Applied Acoustic Systems recently released Lounge Lizard EP-5, the latest version of their flagship modeled electric piano collection.
At BPB, we’ve covered many virtual electric pianos, including some lovely free options, such as Sonokinetic’s EMP Mark II for Kontakt Player.
I’m fairly new to Lounge Lizard, but I approached it with some lofty expectations because I’ve heard great things, and it comes with a price tag that merits those expectations.
I’ve spent some time with Lounge Lizard EP-5 to find out how it stacks among the rest and the best.
What’s in the box?
Lounge Lizard EP-5 costs $199, but at the time of writing (June 26, 2025), AAS is offering a 25% discount, reducing the price to $149.
For your money, you’ll get a collection of almost 400 professionally crafted presets covering the most iconic sounds from tine and reed electric pianos. The presets also include more experimental sounds and remastered presets from Lounge Lizard EP-4.
The huge number of presets isn’t the main selling point for Lounge Lizard EP-5; it’s the level of customization available via built-in effects and the ability to adjust almost every mechanical element of an electric piano.
In short, Lounge Lizard EP-5 is an extensive library of authentic electric piano tones and the tools you need to create your signature sound, much like the Fender Rhodes scene in LA in the mid-1970s.
You can purchase Lounge Lizard EP-5 with three additional sound packs (over 720 presets) for $185, while the discount lasts (usually $249).
Tines and Reeds
There are many variations of tine and reed electric pianos, but the simple way to characterize the difference between the two is that:
Tine pianos, like the Fender Rhodes and Pianet, are brighter and far more percussive.
Reed pianos, like the Wurly, are typically warmer and less percussive.
One of the first things that stood out to me when playing Lounge Lizard EP-5 was the authenticity of the percussive nature of the tine presets.
Some Rhodes pianos have a real thump at the low end; you can hear and feel it. Lounge Lizard EP-5 recreates that thump so accurately it convinces you that you can feel it (perhaps the most convincing I can recall).
The other thing that Lounge Lizard EP-5 does well is create a genuine sense of connection between the player and the instrument; it responds to the most subtle expression in your playing. Organic is an odd word to describe a modeled instrument, but the response feels organic.
With the tines, the accurate response allows you to transition between melodic and percussive playing without the thump becoming overbearing.
As for the reeds, if you dig in, you get that lovely bit of aggression and slight fuzz, especially in the lower range.
In terms of recreating authentic tine and reed tones, it’s fantastic.
Sampled Vs. Modeled
Thanks to virtual instruments like Pianoteq, we have moved beyond the days of automatically assuming that sample-based instruments sound more realistic than their modeled counterparts.
Some will always argue that samples of real instruments sound better than the results of mathematical algorithms, but there are pros and cons for both.
In this case, Lounge Lizard EP-5 features a redesigned physical modeling core with dedicated models for tine and reed pianos.
One of my immediate concerns with modeled acoustic or electro-mechanical instruments is that they can sound too synthetic (a little fake). You sometimes end up with a flagship tine sound that’s closer to a Pianet than a Rhodes, a little toy-like without depth (not to be too unkind to the Pianet).
However, if we focus on the pure tine/reed sounds without delving deeper into the presets, they sound great.
Since AAS has obviously done a solid job with its physical modeling redesign, it’s the advantages of modeling over sampling that stand out most.
Modeled instruments typically offer deeper customization, and as I mentioned above, Lounge Lizard EP-5 goes pretty deep.
You can customize your tone by adjusting mechanical elements, such as hammer stiffness and impact force, the application of dampers, and the vibration at the heart of these instruments (the fork and reed). You can also adjust the pickup position to go for a more mellow or aggressive tone.
Another significant advantage of a modeled instrument is that it leaves a much smaller footprint. It’s relatively invisible compared to something like Keyscape (which requires 80GB for a complete installation).
Despite the deep customization and impressive responsiveness, Lounge Lizard EP-5 runs less than 256 MB of RAM per instance.
Interface
Lounge Lizard EP-5 comes with a refreshed interface, and it looks significantly better.
More importantly, the resizable GUI is easy to navigate, whether browsing presets, adjusting parameters, or tweaking FX.
The main section of the interface has two views: Simple and Expert. The Simple view has basic Treble, Bass, and Tremolo controls. The Expert view is where you can adjust the mechanical elements mentioned above.
Additionally, if you click on the settings cog next to the preset bar, you can adjust polyphony and tuning settings (it supports microtonal tuning).
The lower half of the GUI displays the Character switch (Luxy, Groovy, Phat, Crystal, Amp) and basic FX controls.
I like that you can rearrange effects in the chain, even in the basic view, and if you want in-depth control, you can open individual modules or a rack view.
Presets and FX
The presets run through the purest electric piano sounds to heavily processed voices. You get everything from vintage soul to jazz, funk, fusion, and cheesy 80s pop.
There are too many to discuss, but from the Tine Library, Soulfully Amped is my favorite preset so far.
I’m struggling to find any that I don’t like in the Reed Library, but if you want something that stays true to the pure sound while getting gritty when you dig in, try Motor City.
The Outside the Box Library is a mixed bag, and there are sounds in there that I’ll probably never use. But that’s the point; these are experimental sounds that you won’t know you need till you know.
Presets like Shred Lead and My Old Guitar stand out; it’s rare to rage against the machine with an electric piano, so I love those.
The built-in effects include: EQ, Distortion, Phaser, Vintage Chorus, Flanger, Auto Wah, Wah Wah, and more. The Wah FX are lovely and give a real George Duke or P-Funk vibe.
Is it Value for Money?
Yes and no.
If you just want a decent EP sound that will be convincing in a mix, then you don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars (the same applies to Keyscape, Neo Soul Keys, etc.).
If you want incredibly high-quality sounds with next-level customization, Lounge Lizard EP-5 is a good value for money.
As a keyboardist, I’d get my money’s worth and more from this collection!
It’s like any other software investment; just make sure it will improve your setup and feature in your work enough to justify the cost.
Final Thoughts
I approached Lounge Lizard EP-5 with lofty expectations, and I haven’t been disappointed. I love different sounds for different reasons, and the main reason I’ll return to Lounge Lizard EP-5 many times is that it’s one of the most naturally responsive and expressive virtual electric pianos I’ve experienced. It feels strangely realistic at times.
I also want to highlight the excellent demo content from Applied Acoustic Systems: great sounds and great players. It never fails to surprise me when a developer makes something fantastic and releases a demo that sounds horrific.
Lounge Lizard EP-5 is available in 64-bit AU, VST2, VST3, AAX, NKS, and Standalone formats for macOS (10.13 and later) and Windows (10 and later).
More info: Lounge Lizard EP-5
Last Updated on July 3, 2025 by Tomislav Zlatic.
