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Best Rhodes VST Plugins

2023- 15 Free & Paid Picks

Hi, my name is Chris Senner and I am the

founder of Keyboard Kraze. Over the last
six years, I have toured the country
playing keyboards in the band Vinyl
Theatre.

I’ve been playing keyboards for over 20

years and this is the place that I love to
share my knowledge.

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By CHRIS SENNER · January 3, 2023 · ! 3 comments

Today I am going to break down the best electric piano VST

plugins currently available on the market. I have always been a
fan of Rhodes pianos, and I just recently started playing Rhodes
plugins.

The thing I really love about electric piano plugins is that you
can instantly change different amps, different presets and get a
feel for the track that you’re building out.

If you’re looking for free electric piano VSTs, scroll to the

bottom for a complete list!

Table of Contents [show]

Quick Glance At My Favorite Electric

Piano Plugins

IMAGE PRODUCT DETAILS CHECK PRICE

EDITORS CHOI
CE Physically
Modeled SWEETWATER
Lounge Mac/PC/Stand
Lizard Alone
Plug In Boutique
Most Realistic
Sounding

RUNNER UP
3 Rhodes
Modeled In
One DOCUSERIES QUE
Vintage Amp SWEETWATER DARÁN DE QUÉ
Arturia 73
Sims HABLAR
V
80 Preset Plug In Boutique
Sounds Solo 8,99 €/mes
Extremely
Dynamic
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BUDGET
Works With
Major DAWs &
RECENT POSTS
Stand Alone
Waves Sampled SWEETWATER
After On A
Electric Donner DMK-25 Pro – A New Contender?
Vintage
Piano Electric Piano
Waves
Yamaha P-45 Review – Still Great?
Built-In
Effects
The Best Digital Piano Brands 2023
Inexpensive
Simply Piano Review – Professionaly
Reviewed

Casio PX-S7000 Review – A New King?

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The beauty of the VST is that you can use a nice MIDI controller
to control the Rhodes. The knock on Rhodes pianos now is that
it’s hard to find ones that are in good condition and they can be
difficult to play because of this.

Keyboardkraze Welcome Video

To use VST instruments, you’ll either need to use your

computer keys or buy yourself a real keyboard. Don’t miss my
roundup on the best MIDI keyboards if you want to play
correctly.

It is my opinion that electric pianos are once again relevant

and that they have a prominent place in modern music
production. There are some great emulations when it
comes to Rhodes electric pianos and I have had the
pleasure of trying out a good amount of VSTs.

Best Electric Piano VSTs

1) Applied Acoustics Lounge Lizard

Best Overall

Lounge Lizard
★★★★★ 4.5

The Lounge Lizard electric piano

VST is simply incredible. It is the
most expensive option on this list,
but it's also my personal favorite
for the Rhodes sounds.

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People swear by the Lounge Lizard electric piano and for good
reason, it’s great. This truly sounds like a Rhodes piano and it is
incredibly dynamic in its tone. It came out in 2002 and it
immediately surfaced to the top as the most popular electric
piano VST.

Sounds

The Lounge Lizard is one of the most realistic sounding electric

piano VST’s currently on the market. If you watch the above
video, you will be surprised by how realistic it sounds. I’ve used
this on a bunch of different songs and it always comes through
nicely.

Overall Thoughts

Overall, I believe this is a great electric piano VST. The only

downside to it is that it is extremely expensive. If you can afford
it, it’s worth it. If not, I recommend checking out the Waves
plugin, as it is very affordable.

2) Arturia Stage-73 V

Arturia Stage 73
V
★★★★★ 4.0

With three faithfully modeled

Rhodes keyboards in one plugin,
the Arturia V 73 packs a powerful
punch that is worth a look. I've
used this on several tracks and I
think it's a great pick.

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PAGA UNA VEZ.

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AHORRA TODO EL AÑO.
8,99 € 5,83 €/mes*
PAGA 69,99 €

Paga un año por adelantado con la suscripción anual de 69,99 €/año, que es como
pagar 5,83 €/mes. La suscripción mensual es de 8,99 €/mes.

Arturia really stepped up their game with the Stage-73 in my

opinion. One of the features I really like is that you can switch
between the tone knob of the 1973 Rhodes and the bass knob
of their 1974 version.

I like the overdrive effect with this specific VST, as it adds some
nice grit that sounds pretty realistic.

Layout

The layout is extremely easy to navigate and it is nicely put

together. There is an effect chain that Arturia really put a lot of
effort with. It’s located on the bottom right in the VST and you
can dive deep into the sounds here.

