New instrument unlocked.
Abbey Road Studios have just released a new free, digital instrument named ‘The Big Nessie’ as part of a collab with British fashion brand Charles Jeffrery Loverboy.
‘How exactly does that work?’ you might be asking.
Well, all you have to do is make an account with Native Instruments, download the software, then head to Abbey Road Studio’s website here and press that glorious download button – after that, it’ll give you a serial number which you pop into Native and ta-da! You’re a proud owner of ‘The Big Nessie’.
Sounds straight-forward enough, right?
Abbey Road Studios reckon it doesn’t matter what music level you’re at to enjoy the treasures of ‘The Big Nessie’ (though you have to be over 18 to download it).
It’s the studios first ever in-house built instrument, and it was designed with their ‘Curve Bender’ approach, which basically just processes a bunch of captured sounds through vintage equipment and acoustic spaces.
For ‘The Big Nessie’, all these sounds came from the Loverboy workshop in Somerset House and a few recording sessions in Abbey Road’s Studio Two, with Mr Charles Jeffrey himself, musical director Tom Furse, and the Abbey Road team of course.
Abbey Road handled the sonic side of things, sculpting the clips into “beautifully strange percussive textures, experimental rhythms, and tonal elements”, while Charles Jeffrey whipped up some visuals to go with it all.
‘The Big Nessie’s drop comes alongside the launch of the Loverboy Spring/Summer 2026 collection, which is called Prepared Piano – so whoever is behind marketing, props to you guys.
Abbey Road Studios apparently had loads of fun making the instrument, and they hope that carries over to the artists and producers who get to play around with it.
Who knows, maybe it’ll really take off and your future kid will come home from school telling you all about how they were learning to play ‘The Big Nessie’ in class.
