Upright 1

Designed as a light-weight sketching piano, the VS Upright No. 1 is a clean sampling of an upright piano

The standard piano for homes, small clubs and studios around the world. With a broad dynamic range and a bright, clear tone, the upright can still display a soft side when needed.

Features 3 velocity layers with 2 RR; sampled in tritones with a pair of wide, close mics. Full decays up to 30 seconds were recorded.

Windows: VSTi + NKI / MacOS: AU + NKI

Behind the scenes

In the basement of a Berklee College of Music dorm, there lives a few lonely Yamaha upright pianos in small practice rooms. These rooms were often quiet, and, being a welcome solace to the stresses of pursuing a career in music, became a welcome spot to improvise in peace.

One day in 2014 I decided to bring along a few mics and try sampling one of the pianos, as I had at the time not yet attempted to sample a piano. I picked an easy set of parameters, just 20 minutes worth of material, and this test is what became VS Upright No. 1