EP-1

Name: EP-1
Price: 149 USD
Author: KORG

by KORG · Keys · Electric piano modeling instrument

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EP-1 is KORG's electric piano plugin, built on its Multi-Dimensional Synthesis (MDS) engine and covering seven classic vintage electric piano models.

It includes 50 sounds and three insert effects plus reverb, for $149; a free trial is available.

Best for: Keys & Synths. Genres: R&B & Soul, Jazz, Acoustic & Classical, Pop, Lo-Fi.

Keywords: electric piano, vintage, classic, smooth, 70s, 80s, lo-fi, modulation matrix, sample-based.

What it does

EP-1 is KORG's electric piano instrument, built on its MDS (Multi-Dimensional Synthesis) engine. It covers "seven carefully selected classic vintage electric piano models" from the 1970s and 1980s, both tine and reed types, and aims for expression that plain sample playback can't give.

MDS engine: handles the pitched tone and the noise parts of the sound separately, so the tone changes smoothly with key touch instead of jumping between velocity layers.
Piano models: seven vintage models in one plugin, covering both tine-style and reed-style electric pianos.
Touch response: responds to key velocity and release velocity.
Sounds: 50 presets that reinterpret classic electric piano tones, each with a mod wheel change built in.
Effects: three insert slots plus a dedicated reverb slot, drawing on 31 effect types, from vintage pedals, guitar amps and tape delay to reverse delay and shimmer reverb.
Control: a mod matrix for aftertouch and velocity, and MIDI learn for mapping parameters to hardware knobs.

A free demo is available; it runs in 20-minute sessions and can't save programs.

Source: KORG product page

When to use it

EP-1 is the pick for vintage electric piano parts that respond smoothly to touch from a small, focused plugin. Compared with Keyscape and Addictive Keys, it covers only electric pianos and has no acoustic grands, but it models the tone instead of switching between sample layers. Pianoteq 9 also models its instruments and goes deeper on tweaking the physics; EP-1 is simpler, with a preset-led workflow and a ready set of amp, pedal and reverb effects. Against Waves Electric 88 Piano, which focuses on one instrument, EP-1 gives seven models in one place.

Best for: tine- and reed-style electric piano parts, chords, comping and soulful keys.
Genres: R&B, soul, jazz, funk, pop and lo-fi.
Look elsewhere if: you want acoustic pianos and other keys in the same plugin; Keyscape or Addictive Keys are broader.

Where to buy

Plugin Boutique: $149

Tutorials and reviews

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