At the Heart of Lounge Lizard EP‑5: A True Electric Piano Experience
Lounge Lizard’s engine is built on a detailed model of the key components found in real electric pianos—hammer, fork or reed, damper, and pickup. Each element has been meticulously recreated to deliver the authentic tone, dynamics, and playing feel of classic instruments.
To further shape your sound, Lounge Lizard also includes a built-in EQ and adjustable stereo tremolo—effects that were integral to certain vintage electric piano models.
The mechanism of a tine-base electric piano is relatively simple, see how it works.
The mechanism of a tine-based electric piano is relatively simple. A note played on the keyboard releases a damper and activates a felt-tipped hammer that hits a metal bar shaped like a tuning fork. The struck portion, called the tine, is made of stiff steel wire, while the other part, parallel to it, is called the tone bar. The tone bar acts as a resonator, adding sustain to the sound.
The vibrations of the tine are picked up by an electromagnetic pickup and sent to an amplifier, much like in an electric guitar. The result is a highly expressive instrument with a characteristic smooth tone that can also growl or bark when played harder, as the pickups introduce nonlinear distortion.
The functioning of a reed-based piano is very similar except that instead of a fork, the hammer hits a metal reed.
All the reeds for the piano are mounted on a shared metal reed bar. The reeds are placed near a metal plates called a pickup plate. This plate, also referred as “comb’, runs the length of the reed bar and has individual sections corresponding to each note, through which the reeds can oscillate.
Together, the reed bar and the pickup plate form a variable capacitor or electrostatic pickup system. When a reed vibrates after being struck, the distance between the reed and the pickup plate changes, causing a variation in capacitance. This varying capacitance, in the presence of a polarizing voltage, induces a small alternating current (AC) signal in the pickup plate. It is this weak signal that is amplified and converted to sound through loudspeakers.
The heart of its character
Electric pianos offered a surprising degree of control over pitch, timbre, and volume. On tine-based models, a spring mounted on the tine could be moved to adjust pitch, while tone and volume were shaped by repositioning the tine relative to the pickups. Tuning a reed-based piano was a more delicate operation—each reed had a drop of solder at its tip, and its size and shape directly affected both pitch and tone.
These fine adjustments defined the unique character of each instrument, influencing harmonic content, attack, and decay—and giving every player a signature sound. But this flexibility came at a cost: shaping the tone required painstaking hours with a screwdriver or soldering iron—and plenty of patience.
Lounge Lizard eliminates the hassle. Its preset library features expertly crafted configurations that faithfully reproduce iconic models, so you can start playing right away—no setup required. And when you're ready to personalize your sound, Lounge Lizard’s powerful engine gives you full access to all the physical parameters, letting you fine-tune every detail to match your style.
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