The Bösendorfer Imperial is an instrument that can only be described in superlatives. One look at its imposing construction and unique features as well as one listen to its richly resonant tone make it clear why. Its full, sonorous sound brims with the signature timbre that makes Bösendorfer a top choice for countless artists. Legendary composers like Bela Bartók, Claude Debussy, and Maurice Ravel were among the early admirers and adopters when the Bösendorfer Concert Grand 290 Imperial first debuted. Today, it still represents the apex of the famed Austrian piano manufacturer’s precious heritage, and now we bring it to your studio. One of its tonal secrets lies in its massive soundboard and extended range with additional bass notes making this grand piano sound impressively imperial. Explore the room filling sound and the versatile tonal possibilities of this special piano with this expertly captured representation of this masterpiece, recorded under ideal acoustic circumstances at Vienna Synchron Stage.

A sound that reigns supreme

As with all the instruments of our Synchron Pianos series, this Bösendorfer 290 Imperial enjoys a permanent, climate-controlled residency at Synchron Stage Vienna, whose main hall is characterized by its particularly warm and natural ambience. The 540 m2 Stage A has lent its acoustic signature to numerous international productions, from classical chamber music to international, large-scale orchestral film scores, from piano recordings to choir works.

This particular piano has many aspects that make it stand out. Nine additional sub-bass notes extend the instrument’s key range downward to the low C – for a total range of eight octaves. The extra bass strings create additional harmonic resonance with every key you strike, providing warmth, richness and depth across the entire instrument. The massive soundboard projects an unusually broad frequency range, evoking a sonorous, orchestral timbre. The Imperial’s magically unfolding tonal character is especially apparent in the pianissimo to mezzoforte range. Its massive brilliant warmth makes imperial grandeur be felt in every note that is played.

Precision & Perfection

As with all the instruments of our Synchron Pianos series, this Bösendorfer 290 Imperial enjoys a permanent, climate-controlled residency at Synchron Stage Vienna, whose main hall is characterized by its particularly warm and natural ambience. The 540 m2 Stage A has lent its acoustic signature to numerous international productions, from classical chamber music to international, large-scale orchestral film scores, from piano recordings to choir works.

This particular piano has many aspects that make it stand out. Nine additional sub-bass notes extend the instrument’s key range downward to the low C – for a total range of eight octaves. The extra bass strings create additional harmonic resonance with every key you strike, providing warmth, richness and depth across the entire instrument. The massive soundboard projects an unusually broad frequency range, evoking a sonorous, orchestral timbre. The Imperial’s magically unfolding tonal character is especially apparent in the pianissimo to mezzoforte range. Its massive brilliant warmth makes imperial grandeur be felt in every note that is played.

Your Custom Bösendorfer Sound

To make this instrument’s possibilities and nuances as easy as possible for you to explore, our free Synchron Pianos Software guarantees an exceptional playing experience and offers a musician-friendly user interface with multiple options for shaping your sound as well as full timbral control. You may also select from a host of presets and edit them to your liking. Customize your sound intuitively by filtering particular key ranges or even single keys, adjust the body resonance of the instrument or add just a touch of algorithmic reverb to refine the overall sound.

Features

• Full 8 octaves in tonal range – 97 keys (with bass extension)
• Warm, orchestral sound, rich in depth and tone color with powerful bass
• Six pre-configured Main Presets: Concert, Intimate, Player, Pop, Ambience, Mighty
• Proprietary Vienna Synchron Pianos engine with adjustable sympathetic resonances, pedal noise, key noise and so much more
• Recorded at Stage A of Vienna Synchron Stage

System Requirements

Minimum:

• Windows 10 (latest update, 64-bit), Intel Core i5 or AMD Athlon 64 X2
• macOS 11 Big Sur (latest update), Intel Core i5
• SSD (M2, SATA 6 or USB3/3.1, UASP Support - HFS+, APFS or NTFS formatted)
• 16 GB RAM
• iLok Account and iLok License Manager for license activation on a physical iLok 2/iLok 3 key or in an iLok Cloud Session (the iLok Cloud requires a constant internet connection!)
• Free storage space for the Standard Library: 15 GB
• Free storage space for the Full Library: 23 GB
• Download size = installed size due to lossless data compression

Recommended:

• Windows 11 (latest update), Intel Core i7/i9/Xeon
• macOS 13 Ventura (or higher), Intel Core i7/i9/Xeon/M1/M2
• 32 GB RAM
• AU/VST/VST3/AAX Native compatible host
• 88 key master keyboard