Spitfire Audio has released LABS Intimate Grand Piano, a free piano sound library for LABS.
I can never get enough piano libraries, and I was particularly excited about this one because I know how much everyone loved the new LABS setup.
OK, maybe love is a little strong, but everyone liked it, that’s for sure!
I am reaching a little when I say everyone liked it, but I want to be as positive as possible. Let’s say this: everyone heard about the new LABS and certainly had some opinions to share; that’s the marketing tagline.
Intimate Grand Piano is new to LABS and is entirely free; you don’t need a LABS+ subscription to download it.
But it’s not an entirely new product; it comes from a previous Spitfire Audio Originals release of the same name.
As far as I know, the LABS version is almost identical, minus the Broad preset and independent microphone level controls.
I own a few Originals products, which are pretty good value for money, but I’m hearing Intimate Grand Piano for the first time now, and it sounds lovely. So, I’m glad Spitfire made it available as a free LABS instrument.
Intimate Grand Piano has seven presets: Ambient, Direct, Dynamic, Intimate, Reverberant Ribbons, Soft Drama, and Subdued.
The Subdued and Soft Drama presets are typical of Spitfire and perfectly capture the character of this library. It’s cinematic, but more specifically, it’s ideal for pensive and reflective moods rather than being big and bold.
That subdued character makes it ideal for melancholy pop/country, too.
We’ve recently had a few great free ambient pianos, including Dust Piano from Westwood Instruments. If you prefer a big and bold sound, you could try Epic Grand by Fracture Sounds.
The sound of Intimate Grand Piano comes from a vintage Steinway Model A grand piano, recorded at the excellent Castlesound Studios, not a million miles from me, in Tranent, Scotland.
The interface follows the standard LABS format, and if you click the centre of the large dial, you’ll see four parameters: Reverb, Hammers, Tightness, and Pedal.
The Hammer control adjusts the level of the key release noise.
The Tightness setting adjusts the responsiveness of the piano by cutting further into the samples.
Lastly, the Pedal control adjusts the level of the pedal noise. These parameters and the reverb control dictate much of the sound’s character and realism.
I like this piano a lot. It’s beautiful, and I hope people try it despite the LABS changes. But I can’t help feeling like that ship has sailed for many previous users.
The need for an internet connection while using LABS led to complaints from most people, and Spitfire Audio addressed them somewhat by introducing an offline mode.
However, you must use the plugin online at least once every 30 days (even if you just flick the switch quickly).
While I may be in the minority of people who don’t mind the new interface, I’m not sure offline mode is enough to bring everyone back.
The decision to introduce a paid subscription version undoubtedly changes the sentiment around LABS, a once favourite of so many.
Download: LABS Intimate Grand Piano (FREE)
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53 Comments
HN
onThanks but no thanks.
LABS used to be the BEST.
But subscription, never. :(
Lou
onTotally agree with you.
Chris
onYes, exactly.
I still have the old version installed, so I will never run the Spitfire installer again.
Ian / Nihil Quest
onThe old version kept breaking, I downloaded these libraries so many times, because I would always get “somehing went wrong” text. I don’t think the new one is worse. It looks even uglier but it seems more robust so far. Just don’t touch the paid stuff.
MRugaW
onTrue that. The old LABS app was acting strangely for me too. Knobs kept resetting themselves after closing the plugin window or opening a project afresh. I thought updating would fix the issue only to encounter the new hell that’s LABS+.
Nspace
onIn short what is the issue now? I’ve old no subscription is required, so what else is wrong? Thanks
Nspace
onI see “However, you must use the plugin online at least once every 30 days (even if you just flick the switch quickly).”
This requirement sounds awful. One wants to have an instrument, learn it and if liked, own it for life! This attention rent is such a showstopper!
With this, I am done, finito with LABS+
Thank you and I’m sorry for your loss and mine.
On to better and more confident, and so trustable, pastures.
Nspace
onI agree with you. But their support recently assured me that their free LABS libraries do not request the user to be under any subscription to be fully used…
Haven’t tried yet, but sounds good
Kinkade
onHmmm. I’m torn. Do I use a notepad text file or an OpenDocument spreadsheet to maintain a blacklist of companies such as this?
