Session Keys Grand Y Kontakt piano instrument interface by e-instruments

Session Keys Grand Y: Yamaha Concert Grand Piano Kontakt Instrument

Rated 4.7/5 on Plugin Boutique (63 ratings)

Session Keys Grand Y is a Kontakt piano instrument from e-instruments that uses samples of a Yamaha CFIIIS Concert Grand. It offers two sound banks, Studio and Concert, plus a Pentamorph sound control and an Animator for piano phrases.

REQUIRESKontaktHost player sold separately

KontaktWindowsmacOS64-bit

AVAILABLE ATPlugin Boutique

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01Overview

Session Keys Grand Y is built around a Yamaha CFIIIS Concert Grand piano. The developer describes its sound as clear, transparent and dynamic, with rich overtones, bright highs and a strong bass. The instrument was recorded with the lid open and with the lid removed, using separate miking techniques. That produced two distinct sample sets that you can switch between depending on the style of your track.

Best for

Pop piano parts
Classic-style piano recordings
Chord idea generation
Atmospheric piano textures
Riff and phrase sketching

Developer: e-instruments
Category: Kontakt Instruments
Requires: Kontakt
Store: Plugin Boutique

02Key features

What you get

Sampled from a Yamaha CFIIIS Concert Grand piano
Two separate sound banks: Studio and Concert
Pentamorph knob transforms the whole sound with one control
Animator with more than 400 flexible piano phrases
Smart Chord function for chords from single keys or pads
Native Instruments NKS compatible
Lossless sample compression, 10.2 GB full or 4.35 GB compressed
24-bit, 44.1 kHz sample format

03In depth

Two Sound Banks and Piano Character

The instrument includes two separate sound banks. The Concert bank uses the open-lid recordings, which the developer associates with classic recordings. The Studio bank uses the lid-removed recordings and is aimed at popular music productions.

Because the two banks come from different miking setups, switching between them changes the sonic perspective, not just the tone. This makes it easy to audition both options for a single part without reloading the instrument.

The Pentamorph control is a single knob that moves the whole sound from a normal piano toward atmospheric and mechanical textures and back again.

Animator and Smart Chord Workflow

The Animator provides more than 400 flexible piano phrases that follow the harmonies you play. Pitch bend and modulation wheels adjust how complex the phrases become and how strongly they respond to your input.

Smart Chord mode lets you play full chords or Animator riffs from single keys or pads. You set the key of your song and the instrument builds the harmonies around it, which helps when you need chord ideas quickly.

04Specs

Will it run?

Formats, systems and requirements as listed by Plugin Boutique. Missing details are left out, not guessed.

Developer	e-instruments
Type	Plugin
Category	Kontakt Instrument
Requires	Kontakt
Formats	Kontakt
Operating systems	Windows, macOS
Architecture	64-bit

05FAQ

Questions, answered

What do I need to use Session Keys Grand Y?

Session Keys Grand Y is a Kontakt instrument and requires Kontakt. It is compatible with the free Kontakt 5 Player or Kontakt 5 version 5.5.1 or higher.

Which operating systems does Session Keys Grand Y support?

The listed system requirements cover Windows 7, 8.1 and 10 (32-bit and 64-bit) and macOS X 10.9 or later. Both require at least 4 GB of RAM and an Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon 64 processor.

What is the difference between the Concert and Studio banks?

The Concert bank uses recordings made with the piano's lid open and is described as favored in classic recordings. The Studio bank uses recordings made with the lid removed and is intended for popular music applications.