SoundFonts.it has released ZD6 – Die Funky Maschine, a physical modeling simulation of a vintage “D6” stringed electric piano.
It was back in the fifties when German inventor Ernst Zacharias invented one of the funkiest keyboards of all times. At first the intention was to make a portable version of a cembalo, but it soon turned into one of the most used keyboards in rock and pop music. You will certainly recognize it in the famous pop song “Superstition”, and in many other funky tunes of the seventies. Many police and investigation story movies and TV shows of the 70’s and the early 80’s had music themes based on funky accompaniments made with the D6, a slap bass and drums. This instrument can reproduce the sound of an electric guitar and can be treated with the same effects used by guitarists (wahwah, distortion, phaser, chorus, etc.) for both rhythmic and melodic textures, since it is actually based on a set of 60 strings and two humbucker pickups very similar to those used in electric guitars.
ZD6 – Die Funky Maschine features
- Full Polyphony (60 notes).
- Sympathetic resonances.
- Realistic response to keyboard dynamics and aftertouch.
- Octave transpose (1 oct. up, 1 oct. down).
- Adjustable global tuning.
- Four dynamic curves available.
- Realistic control panel with switches for active EQ and pickup selection.
- Adjustable damper level and instrument volume.
- Wah-Wah effect modeled after the famous JH-1 american Wah pedal.
- Manual wah, LFO wah, auto-wah.
- Distortion effect.
- Eight-stage Phaser effect.
- On-screen help tips and readout values.
- Very low memory and CPU power needed.
- Easy MIDI-Learn feature.
- FX version included.
ZD6 is available as a VST plug-in for Windows PC and has an introductory price of 39 EUR until 30 September 2008 (regular price is 49 EUR). A demo version can be downloaded from the product page.
Visit SoundFonts.it for more information.