Spectrasonics Keyscape - First Look & Review

In this video Echo Sound Works takes you through the epic key library Spectrasonics Keyscape.
There is a comparison to other popular VST sample based pianos at the end!

[@DavidCoffinshirtguy]

Every bit as thrilling and seductive as the launch-day factory promo, many thanks! Not also dazzling us with super-hero finger skills along with the tones themselves actually helped a lot.

[@patrickdecaumette7055]

you should NOT have three effects inserted when demoing this great sounding instrument collection...

[@TorchArts]

just noticed that. This is absolutely criminal

[@bartbroekhuizen5617]

Yes, i noticed that too. Especially when i said that the Pedal Noise and Release Noise had a reverb.... that was his own effect over the instrument collection. I don't hear it in other reviewers of Keyscape.

[@troycarpenter4355]

Your demonstration made me go ahead and buy it. I was thinking of not adding another paino library as I have a few, but after watching I figured this and omnisphere 2 would make the perfect pair.... Took just under 2 hours to download. Thanks for taking the time to share. I think Spectrasonics should give you comission :)

[@Powhart]

OMG that is HUUUUUUGEEE!!! I Could listen to You playing all day long :)

[@Adsrsounds]

Ha thanks!!

[@iradgeer]

The BEST demo of the Keyscape . Thumbs Up .

[@OfficialStevenCravis]

I like the way you gave pop style usage examples on this video.

[@musicman102357]

I have tried many The Grandeur is still my overall favorite and my choice for Piano VST. The Pianos is Keyscape are very nice.

[@valendis]

The grandeur is great yeah but the point of keyscape is to have a great all-in-one solution, which will be perfect for someone like me who just started getting interest in midi keyboards

[@AJL200]

Thanks - good video and great to hear so many of the sounds. To be honest I couldn't hear great differences between all the pianos you A/B'd at the end. However, those variations and weird versions of the different instruments within Keycap were very interesting and inspirational, especially for soundtrack work.

[@vlacri]

Super dope, Keyscape is amazing! It sounds very authentic!!! I have to purchase!!!

[@parasailingclocks1]

Great review man! Thank you for making it all about the samples and not your playing. You showcased it well!

[@valendis]

That is a great VST! Thanks for showing the de-noise function, that noise was something bothering me on many of the demos!

[@jennifergala]

By the way my favorite VST piano is the Garritan Yamaha 200Gigs. Most amazing piano ever.

[@DDS825]

About to get this RIGHT NOW! Great video!

[@Adsrsounds]

Thanks!!!!

[@DDS825]

No Problem! Thanks for posting!

[@theorgandude]

great demo, enjoyed the playing, thx

[@Spineloro]

Spectrasonics guys are brilliant!

[@njanappu1763]

Just tell me...how u are adding the sustain on the sound....I don't have a pedal...my notes just drop down instantly ... I want it to be little sustained...released..pls help me ......

[@andyrandy357]

Which library is better between this one and the Hans Zimmer piano by Spitfire Audio?

[@redaizo]

Pearl Grand Piano, no VST beats the realism of that one

[@disfigured75]

Would you guys ever be open to doing a full hardware run through video? Like mic setup, controllers, etc.

[@JoshRichmanDesign]

Is it just me? I think Soniccouture HammerSmith Piano takes the cake! That the best piano I heard in this comparison.

[@BlackAera]

80 gigs in 6-7 hours is still 11 to 13 gigs per hour. Not exactly what I would call a badd connection.

[@geluix69]

you can tell this guys not a child of the 80s with DSL dial up. 10kbit woohoo lightning speed.

[@Adsrsounds]

Ha I grew up with dial up in the 90's! I remember when I had to wait hours to download a jack johnson mp3

[@geluix69]

Nice. A buddy came by the other day with his 9 years old daughter, and of course she had a tablet and wanted to know my wifi password. Wifi ? what's wifi ? she broke out in tears and panicked. Ah wow.

