None of these free plugins come even close to the premium ones I just listed, but they are definitely worth considering, especially since they are free! TruePianos – 4Front True Pianos – 4Front. I wrote a couple posts comparing the Apollo Twin MKII series to other interfaces, here are some links to those posts; You can find out more about the Ravel Piano and the LUNA Recording System here. Listen to the Studio Grand Piano library here; Find out more about the Studio Grand Piano here. Despite being sampled from a Steinway piano, it can also sound quite different thanks to all the presets that are included, which can create anything from extremely spacious piano sounds to weird and other-worldly ones. These are traditionally used in DAWs (digital audio workstations) like Fl Studio, GarageBand, Pro Tools, etc. This free VST plugin version of the full product is missing a few features of the paid version, such as mechanical noises and multi microphone perspective support, but these aren’t huge downsides. Not only that, but the customizability of the sounds is quite extense since you have control over the tone, the sound of the room, pedal noises, hammer sounds, the dynamic range, lid adjustment to control the brightness, and built-in effects. . RDG Audio’s Free Piano comes with staccato and auto sustain features. Anything less would be an aberration. Based on a Kawai Upright acoustic piano, this plugin comes with on-board lo-fi and modulation effects to create dusty, mellow piano sounds. All of this lets you tailor the sound in a very specific way to fit your needs, and this is also why this sample library is probably one of the best ones you can get, even considering the price. We’ve reviewed a HUGE range of January deals and discounts for music production products from across the web. Just like most other libraries on this list, it offers different microphone perspectives; Classic, Contemporary and Player perspectives, and these were recorded using state-of-the-art microphones, such as the Neumann TLM50, DPA4006, AKG C12 & D19, and more. The Spectrasonics Keyscape library is one of the most versatile libraries... 2. Lastly, the Addictive Keys Studio Grand plugin doesn’t need a sampler or any additional software to work; in fact, it works as a standalone plugin both on Windows and MacOS. Unfortunately, the file size is rather large and may require more processing power than other piano VST plugins. Are you not sure which one to get? Luckily, if you don’t have enough storage to install all three pianos, you can install them individually. The user interface includes an absurd amount of controls for a piano VST. Piano One is a sampled version of the Yamaha C7 concert grand, and it’s the complete opposite of 4Front Piano in the sense that the number of controls available to shape the sound are quite high; You can tweak the Tone, Harmonics, the perspective, and more, and it definitely sounds fantastic! Not necessarily what you want if you’re looking for the richest piano, or the best interface, however. Given it was recorded in a “lonely basement dorm room” the sound is clean, precise and very good quality. Unfortunately, a lot of the paid piano libraries from companies like Native Instruments, Spectrasonics, UVI, Spitfire, and more, can all cost upwards of $100 and, in some cases, much more. 3. One interesting feature is the generative arpeggiator, that lets you hold a chord and it will start arpeggiating and evolving. The advantages of modeled pianos are that you can customize and tweak the sounds a lot more, plus they tend to need a lot less free storage space on your hard drive. When I first started producing music, I remember downloading some terrible, clumsy piano plugins just because they were free, not knowing what else was out there. Keyscape is one of the biggest and most versatile piano libraries in existence. Well, do not worry as today we are here to guide you about the best piano plugins available. It's one of the few instruments that shows up in nearly every genre of music. 4Front Piano is a free, compact single sound instrument that emulates the timbre of an upgright home piano. It allows you to customize just about anything. Here are the best piano VST plugins 2021: 1. Here you can choose to play notes in reverse, and depending on how much you dial in, you will be able to only hear the reversed sample or the original one plus the reversed one mixed in. This library features samples of a Yamaha CFX Concert Piano that was recorded and sampled at Abbey Road Studios. Even though the Modern Upright Piano plugin is a bit more limited than other plugins on this list, mainly because it only features one piano type, it definitely sounds fantastic and is worth getting if you only need an affordable