Bösendorfer’s new and acclaimed "Vienna Concert" grand piano merges the company’s venerated traditional approach to piano manufacturing with the most recent, sophisticated engineering. The 280VC is completely modern, reimagined from scratch, while remaining true to Bösendorfer’s legendary foundations.
Heralded as the next-generation concert grand, the 280VC has already proven to be a true all-rounder. Compared to the Bösendorfer Imperial with its additional bass strings, wider soundboard and more orchestral sonic character, the sound of the 280VC is very distinct and clear. You can easily differentiate between the bass, tenor, and treble sections. Beyond that, its huge dynamic range makes this concert grand very versatile. It has the necessary sensitivity to offer supportive accompaniment to singers and solo instrumentalists in chamber music settings, while at the same time it holds its own against the power of a large orchestra in a huge concert hall. In addition, the 280VC boasts the qualities of all Bösendorfer concert grands, such as its diversity of sonic colors and that certain warmth inherent to fine Viennese instruments.
The Bösendorfer 280VC was recorded at Vienna Synchron Stage’s Stage B, a 69 m² (739 sq ft.) live room offering a beautifully controlled acoustic environment with less ambience than the large main hall. Hence the sound of the 280VC is more intimate and direct than the Stage A recordings of the Bösendorfer Imperial, with ample body and fullness, making it a very genre-versatile piano that’s easy to control and fun to play.
The instrument was recorded using 7 microphone positions. The Standard Library includes 4 of these sections, allowing you to integrate instruments recorded with a stereo Decca tree into your projects using our new Synchron Player software. Adding the Extended Library and thus getting the Full Library expands your possibilities to 5.1 surround and Auro 3D 9.1.
Standard Library
- Close 1 - Condenser (Sennheiser MKH8090)
- "ORTF" setup with a pair of Sennheiser MKH8090 aiming at the perfect representation of the player's listening position.
- Mid 1 (Sennheiser MKH8040 ORTF)
- "ORTF" setup with small diaphragm Sennheiser MKH8040 for a precise focused mid layer.
- Main/Room Mic - Decca Tree Stereo (Sennheiser MKH 800)
- Decca Tree array (L-C-R) with three Sennheiser MKH 800 mics. Used in a stereo mix, you can easily hear where the piano is placed. In a surround setup, the Decca tree microphones will be the feed for your front L-R speakers.
- Main/Room Mic - Decca Tree Mono (Neumann KM 133)
Extended Library
Even if you're not using a surround setup, you get more ambience variation and spatial depth out of the Full Library by adding the room microphones' signals to your stereo mix.
- Close 2 - Tube (Neumann M-149)
- "Quasi AB" setup with Neumann M-149 tube microphones with broad cardioids for producing the typical warm sound rich in overtones.
- Mid 2 (AKG 414)
- Classical piano setup with 2 AKG 414 broad cardioids pointing to the high and low strings.
- Main Surround - Stereo (Sennheiser MKH 800)
- Wide A-B stereo setup with two Sennheiser MKH 800 omni directional microphones. In a surround setup, these signals would be used for your rear speakers.
The instrument Presets also include different mixer presets. By default the classic room mixes are loaded which include the Standard Library microphone positions. These are balanced in the stereo field to represent the respective instrument's position in the Synchron Stage set-up.
Auro 3D is an immersive audio technology that allows for three-dimensional sound perception. The Belgian company Auro Technologies developed this technology based on a special speaker configuration, adding four additional speakers to a 5.1 surround configuration. These speakers (so-called "Heights'') are situated above the front and surround speakers and generate acoustic reflections that are perceived naturally due to the fact that sounds originate from around as well as from above the listener. Thanks to the comprehensive selection of discrete audio channels with the Full Library of Synchron Percussion I you may mix your instruments in Auro 3D as well as in Dolby Atmos.
For designating pitch, the Vienna Symphonic Library uses International Pitch Notation (IPN), which was agreed upon internationally under the auspices of the Acoustical Society of America. In this system the international standard of A=440 Hz is called A4 and middle C is C4. All pitches are written as capital letters, their respective octave being indicated by a number next to it. The lowest C on the piano is C1 (the A below that is A0), etc.
To capture the Bösendorfer 280VC with all its subtleties, our engineers developed a highly precise motion-control system based on a solenoid that controls a noise-free "robot finger". The micro-controller moves the finger with super-human precision, providing flexible curvatures for down-strokes and release movements, the latter corresponding with the preceding note length and various release speeds.
- Recorded at Stage B of Vienna Synchron Stage
- True all-rounder, versatile and profound
- Very distinct, clear, colorful sound
- Huge dynamic range
- Multiple Microphone Positions – for a multitude of timbral variations
- Advanced release sample technology
- Six pre-configured main presets
- 21 additional FX presets
In addition to the multitude of options from mixing various microphone signals, the Bösendorfer 280VC comes with the free Vienna Synchron Pianos software that offers multiple options for shaping your sound and your playing experience. Hosting a high-performance playback engine, the software provides a full-blown mixer with a broad range of effects such as EQ, compressor, saturator, algorithmic reverb, delay, chorus, flanger, rotary, and many more. You may also adjust the volume of body resonances, sympathetic strings and pedal noises right in the main Play window. In the Edit window you can even tweak EQ, volume, tuning, dynamic range, etc. for each individual key!