[@dvamateur]

I grew up in the '80s. The PCM based keyboards had from 1 to 4MB ROM, or 8MB if you were filthy rich. 650MB CD albums were fantastic. There was no concept of downloading things. $500 software was sold in big boxes. I think I am in a way glad I never got into MP3 thing. Then I would have to grow beard, get some tattoos, become a hipster and go to vinyl in search for "better" sound quality. Are you kidding me? I am not saying that things were great in the '80s. Yes, the MIDI gear was ultra desirable, I mean, any MIDI gear. But it was very expensive. Something like Roland RD-1000 was totally unattainable (and still is). But I have to admit, world is standing a bit on its head today. I thought that 15 minute time to load a game into Atari 65XE from tape drive was long. Now I have to spend like 30 minutes to download a 2GB movie. It's progress, but one still needs to be patient. '80s keyboards though... You turn on the power switch on, you play. No booting times. To wait a minute to "reboot" your "musical instrument" is not something that an '80s kid would accept. Sorry.

[@korni1002]

remember that time when you had to go outside to be entertained? WOW!!!

[@nixdraufable]

Thanks a lot for the presentation. Great stuff :-)

[@ZackeryWalls]

Yeah this is dope i already hear some Beat Idea just from the few patches you played. I was thinking about getting this or Ultimate 11 update Hmmmm, I think i will get both because all i need from Ultimate 11 is the Symphony Essentials those sounds are incredible also. Thanks for the video ECHO SOUND WORKS is the Truth!

[@gabrielglover1889]

Great video! Super helpful

[@JeffDaytonMusic]

Great stuff... thx from Nashville.

[@frozensnow]

Hey! Great video! Just wondering, do you have a list of all your Vst libraries, like Pianos, and the orchestral things? Great playing and video, this product is beautiful. Will save up for it!

[@m.b.g.musicproduction9658]

Sorry that this response is a little late...…….....Excellent review, keep up the amazing work!

[@ikstephan]

Why are you using a compressor, a fattener and fabfilter on your masterbus? I mean, is that what we hear? Better to have recorded the Keyscape sound without those. This also affects the noise build up you speak of.

[@Adsrsounds]

Hey! Those are barely on at all, it's a simple chain I use on my videos to I don't clip and hurt your guys ears!

[@ikstephan]

Ok, I understand your intention, but wouldn't it be better to not have them on there then (if they're not doing much, like you say?). ;-) Looking at the meters it does more than you might think. Have another look at the settings of you compressor/limiter cause your sound does clip sometimes (after 11:30 for instance). When reviewing vst-intruments, it would be best if you recorded without any plugs onto the master bus, set any vst-instrument up correctly within the instrument itself so that it does not clip. After you're done recording, you can apply a limiter and normalisation.

[@thiagopinheiromusic]

​@@ikstephan i was honestly puzzled by the plugin sounding so distorted until I found this comment. It all makes sense now. Well said. My vote is for the clean sound of a plugin when its the main subject.

[@WilliamPreat]

29:49 alright i'm getting this now.

[@andreitimotin3599]

So..which one is better guys in ur opinion...between nATIVE INSTRUMENTS grand piano and KEYSCAPE...??!!...To me they sound almost the same..keyscape maybe adds a lil bit more life to the sound, but u can get the same result with NI if adding a lil bit of reverb :)))

[@frankensteinsmonster9553]

I always have problems to mix this huge, bright pianos. It sounds nice when i play it solo, but if there are to many other sounds it sounds not good. Would love to see tutorials for mixing these.

[@kevindavis808]

Nice I'm going to have get this one.

[@farimir475]

Hey Echo Sound Works! Thanks so much for this review, just had a question and for anyone that may be reading this. How do you get rid of the distortion on the LA custom C7 Grand piano patch. Even in mine, when I play I can hear distortion when I'm running absolutely no effects but the patch itself. I heard the same thing on yours when you started playing at 9:45. ITS DRIVING ME CRAZY!!!

[@SjaakShirly6559]

Does this come in packages? For example can I choose just for piano and electric piano? There is a lot of stuff I never shall use.

[@frankezendam5409]

Nope it is just one full library

[@SjaakShirly6559]

Frank Ezendam Thanks!

[@azdogboy1999]

damn that dark score is amazing

[@noreaction1]

Can you install on your laptop and desktop at the same time with the same installer?

