If you love playing the piano, you’d probably love to have one in your home. But acoustic (analog) pianos can cost thousands of dollars. Even digital pianos can clock in the hundreds. Plus, what happens if you don’t have space for a physical keyboard, even a portable one?
The tone, timbre and depth of a well-tempered acoustic piano has perhaps the widest expressive range of any instrument this side of a complete orchestra. Encapsulating the magic in digital audio samples, combined with a compelling way to play back these samples with grace and subtlety is something of a holy grail for plugin developers and VST users alike. Free Electric Piano VST Plugins. If you’re a producer on a tight budget, fear not, I’ve put together some free electric piano plugins that I think you’ll enjoy. Some of these work with MAC & Windows while others only work with one of the two. I’ve listed the compatibility below. The 2 best free options are Keyzone Classic and Noiseash.
Or maybe you’re a sound professional – a DJ, music producer, or studio technician. You want a ‘piano’ that can fit in your tiny musical space while packing maximum features. VST for piano (Virtual Studio Technology) is a good solution, so let’s find the best piano VST for your needs.
Quick Glance: the Best Piano VST
Preview | Product |
---|---|
Spectrasonics Keyscape Virtual Keyboard Collection | |
Garritan Abbey Road Studios CFX Concert Grand | |
Synthogy Ivory II Grand Pianos | |
XLN Addictive Keys Studio Collection | |
Spectrasonics Omnisphere 2 | |
Garritan Instant Orchestra | |
Ilio Ilio Synthogy Ivory II Upright Pianos |
The Best Piano VST Plugin on the Market 2020
1. Spectrasonics Keyscape Virtual Keyboard Collection
When you’re shopping for a particular item, you’re always better off with a ‘bundle’ or ‘collection’. It combines different offerings into a single comprehensive package, often at a discounted price. Spectrasonics Keyscape is one such bundle, and it holds more keyboard samples than any other brand on the market. It has other musical instruments loaded too.
These include clavinets and key bass, making a total of 36 sound patches. Apart from the keys and strings of those individual instruments, the VST is pre-loaded with 500+ sounds. These sound patches were separately sampled from rare restored keyboards. The process took 10 years so you can rely on the company’s dedication to sound quality and pitch fidelity.
But before you get too excited about all the specs and available tools, recheck your computer specs. To work effectively, this VST needs at least 80GB of unused storage space and 8GB RAM. You also need a minimum processing speed of 2.2GHz, preferably spread between two or more cores for redundancy, efficiency, and enhanced computing performance.
Because each sound patch is painstakingly sampled from a given physical keyboard, you get a broad range of play. But in addition to these 30+ instruments, the software has hybrid duo patches that mingle relevant instruments and sounds into a dually sourced ‘folder’. These patches have curios names like Uber Upright, Planet Vibrabell, and Mellow Phase Vibe.
The multisampling process and extended duration used to generate this digital library ensure your sounds are rich and expressive. The STEAM Engine – as the Spectrasonics Sound Development Team is known – offered meticulous attention to every intricate attention to every musical detail. Every patch has customized controls to enhance instrumental versatility.
Spectrasonics put a lot of time and effort into this VST. It features more keyboards than its rivals, and the tailored control panels contain designated effects for every patch.
Pros:
- Keyscape boasts the largest keyboard collection in the world.
- It has over 500 built-in sounds and 36 instrumental models.
- The library includes duo patches that combine congruent sound-sets.
Con:
- With all those libraries and features, it may take a while to learn the available tools.
2. Garritan Abbey Road Musical Studios CFX Grand
You may know the source of virtual recording samples is one of the most important factors. And that the quality of your recording equipment comes close behind. This Garritan VST combines these two facets to result in an exceptional product. The tones were from a Yamaha CFX grand piano, and each tone has three perspectives so you can vary your musical ambiance as needed.