The notepad file does have the advantage of being fairly lightweight. But I do like the formatting options offered by a spreadsheet, especially for the very wide column headed “Transgressions”.
samers
onwhat other companies do you have blacklisted?
Omar Omotion
onI bet Waves is on that blacklist
Karl W
onHornet graffio is free for 24 hrs!
https://www.hornetplugins.com/plugins/hornet-graffio/
lars
onA little late, but thank you so much for this one! What a great toy that one is, seriously, and thanks to you i got it for free. Since i am new to the whole plug in world, i would have never bought it, not for a long time until i am fully familiar and comfortable with all the different plugin choices that are around.
Anyway, this multiband distortion is just biutiful, i would have never even known about it, had i not read your comment, so, i owe you one Karl,
have a good day, lars
Mantookee
onYay… Another grand piano….. I mean I can’t say no for free stuff but.. we need just normal songwriting upright piano from Spitfire. And no… not soft, felt one we have millions of them also.
Frits van Zanten
onFully agree
Frits van Zanten
onNo more LABS for me. Yesterday I saw a 1975 drumkit of theirs I now regret not downloading when it came out. I daren’t try to get it. Read an entry on Reddit about everything that can go wrong with their new policy. I keep it as it is.
REAS
onTrash company, bs piano. Not even worth the time anymore
AMS
onit’s wild how Spitfire was like “Man, people really like LABS- you know what’d be cool? If we totally ruined it and took away everything that makes it great”
keeping old Labs and never upgrading again- smooth move, Spitfire; ya played yaself
XYZ
onNew and Free for Kontakt Player:
impactsoundworks.com/product/tokyo-scoring-strings-free
Stefan
onThanks!
Phil
onIt states “Try Free” on Spitfire’s LABS page, rather than just “Free”, then tries to get you to download LABS again. Looks a bit suss so I’ll pass. Shame as the piano demo sounds great.
James Nugent
onIf you already have LABS, you download everything from within the plugin, and it’s free, it’s not a demo/trial. Going through the website is just for those who don’t have LABS installed already – I guess the “Try Free” text is in hope of getting people to trial LABS+, but you don’t have to for this piano.
Frits van Zanten
onSo your still can download old libraries without Spitfire upgrading your app? I read your will be upgraded. People are exchanging dll’s to get back their old situation.
James Nugent
onSorry, I should have been clear – I meant if you have the new LABS installed, you don’t need to go through the website, and I assume the “Try Free” quote relates to LABS+. I don’t think you can still download the old way, no.
Stefan
onLABS is great!
Nice to see they still release free libraries and the new LABS is not as bad as everybody makes it seem!
Thanks James & BPB!
James Nugent
onThank you, Stefan!
Jim
onPlugin Boutique offers ShapeMod For 1$!
scanmine
onIs there a code or something? It says $49 on PB currently.
Mike B
onFound some details here:
discuss.cakewalk.com/topic/82092-pluginboutique-shapemod-for-%E2%82%AC1-incl-monthly-free-gift/
“Use coupon code “SM-2″ on the very last page of the check out, and watch the price drop.”
scanmine
onNevermind, I figured out the code is “SM-1” based on a similar code they used last time for another product.
Jim
onCode ’till 13th of this month: SM-2
Bob
onDon’t forget you can claim either of this months freebies with this.
Cheap way to get Air Music Solina or Zynaptiq Orange Vocoder Nano.
TheMariner
onPretty peeved by this move. I own the paid plug-in and now they’re just giving it away for free. As a student I don’t have a lot of cash to throw around so it’s disappointing to be conned into buying something which becomes free a couple of years later. Plus they messed up LABS. Spitfire is a greedy and shameless company which is brilliant at marketing and woeful at giving users what they want (e.g. HZ strings, BBCSO brass). Once they pushed out Christian Henson for having an opinion about child welfare due to an angry mob, I vowed I wouldn’t purchase anything from them again. I’ll stick with the old LABS and the libraries I already purchased, although it looks like they’ll just repackage them as freebies at some point!
