Classicord Review: The Only Classic Piano Plugin You’ll Ever Need?

Priced at just 39 USD, the Stereo 7 Audio Classicord piano Kontact library plugin boasts a harmonious emulation of the revered grand piano. While it’s just one piano type, the unique pricing point and the variety of classic piano tones may make it a staple in your sound library. 

Producting Low-Fi, hip-hop, or just addicted to vintage sounding piano? Read more to find out if Classicord strikes the right chord for you!

Quick Verdict: Is Stereo 7 Audio Classicord Piano Worth It?

Classicord is for you if:

• You need beautiful, realistic classic piano sounds out of the box
• You don’t want to fork hundreds into the most popular piano libraries (looking at you Keyscape)
• You value simplicity & user friendliness over control

It’s not for you if:

• You are a sound designer: you like spending hours on fine-tuned controls like ADSR to shape the perfect sounding chords
• You want everything in one place: EQ, filters etc.

Background

Classicord is a sampled-based Kontact library plugin that recreates the sound of a classical grand piano. Released in 2023, it’s a kind of new kid on the block in the (very!) crowded virtual pianos landscape. Stereo 7 Audio’s key selling points are an “aggressive” price point for a paid library at just 39$ (vs the $100+ average) and simplicity so you can focus on your melody and chord progression design.

Classicord Piano Features & How It Sounds

With just 6 control settings all on the main screen,  it’s very easy to produce classical and vintage sounding piano parts with Classicord. The plugin adds a touch of classic sophistication and elegance to your compositions with adjustable velocity curves.

All features of the plugin are designed to emulate a typical vintage characteristic and apply it to the sound. However, an additional plugin to add some distortion or overdrive to your piano sound may be recommended.

These are simple piano pieces. Notice how plain the tunes are, there are no effects, no eq and no changes done to it. This is the DRY files we will be using throughout for the rest of the review.

Classicord  has 8 controls: 

1. Age
2. Noise
3. Reverb
4. Stereo
5. Amp
6. Detune
7. Microphone
8. Sustain Pedal

1. Age 

Definitely Classicord’s most distinctive feature with the most amount of attack, resonance, and impact within the plugin. The Age knob simulates piano aging and degradation, adding vintage charm to the sound. It adds imperfections like frequency response variations and harmonic distortion. 

This feature is particularly beneficial for lo-fi, classic hip-hop and vintage-inspired works, helping to find the right aging and character balance and adding a “cozy” feeling.

You can hear a few low notes along with a light crackling noise in the back. This is a realistic the emulation of an aging piano being detuned over time and the hammers of the piano start to produce noise.

2. Noise

This simulates piano aging defects from its hammers, strings, bridges, and soundboard due to due to wear and tear, dust, humidity, and temperature. Resulting in hiss and background noise, bringing the warmth and charm of real vintage grand piano. 

3. Reverb Knob

4 Presets, and a DRY/WET control. 

Spring Reverb: 

Mechanical reverb uses springs to create reverberation. Vintage Piano amplifiers employed it to produce a “boingy” or “twangy” sound. Spring reverb, with its short decay period, adds space and depth.

You can notice how the piano sounds more spacious, energetic, and old, like playing in a vast hall with echoes. The lows are more pronounced and it gives a warm texture to the piano.

Plate Reverb

Plate Reverb uses a huge metal plate to create reverberation. Sound is made by vibrating the plate and recording reflections. Plate reverb decays more naturally than spring reverb. Recording studios utilize it to enhance lushness and depth to instruments and vocals. 

The piano sounds more spacious, bright, and distinct, like playing in a massive metal case & creating a high and even echo density. Piano notes get a shimmering character through plate reverb.

Room Reverb 

Use the room reverb by setting it above 60% for solo pieces of a contemplative nature. Setting it below 25% can add a nice sheen to your piano sound in a jazz context.

Hall Reverb

Church Reverb

Classicord’s church reverb is configured with a decay time of around 3.5-4 seconds (the time it takes for the reverberated sound to decrease in amplitude by 60 decibels after the original sound has stopped). It seems seems to use high-frequency damping, which helps creating a mid-heavy sound that isn’t too bright.

4. Stereo Knob

Regulates piano sound stereo image width. It simulates playing a piano at different angles and positions relative to the listener. A greater value makes the music more wide and immersive, while a lower number centers it.

5. Amp 

The amp knob here is at 60% , it simulates an amplifier boosting the sound and changing its tone or timbre. You can hear a distinct change in the colour of the tone and as soon as you crank it up to 90%, there’s a hint of distortion due to clipping.

