Q Up Arts Releases California Keys Keyboard Collection

World-class sound collections developer/licensor Q Up Arts has announced the availability of California Keys, a collection of classic keyboard instruments (piano, electric pianos, etc.) – compatible with Native Instruments’ industry-standard KONTAKT (5.5 full version or free player).

California Keys’ centrepiece Fazioli 10ft grand was given the Rick Baldassin technician treatment before being played by concert pianist Candace Winterton.
This impressive instrument’s sound was captured in surround with 10 different microphones, and recorded by Q Up Arts Director of Audio Engineering Robert Abeyta in CounterPoint Studios in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Results are all the more stunning since the sample instrument itself is served up as eight fully discreet channels, with fully user-adjustable Volume and Pan per channel — complete with 7.1 Surround presets (including a choice of two different side mic types) with fully discrete, user-adjustable channels and 5.1 Surround presets with fully discrete, user-adjustable channels.

California Keys’ California Grand gifts its users with a piano that can be played more softly than anything else out there.

Personally produced by Q Up Arts Founder Douglas Morton, it is deftly designed to dutifully deliver maximum expressivity and playability fit for every style of performance, thanks to some seriously clever KONTAKT programming and scripting by master Michael Scott.

Indeed, its dashboard-accessed Microphones control allows anyone to customise the piano for almost any musical application and sound type with pedal sounds, key let-offs, and sustain pedal also controllable.

California Keys also captured classic keyboards — comprising a vintage Rhodes® E-Piano electric piano, vintage Wurlitzer® W-Piano electric piano, Vox Continental® organ, Farfisa® organ, Clavinet® D6, and Hammond® A100 tonewheel organ — at a private Topanga Canyon-sited studio in the Santa Monica Mountains of Southern California.

Curated from performer Arlan Oscar Schierbaum’s stunning collection, carefully restored by master keyboard technician Ken Rich of Los Angeles, Californian vintage vibe abounds as Douglas Morton himself recorded everything at the highest (24-bit/192 kHz) resolution to capture the character and uniqueness of each instrument into a Pro Tools | HD system.

Watch Q Up Arts co-developer & co-designer Michael Scott’s in-depth video walkthrough of California Keys:

California Keys’ set of resulting Clavinet D6, F-ORGAN combo, H-ORGAN A100, R-EPiano, V-ORG Super Continental, and W-EPIANO cutting-edge KONTAKT sample instruments are also compatible with Native Instruments’ NKS (NATIVE KONTROL STANDARD) functionality programming, allowing anyone to browse and control real-time parameters such as Mic levels, TONE, REVERB, ENVELOPE ADSR, and much more.

Meanwhile, Q Up Arts’ advanced KONTAKT script and dashboard features fast visual access to directly dial in VELOCITY curve, FILTER, ADSR, several REVERB choices, MIC level, and TONE to brighten or darken the instruments.

All instruments can be configured in many different ways to suit playing styles and genres.

Pricing & Availability:
California Keys can be purchased and digitally downloaded for a time-limited promo price of $199.00 USD until the end of March 2018 — rising thereafter to $499.00 USD — directly from Q Up Arts.