Hi KS,

I can certainly agree that controlling the key noise would be a nice feature to have for customization. We will definitely need to keep this in my mind for a future update.

I've also found the noise when softly pressing a key to be a bit of a problem. I don't mind a bit of analog noise and grit, but having the noise start and stop with every key pressed becomes very distracting. I wish we had access to a room tone track that was just the mic and pre-amp hiss, because I feel like the noise would subtly seem to go away if it wasn't coming on and off again. As it is now, it's like an exaggerated gate that draws attention to itself. It's a primary concern with soft playing, which unfortunately is what I gravitate towards. 

I suspect Jason Keener and I have the same problem, is there a solution?
Or with which settings can I best minimize this noise / hissing sound?
At the moment I am not very happy with the purchase.

Hubert, the best solution that I've found is to increase the VELOCITY CURVE under the ADVANCED section of the interface. It still doesn't completely solve the problem, though. It just makes it less awful. 

I've reached out to Garritan a few times about the recommended workflow for overcoming this, but they never bother to reply. A few kind souls on SoundCloud were able to help me with the above resolution, but it's hardly perfect.

I will continue looking elsewhere for a piano vst. This plugin is supremely over-rated as it's not intended for anyone who likes playing slow, soft music. I don't anticipate buying anything from Garritan in the future. 

Hi Everyone,

You can control the amount of room noise that you hear at low velocities by taking the Ambient mic down or even out of the mix. This will isolate the Close mic which does not have the same room effect to the samples the Ambient channel does. 

Jason, it is unfortunate that we have missed communications from you. Did you submit a ticket through case system with the Submit a Request button at the top of the screen or via another route? 

Hi together,

At first thank you very much for the tips, which I will try out as soon as possible. However, after all the attempts I have already made, I don't believe that I can achieve a really good result any more.

For a premium product, I don't consider it a solution that I either have to do without some features like Ambient sound, put up with the noise or spend hours adjusting the settings in order to achieve a reasonably satisfactory result.

Why didn't Garritan just use a noise filter or at least make it optional available for the quiet samples?
Of course there would also be negative side effects, but some fine tonal nuances are generally lost in this background noise anyway.

Hello again,

Sorry, but none of the tips really work for me. I've increased the velocity curve and/or mutred the ambient mic. I always hear a sound like a pipe organ receives air a short moment before the note(s) will be played. The noise is not extremly loud but disruptive. By this it makes no fun to play a note or chord gently.

Of course I do not have problems with other libraries e.g. Bechstein, The Gentleman, Alicia Keys...

I have been having the same problem as Hubert since purchasing the CFX roughly 2 months ago and as a result have not been able to use the VST for much of the more delicate playing I need as the sample noise is largely distracting coming in and out with each note or chord.

David, do you know if it would be possible to get a refund for the product?

I just bought the Abbey Road CFX. I am aghast to find that you can't configure the key noise. I didn't think to check before I purchased it because I have 7 or 8 piano VST libraries and this is the only one lacking that feature. It's been a year since this thread was initiated and the feature hasn't been added. So, I assume that it won't be. Is there a way that I can sell my license to someone else and just chalk it up to experience?

The lofi hissing I can live with but the lack of key noise is a deal-breaker.

Same problem here, I just bought the plugin days ago and after the initial excitement over the otherwise great sound I came to be very frustrated not being able to turn down this very distracting and irritating key noise. Sad to see there's apparently no intention to get this solved.

Simon, it's a total bummer. I recently purchased Native Instrument's Noire and I really like it. Of all the virtual pianos that I've tried, it's worked best for my needs. Unfortunately, I don't think they offer a trial so you have to blind buy it. For that reason, you may wanna check out some YouTube demonstrations. 

But yeah, the Garritan CFX gets no use from me any longer. :- (

Is there any resolution to this? I'm incredibly frustrated, and there's no way to get a refund. The piano tones are beautiful, but the noise on the low end (and the high end for more expressive recording for me as well) is a dealbreaker. 

A solution would be to use the WSN plugin from waves and cut the higher frequency.

typo, WNS plugin, I think its helpful in this case.