Pros and Cons
For a few years now, a small English company has been handcrafting a Rhodes electric piano: the Rhodes MK8 – a boutique instrument that few can afford. This is where the Rhodes V8 VST comes in handy. Not only does it deliver the legendary sound of the real Rhodes MK8 at a fraction of the price, but the Pro version of the plug-in even comes with authentic effects and tuning options.
It would also be the first software instrument to bear the original “Rhodes” name. In cooperation with UJAM, the Rhodes MK8 was sampled and processed into a software piano, capturing many details of the special articulation possibilities. As soon as I play my first riffs, I am amazed at how well the phrasing works. On another note, there seems to be some room for improvement in the dynamics…
I feel like I am back in the days of tinkering with my Fender Rhodes MK2, always searching for the perfect Rhodes sound. And the Rhodes V8 passes this first test with flying colors. That’s because the perfect Rhodes sound doesn’t really exist, or rather, it only does if you’re willing to embrace the irregularities of this particular electric piano with all its rough edges. If you have never touched an old Fender Rhodes, you will probably wonder what I am talking about.
Without question, the Rhodes electric piano is probably the most famous vintage electric piano of all time. It was played by countless artists in the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. However, different Rhodes series and pianos with very different intonations make it difficult to speak of a single sound ideal. A Rhodes can sound woody, mellow, jazzy, percussive, funky, or totally gaudy, rocky, wiry, and rich in overtones. What all variations have in common is their immense expressiveness and the bell-like tine sound, which can be more or less pronounced.
Not surprisingly, Rhodes enthusiasts can be fussy when it comes to digital simulation. Some swear by physical modelling to capture the expressiveness in all its nuances, while others prefer the precise fidelity of sampling. The Rhodes V8 occupies a middle ground, using both modelling and sampling.
Another special thing about each Rhodes is the individual sound behavior. Whether it is intentional intonation, wear and tear, or seasonal changes in rehearsal rooms, each instrument develops many small characteristics over the years that shape its sound and tone.
The new Rhodes MK8 is handmade in small quantities, which explains the rather high price. The design is a real eye-catcher, even though it looks like a classic Rhodes. If you wish to purchase one, you can configure it yourself on rhodesmusic.com. With the options corresponding to the Rhodes V8 Pro software version, the Rhodes MK8 costs over 10,000 Euros.
In principle, the Rhodes MK8 is built like an old Fender Rhodes – you can see that as soon as you look at what’s under the hood: an electromagnetic sound generation and a hammer-action keyboard. In this respect, the Rhodes MK8 has everything you need to intonate the electric piano according to your own ideas. Accordingly, this was the inspiration behind the Rhodes V8 profiles.
The new Rhodes company offers the Rhodes V8 Plugin in two versions. Both have the same sample base and require about 25GB of free hard disk space (SSD recommended). It’s fair to consider the Rhodes V8 a preset version since it lacks the tuning options of the Rhodes V8 Pro.
The latter is for true sound enthusiasts and those who want to tweak effects, timbre, and tuning. The Rhodes V8 Pro plug-in not only offers typical effects such as phaser, auto wah, chorus, and delay, but also amp and microphone simulations.
If you want to check out the sound of the Rhodes V8 plug-in for yourself, you can download a free 14-day trial at rhodesmusic.com.
When the plug-in starts, it loads a default sound – without any effects: the pure Rhodes piano. Some people may be surprised at how raw it sounds. However, that’s no different from a real Rhodes and has always inspired people to pimp the sound with preamp, EQ, tremolo, phaser, and more.
Moreover, this default sound is the perfect starting point to explore the basic sound of the Rhodes V8. The sound is extremely dynamic, clear, and rich in detail – it’s just waiting to be discovered. The pedal produces a good amount of damper noise, the attacks are clearly defined, and the damper behavior in key-off has also been taken into account. You can play and phrase with great emphasis – this sound sings!
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There are several levels to discovering classic Rhodes sounds. The first is the Factory Rhodes Presets, which are fully equipped with effects, EQ, and preamp, and include classic and imaginative electric piano sounds.
