Studio Special Keyboards

Name: Studio Special Keyboards
Price: 111 USD
Author: Vienna Symphonic Library

by Vienna Symphonic Library · Keys · Sampled harpsichord, harmonium and prepared piano

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Studio Special Keyboards by Vienna Symphonic Library

A small library with three keyboard instruments: a harpsichord, a harmonium and a prepared piano, for the Vienna Synchron Player.

Mixer and FX presets cover sounds from baroque to avant-garde, for €99 (about $112).

Best for: Keys & Synths, Acoustic Instruments, Sound Design. Genres: Jazz, Acoustic & Classical, Ambient & Cinematic.

Keywords: harpsichord, experimental, drones, textures, classic, sample-based, sound design, cinematic, film & game audio, organ.

What it does

Studio Special Keyboards is a small Vienna Symphonic Library collection of three less common keyboards, aimed at sounds "from Baroque tradition to avant-garde innovation". It pairs classic patches with FX presets for stranger textures.

Harpsichord: for Baroque and early-music parts.
Harmonium: a reed-organ sound that works for classical lines as well as drones and experimental beds.
Prepared piano: a piano with preparations, for percussive and avant-garde effects.
Classic and FX presets: natural presets alongside FX presets built for "unexpected and mysterious sounds".
Placement: mixer presets that place the instruments on the Vienna Synchron Stage, with dry and reverb options.
Size: 4,265 samples.

It runs in the Vienna Synchron Player. It is part of VSL's Studio Series Package. VSL's page doesn't mention a demo.

Source: Vienna Symphonic Library product page

When to use it

Special Keyboards is a cheap way to add three colours that the big keyboard libraries mostly skip. Compared with Keyscape and Addictive Keys, which go deep on pianos and electric keys, it covers harpsichord, harmonium and prepared piano, but with far less depth per instrument. Its FX presets also push it further into sound design than a plain early-music collection.

Best for: baroque textures, folk and drone parts on harmonium, and prepared-piano effects in film and game cues.
Genres: classical, cinematic and experimental.
Look elsewhere if: you need a deeply sampled harpsichord (VSL's Synchron Harpsichord is a fuller option) or mainstream pianos and electric pianos (Keyscape or Addictive Keys).

Where to buy

PluginFox: $111
Vienna Symphonic Library: $112.41 (Listed at €99; converted at €1 = $1.1355 (ECB rate, 29 Sep 2026))

Tutorials and reviews

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