Montclarion Hall Grand Piano is a classic Steinway 1926 parlor grand that lives in one of our favorite recording halls. We captured in wide stereo from three distinct microphone distances (internal, external/mid and far/hall) to allow custom and surround mixing and provide different ambient flavorings. It has a crisp, solid tone ideal for classical composing, yet works equally well for soul, jazz, rock and pop. But this library goes well beyond a simple classical grand piano library. It also includes a wide selection of extended "prepared piano" and very useful creative FX articulations, such as percussive pounds, slams, string scrapes, steel guitar slides, mallet and pick glisses, sweeps, plucks and much more. Originally released in 2010, the Montclarion Hall Piano was recorded in a steep A-framed long hall in the hills above Oakland, CA. It's a place that truly resonates with us, in the same space that Mars, Venus, Mercury and the Apocalypse Percussion Ensemble were captured in, along with a whole host of former Tonehammer epic percussion and choral libraries. It has lush, rich, clear, well-defined and balanced natural acoustic reflections. In our ears, something about this magical room combined perfectly with this piano, creating the right holistic balance. The true instrument here is the piano and the hall together as one. We recorded performer "POV" sounds like pedal sfx, bench, lid and sheet music flutters. Then we popped the hood and went to work with fingers, mallets, picks and guitar slides, capturing a full collection of sweeps, scrapes, glisses, rumbles and other effects. Then we prepared the piano for a little special treatment, capturing 3 buzzy, resonant and raw tuned string percussion sets. Finally, we bloodied our knuckles and turned the piano into a 3-man percussion ensemble. Montclarion was recorded in an acoustic hall, which means there are subtle ambient sounds in the recordings giving a better and more rich expression to the instrument. The close microphone is ideal for more intimate scoring. The mid microphone is great for a larger acoustic live feel and the far microphone has an incredibly dreamy texture to it. We also included a selection of live sfx ambiences, abstract atmospheres and evolving soundscapes that can accompany the piano in real-time, just to provide a bit of added inspiration.