In this article

• Getting Started with Electra
• Using Electra Views and Controls
• Using Electra 88 Keyboard View
• Using Electra 88 Pedals View
• Electra 88 Pedal Controls
• Using Electra 88 Amplifier View
• Using Electra 88 Studio View
  • Electra studio effect controls
• Configuring Electra Settings
• Electra MIDI Reference

An electric piano dream, in full color.

Electra 88 Vintage Keyboard Studio gives musicians and producers the inspired album-ready sound of a 1974 Rhodes Eighty Eight Suitcase Mark 1 electric piano,* along with a fully stocked "vintage" studio of pro production tools — for in-the-box tones nearly indistinguishable from the real thing.

• Add the rich timbre of a perfectly modeled 1974 Rhodes Eighty Eight Suitcase Mark 1* electric piano to your productions
• Immerse yourself in a curated analog studio packed with vintage mics, classic amps, and more
• Create pro sounds with legendary rack effects and stompbox emulations
• Get inspired with over 100 album‑ready presets, crafted to fit any genre

Cast your Spell with Authentic Rhodes Magic

Electra 88's sound and playability goes beyond generic electric piano plug-ins and expensive sample libraries. Now you can get the rich three-dimensional tones of a meticulously maintained vintage instrument and its entire signal path, at your fingertips.

Bedazzle your Keys with the Sound of a Pro Studio 

With expertly placed dynamic, condenser, ribbon, and tube mics, genuine 1176 compression, studio-grade reverbs, modulation, EQ, and more, you'll discover a palette of analog textures and tones — from warmly familiar to otherworldly — that fit any genre.

Shape your Tones with Classic Stompboxes and Amps

From the glorious bark of a perfectly emulated high-powered American tube combo amp to the funky sounds of a vintage Mu-Tron III or Vox wah, Electra 88 gives you jaw-dropping emulations of vintage gear, for electric piano tones that always sit in the mix.*

Enjoy the Journey, with Inspiring Album-Ready Presets 

Discover the perfect sound, from deep soul and ‘70s ballads to righteous jazz/fusion and ambient soundscapes using Electra 88's presets, curated for instant inspiration and maximum enjoyment.

*All trademarks are property of their respective owners and used only to represent the instrument and effects modeled as part of Electra 88 Vintage Keyboard Studio.

Key Benefits

• Add the rich timbre of a perfectly modeled 1974 Rhodes Eighty Eight Suitcase Mark 1* electric piano to your productions
• Immerse yourself in a curated analog studio packed with vintage mics, classic amps, and more
• Create pro sounds with legendary rack effects and stompbox emulations
• Get inspired with over 100 album‑ready presets, crafted to inspire
• Use with any audio interface, no hardware required

Electra instrument overview

Electra 88 is deep-sampled from a special, hand-picked Fender Rhodes MK1 to capture the full dynamic and tonal response of every note, along with the nuances and quirks that make the instrument feel alive and indistinguishable from the real thing. 

Electra 88 immerses the user in a high-end recording studio, with an enviable collection of UA analog-modeled gear. Its intuitive, playful interface invites endless combinations of sonic possibilities, and the preset library shows off its wide sound-design capabilities and deep musical roots.

 

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Getting Started with Electra

Before we explore the details, let’s take Electra for a quick test drive. After the plug-in is loaded and the track is input-enabled (see your DAWs documentation for these instructions):

