Native Instruments’ The Grandeur is a piano instrument plug-in with a concert grand piano recorded in more than 2,500 samples and 18 velocity layers (13.7 GB after unpacking). You can adjust the volume of the pedal, damper, string and hammer sounds. It runs on the free KONTAKT PLAYER.
A piano instrument plug-in lets you play the sound of a piano on a computer.
In this article we compare The Grandeur with 10 piano instrument plug-ins and rate how well it serves its purpose on three criteria. The basis is official manufacturer information.
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Score 3.3 / 5 (average of the 10 products compared: 3.4)
- Specs last checked
- 2026/09/25
- Realism and depth
- 13.7 GB + fine adjustment
- Help with composing
- None
- Variety of pianos
- 1 grand
- Price (store, date)
- $99 [Official, checked Oct 26]
Image: from the Native Instruments official website (product image)
Summary
Among the 10 piano instrument plug-ins, The Grandeur is rank B. The ranks run S, A, B and C, and B is third from the top. Averaging the scores for each criterion (out of 5, with the one criterion that matters most for the purpose counted double) gives 3.3.
Strengths
- Realism and depth (5 points): it aims for a realistic sound through large recordings and fine adjustment.
Things to keep in mind
- Help with composing (1 points): it has no feature that helps with composing.
- Variety of pianos (2 points): the number of piano types included is small.
Who it suits: people who want a natural-sounding grand piano that works from pop to classical at a reasonable cost.
Main features of The Grandeur
A concert grand recorded in 18 levels of strength
The Grandeur is a piano instrument plug-in for KONTAKT in which one concert grand was recorded in more than 2,500 samples and 18 levels of strength. It takes 13.7 GB after unpacking. The sound when a key is released is also recorded in nine levels of strength.
Volume of pedal, damper, string and hammer sounds
You can adjust the amount of the pedal, damper, string and hammer sounds separately. Harmonics and resonance were recorded as separate samples, which reproduces the natural ring of a piano. The Color knob changes the tone and the Dynamic knob changes the range of strength.
Fitting it to a pop mix
The manufacturer lists the ability to adjust it to suit today’s music production as a feature. Narrowing the range of strength with the Dynamic knob makes the piano less likely to get buried among other instruments. Color lets you make the tone brighter or calmer.
Video: “THE GRANDEUR tutorial | Native Instruments” (official Native Instruments YouTube channel; narration in English) Watch on YouTube
Where it is useful
- Using an expressive piano in classical music or ballads
- Reducing the hammer sound to make a softer piano
- Narrowing Dynamic to make a piano that blends into a pop mix
Rating by criterion
Realism and depth: 5 / 5
We look at how extensively it was recorded and whether you can fine-tune things such as resonance and pedal sounds.
It was recorded in more than 2,500 samples and 18 levels of strength (13.7 GB), and you can adjust the volume of the pedal, damper, string and hammer sounds.
Help with composing: 1 / 5
We look at whether there are features that help you make accompaniments and chord progressions.
It has no feature that helps with composing.
If “help with composing” matters most to you, EZkeys 2 (5 points) is a better fit.
Variety of pianos: 2 / 5
We look at the number of pianos you can switch between.
It is one concert grand piano.
If “variety of pianos” matters most to you, Keyscape and Piano V (5 points) are a better fit.
How we score (Piano instrument plug-ins)
| Criterion | Basis | 5 pt | 4 pt | 3 pt | 2 pt | 1 pt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Realism and depth | Scale of the recordings, and fine adjustment of resonance, noise and so on | Recordings of 10 GB or more, plus fine adjustment of resonance, pedal, hammers and so on | Modeling that lets you adjust resonance and ambience, or recordings of 10 GB or more | A few GB of recordings, plus microphone and ambience adjustment | A small library | — |
| Help with composing | Features that help you make accompaniments and chords | Accompaniment suggestions, chord suggestions and a MIDI phrase library, all together | Two of those | One, such as creating new sounds from what you play | — | No feature that helps with composing |
| Variety of pianos | Number of pianos you can switch between | 10 or more | 5 or more | 2 to 3 (including different tones of the same piano) | One | — |
Each criterion is scored from 1 to 5 on how well the product serves one goal: making piano accompaniments for cover-song arrangements and your own songs. Scores follow the conditions in the table above, and the rank is based on an average in which "Realism and depth" counts double. The basis is official manufacturer information. Sound quality and CPU load are not measured, so they are not scored; reviews from trade magazines are introduced in the articles for reference. Price is not part of the score. Features that cannot be confirmed from the manufacturer's or a retailer's description are scored as if absent.
The Grandeur screens and images
Image: from the Native Instruments official website (product image)
The Grandeur system requirements and getting started
| Operating system | Windows / Mac |
|---|---|
| Plug-in formats | An instrument used inside the free KONTAKT PLAYER (or KONTAKT) |
| Other | 13.7 GB after unpacking (5.26 GB compressed) |
Checked on the manufacturer’s official pages on September 27, 2026.
Compared with other piano instrument plug-ins
Click a heading to sort. On a phone, the table scrolls sideways.
| Product | RankAvg. score | Realism and depth | Help with composing | Variety of pianos | Price (store, date) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ToontrackEZkeys 2 | B 3.3 | About 4 GB | Accompaniment + chord suggestions | 1 grand | $179 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
| Native InstrumentsNoire | A 4.0 | 16 GB + fine adjustment | Particles | Pure / Felt | $139 [PB, checked Oct 26] |
| Native InstrumentsThe Grandeur | B 3.3 | 13.7 GB + fine adjustment | None | 1 grand | $99 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
| ArturiaPiano V | A 3.5 | Modeling | None | 12 types | ≈$223.06 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
| SpectrasonicsKeyscape | A 4.0 | 80 GB + noise behavior | None | 36 instruments | $399 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
| XLN AudioAddictive Keys | B 3.0 | Mic combinations | MIDI phrase library | 4 instruments | $99 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
| ModarttPianoteq 9 | A 3.5 | Modeling | None | 20+ packs | $269 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
| SynthogyIvory 3 American Concert D | B 2.8 | RGB engine + 4 microphones | None | 1 grand | $199 (sale; regular $249) [Official, checked Oct 26] |
| Native InstrumentsUna Corda | A 3.5 | 10 GB + noise adjustment | None | Pure / Felt / Cotton | $149 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
| Native InstrumentsAlicia's Keys | B 2.8 | 17 GB + resonance and release | None | 1 grand | $99 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
Features checked on each manufacturer's official website on September 25, 2026. Check the store page behind the buy button for the price.
Read next
- EZkeys 2: features and rating (rank B)
- Addictive Keys: features and rating (rank B)
- Noire: features and rating (rank A)
- Piano V: features and rating (rank A)
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