Introducing the Rhodes V8 and V8 Pro

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.

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.

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?

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