Galaxy II Pianos

  

The highly rated Galaxy II Grand Piano Collection has been upgraded to Galaxy II K4, which includes the new Kontakt Player 4, a new user interface, new features, better performance and additional samples.
Galaxy II contains three grand pianos: the Vienna Grand (a powerful Bösendorfer Imperial), the 1929 German Baby Grand (a Vintage Blüthner baby grand), and the 5 star awarded Galaxy Steinway in stereo and 5.1 surround. Galaxy II K4 is based on the new Kontakt 4 engine by Native Instruments, presenting new features, better performance and a completely redesigned direct access user interface.

All pianos of the Galaxy II Pianos Collection (Steinway, Vienna Grand, Baby Grand) are available as single downloads at SoundsOnDemand!

Version 4 offers true half pedaling, true repedaling and dynamically playable pedal, damper and string noises when using a continuous sustain pedal. Additional resonance release and noise samples have been added and all the 30GB of samples of Galaxy II have been revised and enhanced. Galaxy Piano’s Version 4 takes the Galaxy II Grand Piano Collection to an new level.

• Three world class grand pianos
• Galaxy Steinway 5.1 (Steinway D in 5.1 surround and stereo)
• Vienna Grand Imperial (96 Key Bösendorfer with incredible low end)
• 1929 German Baby Grand (Vintage Blüthner with a beautiful singing tone)
• More than 6,000 samples in 24 bit (30GB/18GB with sample compression)
• 13 modeled velocity zones for a wide and smooth dynamic range
• Additional resonance, release and noise samples
• Chromatic and multiple velocity resonance and release samples
• Multi velocity pedal, damper, hammer and string noises
• Real una corda samples
• Real overtones
• Powered by the Kontakt Player 4 engine
• New direct access user interface
• Lossless sample compression for better disk streaming
• True half pedaling when using a continuous sustain pedal
• True repedaling and sostenuto
• Noises dynamically playable with a continuous sustain pedal
• One-knob control of tone colour and dynamics.
• Intelligent EQ for warmth, punch and brilliance
• Sympathetic string resonance with real overtones
• Flexible and easy-to-use velocity editor
• Convolution reverb with many different types of rooms, concert halls and ambience
• Adjustable stereo width and position
• Specially designed compressor for pop piano sounds
• Pad Machine
• Warp Engine for sound design beyond regular piano sounds

*Updates &**Upgrades
When ordering an Update from Galaxy II KP2 your legal registration will be checked when activating Galaxy II K4.
When ordering an Upgrade from a Download Pack or OEM Steinway (single Piano) you have to enter the serial number of your download / OEM license as a proof of purchase into the message field at the checkout. Your order will be shipped after a successful verification!

Reviews:
Computer Music/UK: „Overall, Galaxy II is the best piano ROMpler we’ve ever had the pleasure of playing.“
Samplecraze: „In terms of value for money, I cannot recommend a better piano vsti than Galaxy 2. For features, sounds, playability and the Warp function Galaxy 2 is on it’s own.“
Sound on Sound: „Let´s cut to the chase — the piano sounds great.“
Virtual Instruments: „It is an ultra realistic playing experience to sit at each of these sampled gems. All three are absolutely gorgeous sounding.“
Music Players: „While there are numerous sample-based piano software applications out there, few programs offer control over as many fine details within your sound as Galaxy II.“

Meer informatie

User interface version 4
Manual V4
YouTube Video: Galaxy Pianos Tutorial "Pop Piano"
YouTube Video: Galaxy Pianos Tutorial "Articulation"
YouTube Video: Galaxy Pianos Tutorial "Noises"
www.galaxypianos.de

Systemrequirements

NI Kontakt Player 4 included in this product!

The latest version of Kontakt Player is available through your Native-Instruments Service Center.

PC

• Windows XP (SP2 )/ Vista/ Win7 (32/64 Bit),
• Pentium or Athlon XP 1.4 GHz, min. 2 GB RAM

Mac

• OSX 10.5 / 10.6
• Intel (!!!) Core Duo 1.66 GHz, min. 2 GB RAM

for all

• 1GB free disc space for player installation
• additional hard disc space according to the library size
• internet connection for product activation required (on any computer)
• DVD drive

Note on Support for KONTAKT Player products:
Native Instruments only provides Registration/Activation support for KONTAKT Player products. Technical support is managed by the manufacturer of the respective products/libraries.

System FAQs

Product activation:
An internet connection on any computer is required to authorize / activate the product (Challenge/Response).

