Native Instruments NOIRE – Concert Grand Piano Library

Some piano libraries aim for perfection. Native instruments noire aims for character. Built around a custom-intonated Yamaha CFX 9-foot concert grand associated with composer and pianist Nils Frahm, and recorded in the atmospheric Saal 3 at Funkhaus Berlin with vintage microphones and preamps, NOIRE captures a piano with a point of view: intimate, slightly imperfect, and endlessly expressive.

Two pianos in one library

Native instruments noire actually gives you two distinct instruments. NOIRE Pure presents the Yamaha CFX in its natural state: clear, detailed, with the full dynamic range and sustain of a concert grand. NOIRE Felt places a felt moderator between the hammers and strings, softening the attack into something intimate and hushed. Between the two, you cover everything from bold solo piano statements to the quietest cinematic underscore.

What elevates it beyond a well-recorded piano is the customization. Attack, release, resonance, overtones, velocity response, temperament, piano noises, EQ, compression, reverb and delay are all adjustable. You are not stuck with one engineer’s idea of a piano; you shape the instrument to the track, whether that means a pristine pop piano or a dusty, felted texture.

Key features of Native Instruments NOIRE

• Custom-intonated Yamaha CFX 9-foot concert grand
• Associated with composer and pianist Nils Frahm
• Two instruments: NOIRE Pure and NOIRE Felt
• Recorded at Funkhaus Berlin with vintage mics and preamps
• Particles Engine for evolving harmonic textures
• 100 snapshots across piano and creative categories
• Deep sound customization: attack, resonance, temperament and more
• 16 GB library with free Kontakt Player compatibility

The Particles Engine

The most creative corner of native instruments noire is the Particles Engine, which generates clouds of pulsating harmonic elements from the notes you play. Simple piano parts bloom into evolving textures, making it a secret weapon for ambient music, film scoring and experimental composition. It is the kind of feature that turns a piano library into a sound-design instrument, and it is where NOIRE most clearly distances itself from conventional sampled pianos. Even simple chord progressions take on a cinematic quality with the engine engaged, which makes it dangerously easy to lose an afternoon just improvising.

The 100 included snapshots map out the territory, from natural concert performances to heavily processed creative starting points. They are genuinely useful as learning tools too: open one, see how the parameters are set, and you start understanding how the instrument thinks.

Who is native instruments noire for?

Cinematic composers, ambient producers and modern classical writers will feel at home immediately. Pop and singer-songwriter producers get a piano with more personality than stock options. Electronic producers can push the Felt instrument and Particles Engine into textural territory. If you need a bright, aggressive rock piano or a honky-tonk, look elsewhere; the soul of native instruments noire is introspective.

The library is 16 GB and runs in the free Kontakt Player or the full Kontakt, with KOMPLETE KONTROL integration for NI hardware owners. Check the product page for current version requirements, as Kontakt compatibility evolves with updates.

Frequently asked questions

What piano was sampled for NOIRE?

A custom-intonated Yamaha CFX 9-foot concert grand associated with Nils Frahm, recorded at Funkhaus Berlin’s Saal 3 with vintage microphones and preamps.

What is the difference between Pure and Felt?

NOIRE Pure is the natural concert grand sound; NOIRE Felt uses a felt moderator between hammers and strings for a softer attack and more intimate character.

What is the Particles Engine?

It generates moving clouds of harmonic and pulsating elements based on your playing, turning piano parts into evolving textures for ambient and cinematic work.

A piano with this much character usually costs far more. At Plugboutique’s deal pricing, native instruments noire is an easy recommendation for anyone who writes with piano.

Explore more Kontakt Libraries at Plugboutique, or pair it with Synthage Kontakt Library 1.4 – Vintage Synth Collection for an even bigger toolkit. Also listed on PluginsBoutique.