Toontrack EZ Keys 2

• Fully resizable and scalable interface
• Bandmate: Get chords and grooves based on your own audio or MIDI
• Onboard grid editor with humanization, scale matching, timing features and more
• Tap2Find: Get grooves based on the rhythm and notes you input
• An all-new grand piano recorded using a wide range of microphones and ambiences
• Mix-ready presets for a broad range of styles and sounds
• An all-new MIDI library covering different playing styles and music genres
• New business model: Software includes core sound library

THE CORE SOUND LIBRARY

With up to three years in the making, each instrument that is wheeled out of the Fazioli* shop in Sacile, Italy, is truly a testament of ultimate dedication to craftsmanship and detail.

The F212, which was sampled for EZkeys 2, is a medium-sized instrument that produces a slightly softer timbre compared to the larger concert grands.

Overall, it has a balanced and responsive tone as well as a dynamic range that can produce the entire scope of expressiveness – from the thunderously punchy down to the feathery light. This makes it an ideal instrument for broad songwriting and recording studio use.

THE MICS & THE ROOM

The EZkeys 2 core library instrument was miked to offer a broad selection of options, tones and ambiences for use across the different presets included.

SPOT MICS.

1. Hammers. To capture the strike and impact of the tone, a stereo pair of Thuresson CM402s large diaphragm microphones were positioned right above the hammer mechanism. This gives you a very natural and detailed representation of the inherent body of the instrument.

2. Strings. To capture the immense sustain and resonance of the piano, a stereo pair of Royer R-121 ribbon mics were placed above the strings. This pair of mics produces a warm and ambient but slightly less pronounced attack compared to that of the hammers.

AMBIENCES.

3. Piano player (overhead). To capture the most natural tone you’d get if sitting at the piano, a pair of DeGeer Manibus large diaphragm tube microphones were positioned as if pointed over the shoulders of the player. These microphones were picked for their extreme transparency and ability to capture the natural direct ambience of the piano.

4. Room ambience. An AKG C24 stereo large diaphragm tube microphone placed high up to the side of the piano captures the natural room reverberation. This is a common microphone technique used when recording classical piano.

5. Window reflection ambience. To capture a slightly more narrow frequency range as well as a more distant-sounding ambience, a pair of Neumann* KM84 small diaphragm condenser microphones were placed facing the control room window, picking up the diffusion bouncing back from the hard-surface glass. This pair of mics adds a new dimension of depth when combined with the spot mics.

STEP IN TO THE STUDIO

Housed in a 150-year-old naval warehouse and beautifully situated right on the water at the inlet of the Stockholm river, Riksmixningsverket (or RMV Studio, as it’s regularly called) is a proper gem of the studio scene in Sweden’s capital.

With rustic ceiling beams, both wood and stone wall surfaces as well as a soft hardwood floor that acts like a cushioning membrane, the main room at RMV has a one-of-a-kind ambience that is vibrant but still retains the unfiltered essence of any acoustic instrument – particularly the piano.

THE MIDI LIBRARY

The all-new EZkeys 2 core MIDI library offers a comprehensive collection of MIDI for a wide range of styles and genres. In need of some instant inspiration? Browse away!

• More than 1,350 individually played MIDI files
• Performed by professional piano player
• Separate folders for riffs, arpeggios and ostinatos
• Styles/genres include ballads, pop, rock, hip-hop, jazz and more
• 3/4, 4/4, 6/8 in straight and/or swing feel
• Song part categorisation

ALSO INCLUDED

If you’re new to EZkeys, the full MIDI content from the legacy version is also included. This library adds another 800+ MIDI files covering anything from pop and rock to jazz, Latin, funk and blues.