Pianoverse Black Diamond B280 piano plugin interface by IK Multimedia

Pianoverse Black Diamond B280: Concert Grand Piano Plugin by IK Multimedia

Pianoverse Black Diamond B280 is a virtual piano plugin from IK Multimedia, based on a 9' Bösendorfer 280 Vienna Concert grand piano. It includes 25 instrument presets and runs as VST3, VST2, AU and AAX on Windows and macOS.

VST3VST2AUAAXWindowsmacOS64-bit

AVAILABLE ATPlugin Boutique

Download Now

Opens the store in a new tab

01Overview

Pianoverse Black Diamond B280 is a concert grand piano instrument built from recordings of a Bösendorfer 280 Vienna Concert, a 9-foot grand first introduced in 1828. IK Multimedia captured the piano at Fonoprint Studios in Bologna, Italy, using DPA close microphones and a Schoeps coincident pair. The library contains 30.9 GB of sound content and 25 instrument presets, so it covers a wide range of sounds from one instrument. The developer describes the piano as having a darker character alongside a warm, musical tone.

Best for

Solo piano recording
Classical piano arrangements
Film score piano
Dark cinematic moods
Pop and ballad production

Developer: IK Multimedia
Category: Virtual Instruments
Store: Plugin Boutique

02Key features

What you get

Sampled from a 9' Bösendorfer 280 Vienna Concert grand piano
Close miking with DPA microphones
Medium-distance coincident pair using Schoeps microphones
Recorded at Fonoprint Studios in Bologna, Italy
30.9 GB of sound content
25 instrument presets
Available as VST3, VST2, AU and AAX
Supports Windows and macOS, 64-bit only

03In depth

Sound Source and Recording Setup

The instrument is based on a Bösendorfer 280 Vienna Concert, a large concert grand. IK Multimedia recorded it with DPA microphones placed close to the strings and a Schoeps microphone pair at medium distance. The two microphone positions give the close, detailed sound and the wider, more blended sound that the developer's recording approach aims for.

The piano was recorded at Fonoprint Studios, a room in a 15th-century convent in Bologna. IK Multimedia has recorded many of its sample sessions there over the years.

Presets and Pianoverse Engine

Pianoverse Black Diamond B280 includes 25 instrument presets that shape the core piano sound. Pianoverse is the performance engine IK Multimedia uses across its piano range. The developer says it is designed to recreate the experience of playing high-end pianos and adds sound-shaping spaces to the instrument.

04Specs

Will it run?

Formats, systems and requirements as listed by Plugin Boutique. Missing details are left out, not guessed.

Developer	IK Multimedia
Type	Plugin
Category	Virtual Instruments
Formats	VST3, VST2, AU, AAX
Operating systems	Windows, macOS
Architecture	64-bit

05FAQ

Questions, answered

What is Pianoverse Black Diamond B280 based on?

It is based on a 9' Bösendorfer 280 Vienna Concert grand piano. IK Multimedia recorded the instrument at Fonoprint Studios in Bologna, Italy.

What plugin formats does Pianoverse Black Diamond B280 support?

It is available in VST3, VST2, AU and AAX formats. It runs on Windows and macOS, and it is 64-bit only.

How much disk space does Pianoverse Black Diamond B280 need?

The system requirements list 30 GB of hard disk space for each piano title. The library contains 30.9 GB of sound content.

What do I need to run Pianoverse Black Diamond B280?

On Windows you need an ASIO-compatible sound card and an OpenGL 2 compatible graphics adapter. On macOS you need macOS 10.13 or later and an OpenGL 2 compatible graphics adapter. It runs natively on Apple M1 processors. The suggested minimum is 8 GB of RAM, with 32 GB suggested.