Yo, ever since I bought Motu BPM I’ve been more interested in the sounds available from Motu and UVI.
Probably because they can all be opened in BPM, either way, I’ve been checking them out.
So far so good.
Today I’m checking out one of Motu’s instruments, dedicated to electric keyboard sounds.
The name of the product is simply “Electric Keys”, of course I love a dope EP so this sparked my interest even more.
Let’s check it out
So what is Electric Keys?
It’s like a buffet of electronic keyboard sounds and devices.
Despite what many may think at first (myself included) Electric Keys is not just about being another Rhodes or Wurly library….
Basically what you have is a “who’s who” of electric keyboard instruments.
Names like Roland, Yamaha, Korg, Hammond, Wurlitzer, Fafrisa, Mellotron, Moog, and Hohner should give you an idea of what to expect
And just in case you were wondering, these are all sampled in 24 bit, 96Khz, multi sample goodness
It’s a library of electric sounds broken into several major categories
Classic electric pianos, classic electric organs, electro-mechanical keyboards, funky clavs, Japanese CPianos, keyboard bass, rare & bonus keyboards, string machines, tape sampler, reed electric pianos, the B electric organ.
Quick Specs
- content: 40gb of 24bit multi samples
- format: vst, au, rtas, mas, dxi, mach 5, uvi workstation, motu bpm
- price: $279.99
How does it sound?
As you know, specs mean NOTHING if a product doesn’t sound good. Luckily for the end user, Motu specs match the sound quality so you won’t be let down at all.
What I noticed at first playing with this, is that the sounds are very dynamic and “authentic”. Meaning an old 1960’s organ sounds like it should, not extra hi-fi. Same for old string machines…they sounds as cheesy as ever!
Each category was recorded in a way to capture the actual feel of the instrument. Some of the organs actually had the sound of the mechanical parts of the instrument in there.
With a library as diverse as this, covering so many different areas, you’d expect there to be some overlap, maybe an organ that sounds like the Wurly, or the Wurly that sounds pretty much the same as the Rhodes with just a different fx on it…not true.
These instruments could have been instruments on their own. Meaning…you could have broken down each category, and sold it as it’s own product, and folks wouldn’t be disappointed. Despite how vintage these instruments are, the recording and quality is still top notch.
I haven’t even talked about the fx engine, which allows you to take your sounds to a whole new level instantly. Everything from slight reverb to weird flanged-out chorus type multi fx…basic and usable to insane and wacky.
But it all works.
Not to mention the quick controls on the front panel of the instrument that let you quickly adjust things like bass, mid, treble and drive, or add tremelo while adjusting the depth and speed.
The sound is really good, think the fact that there are so many different categories represented, with so many different types of electric keyboards, really adds to the sound quality.
As you can tell, I like the sound and playability of the instruments, as well as how true they are to the instruments themselves. You get the smooth mellow sounds of Rhodes right next to the bite of a B3, followed by the cheesy and synthetic sound of a random string machine.
What’s the bottom line?
It’s easy to see how someone can become a fan of the Motu products, honestly, I wasn’t paying much attention until I got bpm and wanted to expand it. Knowing it could read all of the Motu instruments was definitely a plus in the decision to get it.
The interface of Electric Keys is simple but very nice, I need a good interface on my software, sorry…if it’s ugly I can’t use it. Call me superficial if you must but I HATE ugly software.
The fact that you can load these up in your daw on their own, as well as in Mach 5, UVI Workstation (free) or Motu’s BPM just makes it more flexible.
The sound quality is just flat out good, and usable…even without adding any fx. Many vintage key lovers will instantly recognize many of their favorite sounds and instruments, which could possible provoke inadvertent “old school” jam sessions…..that’s a good thing though
I really could find nothing wrong with this library, it really delivered above and beyond my expectations, I’m an EP fanatic, but the fact that you get multiple types of electric instruments in one library is like getting two prizes in the cereal box…just makes for a great day
Electric Keys without a doubt in my mind gets 5 out of 5 subs. Like I said, what impressed me even more than the sound quality is the diversity of sounds in here.
Good stuff man!
You can read up on all the instruments and the library over at Motu’s website: Electric Keys- vintage electric keyboard instrument
Check out their demos and such. I don’t think you can purchase directly from their website, but you can get it from some of your favorite online retailers.
let me know what you think…leave a comment below
YES Im grabiin this I knew it was dope.
@BDrake, no doubt fam lol, thanks for checking it. I was sleeping on Motu, surprise more folks aren’t talkin about their stuff yo lol.
So I can use it with FL Studio) Cool stuff!)
@Slayer090293, yessir!
