I've managed to get some cool sounding ones finally, but I was really trying to recreate the bright & spooky keys in the intro of this song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p76UtPfpBjY ....I've noticed overall that out of all the synths and patches I have, getting these type of electronic synth keys, as well as dark hip hop pianos/arps, is the toughest part for me. I think I would use them a lot more as well. That particular sound in that video sounds like it an up and down pattern of an arp or just played that way. I like how smooth/clean it is. It sounds like it's layered, as I think I hear some sine qualities to it, but you also hear what could be a square wave maybe.

Any thoughts on this particular sound, and then any tips overall for these types of sounds and the dark hip hop keys/arps as well? Thanks!

Have you checked out SOS Synth Secrets? There is a series of articles, starting here, about synthesising a piano:

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/Oct02/articles/synthsecrets1 0.asp

You'll need to translate the various settings to "your synth" but once you get the basic sound you can make it as dark or light as needed.

Peace,
Andy.

thanks a bunch, I'll be looking at that tonight for sure....as for that particular sound, I isolated it via EQ and I noticed that the lower notes have a mallet type of layer to the attack. hmm....

also, I'm sure the piano article will be helpful with the hip hop keys question I had for sure, but I'm equally as interested in getting these other synth keys to sound good as well.

this intro has a similar synth sound http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdT-8-GMr2A