6. Detune Knob

You can create a faint chorus or phasing effect with the detune function of the Classicord plugin. This function enables you to slightly alter the pitch of the piano sound. 

It does this by imitating the effect of a piano that has been played out of tune, which can give the sound more personality and warmth. You may alter the sound of your piano by adjusting the detune knob to achieve a variety of different amounts of pitch variance.

Here we’ve tried 3 different knob settings. Each adds a different colour to the notes being played. 

• At 25% , you can hear a slight  yet effective warble  in solo piano sections.
• At 50% the warble is much more intense but the deviation from the original pitch is evident. This is perfect for having other instruments accompanying the piano or to give a unique texture to it. 
• At 75% , it creates a noticeable dissonance and slight instability. This will be good for supporting other instruments, while retaining the structure of the piano piece & giving it a nice “Phat” colour.

7. Microphone

We assume these are 4 different types of microphones: Ribbon, Vintage Condenser, Dynamic & Tube. They way these sound we understand them as sort of EQ presets.

Ribbon Microphone: 

This microphone reproduces the sound of antique ribbon microphones, which are known for their smooth, natural response and frequent use in recording singers and instruments.  

They also help isolate the piano sound, reducing bleed and room reflections. Quality varies by model and manufacturer, so choose the microphone that best suits the sound and recording setting.

This is the DRY track that we have been using so far in earlier examples. We can observe natural, warm and smooth transients without harshness, and the subtleties are intact. It has a fair balance between the lows and highs, although the lows sound well rounded.

Vintage Condenser

This microphone reproduces the warm, detailed tones of vintage condenser microphones that were common in the 1960s and 1970s.

With the Vintage condenser we can observe better frequency response which makes the tone brighter without any harshness. This is due to the better transient response of the attack on each note . It has a perfect balance between the lows and highs

Dynamic Microphone: 

Mimics the sound of dynamic microphones, which are renowned for their endurance and propensity to withstand loud noise levels.

The Dynamic Microphone setting of Classicord does not seem to be at par with the other mic settings as it seems to just overpower the lows. However, due to its lower frequency range compared to a condenser, it may work well if tracked parallelly with a dry audio track, giving the mix a nicer balance.

Tube Microphone: 

Simulates the warm, rich tones of tube (valve) microphones. 

Here we can hear a nice, warm and rich tone. We hear a hint of distortion and saturation for a more colourful and expressive texture with more highs this time while retaining the warmth of the earlier piano piece. 

8. Sustain pedal

When you push the sustain pedal on a genuine grand piano, the dampers are lifted, releasing the strings to freely vibrate. 

This effect here is mildly replicated. You may alter the sustain knob to give your piano sound various levels of resonance and decay.

What Does My System Need To Run Classicord? 

Mac:

•  macOS 10.14+
• 64-bit Intel/Apple Processor.
• 4GB RAM
• 700 MB Disk Space

Windows:

•  Windows 10+
• 64-bit
• Intel Core 2 Duo 2GHz Processor
• 4GB RAM
• 700MB Disk Space

What Are Others Saying About The Stereo 7 Audio Classicord?

Whatever reviews we came across online praised the Classicord’s classical approach to the piano sound. Many appreciate the realistic grand piano tone with its precise sampling and slick programming, allowing users to produce stunning tunes in any style.

Here is how Classicord sounds in a full composition:

How Does The Stereo 7 Audio Classicord Piano Stand Up To The Competition?

Studio 7 Classicord faces a lot of competition from free plugins such as Keyzone and Spitfire Audio to paid ones like EZ Keys, Addictive Keys etc. What makes it stand out is its price point advantage. It’s virtually the only professional grade piano library in the under 50$ category. While the most popular libraries are in the 100~500$ range. For example, a direct equivalent like PianoteQ stage (the stripped version with very limited tweaking features) is 139 USD.

Is it better than the free classic piano plugins available like Keyzone? We think it does, but you’d best listen to the samples to make your own opinion.

Classicord Alternatives

• Bitsonic Keyzone Classic (Free)
• Spitfire Audio (Free)
• Addictive Keys ($89.95)
• Session Keys Grand Piano ($159)

Read more with our best piano VST guide.

Verdict

The Classicord is a user-friendly vintage piano plugin that simulates dynamic piano performances that are ideal for lo-fi, hip-hop, or any production using the distinctive grand piano sound. Its standout feature is the “Age” parameter, which makes it sound like a centuries-old piano. Its full-sounding, realistic, warm tones and nuanced harmonics can be great for cinematic compositions and long-drawn-out piano pieces of a contemplative nature. Priced at $39, it’s in a perfect spot to be your go-to classic piano plugin.

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