Question About The "Lid" On Kontakt's "The Gentleman" - Upright Piano

Aron Stokes

For a song I'm using the upright piano, from Kontakt, called The Gentleman. This piano definitely has the sound of some nice upright pianos I've heard, but I'm curious about the lid open/close option in the plug-in. Does this lid button basically represent the opening/closing of the front panel on an upright piano? Like how when you detach the front panel of an upright piano you can see the hammer rails (as the picture I've attached shows)? Because I'm trying to get The Gentleman to have the same sound as when you detach the front panel of a real upright piano. So just wondering if the lid being open is the same as the front panel being open, or if this is something different? If it is different, how do I achieve just the sound of the hammer rails being exposed like when you take off the front panel of an upright piano?

DunedinDragon

It definitely brightens the sound, but it's probably not as much as it would be if you removed the front panel. Since The Gentleman is sampled from a very specific piano I would imagine that piano didn't provide the option for removing the front panel like some of those older models did.

Aron Stokes

@DunedinDragon Ahh that makes sense, thank you for the feedback! So do you happen to know any upright piano VSTs that allow you to alter between the front panel open or closed? Perhaps a Kontakt piano that I’m unaware of or some other plug-in?

DunedinDragon

I'm sure there are some out there. I have different libraries, one with a piano that exclusively has the soundboard exposed which is what I use.