Nyckelharpa: Sweden's Keyed Violin
Key
Soaring, Auddict-AI-P realistic nyckelharpa virtual instrument — 10 articulations, 3 mic positions, AI-powered processing, performed by The Northman & Witcher session player Vicki Swan.
The Player Behind The Score
Performed by Vicki Swan — as heard in The Northman, The Witcher, and RuneScape
AI-Enhanced Realism
Put together with proprietary AI tools. Double realism.
10 Articulations. Zero Gaps.
2x legato types, separate up/down bows, dual mordents, 3x shorts, isolated key noise.
Nyckelharpa: Sweden's Keyed Violin
Key
This is the nyckelharpa you've heard in major film and TV scores, now in your hands. KEY is built with the power of our proprietary AI-Processing tools to exceed even the depth composers expect from today's modern string libraries — and is - consequently -the second release in Auddict's acclaimed AIP (AI-Powered) Series.
Every sample is performed by Vicki Swan, the session nyckelharpa player behind music in the likes of The Northman, The Witcher, and RuneScape, delivering 10 articulations: two legato types (slurred and bowed), separate up-bow and down-bow longs, genuine upper and lower mordents, staccato, spiccato, pizzicato, and an isolated mechanical key noise layer you can blend from silent to intimately present, or use in isolation.
Three mic positions give you full control over perspective. As an AIP title, KEY is processed using Auddict's proprietary AI-powered phase convergence and audio merging technologies — eliminating artifacts and refining realism far beyond manual editing, so legato lines breathe and transition with uncanny smoothness, blurring the line between sampled instrument and live performance.
- 10 ARTICULATIONS INCLUDING 2 LEGATO MODES
- PERFORMED BY VICKI SWAN — AS HEARD IN THE NORTHMAN, THE WITCHER & RUNESCAPE
- PROPRIETARY AI-POWERED PHASE CONVERGENCE
- UP/DOWN-BOW LONGS
- UPPER/LOWER MORDENTS
- THREE MIC POSITIONS
- BLENDABLE MECHANICAL KEY NOISE
- STACCATO, SPICCATO & PIZZICATO WITH HUNDREDS OF REPETITIONS PER PITCH
- BUILT-IN EQ, REVERB, STEREO WIDTH & LEGATO AID
Listen/Watch
Trailer, walkthrough, and full-mix / “naked” audio demos — all recorded with Key.
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Performed by Vicki Swan
The Player Behind The Scores
Every note in KEY is performed by Vicki Swan — Zorn Bronze Award holder and one of the UK's foremost nyckelharpa players. Her session credits include session playing on The Northman, Netflix's The Witcher, and RuneScape: Dragonwilds. You're not just buying a library — you're hiring the same musician who brought the nyckelharpa to some of the most acclaimed Nordic-themed productions of the last five years.
Find more about Vicki Swan here:
http://www.swan-dyer.co.uk and http://www.nyckelharpa.me.uk
Blurring The Line: Sample VS Reality
AI-Processed, Not AI-Generated
KEY is the second instrument in Auddict's groundbreaking AI-P range — AI-Processed using proprietary AI-powered tools. Engineered with breakthrough phase-convergence and audio merging technologies that eliminate critical artifacts, making it at least twice as realistic as standard sample technology. This achieves precision unattainable by humans, resulting in musical lines that breathe, flow, and move like a real instrumentalist, blurring the lines between samples and live performance.
10 Articulations, 4 Dynamic Layers
The Deepest Nyckelharpa Library
Two legato types — slurred for seamless phrasing, bowed for articulated connection. Separate up-bow and down-bow longs across three dynamics. Upper and lower mordents recorded as genuine ornaments across three dynamic layers. Staccato, spiccato, pizzicato with staggering hundreds-of-repetitions per pitch. No other nyckelharpa library comes close to this articulation depth.
KEY gives you the expressive range to write parts that sound performed, not programmed.
