Klavier (Hybrid Pianos for Kontakt Player)

Two top-quality hybrid pianos in one instrument, for the ultimate in depth and versatility. Gravitas morphs between an orchestral grand and a synthetic piano engineered by top sound designers, while Red Planet layers in electric guitar for out-of-this-world tones.

Lush, spacious, and rich in tone, Klavier is a versatile, top-quality hybrid and underscore piano instrument that is incredibly easy to use. At the core of Klavier, we have two instruments: The first, our Gravitas Piano, allows you to morph between a deeply sampled orchestral grand piano, and synthetic piano sound design created by some of the top trailer composers and sound designers out there. The second, our Red Planet Piano, allows you to morph between our deeply sampled orchestral grand and electric guitar sound design layers. With this wide range of sonic possibilities, Klavier serves as an incredibly useful instrument for a wide range of music.

AUDIO IMPERIA's “Klavier" is the first instrument in our new “Private Stock Instruments” series. Originally intended as a private sample library for a group of trailer composers, the two instruments in this series combine the very best of the worlds of raw/organic recordings and post-production/sound design. The goal throughout the whole project was to start with the user experience and the raw sound and to work our way backwards to a final product that is both versatile and instantly inspiring.

The Gravitas Piano was designed specifically for trailer music. A piano that can cut through in a big and epic mix, yet still retain a lot of warmth and depth. To achieve this, we used a set of six stereo microphones and then combined these with their corresponding sound-designed (“Synthetic”) counterparts in post production.

Organic Piano: Yamaha Baby Grand Piano

• 2x Brauner Phantom Classic Front End Audio Microphones (above the piano)
• 2x DPA 4011A Cardioid Microphones (below the piano)
• 2x Neumann KM184 Small-diaphragm Cardioid Condenser Microphones (above the keys, one on each side of the player)
• 2x Neumann U87 Large-diaphragm Condenser Microphones (inside the lid)
• 2x Coles 4038 Ribbon Microphones (inside the lid)
• 2x Earthworks QTC40 Small-diaphragm Omnidirectional Condenser Microphones (room)

The Gravitas Piano comes with 35 “Synthetic” presets, made by some of the best producers in the trailer industry. These “Synthetic” presets can be accessed via the preset control on the “Synthetic” side of the piano. The “Organic” piano offers both Sustained and Staccato articulations. All of the “Synthetic” presets were made using the original samples from the “Organic” piano. No synthesizers or other instruments were used, just pure sound manipulation and sound design.

• Attila Áts
• Bryan Leach
• Danny Cocke
• Jeremiah Pena
• Joshua Crispin aka Generdyn
• Paul Ortiz aka Chimp Spanner

"Klavier Gravitas Piano and Red Planet Piano are absolutely gorgeous. Very strong and intimate but also powerful with deep rich ambiances and luscious trails. A classic, natural sounding piano with fantastic effects and a very clean and easy interface, thanks Audio Imperia for such a beautiful instrument." Rod Abernethy - Composer: Rage, Deadspace

Red Planet Piano (Piano meets Electric Guitar).

The “Red Planet Piano” was heavily inspired by the movie adaptation of Andy Weir’s “The Martian”. Harry Gregson-Williams' score is absolutely amazing and inspired us to create an “outer space” version of the Klavier. 

The Red Planet Piano shares the same organic sample pool used for the Gravitas Piano. But to get that particular “outer space” electric guitar sound, we created a number of complex guitar sounds. They are designed to match that lush and wide sound that you need to evoke that feeling of depth and space. This, combined with the organic piano, creates a truly unique sound.