As for the recording itself, it was done in Abbey Road’s famous Studio One. You may know the name from that 1969 Beatles album. Or maybe you know Studio One as the location where famous film scores were done including LOTR (Lord of the Rings), Star Wars, and Avengers.
Popular artists who have recorded in Studio One include Kanye West, Harry Styles, Stevie Wonder, and U2. All this name-dropping is proof of the exceptional acoustics, sound engineering, and sound crew available at Studio One. And these accolades ensure you’re getting the best sounds possible for your Yamaha Grand piano CFX sound patch.
For playback, Garritan uses the Aria Player so you don’t need a dedicated sampler. It does effective VST tasks, letting you load and play files via MIDI. And when you need finer control for streaming, stops, and ranks, the software is fitted with Endless Wave technology from Conexant. Beyond sound editing, the Garritan can be used for standalone playback when needed.
When you’re seeking a realistic sound, you can set the microphone to ‘close’ or ‘ambient’ volume to heighten your surround sound response. Each of these mics has its own equalizer. Although this is a virtual piano, you can control ‘physical’ features like the lid, pedal, sostenuto, and resonance. The stereo ‘angle’ can be set so you can hear it either as a ‘listener’ or ‘piano player’.
The reason this VST is so effective is its rich source material, its wide range of features, and its curated recording process at one of the world’s best studios in the world. It’s worth a look.
Pros:
- The sounds were recorded off a grand piano is an iconic studio.
- It uses the ARIA player for sound-editing versatility and quality playback.
- The mics provide from three perspectives – classic, player, and contemporary.
Con:
- If you’re shopping online, you may think the software is loaded on a bootable CD. But it comes as a flash drive on a keychain. But if you flash it before use, you’ll lose all the software data, so ensure your antivirus is up to date before installing.
3. Synthogy Ivory II Grand Pianos VST
VSTs are populated either by sampling (live recording from the acoustic source instrument) or modeling (synthesizing sound waves that simulate the original instrument). Synthogy uses both, modeling the tones using the patented Harmonic Resonance Modeling.
Sounds are sourced from Yamaha C7, Bosendorfer 290, and Steinway D9 grand pianos. You can use the three piano tones from a communal library or you can opt to install them as separate sound patches for easier access and organization. The software allows you to mingle these sounds just like a real grand piano, with half-pedals sympathetic string resonance.
This resonance is sometimes defined as ‘true harmony’ because of how closely it duplicates the acoustic grand pianos that sourced it. To authenticate your VST even more, you can filter in lid position, key sounds (the subtle tap as you press down a wooden piano key), and timbre. The lid position (e.g. fully open, partially closed) affects sound quality, and Synthogy mimics this well.
The software has 18 velocity levels for each of its 88 keys. And for the Bosendorfer sound patch, there’s an additional lower octave. And while this VST reproduces the sounds of three classic instruments, you can get an optional synth pad is you’re interested in contemporary pop mixes. This virtual piano has particularly powerful unlooped full-length sostenuto samples.
In total, this piano VST is preloaded with more than 8,000 samples. It works best on computers that have 22 to 77GB of storage space, 1.5 to 2GB RAM, and 2 to 2.5GHz, preferably in dual cores. It works with Windows 7, Vista, and XP and Mac Tiger, Leopard, and Snow Leopard.
Sympathetic string resonance is one of the most envied features of acoustic pianos, and the Synthogy Ivory II piano VST reproduces this effect with immense accuracy. Try it out.
Pros:
- This VST holds samples from three grand pianos.
- It’s compatible with both Macs and Windows-run PCs.
- You can include mechanical piano cues like
Con:
- The VST needs iLok licensing, and it’s not included in the box.
4. XLN Addictive Keys Studio Collection
When you’re playing the piano, you can only hear it from a performer’s perspective. But your audience will hear you differently if they’re sitting beside you and singing along, crowded at the back (standing-room-only!) or careening in the ‘nosebleed’ section. So as a songwriter or producer, if you want to duplicate authentic piano sounds, you need all three angles and more.
