Etude: Yamaha C3X Grand Piano Virtual Instrument by Steinberg

The Yamaha C3X is sampled chromatically with 12 layers of dynamics, so the response changes with how hard you play. Steinberg describes the top end as harmonically rich and the lower octaves as deep and warm.

The four microphone positions give you different perspectives on the same instrument. Player captures the sound from the pianist's seat, Mid gives a balanced front view, Tail adds the low-end body of the case, and Room adds the sense of the space around the piano.

Because the mixer offers these positions together, you can blend them to match the balance you need in a mix.

Etude includes adjustable sustain and sympathetic resonances, so you can control how strings ring after notes are played. Adaptive release samples respond to how long a key is held, and piano noises add the small mechanical details of playing.

These controls let you move between a dry, direct sound and a fuller, more resonant one without changing the instrument itself.

Steinberg positions Etude for scoring as well as classical, jazz and more pop-oriented writing. The range of microphone positions and resonance controls makes it usable across these styles.