SESSION KEYS PIANO, BYO FINGERS
By Graeme Hague
7 April 2014
It’s hard to fault the quality of virtual, acoustic instruments nowadays. They’re all sampled with great care using the best studios, the best microphones and, of course, the best instruments. So the onus falls on the developers to provide something more than just an authentic sound. Hamburg-based e-instruments have released Session Keys in two different versions, which is a choice of two grand pianos sampled to the nth degree and playable inside NI’s Kontakt. Tempting to two-fingered piano players, Session Keys offers a means to generate chords and melodies at the press of a single key through an interface called Animator for the latter, or you can use a Smart Chord function to create full chords based on a root note. There is also a function called Pentamorph which offers manipulation of the piano’s acoustics right into the twilight zone – think atmospherics here – with on-the-fly effects available, too. In the past these kind of U-Play-It piano GUIs haven’t really impressed anyone, but it looks like e-instruments has put a lot of thought into Session Keys and just may have created that elusive authenticity with its automated playing. Otherwise, you’re still getting a very nice-sounding virtual piano with plenty of control to make some unique sounds. We’re hoping to get our hands on a copy for review to tell you more. In the meantime you can read more and see videos at www.e-instruments.com
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