This world-class grand piano was sampled in a gorgeous recording space, acoustically designed especially for playing and experiencing pianos – which you can hear in every nuance.
Etude is perfectly balanced, with delicate harmonic richness at the top and deeply warm tones at the lower octaves. Its mixer and effects make it perfectly suited for scoring, but also for writing classical, jazzy, or more pop-orientated pieces.
If the Etude app is installed on your iPad or iPhone, Cubasis automatically unlocks an optimized, built-in version of the plug-in. It offers increased performance by eliminating the need for bridging across the iOS Audio Unit interface. However, to use the built-in version, the content must be downloaded again via the Cubasis Shop.
Android only: On Android, Etude is not a separate app, but available as an in-app purchase in the Cubasis Shop.
Main Page
At the top right, you can find buttons for MIDI Panic (stops all notes) and the setup.
Below, four parameters can be adjusted:
- Mellow/Bright
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Allows you to adjust the overall tone of the piano. The further you turn the handle to the left, the mellower, softer, and more intimate the sound. Towards the right, the sound becomes brighter and more crisp.
- Character
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Allows you to adjust the overall level of the Attack, Key, and Pedal noises that contribute to the character of the piano sound. You can activate these noises and set their relative levels in the Noise section of the Piano page.
- Resonance
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Allows you to adjust the overall level of the Sustain Resonance samples that are set up in the Piano section of the Piano page.
- Reverb
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Allows you to adjust the overall volume of the Reverb mixer channel.
Piano Page
On the Piano page, you can specify which components you want to include in your piano sound, such as releases, resonances, and noises. By adjusting their volume, you determine their effect on the overall sound.
Furthermore, you can select from multiple options for piano tuning and configure the dynamic behavior and the velocity range of the instrument.
- Release Samples
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Allows you to set the level for the release samples using the Release Samples Level dial.
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To exclude the release samples from the sound, deactivate the Release Samples On/Off button below the dial.
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- Sustain Resonance
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Allows you to set the level for the sustain resonance samples using the Sustain Resonance Level dial.
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To exclude the sustain resonance samples from the sound, deactivate the Sustain Resonance On/Off button below the dial.
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- Tuning pop-up menu
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You can choose from the following tuning systems: Lehmann, Young 1, Young 2, EBVT, and Stretch (default).
- Dynamics pop-up menu
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You can choose from the following curve types: Linear, Squared, and Squared Inverse.
- Dynamic Range
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Allows you to limit the incoming velocity.
Moving the left handle to the right results in a harder piano sound. Moving the right handle to the left results in a more mellow and intimate sound.
- Attack Noise
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Attack Noise Level allows you to set the level for the attack noise.
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To exclude the attack noise from your piano sound, deactivate the Attack Noise On/Off button below the dial.
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- Key Noise
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Key Noise Level allows you to set the level for the key noise.
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To exclude the key noise from your piano sound, deactivate the Key Noise On/Off button below the dial.
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- Pedal Noise
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Pedal Noise Level allows you to set the level for the pedal noise.
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To exclude the pedal noise from your piano sound, deactivate the Pedal Noise On/Off button below the dial.
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Effects Page
On the Effects page, you can apply and set up the Equalizer, Compressor, and Reverb effects.
The Equalizer effect is applied to the entire signal and offers the following controls:
- Equalizer On/Off
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Activates/Deactivates the Equalizer effect.
- Equalizer Preset
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Allows you to select a preset from the pop-up menu and to use it either as it is, or to modify it to your liking.
- Low Cut
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Applies a low-cut filter to the selected frequency.
To deactivate the low-cut filter, deactivate Low Cut On/Off at the bottom left of the control.
- Low/Mid/High
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The Low, Mid, and High controls allow you to adjust the cut or boost for the corresponding frequency band.
- High Cut
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Applies a high-cut filter to the selected frequency.
To deactivate the high-cut filter, deactivate High Cut On/Off at the bottom right of the control.
The Compressor effect is applied to the entire signal and offers the following controls:
- Compressor On/Off
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Activates/Deactivates the Compressor effect.
- Compressor Preset
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Allows you to select a preset from the pop-up menu and to use it either as it is, or to modify it to your liking.