Lucas
onFairly certain that the paid version is different from the free one that’s just been released in LABS
Jay
onVaportrap Vol.1 by Kryptic (limited-time free)
vstalarm.com/wp-content/uploads/woocommerce_uploads/2024/10/KRYPTIC_SAMPLES_VAPORTRAP_VOL.1.zip
Matthew B. Carter
onNew Spitfire LABS requires an ACTIVE internet connection to use according to the Spitfire FAQ (unless this has changed in the last few months).
Hope you don’t lose Wifi connection or you can’t use your free libraries! Good luck producing on the go!
Older LABS app (that didn’t require internet for using libraries) will no longer allow you to install libraries.
Congratulations on killing LABS Spitfire. Glad you’re doing your best to become the Ubisoft of music production software.
Lucas
onYup, I won’t be using Spitfire either; the “you must sign in every X-amount of days” is a cheap tether.
Haha, I got a chuckle out of the UbiSoft reference.
On a slight tangent, Spitfire is going to have to up its self-sabotage game if it wants to compete on that level since UbiSoft just got slapped with a lawsuit for providing Meta with their user’s data that they collect.
Welcome to the world of you-must-be-online/sign-in.
Matthew B. Carter
onOh, requires you to reconnect to Spitfire servers every month for authentication?
So I guess they got enough backlash to make a minor change.
I’m good. I’ll stick to my multitude of other libraries that work offline 100% of the time.
alex
onImpact Soundworks has released Tokyo scoring strings and there’s a free version that runs in the Kontakt Player:
impactsoundworks.com/product/tokyo-scoring-strings-free/
Tomislav Zlatic
onThanks, Alex! Article coming soon.
alex
onHi there! :)
There’s also a new Fracture Sounds Blue Print series library:
fracturesounds.com/product/blueprint-gentle-brass/?mc_cid=4c4b5e3612
Tomislav Zlatic
onThank you, Alex! Nice find.
Stefan
onHi Tomi!
These libraries are also available for Kontakt Player:
1. Fracture Sounds – Emotional Recorder (Free 4 Limited Time)
2. Impact Soundworks – Shredder
3. Keepforest – Evolution: Devastator Warzone Free Edition
Stefan
alex
onWell, those libraries have been free for a very long time.
Frits van Zanten
onCan you spend a paragraph or two on the Pulse downloader that is required? I start to lose the forest from the trees with all these downloaders and software-centers (UA, NI, Arturia etc, as well as iLok etc). Isn’t my PC becoming a colander?
MCA
onno pulse required
shane
oni had a lot of issues and errors with the old system but this new ‘download thru the plugin’ seems to work well.. (so far)
I have no qualms that they also have a subscription tier along side the free ones.. Everyone who expects all their stuff for free all the time can look elsewhere i guess
Bob Law
onGet Shapemod at Plugin Boutique for $1 with coupon – SM-1
I used virtual cash and paid the rest $0.11 and got Air Solina freebie. Rating Shapemod adds $.20 virtual cash.
reas
onNew coupon code: SM-2
(available until October 13)
MRugaW
onKudos to Spitfire for introducing the offline mode. If they could now introduce a way to save a user-defined plugin window size like the old LABS or a GUI size selection option would be highly appreciated.
Robin
onHi, downloaded this then Labs promptly locked me out, would not let me login, too many attempts. Tried changing password, waited and hour, still the same, anyone else getting this? Glad I don’t have to rely on this for live work!!!
James Nugent
onHave you reached out to SA support? They don’t typically take too long, but no such problems on my end, sorry! I hope you get it sorted out ASAP.
Phil H
onFree isn’t free when the engine is a subscription. I own this piano, bought through Spitfire. On sale for a good deal. It’s a VST3, it’s mine, no hidden fees. Just like Waves, LABS came off my computer the day it became another commercial spinoff from a commercial company. Spitfire makes some interesting, already way overpriced sample instruments. But I’ll think twice before I buy anything else from them. The LABS deal now smells like a pick your bad habit, the first one’s free gimmick.