Toontrack’s EZkeys 2 is a piano instrument plug-in with a grand piano recorded with various microphones and ambiences (about 4 GB) and a MIDI library sorted by playing style. It is rich in features that help you compose: “Bandmate”, which finds accompaniments that fit audio or MIDI (MIDI: performance data that says which note was played and how hard), and “Suggest Chords”, which suggests chord progressions.
A piano instrument plug-in lets you play the sound of a piano on a computer.
In this article we compare EZkeys 2 with 10 piano instrument plug-ins and rate how well it serves its purpose on three criteria. The basis is official manufacturer information.
Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, SoundBounty may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices and sale information are as of the date we checked them and can change.
Score 3.3 / 5 (average of the 10 products compared: 3.4)
- Specs last checked
- 2026/09/25
- Realism and depth
- About 4 GB
- Help with composing
- Accompaniment + chord suggestions
- Variety of pianos
- 1 grand
- Price (store, date)
- $179 [Official, checked Oct 26]
Image: from the Toontrack official website (product image)
Summary
Among the 10 piano instrument plug-ins, EZkeys 2 is rank B. The ranks run S, A, B and C, and B is third from the top. Averaging the scores for each criterion (out of 5, with the one criterion that matters most for the purpose counted double) gives 3.3.
Strengths
- Help with composing (5 points): it helps you make accompaniments and chord progressions.
Things to keep in mind
- Variety of pianos (2 points): the number of piano types included is small.
Who it suits: people who cannot play piano but want to make songs from chord progressions and accompaniment ideas.
Main features of EZkeys 2
A Fazioli F212 grand piano
EZkeys 2 includes a library of a Fazioli F212 grand piano, about 4 GB, recorded with various microphones and ambiences. You can choose from presets that are already mixed to suit a song. Other pianos and keyboards can be added with expansions (sold separately).
Bandmate suggests accompaniments
When you give Bandmate the audio or MIDI of a song, it lines up candidate piano accompaniments that fit. There is also a feature that offers chord-progression candidates, which gives you a clue when you are unsure of the next chord while composing.
More than 1,350 MIDI phrases
It includes more than 1,350 MIDI files played by professional pianists, and when you decide on a chord, it plays in that voicing. The MIDI of the older version is included too. You drag the phrases into your DAW to use them.
Video: “EZkeys 2 – At a Glance” (official Toontrack YouTube channel; narration in English) Watch on YouTube
Where it is useful
- Quickly adding a piano accompaniment to a cover song or an original song
- Thinking about the chord progression of a song while looking at chord candidates
- Arranging MIDI phrases in your DAW to make a draft of an accompaniment
Rating by criterion
Realism and depth: 3 / 5
We look at how extensively it was recorded and whether you can fine-tune things such as resonance and pedal sounds.
It has a grand piano of about 4 GB recorded with various microphones and ambiences.
Help with composing: 5 / 5
We look at whether there are features that help you make accompaniments and chord progressions.
It has Bandmate, which suggests accompaniments that fit, Suggest Chords, which suggests chord progressions, and a MIDI library of playing phrases.
Variety of pianos: 2 / 5
We look at the number of pianos you can switch between.
The basic library is one grand piano (expansions are sold separately).
If “variety of pianos” matters most to you, Keyscape and Piano V (5 points) are a better fit.
How we score (Piano instrument plug-ins)
| Criterion | Basis | 5 pt | 4 pt | 3 pt | 2 pt | 1 pt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Realism and depth | Scale of the recordings, and fine adjustment of resonance, noise and so on | Recordings of 10 GB or more, plus fine adjustment of resonance, pedal, hammers and so on | Modeling that lets you adjust resonance and ambience, or recordings of 10 GB or more | A few GB of recordings, plus microphone and ambience adjustment | A small library | — |
| Help with composing | Features that help you make accompaniments and chords | Accompaniment suggestions, chord suggestions and a MIDI phrase library, all together | Two of those | One, such as creating new sounds from what you play | — | No feature that helps with composing |
| Variety of pianos | Number of pianos you can switch between | 10 or more | 5 or more | 2 to 3 (including different tones of the same piano) | One | — |
Each criterion is scored from 1 to 5 on how well the product serves one goal: making piano accompaniments for cover-song arrangements and your own songs. Scores follow the conditions in the table above, and the rank is based on an average in which "Realism and depth" counts double. The basis is official manufacturer information. Sound quality and CPU load are not measured, so they are not scored; reviews from trade magazines are introduced in the articles for reference. Price is not part of the score. Features that cannot be confirmed from the manufacturer's or a retailer's description are scored as if absent.
EZkeys 2 screens and images
Image: from the Toontrack official website (product image)
Trade-magazine review (for reference, not part of the score)
We summarized the main points from a review in an overseas music-production magazine.
Sound On Sound (August 2023)
- Praised the sound of the basic library as wonderful
- Praised it as software that combines a piano, a pianist and a composing assistant in one
- Said it is worth the price, whether you buy it new or upgrade
Source: Sound On Sound review
EZkeys 2 system requirements and getting started
| Operating system | Windows 10 or later (64-bit) / Mac (macOS 10.13 or later) |
|---|---|
| Plug-in formats | VST, VST3, AU, AAX (64-bit) |
| Standalone | Yes |
| Trial | 10-day trial available (all features) |
Checked on the manufacturer’s official pages on September 27, 2026.
Compared with other piano instrument plug-ins
Click a heading to sort. On a phone, the table scrolls sideways.
| Product | RankAvg. score | Realism and depth | Help with composing | Variety of pianos | Price (store, date) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ToontrackEZkeys 2 | B 3.3 | About 4 GB | Accompaniment + chord suggestions | 1 grand | $179 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
| Native InstrumentsNoire | A 4.0 | 16 GB + fine adjustment | Particles | Pure / Felt | $139 [PB, checked Oct 26] |
| Native InstrumentsThe Grandeur | B 3.3 | 13.7 GB + fine adjustment | None | 1 grand | $99 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
| ArturiaPiano V | A 3.5 | Modeling | None | 12 types | ≈$223.06 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
| SpectrasonicsKeyscape | A 4.0 | 80 GB + noise behavior | None | 36 instruments | $399 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
| XLN AudioAddictive Keys | B 3.0 | Mic combinations | MIDI phrase library | 4 instruments | $99 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
| ModarttPianoteq 9 | A 3.5 | Modeling | None | 20+ packs | $269 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
| SynthogyIvory 3 American Concert D | B 2.8 | RGB engine + 4 microphones | None | 1 grand | $199 (sale; regular $249) [Official, checked Oct 26] |
| Native InstrumentsUna Corda | A 3.5 | 10 GB + noise adjustment | None | Pure / Felt / Cotton | $149 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
| Native InstrumentsAlicia's Keys | B 2.8 | 17 GB + resonance and release | None | 1 grand | $99 [Official, checked Oct 26] |
Features checked on each manufacturer's official website on September 25, 2026. Check the store page behind the buy button for the price.
Read next
- The Grandeur: features and rating (rank B)
- Addictive Keys: features and rating (rank B)
- Noire: features and rating (rank A)
- Piano V: features and rating (rank A)
Comments