XLN achieves this effect by recording samples from a Mark One stage piano, upright piano, electric grand piano, and studio grand piano. You can buy these packs as separate VSTs, but this collection bundles them into a single unit. All tones are recorded from multiple angles. These perception points include tube microphones positioned next to your piano strings.
In addition to the varied sound perspectives, the VST has features for reverb, filter, phasers, delay, compression, (deliberate) distortion, and ornaments. The software even has a noise generator to replicate that live unplugged sound. And when you’re in a rush or you’re unsure of what you want to mix, you can check out the presets in ExploreMaps.
These presets can be used as they are or they can inspire you and give you some direction for as you sound-design your tracks. All the presets have previews for quick reference. You need a live internet connection to install this app, but you can use it offline. Your computer needs at least 2GB of RAM, and the VST is compatible with Windows 7 (or higher) and macOS 10.9 or higher.
If you’re using it on a website, your web host has to be compatible with AAX, AU, or VST plug-ins. XLN is a Swedish company, so you’re assured of (sound) engineering precision.
Pros:
- Tones are sampled from various perspectives to ensure authenticity.
- It has a built-in recorder so you can send yourself musical memos.
- The app is linked to MyCloud so you can sync your work across devices.
Con:
- It’s an imported brand and some users are wary of that. Especially because it’s a European brand and their sound sensibilities diverge notably from American ones.
5. Spectrasonics Omnisphere 2.6 VST (Our Top Pick)
Some brands upgrade their products without making any significant changes. Instead, they focus on optics and splashy launches. Spectrasonics doesn’t play that way. Their Omnisphere 2.6 is a newer version of the brand’s flagship software. It’s easier to link, thanks to its hardware synth integration. And it 100 times more fidelity via its 400 DSP waveforms.
Since the software has over 14,000 sounds, you may worry you’ll never find what you’re looking for. Luckily, it has a powerfully intuitive built-in browser that sub-divides your effects by type, author, genre, and category. They also added 25 new effects to their library. So you can consciously and systematically work through them to come up with hundreds of piano mixes.
To deepen the possibilities of your virtual piano play, the software has a new Granular Synthesis algorithm. It helps you work through the seemingly endless possibilities on this VST and come up with magical melodies. One way you can use it is to change the genre of a song. In a few simple steps, it goes from trap to country, just like Lil Nas X. You can also synth from scratch.
Meaning instead of using source material. You can play around with the Morphing Wavetable and the 8 new filters and achieve incredible flexibility. Every loaded sound patch has up to 10 oscillators and every oscillator has a dedicated wavetable, so your mixing options are close to infinite, whether you’re composing a concerto, making a backing track, or DJ-ing a house party.
Other features that have been improved in this version include unison, frequency modulation (FM), and ring modulation. So whether you’re upgrading or first-time-buying, this is a good one.
Pros:
- It’s pre-loaded with 14,000 sounds.
- The hardware integration lets you easily sync it with your physical synthesizer.
- You can search for patches by category, type, author, or genre.
Con:
- It doesn’t work with Windows XP or with any Mac OS before El Capitan (OS X 10.11).
6. Garritan Instant Grand Piano VST
We’ve already looked at a Garritan, and it was a pretty good one. But that was pure piano. This version still has a virtual piano, but it also has an instant orchestra. The Garritan Instant Orchestra is fully loaded with every instrument you can want. You can mix them in unison, individually, in layers, or in crossfades to get the most versatile mix with minimal effort.
Some people get annoyed by tools like this because they spent decades mastering the bassoon and practice their clarinet 8 hours a day. With GIA, you can compose, record, and play a complete concerto without the ability to read sheet music. Of course, classically trained musicians can use it too, especially if they have pop leanings a la 2Cellos or Piano Guys.
