Home / Plugins / Orchestral / Piano in 162
by Ivy Audio
3/10 Piano in 162 remains one of the most detailed free piano sample sets ever released. It captures a Steinway Model B with five dynamic levels, two round robins, separate pedal-on and pedal-off samples for sympathetic resonance, and close plus ambient microphone positions across roughly 5 GB of 24-bit audio. The sound is natural and unprocessed, which is why it holds up across classical, jazz, and pop material. Nothing about it flatters or hypes the source instrument; it just sounds like a well-recorded Steinway in a room.
Unfortunately, accessing it is a bit tricky in 2026. The original download source has become unreliable, and the most dependable way to get the library today is through mirror websites, which come and go. The even bigger catch is the format. The Kontakt version requires the full retail Kontakt, not the free Kontakt Player, and it rewards you with mic mixing and purge controls. Everyone else should grab the SFZ version and load it into the free Plogue Sforzando player, which costs nothing and works well.
Piano in 162 is free for personal and commercial use, and the developer accepts donations. Verdict: Top-three realism on this list for anyone willing to deal with a slightly awkward setup.
Links to sfzinstruments.github.io — the article includes the official download links.
Orchestral
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