Vapor Keys by Karanyi Sounds synth plugin interface

Vapor Keys: Electric Piano and FM Synth Plugin by Karanyi Sounds

Rated 4.5/5 on Plugin Boutique (617 ratings)

Vapor Keys is an instrument plugin by Karanyi Sounds that combines electric piano and FM and wavetable synth sounds inspired by the 1990s. It is available in VST3 and AU formats for Windows and macOS.

VST3AUWindowsmacOS64-bit

AVAILABLE ATPlugin Boutique

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01Overview

Vapor Keys is built around a 2+1 layer synth engine. You can combine traditional electric key sounds with additional synth sublayers, then shape the result with a streamlined set of MIDI-learnable controls. The instrument includes 40+ factory presets. The developer describes its sounds as sampled from legendary instruments and processed through custom effects, including the Ethos reverb and the Dimension MK2 DSP effect, plus a Smart Randomizer for generating unexpected variations.

Best for

Retro electric piano parts
Ambient pads and textures
Cinematic soundscapes
Lush melodic keys
Dark, moody sound design

Developer: Karanyi Sounds
Category: Synths
Store: Plugin Boutique

02Key features

What you get

40+ factory presets
Studio-grade sounds from legendary instruments
Three sound layers with per-layer volume, tune, octave and tone EQ
Streamlined controls, all MIDI-learnable
Tremolo and Wow modulators
Vapor Dimension MK2 with 19 DSP algorithms
Ethos reverb with 24 algorithms
Dry/wet and in/out gain on each effect
Smart Randomizer with per-section and full randomization

03In depth

Sound Character and Layering

Karanyi Sounds describes Vapor Keys as a blend of custom electric pianos and FM and wavetable synth patches. The source sounds include iconic instruments such as the Yamaha DX7 and Arturia MicroFreak, recorded through hardware processing such as a Neve 1073 preamp and Studer A800 tape machine.

The instrument uses three sound layers. Each layer has its own volume, fine tune, octave and tone EQ controls, so you can build a single key sound or stack several textures. A Tremolo modulator and a Wow modulator add movement, including the VHS-style wobble the developer highlights.

Effects and Smart Randomizer

The effect rack includes Vapor Dimension MK2, with 19 DSP algorithms built for the instrument, and Ethos, a reverb with 24 algorithms aimed at ambient and cinematic textures. Each effect has in and out gain and a dry/wet control, and effect presets help you dial in a starting point quickly.

The Smart Randomizer can generate random instrument sources, random sound controls such as ADSR and modulators, random settings for the two effect modules, and a Surprise option that randomizes everything at once.

04Specs

Will it run?

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

Developer	Karanyi Sounds
Type	Plugin
Category	Synth
Formats	VST3, AU
Operating systems	Windows, macOS
Architecture	64-bit

05FAQ

Questions, answered

Which formats and operating systems does Vapor Keys support?

Vapor Keys is available in VST3 and AU formats, in 64-bit versions for Windows and macOS.

What do I need to run Vapor Keys?

On macOS, the developer recommends OS X 10.11 or higher, with 8 GB of RAM recommended and 4 GB as the minimum. On Windows, it requires Windows 7 or higher and a 2 GHz CPU with at least four cores. Both platforms need a 64-bit DAW and 100 MB of free disk space.

Can I control Vapor Keys with a MIDI controller?

Yes. The streamlined control set is MIDI-learnable, so you can assign hardware knobs and faders to the main parameters.

What is the Smart Randomizer in Vapor Keys?

It is a set of controls that generate random variations. You can randomize instrument sources, sound controls such as ADSR and modulators, effect settings, or everything at once with the Surprise option.