What is Château Piano?
Château Piano is the iconic Steinway grand from the legendary Château d'Hérouville (aka Strawberry Studios) – the world's first residential recording studio in Northern France. It’s the instantly recognisable, characterful sound behind countless hits from Elton John, David Bowie, and many more iconic albums, most famously Elton’s ‘Honky Château’, (named in its honour), ‘Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player’, and ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’. Not just another piano library, but a piece of music history. It delivers the bright, punchy, "Elton" pop sound when played fortissimo, but also reveals a surprisingly delicate, soft, and sensual side when played with a lighter touch, making it exceptionally versatile for any production.
What is included in the library?
Château Piano has been captured and processed to offer an incredible breadth of character. From the pure, unadulterated sound of the instrument in its room to a range of creative and vintage textures, it provides an entire palette of piano sounds in one library. Dial in the perfect ambience with high-quality reverb, add vintage warble with chorus and flanger, and sculpt the tone with high and low pass filters. Tightness control allows you to further shape the sound, and 8 distinct signals are available to blend together for the perfect tone (incl. Close, Room, Hammers, Mix, Tape, Punchy Compression, Chorused and Distorted).
The library also provides 50 curated presets, grouped into 6 distinct categories (Natural, Cinematic, 70s, 80s, Songwriter, Rock) within the our dedicated Spitfire Ensemble plugin, for instant inspiration.
What are the differences between this and other piano libraries?
You can find a comparison chart here.
Why can't I see a 'Château Piano' plugin in my DAW?
This library is housed in our Ensemble plugin, so instead of seeing a 'Château Piano' plugin, you will need to select the 'Spitfire Ensemble' plugin in your plugin list.
The library folder is also named 'Spitfire Audio - Ensemble'.
How does your Dedicated Plugin work?
Our dedicated plugin libraries work as standalone instruments in your DAW, meaning that no serial number is provided and the authorisation process happens during your download.
We provide AU, VST3 and AAX plugin files, so as long as your chosen DAW supports one of those plugin formats, you’re good to go.
What are the System Requirements for this product?
Compatible and tested with all major DAWs (*32 bit DAWs not supported, VST2 not supported)
MAC SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Mac OS X 11 to OS 15
Minimum: 2.8GHz i5 minimum (quad-core), 8GB RAM.
Recommended: 2.8GHz i7 (six-core), 16GB RAM.
Apple Silicon computers are supported and 64 bit DAW required.
PC SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Windows 10 and Windows 11. (latest Service Pack, 64-bit)
Minimum: Intel Core 2.8GHz i5 (quad-core) or AMD Ryzen 5, 8GB RAM
Recommended: Intel 2.8GHzi7 (six-core) or AMD R7 2700, 16GB RAM
(*32 bit DAWs not supported, VST2 not supported)
Is there an introductory pricing offer?
Yes, the library will be available at a 20% off discount until the 18th of August 2025.
Is this product available with an educational discount?
Yes, this library will be available with an educational discount. Request your educational discount here. The Educational Discount will apply to the full MSRP of the library, not the introductory offer, so the discount received during the promotional period will “top up” the discount to 30%.
Are there any other offers available?
Yes! Pairing with the release of Château Piano, you can also choose to purchase this within a bundle with The Grange, our Kontakt Player drum library recorded at Headley Grange, with three legendary drummers — Chad Smith, Roger Taylor and Andy Gangadeen.
For more information and to purchase this bundle, please go to: https://www.spitfireaudio.com/echoes-of-greatness
Can I use this library on more than one computer?
Yes, our license allows for up to two installations at a time for a single user.