If you’re a concert pro or just looking to tinkle, here are some of today’s best options for getting a grand in your DAW.
The piano must be the archetypal musical instrument, and there’s a huge number of plugin options to choose from if you want to have one in your DAW.
We’ve compiled a quick guide to the piano plugins available on Plugin Boutique, and the range on display covers plenty of bases. The sampled instruments here range from simple pianos captured faithfully without frills, to famous top-of-the-line grand pianos with every imaginable articulation thrown in.
Not to be missed are the more out-there entries here, which range from pianos layered with strings and other goodies, to ones that can be transformed into something very far removed from themselves.
Arturia Augmented Piano
It’s piano, but not as we know it. The ‘augmentation’ in question involves a piano source being sent through all manner of studio gear and granulation processes. The result is a cinematic and inspiring instrument that gives a lot more than a ‘standard grand piano’, although it can do the bread-and-butter stuff if you like, of course.
With two layers and two sources per layer to balance and blend, as well as marco controls, modulation, arpeggiation and more, this is a piano that goes far beyond the concert hall.
Capsule Audio Black Ivory
This virtualized grand piano is backed up by more sonic layers. For example, you could choose to layer Black Ivory’s piano sound with a lush string ensemble, which would mirror your notes. Or how about the Octave setting, which doubles up each input note with another note an octave above?
All this comes as part of the Capsule Audio system, which lets you at a large variety of smaller instruments at reasonable price points.
Karanyi Sounds LoFi Keys
Where would Lo-Fi music be without a felted piano or a smooth Classic Electric Piano? This particular plugin lets you in on a huge roster of sounds aimed squarely at the world’s favourite study genre, with tape-soaked, scratched-up, VHS-ified, wowy-fluttery keys to command from your DAW.
Gone are your days of using an instrument plugin followed by an effects plugin to get your piano suitably grungy and nostalgic enough to find its way onto a playlist – with Lofi Keys, you can place further effects using the ‘Vapor Dimension’ modulator, the ‘Technocolor’ distortion, and the ‘Polyspace’ reverb.
Rhodes V8 & V8 Pro
Many developers have released virtual versions of the Rhodes electric piano, but none have been quite like this one. First, because this is the only current model of the Rhodes MK8, the newest model of the actual Rhodes, built to 2023’s standards with effects included [V8 Pro]. Second, because of the sheer level of detail that’s gone into this particular plugin. Third, because of who made it: this is the first plugin officially created by Rhodes themselves.
With stiff competition, it’s a must for Rhodes to beat competing virtualizers, but you can judge yourself whether this Rhodes cuts the mustard with the free demo.
Universal Audio Ravel Grand Piano
Originally purveyors of the finest analogue-style effects, but now moving into the instruments game, Universal Audio have a real pedigree when it comes to bringing the real world into a plugin. Your expectations should be high, then, when it comes to their Ravel Grand Piano plugin, which models a Steinway Model B.
The control set is humble here, but that’s because UA have done their expert work behind the scenes using studio setup, microphones and mixing to find the perfect sound. Having said that, you do get mic placement options, dynamic controls, and reverse playback options too!
Sampleson MetaPiano
If these blisteringly deeply sampled pianos are making you quake at the thought of your hard drive space, consider for a second the fact that MetaPiano weighs in at under 60MB. Thanks to Sampleson’s spectral modelling technology, you get the sound of a whole grand piano without having to head to your Downloads folder with a finger on the Delete key.
MetaPiano lets you customise your sound using Dynamics and Width controls, and can change the sound of the piano and its construction using the Wood dial – for more interesting resonant characteristics. Then there’s the Reverb dial for adding space, depth and mood.
MeldaProduction MeldwayGrand
Available to load into MeldaProduction’s free MSoundFactoryPlayer software, and coming for free with a license of MSoundFactory LE or MSoundFactory, MeldWay Grand is another take on the Steinway Model D grand piano. One unique feature here is the options given for sympathetic resonances to come into play.
From within the Creative tab, you can morph the sound of the piano with modules including the Thumper, Brasser, Talkbox, FM, Resonators and more. Then there’s a choice of reverbs, a choice of virtual microphone options, and an effects section with delay, reverb and the like. A good option for those who want a little more than just piano from their piano.
XLN Audio Addictive Keys
A mainstay of virtual pianos for a while now, Addictive Keys offers many expansions to put the flavours of different pianos at your fingertips, and this particular bundle lets you choose three to make your own as a starter package.
Often, pulling up a sampled keyboard instrument is all you need to do; at other times, you might want to get a little more hands-on with sound design and tweaking the options. Addictive Keys give you both a wide selection of pianos to reach for, and the settings to customise their sounds if you choose to.
Ujam Virtual Pianist Vogue
Vogue is a lovely take on a top-level grand piano, sure – but it goes further than that, too, providing a model of a full ‘pianist’ to play the thing, should you want to. By using keyswitching to flip between different play modes, you can hit single keys or chords and let that virtual pianist do the hard fingerwork for you. Results range from tried-and-tested pop piano lines and playing styles, all the way to complex lines that would make even Richard Strauss think you’ve gone a bit too far.
Back to that piano itself, where you can also customise the sound of the instrument. selecting between Emotion, Ballad, Concert, Power and Plastic sound styles, moving a Dark/Light slider to change the character further, and add a variety of effects from Lo-Fi to highly polished.
Initial Audio Heat Up 3
A 13GB library of sampled instruments, and reminiscent of some of music technology’s most beloved ‘workstations’, Heat Up 3 contains a full set of sounds, and you’d better believe that piano is a part of that, features in its detailed browser alongside many other bread and butter sounds – as well as some more interesting options for your next tune.
After simply selecting your instrument, there’s a level of customisation on tap as well, with Filter, Reverb, Delay and Chorus panels providing the staple effects you’d want to throw over an instrument to get things grooving and placed properly early on. That Chorus module also features Pre-Delay for a longer onset to the effect. Finally, there’s also a Master panel with basic compression, and loads of performance and MIDI-oriented controls to get your playing sounding just right.
AIR Music Technology Xpand!2
Perhaps familiar to past users of Pro Tools, Xpand! is now available as a plugin for users of any DAW. Its advantage is its ability to load multiple instruments at once and layer their sounds for playing together.
There are over 2500 presets and parts to load in, covering almost every instrument you can imagine, but specifically for this article, piano. You can also take advantage of the software’s built-in arpeggiator, a choice from fifty effects, smart knobs and macros to get what’s in your head out into your DAW.