A guide to layering pianos - Blog | Splice https://splice.com/blog/hyperbits-guide-to-layering-humanizing-p...

Back to Splice.com
Splice  Let your creativity flow Learn more Sign up

T U TO R I A LS Enter your email to get our newsletter JOIN

TO O LS ARTISTS

NEWS

TUTORIALS

A guide to layering pianos

34

Reddit

Illustration: Rebekka Dunlap

In the world of modern electronic music

production, it’s critical to introduce more
! " # $

© 2018 Splice.com

1 of 8 18/9/18, 7:57 pm
A guide to layering pianos - Blog | Splice https://splice.com/blog/hyperbits-guide-to-layering-humanizing-p...

productions sound flat, predictable, and even boring. But that doesn’t
Splice  Let your creativity flow Learn more Sign up
mean we have to limit our productions to only digital sounds. In fact,
using organic instruments (or at the very least, emulations of organic
instruments) is one of the best ways to generate some much needed
analog warmth in your music.

Pianos, somewhat obviously, are an extremely valuable tool for any

producer looking to create a familiar and commercially viable song.
However, we all know how hard it can be to get that organic piano
sound we all hear in professional mixes. In this post, we’re going to
demystify exactly that – how to get a professional piano sound through
proper layering, processing chains, and humanization.
8

34

Reddit

Which pianos do I choose?

With hundreds of piano libraries out there, it has never been easier to get
a great sounding piano tone without the need for a fancy studio and a
$3000 grand piano. Below is a breakdown of what we have come across
as some of the best sounding piano samplers today.

2 of 8 18/9/18, 7:57 pm
A guide to layering pianos - Blog | Splice https://splice.com/blog/hyperbits-guide-to-layering-humanizing-p...

Every piano library has something special about it and yields a specific
Splice  Let your creativity flow Learn more Sign up
tone and purpose:

The Giant: Great cinematic sound

Alicia’s Keys: Amazing pop record tone
The Grandeur: Brilliant low-end warmth
Steinway Piano: Logic’s best piano, well-rounded sound
Korg M1: Classic deep house sound
Waves Electric 88: Crazy cool Rhodes sounds
TruePianos: Perhaps one of the cleanest and organic pianos out
there
Nexus Pianos: Our favorite presets are the Ballad Grand Piano (nice
8 organic piano), the Dance Piano 2K7 (mimics Korg M1 nicely) and
Ibiza (this is essentially Avicii’s piano)

34
By no means is this list comprehensive, but that’s exactly the point –
these are our hand-selected, absolute favorite pianos. You know, the stuff
Reddit
we actually reach for every time we work on a track.

Why should we layer pianos?

Despite the fact that each of the pianos mentioned above is a solid
choice for your music, they all tend to have certain weak points as well,
such as fullness of frequency spectrum or the actual piano tone itself.
Therefore, it’s often necessary to layer multiple pianos to obtain that rich
and full modern sound.

Organic pianos
When it comes to frequency, for instance, Kontakt pianos like Alicias Keys
and the Grandeur are really frequency dependent. Alicias Keys has nice
high-mids but lacks low-end weight and power. The Grandeur has a

3 of 8 18/9/18, 7:57 pm
A guide to layering pianos - Blog | Splice https://splice.com/blog/hyperbits-guide-to-layering-humanizing-p...

tremendous low end but almost no definition in the upper register.

Splice  Let your creativity flow Learn more Sign up
Separately, these pianos usually fall a bit short, but together, they create
a lush and full spectrum of sound that can carry its weight in modern
electronic productions with little to no processing necessary.

Synthetic pianos
Nexus, Steinway, and Waves are all much more synthetic sounding than
the Kontakt pianos mentioned above. Synthetic pianos (because of their
envelope) can have significantly more attack and bite, so they are great
to use in more upbeat dance music. That said, it often helps to layer very
synthetic sounds with more organic and real tones. This layering process
creates a much fuller sound and brings a unique flavor to your pianos. In
short,
8 by layering you achieve that digital presence with an analog
warmth. And that’s a beautiful combination.

34
Layering techniques made simple
You
Reddit might be reading this and thinking, “Hey, this is great and all, but
how do we do this in practice? How do I know which 2-3 pianos I should
layer together? When do I need to do this?”

Layering pianos can be broken down into these simple methods:

Frequency splitting
Stereo spacing and panning
Compression levels

1. Frequency splitting
By determining which pianos sounds better in the lows, mids, and highs,
you can utilize that specific piano for only that frequency layer. Hesitant?
Having trouble identifying frequency bands? Try using a frequency
analyzer in addition to using your ears. This can often help you determine

4 of 8 18/9/18, 7:57 pm
A guide to layering pianos - Blog | Splice https://splice.com/blog/hyperbits-guide-to-layering-humanizing-p...

which pianos are ripe in certain frequency areas.

