Synchron Yamaha CFX

The Yamaha CFX is a beautiful hand-crafted, full size 275 cm (9') concert grand that represents the pinnacle of the manufacturer's tradition of piano crafting. We captured this beauty in the marvellous enviroment of Stage A of our newly refurbished scoring stage, Vienna Synchron Stage. Our very own instrument is equipped with Yamaha's award-winning performance reproducing system "Disklavier ENSPIRE PRO" that guaranteed utmost precision, resolution and consistency during the entire recording process.

The Yamaha CFX grand offers a wide palette of expressive tonal colors, eliciting dramatic intensity and the most subtle nuances. Its distinctive sound can be characterized as precise, bright, clear, powerful and assertive, lending itself to any genre of classical, romantic or contemporary piano music and from solo pieces to chamber and concert works. What's more, Yamaha CFX grand pianos are particularly at home with pop and jazz genres.

The virtual representation of this instrument incorporates our team's unbridled passion for the most natural sound paired with the best player experience.

The instrument was recorded using 9 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

• Room Mic (Mix)

  • The Room Mix channel contains a stereo mix of all available room microphones from the Full Library

• Close Mic (Schoeps MK 4) – Stereo (L/R)

  • "ORTF" setup with a pair of Schoeps MK 4, positioned as closely as possible over the hammer area. Ideal for producing the typical "pop piano" sound.

• Mid 1 (Sennheiser MKH 800) – Stereo (L/R)

  • "ORTF" setup with a pair of Sennheiser MKH 800 mics for a wide, warm yet bright and centered sound.

• Main/Room Mic – Decca Tree Stereo (L/R)

• Main/Room Mic – Decca Tree Mono (Center)

  • Decca Tree array (L-C-R) with three DPA 4006 mics. These very neutral microphones captured even the smallest detail of Vienna Synchron Stage. 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.

Full 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 Mic (Royer SF-24) – Stereo (L/R)

  • "Blumlein" setup with two ribbon figure-eight capsules of a Royer SF-24 mic, for a fast, direct, and natural sound.

• MID 2 (Sennheiser MKH 8040)

  • "ORTF" setup with a pair of Sennheiser MKH 8040 mics for a centered, but harder and more focused sound than the MID 1 Position.

• Main Surround – Stereo (L/R)

  • Wide A-B stereo setup with two DPA4011 cardioid microphones. You may use them as so-called "Wides" or "Outriggers" in a stereo mix in order to create an even more spacious impression. In a surround setup, these microphones would be used for your rear speakers.

• High Stereo (3D) – Stereo (L/R)

  • Stereo A-B-setup with two AKG C-414 condenser microphones, spotting the very nice reflections of Vienna Synchron Stage's ceiling. In stereo mixes, you can use them as an alternative to your main mics, or you may down-mix these much more diffused signals. The sound is more "sparkling" and reverberant compared to the main mics. Used in an Auro 3D or Dolby Atmos mix, these microphones should feed your top or ceiling speakers.

• High Surround (3D) – Stereo (L/R)

  • Like the High Stereo (3D) setup, this A-B array features two AKG C-414 microphones.

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 Yamaha CFX you may mix your instruments in Auro 3D as well as in Dolby Atmos.

Our Yamaha CFX grand is permanently stored at our refurbished recording facility Vienna Synchron Stage which is characterized by its particularly warm, intense, and natural ambience. Since its reopening in 2016, this 540 m2 hall has already left its acoustic signature on numerous international productions, from classical chamber music to large-scale orchestral film scores. Today it is considered one of the best recording stages in the world and is frequently booked by world renowned artists, producers and film studios.

With up to 4,200 samples per key, our Yamaha CFX boasts breathtaking authenticity. In order to capture this marvellous instrument in one of the best acoustic environments on the planet, we've used multiple high-end microphone arrays, giving you an abundance of options for creating your individual sound.

• Up to 4,200 samples per key for maximal authenticity and liveliness
• 100% natural ambience of one of the best recording halls in the world, Vienna Synchron Stage
• Hyper-realistic playing feel
• Advanced Release Sample Technology
• Multiple Microphone Positions – for a multitude of timbral variations
• All-new, intuitive Synchron Pianos software with high-performance playback engine
• Six pre-configured Presets: "Concert", "Intimate", "Player", "Pop", "Ambience", "Mighty"
• Soft (una corda), sostenuto, sustain pedals
• Half-pedalling and re-pedalling
• Sympathetic resonance
• Body resonance

Capturing the notes with all the velocities and especially at various tone lengths with their subtle nuances is a major challenge in the art of piano sampling – and it's particularly tricky when recording the instrument with the ambience of a scoring stage. This is where our new Release Sample Technology comes in. We've developed a unique, proprietary technique that automatically matches up to 300 individual and finely grained release samples per key to your played notes. The result is a hyper-realistic playing feel and 100% timbral authenticity.

