Spitfire Piano Day - Save 40% off Select Pianos

[Larry Shelby]

It’s International Piano Day – the 88th day of the year. Save 40% on a selection of stunning piano libraries. Don’t miss this offer, ending on Thursday.

https://www.spitfireaudio.com/offers/

[PavlovsCat]

I have a $10USD voucher from purchasing Jangle Box Piano, which I really like and I'm contemplating buying the Originals Firewood Piano -- even though I have literally dozens of commercial piano libraries. I'm a hobbyist that does rock and folk rock music. I was hoping to get thoughts from my fellow forum members who bought Spitfire's Firewood Piano. I checked out some reviews of the piano and the Music Tech review was pretty favorable, but noted they thought it could have used more layers. I'd love to get the thoughts of some of our own forum members who own it and learn, (1) are you happy with the library, (2) do you feel that the layers are an issue and (3) what do you like best and least about the library.  

I've contemplated picking up their Intimate Strings library, but I mostly use solo strings with minimal reverb in my music and the demos I've heard of it -- and videos by "reviewers" (people who are affiliate marketers/sellers of the library, kind of like calling a used car salesperson a car reviewer) -- all have a lot of "room" in it. That is, I don't think it's added reverb, but the room the samples were recorded in. I have yet to hear anyone reviewing the libraries address that, but am basing it on what I hear when they play the sample library -- I've never heard a dry mix, so I would expect it's just baked in to the samples. Anyhow, I would love thoughts on that library from anyone who owns it. 

Thanks, Peter 

[Fleer]

I’d go for the Firewood piano (7,5GB) myself. 
Mrs. Mills Piano is interesting as well, but I’ve already got the Cinesamples one. 
Also, as I have Albion Tundra and Neo, no more need for Intimate Strings. 
Hope this helps. 

[PavlovsCat]

5 minutes ago, Fleer said:

I’d go for the Firewood piano (7,5GB) myself. 
Mrs. Mills Piano is interesting as well, but I’ve already got the Cinesamples one. 
Also, as I have Albion Tundra and Neo, no more need for Intimate Strings. 
Hope this helps. 

Thanks, Fleer. I originally was very excited when the Mrs Mills Piano was released -- as I am a huge Beatles fan and I LOVE the sound of their gear (heck, if you went into the song section of the forum, you'll find I've done covers a several Beatles songs), but I just didn't find the sound would fit much of my music, so I've counted it out (whereas, I love the Jangle Box Piano, which I bought a few weeks ago). 

@Fleer when do you find yourself turning to the Firewood Piano? From seeing so many of your posts through the years, I think you probably have more commercial piano sample libraries than I do and I'm curious when you feel it really fits in your music? I'm thinking it would work well for folk rock type situations, do you know, if it's the same piano used on Lumineers songs like Ophelia? Because I really like that sound and I think it is.  It's almost a bar room / saloon piano sound. 

 
 

[X-53mph]

35 minutes ago, PavlovsCat said:

I have a $10USD voucher from purchasing Jangle Box Piano, which I really like and I'm contemplating buying the Originals Firewood Piano -- even though I have literally dozens of commercial piano libraries. I'm a hobbyist that does rock and folk rock music. I was hoping to get thoughts from my fellow forum members who bought Spitfire's Firewood Piano. I checked out some reviews of the piano and the Music Tech review was pretty favorable, but noted they thought it could have used more layers. I'd love to get the thoughts of some of our own forum members who own it and learn, (1) are you happy with the library, (2) do you feel that the layers are an issue and (3) what do you like best and least about the library.  
 

It's a really atmospheric sound. Great for slow soft scores. Not really good for rock and roll. For that I'd go for something like the NA Gentleman.

I've written a lot of stuff with the Firewood, it really inspires you that way. But make sure you've got a computer up to the job. You'll need a bare minimum of 16gb RAM, any less and you start getting note drop outs or inconsistent performance (in my experience).

The main downside is that it's been used so much in film scores, TV shows and ads that the sound is now somewhat passé.

[PavlovsCat]

2 minutes ago, Philip G Hunt said:

It's a really atmospheric sound. Great for slow soft scores. Not really good for rock and roll. For that I'd go for something like the NA Gentleman.

I've written a lot of stuff with the Firewood, it really inspires you that way. But make sure you've got a computer up to the job. You'll need a bare minimum of 16gb RAM, any less and you start getting note drop outs or inconsistent performance (in my experience).

The main downside is that it's been used so much in film scores, TV shows and ads that the sound is now somewhat passé.

