AAS’ Lounge Lizard EP-5 refreshes one of the definitive electric keyboards in software with a redesigned physical modeling core for tine and reed instruments. What sets this particular plug-in apart is deep modeling and diverse presets, which can take the instrument way beyond the lounge. Yes, it can be an accurate electric keyboard, but it can also imagine new keyboard instrument sounds that you’ve never heard before.
Lounge Lizard was revolutionary when it arrived 20 years ago, by unveiling a fully tweakable physical modeling engine under the hood. But you’d be forgiven for losing track of this instrument as other options crowded the space. EP-5 is worth a look again because of its new engines:
- Redesigned physical modeling core, which AAS says looks at authenticity across tone, dynamics, and response
- Dual synthesis engine with independent models for tine-based and reed-based pianos
- A new, scalable UI for each engine (and this finally looks a bit more modern)
- Improved browser with search (as we’ve seen elsewhere in the AAS range)
One little quirk of the UI is that you can’t directly swap between engines–you have to choose an associated preset. But once you’re there, you get a load of options, particularly when you enter Expert mode:
The well-equipped effects section also hides a lot of advanced options. What looks like a plain-vanilla effects assortment belies a deep range of effects combinations and details, similar to the effects in other AAS instruments.
You can also easily change routing order with arrows along the bottom (from the main screen), or pull up all effects at once:
And there are just a ton, a ton of presets. The combination of reed and tine models plus the preset collection, even before you add AAS’ packs, covers a range of conventional and experimental sounds that I haven’t seen from any other maker. That includes sounds from AAS’ sound design team and people like industry legend Jerry Kovarsky, known both for his time at Yamaha and product manager years at KORG. (At KORG, think Triton, M3, Kronos, and I think I was one of the first to see his Oasys demo. See NAMM’s interview.)
Modeling details and experimentation
Now, maybe, like me, having an electric piano plug-in as a unitasker isn’t enough; you want to push this to the edge. So here, Lounge Lizard becomes even more interesting because it’s the rare instrument that lets you tweak each sound way past normal parameter ranges, effectively inventing unlikely or impossible keyboard instruments. (See also: Modartt Pianoteq, which, among lots of common and archaic pianos and historical instruments, also does the Hohner.) You could also go this direction with AAS’ Chromaphone instead, but this is a genuinely different engine, and it’s surprisingly addictive. (Maybe AAS will someday make some new mega-physical modeling instrument that does it all!)
I decided to go in an experimental direction with a couple of original patches and playing, just to see how I could push the engine. These are intended to be realistic anymore, but they produce something that still sounds and feels like it could exist, even if it doesn’t. I was playing this on an Ableton Push 3 and found each tiny difference in velocity and note combination would make the synth respond like a real-world instrument, with tons of details in articulation.
I have to say, too, the thing you won’t get from any video demo is how responsive this engine is. The physical model just responds like an actual electro-acoustic/electro-mechanical thing.
AAS shared some notes with CDM on why this sounds the way it does.
The modeling takes into account the different parts of the fork and their coupling, resulting in more complex attacks and very natural envelopes for the various harmonics and overall sound. We also now
have a dedicated engine for Reed-based pianos, which makes a big difference whereas in Lounge Lizard EP-4, reed-based sounds were kind of secondary with respect to tine-based pianos. Overall, the instrument is now richer and more expressive. Our ultimate goal with physical modeling is to create instruments that feel like real ones and in the case of the electric piano, this approach works really well.
The attack articulations are fantastic – maybe some of the best I’ve heard. If I’m missing anything, it’s the distinctive sound of the release of each key. That’s where there is some fierce competition in this marketing, including recently from Rhodes themselves.
Conclusions
There are some MIDI features you might expect to find that aren’t here. Leaving out velocity curves feels like an oversight, though to be honest, anyone serious about playing probably has a keyboard that can easily manage that. I realize it doesn’t entirely make sense on a piano, but with all these parameters in the engine, I wish I had access to MPE and poly aftertouch. (MPE pitch control would also let this instrument work with Ableton Live tuning systems, though you can import Scala files.) In the end, you probably don’t need it; the velocity sensitivity of the two engines is outstanding.
Look, if you have something like Arturia’s Stage-73 V or Velvet or Rhodes’ own official plug-in or the MODARTTÂ Electric Pianos Instrument Pack for Pianoteq already, and it suits your needs, I expect you don’t need another electric piano. But I will say, I don’t think any plug-in right now can match the range and depth of Lounge Lizard EP-5, either its engine or the sound library.
This isn’t necessarily to say that it’ll be your favorite electric piano; others might well feel more playable or authentic depending on your needs and tastes. But the open-ended modeling here lets you invent new instruments. And some of the details here are just extraordinary. So sure, there’s a reason why many competitors have chosen sampled or hybrid sampled-modeled approaches, but it’s great to see the latest salvo from the school of the all-modeled folks.
And yes, I’m personally biased in that I love that modeled approach and its possibilities. I might pick the Modartt if I wanted the synth to double as a modeled piano or needed Linux support, but for a detailed electric piano, I’d look hard at the AAS option at the beginning of my list. The original modeled instrument is back on top.
On sale now:
Lounge Lizard at Plugin Boutique
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