upright piano sound. The Ravel is an emulation of a Steinway Model B† grand piano that sounds incredibly realistic; it’s the newest one of all the pianos on this list and I also think that it’s the best one. One interesting feature about Keyspace is the “Hybrid Duo Sounds”, that lets you combine two of the instruments to create something entirely new; Like combining a grand piano with a church organ, and more. Find out more about the Modern Upright Piano here. One of the best piano VST instruments – and a nice and simple one at that – comes from SampleScience, the Canadian company behind a huge range of instruments. It is so fire that, when we first tried it, we actually had to double check to make sure it was "legally" free (if you know what I mean lol.) Additionally, they frequently have limited customizability, plus sampler applications could be required. 31 Best Piano VST Plugins of 2020 – Free and Paid . Spitfire LABS Soft Piano is the best piano vst we have ever used! It utilizes a grand piano sample and does a great job of it. It is also a fantastic sample library to use for orchestral music, contemporary pop, rock and even jazz songs, since it can easily sit within any mix. To save you the hassle of trawling the web looking for these plugins, I’ve put together this list of the best free VST piano plugins that are a cut above the rest. The disadvantage however, is that you have less ways of customizing the sound, and if you only downloaded one library, say an upright piano one, then you can only reproduce that specific sound. Like. Cinesamples’ Piano in Blue is one of the favorite piano VST for a few years. Synthology does make an Upright version for those who specifically want that, but they are more well-known for this … DSK’s “The Grand” is another example of a clean, bright “sketching” VST piano plugin. Although Garritan isn’t... 3. This library also lets you choose between different microphone perspectives, including player and audience perspectives, as well as built-in effects such as Reverb and also an EQ. Your email address will not be published. Which are the Best Piano VST Plugins or Sample Libraries for you? Sound Magic’s Piano One is modelled on the sonically stunning Yamaha C7 Concert Grand, a true workhorse in the professional piano world. This is something I really enjoy doing. 1 has a broad, dynamic range and a bright, clear tone. Lastly, this library runs on any major plugin host (Cubase, ProTools, etc. Because it is so … It sounds just like you would expect an upright piano to sound; tight and with a defined tone, and it can certainly fit into almost any song and genre. It’s only one of many piano plugins that Sound Magic offers, but it’s the only free VST package. In addition to all the effects and sound adjusting options that this library provides, it also comes with dozens of presets, which will let you instantly scroll through different microphone placements, the reverb types, etc. However, many of these piano VST plugins come with a fairly high price tag. By just taking a quick look at the interface you’ll notice the vast customization that Synthology’s engine offers; FX like Chorus, EQ, Real Ambience, Timbre and stereo width controls, as well as changing the perspective, Velocity response, mechanical noises, and much more. Usable without a keyboard: Should you need to, you can trigger the notes directly in the piano roll in your DAW. Producer Sphere is supported by our audience. For being a free plugin, it sounds terrific! ), and works both on Windows and MacOS 32bit and 64bit, and it requires a minimum of 1.5GB of RAM and 22GB of hard drive space with a minimum RPM of 7200. It gives you access to 8 velocities, and also you can make advanced settings in effects. Additionally, it works on KONTAKT or KONTAKT Player 5.5 or later, and as a standalone program. In addition to this, every sample was recorded using various different microphones, as well as different microphone placements, and you can select whatever combination of microphones and placements you want in order to tailor the sound to your own needs. There are a lot more free ones available and they all sound pretty damn good, so make sure to check out the post I linked earlier and try them all out! Note: The sound will be played back through the computer’s sound system and not through the keyboard’s speakers. Garritan CFX Concert Grand. LABS Soft Piano by Spitfire Audio. 