Modern U by VI Labs

by VI Labs · $169

Overview

A deeply sampled brand new studio upright piano featuring advanced controls and an intimate sound profile, designed for modern piano playing.

Technical Specifications

Library Size: 6GB GB
Mic Positions: 6 discrete mic setups
Sample Count: Over 23,000 samples
Plugin Formats: VST, VST3, AU, AAX
Standalone: Yes
Sympathetic Resonance: Yes
Half Pedal Support: Yes
True Pedal Modeling: Yes

Ideal Use Cases

Film composers needing an intimate, nuanced piano sound for dramatic scenes and emotional underscores.
Songwriters and producers crafting acoustic-focused tracks who want a characterful, close-miked piano for their arrangements.
Sound designers looking for unique percussive elements and muted piano textures to integrate into their projects.
Music students and educators seeking a highly responsive and realistic virtual piano for practice and teaching.
Producers creating lush, detailed arrangements where precise control over piano dynamics and timbre is crucial.

Included Presets

User Preset

Insights from Real-World Use

Strengths

clean and brand new Yamaha U3 sound
handles everything that I throw at it
installation could not have been more streamlined
beautifully done installation
so easy and straightforward installation
Rich depth
immersive
feels like you're actually playing an instrument
all the details and components done right
playability
inspiring to play
close to the real thing
most realistic
sense that you're sitting in front of a real acoustic upright piano
fun piano to play
roomy feel
has the presence
playability (dynamics) are on a different level
more playable than anything else on the market right now
beats the fake one
best playability of all dry upright piano sample libraries on the market
translates everything i love about a good upright (middle and high registers)
keep improving the GUI
add more features to it
love the presets
best at sampling pianos

Weaknesses

not suitable for all types of music
not possible to get rid of the room sound completely

Tone: Rich depth, immersive, realistic, roomy, dry sound, clean

Review Snippets

The VI Labs and Synthogy sound to me equally realistic, but the Ivory seems smaller but more transparent (less thick in the 200Hz region), and had a greater dynamic range on the big crescendo (which got much louder than the Modern U). Maybe the Ivory would sit better in a pop/rock mix, whereas the V
Appreciates the piano's precision, clarity, and clean sound, especially with staccato and smooth legato.
Expresses strong satisfaction with Modern U.
This is the best upright library with great features and deep sampling.
No way! I'm always True to VI Labs! I love the Rich depth and characteristics of this upright!
Might be the most immersive piano VST I have, feels like you're actually playing an instrument - all the details and components done right.
I find that I have no interest in playing the Bosendorfer upright at all. The Modern U gets played daily.
To me that's even no real comparison... feels much more fun to play the modern u, one of the best playable pianos at all out there.
Hi, they both play good, but the Pianoteq U4 does have more dynamic range and an advantage in playability. It's easier to play the Pianoteq U4 softer and call more from it when needed. But like you, I also prefer the tone of the Modern U better.
Modern U sounds much bigger than an upright, impressing with its large sound.
I just bought it expecting some disappointment, but I quite like it. Very immersive and enjoyable to play - a lot better than every other upright VST I've tried. It's nice to be able to have something like Garritan for the big grand sound, but it's a good contrast to have a more intimate upright to
I liked the Modern U VILabs. I have the Gentleman from NI, lately I use the Modern U from Pianoteq 6 Pro, sounds great. Gave me a good feeling VILabs, I'm going to check it.
Praises Modern U's versatility for various music genres.
Yes I have seen and they sound fantastic. I have already bought it and it is a great instrument, one of the best, if not the best upright VST around.
The instrument is amazing, still more amazing, versatile and playable than Ravenscroft-275, which I love too.

Frequently Asked Questions

What host software is required to use Modern U?: No host software is required to use Modern U; it functions as a standalone application.
Is Modern U a sampled or modeled piano VST?: Modern U is a sampled piano VST, built from over 23,000 samples of a brand new studio upright piano.
What is the library size of Modern U?: The library size for Modern U is 6 GB.
What unique features does Modern U offer regarding pedal use?: Modern U includes Half-Pedaling Support, Repedaling to catch ringing notes, and a Sostenuto Pedal for selective sustain, along with adjustable pedal noise.
On which operating systems can Modern U be used?: Modern U is compatible with Mac OSX 10.9 or greater and Windows 8 or higher.
How many distinctive microphone positions were used for sampling Modern U?: Modern U was sampled using 6 discrete microphone setups, including Close, Soundboard, Mono, Player, and Room positions.
What genres is Modern U best suited for?: Modern U is ideal for jazz, pop, rock, and contemporary genres, offering an intimate, clean, modern, and natural tone.