must-have studio effects and can be inserted on 3 simultaneous slots: the first slot being a parallel send effect, while slots 2 and 3 are insert effects.

Then, unique to Pianoverse, users will find four modulation sources — two envelopes and two LFOs — that may be assigned to various parameters in these three effects slots to further animate and move the sound and create extreme effects when desired. Together these effects offer an arsenal of sound-sculpting tools that cannot be found in any other piano instrument.

A Series of 8 Pianos

Pianoverse offers the widest sonic palette available in a single virtual instrument with an initial series of 8 remarkable instruments slated for release. The first pianos available now are based on a Yamaha CFIII Concert Grand, a Yamaha U5 Professional Upright, a Bösendorfer 280 Vienna Concert and a Steinway & Sons New York D-274. With more coming soon on a recurring release schedule, featuring models based on a Bösendorfer 200, a Steinway & Sons Hamburg D-274, a Fazioli F278 and a Koch & Korselt Upright, users can discover new inspiration as they need it.

Options, Pricing & Availability

Pianoverse is available now as individual pianos from the IK Multimedia online store and from IK authorised dealers worldwide at a special introductory price (excluding taxes) of US$€99.99 (instead of US$129.99) per piano. All-access monthly and yearly plans are also available starting at US$14.99/month or US$149.99/year giving access to current and newly released pianos without limitation.