Helsinki 1967 Pro

Currently available formats:
Kontakt 5 and above
DecentSampler
Logic Pro Sampler
Ableton Live Sampler
Bitwig Studio Sampler (in Downloads: Other (863MB) )

The sampled piano was originally built in Nurmijärvi, Finland in 1967. The name “Helsinki 1967” refers to the text inside the piano: Helsinki No 9962 (serial number). Although the factory was originally located in Helsinki, it moved to Nurmijärvi in 1951; thus it is very likely that this particular piano was not actually built in Helsinki.

My grandparents bought the piano from a shop then called Piano Jylhä (nowadays Soitin Jylhä). My mother started piano lessons the same year but ended up quitting six years later.
One of my very first conscious memories was when the piano was moved to my childhood home in 1994. It was located there until around 2012. There wasn’t enough room in my apartment for an acoustic piano back then, so the piano was borrowed to a local jazz musician who kept it in tune for practising.
In the summer 2023 the piano was moved to my rehearsal space and that’s where this sample library was recorded.

Equipment used for recording the samples:
2 x SM57 behind the piano
2 x OM1 omnidirectional pointed at hammers
1 x 47jr in omni mode as room mic
Focusrite 18i20 2nd gen audio interface

Includes four velocity layers for each sampled key, release samples and pedal noise (Kontakt and DecentSampler). Kontakt version also have a simple sympatethic resonance simulation using separate sustain pedal samples (a work in progress).

2025-12-17 Kontakt v.1.412 ”hotfix”:
Wallpaper image was missing from the package. Thank you Steve for pointing this out! The instrument should now load without error messages.

2025-11-29 DecentSampler fixes, Logic version online again
– I removed some clutter from the DecentSampler version xml (left there by the conversion process from Kontakt to dspreset). Not the playback is a lot less glitchy. Also limited polyphony to 80, just like in the Kontakt version
– Logic EXS version is now online again, with same velocity-switching tweaks that were done on the Kontakt and DecentSampler versions.

2025-11-28 Expanded compatibility!
– Kontakt version now works with Kontakt 5 and above (FULL version, not Player)!
– Removed velocity crossfades in Kontakt since they were causing phase issues at crossover points
– Tweaked velocity switching points in Kontakt

2025-11-26 Quick fixes for Kontakt version
– Noise reduction for sympathethic resonance samples
– Fixed the sample start times of some individual notes

2025-11-23 New in Kontakt version 1.4
– Sustain pedal sympathetic resonance samples added!
GUI knob “Pedal resonance” will adjust the level of the samples, which are only triggered when the damper pedal (MIDI CC64) is active. Adds tons of depth to the overall sound.
– GUI improvements: Prettier knobs that fit the overall visual mood better than Kontakt’s default knob graphics
– Microphone names function as sample purge buttons from now on. Save some RAM by clicking on the mic name when you’re not using that particular mic
–

2025-11-12 New in v. 1.4 (DecentSampler and Logic)
– Multi Out versions for DecentSampler and Logic Pro sampler!
Now you can record each microphone perspective to separate audio
channels. So if you like this piano enough to use it in an actual production, you can now send separate 57, OM, Room, Release, and Pedalnoise tracks to your mixing engineer for individual processing.
I included Logic and Reaper project templates where everything is routed and ready to go!

– For people with continuous sustain pedals that allow half-pedalling (Yamaha FC4 etc.), the sustain pedal sample will cause DecentSampler to glitch a lot, since the PEDALDOWN.wav will be triggered repeatedly while holding the pedal down. If your pedal doesn’t allow switching to ”normal” sustain pedal mode (like Roland DP-10, my personal favorite damper pedal!), you may use the NOPEDAL.dspreset files for omitting the pedal noise samples altogether.

2025-11-10 New in v. 1.31
– Added ”Round Robin simulation” to Kontakt version, which brings subtle random variations to subsequently played notes. There’s also a toggle switch for turning the effect off.
– Pedal samples in DecentSampler version are now finally audible and their level can be adjusted.

2025-11-08 New in v. 1.3: much more realistic stereo image, a lot less noise especially on 57 wavs, leaked sound erased from C4 samples.

DecentSampler version also includes a small selection of impulse responses for adding reverb.

Impulse Response credits and licensing information
—

Lady Chapel, St Albans Cathedral
www.openairlib.net
Audiolab, University of York
Marcin Gorzel
Gavin Kearney
Aglaia Foteinou
Sorrel Hoare
Simon Shelley

Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Usina del Arte Symphony Hall
www.untref.edu.ar
Leandro Rodiño
Alejandro Bidondo
Nahuel Cacavelos

Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Small Room, Plate and School Hall by Mikko Patama
School Hall IR captured from West Helsinki Music Institution, Helsinki, Finland (45 sec sine sweep, two OM1 mics in spaced pair configuration).