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A broadcast-ready concert grand
In partnership with BBC Studios and the world-famous BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBCSO Piano faithfully captures the live concert sound of a pristine Steinway Model D grand, recorded at the iconic home of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Maida Vale Studios — also host to The Beatles, Hendrix, Bowie, and countless film scores.
Recorded in concerto position in Studio One, this piano has been captured with the same expertly curated microphone positions, designed to blend seamlessly with the orchestra. Whether paired with the BBC Symphony Orchestra or played as a standalone instrument, BBCSO Piano promises to provide a rich, authentic piano sound suited to any genre.
Core has been curated to offer a streamlined piano package, featuring one bespoke mix signal and full controls — fully interchangeable with our Discover and Professional editions.
- You can buy now and download any time
- Students & educators save 50%
- Download user manual
- Compatible with NKS
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Spitfire Audio App required
Listen to BBC Symphony Orchestra Piano Core
Clair de Lune - Debussy
Ephemeral Light - Oliver Patrice Weder
See Right Through - Homay Schmitz
A universal instrument
Since its release in 2019, the BBCSO Orchestra library has become a core staple in the musical journey of thousands of composers, producers and musicians worldwide. With this new grand piano, we’re enabling users at any level to further expand on their virtual orchestra — with a path to upgrade to new features and sonic possibilities when you’re ready, through Spitfire’s innovative mode switching technology. This feature also makes it easier than ever to share and collaborate with fellow composers, regardless of which edition they own.
The BBCSO plugin
The library opens in the existing BBCSO plugin, allowing for seamless integration with the rest of the BBCSO line and proving incredibly useful when writing for the piano and orchestra together. In the Core edition, we have selected an essential range of mic signals, recorded in the same configuration as the original BBCSO Core library — with additional close mics get you straight to the heart of the instrument. The piano has been expertly played by BBCSO concert pianist Elizabeth Burley — an exceptional player with a consistent touch.
Award-winning technology
With a beautiful, modern design by ustwo (Monument Valley, DICE), BBC Symphony Orchestra and BBCSO Piano are housed in our award-winning dedicated plugin (VST2, VST3, AU, AAX & NKS ready) developed primarily for composers, by composers — easy-to-use, intuitive and inspiring.
One piano, three editions
A universal starting point for composers and music creators of every level, BBCSO Piano comes in three editions: Professional, Core and our trial version — Discover
- Discover: Get to know the BBCSO Piano with our lite version, integrated into the BBCSO Discover orchestral plugin — featuring limited sampling depth and one signal
- Core: full sampling depth and controls, with one curated Mix signal
- Professional: full sampling depth, two mixes and the full range of signal options (15 in total), including hammer and pedal volume control
Key features
- ~2.8GB
- One standard signal mix
- 4 Round Robins
- 6 dynamic layers
- Reverb, tightness, hammers & pedal volume control
- Velocity curves
Well, I think I’ve found my new go-to piano! It's gorgeous, warm, and cinematic right from the start, with a fantastic dynamic range and plenty of tweakable features that I’ve come to expect from Spitfire.
Matt Novack
Miracle Workers, Murderville
Mode Switching
It’s now easier than ever to share and collaborate with fellow composers, collaborators and directors — whatever edition of BBCSO Piano you own. Our groundbreaking mode switching technology makes each edition of BBCSO Piano and BBC Symphony Orchestra interchangeable, so you can mock up your scores quickly and with ease.
For composers on the go or with a limited technical setup, start writing a piece of music using Discover, and finish it in the Core or Professional edition, with a fuller range of signals, controls and versatility. It also works the other way around: write a piece in the Professional edition and a collaborator can open it in Discover, play what you’ve written (with the sounds intelligently substituted), and add to it. When you reopen their edited version, you will hear their additions alongside your original composition – with your full selection of signals.
Maida Vale Studios
The iconic Maida Vale Studios holds a rich history, having been at the centre of BBC music since 1934 when it became home to the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Built in 1909, it was originally the largest indoor roller-skating rink in Europe, before being transformed into seven unique sound studios. From The Beatles to Beyoncé, Led Zeppelin to Bowie, from the Undertones to the swansong of the late Bing Crosby, from the era-defining John Peel Sessions to Radio 1 Live Lounge: over the last 75 years, Maida Vale has captured the performances of more famous artists than any other.
Responsible for some of the most influential and innovative developments in music technology and electronic music, including the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, it’s also renowned for its impressive gear list, including a diverse range of equipment from various eras and technologies — a unique combination of vintage gear, custom BBC designs, and state-of-the-art digital equipment — making it the preferred recording destination for countless musicians.
The BBC Symphony Orchestra
The BBC Symphony Orchestra is the musical beating heart of the BBC itself - the oldest entertainment organisation in the world, trusted and respected globally. The BBC Symphony Orchestra has been performing for nearly a century, and is at the forefront of championing new orchestral music and composers at the BBC Proms and beyond, selling out concert halls the world over.
In the spirit of the BBC’s founding values — to inform, educate and entertain — we’ve created a frequently updated range of free resources designed for the next generation of producers, composers and musicians — from templates, to tutorials, to score breakdowns.
What's Included
Piano
A pristine Steinway Model D grand, recorded at the iconic home of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Maida Vale Studios by BBCSO concert pianist Elizabeth Burley.
Mixes
Mix 1 - An all-purpose standard orchestral classical mix
Features
Reverb, tightness, hammers & pedal volume control
Velocity Curves - Use a range of controls to fine tune the dynamic response of the Piano. Setting the Dynamics to Compress Velocity High/Low enables the Mod Wheel to alter the sensitivity, while several velocity curve shapes are available
FAQs
WHY IS THERE NOT A BBC PIANO DISCOVER LIBRARY?
There is! It is included inside BBC Discover. This is an all in one library that contains a smaller version of every instrument that can be used inside the BBC Symphony Orchestra Plugin. This means when you install "BBC SO Discover" from inside the Spitfire Audio App, the piano is included.
Discover Piano it is not a stand alone product like Piano Core and Professional.
HOW DO I INSTALL BBC SO PIANO?
In the Spitfire Audio App, there is a product for the BBC SO Piano. This is separate to the BBC Symphony Orchestra.When installing the piano, it automatically installs the correct plugin file. If you own BBC Symphony Orchestra, it will use the same plugin as the main library.Installing the BBC SO Piano creates a folder called "Spitfire Audio - BBC Symphony Orchestra", this is the same as the main BBC Symphony Orchestra library meaning that all BBC Symphony Orchestra content is installed to the same folder.
If you already own BBC Symphony Orchestra, install the piano library to your already existing "Spitfire Audio - BBC Symphony Orchestra" folder.