Beoordelingen

Computer Music 03/2008
Music Radar 03/2008
Award in musicplayers.com
Samplecraze 3/2008
Computer Music 3/2008
Virtual Instruments Magazine 3/2008
MusicTech 10/2007

Computer Music 03/2008

Computer Music  Testfazit:
As well as the array of traditional piano patches, some more esoteric global presets are supplied, including thomann lush pads and warped tones. While the former simply layers the pianos up with some fairly generic samples, the effect works really well, and the wide variety of timbres available right off the bat is a great touch. Overall, Galaxy II is the best piano ROMpler we’ve ever thomann had the pleasure of playing.
 

Music Radar 03/2008

MusicRadar.com  Testfazit:
Overall, Galaxy II is the best piano ROMpler we´ve ever had the pleasure of playing.
 

Award in musicplayers.com

Wish I had one award in musicplayers.com

Samplecraze 3/2008

We’ve seen our fair share of piano ROMplers here at cm, so it takes something special for us to really sit up and take notice. Galaxy II is just such a beast, offering a substantially superior experience to other virtual pianos, and a degree of control over the sound rarely seen in a ROMpler.

The quality of the recorded samples is superb – the included Steinway D, Bösendorfer and Blüthner are all captured at pristine quality. But perhaps the most impressive aspect is the way that Native Instruments’ Kontakt Player 2 has been used to give the user control over all of the important aspects of the sound, including dynamics parameters for punching up or softening the patch, and noise controls for adjusting the level of hammer, damper, pedal and string noise.

As well as an array of traditional piano patches, some more esoteric global presets are supplied, including lush pads and warped tones. While the former simply layers the pianos up with some fairly generic samples, the effect works really well, and the wide variety of timbres available right off the bat is a great touch. Overall, Galaxy II is the best piano ROMpler we’ve ever had the pleasure of playing.
Review: Galaxy 2 Piano Vsti  Samplecraze / March 2008 Read the complete review at:
http://www.samplecraze.com/reviews.php?xReviewID=16 .....

Conclusion: For me the acid test of any vsti hinges on a number of factors: easy of use, CPU strain, intuitive, quality and representation, value for money and creativity. 

Galaxy 2’s GUI is both simple to use and a breeze to navigate. A well thought out GUI can make all the difference between a successful product and a dead duck. Each menu sensibly houses the relevant sub menu for editing and management. But the GUI also cleverly affords a single screen to show all edits on a global scale. 

The CPU strain is a little on the heavy side but as there is a vast library of samples to sift through it is not surprising that it takes the amount of time that it does to load an instrument. With the use of DFD this CPU hog can be minimized. 

The quality of the samples and the sheer amount of work undertaken to manage them into a sound design concept has to be applauded. There are no tail-offs of dead samples, no wastage of dead air at the start of the samples, no redundant use of the velocity layers and their switching, no badly gain structured samples, and finally, the sheer quality of the recordings is excellent. The recordings alone have been professionally executed and this is a breath of fresh air for me as a sound designer that is anal when it comes to sample management. 

The pianos are well represented, both in terms of accuracy and in sample management. Although a subjective area to negotiate I have found that there are some acid tests to compare original sound sources to their sampled counterparts. In terms of these three pianos there is very little to discern the authenticity of the originals from the sampled offerings. A truly fine ear would probably pick up the ‘colour’ of the samples as the recordings have been via distinct microphones, but it would be self defeating to try to pick flaws in the actual sample management. 

With most piano libraries, sampled or emulated, it is always the low registers that can cause difficulties as all sorts of harmonic anomalies can take place. I found this not to be as prominent as in other piano vstis. On a couple of instances the low end could have been deemed to be ‘coloured’ but with the tools available managing any of the registers is easy. The crux of the matter is in the intro to this piece. Certain microphones were used deliberately to add ‘colour’ to the recordings and this has been achieved…….but subtly. It does not take away from the body of the original but adds a little extra that can be useful when searching for something different. 

In terms of creativity Galaxy 2 affords some wonderful tools, albeit a little limited and unconventional compared to the competition. However, this takes nothing away from the pleasure of sonic manipulation. Maybe not detailed enough for fully fledged sound design projects, but hell, this is a piano vsti, so what am I complaining about? 
The Warp function alone makes this a dream vsti as it would serve quite well as a vst in it’s own right. The ability to alter an acoustic instrument into an extreme synthetic one can only be a winner. But more importantly it is how well that the Warp function mangles sounds into something both extreme and yet useful. I think a pat on the back for the coders is in order. 

