Keepforest
Log InSign Up
REKA
Store
REKA

REKA

Update 1.0.1. Please re-download the Vst instrument to access the new features and improvements.Elementary Sounds
$56.00
+ applicable tax (VAT) depends on country/region

Sampled Soviet-Lithuanian Piano

REKA

Venta EM-17, Frozen In Time

A soft, fragile sound carried on a wire recorder instead of tape.

3Versions of one articulation
5Round robins per note
4Velocity layers per note
1.66 GBUncompressed
+And more

Venta EM-17●Tesla channel strip●Mosfet compressor, 1981●Studer tape recorder●MN-61 wire recorder●Soviet organola●Eurorack modules●Mono and stereo●MPE support●VST3 and AU●& more

About 500 ever builtOne patch, three versionsVST3 and AU

A digital piano that barely exists any more, recorded three times over and never once flattened into a single sound.

The Venta EM-17 was made in Lithuania in the early 1990s in a run of roughly five hundred, of which only a handful survive in playable condition. The aim was not to copy one of them into the digital world, but to augment it with a view of the years it came out of.

At a Glance

  • One articulation delivered in three separate versions, usable together or apart
  • Version one the pure sound of the instrument, through a Tesla channel strip and a Studer tape recorder
  • Versions two and three the same instrument put through an MN-61, which records onto a thin wire rather than tape
  • Mono and stereo all three versions work in both
  • No analog emulation needed the warmth and the character are already in the samples
  • One flexible patch the whole instrument sits behind a single patch

Content & Detail

01The Instrumentand how rare it is▾
What it isA digital Soviet-Lithuanian piano, the Venta EM-17
How many were madeAbout 500 in total, in the early 1990s
How many are leftOnly a handful still in good condition; one of those was recorded
The intentNot a copy of the original sound, but the original augmented with a view of its own era
02The Three Versionsand the gear behind each▾
Version 1The pure sound of the instrument: a Tesla channel strip made in Czechoslovakia, a Mosfet compressor from 1981, a good deal of vintage tube gear, final shaping on a Studer tape mastering recorder
Versions 2 and 3The same chain plus a rare Soviet MN-61, which captures sound on a very thin wire instead of tape
Why they differThe MN-61 gave an inimitable result on every pass, so the two versions carry slightly different sentiments
Using themCombine all three, or pick the one you like; all three work in mono and in stereo
03The Sound Designwhat is under the piano▾
The baseAlmost entirely the original Venta sound
The additionA rare Soviet organola, whose timbre matched the Venta closely
The atmosphereRare Soviet pedals and eurorack modules, aimed at the somewhat depressing mood of the early 90s
The resultSoft, fragile and, in a certain sense, frozen in time
04Format and Requirementsas the field states them▾
FormatsVST3 and AU
macOS10.11 and higher, with native Apple Silicon (M1) support
WindowsSupported
MPESupported
Not compatible withReason, Pro Tools and any other DAW that does not support VST3 or AU
Size856 MB compressed, 1.66 GB uncompressed

A wire recorder does not repeat itself. That is the whole reason two of the three versions exist separately instead of being averaged into one: the MN-61 gave a different result on every pass, and both results were worth keeping.

Product Information

Supported Host Application
NOT compatible with Reason, Pro Tools and any other DAWs that do not
Native Apple Silicon (M1)
Features
1 articulation in 3 versions
Custom tape designed and eurorack style sound design patches
5 RR per note
Up to 4 velocity per note
MPE support