[@DuroSamples]

There is no DX7 ...33:04 Just Roland...

[@fredoviola]

Thanks for this wonderful review! How does the noise compare to the multiple hit tape noise problem that Piano in Blue has. In my opinion, the noise buildup in that instrument ruins a beautiful instrument otherwise full of character. I didn't notice the same problem with this one. Can you confirm?

[@The_Doc_Rocks]

The closest competitor - purely for the grand piano sound - is the Native Instruments "Grandeur" which I love to pieces. However, my USB Hard Drive version of Keyscape is on its way by Express post and I should get it tomorrow. There is a LOT of other stuff on there. By the way, it's $Aus 525 here in Australia. A significant investment. The other thing worth pointing out is that if you own Omnisphere 2 (as I do) then Keyscape shows up inside Omnisphere, so all the processing and sound-mangling power of Omnisphere can be used on the Keyscape sounds, if you wish to do so. A whole new world of sound design awaits. Can't wait for someone like Skippy Lehmkuhl (PlugInGuru) to come out with a sound library for Keyscape being used inside Omnisphere....! :)

[@ikstephan]

I also own "The Grandeur". It's pretty ok, but not very great dynamicly and I think it lacks any unique character. It sounds a little flat I think. I also own the Garritan CFX Grand and Ravenscroft 275. I think these (along with many other piano libraries) sound and play way better than The Grandeur. Now this Yamaha C7 sounds nice. Can't wait to try it myself. Too bad it does not have Una Corda samples though.

[@Adsrsounds]

Hey thanks for watching! I like the Grandeur a lot. Its more sterile sounding than the keyscape grand. If you haven't checked out imperfect samples you should!

[@YotamPiano]

Hi man, Should I buy this library?? are there other options to consider? I really like this but would like opinions from users of this and other stuff what they think would appreciate thanks. Also what controller keyboard MIDI you think is good? I have a dx7ii which have superb action BUT is 61 keys (I'm a pro keyboard/pianist but duuno much about midi keyboards)

[@IsackAikMorsa]

Hi i speak a little English and I want to know if is too heavy, can I use it to playing live? Can i do split? I use Kontakt. Thanks

[@MusicalTouchIRavi]

hey why my keyscape is not sounding exactly like you? i did settings but still i dont get the sustain pedal effects. could u please help me?

[@hodshonf]

Have you compared with the EastWest Quantum Leap Piano package? not the range of instruments as with Keyscape - but good lord, the Bosendorfer 290 is insane with EWQL. Great video, by the way - thanks!

[@brianbrill]

And here I've already blown my studio budget for the rest of 2016. I shouldn't have watched this.

[@RaffzVieira]

Gonna have to sell my kindney to get this one. will have to stick to komplete pianos for now

[@north7295]

Gonna have to sell my left testicle for this smh

[@tusharlall02]

Gonna have to sell myself mate

[@proksenospapias9327]

I'm selling my grandma, dude.

[@Adsrsounds]

Man I already sold both of mine to get gear, good thing my girlfriend never wants kids

[@DavidBoura]

Selling my wife for Diva, my collection of hammers for Presswerk, and my House for this and an SSD. URGENT.

[@fabientheissen4697]

Hey, what keyboard are you using? I'm a beginner so maybe a stupid question but how did you connect the soft to the keyboard? Midi IN, into a audiointerface?

[@DadoSimicStudiostriver]

Awesome key library. I`m suprised they do not have ordinary harpsichords.

[@remon563]

wow! saving up for this. Are you using a fully weighted keyboard ? if so, which one ? cheers bro.

[@jennifergala]

On my PC everything is butter smooth non streaming. Mac is too slow.

[@TheSloanlogic]

note don't put API 2500, sausage factory and Pro L when u are demoing libraries. leave it blank.

[@ad33zy]

I noticed that sometimes you would be playing the piano and it would be changing sounds, most notably at 19:55, what were you using to change the sound as you were playing? Were you using your midi controller?

