The Bösendorfer Imperial is an instrument that can only be described in superlatives. One look at its imposing construction and unique features as well as one listen to its richly resonant tone make it clear why. Its full, sonorous sound brims with the signature timbre that makes Bösendorfer a top choice for countless artists. Legendary composers like Bela Bartók, Claude Debussy, and Maurice Ravel were among the early admirers and adopters when the Bösendorfer Concert Grand 290 Imperial first debuted. Today, it still represents the apex of the famed Austrian piano manufacturer’s precious heritage, and now we bring it to your studio. One of its tonal secrets lies in its massive soundboard and extended range with additional bass notes making this grand piano sound impressively imperial. Explore the room filling sound and the versatile tonal possibilities of this special piano with this expertly captured representation of this masterpiece, recorded under ideal acoustic circumstances at Vienna Synchron Stage.
Full 8 octaves in tonal range – 97 keys (with bass extension)
Warm, orchestral sound, rich in depth and tone color with powerful bass
Six pre-configured Main Presets: Concert, Intimate, Player, Pop, Ambience, Mighty
Proprietary Vienna Synchron Pianos engine with adjustable sympathetic resonances, pedal noise, key noise and so much more
Recorded at Stage A of Vienna Synchron Stage
As with all the instruments of our Synchron Pianos series, this Bösendorfer 290 Imperial enjoys a permanent, climate-controlled residency at Synchron Stage Vienna, whose main hall is characterized by its particularly warm and natural ambience. The 540 m2 Stage A has lent its acoustic signature to numerous international productions, from classical chamber music to international, large-scale orchestral film scores, from piano recordings to choir works.
This particular piano has many aspects that make it stand out. Nine additional sub-bass notes extend the instrument’s key range downward to the low C – for a total range of eight octaves. The extra bass strings create additional harmonic resonance with every key you strike, providing warmth, richness and depth across the entire instrument. The massive soundboard projects an unusually broad frequency range, evoking a sonorous, orchestral timbre. The Imperial’s magically unfolding tonal character is especially apparent in the pianissimo to mezzoforte range. Its massive brilliant warmth makes imperial grandeur be felt in every note that is played.
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.
Standard
€ 285
€ 179
Full
€ 540
€ 339
Windows 10 (latest update, 64-bit), Intel Core i5 or AMD Athlon 64 X2
macOS 10.14 Mojave (latest update), Intel Core i5
Multi-thread support (starting with Synchron Piano Player v. 1.3.816) requires macOS 11 or higher
SSD (M2, SATA 6 or USB3/3.1, UASP Support - HFS+, APFS or NTFS formatted)
16 GB RAM
iLok Account and iLok License Manager for license activation on a physical iLok 2/iLok 3 key or in an iLok Cloud Session (the iLok Cloud requires a constant internet connection!)
Free storage space for the Standard Library: 42 GB
Free storage space for the Full Library: 99 GB
Minimum OS for lossless data compression on Apple computers: macOS 11 Big Sur. Requires higher storage space under older macOS.
Windows 11 (latest update), Intel Core i7/i9/Xeon
macOS 13 Ventura (or higher), Intel Core i7/i9/Xeon/M1/M2
32 GB RAM
AU/VST/VST3/AAX Native compatible host
88 key master keyboard
This Library supports Native Instruments’ NKS format and is compatible with Komplete Kontrol keyboards and Maschine. Use the Light Guide to quickly identify key switches and play ranges of your instruments, browse and preview sounds, and quickly adapt them using pre-configured control knobs.