Splice  Let your creativity flow Learn more Sign up

2. Stereo spacing
Stereo spacing can be used to make sure your piano mix isn’t conflicting,
or worse, masking. The truth is, most piano libraries are created by
recording real pianos. When they mic and record these pianos, it’s
common to have the sound travel from left to right (or low to high).

You can take advantage of this because most pianos have the ability to
switch this direction. This means one layer could move from left to right
while the other layer does the opposite. On top of that, simple panning
can also add various benefits, like thickening a piano, making it wider, or
even
8 just creating a perceived tonal difference.

3. Compression
34
One overly compressed piano layered with a dry dynamic piano can
result in added punch and clarity. But don’t just try one of these layering
techniques,
Reddit a combination of all three is usually the way to go.

How to process these layers?

1. EQ
EQ should be used to sculpt parts of the spectrum where your pianos
could be building up in frequency content. Look for muddiness around
200-400 Hz and harshness from 2-8 kHz. On top of that, EQ can also be
used to emphasize certain sweet spots of your layers. Maybe your high-
end piano sounds nice with a 1 dB boost around 750 Hz. Try boosting it
there and then cutting the same spot in another piano layer.

2. Glue compression
In small amounts, compression can help gel multiple instruments and aid
in creating one, pumping sound. For pianos, try medium to long attack

5 of 8 18/9/18, 7:57 pm
A guide to layering pianos - Blog | Splice https://splice.com/blog/hyperbits-guide-to-layering-humanizing-p...

times and quicker release times with a softer knee to have subtle
Splice  Let your creativity flow Learn more Sign up
compression take place. No more than 2-4 dB of gain reduction with a
ratio 2:1 works well here, but don’t be afraid to experiment!

For some added coloration, attack, pop, and yes, some compression as
well – try playing with the depth knob of the OTT compressor. At the end
of the day, peanut butter is to jelly as the OTT Compressor is to pianos.

3. Reverb
One of the best ways to get your pianos to merge into one super piano is
to apply a group reverb to them. Having one quality reverb on the group
can do a nice job placing the pianos in the same space. There isn’t really
one
8 type of reverb you should use here, but make sure to experiment
with decay times and the types of reverb used.

34
How to humanize pianos?
In a digital production, your piano is only as good as how real the
Reddit
performance sounds. Try changing up the velocity of different notes in
your chord progression or melody. This will let the piano breathe a lot
more and make your composition sound much more human (if you’re a
Logic user, the Humanize function is a big help here). As a bonus, velocity
also drastically changes the tone of your piano. Experiment with lower
velocities to warm up the piano tone.

1. Note timing
If you tend to draw in MIDI notes right on the grid you might want to
change up some of the quantization of your notes. Try turning off the
grid and sliding notes early and late in time.

2. Pedals
Sustain pedals are also very valuable tools for any of you piano players

6 of 8 18/9/18, 7:57 pm
A guide to layering pianos - Blog | Splice https://splice.com/blog/hyperbits-guide-to-layering-humanizing-p...

out there. You can often assign this to the MOD wheel of most software
Splice  Let your creativity flow Learn more Sign up
pianos too! Using a sustain pedal will allow your piano part to go in and
out of longer release times and create a much more pleasant sounding
flow.

3. Release
Using release variation can really help to allow the piano samples to
shine through the mix and feel as if they were recorded and not just
sampled.

4. Delay
Adding some tasteful delay can really fill up the sound of your piano,
create
8 an amazingly rich atmosphere, and help with humanization.

Summary
34

Layering organic and synthetic pianos is truly the ultimate solution to

solving the naturally occurring faults and weak-spots we tend to find in
Reddit
most piano plugins. Hopefully this article has not only cleared up a lot of
the mystery in working with pianos, but has inspired you to tackle piano
production with some level of creativity and confidence. If you’re still
struggling to wrap your head around these concepts, check out the 35-
minute Ultimate Guide to Layering Pianos Workshop.

8 34

August 3, 2018

ARRANGEMENT MIXING PIANO

7 of 8 18/9/18, 7:57 pm
A guide to layering pianos - Blog | Splice https://splice.com/blog/hyperbits-guide-to-layering-humanizing-p...

Splice  Let your creativity flow Learn more Sign up

hyperbits
Hyperbits has done official remixes for artists like Beyonce,
Nick Jonas, Tove Lo, Neon Trees, Mako, Felix Jaehn, and Syn
Cole. He has signed record deals with Universal, Island Def
Jam, Sony, Ultra, Virgin EMI & more. He is part of over 15 Hype
Machine #1 Records, over 15 million streams across
Soundcloud, Spotify & YouTube, and is the founder and
creator of the online Hyperbits Masterclass.

! " #

1 Comment Sort by Oldest

8

Add a comment...
34

Vlasenko Volodymyr
"Look for muddiness around 2-400 Hz" - probably its should be 200-400 Hz
Reddit Like · Reply · 1y

Facebook Comments Plugin

8 of 8 18/9/18, 7:57 pm