- Publisher: Imagiro
- Product: Shearwater Piano
- Release: Oltre
- Format: VST3, AU, AAX, Standalone
- Requirements: Windows 10 or higher, macOS 10.15 or higher
Capture the soulful sound of an intimately recorded upright piano with the Imagiro Shearwater Piano. Sampled with meticulous care by professional engineers in the inspiring setting of Shearwater Studios, Dartmoor, UK, this free plugin offers far more than just a standard piano sound. Explore three distinct sonic personalities – pristine Piano, vintage Tape warmth, and unique Paper plucks – all within one beautifully designed instrument.
Three Pianos, One Instrument
Shearwater Piano provides three unique modes, instantly transforming the instrument’s character to fit your creative needs:
- Piano Mode: The heart of the instrument – the pure, intimate sound of the original upright piano. This mode offers exceptional realism and allows you to blend the sound from five different studio microphone sets to find the perfect perspective for your mix.
- Tape Mode: Experience instant vintage warmth. For this mode, every single note of the piano was individually processed through a real tape deck, capturing authentic saturation, subtle compression, and harmonic richness. Use the dedicated ‘Lofi’ and ‘Noise’ sliders to dial in the desired amount of nostalgic character, transporting your sound back in time.
- Paper Mode: Discover a unique prepared piano sound. Inspired by experimental techniques, this mode was created by placing masking tape over the piano strings during recording. The result is a wonderfully unique, percussive, and bouncy pluck sound – perfect for quirky melodies, intricate rhythms, or adding an unexpected texture to your productions.
Craft Your Perfect Blend: Mic Controls
Finding the right piano tone often comes down to microphone placement. Shearwater Piano gives you flexible control over its five recorded microphone sets:
- Basic Controls: Quickly shape the overall sound using intuitive ‘Clarity’ and ‘Room’ macro knobs. Dial in brightness and focus, or blend in more natural room ambience with ease.
- Pro Controls: For precise mixing, switch to the Pro view to access individual level faders for each of the five microphone channels. Create your perfect custom blend, from close and focused to wide and atmospheric.
Tasteful Tone Shaping: Integrated Effects
Enhance and transform the piano’s character further with a selection of thoughtfully designed onboard effects:
- Tone: This unique control intelligently adjusts which note samples are triggered, effectively repitching the piano in real-time for creative timbral shifts and tuning effects.
- Wobble: Introduce charming, tape-style pitch instability and warble. This effect proved so popular during development that it’s available across all three modes, not just Tape!
- Pad: Instantly transform the piano into an atmospheric sound source. Increasing the Pad control smoothly lengthens the attack and release times, creating lush, evolving pad textures perfect for ambient soundscapes or layering.
Modern Workflow & Expression
Shearwater Piano is designed with the modern producer in mind, incorporating features that enhance creativity and workflow:
- Modern UI: Interact with a clean, visually appealing, and mouse-friendly interface designed by Imagiro, featuring beautiful bespoke illustrations by funilab.
- Presets: Get started quickly with a range of included factory presets, or easily save and recall your own custom creations.
- Microtuning: Break free from standard tuning. Full support for Scala (.scl) files and MTS-ESP allows for exploration of alternative temperaments and scales.
- MPE Support: Unlock deeper expression with MIDI Polyphonic Expression. Use your MPE-compatible controller to apply per-note pitch bends and other gestures for incredibly nuanced performances.
- Velocity Curve Editor: Tailor the piano’s velocity response to match your specific keyboard and playing style for optimal dynamics.
- Free Lifetime Updates: Like all Imagiro plugins, any future updates to Shearwater Piano will be provided completely free of charge.
Recorded with Precision
The quality of Shearwater Piano stems from its meticulous recording process. Captured by experienced engineers at the renowned Shearwater Studios, every nuance of this characterful upright piano has been preserved, providing a professional foundation for all three sonic modes.
Technical Specifications
- Formats: VST3, AU, AAX, Standalone
- Operating Systems:
- macOS 10.15 or higher (Intel & Apple Silicon supported)
- Windows 10 or higher
- Disk Space: Requires 16GB of free disk space for installation (library uses approximately 7GB once installed).
Download Your New Favourite Character Piano
Whether you need intimate realism, vintage tape warmth, or unique prepared piano textures, the Imagiro Shearwater Piano delivers exceptional quality and versatility. Explore its distinct personalities and modern features today. Download Full Shearwater Piano Free Now!