Look Inside
ARTICULATIONS & LEGATO
- Slurred & bowed legato modes
- Separate up-bow and down-bow longs
- Genuine upper & lower mordents
- Staccato, spiccato & pizzicato
- Isolated mechanical key noise layer
AI PROCESSED
- Proprietary AI-powered phase convergence used in development
- Inter-sample granularity precision
- ~2x realism vs standard sampling
- Seamless legato transitions
INTERFACE CONTROL
- 10 articulation selection buttons
- Three mic position sliders with pan knobs
- Solo and purge per mic position
- Built-in reverb, EQ & stereo width
- Legato aid parameter
MIC POSITIONS
- Close – Intimate tactile string detail
- Mid – Balanced natural room tone
- Far – Spacious ambient depth
- Individual volume, pan & solo per mic
- RAM-saving purge system
KEY NOISE SYSTEM
- Isolated keys-on-strings recording
- Blend from silent to intimately present
- Use as subtle texture or standalone layer
- Adds tactile realism to any performance
- Dial in the feel of a real instrument inches away
Inside the box / Specs & requirements
PERFORMED BY VICKI SWAN
Every note in KEY is performed by Vicki Swan — Zorn Bronze Award holder and one of the UK's foremost nyckelharpa players. Her session credits include The Northman, Netflix's The Witcher, ITVX's The Winter King, Stockholm Bloodbath, and RuneScape: Dragonwilds. You're not licensing generic samples — you're putting the same musician behind your music who brought the nyckelharpa to some of the most acclaimed Nordic-themed film, TV, and game scores of the last five years.
10 DEDICATED ARTICULATIONS
Two legato types — slurred for seamless phrasing and bowed for articulated connection. Separately recorded up-bow and down-bow longs across up to 3 dynamic layers. Genuine upper and lower mordents performed as real ornaments. Staccato, spiccato, and pizzicato shorts with up to 32 dynamic layers and 7 round robins each — staggering repetition counts that keep repeated notes sounding natural and alive, no matter how exposed the part.
AI-ENHANCED SAMPLE PROCESSING
KEY is the second release in Auddict's groundbreaking AIP (AI-Powered) Series. Every sample has been processed using proprietary AI-powered phase convergence and audio merging technologies, operating at an inter-sample granularity that would be impractical to achieve through manual editing alone. The result is legato lines that breathe and transition with uncanny smoothness, eliminating the artifacts that plague traditional sample libraries and blurring the line between sampled instrument and live performance.
PROFESSIONAL 3-MIC SYSTEM
Capture every nuance with three professional microphone positions: Close for intimate tactile detail, Mid for balanced natural room tone, and Far for spacious ambient depth. Each position features an individual volume slider, dedicated pan knob, and solo/purge functionality. The purge system lets you unload unused positions from RAM, optimizing system resources while maintaining maximum flexibility and sonic control over your nyckelharpa sound.
BLENDABLE KEY NOISE LAYER
One of the nyckelharpa's most distinctive characteristics is the mechanical sound of its keys pressing against the strings. KEY captures this as a dedicated, independently blendable layer. Dial it from completely silent for a clean, distant tone, all the way up to intimately present for the tactile feel of a real instrument inches from the listener, or use the key noise layer entirely on its own as a textural element.
BUILT-IN MIXING & FX SUITE
Shape your sound without leaving the interface. KEY includes a 4-band EQ with dedicated Low, Mid, High, and Air controls, a built-in reverb for instant spatial placement, and a stereo width knob for adjusting the image from tight mono to wide stereo. A legato aid parameter actually helps you play legato, correcting your mistaken-gaps on the go.
EFFORTLESS WORKFLOW DESIGN
Everything lives on a single streamlined interface. Ten clearly labelled articulation buttons let you switch playing styles instantly. Mic sliders, pan knobs, and solo/purge controls sit right alongside the FX section — no menu diving, no hidden pages. KEY is designed so you spend your time writing music, not navigating sub-menus, making it just as fast to sketch with as it is to produce a final cue.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Single NKI instrument optimized for Kontakt 5 and above. 10 articulations with 2 dynamic layers for legatos, up to 3 for longs, and up to 32 for shorts with 7 round robins. Three microphone positions with full mixing control and RAM-saving purge system. All samples processed with Auddict's proprietary AI-powered pipeline. Library size: 12.1 GB installed, 24.2 GB recommended free space for extraction.
Requirements & notes
To utilize this instrument, the full retail version of Kontakt 5 (or later) is required. It is not compatible with the free Kontakt Player. 12.1 GB installed; allow 24.2 GB free space for download and extraction. Recommended minimum 4 GB RAM. All prices shown are excluding VAT and/or other applicable sales taxes. These will be added during the checkout process.