1. Play a few notes. You will hear the Default preset on the keyboard. 
2. Enable some effects. Switch pedal and studio effects on and off by clicking the yellow LED under each effect. You will notice that some effects are more subtle, like delay and reverb, and some effects are very obvious, like Mod in the studio section, and Wah and Phaser in the pedal section. The knob for each effect in this view controls one characteristic of the effect; hover over the knob to see what it adjusts, and tweak the knob to hear how it changes the sound.  
3. Try a preset. Click the preset name at the top of the plug-in to open the preset manager. Try some different presets while playing the keyboard. 
4. Adjust the amplifier controls. The Default preset uses the Suitcase Preamplifier, which has controls for Volume, Treble, Bass, and Vibrato Speed and Intensity. Adjust the controls to hear how they change the sound. Note that Treble/Bass and Speed/Intensity are on dual concentric knobs, and the inner and outer controls control different aspects of the sound. Adjust the On/Off switch to switch the Vibrato on and off. To adjust more amplifier settings and switch amplifiers, see Using Electra 88 Amplifier View.
5. Adjust pedal effects. Click Pedals at the top of the screen to switch to Pedals view. You can change pedals by clicking the green tape labels and selecting a new effect. Press the power switch for an effect to enable it, and move the knobs and controls to change the sound. For more information on Electra’s pedals, see Electra 88 Pedal Controls. 
6. Adjust studio effects. Click Studio at the top of the screen to switch to Studio view. The five studio effects (EQ, Compression, Modulation, Delay, and Reverb) are fixed, but you can swap the locations of the EQ and Compressor, enable/disable effects, and control a wide range of settings for each effect. For more information on Electra’s studio effects, see Electra Studio Effect Controls. 

This only scratches the surface of what Electra can do, but it gives you an idea of its sound and capabilities. Read on to learn about all the sections of this keyboard studio.

Exploring and Saving Presets

Electra 88 ships with many presets to help you get going quickly. To access the presets:

1. Click the Presets area at the top of the instrument to reveal Electra’s available presets in the plug-in presets browser.
2. Click any of the available presets while playing your MIDI controller. You should hear the sound of each preset as you step through the names.
3. When you have found a preset that you like, you can play that preset as provided or further tweak its sound to suit your needs.
4. If you have modified a preset, you can save it by pressing the Save button in the plug-in or LUNA preset browser.
5. You can favorite a preset for quick recall later by clicking its star in the presets browser.

 

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Using Electra Views and Controls

Every Electra view includes controls at the top of the screen to access the four Electra views, open Electra settings, and control output level. Every Electra view also includes the quick effect and amplifier controls at the bottom of the screen.  

From every Electra view, you can:

• Click a choice at the top of the screen to switch the Electra view (Keyboard, Pedals, Amplifier, or Studio) 
• Click Settings to access Electra’s global and performance controls
• Control the signal level with the Output knob, and view the output level meter
• Individually enable/disable the pedal and studio effects (except for the studio EQ and 1176 Limiting Amplifier), and adjust a primary setting on each effect
• Change controls for the currently selected amplifier

 

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Using Electra 88 Keyboard View

The Electra 88 Keyboard view provides a visual overview of the Electra instrument.

When you play Electra with your MIDI controller, the keys you are playing are highlighted. The pedal effects displayed on top of Electra are updated when you change them in the Pedals and Studio views. You can adjust the pedal and studio effects with their quick controls, and adjust some amplifier controls.

 

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Using Electra 88 Pedals View

To open Pedals view, click Pedals at the top of the Electra window, the PEDALS text label below the quick controls, or on the pedals on top of the instrument when in Keyboard view.

In Pedals view, you have access to all controls for each assigned pedal. You can assign up to three pedals to Electra. Signals flow from left to right. 

• In the first (furthest left) pedal effect slot, you can assign the Wah or Fil-Tron. 
• In the second and third pedal slots, you can assign any other pedal. 
• A pedal can be assigned only to one slot, so if you attempt to assign a pedal in one effect slot that is already assigned to another effect slot, the pedals will be swapped with each other. 

Assignable pedals include:

• Fil-tron (first pedal slot only)
• Wah (first pedal slot only)
• Chorus
• Compressor
• Flanger
• Phaser
• Spring Verb
• Tape Echo

To enable/disable a pedal

• Click the power switch or footswitch on the pedal, or
• Click the LED for the pedal in the Pedals quick access area at the bottom of the screen (its LED is lit yellow when the pedal is enabled) 

Note: Some pedals have unique enable/disable controls. See the Electra 88 Pedal Controls section for more information on each effect and its parameters. 

To assign a pedal

• Click on the green tape below a pedal effect, and select a new pedal from the list. 

If the pedal you selected is already assigned to another slot, that pedal is swapped with the pedal in the current slot (second and third pedal slots only).

 

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Electra 88 Pedal Controls

This section details the controls for Electra’s pedals.

