Special Keyboards
By Vienna Symphonic Library
INSTRUMENTS
Harpsichord
Harmonium
Prepared Piano
The 8 GB collection Special Keyboards offers a state-of-the-art approach to capturing exceptional, rare, but also classic sounds that every sound designer or composer should have.
The harpsichord has a famously bright sound, rich in overtones. This set is great for TV and filmscores, classic rock, and of course this is the definitive instrument for going “Back to Bach.” Recorded in Vienna’s own Silent Stage, the following single notes and repetition performances of a two manual harpsichord were recorded: 8’ register solo, 8’ double, and tutti (a combination of two 8’ registers and one 4’ register).
The harmonium is a free-reed instrument, meaning that air streaming past reeds of different lengths causes them to vibrate. Unlike organ pipes, the harmonium’s reeds produce more disharmonic overtones, creating a unique undulating sound.
The prepared piano is a technique introduced in 1949 by John Cage, where objects like erasers, nails, wire, paper, etc., are inserted between a piano’s strings in certain places, causing them to produce additional tones, harmonics, or percussive sounds. The Vienna team also treated the Bösendorfer grand piano with bare hands (e.g., glissandos over the strings) and with wood mallets in order to get a multitude of creative sounds and colors.
There are no Standard and Extended Library options, as in other Vienna Instruments collections; the Special Keyboards Standard Library includes the full sets of samples along with the software instrument, featuring our exclusive Vienna Instruments engine.
Every Vienna Instruments collection comes with both the Vienna Instruments player and Vienna Ensemble. Get Vienna Instruments Pro and Vienna Ensemble Pro to add another layer of expression to Vienna Instruments and improve your workflow.
Cembalo |
ARTICULATION GROUP | STANDARD LIBRARY | |
| 8' stop 8' stop with double strings 8' double and 4' stops | |
Harmonium |
ARTICULATION GROUP | STANDARD LIBRARY | |
| Aeoline Bassoon-Hautbois Clairon-Fifre Clarinette-Bourdon Flute-Cor anglais Grandjeu Percussion Voix Celeste | |
Prepared Piano |
ARTICULATION GROUP | STANDARD LIBRARY | |
| Chain Double-screw Harmonic Harmonic secco Foil Glass Stick Stick roll Glissandi | |
System Requirements PC Windows 7/8/10 (latest update, 32/64-bit), Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon 64 X2 Mac OS X 10.8 (latest update) or higher, Intel Core 2 Duo 2 GB RAM (4 GB recommended) VIENNA KEY (Vienna Symphonic Library USB protection device) or other USB eLicenser (e.g., from Steinberg or Arturia) 5.5 GB free hard drive space Other configurations may work but are not actively supported. Recommended Windows 7/8/10 (latest update, 64-bit), Intel i5/i7/Xeon Mac OS X 10.9 (or higher), Intel i5/i7/Xeon 4 GB RAM SSD or fast separate hard drive (7200 rpm or faster) AU/VST/AAX Native/RTAS compatible host (also works stand-alone) RTAS version requires Pro Tools 7.3 or higher AAX version requires Pro Tools 10.3.5 or higher 88 key master keyboard |
|
|