Peti

I've always loved the sound of the accordian, and it's a fun instrument to play, as well. Sampled accordians, however, always left me a little cold with their lifeless sound. An accordian BREATHES, and static accordian samples, no matter how many expression or volume envelopes you added, never really captured the living qualities of the real thing.

So I was very excited with Liqih synth released Peti, a wonderful and unique VSTi which can create far more than just accordian sounds (accordians, organ-grinders, melodicas, harmoniums, musettees, concertinas... even a Farsifa!). And the sounds it can create are amazing. I haven't gotten into using my MIDI controller to "run" the bellows: I haven't had to -- the intuitive bellows controls do a very good job of emulating what a real accordian player would do.

The presets are all very good (and usable in a wide range of musical styles!) and really show off the range of this instrument. The presets are also very "tweakable" so if you have a particular sound (or player) in mind you can easily reach it with just a few twiddles.

Documentation is first-rate and explains all of the features and controls on the charming GUI (as well as suggested harmonics settings, if you're into that sort of thing). Liqihsynth have even included a history of the accordian and links to various sites which illustrate its usage in the music of many different cultures to set the appropriate mood.

It hasn't crashed or bombed once yet (I'm running v1.0 with SSE enabled) so I haven't had a chance to test the support (but Liqih always responds to emails within a few hours or so).

Overall, if you like the sound of the accordian (in its many regional flavors) or want to use its unique character in your tunes, you simply need to try Peti out. I'm sure you'll fall in love with it, too, and find it as usable and enjoyable as I have. Nothing else even comes close.