I have my own favoured vstis that I always go back to when searching for a sampled piano, and yes they are all good, but there is something inherently ‘playable’ about Galaxy 2 that makes me want to use it more than the others. I think it is an overall combination of all the above that keeps veering me towards Galaxy 2. 

In terms of value for money, I cannot recommend a better piano vsti than Galaxy 2. For features, sounds, playability and the Warp function Galaxy 2 is on it’s own. 

Ignore at your own peril! 

Eddie Bazil (Zukan) 

Computer Music 3/2008

We’ve seen our fair share of piano ROMplers here at cm, so it takes something special for us to really sit up and take notice. Galaxy II is just such a beast, offering a substantially superior experience to other virtual pianos, and a degree of control over the sound rarely seen in a ROMpler.

The quality of the recorded samples is superb – the included Steinway D, Bösendorfer and Blüthner are all captured at pristine quality. But perhaps the most impressive aspect is the way that Native Instruments’ Kontakt Player 2 has been used to give the user control over all of the important aspects of the sound, including dynamics parameters for punching up or softening the patch, and noise controls for adjusting the level of hammer, damper, pedal and string noise.

As well as an array of traditional piano patches, some more esoteric global presets are supplied, including lush pads and warped tones. While the former simply layers the pianos up with some fairly generic samples, the effect works really well, and the wide variety of timbres available right off the bat is a great touch. Overall, Galaxy II is the best piano ROMpler we’ve ever had the pleasure of playing.

Virtual Instruments Magazine 3/2008

This long awaited successor to the 2004 release of Galaxy Steinway 5.1 adds two more world class pianos:

the Bösendorfer 290 Imperial and a superrare Blüthner Model 150 to the original Steinway Model D 270. But what makes Galaxy II so great is its unprecedented level of realistic playing control and creative sound design.

....

The main menu displays a condensed view of more commonly used parameters pulled from the five sub-menus. There are some pleasant surprises behind these tabs. The Tone menu, for example, appears to have familiar controls: color, resonance, warmth, loudness, etc. Based on other products we’ve seen, one would expect these to be variants of simple EQs and filters. Instead, the Color knob actually maps between softer and harder samples, the benefit being that you lose none of the dynamics you would to EQ, and the volume remains constant between soft and hard settings. Similarly, the Reso control lets you blend in samples of sympathetic string resonance that have been captured with the damper pedal down, but separately from the dry tone. In this way you can alter the piano’s liveliness quite convincingly. Very cool. I also appreciate the Low Keys parameter, allowing you to scale back or emphasize a piano’s raw bass intensity around certain musical arrangements. You can even select from playing sample sets captured with the piano lid closed, half-closed, or fully open. And, of all things, a compressor control is located under the tone menu. Galaxy’s reasoning is that piano compression is as much about changing the sound’s shape as it is controlling dynamics. Without the typical ratio, attack, release, or threshold parameters to worry about, this arbitrarily marked control requires some experimentation with others such as color and punch, but is a very nice inclusion. 

...

But the Warp section is perhaps the biggest surprise of all, for a piano library. Here you have access to five FX Machines that you can activate separately (stacking in pre- defined series) and edit through preset/contextual pop-up menus. ...

Producer Uli Baronowsky has done a marvelous job of keeping Galaxy II stream- lined and fast to use. For one, there are no confusing channel multis to wrap your head around in mid-session; the way interface is designed, you have access to all the sounds and controls via top-level instrument presets. 

...

The Vienna Grand Imperial samples are powerful, dark, and full-bodied, thanks to the 290’s robust soundboard and extended keyboard. Just as on the original, whenever the damper pedal is depressed, the rest of the notes along the keyboard take on a fuller, more resonant tone resulting from the extended octave vibrating sympathetically. Though the lower octave was often hidden under a small hinged lid on the original, with Vienna Grand they are playable— although mostly for effect, as they lack a musically pleasant pitch. I found the dynamic range and velocity transitions to sound extremely natural with all three pianos, but the additional microphones used to capture the lower register of the 290 add a lot of energy that if you’re using a good sub-frequency monitoring set-up. The mid and top registers, though well defined, aren’t as bright as, say, Synthogy’s Ivory Grand. While that suits my taste, if brightness is what you want, a twist of the Color knob will give it to you.

