XLN Audio Addictive Keys Electric Grand

The recognizable sound of the Electric Grand can be heard on countless records from classic artists like U2, Peter Gabriel and ABBA, as well as contemporary acts like Keane and Mike Snow.

This member of the Addictive Keys family combines three distinct characters in one instrument: The acoustic sound of hammers hitting strings, the direct line signal from the built in pickups, and finally a crunchy amped sound to add some grit to the mix. This makes the Electric Grand very versatile and suitable for just about anything from indie rock and pop to house to R’n’B ballads.

The included ExploreMaps and presets cover everything from clean studio setups to swirling syn- thetic textures. This instrument was cutting edge 30 years ago and we’ve made sure it’s cutting edge today.

The full Addictive Keys engine is included with all instruments – start with any one of them or add to your existing collection!

The Instrument

The Electric Grand features a meticulously sampled Yamaha CP-80, an electro-acoustic instrument produced from the late 70’s through the mid 80’s. An electric grand has hammers and strings like an acoustic piano and a body like a small grand piano. What makes an electric grand different is the amplification, which is done with pickups under the strings. This is similar to an electric guitar or bass, and the direct line signal actually sounds something like a blend of an electric bass, electric guitar and a piano! This makes for some unique textures and works really well where you might otherwise have used a more traditional piano sound. The Addictive Keys engine can of course simulate the original instrument’s built in tremolo and tone controls and much more.

The Recording

Our approach was to capture everything this instrument has to offer and more. We recorded the direct line signal completely clean, as well as in stereo through a vintage Roland Dimension-D hardware chorus. For the amp setup we used a Music Man 112 RD tube combo amp with three close microphones in mono and one ambience microphone in stereo.

The Yamaha CP pianos were made for touring musicians. They were easier to move than a real grand and faster to setup on stage, using the line signal from the pickups instead of microphones. Although rarely used, we really love the acoustic sound of this instrument too, so we recorded that as well.

A total of seven different setups in mono and stereo were recorded and are available as selectable perspectives in Addictive Keys.