Tone Profile

A bright, percussive, and iconic 80s electric grand piano sound, defined by its lush stereo chorus and dreamy, spacious reverb/delay. It evokes a nostalgic and melancholic yet hopeful atmosphere.

Signal Chain

Recording Notes

• Recorded in 1983 at The Record Plant, New York City.
• Engineered by William Wittman; produced by Rick Chertoff.
• The core keyboard part was performed by Rob Hyman on a Yamaha CP-70 electric piano.
• The Ursa Major Space Station SST-282 was a key processor for the ambient reverb and delay textures on the piano, as mentioned in interviews.
• A stereo chorus, very likely a Roland Dimension D given its popularity and characteristic sound, was used to widen and add movement to the piano.

Recreation Tips

• Use a high-quality Yamaha CP-70/CP-80 sample or physical modeling instrument. Spectrasonics Keyscape is an excellent option.
• Apply a Dimension D-style stereo chorus for width and shimmer. Plugins like UAD Dimension D, Arturia Chorus DIMENSION-D, or TAL-Chorus-LX are good choices.
• Recreate the spacious ambience using an Ursa Major Space Station emulation (e.g., Eventide Space pedal/plugins, Valhalla Supermassive in certain modes) or a quality hall reverb combined with subtle stereo delays.
• If a Space Station emulation is unavailable, a Lexicon 224-style hall reverb can provide a similar expansive 80s character.
• Minimal EQ is needed, but a slight high-mid boost (around 2-5kHz) can enhance clarity if the sound is too dark in your mix.

Recommended Gear

• Yamaha CP-70 Electric Grand Piano(instrument)
• Spectrasonics Keyscape (Yamaha CP-70 model)(software instrument)
• Roland SDD-320 Dimension D(processor)
• Universal Audio UAD Roland Dimension D Plug-in(plugin)
• Ursa Major Space Station SST-282(processor)
• Eventide Space (Space Station algorithm)(pedal)
• Valhalla DSP ValhallaSupermassive(plugin)
• Yamaha Reface CP(keyboard)