REQ: Soul Serum Keys with Harold O’Neal from Splice Originals

You could call Harold O’Neal a jazz pianist, sure, but it would be equally accurate to call him a keyboard cryptologist. His talents are the type that clarify while they elude, making the simple seem complex and the complex, simple. His sound reaches you far outside a venue, filtered through layers of drywall, insulation, and brick, no less powerful. A simple melodic progression played by O’Neal might can slap you out of an existential stupor. And once you make out the swagger of his fingers, the delicate dance between rhythm and tone, you need more. Jay-Z, U2, Ski Beats, Bobby Watson, and Boardwalk Empire have all leaned on O’Neal for his particular style of play, and we can see why.

For Soul Serum Keys, we wanted something different than your average pack of future-leaning Serum presets, so we invited O’Neal to visit our studio and play some jazz and soul keyboard arrangements with his particular approach. We recorded both his audio and his midi output, capturing the essence of his timing and tac. We turned this performance into unique Serum presets that match the overall vibes of what he played: jazz-infused keys and soul-soaked sounds. In addition to the presets, we’ve included the midi stems and the original audio, chopped into arrangement-ready loops and one-shots.