A second preset level called “Introduction” offers less sound design options, but still provides classic settings. For example, “Default Mid Boost,” “Default Vari-Pan,” and more allow Rhodes experts to jump right into editing. A great feature!
Then there are the profiles. They contain completely different voicings of the Rhodes and define the basic sound character of a preset. This allows the Rhodes V8 to capture many of the typical Rhodes sounds. The Rhodes V8 Pro goes even further by offering a choice of intonation options.
The profiles and presets already sound great and include signature sounds from three decades of jazz, soul, rock, and pop music. But with the Pro version, you can also create and save your own profiles.
In the Setup section, the Rhodes V8 Pro allows you to adjust the volume, fine-tuning, damper, and timbre of each individual tone. Some functions probably need some explanation:
The Timbre parameter in particular has it all – there is an extremely wide range of expressive possibilities here. Compared to a real Rhodes piano, it is much easier and more comfortable to intonate the V8 Pro according to your liking. A randomizer could be fun here.
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The Pro version also gives you full access to everything in this area. While the Rhodes V8 also includes the parametric EQ and the preamp with Volume, Drive, and Envelope for auto-wah and tremolo, everything else is reserved for the Pro version. These are the effects of Delay, Chorus, Vari-Pan, Compressor, and Phaser, which you can adjust in detail. You’ll find the most important controls located on the front panel.
But there is also a deeper level of detail that allows additional settings such as Phaser Feedback. There is also an amp simulation with the settings Suitcase Rhodes, Fender Super & Twin Reverb, and Roland JC-120. For virtual miking, you can choose between condenser and dynamic microphone types. The simulations make a big difference and sound great.
What excites me about the Rhodes V8 Pro is the sound and its versatility. Since the Rhodes MK8 was sampled for it, you have to wonder how good the original could sound. But since it gives you the entire Rhodes universe in one plug-in, you don’t want to miss out on Rhodes V8.
Compared to other Rhodes plug-ins, Rhodes V8 doesn’t just have one special Rhodes sound. Thanks to the profiles, it also takes into account several typical voicings. Whether in the style of Herbie Hancock, George Duke, Joe Zawinul, Steely Dan, or Donald Fagen: Combined with the immense dynamic resolution of Rhodes V8, these profiles deliver a fidelity I have never experienced before. These sounds not only sound super authentic, but they also play like it. Even the imperfections are reproduced so perfectly that I would describe the overall sound as hyper-real.
The extra investment in the Rhodes V8 Pro is well worth it for anyone looking for more flexibility in their sound design. Accessing the effects is simply part of “playing the Rhodes,” as it really thrives on spontaneous ideas and changes. For example, adjusting the phaser speed or delay times are popular tweaks here.
The effects sound very good and authentically vintage. The compressor is already set up to deliver extreme ducking effects for punchy attacks. The Vari-Pan section is very successful, as it offers different waveforms. The typical suitcase stereo tremolo with square wave LFO is very authentic. It’s also great that you can drag the tremolo speed into the audio section (Pro only). This allows you to create great ring modulator sounds – a special but typical Rhodes tweak.
The effects not only add the right amount of expression and are a lot of fun, they also sound authentic and also offer the desired flexibility via the detail page. However, the lack of an on/off switch for the effects on the details page means that you always have to return to the main page to make adjustments – a bit inconvenient.
The whole cosmos of Fender Rhodes sounds in a single plug-in – the Rhodes V8 Pro is hard to beat in terms of sound quality, variety, and expressiveness. Extremely versatile, with excellent sound quality and dynamics ranging from super smooth and funky to biting.
If you love the Rhodes sound, you should invest in the Pro version. Even those who think they don’t really want to tinker with sounds will miss these possibilities. Using the Pro features is really easy and (almost) self-explanatory.
Release date: 03.2023
Platforms: MacOS, Windows, AU, VST, AAX
Standalone: No
System Requirements: Medium
Manufacturer/Distributor: Rhodes
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Pros and Cons
Jörg Sunderkötter
Extremely versatile, great sound quality!
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