[@DD-sw1dd]

Really sounds great. But I'm wondering if their was some reverb and EQ applied by default to the Keyscape C7. I know for a fact that NI pianos load by default completely dry with no internal EQ applied. I don't expect the NI pianos to sound as good...its just that the Keyscape C7 sounded wet with reverb while some of the others, like the Grandeur, sounded completely dry.

[@Adsrsounds]

I turned on a little bit of reverb on the Grandeur. But I did have some reverb on the C7. The grandeur is a great piano! I would highly recommend it as well.

[@sakefchowdhury9668]

Hi , I was really confused with a particular stuff.. thing is if I tweak inside the plugin itself .. do i need to do eq and all that during the mixing stage ?

[@jazzman9025]

Have you ever heard the EP72? and if yes I just bought it over two months ago, can you tell me you thought between Keyscape vs EP73???

[@YotamPiano]

Hey Bro I bought Keyscape and as a professional pianist what MIDI keyboard would you think deliver me great control? right now I'm using a DX7 to control which has only 61 keys but more over synth action keyboard. I know they used A-88 from Roland in demo but it seemed too stiff/harsh on the key action compared to the price. thanks

[@DopamineOverload]

Surprised no one has responded to your comment-- if you're a pro, I'd go for a nice weighted digital piano... price is right. Korg SP170s, Yamaha P35... anything with MIDI out. Another great-feeling digital piano is the Casio Privia PX-5s. The DX7's a great board but you definitely need some weighted keys. Hope those suggestions help... the Korg and Yamaha can be found gently used for $400. The A-88 is overpriced, in my opinion... definitely.

[@ozorg]

very nice demo ... but some sounds are not totally loaded while you playing them ...

[@jefriljavonitalla8361]

where can i buy or download keyscape thats amazing😊

[@godsnino]

Thanks for the video. Now to the meat. Let's talk system specs and how it is running for you. Is it a CPU hog? I didn't get Omnisphere 2 for this reason and I'm afraid this may be more of the same. Thanks again for posting this video.

[@DD-sw1dd]

Omnisphere 2 isn't a CPU hog. If you load up and use multis of course it's intensive but the individual patches aren't bad at all.

[@Adsrsounds]

This was a bit of a resource hog. I have two computers, this one was shot at my home computer which is not super powerful. It ran pretty fine while shooting video which is a resource hog itself on a 2.7Ghz i5 quad core with 8GB of ram. With an i7 processor it shouldn't have any issues at all and I have since used it at my studio and it worked great.

[@cleverestx]

Great video, but yeah, that pedal noise reverb is terrible. I would have removed that when you play.

[@JoelEmmanuelMusic]

Hey, great review. Unfortunately, that compression really is doing more than you might think :( Still, its so great that you went through so many sounds so we could hear it, thank you! I see you're using the pianos as a vst instrument in Logic? I'm guessing its designed as a vst instrument plugin for any DAW which supports it e.g. Ableton Live? I see a lot of advertising for its use with Omnisphere, but nothing on its compatibility with other DAWs.

[@ikstephan]

Keyscape is a vst-instrument. That means that any DAW will work as long as it supports vst-instruments. Any of the popular DAW's will be able to load this. The story with Omnisphere is that Keyscape can be integrated with the Omnisphere vst-instrument as well. That way you can apply the Omnisphere synth engine to all Keyscape sounds.

[@JoelEmmanuelMusic]

Right cool! Thanks for replying. I don't think I'll be getting into Omnisphere, but been looking for ages for new vst piano instruments to use within my DAW for live playing. Interested to know what specs this uploader has on his computer to run it. They recommend an SSD and 8GB ram, might have to buy an ssd if I bought this.

[@ikstephan]

You're welcome. SSD isn't really necessary, but it would speed up the load times. Any modern PC should be able to play this. System requirements says Intel dual core or better. In my experience even a Core2duo would do. The more tracks you use simultaniously, the more powerfull your PC would need to be. My i7 system with 16GB has no trouble with any vst-instrument.

[@JoelEmmanuelMusic]

Cool. Are you using a laptop? Mine with a 5400 rpm and A6 processor has had slight crackling/dropout issues, have maxed out both while using a vst piano :( Is your i7 a quadcore? I'm tossing up putting an SSD in my laptop, or eventually buying an i7 dual core laptop or macbook (but later down the track).

