Originals Felt Piano by Spitfire Audio

Overview

A close, delicate and detailed upright piano performed by jazz legend Gwilym Simcock, recorded dry at Spitfire Studios with soft felt placed between the hammers and the strings.

Key Features

Condensed controls for expression and dynamics
Ten presets
Unique felt sound

Technical Specifications

Library Size: 3 GB GB
Mic Positions: 3 mic positions
Plugin Formats: VST3, AAX, AU
Standalone: Yes

Ideal Use Cases

Ambient and cinematic composers seeking delicate, intimate piano textures for underscore.
Singer-songwriters looking for a soft, warm accompaniment that sits gently in a mix.
Film composers needing subtle, evocative piano for emotional or reflective scenes.
Lo-fi and chillhop producers wanting authentic felt piano tones for laid-back beats.
Sound designers creating atmospheric pads and textural elements from piano sources.

Included Presets

Ribbon Reverb
Up Close
Half and Half
Piano Pad
Reverse
Short Space
Marcato Attack
Ribbon Reverb (Extended Dynamics)
Up Close (Extended Dynamics)
Half and Half (Extended Dynamics)

Insights from Real-World Use

Strengths

mic positions
black mics
ribbon mics
ability to adjust those mechanical noises
no timing issues
more dynamic layers
microphone options
plays a lot more responsibly
mic choices don't give me a headache anymore
extended dynamics
more control over the sound

Weaknesses

can't control the hammer
never as sensitive velocity wise as I would like
bit disappointing
irritated by too many frequencies
having to eq the heck out of it
lack of velocity and dynamics to the sampling has made this plug-in pretty much useless
659Hz zone around 800 and 1Kz very noticeable on laptops, TVs, phones
large wheeze is created
necessary to weaken these zones very strongly

Tone: spread, mellow, soft, dream

Review Snippets

For me, the felt was a bit disappointing. It sounds nice at a low gain level but I found myself always irritated by too many frequencies and having to eq the heck out of it. The Intimate grand is like the perfect $30 piano though ✨ I love it
Criticizes the lack of velocity sensitivity, a significant missing feature impacting playability.
This is my favorite Originals Felt Piano among all felt pianos.
Jangle Box is versatile with its tack layer and beautiful mellow piano sound.
got this with the student sale you mentioned maybe two or so years ago. it’s a nice plug-in to play around with, but the lack of velocity and dynamics to the sampling has made this plug-in pretty much useless to me in terms of using it for anything serious
This felt piano is one of my favorite Originals.
Appreciate the ability to adjust mechanical noises in the Originals Felt Piano.
It's a massive improvement, plays a lot more responsibly and the mic choices don't give me a headache anymore
This felt piano is one of my favorite Originals.
Appreciate the ability to adjust mechanical noises in the Originals Felt Piano.
got this with the student sale you mentioned maybe two or so years ago. it’s a nice plug-in to play around with, but the lack of velocity and dynamics to the sampling has made this plug-in pretty much useless to me in terms of using it for anything serious
It's a massive improvement, plays a lot more responsibly and the mic choices don't give me a headache anymore
It is a shame, I find I go to use it but then swap it out for something else.
I love Olafur Arnalds Felt Piano and I like it too. But why is the 659Hz zone around 800 and 1Kz very noticeable on laptops, TVs, phones? A very large wheeze is created. It is necessary to weaken these zones very strongly.
I would urge you to try this, whilst the recording is the same the instrument isn’t. We have learned A LOT since the original felt was made and this instrument literally plays like a dream, and that is from the guy who owns the ACTUAL piano it is sampled from and plays it daily.

Frequently Asked Questions

What host or player is required to use this plugin?: This plugin runs in the Spitfire Audio standalone engine. It does not require Kontakt or other third-party players.
Is this piano plugin sampled or modeled?: The Originals Felt Piano is a sampled instrument.
What is the library size of this plugin?: The library size is 3 GB.
How many mic positions are available?: There are 3 mic positions available: Condenser, Ribbon, and Hammers.
What operating systems are supported?: It supports macOS 10.15 to OS 13 (Intel and Apple Silicon/ARM) and Windows 10 or Windows 11 (Latest Service Pack, 64-bit).
What are the minimum CPU requirements?: The minimum CPU requirement is an Intel 2.8 GHz i5 (quad-core) or AMD Ryzen 5.
What genres is this plugin best suited for?: This plugin is ideal for classical, jazz, film/scoring, ambient, and soul/r&b genres.