UVI Workstation is a free software instrument player distributed by UVI of France. According to the official site, it is now called “UVI Player”. It is the “vessel” for loading and playing UVI’s sound libraries (sampled instruments such as piano, synth, orchestra and drums): the player itself is free, and the sounds inside are prepared separately. This page covers how to get it, what it can do and what to watch for when you use it.
Disclosure: this site uses affiliate programs. Whether the plug-in is free, and its features and supported formats, were checked on the maker’s official pages around 2026-10-16. Terms of distribution can change, so please check the official page before you download.
How to get UVI Workstation (UVI Player)
- Open the UVI official page, UVI Player official website (free), and go ahead from the “Download UVI Player” button.
- According to the official instructions, you get it through UVI Portal (an app for downloading and managing UVI sounds).
- Versions for macOS and Windows are distributed. The official site explains that the download includes UVI Starter (a starter collection of sounds).
- After installing, open your DAW (recording and production software) and rescan for plug-ins. It can also be used as a standalone app.
- Load the UVI Starter sounds and play them.
For the details of the procedure in UVI Portal, please follow the instructions on the official screens.
What is UVI Workstation (UVI Player)?
The official site describes UVI Player as “a place to open, browse and play UVI sounds with ease”. It was formerly named UVI Workstation, and the official site says “the name has changed, but the reliability inside stays the same and the experience keeps improving”. For people who already use UVI Workstation, the official site says their existing UVI sounds are unchanged and they need to do nothing.
As things UVI Player can play, the official site lists sounds such as UVI’s own Vintage Vault 5 (classic synths), Key Suite (pianos and keyboards) and Augmented Orchestra (orchestra), along with a wide range of genres: drums and percussion, sound design, foley (sound effects), choirs, world ethnic instruments and toy instruments. It says it can also load “UVI-Powered” sounds made by UVI’s partner companies.
The official site also mentions “Falcon Expansion”. Falcon is UVI’s flagship synth/sampler (an instrument that plays back recorded sound material), and it says Falcon expansion sounds (Falcon Expansion) can now be loaded and played inside UVI Player too. If you own Falcon, the same expansion sounds can also be opened inside Falcon, it says.
Main features of UVI Player
- Free to use (per the manufacturer): The official site says it is free on macOS and Windows, both as standalone and as a plug-in.
- Comes with UVI Starter (per the manufacturer): The download includes UVI Starter, with 50 handcrafted presets. The official site describes it as a taste of the power of Falcon. You can start making sound without buying anything.
- A dedicated screen for each sound (per the manufacturer): When you load a sound, a screen dedicated to that sound opens. You can adjust the sound with knobs and macros (a function that moves several settings together).
- A browser that is easy to search (per the manufacturer): A new browser is provided with preset tags, text search, favourites and an instant preview function.
- Layering, effects and an arpeggiator (per the manufacturer): The official site explains that you can layer sounds, add effects, and make chords move with the built-in arpeggiator (a function that plays the notes of a chord one after another).
- Wide format loading (per the manufacturer): Besides sound banks (.ufs), the official specification says it can handle files such as AIFF, FLAC, MP3, MP4, REX1, REX2, WAV, WAV64, SND and CAF.
Who UVI Player is for
- People who plan to buy (paid) UVI sounds and want to install the player to play them first
- People who want to get used to the controls with a free player first
- People who want to lightly check how sampled instruments feel to use with the 50 sounds of UVI Starter
- People who want to manage sounds of different genres, such as piano, orchestra, drums and synth, on one screen
- People who used the earlier UVI Workstation and want to know what the new name means
However, what is free is the player itself and UVI Starter. Many of UVI’s individual sound libraries are likely to be paid. Before you get one, please check on the official site how each sound is handled.
Tips for using UVI Player
- At first, use the browser’s tags and preview function to listen through the 50 sounds of UVI Starter one by one. Just comparing sounds of different genres may help you get a feel for what sampled instruments are like.
- When you find a sound that interests you, put it in your favourites so you can call it up quickly later while writing a song.
- If a sound feels monotonous, the official site describes ways such as layering two sounds or adding the arpeggiator.
- As the number of sounds grows, disk space and memory start to matter. The official site recommends a hard disk of 7,200 rpm or faster, or an SSD (a fast storage device).
- When you meet an operation you do not understand, a UVI Player manual is provided on the official site.
Things to know before you download
- Supported formats: The official specification lists Audio Units, AAX, VST, VST3 and standalone.
- Supported operating systems: It is described as macOS 10.14 Mojave up to the latest macOS, and Windows 10 to 11 (64-bit).
- System requirements: Disk space is 513 MB (the Mac installer is 513 MB and the Windows 64-bit installer is 339 MB), and memory is 4 GB.
- Software it has been tested with: The official site says it has been tested and certified with many DAWs, including Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Cubase, Ableton Live, Studio One, FL Studio, Reaper and Bitwig. Please check the official list for your version.
- The difference in names: Old information you find by searching for UVI Workstation may differ from what UVI Player is now. When you get it, always look at the latest page on the official site.
- Always get the files from the official website.
FAQ
Q. Is it really free?
The official site says UVI Player is free on macOS and Windows, both as standalone and as a plug-in. However, UVI’s paid sound libraries are handled separately.
Q. Are UVI Workstation and UVI Player different software?
The official site explains that only the name changed and the core software is the same. People who already have UVI Workstation installed can keep using their existing sounds as they are, it says.
UVI Player is available from the UVI Player official website (free).
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