Determine the old piano preset

[fairlite79]

Who knows what piano preset this is? It sounds at the very beginning of both examples. But in Dr. Alban added some other sound to it (perhaps a different piano). Just don't say it's M1 piano, it's definitely not it.
The song "I Don't Know Anybody Else" is from '89, so the sample already existed at that time. Maybe it's from some sampler like Akai.
And one more thing... What's that sound mixed with that piano in "It's my life"? I've been looking for this for half my life.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdSw7HVofo8
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBJZsHDJvf0

[tea for two]

I wouldn't be surprised if both these sounds were from Yamaha PSS 480 580 680 780 home keyboards from the 80s.
They kinda sound so with a bit of studio this and that applied.
There's utube vids on these PSS showing their scope of sound and sound mangling.
Pretty affordable to pick up one of these PSS online.

[muzines]

It's likely a piano from the romplers (or piano modules) of the time - I'd take a look at the Roland ones in particular, or as you say, a piano sample from a sample library of one of the samplers at the time. It's definitely one of those "cheap"-sounding pianos (ie, compressed and tight and light on sample memory) as there were of the time. You're right though in that it sounds more "Roland" than "Korg" to me, of those house pianos of the time.

The second one is chorused or phased, either from a deliberate effect of that type, or from layering two piano sounds which are slightly tuned apart.

[James Perrett]

We used to do our own attempt at Italian house music using a Roland U220 or a Casio FZ-1 using a piano from the Casio sample library. The Casio pianos have slightly less sustain than the Roland ones so are good for more rhythmic lines but either could produce a reasonable version of the Italian sound.

The Dr Alban track also has lots of chorus on the piano.

Edit to add - this website

https://www.electronicsound.co.uk/time- ... e-on-time/

suggests that it could be an Akai S900 sample.

[muzines]

I don't have that original S900 piano factory sample, but I do have the slightly later ones done for the S950, and there are certainly some that are in the ballpark in terms of that cheap piano sound. But if the OP wants to find the *exact* sound, they'd likely need to do some research around the producers of those records to see what gear they were using, and work out the likely candidates from there.

[sonics]

I was programming and engineering a lot of pop music back then. Black Box was a very "in vogue" sound. It reminds me of those Akai S950/1000 pianos.

Ah yes, carrying flightcases full of floppy disks to sessions. The good old days!

[fairlite79]

Thanks a lot for the replies. It looks like really AKAI S900/950. There is a very similar piano on the KORG M1, but not the legendary one, but another, second one.