Thanks for the insights. So, I take it's not the piano that's used on Lumineers songs like Ophelia? I just did a search and realized that Jeremiah Fraites is actually the drummer in the Lumineers, so I'm guessing that it's not that piano.  So, when you say it wouldn't work in rock and roll, would you also say that you don't think it work in more folk rock scenarios more like Damien Rice's music that is more acoustic based?

[Fleer]

56 minutes ago, PavlovsCat said:

Thanks, Fleer. I originally was very excited when the Mrs Mills Piano was released -- as I am a huge Beatles fan and I LOVE the sound of their gear (heck, if you went into the song section of the forum, you'll find I've done covers a several Beatles songs), but I just didn't find the sound would fit much of my music, so I've counted it out (whereas, I love the Jangle Box Piano, which I bought a few weeks ago). 

@Fleer when do you find yourself turning to the Firewood Piano? From seeing so many of your posts through the years, I think you probably have more commercial piano sample libraries than I do and I'm curious when you feel it really fits in your music? I'm thinking it would work well for folk rock type situations, do you know, if it's the same piano used on Lumineers songs like Ophelia? Because I really like that sound and I think it is.  It's almost a bar room / saloon piano sound. 

 
 

What Philip said!

Also forgot to tell you about Cinematic Frozen Strings. It’s a much smaller setting than Tundra’s. Probably even more interesting than Intimate Strings. 

[PavlovsCat]

5 minutes ago, Fleer said:

What Philip said!

Also forgot to tell you about Cinematic Frozen Strings. It’s a much smaller setting than Tundra’s. Probably even more interesting than Intimate Strings. 

Yeah, I was a bit intrigued by Cinematic Frozen Strings and was contemplating getting that library. So just to be clear, you couldn't really see the Firewood Piano used in a folk rock context? 

[Fleer]

Can’t say, Peter, haven got it myself (yet). Though I thought the Lumineers reference in the Spitfire blurb would indeed suggest so. 

[Fleer]

And this could help:

https://discuss.cakewalk.com/index.php?/topic/43274-113022-after-piano-day-event-playing-all-spitfire-originals-pianos/&tab=comments#comment-335508

[PavlovsCat]

8 minutes ago, Fleer said:

Can’t say, Peter, haven got it myself (yet). Though I thought the Lumineers reference in the Spitfire blurb would indeed suggest so. 

Yeah, until you find out that he's the drummer in the Lumineers,  not the pianist.  (Don't get me wrong,  I love drummers,  I am one. I just realized that this wasn't the pianist in the Lumineers. Even more, on his solo album, he used a different piano.)

Edited March 30, 2022 by PavlovsCat

[Simeon Amburgey]

Here is an article I posted on my site when Firewood Piano was released. It is indeed Jeremiah’s piano, really interesting story, check it out here:

https://praisetracks.com/?s=Firewood

Also you might check out my After Piano Day livestream Wednesday, as I am going to try and playthrough all of the Spitfire Originals and possibly more pianos ?

[PavlovsCat]

55 minutes ago, Simeon Amburgey said:

Here is an article I posted on my site when Firewood Piano was released. It is indeed Jeremiah’s piano, really interesting story, check it out here:

https://praisetracks.com/?s=Firewood

Also you might check out my After Piano Day livestream Wednesday, as I am going to try and playthrough all of the Spitfire Originals and possibly more pianos ?

Funny, researching the piano, trying to figure out if The Lumineers ever recorded with it, I found Jermiah described as the band's drummer of three albums who switched to piano on his solo album but just found Wikipedia describes him as a drummer,  percussionist and pianist. I'm just trying to figure out if that piano is one used on some Lumineers songs. 

I've listened to people playing the piano in a solo context; I'd love to hear it with say acoustic drums, acoustic guitar and electric bass guitar,  to see how it sounds in a folk rock type mix. 

Edited March 30, 2022 by PavlovsCat

[X-53mph]

33 minutes ago, PavlovsCat said:

Funny, researching the piano, trying to figure out if The Lumineers ever recorded with it, I found Jermiah described as the band's drummer of three albums who switched to piano on his solo album but just found Wikipedia describes him as a drummer,  percussionist and pianist. I'm just trying to figure out if that piano is one used on some Lumineers songs. 

I've listened to people playing the piano in a solo context; I'd love to hear it with say acoustic drums, acoustic guitar and electric bass guitar,  to see how it sounds in a folk rock type mix. 

I'm sorry I cannot answer whether it was used by the Lumineers. However, I will add that if you wanted to use it for soft folk, it might work. I've only used it on folk rock for single note lines, not full playing. Its sound is so distinctive that I find it works better as a solo instrument rather than an accompaniment instrument.