Get Real Piano - from midi file to Yamaha Grand

hi Folks

I recently came across http://getrealpiano.com who offer what I thought was quite an exciting service. You send them a midi file and they use it to trigger a Yamaha Grand which they then record, so they can send you back a high quality audio file.

Im keen to know if anyone has used this service or has any opinions on it. Im thinking of using it for my next album.

thanks

Rich

 

Rich,

I'm sorry, but this sounds like a means to separate you from your money. Yamaha DiscKlaviers are already MIDI capable. Maybe disks need a particular format to play, but there should be cheap to free sources to do that. They say it takes 2 to 5 hours to do their conversions. One thing to realize is that the MIDI information is set. It is like taking a photo in <.jpg> format and then expecting it to enlarge and be enhanced. No computer program can guess what is missing. The MIDI file is set. The notes are what they are. The volume is in the MIDI granularity from 0 through 255 steps. In the case of an acoustic piano, it is essentially a digital piano roll.

I have often recorded to MIDI first and then connect my keyboard to record into my computer the actual sound. In this way, I can correct the occasional slip of a finger or a bad rhythm without having to try to re-record. You can do that yourself on many free "Open Source" or very cheap programs and simply burn a disc on your computer. In this way, if you want to enhance the performance, you have control.

Just some thoughts about the whole thing.

Scott

 

Hi Scott

yes I have recorded the same way - first in midi, then making an adjustments I want to make, and then using the edited midi file to trigger my digital piano (a Roland FP4) and recording the audio from there.

If it was to use Get Real I would follow the same initial steps, but the million dollar question is: can I get as good a sound from my FP4 (with my very basic sound editing experience) as these guys can get from a Yamaha Grand with their nice mics and much greater recording and mastering experience.

cheers

Rich