Like other Garritans, this one benefits from the Aria Player and Conexant Endless Wave technology. These two features make it possible to stream large orchestral pieces with ease. You can use the Garritan Instant Orchestra as an independent backing track, sort of like orchestral karaoke. Or you can use it in its VST format to arrange and compose orchestral pieces.
It’s a heavy computing device, so you need at least 3GB RAM and 7,200 RPM on your hard drive fan. It does work on older machines though, so if you have anything after Windows XP or Mac Snow Leopard (OS X 10.6), you’re sorted. You can also cast it onto a TV, but unlike newer systems, you need a CD-ROM drive to install it on your computer.
Pros:
- In addition to piano feeds, the VST has orchestral instruments.
- It’s built off the Garritan Aria player.
- This multifunctional software is compatible with RTAS and OS X Audio Units.
Con:
- Its built-in volume is on the lower side so you’ll need FireWire Audio or USB installation to raise it. Plus if you’re using a MIDI keyboard, you’ll need an adaptor for the USB port.
Best Free Vst Plugins Piano
7. Synthology Ilio Ilio Upright Piano VST
Many musicians opt for upright pianos because they don’t have the space or budget for a grand piano. But beyond having a smaller footprint, the vertical string arrangement and larger casing make a distinctly different sound from the horizontal strings on a grand piano. So when you’re sampling from an upright piano, it’s immensely different from using a grand piano as a source.
The average ear can’t tell the difference but as a sound design professional, they’re miles apart. So it’s worth having a VST with an upright piano sound patch. Ilio Ilio has four upright piano sources – Yamaha U5, Honky Tonk, Hume Vintage, and Real Tak. It holds 84GB of internal storage and is Mac and OS. It can also work with 32-bit and 64-bit systems.
This is a strong digital tool that lets you control and recreate every aspect of an upright piano. This ranges from the position of the lid, half-pedal footwork, authentic (and sustained) string vibration, and timbre. You can even heighten realism by inputting the distinct sound of pressing an antique ivory piano key. Other improved features are stereo, perspective, and velocity.
Using Synthogy’s renowned Harmonic Resonance, the Ilio Ilio achieves true sympathetic string vibration, so it sounds more like a real piano than many of its rivals.
Pros:
- It uses samples from four upright piano models.
- The software’s internal library holds 84GB of musical data.
- It has 16 velocity layers and the true execution of sympathetic string resonance.
Con:
- You need a faster computer and lots of storage space to use this one.
Buying Guide:
Virtual Studio Technology (VST) is a piece of software that mimics musical instruments. It may contain a virtual keyboard or it may be linked to a digital musical instrument via cables or wireless connections. What factors help you identify the best piano VST for your requirements?
Type of VST
As we’ve mentioned, a VST might have a virtual piano built-in. This type of VST is sometimes called VSTi (Virtual Studio Technology Instrument). It could clone a piano or include an entire orchestra in its memory banks. If you’re not looking for a screen-based piano keyboard you could opt for VST effects. Most digital pianos have these built-into their presets.
VST effects include equalizers, reverb, and phasers. They’re useful for layering and crossfading. The third type is the VST MIDI plug-in (Musical Instrument Digital Interface). It translates sound waves into universal digital signals. It was developed to facilitate compatibility across music brands and allows you to link and feed your musical instrument into your computer.
Latency
If you’re shopping for a piano VST, you’ve probably played piano, whether it was an acoustic grand or a digital console. So you know the sound isn’t produced as soon as you touch the keys (or click the keyboard). There’s always a millisecond lag. In software, this lag is labeled latency. And because these VSTs simulate pianos, the lag time has to be programmed into your software.
In your VST, you’ll find the latency listed under buffer settings. It’s defined by the ‘number of samples’ per unit of time. The smaller the number, the shorter the delay. But your computer needs to be fast enough to process your musical instructions in real-time. Many musicians set their buffer to 128 samples. Some faster versions can hit as low as 32 samples in their latency.
