Developer Westwood Instruments has released Dust Piano, a free upright piano library for Kontakt Player.
Dust Piano is issue number three of the Roots series by Westwood Instruments.
Roots is an expanding collection of free instruments for Kontakt Player, including Untold Strings and Drifting Winds.
The first two Roots instruments are orchestral sounds (strings and woodwinds) that provide beautiful textures.
Both instruments have the fragility of human performance but are also capable of creating a powerful wall of sound.
Dust Piano is the perfect next step in the collection to add melodic content to those gorgeous textures.
Westwood Instruments summarizes Dust Piano as “a Yamaha UC3 upright piano, draped in cotton with a grainy nostalgic aesthetic.”
I know we can’t often take much from the almost poetic descriptions that come with most virtual instruments, but that sounds dreamy!
The Yamaha UC3 is a lovely upright that can be pretty unassuming; it disguises itself well as an entirely average old, tall piano when not in the stunning polished ebony finish.
What I like most about Dust Piano, as opposed to many similar instruments, is that it doesn’t sound like an old broken piano that has been gathering dust for decades.
I love the authentic old and storied piano sound; it reminds me of my first upright piano, but, in this case, it’s slightly different. You get the atmosphere and nostalgia of that airy cinematic tone, but you don’t lose the fact that it’s a beautiful UC3 upright.
Dust Piano has five presets that showcase different levels and elements of its grainy character: Ashes, Dust Piano, Faded Future, Film Grain, and Shadowlands.
You can adjust the two textural layers, Dust and Ash, to create more or less of that hazy, nostalgic atmosphere.
Although those textures are at the heart of Dusty Piano, it’s worth noting that turning both all the way down leaves you with a warm and gentle upright sound.
You can also adjust elements like the Attack, Release, Age, and Grit to shape a tone that fits your project. Another interesting addition is the adjustable key-clicking noise.
The question is, do we need another dusty, nostalgic piano? The answer is yes, always yes! Especially when it’s free and sounds this good.
The Roots collection has been stellar so far, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.
Download: Dust Piano (FREE- Kontakt Player required)
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3 Comments
AMS
onThe Westwood Roots collection has some extremely inspiring sounds- I personally think the Untold Strings in particular are one of the most cinematic-sounding string libraries I have in my collection, period. The new Dust Piano is also a fantastic addition- it is soft and warm, with optional faders for two tracks of ambient texture, as well as controls for reverb, etc.
It certainly has a warmer, almost lo-fi sound but that’s not to say it lacks dimension or depth- it causes music to roll out of my fingers easily because the tone of the instrument is so rich and delicate at the same time.
If I had to recommend a series of Kontakt instruments, these would be one of the first ones I’d mention- Dust Piano is a worthwhile addition to your toolbox, even if you think you already have enough pianos; this one has something special
MOISES
onI received a serial that’s not valid. Anyone else with the same problem?
pete
onyes me too