Apart from the multitude of options through mixing various microphone signals, our Yamaha CFX comes with an all-new, dedicated sample player that opens a whole new dimension for shaping your sound. Hosting a high-performance playback engine built from ground up, the software provides a musician-friendly user interface that allows for quick and easy timbral control. Create your sound intuitively by filtering particular key ranges or even single keys, adjust the body resonance of the instrument or add just a pinch of algorithmic reverb to refine the overall sound.

As evidenced by the huge amount of sample data, the recording phase of this Yamaha CFX grand piano project extended over several months, which demanded absolute consistency within the room and for the instrument itself. To protect the piano's environment and ensure reliable recordings, Vienna Synchron Stage's integrated system for heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) provided very consistent climatic conditions throughout the entire recording process. Further, all samples were recorded using the instrument's integrated, computer controlled performance reproducing system. Its non-contact optical sensors detected every movement of all 88 keys (position, velocity and release velocity) and the pedals (including half-pedaling) with utmost precision, reproducing the most delicate nuances of a human performance. Additional hammer sensor feedback allowed for accurate reproduction of special playing techniques such as rapid note repetition and softly-played notes. What's more, over the course of several months, Vienna Symphonic Library team members were trained in preparing and tuning a grand piano accurately by Vienna's leading piano technicians in order to achieve absolutely consistent tuning and sound characteristics during the entire recording process. The impeccable result must really be heard (and played) to be appreciated!

In the browser window of the Synchron Pianos player you may select from four general preset categories

Ready-made, resource saving presets with as few microphones as possible. The "Room Mix" Channel contains a mix of all available microphones from the Full Library.

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 Synchron Pianos player interface offers instant and direct access to seven pre-configured character presets.

1. Concert:

   Character: A grand spatial representation of the Yamaha CFX at Vienna Synchron Stage.
   Perspective: Conductor, with the instrument at its original recording position on the right (as an alternative, you may select the "Concert Centered" preset).
   Mix: Additional Reverb on the Close and MID microphones, with a 35 ms runtime delay on the Room Mix channel.
   Recommendation: Piano concerts

2. Intimate:

   Character: Close, charming sound with attenuated treble register and added Body Resonances.
   Perspective: Player, centered
   Mix: Little reverb on the Close microphone, with a 33 ms runtime delay on the narrowed Room Mix channel.
   Recommendation: For intimate ballads and low, mighty chords.

3. Player:

   Character: Natural, close sound without any additional EQing and a soft touch of the room. Immediate response with the full stereo width of the keyboard. The real Steinway & Sons playing feel.
   Perspective: Player, centered
   Mix: Very little additional reverb on the Close microphones, with dampened high frequencies and a 21 ms runtime delay on the narrowed Room Mix channel.
   Recommendation: Ideal recording preset

4. Pop:

   Character: Powerful and assertive, with reduced MIDI sensitivity, accentuated low and high frequencies, and a short reverb.
   Perspective: Player, centered
   Mix: Little additional reverb on the MID microphones, with bolstered deep and high frequencies and a 21 ms runtime delay on the narrowed Room Mix channel.
   Recommendation: For the modern songwriter, for live solo performances and within a band context.

5. Ambience:

   Character: Spacious, roomy, washy, with soft attacks. Assertive sound even in the background of a mix.
   Perspective: Conductor, with the instrument at its original recording position on the right.
   Mix: Much reverb on all microphones and a 27 ms runtime delay on the Room Mix channel.
   Recommendation: Soaring melodies, lush arrangements, film scores.

6. Mighty:

   Character: Bouncing, echoing sound with a distinctive slapback.
   Mix: Much reverb on all microphones, with EQ adjustments. The slapback is created with the runtime delays for the Mid microphone and Room Mix channel. You may adjust it to fit the tempo of your music.
   Perspective: Conductor, with the instrument at its original recording position in the center.
   Recommendation: Scenes with cinematic landscapes, wide fields, industry halls or concrete walls.

7. Concert centered:

   Character: Very similar to the Concert Preset, but centered in the room. Comes with EQ and panning adaptations. Ideal for solo performances.