GETTING STARTED
Installation has a wrinkle worth mention. You’ll need to read a late-breaking doc that should be in all boxed copies by now. It covers how to create aliases so Electric Keys can find its sample files and make sound. On one hand, this is what the installer wizard should do for you. On the other, the process is easy enough: Simply place the samples (or an alias) in the appropriate folder on your hard drive. Once that’s out of the way, you can authorize Electric Keys to the included iLok dongle so you can play it on more than one computer.
INSTRUMENTS
While their skins change depending on the patch, all instruments sport the same front-panel controls. Dig into the “Expert Settings” and you’ll find the synth-like stuff: filters and envelopes. What’s more, each patch can be a dual-layer combi, offering some Frankenstein hybrid possibilities. The top-level categories each cover a specific type of keyboard, with individual patches representing essential variations on each. Let’s check out those main categories.
Classic Electric Organs. We’re talking ’60s and ’70s Vox and Farfisa, plus the Korg CX3, Elka, and many others. Since these instruments are sampled, you can’t tweak drawbars, but plenty of patches cover different settings, some optimized for specific songs. The “Doors” subcategory uses six numbers in each preset name to describe the drawbar settings. Several organs are sampled with spring reverb, which is authentic, as synth pop legends OMD used this type of sound, as did Blondie, Elvis Costello, and the B-52s.
Classic Electric Pianos. Here you’ll find Mk. I, Mk. II, and Mk. V Rhodes models. All are lovingly sampled and wonderfully playable thanks to the selectable velocity curves. Slap on a phaser from the FX Rack and boom, you’re Steely Dan — or Om Records, circa 2003.
Electro-mechanical Keyboards. Here we have more obscure electric pianos, such as the Hohner Pianet M and Electra-Piano. Generally, the sound is reminiscent of a grungy Rhodes, and is quite useful for keeping the gear-spotters in your audience guessing.
Funky Clavs. Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” and “Higher Ground,” not to mention Billy Preston’s “Outta Space,” burned this sound into our psyches, and Electric Keys’ Clavs are every bit as burning.
Japanese CPianos. I have such a soft spot for the Yamaha CP-70 and CP-80 electric grands, the definitive piano sound for countless rock and Britpop artists. Just a few ’80s hits that relied on its sound are Jefferson Starship’s “Jane,” Simple Minds’ “Alive and Kickin,’” Joe Jackson’s “Steppin’ Out,” and Peter Gabriel’s “Red Rain.” Who uses it today? Keane, for starters.
Keyboard Bass. Both the Hohner Basset and Rhodes Piano Bass are remarkable not just for playing Doors tunes, but for deep, modern tech-house bass. Plus, the Moog Taurus sounds should keep Rush fans’ lighters raised.
Rare & Bonus Keyboards. Really esoteric stuff such as the RMI Keyboard Computer, Yamaha GS1 (the first true FM synth from Yamaha, used by Toto), Korg Lambda, and a few others. These patches are dripping with character and excel at bizarre bells and fizzy pads.
Reed Electric Pianos. You’ll find Wurly sounds here, not in “Classic Electric Pianos.” How do they sound? Bloody well authentic.
String Machines. I’m an analog string machine fanatic, and Electric Keys’ imitations are outstanding. There’s everything from the ARP Solina that dominated early tracks by the Cure and the Buggles (more recently, Air) to the Crumar Performer that was featured — this is a fact — on every Duran Duran single prior 1984. Also lurking here are the Roland VP-330 choirs, which are absolutely incredible and defy easy description.
Tape Sampler. By “tape sampler,” MOTU means Mellotron. Whether you think this sound is classic or craptastic, there’d be no “Stairway To Heaven” or “Strawberry Fields Forever” without it. The holy trinity of choir, violin, and flute are here in all their glory.
The B Electric Organ: Serious B-3 players want the real drawbar control you get from plug-ins such as Native Instruments B4 or Apple EVB3, and Electric Keys has no pretensions of competing with those. What you get here are patches of different drawbar setups that are perfect for grabbing a quick sound without opening another plug-in. Again, the sampling quality itself is awesome, and some presets use the mod wheel to crossfade between recordings of slow and fast Leslie.
CONCLUSIONS
After using Electric Keys for a couple of weeks, I can honestly say that it’s become a go-to soft synth for warm, gooey, vintage textures. While most keyboardists these days have their Rhodes, Wurly, and organ sounds covered, having access to a Yamaha CP80, Mellotron, several string machines, and the “Rare & Bonus” treasures is where EK’s real value lies. Kudos to MOTU for their attention to detail in these beautifully-captured instruments. At less than $300 for the whole shebang, I’ll take Electric Keys over eBay any day.
PROS & CONS
Pros
Huge assortment of rare and classic
keyboards. Excellent sound quality. Effects sound killer and are
totally integrated. Standalone mode is handy for gigging.
Cons
Installation process has extra steps necessary for Electric Keys to see its sample library.
$295 list, www.motu.com
NEED TO KNOW
What it is: Sampled collection of hard-to-find vintage keyboards.
What
can I run it on? Mac OS X, Windows XP/Vista, standalone or as AU, DXi,
MAS, RTAS, or VST plug-in. Disk streaming samples take up 40GB hard
drive space.
What does “disk streaming” mean? Sample data lives on
your hard drive and plays when you hit notes — think of the drive as a
turntable and Electric Keys as a DJ with mad skills.
Sound compared
to the real thing? You don’t get a knob-for-knob clone of
every keyboard, but the sound itself kicks ass — effectively identical
in any real-world recording or live gig.
Why choose this over other soft synths? Because you get so many vital keyboards of the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s under one roof.
What
keyboards doesn’t it do? Major analog synths — Moogs, Prophets, ARPs,
etc. — that are already well-covered by other soft synths.
