The Grand 2 Debuts at Musikmesse
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Model 2 View
(Click for a close-up) |
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Room Options Window
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April 6, 2005
Steinberg Media
Technologies announced an update
to its The Grand virtual concert grand piano product. The Grand 2
features an entirely new added grand piano, surround capabilities
as well as a range of features designed to maximise computer
resource efficiency.
Building on the The Grand VSTi, the new version offers
numerous new features and capabilities. The Grand 2 features an
entire, new grand piano model, painstakingly sampled from a real
concert grand made by one of the world's leading manufacturers.
Users can easily switch between the two models with only a single
mouse click. Added key click and pedal sounds as well as hammer
samples further increase the level of realism offered. The
new four-channel surround implementation allows The Grand 2 to
be placed anywhere inside a virtual room, with the position
adjustable from directly within the VSTi's user interface.
Further new features enhance the resource efficiency of The Grand
2. Incorporated into The Grand 2 is the RAMSave technology
first seen in Steinberg's HALion 3 virtual sampler VSTi, which
allows for more efficient use of the host computer's RAM by
allowing the "freezing" of the instrument and automatically
unloading unneeded samples from memory. While the general disk
streaming performance has also been enhanced in the new version,
the new "Eco" mode can further reduce demands on the
computer's resources, freeing up power for other processing tasks.
The Grand 2 supports all major plug-in formats such as VST, DXi,
and AU. ReWire support offers easy integration into Pro Tools,
while the standalone version allows The Grand 2 to be used
without a host application.
Price and availability
The Grand 2 will be available for $299.99 US MSRP from May 2005. Existing customers can update to the new The
Grand 2 version for only $99
For more information, visit their web site at www.steinberg.net. | 
