Why it's best: With 260 GB of piano samples on 35 DVDs, and sporting piano samples from legendary models such as the Bechstein D-280, Yamaha C7, and Bosendorfer 290, EastWest Pianos remains the gold standard for virtual piano instruments. It takes a good amount of RAM to run it, in addition to any other VIs you might have running within your DAW of choice, but if you can swing it power-wise, it's your best bet.... Read Full Review
Why it's a best pick: Produced by Kurzweil sound design genius, Joe Ierardi, also an accomplished pianist, Ivory Grands has been the go-to library for everyone from singer-songwriters to A-List film composers. Building on the success of previous releases, Ivory II is the latest release and is a contender for number one, if not quite as impressive as EastWest's offering. New features give new sound-shaping abilities, and create a great realism available to the musician who may not have a real piano at the ready for their productions.... Read Full Review
Why it's a best pick: MODARTT continues to impress with their piano modeling software, in Pianoteq 3. Although it doesn't take up much drive space, as it's not sample-based, it is a CPU hog and requires a good amount of computer processing power to work well, at least in real-time. For those who use it, they swear by it, and is worth consideration for those looking for realism in piano recreations.... Read Full Review
Why it's a best pick: Steinberg has done a passable job with The Grand 3, building on the success of previous releases. Included are sample-based recreations of the Bosendorfer 290 Imperial, the Yamaha C7, as well as the Steinway D. You get the Yamaha CP80 Electric Grand as well, although its usability has been called into question by some users. Still, sales remain solid, a testament to the quality of this release.... Read Full Review
Why it's a best pick: SONiVOX might not have the most impressive piano VI software with the Eighty Eight Grand Piano, but for those looking for a cost-effective solution, this might not be such a bad investment. There are 35 piano and pad presets, as well as 52 solo piano presets. Still, you might want to have another piano VI on hand for variety's sake, and not having all your piano eggs in one piano basket.... Read Full Review
Amazon.com$149.00
