Rhodes Pianology: A Trio of 3 Deeply Sampled Pianos
Have a grand ol' time.
Rhodes Pianology brings the sampled sound of three beautiful pianos into your DAW: a Japanese upright, an American grand, and a unique Japanese electric grand.
Rhodes Pianology
The name Rhodes should need no introduction. While you surely know it as the creator of one of the most famous electro-mechanical keyboards ever made, the Fender Rhodes, since its rebirth, Rhodes has positioned itself as something of a general keyboard specialist. You’ve got the new versions of the classic keys, but also a selection of plugins that recreate not only the Fender Rhodes (both new and classic) but others as well, like the Wurlitzer. With Rhodes Pianology, the company’s latest plugin, it’s venturing even further afield – into the realm of the piano.
3 Piano Models
Rhodes Pianology continues Rhodes’s foray into releasing sampled instruments. “Carefully selected and voiced, these instruments represent sounds that are rare and seldom encountered outside renowned studios, concert halls, or private collections,” the press materials say.
“Building on the worldwide success of V8 Pro, Wurli, and Anthology, Pianology marks the next chapter in our evolving Rhodes sound library,” said Dan Goldman, Chief Product Officer at Rhodes. “With three carefully prepared and deeply sampled pianos, Pianology is designed for expressive playability, organic tone, and a close connection between player and instrument. Paired with our effects engine and sound-shaping tools, Pianology reflects Rhodes’ approach to tone and expressivity, placing the playing experience at the heart of the sound.”
The three instruments in the plugin are:
- Japanese Upright Piano: A Yamaha U-series upright with a bright tone and direct response. Rhodes suggests using it for scoring, jazz and songwriting.
- American Grand Piano: This grand has a broad dynamic range and balanced tonal profile.
- Japanese Electric Grand: A unique electro-acoustic piano with real strings and pickups (most likely a Yamaha CP-80).
And the Effects
Along with its instrument plugins, Rhodes has been building a nice catalog of effects. It’s no surprise then that Rhodes Pianology should feature so many of them. You get piano-voiced compression, EQ, modulation, delay, panning, and a selection of Rhodes reverbs, including new Stage and Arena algorithms. There’s also a tremolo effect based on the Electric Grand’s circuitry, which is very cool.
Global controls include Timbre Shift, Global Tune, Mechanical Noise, and Lid Position for the Grand Piano, as well as an Amp and Mic section with amplifier models and microphone choices pulled from Rhodes V8 Pro. You can also adjust velocity curve and depth.
Hear the pianos in action on Rhodes’ SoundCloud page.
Pricing & Availability
Rhodes Pianology is available now in VST, AU, and AAX formats at an introductory price of €109 (down from €159) from Thomann*.
More Information
- Rhodes Pianology product page
- More about Rhodes
- More about software
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One response to “Rhodes Pianology: A Trio of 3 Deeply Sampled Pianos”
Cannot possibly understand why they think anyone would want a piano plugin to include Tremolo, Chorus, Phaser, Echo or Guitar Amp Cabinet FX on a Steinway concert grand piano sample – yet does not choose to include Pedal Resonance or Sympathetic String Resonance….??!