Fil-tron

A classic envelope follower that can create anything from auto-wah type sounds to vowel-like tones.

Fil-tron controls

 

Wah

Classic wah sounds featuring automatic (lower left switch) or manual (lower right switch) control.

Wah controls

 

Chorus

This is the classic bucket brigade chorus pedal, with simple controls and both chorus and vibrato modes. The Chorus/Vibrato switch toggles between the modes, and the small LEDs above the Chorus and Vibrato controls indicate which effect is selected.  

Chorus controls

 

Compressor

This is the infamous red box compressor, with serious squeeze for lo-fi compression and funky overdrive when pushed.

Compressor controls

 

Flanger

This classic bucket-brigade modulation processor that adds unique movement and depth to any source, ranging from subtle thickening to whacked-out sci-fi effects.

Flanger controls

Phaser

This is the classic orange box phaser, with both “script” and “block” variants. Like the original hardware, there is no mix control.

Phaser Controls

 

Spring Verb

A faithful recreation of an outboard spring reverb tank, with a single mix control. Use this for warm, gritty, midrange-rich reverb.

Spring Verb controls

 

Tape Echo

A vintage tape echo unit, with plenty of saturation, EQ, and repeats that can self-oscillate. Use this when you want delay with warmth and character.

Tape Echo controls

 

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Using Electra 88 Amplifier View

To open Amplifier view, click Amplifier at the top of the Electra window, or click on an amplifier or cabinet when in Keyboard view.

 

In Amplifier view, you choose an amplifier for Electra and adjust the amp’s sound to your liking. Electra includes three amplifiers with a variety of mics, and a direct box to bypass the amps.

Click an amplifier or the direct box to select it. Amplifier view updates to show the mics on the selected amp, or the cables running to the direct box, depending on your choice. 

Each amp includes several controls for the sound, including the microphone choices, speaker choices (Double Reverb only), and other settings. 

Note: The Suitcase preamplifier controls are always active, and can be configured at any time, even when using another amplifier. However, the Suitcase speaker and microphone settings are only available when the Suitcase is selected on the Amplifiers page. See Adjusting Suitcase Preamplifier controls for more.

 

To configure the Double Reverb amplifier

1. In Amplifier View, click the Double Reverb amplifier (at left of view) to select it. The amp’s jewel light is lit, and the microphone moves to the amp. 
2. Adjust the sound of the amp using the Volume and Tone controls and the Bright switch. 
3. To apply the amp’s spring reverb, adjust the Reverb knob. 
4. To apply the amp’s tremolo, adjust the amp’s Intensity and Speed knobs. Intensity increases the amount of amp tremolo; when set to minimum, no amp tremolo is applied. Note that the amp tremolo is independent from the electric piano tremolo. 
5. To choose a mic, click the mic selector. 
6. To shift the mic away from the speaker center, click the Off Axis button. 
7. To reduce the mic’s low frequency response, click the high pass filter button. 
8. Select the Stock speaker or the JBF 120 speaker. 
9. Adjust the amount of room sound with the Room knob.
10. Adjust the output level with the Level knob.

 

To configure the Suitcase Preamplifier

1. In Amplifier View, click the Suitcase Preamplifier (at center of view) to select it. The microphone or microphones move to the Suitcase cab. 
2. Adjust the sound of the amp using the Volume and Tone cut/boost concentric knobs. 
3. To apply the amp’s Vibrato (tremolo), switch the Vibrato on, and adjust the concentric Intensity and Speed knobs. Intensity increases the amount of Vibrato; when set to minimum, no vibrato is applied. 
4. Select whether to mic the cabinet in mono or stereo.
5. To choose a mic, click the mic selector. 
6. To shift the mic away from the speaker center, click the Off Axis button 
7. To reduce the mic’s low frequency response, click the high pass filter button. 
8. If Stereo mics are selected, adjust the width of the stereo image with the Width knob. 
9. Adjust the amount of room sound with the Room knob.
10. Adjust the output level with the Level knob.