There is also a twin amp that gives you that realistic Rhodes
tone that is so popular.

Sound

Overall, I believe the sound on point. Being able to switch

through so many different effect chains is key here.

Overall Thoughts

The Arturia Stage-73 V delivers some great sounds with some

great customizability. I definitely recommend checking this VST
out if you are able to.

3) Waves Electric 88 VST

Best Budget Pick

Waves Electric
Piano
★★★★★ 4.0

The Waves electric piano VST

works with major DAWs and also
functions as a stand alone. WIth
plenty of built-in effects and a
great price tag, the Waves electric
piano VST is a solid pick.

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DESCUBRE ESTOS ÉXITOS PREMIADOS EN
LOS EMMY®

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The Waves Electric 88 VST is basically the swiss army knife of

VST’s. You can get super into detail with this and it just sounds
good. One thing that I like is that it is actually quite affordable.
It’s on the cheaper end for the price but is right there with the
heavy hitters.

They sampled the Mark 1 88 and when you hear this play, it
sounds incredibly real. The velocity is perfect and that is hard
to find with a VST.

Sounds

The sounds are very realistic and dialed in nicely. You don’t get
as many effects on this as you do with the Arturia Stage-73 V,
but it sounds great.

Overall Thoughts

If you are looking for something on the cheaper end that

sounds nice, but isn’t going to have a ton of effects, this is a
good choice. I really enjoy this VST, and I use it from time to
time.

4) Native Instruments Scarbee Mark I

Native
Instruments
Scarbee Mark I
★★★★★ 4.0

The Scarbee Mark I by Native

Instruments is modeled after the
famous Mark I. The sounds are
incredibly realistc and it's 100%
worth the purchase.

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DUNE

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The Scarbee Mark I has some great velocity control. If you play
it softly, it really sounds just like an electric piano. When you dig
in, you get a little bit more grit in the sound and I really love it.
As far as the effects go, you can run a ton of different effects
with this that sound extremely realistic.

Sounds

The sound is incredible on this electric piano. I was blown away

when playing it as something about the way it feels overall is
just great. The playability is spot on as well. When you strike
the keys and hear the sound, it just feels right.

Are you a fan of Native Instruments? Check out this post

where I break down some great trumpet VSTs.

Overall Thoughts

Native Instruments has some great plugins because they just

nail the way the samples sound. Aside from that, they truly
know how to make it play like a real electric piano and that is
what sets this VST apart from the rest.

5) Spectrasonics Keyscape Electric Piano

Biggest Selection

Spectrasonics
Keyscape
★★★★★ 4.5

Keyscape is perhaps the most

popular option on my list. If you're
looking for a massive library with
incredible sounds, this is an
amazing choice.

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Spectrasonics Keyscape did a great job recreating the electric

piano. I have been speaking highly of all of the VST’s
mentioned, but these are the ones that I truly do like. You get a
lot of great presets with this VST and you also get some great
effects.

Sounds

It sounds very realistic and also plays nicely as well. The nice
thing with this plugin is that there are a lot of presets that you
can navigate between in order to find a style that you’re looking
for.

Overall Thoughts

As you can see from the demo, this thing sounds great. It
definitely doesn’t hurt to have such a phenomenal player on it,
but it sounds legit, trust me.

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.

Note: *Always use caution when downloading free software.

Keyzone Classic – Windows/Mac

4 Front Piano – Windows/Mac
mda electric piano – Mac Only
Noiseash sweet case – Windows/Mac
Mr Ray 73 – Windows Only
DSK Elektrik Piano Plugin – Windows/Mac
DSK Rhodes – Windows/Mac
Big Blue – Windows Only
Clavia Lab – Windows Only
D-Piano – Windows Only

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What Is A Rhodes Piano?

The Rhodes electric piano was created in 1970 by Harold
Rhodes and it became popular shortly after. You will sometimes
hear this referred to as the Fender Rhodes piano as it was
created by Fender.

Just like the piano, it generates its sounds from hammers

hitting metal tines. This gives it an extremely unique sound that
is very recognizable. The key-beds on traditional Rhodes
pianos are quite rough.

They are very funky to play in my opinion, but very fun as well.
When you play electric pianos you instantly feel nostalgic as
they were used heavily by bands in the 1970s.

The Doors were notorious for using them and in a lot of ways
helped to make them popular.

If you’re interested in piano VST plugins in general, check out

this roundup of acoustic piano VST plugins here.

What To Look For In A Electric Piano VST