BARDZO
1970S UNIQUE
GRAND PIANO
A GRAND PIANO UNLIKE ANY OTHER
Ever felt like most pianos sound the same? Not this one. Bardzo brings a unique grand piano with two strings per key and no resonance board under your fingertips. Bigger and bolder than the Una Corda, more intimate than your standard posh grand. A piano that feels unlike anything else out there. An extension of your voice. A statement piece.
overview
Discover avant-garde timbres thanks to an extensive range of creative preparations. Get inspired by the Afterglow patches - an atmospheric collection of multi-layered cinematic textures created entirely in the analogue domain.
This unique, semi-portable grand piano was made in low quantities in the 1970s. To save on the weight, its constructors decided to modify the traditional grand piano formula by removing the resonance board and limiting the number of strings (up to 3 per key on a standard grand and two on Bardzo). And just like with the Una Corda, a one-string-per-key upright created for Nils Frahm, the resulting timbre is unique.
the story
In a world where most pianos sound the same, Bardzo feels like a breath of fresh air. Discover a uniquely intimate timbre while enjoying a full dynamic range of a grand. It will never sound like your concert D or C7. And that's the whole point.
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Click to pick an articulation to explore.
INTERFACE
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Find the perfect balance between the vintage microphone signals.
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Control the resonance of the piano to make it fit into any context.
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The switches allow you to select the microphone positions to mix between, using the Tone knob. A high-pass filter lets you control how much of the hammer 'thump' you want.
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Explore the extended low end of the piano for extra oomph and warmth.
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Fine-tune the response of the piano to fit your playing style. Setting it it Human will give you a more realistic response, with just a bit of natural latency added.
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Choose an articulation from the list of available patches. Two first rows are acoustic playing techniques. The bottom row is all about experimental processed sounds.
ARTICULATIONS
AFTERGLOW
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Adjust the volume of additional layers introduced by the Mod Wheel or controller selected at the bottom of the interface.
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Select a controller to play the patch.
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All patches come with a little helping text to let you know what to expect.
analogue warmth
out of the box
Bardzo was recorded and processed entirely in the analogue domain, using the best tube kit created between the 1940s and 1969. Think of this as having access to a state-of-the-art all-analogue studio filled with unobtanium gear you always dreamed of.
THE PROCESS
Enjoy this unique grand piano through a pair of Neumann KM54 tube microphones, previously owned by Nils Frahm and used on his recordings. Make the sound your own, thanks to four microphone positions, captured with an all-tube signal chain.
ACOUSTIC ARTICULATIONS
The piano was deeply sampled, focusing on maintaining human expression and natural imperfections. Enjoy the organic, hyper-real feel of a real piano, thanks to multiple round robins and mechanical noises recorded on all acoustic articulations.
Explore the experimental side of the grand with eight extensively sampled avant-garde preparations. Bardzo is ready to take you as deep into the left field as you dare.
The unique sound of a due-corde grand piano. Warm, dynamic, and full of fascinating mechanical noises.
An una corda preparation, with a layer of felt between the hammers and strings. It is a pure and intimate sound with a beautiful character.
A beautifully warm sound of felted mallets performed directly on the piano’s strings.
Soft mallets are substituted with a more rigid material in this bright and percussive articulation.
The buzzy tone of this articulation reminds me a bit of a balafon.
A unique preparation created by playing the piano strings with Marxophone rods. Both sustains and characterful tremolo articulations are included - selected by the velocity of your playing.
A harp-like sound created by plucking the piano strings with fingers. Two variants are included: super-soft and brighter. Use velocity to vary between them for added rhythmic interest.
Woody and bell-like. The Ghost Bells patch takes the sound of the piano far out into the left field.
AFTERGLOW ARTICULATIONS
The Afterglow collection fuses experimental playing styles with analogue tape, vintage synths, vocals, and musique concrète techniques to create a MPE-ready collection of multi-layered, cinematic textures.
Enjoy the organic movement, dirt, and nostalgia flowing from underneath your fingertips. Get inspired by unexpected sound combinations, and help your music to stand out from the crowd. Boldly.
A multi-layered texture combining tremolos performed directly on the piano’s strings, vintage synthesizers, guitar amps, and a toy flute.
1950s tube test equipment smashed with an insane signal chain and captured through the resonant body of the grand.
Whatever was left after pitch-shifting and filtering the piano performances seems to enjoy a little accompaniment of a dirty Soviet-era synth.
Three abstract tape loops run in and out of sync with your DAW as you control the number of splices, tempo, and additional layers.
* compatible with MPE and Expressive E Touché
It will be high on the list for artists looking for unique sonics.
- Sample Library Review
Bundle Deal
Get soundtrack-ready with emotional avant-garde strings and a rebel grand piano.
TRY IT OUT
Download the free trial and experience Bardzo at your own studio.
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Bardzo is a VST3 / AU / AAX plugin.
You’re going to need 26.11GB for the samples. Twice as much is required for setup.
Windows (10 or newer) and Mac (10.11 or newer). 8GB of RAM and an i5 or better CPU required. 64-bit only. MPE requires a compatible DAW. The download and setup are handled by Pulse, which makes it easy to manage all your Felt Instruments. The fiels are watermarked to you.
The plugin works in every major DAW that supports VST3, Audio Unit or AAX plugins, like Ableton Live 10 or newer, Logic, Pro Tools, Cubase, FL Studio, Studio One, Reason 12, Reaper etc.
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On most acoustic articulations, the note range is A-1 to C7 with 5 round robins per sampled note. Some extended playing techniques cover a narrower range due to real-life limitations.
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All of the Afterglow patches in Bardzo are MPE-ready. You can use a controller such as the Roli Seaboard, Ableton Push 3, Haken Continuum, or Expressive E Osmose to control the Afterglow patches using polyphonic per-not expression.
To use this feature, assign CC74 to the Slide axis on your controller, flick on the MPE switch on the interface, and make sure that your DAW is compatible with MPE.
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There are no sales at Felt because I don’t think they’re fair to people who got the plugins earlier on. And those are the people who I want to support the most, which is why I offer loyalty pricing.
In a nutshell, purchasing the plugins gives you access to bundle upgrades and sweet discounts on new releases.
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I offer a 25% edu discount on individual products to students and educators. The discount will be valid for a year since it’s issued and will not work on the bundles as they’re already discounted. If you’re interested in edu pricing, please, send me a copy of your Student or Staff ID or a different proof of your enrolment and I’ll set you up.
Please, allow a few days for a response - Felt is a one-man company and support needs to get the priority treatment.