KVR Readers' Choice Awards 2021: Top 5 nominations for 'Favorite Keyboard Virtual Instrument'

By KVR Audio on September 14th, 2021

The nominations for the 2021 KVR Readers' Choice Awards are in, as voted for by the KVR community. Voting is now open so make yourself heard here.

We present to you the top 5 nominations for 'Favorite Keyboard Virtual Instrument'.

During this phase KVR members can choose their preference from the shortlist in each category (or stick with their previous selection, or choose another if they prefer, who are we to judge?) Spread the word, tell your friends, tell your enemies, tell your mum, #kvrrcas. All categories are optional. Please note that Freeware and Donationware products should not be voted for in any categories except Favorite Free Virtual Instrument and Favorite Free Virtual Effect Processor. Everyone can change their nominations / votes at any time until the voting closes.

NOTE: If the product you wish to vote for isn't in the KVR Product Database yet please contact the developer and ask them to add it.
Who won last time? Find out at kvraudio.com/2020-kvr-rca-winners

Keyscape is an extraordinary new virtual instrument featuring the largest selection of collector keyboards in the world. From "holy grail" pianos to stunning keyboards you didn't even know existed, this is a keyboardist's dream come true. Ten years in the making, each of these sought-after keyboards was carefully restored and then deeply multisampled by the Spectrasonics Sound Development Team. These compelling and highly expressive sounds will inspire you to PLAY.

The process began with going to the ends of the earth to find and restore each one of these rare and incredibly special instruments with the top technicians and expert craftsmen from each discipline. Spectrasonics even went as far as spending years redoing these instruments from scratch again and again until they were totally "right." This incredible attention to detail and meticulous care given to each instrument allowed them to develop these sounds to a whole new level of authentic tone.

While it's every performing keyboardist's dream to have the very best instruments instantly available anywhere, Keyscape is equally useful in the studio for producers and composers. Since these instruments can be easily transformed into amazing "unreal" sounds with the powerful STEAM Engine under the hood, Keyscape easily turns these coveted instruments from History into innovative new sounds of the Future.

Addictive Keys is a blend of innovative design and creative expression. Addictive Keys is slim enough to run on both stationary and laptop computers without compromising sound quality. The standalone version is perfect for spontaneous jamming and live performances and the plug-in version supports all major DAW hosts.

Addictive Keys is designed to keep the user creative by offering a collection of unique instruments packaged in an intuitive and easy to use interface. Create truly unique sounds never heard before: mix and match different microphone perspectives. Apply effects like EQ, filter, noise, compression, distortion, reverb, delay, chorus, phaser and tremolo – add advanced envelopes for filter, pitch and volume.

The online service MyCloud makes it possible to work from anywhere by automatically synchronizing presets and memos across all of your computers and allowing preset sharing with other users. The built-in memo recorder lets you record melodies and musical ideas instantly and all the session settings are stored along with the music.

No expenses have been spared in finding the right sounding instruments; the perfect sounding grand piano was found after auditioning more than ten candidates. The recordings were made using the best conditioned vintage tube microphones in studios complying with the highest demands regarding acoustics - capturing the instruments at several different perspectives, from close up with microphones next to the soundboard to far away perspective with natural room ambience. The result is a warm and vibrant sound.

Experience firsthand the signature grand piano sound of composer and pianist Nils Frahm. This is the sound of a unique concert grand – handpicked by the artist, custom intonated, and augmented with a felt damper. NI captured the piano in its native habitat – the ambient environment of Saal 3 in Berlin's renowned, Bauhaus-designed Funkhaus recording complex using vintage mics and preamps. The result is a unique, intense, and evocative instrument, with an atmosphere all of its own:

NOIRE was captured using vintage mics and preamps in the rich acoustic environment of Saal 3 in Funkhaus Berlin and offers pure and felt preparation versions of the 9' concert grand piano. Quickly customize the sound from any page of the interface and dive deeper into advanced customization options to fine-tune your sound.

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Pianoteq 7 is an award-winning virtual instrument that can be used both in standalone mode and as an instrument plug-in. What makes Pianoteq different from other virtual instruments is that the instruments are physically modelled and thus can simulate the playability and complex behaviour of real acoustic instruments. By omitting usage of samples, the file size is a tiny fraction of that offered by other virtual instruments, and perfect for use on any modern laptop or desktop computer.

Steinway & Sons have approved the sound and playability of the Pianoteq virtual instruments Steinway Model D and Steinway Model B, which have gained from the refined physical model. These magnificent virtual grand pianos will appeal to all musicians in search of the most famous piano sound signature.

This major upgrade also adds compatibility with the VST3 format (in addition to VST2 format) and the ARM architecture (Linux version only, for example on Raspberry Pi 3 boards). The tuning section has become even more advanced with new tools, and the standalone version now offers a MIDI playlist, an improved MIDI archive and can export audio to FLAC and MP3 formats, in addition to WAV.

Lounge Lizard EP-4 is an electric piano plug-in delivering authentic Rhodes and Wurlitzer sounds in an everything-you-need package.

Over 240 inspiring presets covering the Rhodes and Wurlitzer sounds popularized by legends, custom electric pianos, classic track sounds, and wild experimentation. The factory library covers about every electric piano need and more. Direct access to key effect and piano parameters to perfectly match the tone to your performance. Play your piano through different cabinet, pre-amp, microphone, and recorder signal paths typically used with electric pianos.

Hammer, tone, tine, pickup—Lounge Lizard is built around the modeling of real piano components. Custom pianos can be created with just a few tweaks, a job that took hours of painstaking work on real-life instruments. The factory library is filled with carefully designed pianos but you will have fun servicing your own.