Rhodes V8

The Rhodes is back! The new Mk8 electric piano is now joined by the V8 software, with plenty of surprises under the virtual Rhodes lid

Some instruments are iconic; the Minimoog, Stradivarius violin, Steinway pianos, and we’d like to suggest one other instrument which fits a similar cult status, which can be referred to by a single word: Rhodes.

Electro-mechanical software design

So what is a Rhodes? In essence, it is an electric piano, but it resides in the electro-mechanical design camp. An original hardware Rhodes provides a piano-style keyboard, which triggers hammers that strike an element known as a tine. You can think of these as being the equivalent of strings on a piano, the added quotient being that the tine moves across a pickup, much like those found on an electric guitar, inducing an amplified signal (there is a little more to it than that, but that’s the bare bones).

Company histories relating to the Rhodes could be regarded as somewhat chequered, but thanks to the sweat and tears of Morcheeba musician and entrepreneur Dan Goldman, a new hardware Rhodes, known as the Mk8, made its debut last year to much critical acclaim. Being a full-on piece of premium hardware, it sits at a price point which reflects its quality, much like an acoustic piano, but for those without the cash or space, Rhodes have now produced the V8 plugin, based exclusively around the new hardware Mk8.

It’s a Rhodes, in two forms