The piano, reimagined
Fusing the power of technology with the organic beauty and emotion of the piano, Stratus is a vast, dynamic new instrument that will add depth, movement and colour to your music. Made in collaboration with BAFTA-winning Icelandic composer and producer Ólafur Arnalds, this versatile, multidimensional tool bends space and time through an intricate network of polyrhythmic piano performances. Awe-inspiring patterns and atmospheric clouds of harmonic refractions swell and die away at your fingertips, unfolding based on what you play and instantly sparking new ideas.
Instantly playable and easy-to-use, Stratus is presented in a bespoke interface made up of eight multi-layered piano and synthesizer matrixes, each offering a unique sonic experience — plus detailed customisation options and mind-blowing warped sounds, offering a full spectrum of emotion.
A spectrum of emotion
In our fourth collaboration with renowned composer Ólafur Arnalds, we bring you a brand new, multidimensional instrument, based on his acclaimed software: sophisticated midi algorithms programmed to trigger a mix of straight and syncopated rhythmic patterns of notes, on two identical self-playing pianos. Spitfire has used this model to create a highly intuitive and interactive tool enhanced with unique features, while recording full performances to capture the profoundly emotional, organic nature of the pianos themselves — instantly adding echoes of movement to anything you play, and pushing you to explore new possibilities.
Instant musicality
Stratus makes it easy to create nuanced piano-based music from the most simplistic of arrangements. Designed to help you write music or finish that track or score, hold down a note or a chord and lose yourself in unique, inspiring clouds of harmonic refractions and rhythmic performances as they swell, evolve and die away at your fingertips. Whatever the mood you are trying to create, it offers a whole spectrum of emotion, derived from user input — from intimate loops, swells and textures to intricate rhythms falling like rain, and dreamy, expansive soundscapes.
Detailed customisation
While specially curated by Ólafur, you control how these combinations of harmonic elements develop — both by what you play, and with extensive built-in customisation options, as well as a comprehensive range of effects. The four piano-based matrixes capture the stunning organic sounds of Ólafur’s pianos, panned across the stereo field to give a true representation of the pianos in their space, seamlessly blended into one, while the four synthesiser matrixes employ the same technology to create similar patterns, with stunning tempo-locked rhythmic loops made using Olafur’s Korg PS-3100, and dreamy swarm-like textures from his Juno-60. The Randomise bar features experimental controls to further randomise Stratus’ behaviour, taking advantage of the library’s generative nature. Stratus’ versatility lends itself to solo compositions, as well as adding texture and unpredictable elements to orchestral libraries, and complementing the libraries in our acclaimed Ólafur Arnalds series.