Ravel Grand Piano: Steinway Model B Virtual Piano by Universal Audio

The standout feature is UltraResonance, which models sympathetic string resonance: the way undamped strings and the soundboard respond when other strings are played. Universal Audio says this is where many virtual pianos fall short, and that UltraResonance recreates the airy, evolving harmonics that let notes blend into one another. Soft, muted notes and more sustained, pillowy passages are both covered.

The developer positions Ravel as offering a high level of realism and dynamic sensitivity, so it responds to how you play as well as what you play.

Ravel uses three pairs of vintage microphones selected by engineer Allen Sides from his mic collection. The interface is kept to a small set of controls: Volume, Tone, and a Close/Room slider that moves between intimate and room-sounding tones.

A Reverse feature adds atmospheric reversed-piano textures. The Mix control blends these into normal playing, and the reverse sound can also be controlled in real time for performance changes. This suits suspenseful, cinematic or left-of-center sounds.