In the browser window of the Synchron Pianos player you may select from four general preset categories:
The classic sound of a Decca tree stereo recording features a more slender sound with less diffusion compared to the "Room Mix" Presets.
These presets include all available room microphones with various runtime delays, creating more diversity in the perception of room depth.
Designed to send the microphone signals to your available surround channels.
The Bösendorfer 280VC is a "modern classic" with a clear and uninhibited sound that lets you focus on your music. Our presets show the versatility of this powerful piano in it many facets. Recorded with utmost precision, the Bösendorfer 280VC represents this specific category of pianos in the best way.
What's more, the Synchron Pianos player interface offers instant and direct access to seven pre-configured character presets.
- Character: Classic stereo version of the Bösendorfer 280VC, with added Room Reverb.
- Perspective: Conductor, centered.
- Recommendation: Ideal placement in your orchestra, compatible with all Synchron Series products.
- Character: Dark, warm and close sound with a focus on the condenser close microphone and a gentle touch of Stage B. Added plate reverb to enrich the sound.
- Perspective: Player, centered
- Recommendation: For ballads and intimate settings.
- Character: Immediate response with full stereo width of the keyboard and a natural room response. Authentic and direct.
- Perspective: Player, centered
- Recommendation: Ideal recording preset for pianists, the pure playing experience.
- Character: Powerful and assertive, with added compression in the close microphone. Increased MIDI Sensitivity. Room Reverb with a short reverb. Decca Main microphones are delayed to create a short slap-back sound.
- Perspective: Player, centered
- Recommendation: For live performances and in a band context.
- Character: A spacious sound with a lot of algorithmic reverb to add a spacious impression.
- Perspective: Conductor, piano centered.
- Recommendation: For film scores, elated piano melodies and an impressive piano sound in the background.
- Character: Narrowed stereo image with a phasing effect and a delayed Plate Reverb, with a cabinet speaker and compressor on some microphones.
- Perspective: Conductor, centered.
- Recommendation: Great for intimate accompaniment and a "personal" sound.
- Character: Most flexible stereo preset of the Bösendorfer 280VC.
- Perspective: Conductor, centered.
- Recommendation: Ideal placement in your orchestra, compatible with all Synchron Series products. The added tube close microphone adds character to the sound.
- Character: Dark, warm and close sound, supported by the Ribbon close microphone and a gentle touch of the room. Added plate reverb to enrich the sound.
- Perspective: Player, centered
- Recommendation: For ballads and intimate settings.
- Character: Immediate response with full stereo width of the keyboard, captured by the second condenser microphone. Enjoy the natural response of Vienna Synchron Stage's Stage B, with added Room Reverb.
- Perspective: Player, centered
- Recommendation: Ideal recording preset for pianists. The perfect imitation of the player's position, with more sonic accuracy than the intimate preset.
- Character: Powerful and assertive, with added compression in the close microphones. Increased MIDI Sensitivity. Room Reverb with a short reverb. Decca Main microphones are delayed to create a short slap-back sound.
- Perspective: Player, centered
- Recommendation: For live performances and in a band context.
- Character: A spacious sound with a lot of room reverb to add to the spacious impression.
- Perspective: Conductor, piano centered.
- Recommendation: For film scores, elated piano melodies and an impressive piano sound in the background.
- Character: Narrowed stereo image with a phasing effect and a delayed Plate Reverb, with a cabinet speaker and compressor on some microphones.
- Perspective: Conductor, centered.
- Recommendation: Great for intimate accompaniment and a "personal" sound.
- 01 Evolution
- A spacious sound with a synced delay.
- 02 Diamonds in the Night
- Fragile chorus piano with a magical aftermath.
- 03 Reality Check
- Discreet 80ies piano, great for accompaniment.
- 04 Stadium
- Bigger than life, with a slapback echo.
- 05 Time Warp
- Dreamy keys with intense use of delays.
- 06 Wormhole
- Reverse FX in combination with delays create a Bluthner from another galaxy.
- 07 Magic Doors
- Distant E-piano with a singing tone.
- 08 Blunt but Friendly
- A harmless but useful flat piano sound.
- 09 Fuzzmaster
- Slightly distorted stage piano.
- 10 Harpsichord
- A classic harpsichord sound.
- 11 Candy Cotton
- A muffled piano, for reflective moments.
- 12 Donnie
- Dark piano in a large hall.
- 13 Glittering Clouds
- Modified attacks with delays in a shiny room.
- 14 High and Mighty
- Singing, hovering piano sound with a very light sonic appearance.
- 15 Morphology
- Shimmering FX on a shiny piano sound.
- 16 From a Distance
- A warm piano sound from far away.
- 17 Megatrump
- Thinned-out pop piano with a great level of built-in distortion.
- 18 Pierce
- Shivering piano in a beautiful hall.
- 19 Intimate Timbre
- Alternative version to the classic Intimate preset, with added Timbre Shift.
- 20 Pop Timbre
- Alternative version to the classic Pop preset, with added Timbre Shift.
- 21 Vintage Timbre
- Alternative version to the classic Vintage preset, with added Timbre Shift.