[@ikstephan]

I'm running a desktop PC with Windows 7 and an i7 4790K (quadcore, 8 threads) @4.7GHz and 16GB of 2.4GHz DDR3 RAM. I run Windows and programs from the C-drive which is an intel SSD and sample library content I run from 2 7200rpm WD Black drives. My next upgrade will probably be a Plextor PX-1TM8PeY 1TB NVMe-drive to be used instead of the WD Black drives. These are getting more and more affordable and will reduce loading speeds drasticly. ;-)

[@jesseurena5153]

how do you make the window so big?

[@Pexsi]

What version need for this Kontakt 5?

[@timaeus22222]

Besides the awesome quality, I think the graphics are pretty slick too. The knobs remind me of the ones on NastyDLA MKII. static.kvraudio.com/i/b/nastydlamkii.png

[@owlmatrix6794]

is that logic that ur using alongside key shape​

[@koreanfriedchildren]

Would have been nice if you played the sounds of the keys out of soundflower and gated your vocal mic so we couldn't hear the key noise of your controller

[@hifimidi]

That's the plugin...

[@Carlos-ek3po]

Any school recommendations to learn how to play the piano in the Los Angeles area!?

[@Adsrsounds]

Hey Carlos, you can learn it all on KZbin :)

[@vinylwrap5571]

I think keyscape in comparison with the other popular vst's sounds just a bit more alive and authentic then the others but it could just be the reverb and pedal noise etc. The piece at the end is beautiful.

[@ikstephan]

*than What are you compairing it to?

[@vinylwrap5571]

+ikstephan the other vsts at the end

[@jazzfunksoul2011]

Nice review? Which controller are you using?

[@Adsrsounds]

Maudio impulse 61

[@DopamineOverload]

M-Audio Impulse?? Isn't Impulse by Novation?

[@Dewabarasunderan]

@Echo Sound Works Can you please tell us the specs of your computer?

[@Adsrsounds]

Yeah, I have two computers, both iMacs. One in my studio (which you seen in some videos) and the other at my apartment. I did this video on the one at my apartment which is a early 2014, 8GB ram, 2.7 Ghz I5 processor (quad core). It had some issues running keycape while I was shooting the video. I had to tweak the voice count in keycape to get it to work. Mainly with the grand piano.

[@papobado9793]

What kind of chords progressions are you playing?

[@Adsrsounds]

I don't know how to answer this! What do you mean?

[@papobado9793]

Your playing sounds very advanced even though you were saying you aren't a very great piano player. So I was wondering what kind of chords do you mainly play when improvising for example in this video? Do you play major triads in the key of C or Major seventh chords in the Ionian scale? Can you give us a little insight in your "improvising" even if it is "just you playing around"? Thank you

[@capicholob6379]

+Floyd Cobain most of the time he was using add7 typical of jazz

[@anselminos5238]

Is There any pianos in omnisphere2?

[@OZZOZZ]

Anselminos there is but they’re not as good as Keyscape. When I got omnisphere I thought it was going to have some fire piano. No problem for me tho I just bought Keyscape.

[@Tidiouter]

The 140B is mediocre at best. Soft playing sounds ok, but the bark isn't there when hit hard, like the real thing. I was holding out hope! Someone still has yet to get the treble to sound right.

[@nicodemosmusic]

how's the CPU??

[@b3at2]

its okay to say "fer" and not "for" but its a crime to say "ax" instead of ask lol.

[@stary5405]

Нужна мидюха НЕ дорогая, максимально схожая на натуральное пианино (ощущение клавиш). Что подскажите, господа.

[@xSoqui]

I'm sorry, what was the price?

[@kaustin6969]

$400 US

[@ikstephan]

$399 or €349

[@xSoqui]

2 expensive 4 me

[@ForkySeven]

For what your getting, that's basically free. Just ONE of these instruments would be between $500-$100,000. I was SURE this collection would be at least $1200

[@xSoqui]

That's true. Getting the real things would be well over 10,000. Better start saving.

[@BeRichinlife]

and you say you're not good at playing the piano. Yeah right man!