 

To configure the Rotary Type 147 Power Amplifier

1. In Amplifier View, click the Rotary Type 147 amplifier cabinet (at right of view) to select it. The microphones appear on the rotary cab. 
2. Adjust the sound of the amplifier using the Volume and Drive controls. 
3. Set the rotary speed to Slow, Fast, or Brake with the speed switch. When set to Brake, you can manually adjust the horn and drum speakers to different positions by dragging them within the cabinet.
4. Adjust the mic position for the horn and drum mics by clicking the mic position switches for both the horn and drum speaker. 
5. For both horn and drum speakers, click the mic selectors and choose the mics. 
6. Adjust the amount of room sound with the Room knob.
7. Adjust the output level with the Level knob. 

To configure the Direct Box

1. In Amplifier View, click the direct box (at center, below the amps) to select it. The cables are connected to the direct box. 
2. Adjust the sound of the amp using the Volume and Tone cut/boost concentric knobs. 
3. To apply the amp’s Vibrato (tremolo), switch the Vibrato on, and adjust the concentric Intensity and Speed knobs. Intensity increases the amount of Vibrato. 

Adjusting Suitcase Preamplifier controls

When another amplifier is selected, you can still adjust the Suitcase Preamplifier controls, so you have more tonal options and access to the keyboard’s vibrato controls while amplifying the keyboard with another amplifier. 

On the Keyboard page, click the up arrow above the amplifier controls. The suitcase preamplifier controls appear above the current amplifier controls, and you can make adjustments.  

 

Electra Amplifiers

 

Electra Speakers

 

Electra Microphones

 

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Using Electra 88 Studio View

To open Studio view, click Studio at the top of the Electra window, the STUDIO text label below the quick controls, or on the studio effects on top of the instrument when in Keyboard view.

In Electra’s Studio view, you can put the final polish on your sound with five high quality rack-style effects. The five modules included in the Studio view include EQ, compression, modulation, delay, and reverb. Each studio effect has unique parameters and controls. 

Electra studio effect common controls

• Click the Power button or the LED indicator on an effect to toggle power on/off (on Delay and Reverb, the indicator LED is in the power button).
• Option-click (macOS) or Alt-click (Windows) a control to return to its default setting. 
• Press Shift for fine control when adjusting a knob or slider. 

Electra studio effect controls

Electra’s studio effect individual controls are described in this section. 

EQ

Electra’s Studio EQ offers five bands of graphic EQ, low and high pass filters, and an output gain control. The EQ bands are tailored to the frequency range and timbre of the Electra instrument. 

Note: The EQ controls are set in a slight “smiley face” EQ on the Default preset, and EQ Power is on.

EQ Controls

 

1176 Limiting Amplifier

Electra’s 1176 Limiting Amplifier offers powerful compression from the renowned UAD 1176 Rev A (“blue stripe”) compressor. The controls for Electra’s 1176 are simplified, and designed for fast, useful compression tweaks.

1176 Limiting Amplifier controls

 

Modulation

Electra’s Modulation effect offers four types of modulation, and enough control to provide subtle shimmering effects or wild, vast sweeps. 

Studio Modulation controls

 

Studio Delay

The studio delay effect offers three types of delay and a rich palette of options to create highly tweakable delay sounds.

Studio Delay controls

 

Studio Reverb

The Studio Reverb offers five types of high-quality reverb, with controls for pre-delay, decay, and equalization.

 

 

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Configuring Electra Settings

Electra’s Settings view includes a number of settings for general and performance use. To configure Electra settings, click the gear icon in any Electra view.

Important: Electra’s General settings are global, and apply to all Electra sounds for that instrument instance. Electra’s Performance settings apply to a specific sound, and are stored and recalled with each preset.

General Settings

Electra’s general settings are global to the currently loaded Electra instrument, and apply to all sounds made with that Electra instance.

Tuning settings 

Use these settings to configure the tuning of the Electra instrument.

Tuning [Cents]

Use the Tuning slider to tune the Electra instrument over a ±50 cent range.

Condition

You can select from three tuning conditions that alter the tuning of the instrument, for more character and vibe.

Stretch

The Stretch setting enables or disables stretch tuning. Stretch tuning is a tuning style that compensates for an effect where tones in the upper range of a keyboard can sound flat even when perfectly in tune. Stretch tuning tunes upper-range notes slightly sharp, and lower-range notes slightly flat, creating more overall tonal consonance. Stretch tuning can be useful when layering Electra with a piano or other stretch-tuned instrument. 