The 1929 German Baby Grand offers a distinctly cozier, more vintage sound with an intimate, singing tone. This is due to Blüthner’s addition of a fourth, sympathetic aliquot string to each trichord group in the reble, richening the piano’s overtone spec- trum considerably. Early Blüthner pianos were favored by Brahms, Bartok, Debussy, Tchaikovsky, and Wagner. Even The Beatles used a later model on “Let It Be” and “The Long and Winding Road.”

The Styles presets reflect this versatility quite well: from “Baby Grand Compressed Pop” featuring a hard attack and bright color setting that really cuts through modern production while remaining romantic; and “Baby Grand Vintage Pop,” which uses gentle limiting rather than compression, making use of half-closed lid samples for a rounder sound and slightly reduced stereo width; to the glorious recital sound of “Baby Grand In A Hall,” which uses a chamber music hall impulse response and a soundfield configured to the audience’s perspective.

By far the purest sounding tone comes from the stereo-compatible Galaxy Steinway 5.1. Recorded in a 3,440-square- foot hall with 26-foot ceilings at Galaxy Studios in Belgium, the Model D 270 was sampled direct to Pro Tools HD through a Neve Capricorn console. Five vintage Brüel & Kjær mics were used close-up, and Neumann room mics captured the ambience of the hall. The end product is a magnificent virtual piano that dazzles in any musical style, but is particularly well suited to pop, jazz, and highly compressed contemporary/urban music.

It is an ultra realistic playing experience to sit at each of these sampled gems. All three are absolutely gorgeous sounding, with not a single bum sample to be found. The global presets walk you through dozens of conventional piano styles, layered synth pad pianos, and “warped” pianos that exercise the imagination. As much about creative sound design as absolute authenticity, Galaxy II Grand Piano Collection is a must-have for anyone looking to fill a niche or to top their current arsenal.

by Jason Scott Alexander

www.virtualinstrumentsmag.com

Review: Galaxy II Grand Piano Collection   Virtual Instruments Magazine / USA’ March 2008 This long awaited successor to the 2004 release of Galaxy Steinway 5.1 adds two more world class pianos: the Bösendorfer 290 Imperial and a superrare Blüthner Model 150 to the original Steinway Model D 270. But what makes Galaxy II so great is its unprecedented level of realistic playing control and creative sound design. .... The main menu displays a condensed view of more commonly used parameters pulled from the five sub-menus. There are some pleasant surprises behind these tabs. The Tone menu, for example, appears to have familiar controls: color, resonance, warmth, loudness, etc. Based on other products we’ve seen, one would expect these to be variants of simple EQs and filters. Instead, the Color knob actually maps between softer and harder samples, the benefit being that you lose none of the dynamics you would to EQ, and the volume remains constant between soft and hard settings. Similarly, the Reso control lets you blend in samples of sympathetic string resonance that have been captured with the damper pedal down, but separately from the dry tone. In this way you can alter the piano’s liveliness quite convincingly. Very cool. I also appreciate the Low Keys parameter, allowing you to scale back or emphasize a piano’s raw bass intensity around certain musical arrangements. You can even select from playing sample sets captured with the piano lid closed, half-closed, or fully open. And, of all things, a compressor control is located under the tone menu. Galaxy’s reasoning is that piano compression is as much about changing the sound’s shape as it is controlling dynamics. Without the typical ratio, attack, release, or threshold parameters to worry about, this arbitrarily marked control requires some experimentation with others such as color and punch, but is a very nice inclusion.  ... But the Warp section is perhaps the biggest surprise of all, for a piano library. Here you have access to five FX Machines that you can activate separately (stacking in pre- defined series) and edit through preset/contextual pop-up menus. ... Producer Uli Baronowsky has done a marvelous job of keeping Galaxy II stream- lined and fast to use. For one, there are no confusing channel multis to wrap your head around in mid-session; the way interface is designed, you have access to all the sounds and controls via top-level instrument presets.  ... The Vienna Grand Imperial samples are powerful, dark, and full-bodied, thanks to the 290’s robust soundboard and extended keyboard. Just as on the original, whenever the damper pedal is depressed, the rest of the notes along the keyboard take on a fuller, more resonant tone resulting from the extended octave vibrating sympathetically. Though the lower octave was often hidden under a small hinged lid on the original, with Vienna Grand they are playable— although mostly for effect, as they lack a musically pleasant pitch. I found the dynamic range and velocity transitions to sound extremely natural with all three pianos, but the additional microphones used to capture the lower register of the 290 add a lot of energy that if you’re using a good sub-frequency monitoring set-up. The mid and top registers, though well defined, aren’t as bright as, say, Synthogy’s Ivory Grand. While that suits my taste, if brightness is what you want, a twist of the Color knob will give it to you. The 1929 German Baby Grand offers a distinctly cozier, more vintage sound with an intimate, singing tone. This is due to Blüthner’s addition of a fourth, sympathetic aliquot string to each trichord group in the reble, richening the piano’s overtone spec- trum considerably. Early Blüthner pianos were favored by Brahms, Bartok, Debussy, Tchaikovsky, and Wagner. Even The Beatles used a later model on “Let It Be” and “The Long and Winding Road.” The Styles presets reflect this versatility quite well: from “Baby Grand Compressed Pop” featuring a hard attack and bright color setting that really cuts through modern production while remaining romantic; and “Baby Grand Vintage Pop,” which uses gentle limiting rather than compression, making use of half-closed lid samples for a rounder sound and slightly reduced stereo width; to the glorious recital sound of “Baby Grand In A Hall,” which uses a chamber music hall impulse response and a soundfield configured to the audience’s perspective. By far the purest sounding tone comes from the stereo-compatible Galaxy Steinway 5.1. Recorded in a 3,440-square- foot hall with 26-foot ceilings at Galaxy Studios in Belgium, the Model D 270 was sampled direct to Pro Tools HD through a Neve Capricorn console. Five vintage Brüel & Kjær mics were used close-up, and Neumann room mics captured the ambience of the hall. The end product is a magnificent virtual piano that dazzles in any musical style, but is particularly well suited to pop, jazz, and highly compressed contemporary/urban music. It is an ultra realistic playing experience to sit at each of these sampled gems. All three are absolutely gorgeous sounding, with not a single bum sample to be found. The global presets walk you through dozens of conventional piano styles, layered synth pad pianos, and “warped” pianos that exercise the imagination. As much about creative sound design as absolute authenticity, Galaxy II Grand Piano Collection is a must-have for anyone looking to fill a niche or to top their current arsenal. by Jason Scott Alexander www.virtualinstrumentsmag.com     