I see you are really getting into the Motu stuff man. They have some dope software & 3rd party development is tight. I can’t wait until you review Machfive 2. I’m thinking about picking that one up.
btw, for anyone that has more than one computer and are tired of swapping dongles & software protection devices can use a peripheral switch.
I just got a Belkin 4X4 USB Peripheral Switch which allows me to share four USB devices with up to four computers. Now I can switch back and forth from one PC to another by just pressing a button.
Should be a big help to people with multiple computers.
@Madbull Studios, I am really digging the motu stuff man!
Good tip on the usb switch thing too!
I had a feeling you were gonna give this a favorable review based on your initial impressions of it. Thanks again for the clarification on the the UVI/MOTU libraries’ content. I think this set would give me a little more than the UVI Retro Keys bundle, and I like that it has it’s own GUI as a VST. I agree man, the GUI doesn’t make or break a product, but the amount of time you end up staring it, it’s cool to have a clean well rendered one.
@Metatron72, yeah bro, I really liked it, it’s very deep and sounds good. I like the variety, and that I can load it up as it’s own instrument, outside of the uvi workstation unlike the uvi libraries.
I’m very much an interface person, I just can’t use something that I don’t think looks good, it doesn’t inspire me lol.
What are the specs on your computer? I’ve read that some of Motu libraries/VSTs (as well as other companies) are/can be very CPU/RAM intensive. And how do you think the Rhodes compare to NI’s Scarbee Rhodes? I mostly am interested in great Rhodes sounds and can certainly live with any of the organs and other random electric pianos I have in my Motif or EMU libraries. Lastly, have you tried to use BPM as a VST in a DAW like Studio One or Logic…I’ve read of people having little to no issues using this standalone but what about as a VST inside another program?
@Bruce Ferraudi, core i7, 12gb ram, it’s not really bad on cpu at all that I can tell. If you just want rhodes, I still think Scarbee is my favorite, I just love the tone of it, but this here is more than about rhodes and I like it as well.
But yes if all you want it rhodes, I’d still go with Scarbee.
Thanks for the feedback brother…what you have there is a supercomputer my friend-a freakin spaceship of a machine-especially relative to my modest core 2 duo 2gb ram gateway…personally I cringe a little when I think about having to spend money on computers/computer parts but I realize that they can play a very critical role in some setups…Id rather drop that kinda bread on a Moog or an SE1X and get by with my slightly dated gateway…in fact if it wasnt for the gateway being handed down I would still be rockin an old dell p4 2.8 with a gig of ram…life is full of compromises and choices…have a great one
@bruce ferraudi, I traded in my racks and hardware for software so it’s gotta be powerful lol. I feel you though! Nothing like turning the knobs on a Moog!
Now they are sampling keyboards?
Shaking my head at today’s computer-based musicians. These software companies are making a complete mockery of instrument manufacturers. I am beginning to lose respect for instrument manufaturers who allow virtual copies of their hardware to be made into software pacakages.
When will we realize that we only hurt the craft and the beauty of music by going into soulless digital sound?
@Yadgyu, the truth of the matter is this…you would have no idea when listening to a song if it was made with a virtual instrument or not, neither would most people. Alicia Keys recorded the piano parts on her last album with a digital copy of her own piano that she now sells, in her hands, you can tell no difference and no one would have known had they not put it out there.
Tools are just tools, the creation made with those tools is up to the individual.
nc tools i like it very good
@gkmc, cool, thanks for watching.
very good review once again man, I was waiting for someone to do a solid review on this.
Im still really tossing up between this and NI’s Scarbee rhodes one…
To tell the truth in my opinion from the sounds ive heard by both manufacturers i actually prefer the MOTU.
however im learning alot more about other out there. I will get back to u on this as time tells.
@yadgyu, man ud be surprised just how good software is becomming. i mean you cant compare to a real rhodes. but look at things like nord, they are just a software based chip inside hardware controller all in 1. software really is taking things to new levels. software can sometimes even be more tweakable and offer alot more than the hardware counterparts. i cant tell the difference with some software copies these days…
but i guess different opinions as always, im open to that hey
@yaren, yo, to be honest I LOVE the Scarbee Rhodes…that said, I find myself using the MOTU more often, it’s really my “go to” EP instrument, it’s just something about the way it sits in with the other sounds and instruments I use. I really love the tone of this one and it is quickly becoming my favorite EP. Some may argue but for me it just comes down to the tone and how it plays, and for me and the music I like to make, MOTU usually wins.
I like the scarbee a lot, really great sound, but I find myself using this one way more than any other…it has more of an “organic” sound in my opinion, not as pristine, a lil more smooth and silky to my ears.
what fam i have ? if you could help me please / i have motu bpm sync to logic but cant seem to rec. the midi data on the tracks what out puts do i use or what am i doing wrong
@kreativmindz, not sure, I don’t use logic.