Modern U is a deeply sampled virtual studio upright piano from VILabs, capturing a new Yamaha U3 with six microphones, real resonance, and expressive controls for realistic, modern piano tones.
Purpose and Character
Modern U is a virtual instrument built around a brand new Yamaha U3 studio upright piano, sampled with modern gear in a detailed studio space. It aims to provide the clean, crisp, and intimate sound of a contemporary upright while offering the depth and expressiveness typically found in grand piano libraries. The piano’s large soundboard and long strings give it a rich bass and extended sustain, blurring the line between upright and grand.
This instrument is designed for pianists seeking a alternative to standard grand piano tones, with a focus on realism and detail. The U3’s newer design contributes to a warmer singing tone with clear articulation, making it suitable for a wide range of musical styles where a distinctive upright character is desired.
Key Capabilities
The instrument features six discrete, phase-aligned microphones that can be mixed in any combination, offering perspectives from close to distant, front and back. Each mic is time-corrected to avoid delay. The sound engine includes sample-based sympathetic and pedal resonance, with adjustable amounts and dedicated polyphony controls, recreating the complex sustain behavior of an acoustic piano.
A unique Sordino pedal is included, which mutes the tone by placing fabric between hammers and strings, offering a softer attack and different tonal color. This can be used in real time alongside the traditional soft pedal. Muted strikes and staccato release trails further enhance expressiveness, while over 23,000 samples are compressed into a 6GB file for efficient loading and CPU usage.
Workflow and Control
The main interface centers on mic selection and mixing, with an interactive display showing mic positions on the piano. Loaded but disabled mics use no polyphony, saving resources. The MIDI panel provides separate curve tables for velocity (timbre) and volume, allowing precise customization of response to match any controller or playing style.
Controls include Bend for curve adjustment, Sync Bend for simultaneous tweaks, Minimum Gain for lowest volume, Smooth for refining drawn curves, and Min/Max In/Out Velocity to limit sample layers. Presets cover various touches and effects, and users can save custom settings. Re-pedaling and half-pedaling are supported, and the Sordino can be assigned to any pedal or MIDI CC for flexible performance.
Practical Applications
Modern U is well suited for pop, rock, jazz, and film scoring where a clean, intimate upright piano sound is needed. The mixable mics allow for close, detailed tones or wider, more ambient sounds, fitting into different mixes. The Sordino pedal and resonance controls enable delicate, ethereal passages or bold, sustained chords.
The adjustable MIDI response makes it adaptable to various keyboards and playing techniques, from soft expressive playing to aggressive attacks. Its efficient design allows for use in complex projects without heavy system load, while the detailed sampling ensures a realistic and playable instrument for studio recording and live performance.
Key features
- Six phase-aligned, mixable microphones with interactive display
- Sample-based sympathetic and pedal resonance with adjustable levels
- Fully sampled Sordino pedal for muted tones
- Over 23,000 samples in a compressed 6GB file
- Advanced MIDI panel with separate velocity and volume curves
- Supports re-pedaling, half-pedaling, and muted strikes
- Staccato release trails for responsive playing
Best for
Modern U is best for producers and pianists who need a versatile, high-detail upright piano tone for pop, rock, jazz, or cinematic work, offering both clean intimate sounds and expressive depth with flexible mixing and response customization.