Château Piano
An instantly recognisable sound from iconic albums
An instantly recognisable sound from iconic albums
Deep within Château d'Hérouville, just north of Paris, lies a timeless piece of pop music history. This isn't just a piano; it's the iconic 1901 Steinway B grand – once owned by film composer Michel Magne – heard across era-defining albums from Elton John, David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, and many more. The legendary ‘Strawberry Studios’ closed in 1985, falling into disrepair until its reopening in 2020. With passionate new owners and following a painstaking restoration by master tuner Bastien Herbin, the piano’s 124-year-old soul has been preserved and even enhanced, maintaining every ounce of its distinctive personality while achieving remarkable playability.
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1901 Steinway B
8 Signals
37 presets
Ensemble Plugin
Listen to Château Piano
Featuring BBC Symphony Orchestra Professional, Impressionism, Heirloom
featuring Spitfire Symphony Orchestra
An undeniably classic tone, equally suitable for media composers and producers, Château Piano is the definitive sound of a golden era in rock and pop. Known equally for its bright, percussive attack – think Crocodile Rock – that cuts perfectly through a dense mix, as the warmth and resonance that adds heart to Rocket Man, Daniel, or Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road, this gorgeous grand piano has been exquisitely captured with a collection of valve and condenser microphones, including a pair vintage Neumann U67s in the same positioning as the original Elton John recordings. Alongside onboard effects, more than 50 presets, and multiple microphone signals, Château Piano gives you both the inspirational authentic sounds, and the tools to make it your own.
Transformed from an 18th-century manor into the world's first residential studio in 1962 by composer Michel Magne, Château d’Hérouville AKA Strawberry Studios quickly became a creative sanctuary for the titans of 70s music. Within the magical acoustics of its George Sand live room, artists like Elton John felt so inspired they recorded a trio of classic albums—including Honky Château, named in its honour. Pink Floyd, Chet Baker, Joan Armatrading and The Bee Gees all cut records there, and countless others from French legends Jacques Higelin and Alain Kan to international rockstars Marc Bolan and Iggy Pop leaving their mark. After the studio closed in 1985, this monument to music lay dormant for 30 years, its story fading into myth. It became the stuff of legend and mystique – rumours circulated that the ghost of Frédéric Chopin still haunts the master bedroom, as reported by Tony Visconti, David Bowie and Brian Eno during the Low recording sessions.
In 2015, a new chapter began. A team of passionate engineers and musicians purchased the château, dedicating themselves to a full restoration—not just of the buildings, but of its spirit. At the heart of this revival is the piano. Carefully brought back to life by master tuner Bastien Herbin, the goal was never to make it perfect, but to preserve its unique, 124-year-old personality. This library is the culmination of that journey, an effort to immortalise and share the inspiring sound of this incredible place.
The revival of the Château d'Hérouville is driven by its new owners, Jean Taxis and Thierry Garacino. Both are accomplished sound engineers and musicians who saw the project not as a business venture, but as a mission to save a vital piece of cultural heritage. Their philosophy has been to honour the château's history and timeless acoustics while discreetly integrating modern technology to carry its legacy into the future.
They understood that the château is more than just a studio; it's a place that inspires creativity. Every artist who works there creates something they wouldn't have made anywhere else. This collaboration with Spitfire Audio was born from that same spirit: to transmit the soul of the château and its most famous resident, the piano, to creators all over the world.
What's included
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, and sculpt the tone with high and low pass filters. Tightness control allows you to further shape the sound, and each patch contains a blend of three signals:
Close:
A detailed and intimate perspective, capturing the direct sound of the piano strings.
Room:
A spacious stereo signal to blend the acoustics of the George Sand room with close mics for the perfect room balance.
Super Close:
An even more up-front pop sound, with microphones placed left and right on the hammer end of the piano.
Mix:
A beautifully balanced, production-ready mix, scooped and brightened for instant shine.
Tape:
Analogue tape effect for classic warmth, saturation, and subtle compression.
Compressed:
Parallel compression to add weight, power, and aggression.
Chorus:
A lush, wide signal processed through a vintage Roland Dimension D for an instant 80s-style shimmer.
Distorted:
A gritty, characterful signal driven through outboard gear for texture, harmonics, and bite.
Presets
To get you started, we’ve included 37 presets, grouped into 6 distinct categories for instant inspiration.
Natural:
The pure, unadulterated, and stunningly authentic sound of the Steinway B, as it exists in the legendary Château. Perfect for delicate melodies and true-to-life performances.
Classic:
Evocative and emotional textures that effortlessly transport you back to the golden era, invoking the iconic sounds of the 70s and 80s records made in this very studio.
Intimate:
Delicate and nuanced presets, designed for close-up, heartfelt expression. Perfect for subtle underscores, melancholic ballads, or gentle, reflective passages.
Lush:
Rich, warm, and expansive sounds with generous reverb and chorus. Dive into big, spacey textures that fill the sonic landscape with beautiful ambience.
Driven:
Bold and assertive sounds, leveraging the Distorted & Tape signals. These presets offer an overdriven, characterful edge, perfect for cutting through dense mixes or adding raw energy.
Effected:
Explore heavily processed and creatively manipulated piano sounds, pushing the boundaries of the instrument with unique textures and experimental washes.
FAQs
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.
Read more FAQs for this productTech specs
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.
(32 bit DAWs not supported)
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)
File size
19.12GB