Abbey Road Studios have announced the release of a virtual instrument that has been created in collaboration with British fashion brand Charles Jeffrey Loverboy. Created to coincide with the launch of the brand’s Spring/Summer 2026 collection, The Big Nessie has been designed for players of all levels, and brings together a collection of sounds drawn from the creative worlds of both Loverboy and Abbey Road Studios.
The instrument is based on the world of Charles Jeffrey and has been designed using Abbey Road’s Curve Bender philosophy and approach, where all of the captured sounds are processed via the facility’s range of unique vintage gear and acoustic spaces. The sounds that make up the instrument combine field recordings from the Loverboy workshop in Somerset House with recordings made in the legendary Studio Two at Abbey Road, where Charles and his musical director Tom Furse worked closely alongside the Abbey Road team. The sounds were then edited and processed before being wrapped with graphics designed by Charles. The resulting instrument delivers a library full of “beautifully strange and raw” sounds, kitting producers out with a variety of “warped percussive textures, tonal fragments and experimental rhythms.”
“There are many beautiful examples of how music and fashion have seamlessly fused together over the years, but this feels like the first time these creative worlds have come together to present a music production creative tool. Working with Charles Jeffrey was a truly inspiring experience that took both Loverboy and Abbey Road out of their comfort zones to make a fun and quirky sampled instrument for the creative community across the globe. The Loverboy workshop in Somerset House and Studio Two at Abbey Road provided the perfect environments to capture unique samples for Abbey Road’s first fully in-house built sampled instrument, and a truly exciting collaboration with the creative mind of Charles Jeffrey and his colourful and vibrant world. I hope artists and producers have as much fun exploring this instrument as we had making it.” - Mirek Stiles, Head of Audio Products, Abbey Road
Compatibility
The Big Nessie runs in Native Instruments Kontakt Player (or Kontakt) versions 8 and above, which are supported on PCs running Windows 10 and higher, and Macs running macOS 13 or later. VST3, AU and AAX plug-in versions are available, along with a standalone application.
Availability
The Big Nessie is available now, and is free to download.
