Reply To: 🍊🔥 Orange Tree Samples Group Buy 60% Off, ENDS TODAY, July 12, 2025.

[peter]

I’m very confident that the Evolution Rosewood Grand is soon going to be just under $60 with this group buy. For the level of quality, that’s a fantastic deal. This piano library is far superior to other Yamaha C7s I have in my collection.

I first played a Yamaha C7 as a kid, after playing a Steinway Model D, at the music studio where my mother worked (she was a musician and music teacher, with the piano being her main instrument, the organ being her second, and then the guitar; she was a killer musician who expected her kids to take playing seriously, and I fell in love with music early on). Because of Steinway’s reputation, I expected that the Steinway would be my favorite piano. But when I played it, while I thought it was beautiful, I went over to the Yamaha C7 next and to my surprise, that was my favorite grand piano. It cost considerably less than the D. I told my mother that I preferred the Yamaha because the tone was more “bright” than the Steinway. She said that she expected that I would prefer its tone, as I was such a huge fan of rock music, and the piano was more suited for rock.

So, decades later, I have numerous Steinway and Yamaha piano sample libraries. My long-time favorite grand piano sample library is the NI Nore — sampled by a great piano sample developer, Galaxy Instruments (nope, I don’t know anyone there, I just love their piano libraries). But I love it largely for the gentleness of it and the felt piano samples. The Noire is a Yamaha CFX 9. But it’s not great at cutting through rock mixes. The first version of the Evolution Rosewood Grand was nice, but I wasn’t in love with it. The new version — with an entirely new set of samples plus a felt sampled version (there wasn’t one in the first version, so it’s really like getting two piano libraries) — instantly became a go-to piano for me, and, I find, that it cuts through rock mixes far better than the Noire. Even more, it’s one of the small group of top-tier sample libraries in my collection that instantly inspires me when I play them. And, with 20+ of no practice since tendinitis stopped me from performing, I don’t play very well anymore, and the only time I feel I even play okay is when I’m very inspired. And this is one of the instruments that inspires me. I put my fingers on the keyboard and hear what comes out, and suddenly, I’m capable of something more than I would expect. It’s why I still yearn to play after all of these years, and even with my physical limitations. This is an instrument that moves me like only a handful of sample libraries can move me.  Listen to the presets below starting at 28:17. Listen to presets like Practice Tapes, Raindrops, Rock Squash, Rolling Hills, Room for Two, Secret Garden Piano, Soft Underscore (felt) and beyond. A lot of those are presets more suited for soft playing — and as I mentioned, this piano can cut through a mix really well — but it also has a gentle beauty. It’s extremely versatile.

Just close your eyes and listen and you might understand how deeply this moves me, because it may move you too.

LinkedMusicians Founder. Your friend who keeps the beat.

Check out my music. 

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