There are only a few instruments in history that have received as much acclaim as the famous Rhodes electric piano. A staple in jazz, rock, funk, soul, and countless other genres since its inception in the 60s and 70s, the Rhodes has an iconic sound that is instantly recognizable.
In this Rhodes V8 review, we will explore 5 specific categories relating to this plugin: a brief Overview of the plugin, Interface and Controls, Sound Quality, Price and Value, and System Requirements and Compatibility. With all that said, let's dive in.
Overview
The Rhodes V8 is a brand new plugin (developed by the Rhodes) that is a deeply multi-sampled and modeled digital version of the Rhodes MK8 electric piano. There are lots of other companies that offer Rhodes-like plugins, but this is the only official one straight from the manufacturer. It's built to be hyper-realistic and offer all the countless sound combinations that are possible on the actual Rhodes piano.
Interface and Controls
The Rhodes V8 has TONS of parameters you can control to adjust the sound you get out of this plugin. The main ones located on the front panel are:
Preamp: Here you can adjust the overall volume of the plugin along with an Envelope control, which modulates the Equalizer Mid band’s frequency settings and can give you a cool Auto-Wah effect, and a Gain knob, which lets you roll on some of the gritty distortion the Rhodes is famous for.
EQ (Equalization): This parameter allows you to add or reduce gain to the Low, Mid, or High frequency ranges, giving you more control over where the Rhodes sits in your mix.
Vari-Pan: This parameter lets you control the stereo panning effect, with lots of customization potential through the Wave-shape, Rate, and Depth controls. You can also toggle this feature on/off.
Compressor: The compressor knob allows you to control the built-in VCA compressor to apply more or less of the compressed signal. You can also toggle this feature on/off.
Chorus: Based on the bucket-brigade chorus effect, this module adds a beautiful shimmer, color, and width to your sound, with Rate and Depth controls to tweak to your heart's desire. You can also toggle this feature on/off.
Phaser: This parameter allows you to add a Phaser effect to your sound, which can add body and a dynamic animation to your tone. You can also toggle this feature on/off.
Delay: The Delay module allows you to add a classic analog delay effect to your sound, with customization potential through the Time, Feedback, and Dry/Wet Mix dials. You can also toggle this feature on/off.
On top of all these controls on the front panel, the Detail menu (shown in the image below) will pull up even more settings you can adjust to get surgical with your tweaking.
Lastly, the Setup menu lets you get under the hood and tweak the mechanical and electronic properties of every note individually on the keyboard, including controls for Level, Damper, Fine Tune, and Timbre.
Sound Quality
The sound quality of the Rhodes V8 is phenomenal, nailing the endless combinations of sounds possible on a real Rhodes piano. The product team was definitely meticulous when sampling and modeling the sounds, as they sound just like you're playing a physical Rhodes.
It comes loaded with hundreds of Factory and Artist presets to give you plenty of out-of-the-box magic easily. Some of my personal favorite presets I've come across so far are Mello Words, Dyna-Mite, and Lush Pensini. The video below shows some great examples of the sounds you're able to get from this plugin using the presets or by tweaking from scratch:
Price and Value
The Rhodes V8 plugin is offered at 2 different tiers: The Rhodes V8 ($179.95) and the Rhodes V8 Pro ($299.95). They also offer a 14-day free trial for both the Rhodes V8 (which you can find here) and the Rhodes V8 Pro (which you can find here). The V8 Pro comes with the following that is NOT included in the standard V8 plugin:
More presets
Edit-able and save-able piano setups
FX Section with Compressor, Chorus, Phaser and Delay
Amp Simulation with 3 Amp and 2 Mic Models
4 Waveform shapers
Audio Rate Modulation
Per-note editor for piano setup parameters
Timbre, Damper, Tuning, Level lanes
And a few other minor differences...
So while you'll still be able to get a great Rhodes sound from the standard version, it is missing some great features that give you even more customization over your sound. The prices of $179 and $299 are also around comparable piano VST options like Keyscape ($399), Pianoteq ($399), or Lounge Lizard ($199).
System Requirements and Compatibility
The Rhodes V8 plugin will work in any major DAW and has the following system requirements:
macOS Catalina- Ventura (13.2), Intel and M1 supported, Rosetta and native
Windows 10 or Windows 11
8 GB minimum RAM
25 GB minimum Free Disk Space
Rhodes V8 Review: Conclusion
Rhodes hit a home run with this plugin. It produces sound true to the iconic e-piano sound we all know and love and also gives us tons of tweakability to help us dial in the exact sound we're looking for. The hundreds of presets also make it super easy for those who don't want to tweak dials and just want to get in and start playing and experimenting with different sounds.
Check out the Rhodes V8 here and take advantage of the Rhodes V8 14-day free trial (which you can find here) and the Rhodes V8 Pro 14-day free trial (which you can find here).
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