7 Best Piano VSTs. When you think about Yamaha grand pianos, the 9 … You can also introduce or completely remove pedal noises as well as adjust the lid position to further adjust the brightness of the sound. The Garritan Abbey Road Studios CFX Concert Grand Best Piano VST is easily the best piano software for MIDI keyboard, maybe even the best in the world. There are a huge amount of piano VST plugins that perfectly emulate a range of pianos, such as Kontakt’s “The Maverick” or “The Giant“. This library is considered to be one of the most realistic ones currently available in the world, and it features pedal-up and pedal-down notes in up to 100 velocities, comprehensive sympathetic resonances, and multiple release samples. I wrote a couple posts where you will find information on all these things I listed, so make sure to read them as well. Just be sure to give this VST what it deserves by way of a MIDI controller and hook it up with something that comes with 88 keys. The Maverick, which is the recreation of a 1905 concert grand and sounds a bit darker and more intimate than most regular concert pianos. It also has a seperate control for adding complementary strings and pads on top of the piano sound. YES! Once again, this one is it’s own plugin, so plug and play. The sample collection helps you to make some choices. This is without a doubt one of the best free piano VST plugins out there. This VST is used by professionals everywhere, … =) Hello, Mike here, and I am a composer. Find out more about Keyscape here: Amazon, Official Website. Important note: It’s designed for the full version of KONTAKT, which if you don’t already own, will set you back quite a bit of money. If the free plugins don’t cut it and you need affordable yet great sounding ones, then I absolutely recommend Death Piano and either Addictive Keys: Studio Grand or Addictive Keys: Modern Upright since they sell for about $80 each. Required fields are marked *. Best DAWs; Best Free DAWs; What is a Piano VST? Garritan CFX – The most accurate samples of the magnificent Yamaha CFX 9-foot concert grand. 1 is a clean sampling of an upright piano that sounds quite realistic. This means that the sounds you will get when downloading this library are far different than what you would normally find on any other one. Take into consideration that you will need 80GB of free hard drive space as well as a powerful computer for it to work. For years now I've been interested in music production. So, make sure to check the computer specifications that they recommend before purchasing it. The download process is a little long winded, requiring an app download which you then download the piano or string sounds within the app. Ivy Audio Piano at 162 A VST is a virtual ‘plugin’, that is used to generate or manipulate audio in some fashion. Death Piano sounds a lot darker than most other libraries, as you would expect, and it can definitely work for film scoring or gaming music. The downside is the VST has no editing features, beats, or additional pre-set sounds. In addition to this, you can shape the tone to your liking thanks to the built-in custom controls, which you can use do add effects, control the microphone placement, and more. When you record MIDI, you can simply move the notes around in the Piano Roll, be it to adjust the pitch, timing, and more, and any mistake can be corrected in a matter of seconds. Like high pass or low pass filter, reverb, Sample start knob, and a few other effects. The Ivory II Grand Pianos library features not one, not two, but recordings of three of the greatest pianos to have ever been played on a stage, such as the Bösendorfer 290 Imperial Grand, Steinway D Concert Grand, and the Yamaha C7 Grand. to hear the pianos in different recording environments without having to manually adjust every setting. You just need a MIDI controller keyboard, 88 keys like that on a real piano to play like you would on an actual piano is the ideal way to go. Click here for our guide to the top 100 FREE VST plugins of all time. VSTs are more affordable: Even the expensive VST libraries plus a MIDI controller tend to be more affordable than an electronic keyboard. It is 100% free and every producer reading this … Without further ado, here in no particular order is our choices of the Best Piano VSTs. Sound Magic’s Piano One is modelled on the sonically stunning Yamaha C7 Concert Grand, a true workhorse in the professional piano world. Modeled pianos, on the other hand, are created synthetically and the sounds are not as realistic; in fact, they can even sound extremely different to how a real piano would sound like. It sounds smooth, dreamy and completely authentic. Digital Pianos/keyboards create the sound from the hardware that is installed in them and reproduce them through speakers or a headphone output. Piano is an essential tool or sound in any producer's sonic toolbox. However, the Ravel piano sells for $299 and I think it’s only worth purchasing if you already own one of these interfaces or if you plan on getting one anyway, since they aren’t affordable at all.