- Threshold
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Determines the level at which the compressor is triggered. Sounds that exceed the threshold are reduced in volume, based on the Ratio setting.
- Gain Reduction Meter (GR)
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The meter between the Threshold and Ratio parameters is a graphical representation of the amount of gain reduction that is applied.
- Ratio
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Determines by how much the signal is reduced when it exceeds the threshold. A higher ratio results in a more pronounced reduction.
- Attack
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Determines how quickly the compressor responds to sounds that exceed the threshold. Faster attack times result in the compressor reacting quickly, while slower attack times allow more of the initial sound to pass through before compression starts.
- Release
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Determines how quickly the compressor stops reducing the gain after the signal falls below the threshold. A longer release time results in a slower return to the uncompressed signal level.
- Auto Gain
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Determines the amount of gain compensation, which enables you to adjust the desired loudness. In contrast to classic makeup gain parameters, Auto Gain allows you to change parameters such as Threshold and Ratio without noticeably altering the loudness.
Reverb & Mix Page
Reverb receives and processes only the signal portion that is sent to it via the Reverb Send fader in the Mix section.
- Reverb On/Off
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Activates/Deactivates the Reverb effect.
- Reverb Preset
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Allows you to select a preset from the pop-up menu and to use it either as it is, or to modify it to your liking.
Within these presets, two types of reverb are applied: IR (based on impulse responses) and algorithm-based.
The algorithm-based reverb type allows you to set the following parameters:
- Predelay
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Determines how much time passes before the reverb is applied. This allows you to simulate larger rooms by increasing the time it takes for the first reflections to reach the audience.
- ER/Tail
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Sets the level balance between the early reflections and the reverb tail. With a setting of 50%, the early reflections and the tail have the same volume. Settings below 50% raise the early reflections and lower the tail. As a result, the sound source moves towards the front of the room. Settings above 50% raise the tail and lower the early reflections. As a result, the sound source moves toward the back of the room.
- Density
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Adjusts the echo density of the reverb tail. With a setting of 100%, single reflections from walls cannot be heard. The lower this value, the more audible the single reflections.
- High Cut
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Attenuates the high frequencies of the early reflections. The lower this value, the fewer high frequencies are present in the early reflections.
- Main Time
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Controls the overall reverb time of the tail. The higher this value, the longer the decay of the reverb tail. With a setting of 100%, the reverb time is infinitely long. The Main Time parameter also represents the mid band of the reverb tail.
The IR reverb type allows you to set the following parameters:
- Predelay
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Determines how much time passes before the reverb is applied. This allows you to simulate larger rooms by increasing the time it takes for the first reflections to reach the audience.
- ER/Tail Split
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Sets the split point between the early reflections and the reverb tail.
- ER/Tail
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Sets the level balance between the early reflections and the reverb tail. With a setting of 50%, the early reflections and the tail have the same volume. Settings below 50% raise the early reflections and lower the tail. As a result, the sound source moves towards the front of the room. Settings above 50% raise the tail and lower the early reflections. As a result, the sound source moves toward the back of the room.
- Size
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Scales the size of the simulated room. With a setting of 100%, the impulse response is applied as recorded in the original room.
- Main Time
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Controls the overall reverb time of the tail. The higher this value, the longer the decay of the reverb tail. With a setting of 100%, the reverb time is infinitely long. The Main Time parameter also represents the mid band of the reverb tail.
The Mix section allows you to set the overall Volume, Panorama, and Stereo Width for the piano and to apply reverb to the signal portion specified via the Reverb Send fader.
- Reverb Send
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Allows you to specify the amount of the signal that is sent from the microphone channel to the reverb channel.
- Stereo Width
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Allows you to adjust the stereo width of the channel.
- Panorama
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Allows you to position the signal in the stereo panorama.
- Out
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Allows you to set the overall output volume of the signal.
The level meter on the right provides you with a graphical representation of the volume level.
Setup
Tapping the gears button in the top right corner opens the setup panel:
- Tuning
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Allows you to set the tuning in Hz. The default value of 440 Hz is in the center.
- Voices
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The maximum number of voices, ranging from 1 to 1024.
Larger values can have a negative impact on CPU performance.