MusicTech 10/2007

Galaxy II is the successor to the acclaimed Galaxy Steinway 5.1 grand piano, with the addition of two more instruments - the Vienna Grand Imperial (Bosendorfer Imperial 290, famous for its powerful soundboard and low end) and a 1929 German Baby Grand (Bluthner), which has a warm, vintage character and intimate tone. The Galaxy Steinway itself is the concert hall Model D 270, recorded in both stereo and 5.1 surround. Needless to say, all three pianos
were captured using the very best mics and recording equipment, without the application of EQ or Compression.

Using Native Instruments' latest Kontakt 2 Player, Galaxy II operates as standalone instrument or as a VST, AU, RTAS and DXi plug-in. As with all KP2 instruments, the interface has been specially tailored to suit the task in hand, offering a range of creative sound-shaping tools including two reverbs (one of which is an impulse response), effects and impressive tone controls. An interesting feature is the single-knob tone control, which is not the usual EQ. Instead it uses different samples for different settings, dynamically mapping and balancing the volume differences between the softer and harder samples.

Multi-sampled at several velocity levels and at whole step intervals, all three pianos sound terrific.  Testbericht : Galaxy II  MusicTech Magazine - October 2007 Galaxy II is the successor to the acclaimed Galaxy Steinway 5.1 grand piano, with the addition of two more instruments - the Vienna Grand Imperial (Bosendorfer Imperial 290, famous for its powerful soundboard and low end) and a 1929 German Baby Grand (Bluthner), which has a warm, vintage character and intimate tone. The Galaxy Steinway itself is the concert hall Model D 270, recorded in both stereo and 5.1 surround. Needless to say, all three pianos
were captured using the very best mics and recording equipment, without the application of EQ or Compression.

Using Native Instruments' latest Kontakt 2 Player, Galaxy II operates as standalone instrument or as a VST, AU, RTAS and DXi plug-in. As with all KP2 instruments, the interface has been specially tailored to suit the task in hand, offering a range of creative sound-shaping tools including two reverbs (one of which is an impulse response), effects and impressive tone controls. An interesting feature is the single-knob tone control, which is not the usual EQ. Instead it uses different samples for different settings, dynamically mapping and balancing the volume differences between the softer and harder samples.

Multi-sampled at several velocity levels and at whole step intervals, all three pianos sound terrific.