Sampleson has introduced Electrix, a freeware electric piano virtual instrument in VST and AU plugin formats for compatible digital audio workstations on PC and Mac.
Electrix is a detailed emulation of the Hohner Electra Piano T electric piano. This isn’t a sample-based plugin but rather a digital model of the real-world instrument. According to the info provided by the developers, it took them over 1,200 hours of work to develop and test Electrix. Their goal was to fully recreate the Hohner Electra Piano T sound in digital form, emulating its characteristic behavior, release noises, tines, and resonances.
See also: Free Soft Piano VST/AU Plugin By Spitfire AudioThe plugin features a simple and well-designed user interface. The on-screen controls are used for adjusting the intensity of the phaser and vibrato effects. The standalone version of the instrument also features a MIDI section for choosing the active MIDI input. There doesn’t seem to be a way to configure the active audio device in the standalone version and this is something I’d like to see improved in a future version of Electrix. Speaking of future versions, you can support the developers via donations (click the Donate button on the user interface to launch the donation screen).
Although I can’t compare the Electrix plugin to the real Hohner Electra Piano T, there’s no denying that the virtual version of the instrument sounds very good. It is a highly expressive musical instrument with a wide tonal spectrum covered by different note velocities. It sounds mellow on softer notes and quite aggressive when played hard. I would describe the tone as a mix between the Wurlitzer and classic FM electric piano sounds. It sounds great in the context of a mix, too. The standalone version is convenient for firing up quickly when you feel like jamming or working on musical idea outside the DAW.
You can download Electrix completely free of charge from the product page linked below, with optional donations. The plugin version of Electrix is compatible with VST and AU plugin host applications on PC and Mac. The download archive contains a DLL file for manual installation and the EXE launcher for the standalone version of the instrument.
Electrix is available for free download via Sampleson (11.8 MB download size, ZIP archive, 32-bit & 64-bit VST/AU plugin format + standalone application for Windows & MacOS).
Last Updated on July 31, 2018 by Tomislav Zlatic.
