A Virtual Steinway Model D for Pianists

Live Grand Modern D is a virtual piano VST instrument based on our own recordings of a Steinway Model D concert grand, designed for realistic practice and live performance.

The instrument was recorded at River Studios in Cologne, Germany, from an approximately eight-year-old Steinway Model D. With 20 velocity layers, precisely calibrated keyboard response, advanced pedal behavior and low-latency performance, Modern D is designed to capture the dynamics and playing experience of a concert grand from the pianist’s perspective.

Key features

Full feature list

Sampling & Sound

	Modern D	Modern D Light (just the differences)
Recordings	Tutti Corda, Una Corda	Tutti Corda (demo), Una Corda
Microphone perspective	Player
Velocity layers	20 layers
Seperate pedal-down samples	20 layers
Release samples	6 layers + 6 layers staccato
Round robins	2x 20 layers
Una corda samples	20 layers
Repetition strike samples	20 layers
Sympathetic resonance	Sample-based
Sample optimization	Player-perspective microphone mix and AI-assisted sample optimization for balanced spectrum, reduced resonances, warmth and clarity.
Silent key samples
FX Samples
Reverb	Kontakt Player presets + Custom IRs
Effects	Funk-Resonance, Wah-Wah, Synth-Hall	Funk-Resonance (demo)

Playing & Expression

	Modern D	Modern D Light (just the differences)
Velocity calibration	Precisely measured presets for popular devices (natural touch with wide dynamic range, up to Δ 55dB)
Low-latency performance	32-sample audio buffer with all features enabled (recommended hardware)
Pedal support	Half-Pedal + Re-Pedaling + Mechanical Vibrato
Sostenuto
Tuning & temperaments	Transpose + Scala presets (Equal Temperament, Well-Tempered, ...) + Tuning presets (International 440, European 442, ...)
Mechanical noises	Pedals + Mechanics

Software

	Modern D	Modern D Light (just the differences)
Kontakt version	Free Kontakt 8 player (Download via Native Access)
User interface	Custom UI + NKS
Library size	15 GB lossless compression

Supported Devices

Precisely measured velocity curves

For a natural playing response, the velocity characteristics of the keyboard must be precisely matched to the sampled piano. We therefore measure the MIDI velocity response of different keyboard actions and create dedicated calibration curves for Live Grand.

Modern D can be played with any suitable MIDI keyboard. The devices listed below are those for which precisely measured velocity calibrations are available. The dynamic range indicates the usable range achieved with the corresponding calibration.

Keyboard Actions/ Keybeds	Supported devices	Dynamic range
Fatar TP/40	Nord Stage 4 88, Nord Stage 4 73, Nord Piano 5 88, Nord Piano 5 73, Nord Stage 3 88, Nord Piano 4, Nord Piano 3, Nord Stage 2 EX 88, Nord Piano 2, Nord Stage 2 88, Kurzweil Forte, Kurzweil Forte 7, Kurzweil Forte SE, Kurzweil PC3A8, Kurzweil PC3K8, Kurzweil PC3X, Kurzweil PC3LE8, Studiologic SL88 Grand, Studiologic SL990 Pro, Studiologic SL990 XP, Doepfer LMK4+, Alesis Fusion 8HD, Dexibell VIVO S7 Pro, Dexibell VIVO H7, Korg PA588, Korg SP500	Δ 44dB
Fatar TP/110	Studiologic SL88 mk2, Studiologic SL73 mk2, Studiologic Numa X Piano 88, Studiologic Numa X Piano 73, Arturia KeyLab 88 mk3, Nord Stage 4 88, Nord Stage 4 73	Δ 47dB
Fatar TP/100LR	SL88 Studio, SL73 Studio, KeyLab 88 MkII, Komplete Kontrol S88 Mk2, Nord Electro 6 HP, Nord Electro 5 HP, Nord Stage 3 HP76, Kurzweil Artis, Kurzweil Artis SE, Kurzweil CUP120, Kurzweil CUP110, Dexibell VIVO H3, Dexibell VIVO S3, Dexibell VIVO P3, Studiologic Numa Stage, Studiologic Numa Nano, Studiologic Acuna 88	Δ 47dB
Kawai RHL	ES 60	Δ 52dB
Kawai GF III	CA901, CA701, CA99, CA79	Δ 45dB
Kawai RH III	CN301, CN201, ES920, CN39, CN29, MP7SE, CN37, CN27, ES8, MP7, CN35, CN25	Δ 47dB
Kawai RM3 Grand II	VPC1, CA 15, CA 17	Δ 47dB
Roland PHA-4	FP-30X, FP-30, FP-10, FP-60X, FP-60, RD-88 EX, RD-88, F107, RP107, RP701, F701, HP702, DP603, RP102, F-140R, RP501R, GO:PIANO88 PX	Δ 45dB
Roland PJA-50	FP-90X, FP-90, RD-2000, RD-2000 EX, RD-88 EX, RD-88, A-88MKII, A-88, HP704, HP702, LX705, DP603, KF-10, F-140R, RP501R	Δ 37dB
Yamaha NW-GH3	CLP-545, CLP-535, CLP-525, CVP-705, CVP-701	Δ 53dB
Yamaha GrandTouch-S	CLP-825, CLP-835, CLP-845, CLP-865GP, CSP-255, CSP-275, P-525, CLP-725, CLP-735, CLP-745, CLP-765GP	Δ 51dB
Yamaha Natural Wood (NW)	CLP-170, CLP-175, CLP-270, CLP-280, CLP-340, CLP-370, CLP-380, CLP-430, CLP-440, CLP-470, CLP-480, CLP-525, CLP-535, CLP-545, CLP-575, CLP-585, CVP-307, CVP-309, CVP-401, CVP-403, CVP-405, CVP-407, CVP-409, CVP-501, CVP-503, CVP-505, CVP-509, CVP-601, CVP-605, CVP-609, S90ES, S90XS, CP1, CP4 Stage, CP5, CP300, P-250, P-255	Δ 52dB

This list is constantly being updated.

Your keyboard isn't listed?

You can create a custom velocity calibration for almost any MIDI keyboard or digital piano using our measurement file. The measurement results can then be used to generate a dedicated Live Grand calibration file precisely matched to your keyboard's MIDI velocity response.

An online tool for uploading your measurements and generating the calibration file automatically will be available soon.

Modern D – Steinway D Piano VST

A Virtual Steinway Model D for Pianists

Key features

Full feature list

Sampling & Sound

Playing & Expression

Software

Supported Devices

Precisely measured velocity curves

Technical Specifications

Minimum hardware requirements

Audio and Videos

Played by beginners / advanced / professional musicians

	Live Grand
Disk space	approx. 15GB free disk space (delivered via Native Access)
OS	Mac OSX 10.11 or greater or Windows 7 or higher and 64bits only
CPU	Intel Core i5, AMD Ryzen 5 or M2 (Mac)
Hard drive	Solid State Drive (SSD)
RAM	16 GB
Plugin formats	Standalone application, VST2, VST3, AU, AAX
Audio interface	Low-latency audio interface recommended (ASIO on Windows)