Input Method
Digital pianos reproduce acoustic piano sounds through recordings from live acoustic pianos. These recordings are converted into binary code then installed onto your digital piano. You can choose to record the sounds from a particular acoustic piano. This is called sampling and it lets you add individual piano key tones to your DAW (Digital Audio Workstation).
It results in a virtual version of a particular piano e.g. Steinway Model D. The other option is modeling, where sounds are synthesized from several variants of a brand e.g. Steinway B, Steinway D, and other relevant sources. With a digital piano, the recorded sounds are produced when you touch the keys. With VSTs, the sound comes to you when you click the virtual keyboard.
Existing Hardware
Depending on the VST you buy, you can connect it to a piano keyboard or have a built-in virtual keyboard that displays on your computer screen. Some VSTs have massive internal libraries. Others let you download additional libraries. These libraries comprise ‘samplers’ or ‘folders’ or ‘sound patches’ that correspond with various piano models and other musical instruments.
But unless you intend to buy a new computer, DAW, or hardware, you need a VST that’s compatible with the processing speed and storage space in your existing equipment. You may also have to consider what operating system you’re using. The VST Standard cuts across most Windows PCs while Apple products work better with Apple’s customized Audio Unit.
Virtual Jam Sessions!
According to our research, the best piano VST is the Omnisphere. Here’s why:
- Omnisphere is the flagship product from Spectrasonics.
- It comes loaded with more than 14,000 individual sounds.
- These sounds are easy to navigate because of how they’re sorted.
- They’re sub-classed by genre, type, category, and author for enhanced searchability.
- The multiple synthesis styles provided deeper versatility.
- It facilitates superior musical ornamentation via the arpeggiator.
- You can choose from 25 new enhanced effects.
- This upgrade has 100 times more capacity, with 400 DSPs.
What VST is loaded on your DAW right now? Show us a screen-grab in the comments!
4.7/5(89 votes )
More from Noname Music
Piano VSTs are a songwriter’s best friend. The piano is one of the best instruments to use for writing, arranging and producing music.
That’s why a great sounding piano plugin is a helpful and inspiring tool in almost every genre.
Those inspiring sounds lead to creating better music.
There are tons of piano plugins out there, but most of them are expensive. The top picks can cost a fortune.
But you don’t have to spend big money to get a great sound.
That’s why I’m rounding up the 10 best free piano VSTs that will give you an inspiring acoustic piano tone in your DAW.
1. Spitfire Audio LABS Soft Piano
Spitfire LABS contains some of the best free plugin instruments available.
LABS is an ongoing series of free software instruments made by musicians and sampling experts in London. It’s updated with new sounds constantly and sports an easy to use user interface.
Their soft piano plugin is still a go-to piano sound for many professional composers. Some musicians have actually used this free VST plugin to write entire albums of solo piano music
Soft piano delivers a warm, solemn tone. This sampled instrument was recorded with a thin strip of felt between the hammers and the strings for an evocative sound.
2. Ivy Audio Piano in 162
Piano in 162 is a sample library of a Steinway Model B grand piano made with a comprehensive sampling approach. The library includes two round robins, five dynamic levels, and separate pedal on/off samples.
Round robins are the number of different samples per note. The plugin will select a random sample each time the note is played, contributing to the realism of the sound.
Round robins are the number of different samples per note. The plugin will select a random sample each time the note is played, contributing to the realism of the sound.
Piano in 162 was recorded at 96kHz through two pairs of Rode NT5 cardioid microphones—an ambient pair in the hall and a close pair inside the piano.
You’ll need a sampler to run this library. Piano in 162 is compatible with the full version of Kontakt, or on Plogue Sforzando which runs .sfz files. Sfz files are text files that store instrument data for software synthesizers.
3. Prism Audio Atmos Piano
The Best Vst Piano Plugins
Atmos Piano is a perfect piano plugin if you’re looking for that dreamy, distant sound. It’s perfect for intimate ambiences, or a cinematic bed.
