John Legend’s “Ordinary People” Piano Sounds Come to Splice

John Legend is bringing the iconic piano sound from his Grammy-winning breakout single “Ordinary People” to Splice, the company announced Thursday.

Splice, one of the most popular music production platforms in the industry, is launching the Legend plug in two weeks after the company unveiled its virtual instrument platform Splice Instrument, and about six months after Splice acquired Spitfire Audio for a reported $50 million.

Splice and Spitfire Audio worked with Legend to meticulously capture recordings from Legend’s Yamaha C7 baby grand he played on “Ordinary People” from 2004, using the same mics and signal chain Legend had used on the original recording to get the piano’s sound.

“Sometimes people just want that natural, raw sound of an acoustic instrument, and pianos, they’re undefeated,” Legend said in a statement. “These songs I’ve recorded with the piano have become an iconic part of my identity as an artist. I hope when a producer loads this piano sound, they’ll feel connected to the music that inspired it, and that it inspires them to create their own story.”

At launch, Splice Instrument included presets like  Philip Glass’ baby grand piano and Paul McCartney drummer Abe Laboriel Jr.’s drums, though Legend is one of the most high-profile and distinct musicians whose instrumental fingerprint is now on the platform. Splice says the platform will be adding more high-profile instrument downloads in the coming months as well. The company says it’ll also be adding more AI capabilities in the new year.

“Being able to combine John’s artistry, the quality and precision of the Spitfire Audio recording technology, and Splice innovation has been powerful,” Splice CEO Kakul Srivastava said in a statement. “This is a new frontier in music creation and a model for how creators of all expertise can collaborate with the artists who inspire them, and it’s only just the beginning.”

For Legend, the new Splice partnership comes as he celebrates the 20th anniversary of his debut album Get Lifted, which came out in December of 2004. He’s on the North American leg of the Get Lifted anniversary tour, playing in Houston on Thursday night.

“John’s piano sound has a timeless quality, rich in soul, vibe and emotion. Being able to offer a signature sound like this was always an important part of the plan for Instrument,” Spitfire Audio co-founder Paul Thomson said in a statement. “Producers will find inspiration in being able to play the sound that has defined so many iconic songs, and shape their own stories with the same character and depth — using the same magical signal path. The reaction to Instrument so far has been incredibly encouraging, and we have an exciting roadmap of features to come.”