State Machine Faded Keys

Name: State Machine Faded Keys
Price: 59 USD
Author: Cradle

by Cradle · Keys · Vintage keys instrument

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State Machine Faded Keys is a sample-based keys instrument of reimagined acoustic pianos, analog synths and digital keys spanning four decades.

It has 190 presets from more than 100 sources, plus an arpeggiator, chord generator and scale lock, for $47.20 (listed down from $59).

Best for: Keys & Synths. Genres: Lo-Fi, Hip-Hop & Trap, R&B & Soul, Pop.

Keywords: vintage, lo-fi, choir, nostalgic, analog, arpeggiator, chord generator, hardware emulation, 60s, modern, organ, preset-driven, sample-based, simple, subtractive.

What it does

Faded Keys is Cradle's State Machine keys instrument, described as "a new take on nostalgic sounds": acoustic pianos, mellotrons, analog synths and digital keys from four decades, reworked with vintage and lo-fi character.

Presets: 190 mix-ready, customisable presets, with names such as Cornish Piano, Vanilla Piano, Forest Choir, 78 Binaural, Lowered 5th Organ, Rainbow Road and Fifth Piano Arp.
Sources: more than 100 sources, including captured acoustic instruments, reimagined mellotrons and lo-fi synths, layered together within presets.
Era blending: presets mix vintage and modern layers, so a piano can sit under a worn tape choir or a digital pad.
MIDI tools: an arpeggiator, a chord generator and scale lock, plus pitch-bend handling, for playing chords and patterns from simple input.
Effects: built-in audio effects including delay and reverb for space and wash.

The current version is 1.1.0. It is also part of a bundle of all nine State Machines. A 14-day free trial is available.

Source: Cradle product page

When to use it

Faded Keys is about character rather than realism: worn, nostalgic keys and hybrid layers that sit in a beat straight away. Compared with Addictive Keys or Keyscape, it has far less depth and playing nuance as a piano, but more ready-made lo-fi colour and built-in chords and arps. Compared with Mellotron V, it covers mellotron-style tones as part of a wider mix of pianos and synth keys rather than modelling one instrument. Next to Originals Felt Piano, it is broader and more processed, while Felt Piano stays focused on one intimate sound.

Best for: dusty piano loops, nostalgic synth keys, tape-choir layers and chord beds for beats.
Genres: lo-fi, hip-hop, R&B, pop and ambient.
Look elsewhere if: you need a realistic, expressive piano (Keyscape, Addictive Keys, Pianoteq 9) or a faithful mellotron (Mellotron V).

Where to buy

Cradle: $59

Tutorials and reviews

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