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Download FREE Rhodes Piano sounds - royalty-free! Find the Rhodes Piano sound you are looking for in seconds. Dec 15, 2020 Whether you need to create a soundtrack for a film, a video game, or music in general, string VSTs usually play a huge part. New sample libraries are released all the time and it’s hard to keep track of which ones are worth getting. In this article I will list a total of 14 strings Best Strings VST Libraries: Free & Paid (2020) Read More ».
The marimba is a pitched keyboard percussion instrument(similar to a xylophone) that resides in symphonies, percussion ensembles, orchestras, commercial music, and more.
Finding an excellent-sounding marimba VST isn’t a walk in the park — many sound cheap. Not to worry, as I have discovered five exceptional libraries that I will share with you today.
Table of Contents
- Things to Consider When Looking for Marimba VSTs
1) Vital Series: Mallets (Paid)
I’ve already mentioned Mallets in a previous post (xylophone VSTs), but it happens to fit perfectly with marimba VSTs.
Vital Series: Mallets is an excellent pitched-percussion plugin from Big Fish Audio, the creators of Electri6ity, Mojo 2, and Apollo: Cinematic Guitars.
The plugin includes patches for marimba, xylophone, bells, chimes, vibraphone, and others.
The sample quality is incredible — when I listened back to my studio monitors, I felt like I was listening to real performers.
Vital Series: Mallets comes with multiple mallet types allowing for more flexibility and better dynamic emulation.
![Good Free Rhodes Vst Good Free Rhodes Vst](https://static.roland.com/assets/images/products/gallery/pg-system1_main_gal.jpg)
Mallet types included are as follows:
- Soft
- Medium Soft
- Medium Hard
- Hard
- Rods
- Bow
Vital Series: Mallets is available at Plugin Boutique.
2) Marimbaphonic (Free)
For all the composers and producers looking for a free option — rejoice. Marimbaphone is a surprisingly decent-sounding free marimba plugin.
The instrument contains 122 samples from the University of Iowa Electronic Music Studios public domain library.
The most disappointing flaw in this marimba VST is the limiting two velocity layers(hey, what can you expect, it’s free?).
Here are Marimbaphone’s main features:
- 122 mono 24-bit samples
- Two velocity layers
- Release time control
- Amplitude dynamic range control
- Basic reverb
3) Short Marimba VST/AU from Flintpope (Free)
Here’s an interesting (and free) marimba VST from a website called Flintpope.net.
The Short Marimba is a cool-sounding free instrument that won’t stand up to significant orchestral recordings but does work for many styles like pop and hip hop.
Have a listen below:
4) Soniccouture Grand Marimba (Paid)
I have a hard time distinguishing between Grand Marimba and Vital Series: Mallets’ marimba. They both sound so unbelievably realistic.
Grand Marimba is a fantastic marimba VST that features a 5-octave Yamaha 6100, designed with the legendary Keiko Abe.
The 6100 is a flagship instrument with precision tuning, Honduran Rosewood bars, and welded resonators (rattle-free).
Grand Marimba is a Kontakt Player instrument, meaning you do not need the full version of Kontakt to use it in your DAW.
5) Marimba by Frontline Producer (Paid)
Marimba by Frontline Producer is a great-sounding, and very affordable, marimba VST from Producer Loops.
The significant difference from the others on the list: it includes loops. Frontline Producer includes 343 marimba loops at tempos between 100 and 127 (which can be warped to your liking).
In addition to loops is a software sampler patch, which you can use to create your parts and melodies.
Marimba by Frontline Producer is available at Plugin Boutique.
6) Fine Mallets Bundle from Cinematique Instruments (Paid)
Fine Mallets is an armory of seven mallet percussion instruments including marimba, vibraphone, metallophone, glockenspiel, kalimba, and more.
The marimba patch sounds much dryer than others I have previously listed in this article.
There is also much less sustain, but I think it still sounds excellent and has commercial production potential.
The articulations included for the marimba patch include hard mallet, felt mallet, and big-soft mallet.
Note: the full version of Kontakt is required to use Fine Mallets.
Fine Mallets is available at Plugin Boutique.
Things to Consider When Looking for Marimba VSTs
Depending on your production, you may pick a different plugin. Some digital audio workstations even have marimbas and other percussion instruments included with the software.
Using Marimba VSTs in Pop and Hip Hop Music
Because you’re working in pop or hip hop music, you may not need the highest quality samples. A free option may work just fine.
I use Cubase, and it comes standard with Halion Sonic SE 3 — a VST sampler and sound creation system.
Halion Sonic SE 3 isn’t the full version of Halion, but it does come with some decent marimba patches. The included presets work fine for pop and hip hop music.
Check if your DAW includes some free virtual instruments and see if they’re any good!
Using Marimba VSTs For Orchestral and TV/Film Composition
Composition for film, TV, and video games requires next-level libraries — your competition will be using them.
Blowing away music supervisors right from the get-go is imperative, as you may only get one chance.
Using high-quality instrument samples is, unfortunately, a must when working in the TV and film industry.
For orchestral music, quality is also crucial. Unless you plan to hire out an entire orchestra to play your piece and record it, you may want to save up for the best virtual libraries you can afford.
Compatibility of Marimba Virtual Instrument Plugins
Most digital audio workstations today support VST (virtual studio technology) — VST is the most common format today.
However, if you use a DAW like Pro Tools, you may have to use a format known as AAX or RTAS. There are workarounds, but they are obnoxious, requiring you to use Reaper inside Pro Tools to host VST plugins — a total headache.
Fortunately, most plugins today come in different formats.
- VST (Virtual Studio Technology)
- AU (AudioUnits)
- AAX (Avid Audio eXtension)
- RTAS (Real-Time Audio Suite)
- TDM (Time-division Multiplexing)
Read your DAWs manual to see which format it supports.
Conclusion
Vital Series: Mallets remains to be my favorite mallet VST plugin bundle, though I have to say, Grand Marimba is coming in at a close second.
My best piece of advise when working with any plugins and instruments is to keep amassing them until you have an extensive library — like a painter’s color palette.
The “best-sounding” marimba VST may not always be the best application for a given style of music, like hip-hop, lo-fi, or pop.
If you’re interested in recording and production, specifically relating to drums and percussion, check out some of my other roundups:
Have you tried out any of the marimba VST plugins I’ve listed here? What do you think? I’d love to hear from you in the comments down below.
Please share this article with your producer friends if you found it helpful.
![Rhodes Rhodes](https://cdn2.americancivilwar.com/americancivilwar-cdn/women/Clara_Barton/Clara_Barton_Red_Cross_1905_sm.jpg)
Thanks for reading.
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
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 Rhodes Vst Gearslutz
You don’t have to empty your wallet for a professional piano sound.
Download these plugins and layer them on top of one another.
Good Free Rhodes Vst Plugin
Split them by left and right hand to get a unique sound.