Native Instruments Announces New Software Instrument: Alicia’s Keys

March 2nd, 2010 by Victoria Davis

Native Instruments announced its latest software instrument yesterday, “Alicia’s Keys.” Developed in collaboration with Keys and her personal engineer Ann Mincieli, the virtual piano embodies the sound of Alicia Keys’ signature Yamaha C3 Neo grand piano.

Alicia’s Keys can be heard all over on Keys’ latest album, The Element of Freedom and on her current world tour. “I love this software so much that I used it on my entire new album. Not once did I record a live piano because there was just no need,” says Keys. “I plan to tour with this sound and use it all around the world.”

Based on Native Instruments’ Kontakt 4 sampler platform, Alicia’s Keys was sampled from Keys own playing on the Yamaha C3 Neo, recorded by her trusted engineer Ann Mincieli and sampling expert Thomas Skarbye (Scarbee) in her NY studio, The Oven, using high-end studio gear to generate the intimate and soulful piano timbre perfect for playing R&B and pop music.

The virtual instrument is an affordable way for musicians of all experience levels to incorporate Alicia’s signature piano sound in their own musical creations. Alicia’s Keys contains 17 GB of high-resolution sample with 12 discrete velocity layers per note. It successfully imitates key release, sustain pedal functionality and sympathetic resonance; and it also includes a convolution reverb with various studio emulative room ambiances. It will be available in April 2010 for a suggested retail price of $119.

Here’s Alicia Keys on Alicia’s Keys:

Alicia’s Keys can be used on Windows and Macintosh computers with the included Kontakt Player, and it can be loaded onto the professional Kontakt 4 sampler for detailed sound editing as well.