[@Babdan]

Where can I get keyscape for free other than torrent

[@superd0g1]

stop, just stop.

[@Babdan]

kev trap wha

[@kazuya4289]

I have it ill give it to you for $25 paypal

[@therealmckoy8135]

I'll Take it! :) He took too long to respond lol

[@mrlabnilla]

Hovenchy Yo what's your email and do you have it for mac?

[@99tropix]

When Spectrasonics say 'this took 10 years', or 'we spent a year sampling one instrument', I can't help but think that they've wasted their time. Yes, they've sampled incredibly deeply, but when an average player like you (and most of us) plays, it doesn't sound extra magical - it's very comparable to other similar Kontakt libraries.

[@navidsyed]

you are joking right? oh..man

[@GlitchyBastard]

Hearing loss, also known as hearing impairment, is a partial or total inability to hear.

[@99tropix]

I haven't simply said 'this sucks' or something equally ridiculous. I'm trying to make a reasonable point. The library clearly sounds very, very good - but is it worth 10 years of work? The answer in my opinion is probably no. For 10 years of work I want revolution, not refinement. I'd hoped for more.

[@n0pl4c3]

Lots of these pianos have needed to be restored...

[@Weissman111]

What kind of "revolution" where you after? They're sampled instruments - what is there to do other than make the sampling/playback as good as possible?

[@MobiusVideo]

It would have been nice if you could have played some existing piano pieces from the jazz, classical and pop repertoire rather than that mainly plonky cliched ballad chord progressions your are doing. It's not easy to evaluate it like that. Sorry.

[@benja303]

Gimmie

[@instrumentalistjade8367]

U can get those Sounds on a garageband app. its cheaper..

[@dvamateur]

It cracks me up someone talking about the need for high-quality piano samples for things like hip-hop or EDM. I understand house music to need some piano sounds, but M1 piano was plenty enough for those rather rudimentary house style piano riffs. I wouldn't think that atrocities like hip-hop or EDM would need piano sound at all :)

[@A_Class216]

wow atrocities?

[@dvamateur]

1/3 of The Formula Precisely.

[@Adsrsounds]

It cracks me up when people blanket statement whole genres of music as being "atrocities" because they don't personally like them. Have you actually listened to EDM or Hip Hop in the last 5 years? Examples of high quality pianos in EDM: 1.) Trndsetter (Lucian Remix) 2.) Renaissance Steve James, Clairity 3.) My Way Calvin Harris I could go on and on and on..... In Hip Hop: 1.) Too Much - Drake (this is an upright piano) 2.) See You Again - Whiz Khalifa I don't have time to keep going. But if you really thing the sound of a keyboard that had only 4MB of PCM sampled waveforms is still commercially competitive I would love to hear your music.

[@dvamateur]

***** I get a rash from reading the titles and performers' names alone. So no, I am not going to search those. Waste of time for me. Why? I stop enjoying 4-to-the-floor after listening to Laser Dance back in the '80s. Hip-hop? Strip club scene is as appealing to me as 70's ching-twang funk to a vintage porn flick. 4MB is gobs of memory my friend. If you can't do compelling music or arrangement with 4MB of PCM samples, you're unlikely to make compelling music with more. Do you think a $300,000 Fazioli will give you an edge over Yamaha grand if you can't play scales evenly? No. In music, the adage that it's not the size (of ROM) that you have but what you do with it is particularly true. Hiromi will put most pianists to shame on an M1. I can guarantee you that.

[@jessicagreene8083]

I agree with ADSR Music Production Tutorials, you are making a blanket statement about hip hop. Do you know there is jazz hip hop, alternative hip hop, gospel hip hop ..etc? Hip Hop is so diverse and utilizes various musical elements. It's ok if you don't like the genre, but before you make blanket statements like that, please know what you are talking about.

[@benwinbery4115]

Geez so much talking hardly any playing

[@purepulsetv]

You should stop talking too much fr

[@cappie2000]

No offense intended, but you have a really shitty computer.. it's really time to upgrade to a machine with a little more horsepower... my PC can handle recording full HD video AND everything set to high AND streaming it from my SSD... you're not running this on a Mac's or something, are you?