July 2, 2024 – IK Multimedia releases Liberty Upright, the latest addition to IK’s groundbreaking Pianoverse virtual instrument, which combines the world’s finest concert-grade pianos with inspiring cinematic effects. For subscribers, Liberty Upright is included with the Pianoverse update released today through the IK Product Manager. It’s also available separately and comes included in Pianoverse MAX.
This new Pianoverse addition lets users explore a breathtaking sonic range. It combines the most true-to-life acoustic piano experience with a second, naturally detuned sample set designed to pair with Pianoverse’s sound design capabilities to fuel the wildest atmospheric and interactive creative textures.
Old-world Charm
The Liberty Upright piano is not just a virtual instrument; it’s a unique piece of history. It’s based on a historic Koch & Korselt upright grand piano built in Bohemia in 1915 and was created using robot-assisted deep multisampling. Renowned for its rich, resonant sound, this upright piano adds unique new colors to Pianoverse, expanding the creative palette in ways never imagined.
Captured Twice
Given this century-plus piano’s history, it deserved to be captured twice: first, in its authentic relic state, naturally detuned after years of settling and with beautifully soft damping that gives the piano almost a natural reverb, and then again after being restored and fine-tuned by a master tuner. Both results sound amazing, doubling the standard Pianoverse instrument sound content and presets, and they are the perfect sound source for exploring Pianoverse’s infinite sonic landscapes and effects.
The Liberty Upright piano was meticulously recorded at the state-of-the-art IK studio, located at IK’s headquarters in Modena, Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. The recording process used IK’s custom-built robotic system with AKG 414 microphones to capture the close-miking sound and a coincident pair of DPA mics to capture the back of the piano. This allows users to experience the true essence of the instrument and provides unique new sources for Pianoverse’s deep effects and environments.
Beyond Accuracy and Sound
Pianoverse shines with a unique combination of stage and studio work performance controls. To customize each piano’s sound, it offers adjustable lid position, harp resonance, pedal noise, or even the noise of the piano mallets, which are usually only available in modeled instruments. For live use, all 3 pedals offer continuous control, including half- and catch-pedaling and una corda, to deliver an unmatched performance experience.
Must-have Studio Processing
Pianoverse provides 2 sets of microphones per piano so users can choose whether to prefer a more modern, in-your-face sound or a more classical sound. For traditional sound-shaping and mixing, the Pianoverse engine also offers a comprehensive suite of must-have effects tools and a dedicated master channel with EQ and a VCA-style limiter for final mastering polish.
Generative Spaces to Explore
Where most piano instruments end, Pianoverse is only getting started. Pianoverse transports any of its 7 concert-grade pianos to 30 sonic destinations using a new generative reverberation engine. 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 Mars. Plus, each space includes flexible controls to shape further and create never-heard-before cinematic sounds and textures.
Unique Creative Effects
In addition to custom-created spaces, Pianoverse offers 12 new creative effects for sound design. These effects range from new cinematic spatial effects to must-have studio effects and can be inserted in 3 simultaneous slots: the first slot is a parallel send effect, while slots 2 and 3 are insert effects.
Then, unique to Pianoverse, users will find four modulation sources – 2 envelopes and 2 LFOs – that may be assigned to various parameters in these 3 effects slots to animate further, 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
With the Liberty Upright, there are now 7 pianos in Pianoverse based on a Koch & Korselt Upright Grand, Steinway & Sons Hamburg D-274, a Fazioli F278 Concert Grand, a Yamaha CFIII Concert Grand, a Yamaha U5 Professional Upright, a Bösendorfer 280 Vienna Concert and a Steinway & Sons New York D-274. With another coming soon based on a Bösendorfer 200, users can discover new inspiration as they need it.
Options, Pricing and Availability
Pianoverse Liberty Upright is available now, sold separately or as part of Pianoverse MAX from the IK Multimedia online store and worldwide. It’s free to all-access subscribers, as will all future Pianoverse pianos.
- Liberty Upright $/€99.99*
- Pianoverse MAX $/€299.99 – Includes all 7 available pianos and 1 more to come.
- Pianoverse MAX Upgrade $/€199.99 – For registered owners of any Pianoverse piano or current yearly subscribers.
- Pianoverse All-access Subscription $/€149.99 (billed yearly) – Includes the 7 available pianos and all those to come.
*Pricing excludes taxes
For more information about Pianoverse and the new Liberty Upright, please visit:
www.ikmultimedia.com/pianoverse
For videos:
www.ikmultimedia.com/pianoverse/video