- Publisher: Westwood Instruments
- Product: Alt Grand
- Release: ViP Team
- Requirements: Kontakt v6.7.0 and higher
Step beyond the pristine perfection of typical grand piano libraries. Discover Alt Grand by Westwood Instruments – a captivating virtual instrument built from a unique relic of the 1930s, imbued with nearly a century of musical history and performance. This isn’t just a piano; it’s a time capsule, a source of inspiration, and an incredibly versatile sonic toolkit for composers, songwriters, and producers alike.
If you seek a piano sound brimming with personality, capable of intimate warmth, cinematic breadth, and transformative textures, Alt Grand offers an unparalleled combination of vintage character and modern control. Prepare to explore a sound that adapts to your vision, from delicate felted whispers to bold, open resonance, and far beyond.
The Source: A 1930s Chappell Grand
Finding the right instrument was a journey years in the making. Westwood Instruments finally discovered this beautiful 1930s Chappell grand piano – an instrument filled with the echoes of countless performances. Shipped to the renowned Nave Studios, this unique piano became the heart of Alt Grand. Its inherent character – the subtle imperfections, the rich resonances, the stories held within its wood and strings – provides a foundation that simply cannot be replicated by modern, flawless instruments.
Dual Personality: Natural, Felted, or In-Between
Building on the beloved concept from Alt Piano, Alt Grand was meticulously sampled in two distinct ways:
- Natural: The bold, open, and resonant voice of the vintage Chappell grand in its pure state. Rich harmonics and a clear attack define this classic sound.
- Felted: By carefully placing precisely weighted felt between the hammers and strings (a painstaking process refined for every octave and sometimes individual notes), a completely different character emerges – softer, warmer, more intimate, with a gentler attack and beautiful dampened resonance.
The true magic lies in the blend control. You don’t have to choose one or the other. Seamlessly morph between the natural and felted recordings to dial in the exact amount of warmth, attack, and character your track needs. It’s like having two distinct grand pianos that can merge into countless hybrid variations.
Transformative Textures: Beyond the Piano
Westwood Instruments excels at finding hidden sonic potential within their source recordings. Alt Grand features 23 brand new, transformative textural layers, crafted by processing the original piano recordings through tape machines, guitar pedals, and other unconventional methods.
These textures range from subtle atmospheric sub-layers that add depth and ambience behind the main piano sound, to standalone organic synth-like tones perfect for sound design and scoring. Each texture includes its own unique secondary morphing control via the “Texture” slider, allowing you to manipulate and evolve the character of these atmospheric layers in real-time, adding movement and intrigue. Explore textures like the ethereal ‘Ephemera’, the granular ‘Fragment’, the dark ‘Stygian’, or the evolving ‘Liminalis’.
Behind the Sampling: Capturing Every Nuance
The depth of Alt Grand goes far beyond its unique source. Sampled in Nave Studios’ Studio 1 – a live room known for its warm and immediate sound – every detail was captured with meticulous care:
- Deep Sampling: Multiple velocity layers ensure smooth dynamic transitions, while 3 round robins per note prevent the dreaded “machine gun” effect, adding crucial realism. Both pedal-up and pedal-down samples were captured for authentic sympathetic resonance.
- World-Class Signal Chain: The piano’s sound was captured through legendary vintage Neumann (including a U87 under the soundboard) and AKG microphones (including vintage 414s for room sounds), fed into coveted Neve 1073 pre-amps and mixed through an AMEK Rembrandt console. This high-end chain preserves the piano’s rich character and detail.
Total Control: Mixes, Mics & Effects
Alt Grand offers remarkable flexibility in shaping the final sound:
Production-Ready Mixes:
- Mix 1 – Contemporary: An intimate, up-close player’s perspective. Warm, dry, and immediate.
- Mix 2 – Classical: Centered around traditional classical mic positioning. Dry yet lively.
- Mix 3 – Studio: A roomier, more distant perspective that sits beautifully in larger arrangements.
Discrete Microphone Positions: Craft your own perfect balance using 5 distinct microphone signals:
- Mic – Close Player: Inside the piano, capturing the immediate hammer attack and string sound from the player’s position.
- Mic – Close Classical: A stereo pair of Neumann KM184s in standard classical placement for a focused, detailed image.
- Mic – Soundboard: A single Neumann U87 underneath the piano, offering a unique, solid vintage tone focused on the instrument’s body resonance.
- Mic – Room: A vintage AKG 414 stereo pair capturing the warm ambience of Nave Studio 1.
- Mic – Gallery: Another vintage AKG 414 pair placed high up, providing a distant, naturally reverberant perspective.
Creative Effects Suite: Dial in the perfect vibe with an extensive onboard effects suite:
- Tape Emulation: Add analogue warmth or degradation with controls for Wow, Flutter, Noise, Saturation, and Age.
- Transpitch: Westwood’s signature effect for instantly creating darker, moodier transposed sounds.
- Untune: Subtly or drastically detune the piano for added character or unsettling effects.
- “Live” Pianist: Introduce subtle realism with adjustable levels of piano stool creaks, clothing foley, and room presence.
- Comprehensive Delay: From clean digital repeats to tape-emulated echoes and the vast, shimmering ‘Haze’ algorithm.
- Dual Reverb: Apply different custom convolution reverbs (including Westwood’s own impulses) independently to the main piano sound and the textural layers for ultimate spatial control.
An Essential Tool for Modern Music Creation
Alt Grand is far more than just another piano library. It’s an instrument steeped in history, offering unparalleled character and flexibility. It’s perfect for:
- Cinematic Scoring: Create evocative cues, intimate melodies, and atmospheric tension.
- Songwriting: Add unique personality and warmth to ballads, indie tracks, and acoustic arrangements.
- Modern Production: Use the textures and effects to craft organic electronic music, ambient soundscapes, and beyond.
This is an unbelievably valuable addition to any composer’s or producer’s toolkit.
Technical Specifications
- Platform: Runs in the free KONTAKT PLAYER (Version 6.7.1 or higher) or the full version of Kontakt.
- DAW Compatibility: Supports all major DAWs.
- NKS Ready: Full integration with Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol keyboards and Maschine hardware.
- System Requirements:
- Mac OS 10.14 Mojave or higher
- Windows 10 or higher
- 8GB RAM minimum (16GB+ recommended for best performance)
- Download Size: Approximately 26.3 GB
Download Your Piece of History Today
Experience the unique character and creative potential of the Westwood Instruments Alt Grand. Explore its dual felted/natural personality, dive into the transformative textures, and shape your sound with unparalleled control.