Sustain Settings

The Sustain settings specify how you can interact with Electra with a sustain pedal, and noise associated with the sustain pedal. 

Pedal Type

Pedal type specifies whether you use a Switch (on/off) or Continuous volume pedal with Electra. The sustain pedal sends messages on CC64.

 

Noise Velocity

Noise Velocity adjusts the velocity of the sustain pedal noise that is triggered when the sustain pedal (CC64) is depressed or released. 

• With a Switch sustain pedal, the sample velocity triggered corresponds to the setting (Min, Soft, Medium, Hard), or to the last played note velocity (Auto). 
• With a Continuous sustain pedal, the sample velocity is matched to the force with which the pedal is depressed (Auto), or is limited to the setting you specify (Min, Soft, Medium, Hard).

Sustain Pedal Noise Volume

Together with the Noise Velocity setting, this control adjusts the overall volume level of the sustain pedal noise triggered by the sustain pedal. 

Velocity Settings

The Velocity settings adjust how responsive the instrument is to your keyboard velocity or playing style.  These settings can be helpful in improving the dynamic response of a less expressive MIDI controller. 

Shape

The Shape control reduces or increases the velocity response for middle velocities. This setting is similar to the Sensitivity setting, but is global instead of applying per preset.

• The default setting provides a linear response across the range of velocities.
• Lower settings make the velocity curve increasingly concave, and middle MIDI velocities trigger harder samples.
• Higher settings make the velocity curve increasingly convex, and middle MIDI velocities trigger softer samples.

S-Curve

The S-Curve control adjusts the response of soft and hard velocities, while preserving the middle velocities. 

• The default setting provides a linear response across the range of velocities.
• Positive values increase the responsiveness of low and high velocity key strikes, essentially providing more range for soft and hard key presses.
• Negative settings decrease the responsiveness in the low and high velocity ranges, essentially expanding the middle velocity range. 

Keyboard Noise Floor

Keyboard Noise Floor adjusts volume of the self noise in the keyboard signal, which we have reduced significantly with advanced noise reduction techniques. 

Tip: Set the Keyboard Noise Floor to 100% to hear the noise level as recorded from the original keyboard.

Electra Performance Settings

Electra’s performance settings are specific to the current Electra sound, and are saved with any preset sounds.

Mod Wheel

The Mod Wheel setting has two options: Auto, or Keyboard Vibrato. When set to Keyboard vibrato, this setting assigns CC1 to the Suitcase Preamplifier vibrato Depth control. When set to Auto, this setting assigns CC1 according to the amplifier selected, as detailed below.  

Note: To adjust the vibrato settings for the Suitcase Preamplifier when another amplifier is assigned, see Adjusting Suitcase Preamplifier controls.

 

Dynamics

The Dynamics setting adjusts the range of levels from the instrument, in effect compressing or expanding the samples. 

• Lower settings increase the volume of softer samples, creating a more consistent volume across the instrument’s velocity range and resulting in a very present sound.
• Higher settings expand the volume differences between the lowest and highest velocity samples, with the quietest notes becoming even quieter. 

Note: Dynamics settings can have a noticeable impact on effects that depend on input levels, including compressors and the Wah (in Auto mode) and Fil-Tron.

Sensitivity

The Sensitivity setting adjusts a sound’s velocity response, changing both the timbre and level. This setting is similar to the Velocity Shape setting, but is saved with a preset instead of applying globally.

• The default setting provides a linear response across the range of velocities.
• Lower settings make the velocity curve increasingly concave, and middle MIDI velocities trigger harder samples.
• Higher settings make the velocity curve increasingly convex, and middle MIDI velocities trigger softer samples.

Release Level

The Release Level setting controls the volume of release samples that play after a key is released. Release samples recreate the natural sounds that occur related to the looseness of the instrument’s tines and dampers. 

Reduce the Release Level to create a tighter sound which can make a staccato performance or bass line cleaner. At the minimum setting, release samples do not play; in a dense mix, this can be useful, but this may sound unnatural in a sparser mix. 

 

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Electra MIDI Reference