NeoSoul Keys 3X is an electric piano library plug-in delivering the authentic sound of vintage/classic electric pianos in an all in one type of package. Having a real vintage 73 model gives me a clear grasp on how to judge this thing honestly. As a musician, this is the sound I use the most especially in the genres of jazz and RnB. Since I make hiphop beats and dedicate this site to fellow beat makers, I want to come from the HipHop perspective.
3 Versions
The 3x in the name of this plug-in library refers to the three versions included which are Suitcase, Wurly, and Stage.
The Suitcase version produces a chorus type effect which is extremely smooth sounding. The Wurly produces that soulful electric piano sound very reminiscent of the late great Donny Hathaway, who in my opinion really took that instrument to another level. Last but not least. is the Stage version which produces that raw and dirty Hiphop feel. Whenever I make beats with plug-ins, my goal is to emulate the gritty sound I get from vinyl. This grittiness is the exact opposite of clean and polished sounding. So in essence, let’s say I get inspired from an old George Duke record, who is known for his use of vintage electric pianos. Naturally. i want to recreate that feel through using a gritty plugin, if I don’t have the real thing. Honestly, I believe the Stage is the best part of the NeoSoul Keys 3X plugin I have come across for this reason.
FEATURES
- All samples ran through tube amps for a more vintage, organic sound
- Top quality preset library
- Bass and Treble Boost
- Vintage Modeled Vibrato
- Advanced FX – Phaser, Flanger, Delay, and Distortion
- Easy MIDI Learn function for all knobs, sliders, and buttons
- Dedicated Bark samples, for more bite
- Tine/Bell controls
- 44.1kHz/24-Bit Resolution
- 12-Velocity layers for sustain and release notes
- Dirty or clean version for Stage
- Butter/Creamy sound or Mono version for Suitcase
- More dirt to add more of the gritty part of the tine (great for hiphop)
- Ability to dial in more dirty Wurli sound of the distorted speaker
- Ability to dial in more tube saturation for Wurli and Stage
- Kontakt 5.02 or higher
- Any Digital Audio Workstation that can load VST, AU, or RTAS instruments
- A very basic knowledge of MIDI,VST/AU, and computers
- Absolutely the closest you’re gonna get to the actual electric piano sound
- Great substitute for playing live on stage
- Many presets for easy access
- Can use with free version of Kontakt
- a little pricey if you’re looking for something free