We’re obsessed with sounds, especially that beautiful porcelain the world has come to love for centuries. We’ll definitely admit we have way too many VST plugins and even VST effects in our studio library, but just a few more can’t hurt, right? Is there such thing as having too many sounds? Sometimes we don’t want to pay an arm and a leg for some sounds, especially piano VST, so today we wanted to find you all some of our favorite free piano VST plugins in the market. Here’s what we found.
The Best Free Piano Instrument Plugins
Spitfire Audio Soft Piano
Spitfire Audio caught our eye when it came to hearing what they had to offer in the free VST realm. They’ve been known to work with internationally renowned experts to create complex instrument recordings that boast both sophistication and realistic sounds. This makes them a must for anyone wanting to compose or perform music. Soft Piano works within any DAW out there and gives you access to an pretty extensive library that will be able to at least add a few great piano sounds. Very often, piano plug-ins don’t offer the right tone needed to augment a track. The piano sounds might be too harsh and loud, making them clash with the recording. These soft piano sounds are different as they can really blend into any music piece, whether you need an entire piano solo or perhaps a few additive layers.
The soft piano sound is achieved by placing a layer of felt between the hammers and strings of the instrument. It’s been recommended by countless threads and blog reviews out there for a reason. Spitfire Audio Soft Piano for us is one of the best free piano VST software programs on the market, giving the us a wide range of soft piano sounds all for zero bucks. The software also has a super user-friendly interface and delivers high-quality sound while giving the user a lot of control and flexibility.
Sound Magic Piano One
Using Sound Magic Piano One gives the user access to one of the best free piano VST plug-in options as it delivers some more great sounds for no charge. The music on Sound Magic Piano One in particular comes from the Yamaha C7 Concert Grand, an instrument that is well-known among amateurs and professionals alike for its legendary keys and feel. It’s been featured on stages around the world in concerts, orchestras, and other prestigious events. Sound Magic has used something called a ‘Hybrid Modeling Engine’ to create true, rich tones in Piano One that will add body to any piece of music without sounding too digital like some other free piano VST out there.
Sound Magic Piano One is available as a VST plug-in on Windows and Mac and offers a limited number of the company’s Neo Piano Hybrid Modeling Engine’s features. Alongside of the sounds, the piano VST plug-in allows you to set reverb, damping, style, harmonics, tone, perspective, and key dynamics, all on one easy-to-use screen.
4Front TruePianos
Designed to offer a seamless inclusion of the piano as a virtual instrument, 4Front’s TruePianos does exactly what it promises making it one of the music industry’s best free piano VST choices available to users who are experimenting as they choose the best option for their music. The plug-in has been designed to augment real-time performance and intuitively match the player’s style, providing an authentic sound that’s pretty hard to beat. TruePianos comes with five piano modules giving the user a wide array of choice. It also comes with several presents, a year of free upgrades and email support.
Newly released modules are also available for a year after purchase at no additional charge. TruePianos is compatible with Windows and Mac OS X and comes with a handy user guide. The interface is clearly set out with ease of use in mind, allowing the user to adjust keyboard sensitivity, dynamics, tuning, and volume. Using the available options, you can save the plug-in’s current state as a default, making it easy to pick up where they left off in the previous session.
Ivy Audio Piano in 162
Ivy Audio is home to several sample libraries of musical instruments that are free to use and its Piano in 162 is easily one of the best piano VST for free options at the user’s disposal. The piano used to create the Ivy Audio Piano in 162 sample library is a Steinway Model B grand piano, well-known for its rich and beautiful playing tones. Piano in 162 boasts five dynamic levels and separate samples of pedal on and pedal off music.
Users have found that the acoustics of Ivy Audio Piano in 162 are bolstered by the fact that it was recording through two pairs of microphones, with one being in the room and the other inside the piano. The user can take advantage of this high-quality recording by isolating and purging the close and ambient recording depending on their preference. Piano in 162 can be downloaded via BitTorrent for free or through a donation-supported direct download.
Versilian Upright No. 1
This upright piano VST produces a sound different to that of a grand piano. It is a piano sound more people are familiar with as it is usually the type of piano kept in the home, music studios, and clubs. The tone of an upright piano tends to be clearer and brighter than that of a grand piano but you can always EQ that to your liking.
The sound recorded on the piano was done so using wide and close mics. Ultimately, VS Upright No. 1 features 71 samples to choose from, making it very versatile and way more than enough choices here. The easy-to-use screen makes integrating it into music recording very convenient. VS Upright No. 1 is easy to use with a simple interface as seen above and compatible with both Windows and Mac OS.
Keyzone Classic
Bitsonic Audio’s Keyzone Classic is another free piano VST and audio unit that many people out there have rated as the best free piano VST plug-in they’ve run across in their searches. Available for Windows and Mac OS, Keyzone Classic offers five presets, including its original piano, a Yamaha grand piano, a Steinway grand piano, a basic electric piano, and a Rhodes piano. Each offers a unique sound and the range of options is sufficient to allow the user to find the one that best suits their needs.
The interface gives the user the chance to adjust several aspects of the piano samples to personalize them for the intended purpose. By customizing the sounds using the plug-in’s different features, Keyzone Classic users be integrated with playback and composing suites or by utilizing it as a standalone. Many have stated in reviews that they don’t feel the need to pay for a piano VST plug-in with Keyzone Classic available for free online due to it’s legitimate sound and feel.
Prism Audio Atmos Piano
Prism Audio’s Atmos Piano is yet another one of our favorite well-rated free piano VST products online. The product features 341 samples of ambiance piano playing, which were recorded using a microphone positioned in the hall and the main microphone positioned at the piano. The high-quality recording standards resulted in beautifully rounded notes that are easy to incorporate and utilize. The sound produced would be categorized as cinematic soft and warm piano playing, which is often ideal in a background where the user does not want the piano to dominate the recording.
Prism Audio Atmos Piano is compatible with VST or AU compatible host software, Windows, and Mac OS. The product is, however, not compatible with Mac OS Catalina 10.15. Completely free, Prism Audio Atmos Piano is something any music enthusiast should explore to add to their collection of plug-ins. Highly recommend you try this one out.
99Sounds Upright Piano
99Sounds is an indie sound design label that aims to provide high-quality sound effects and sample libraries free of charge to benefit anyone who chooses to use them. 99Sounds products are available for commercial and non-commercial use and remain royalty-free.
Rudi Fiasco, an Italian pianist and audio engineer recorded the piano samples himself. Among this free piano VST, 4 sampled notes/octave as well as 6 vibrant levels/note are upright Piano’s best features. The user has the option to change the release and strike time, intensity, speed, volume, and reverb sound effects, among others. 99Sounds Upright Piano is available for Windows and Mac OS, with the exception of Mac OS Catalina.
