Introducing the Rhodes V8 and V8 Pro

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There are countless digital keyboard instruments and plugins striving to emulate the legendary (Fender) Rhodes sound. You will be hard-pressed to find a digital piano that doesn’t feature at least one preset simulating a Rhodes’ electric piano.

And there is a myriad of plugins and DAW libraries bringing their own versions to the party. But the just-launched (March 2023) Rhodes V8 and Rhodes V8 Pro are the first-ever softwares to officially carry the Rhodes name.

Pack shots of the Rhodes V8 and V8 Pro
The Rhodes V8 Pro and Rhodes V8 packs

Back in 2021, Rhodes Music Group Ltd released the much anticipated Rhodes MK8. This meticulously designed instrument was built to capture the essence of the original 1970s/80s electric piano, but with more than a nod to the 21st century. And most seem to agree that this was something of a triumph—albeit quite an expensive one.

Now the company has released the V8 and V8 Pro plugins. These, according to Rhodes, are “deeply multi-sampled, hyper-realistic versions of the Rhodes MK8 capturing all the nuances and character of the flagship electric piano”. And the specifications and the sound are really impressive.

A photo of the Rhodes V8 Pro being used in a recording studio

At the heart of both virtual instruments is a sample-based modelling engine. 30,000 samples (96kHz / 24bit) of an actual Rhodes MK8 form the foundation of the emulation. These samples provide up to 127 velocity layers, 14 articulations (sustains, staccatos, portamentos, legatos, and notes off), sympathetic resonances and various mechanical noises.

Rhodes has structured the V8 / V8 Pro to feature Profiles and Presets. A Profile stores the settings you would make if you were tinkering with the inner workings of a Rhodes, for example the velocity curve or the eq characteristics for each individual note. A Preset stores every constituent parameter of a sound including all the front panel settings. And by its very nature, a Preset will include a Profile.

Rhodes V8 Pro

The V8 is the base model, but what more do you get with the V8 Pro?

screenshots of the three main control screens
The Rhodes V8 Pro’s Main, Setup, and Detail Screens (front to back)

Firstly you have the FX section as found on the Rhodes MK8-FX. This includes Compression, Phaser, Bucket-Brigade Chorus and Delay. Pro users can also access the Setup page which provides per-note control over Timbre, Fine Tune, Level and Damper settings.

A selection of microphones and amplifier/cabinet combos help create various classic Rhodes setups. Amp/cab configurations include: Jazz, L5, Twin (a classic 2×12 tube guitar amp), and Rhodes Suitcase (the ubiquitous 4×12 suitcase cabinet on which the Rhodes would sit). And of course, there’s a Vari-Pan facility which is part of the V8 Pro’s enhanced Pre-Amp section.

The Pro version also includes extra factory Presets and Profiles and the option to edit and store them.

Full details of the various differences between the V8 and V8 Pro are listed in the Specifications section below.

As you would expect, this is the most comprehensive virtual Rhodes electric piano yet to appear on the market. And if you can’t really justify the cost of an actual MK8, this is far and away the next best thing. If you want to “try before you buy”, both softwares can be downloaded for a free 14-day trial.

The V8 and V8 Pro are now available directly from Rhodes Music Group Ltd and from Plugin Boutique. The Rhodes V8 costs $179.95 (£149.95 / €169.95) and the Rhodes V8 Pro costs $239.95 (£199.95 / €219.95). The price of the V8 Pro will rise after 11-April-2023.

Specifications: Rhodes V8 and Rhodes V8 Pro

V8 ProV8
FUNDAMENTALS
Sound EngineRhodes MK8 Hyper-RealRhodes MK8 Hyper-Real
Samples30,000+ (96kHz / 24bit)30,000+ (96kHz / 24bit)
Presets included20872
Profiles (piano setups) included12072
Profiles (user-editable and save-able)YesNo
FX Section with Compressor, Chorus, Phaser and DelayYesNo
Amp Simulation with 4 Amp/Cab and 2 Mic ModelsYesNo
PRE-AMP
VolumeYesYes
Envelope (driving EQ Mid Freq)YesYes
DriveYesYes
EQYesYes
RateYesYes
DepthYesYes
Modulation WaveformsSquare, Ramp, Triangle, SineSquare
Audio Rate Modulation (Ringmod effects)
FX
VCA Compressor with Amount and Make-Up GainYesNo
BBD Stereo Chorus with syncable Rate and DepthYesNo
VCA Stereo Phaser with syncable Rate, DepthYesNo
BBD Delay with midi-syncable Time, Feedback, MixYesNo
SET-UP
Per-note editor for piano setup parametersYesNo
Timbre, Damper, Tuning, Level lanesYesNo
BBD Delay with midi-syncable Time, Feedback, MixYesNo
DETAIL
MAIN Section with Tuning, Mechanics Volume and Timbre ShiftYesYes
PROFILE EQ: Low, Mid 1, Mid2, High with Gain and Freq each, EQ LevelYesNo
VELOCITY: Curve, DepthYesYes
Pedal Noise: Level, Init VelocityYesYes
Extended Parameters for Pan and FXYesNo
VARI-PAN: Slew, SmoothYesNo
COMP: ThresholdYesNo
CHORUS: Delay, Phase, SpreadYesNo
PHASER: Resonance, Phase, SpreadYesNo
DELAY: Pingpong On/Off, Jitter, SpreadYesNo
AMP SimulationYesNo
AMP/CAB selector with 4 Amp models: Suitcase, Twin, Lab 5, JazzYesNo
MIC TYPE selector with Dynamic and Condenser MicYesNo
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
OPERATING SYSTEM
MacOS / ProcessorsCatalina (10.15) - Ventura (13.2)
Mac ProcessorsIntel and M1 supported, Rosetta and native
WindowsWindows 10 - 11
COMPUTER
RAM8 GB minimum
Free Disk Space25 GB minimum
Display1280 x 960 minimum, UI resizable
Internet ConnectionRequired
FORMATS
Plugin formatsVST2, VST3, AU, AAX
Delivery formatDownloadable Installer File

 



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One thought on “Introducing the Rhodes V8 and V8 Pro

  1. Bill Goulding

    I do not know how virtual pianos work. I have a yamaha dgx 520 piano so is your software plugged in to my piano ? and would the software be of use to me.

    Please explain at you leisure

    Bill Goulding (Dublin)

    Reply

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