Atmos is a robust 2.4 GB library with 241 different samples. There are two separate microphone sources that can blend together with decay and release parameters.
If you’re looking to create an atmospheric, ambient piano soundscape, then this piano plugin is a perfect choice.
4. Keyzone Classic
Keyzone Classic is an all-round piano plugin. This sample based plugin is capable of replicating some of the most sought after piano brands.
The presets include Yamaha and Steinway grand pianos, as well as electric piano and Rhodes.
Keyzone Classic also sports common parameters you would find on a synthesizer. ADSR, and an LFO able to affect pitch, expression, and pan can allow you to shape a unique piano sound.
With its incredible sound shaping parameters, there’s no question why Keyzone Classic is often recommended as a go-to free piano VST.
5. Versilian Studios Upright No. 1
Versilian Upright No. 1 is billed as a lightweight sketching plugin, but definitely sells itself short. It’s an excellent representation of a classic upright piano.
This upright piano VST was sampled using wide and close mics. Like Keyzone Classic, Versilian Upright offers ADSR controls as well as built in reverb and panning.
The intensive sampling of this plugin includes 3 velocity layers with 2 round robins; sampled in tritones with a pair of wide, close mics. The samples include full decays of up to 30 seconds, which allow for great versatility when you use a sustain pedal.
Versilian Upright No. 1 is a go-to upright piano vst that will bring authenticity to your music.
6. Soundmagic Piano One
Soundmagic Piano One comes from the sampling of a Yamaha C7 concert grand. It uses its own hybrid modelling engine to capture the well known sound of the C7.
This engine combines the realistic sound of sampling and the playability of modelling. The playability is responsive due to the modelling while the sampling makes the sound crisp and realistic.
The user interface includes an absurd amount of controls for a piano VST. It allows you to customize just about anything. Interesting features include piano noises, audience and player perspective, and tuning systems.
7. 99Sounds Upright Piano
99Sounds Upright Piano is an upright piano plugin recorded by Italian pianist and engineer Rudi Fiasco. It features four sampled notes per octave and six dynamic layers per sampled note.
99Sounda Upright piano features a simple interface with ADSR, volume, and reverb controls.
What makes this VST a bit different is that it includes filter and tremolo control. If you’re looking to create a vintage lofi sound inside of a plugin, this one’s for you.
8. 4Front R-Piano
4Front R-Piano is a bit different then most of the sample based plugins on this list. R-Piano is inspired by RSP73 pianos, a popular discontinued electric piano plugin.
R-piano generates 127 different layers continuously, under a vintage overdrive. You won’t have worry about common sample library issues like CPU load or stuck notes with R-piano.
While this piano VST doesn’t exactly emulate a realistic piano, it can work well as an alternative to the Rhodes electric pianos
9. DSK The Grand
DSK The Grand is a lightweight plugin at just 51 MB in size. If you’re low on space and need a piano plugin to finish your track, then this piano VST is for you.
It contains 4 velocity layers, with 4-6 samples per note. The user interface is simply laid out containing ADSR controls, and a reverb.
By tweaking the release parameter and using the on-board reverb, you can get this small plugin sounding huge.
10. Bigcat Instruments Iowa Grand Piano
Bigcat Instruments Iowa Grand Piano is the free piano plugin you want if you’re looking for absolute realism. Iowa Grand Piano is a Steinway & Sons Grand recorded with a pair of Neumann KM 84 microphones. It’s hard to believe that this one is free.
Most piano VST’s are sampled every third note to save space for round robins and velocity layers. Iowa Grand Piano includes virtually every note of the piano with three velocity layers.
The individual samples are available for download, and exist in the public domain. This means you can use them in your music on the sampler of your choice. The plugin interface features standard ADSR controls, volume, and pan.
Free-an-issimo
Best Free Piano Vst Plugins For Fl Studio
You don’t have to empty your wallet for a professional piano sound.
Download these plugins and layer them on top of one another.
Split them by left and right hand to get a unique sound.