As a VI user myself I understand the frustration.

Wouldn’t it be nice if all developers could use a single sampler plugin so we didn’t need to have all these different “players”?

The problem with a single player is it is controlled by a single entity. Kontakt by NI, Falcon by UVI, Halion by Steinberg, etc. and they are all closed source.

This greatly restricts what VI developers are able to do. We have no ability to innovate beyond the bounds of the host player. We are at the mercy of the player’s “owners” to decide which features will be added, which bugs will be fixed, which operating systems will be supported, etc.

Rhapsody is open source and built with HISE which is also open source. So anyone can make a VI in HISE that will load in Rhapsody if they wanted to.

In my opinion the closest thing we have to an ideal VI format is SFZ. SFZ files can be loaded into any compatible player and anyone is free to make their own player that follows the standard.

The problem with SFZ currently is it doesn’t have a scripting language. This prevents us being able to create libraries with innovative features like polyphonic legato, strumming, chord detection, realistic portamento, etc.

However if the day arrives that SFZ is able to overcome these limitations then I would definitely consider using that format.

Yes. Rhapsody is released under the GNU GPL. Click here to visit the git repository.

The Rhapsody name and logo are registered trademarks. If you fork Rhapsody for your own derivative work you will need to give it a new name and logo.

An active license key is required to download your purchased instruments from Libre Wave.

If you deactivate your license or transfer it to someone else you will no longer have access to those files.

The license key is not needed inside Rhapsody itself and there is no form of DRM.

There are a few things I’d like to improve but as far as I’m aware there are no show stoppers.

The transpose controls don’t affect the visual playable range of the keyboard.

Loading an instrument while a download is in progress breaks the download until Rhapsody is restarted. Will be fixed very soon!

If any more are brought to my attention I’ll add them here.

Not currently, however if this is something that you would find valuable please let me know. If there is enough interest I’ll make it happen.

It is still possible to use Rhapsody with Pro Tools by running the plugin in an external host.

Another option is to use Metaplugin however we provide no support for this.

Yes, Rhapsody will run in FL Studio. If you notice an issue please file a support ticket.

Until recently the Libre Wave website was the only source of Rhapsody instruments. However the player is open to third party developers and we are now starting to see Rhapsody libraries becoming available from other developers.

Here are two free ones available from Piano Book:
Layer Engine, Open Strings.

You can also purchase Libre Wave license keys from some third-party resellers and redeem them through your Libre Wave account.

For Libre Wave instruments, just install Rhapsody, log in to it, and click the download/install button for the library.

If you want to use the offline manual installer, either for Libre Wave products, or third-party instruments please follow the instructions in this video.