Designed for use in cinema soundtracks, ambient soundscapes, pop productions, and other pieces of modern musical media, the Toontrack EZkeys Dream Machine is a virtual instrument and songwriting tool that is available for download. The instrument is a tweakable combination of a Rhodes Mark 7 electric piano and a celeste, though a marimba and a xylophone can also be thrown into the mix.
Both the electric piano and the celeste have been multi-sampled to retain velocity detail and sensitivity. These instruments can be used independently, but blended together, they provide various timbres suitable for modern productions. A wide array of effects are available to process these samples within each preset, including delays, reverbs, filters, equalizers, and harmonic distortion of varying types. The effects change depending on the preset.
Many features are included for those who aren’t native keyboard players, including a large MIDI library played by a session pianist, drag-and-drop MIDI phrases for placing into your DAW, a chord selector for changing chords quickly, multiple playing styles to suit many genres and more. The software is compatible with Mac and Windows computers, and operates in AAX, VST, AU, and RTAS formats. You can also open EZkeys Dream Machine as a standalone application on your computer.
- 32- and 64-bit operation in AAX, VST, AU, and RTAS platforms
- Low-latency standalone application
- Drag-and-drop MIDI included for song tracks
- Drag-and-drop support for third-party MIDI into EZkeys
- Drag-and-drop MIDI from song track or song browser to DAW or desktop
- Analyze and chord-separate MIDI in real time
- Record or overdub MIDI directly in EZkeys
- Use included, third party, or bespoke MIDI/chord progressions and transform them with playing styles found in other MIDI files
- Quickly add basic chords to the timeline or drag and drop any chord from the Chord Wheel
- Chord display lets you see what chords you are playing in real time
- Chord selector, based upon the circle of fifths, allows you to change chords instantly
- Presets for the most commonly used chord types
- Customize the coloration of any chord by opening the detailed view
- Alter the voicing of a chord on the fly by clicking the plus and minus buttons of the Chord Wheel
- Humanize any pre-quantized MIDI notes upon import in EZkeys
- Transpose individual song blocks or full songs
- Export songs or files as WAV files straight from the EZkeys interface
- Includes easy-to-understand music theory document with MIDI note examples
- Tune the instruments by octave, semitones, or cents
- Dynamics controls for velocity response
- Sustain, sostenuto, and damping pedal controls
- MIDI-learn and automation
- Ready-made presets with high-quality effects from Overloud, ranging from raw and unprocessed to heavily distorted and tweaked
- Extensive MIDI library played by a professional session pianist
- Pop/rock, soul/RnB, country, gospel, jazz, blues, boogie, and funk styles included
- All songs performed in eight-bar or longer blocks
- All songs performed with increasing intensity for intro, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, and bridge variations
- Single, rhythmical, and broken chords in different variations as well as FX and endings
- Straight/swing variations in 4/4 and 6/8
- Intuitive browser that lets you add you own favorites and arrange them in folders