Addictive Keys

A sampled keyboard with a recording mixer

Addictive Keys separates the instrument's playable sample behavior from the microphone perspectives used to present it. Three instrument channels can select and blend recorded microphones or direct inputs, each with its own processing. Their signals and two effects returns meet at the master channel, allowing a close, natural keyboard sound or a more produced texture.

Beyond microphone balance

Instrument-specific pedal and resonance settings preserve useful performance detail, while Pitch, Filter and Volume playback sections reshape the sound across the complete instrument. Channel strips add effects before and after EQ, and Delerb combines delay with reverb. Tuning, velocity response and X-modulation settings provide a separate performance layer that remains consistent when changing presets.

Capture ideas while shaping the sound

Choose an instrument or preset, establish a useful playing response, then mix microphone perspectives before adding heavy processing. The Memo feature records a MIDI sketch together with the current sound state, making it possible to revisit an idea or export its notes to the DAW. Available instrument-specific controls depend on the selected keyboard library.

Source: Manual, “Edit page,” pp. 9–22; “Memos,” p. 25; “Session settings,” pp. 27–28.

Instrument and playback

Choose the instrument in Instrument Settings. Where supported, Softness governs the soft pedal, Pedal Noise controls mechanical detail, and Sustain Body/Sustain Noise adjust resonance with the sustain pedal held. Vel > Sample restricts sampled dynamic layers while preserving velocity-dependent volume; this is different from flattening the whole performance's dynamics.

On Pitch, Octave transposes, Dissonance introduces random detuning and Sample Shift changes sampled timbre while compensating the musical pitch. Vibrato Rate/Depth adds movement, and Pitch Envelope sets the initial pitch offset, hold and return. On Filter, choose the response type and set Cutoff, Resonance, keyboard tracking and the filter envelope. The Volume page controls velocity-to-level response, keyboard scaling and its envelope. Release Samples preserves recorded release behavior where available; disabling it exposes envelope-based release timing.

Microphones and mixer

Select one of the three Instrument Channels, then choose its microphone/input from the channel label menu, the channel strip or the virtual room diagram. Blend the channels with their faders. Pan also controls stereo width through vertical dragging, including stereo reversal. Use Solo/Mute to compare perspectives rather than changing all three at once. Each instrument channel has sends to FX1/FX2, and the Master receives all channels.

Channel effects

The channel strip contains Noise, two Multi Effect Slots placed before and after EQ, and the input selection. Available slot choices include Compress & Distort, Chorus, Phaser and Tremolo. Compression uses threshold, ratio, attack and release; distortion adds algorithm choice, amount, mix and affected frequency range. Chorus controls rate, depth and stereo spread. Phaser and Tremolo provide waveform/rate/depth-style movement, with X-modulation available on selected parameters. Use the EQ's frequency, gain and Q controls to shape the chosen microphone rather than replacing it with excessive processing.

Space and performance

Each Delerb combines Delay Time/Sync, Feedback, Swing, Ping Pong and frequency Range with a reverb algorithm, Pre-delay, Decay and Damping. The Delerb crossfader balances delay and reverb, while its graph offers direct timing/decay manipulation.

In Session Settings, set Velocity Response, Master Tune, Temperament, Scale Key, Stretch, pitch-bend ranges and X-Mod Source. These session settings are not replaced by ordinary preset changes. Record Memo captures a MIDI idea with its sound; the Memo Browser can play it back while editing or drag its MIDI into the host. Save the sound preset separately when it should be reusable beyond that sketch.

Source: Manual, “Instrument settings / Sample playback section,” pp. 11–14; “Channel strip,” pp. 15–18; “Microphone/input selection,” p. 19; “Mixer / FX – Delerb,” pp. 20–22; “Presets and memos,” pp. 23–25; “Session settings,” pp. 27–28.