more keys
i just got back from pianos n'at with a copy of synthogy's ivory acoustic piano library. it has samples for 3 of the most famous grand pianos out there: yamaha c7, steinway model d, and the bosendorfer 290 imperial grand (this is the 97-note model that tori amos is always humping).
this library is HUGE. it came on 10 dvds and is going to take me on the order of 2-3 hours to install at the current rate. it's about 30 gigs of samples in all.
i've heard some good things about this library, and if nothing else it'll give me a better arsenal of piano sounds than the 2 gigastudio pianos i currently have. one problem i have with both of those is that they don't have enough velocity layers and the transitions from one layer to another are really uneven. hopefully it won't be a problem with this set; it has 10 velocity layers
they also provide separate samples for soft-pedal playing. i don't think i've encountered any other sample libraries that have that. you can also adjust the level of mechanical noise coming from the pedals and hammers and all. not strictly necessary, but useful nonetheless when you need to inject a little bit of character in the sound.
now if only my piano-playing ability weren't frozen in 1988. whenever i sit down at the piano the only thing my fingers can do is play richard marx.