Special Keyboards

The Vienna Instruments Special Keyboards sample library features 8GB worth of samples from 3 unique sounding keyboard-based instruments: the harpsichord, harmonium, and prepared piano.
Utilizing a state-of-the-art recording process and the exclusive Vienna Instruments engine, this one-of-a-kind sound library will give composers and sound designers a mange of sounds both classic and eclectic, and anything but run-of-the-mill.

The bright, classic overtones of the harpsichord were recorded in Vienna's own Silent Stage, where they captured single note and repetition performances on a two manual harpsichord, including 8' register solo, 8' double, and tutti (a combination of two 8' registers and one 4' register).

For more disharmonic overtones, check out their collection of harmonium sounds. For the uninitiated, The harmonium is a free-reed instrument, meaning that air streams past reeds of different lengths causing them to vibrate and creating an undulating like sound.

The prepared piano is perhaps the most intriguing of the three instruments. Basically a "no-rules" piano playing technique introduced in 1949 by John Cage, prepared piano can include a variety of objects like erasers, nails, paper, etc., randomly inserted between strings to fabricate unusual tones, harmonics, and percussive effects. Amongst the different approaches, the Vienna team treated a B¶sendorfer 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.