Virtual Instrument

Pianoteq 7 introduces new morphing features and an even more realistic modelling engine.

UJAM and Hans Zimmer attempt to make creating professional string parts possible for everyone with Striiiings.

V Collection 8 introduces new instruments and completely reworks some old favourites.

Rating: **** 4/5 Stars.  This Kontakt‑based library comes with the subtitle Boutique Cinematic Guitars, and that captures the essence of what’s provided in the 6GB of sample content.

Sample Logic have teamed up with Red Room Audio to deliver a highly animated orchestral instrument.

Rating: 5/5 Stars. This update features some brand‑new content with all the features and content of v2.0: an impressive collection of synth, pad, sound effect and drum options sitting alongside the vocals of Clara Sorace.

NI’s new instrument makes owning and playing a Stradivarius easier than ever before!

Rating: ***** 5/5 Stars

As with the original versions, Royal, Mellow and Rowdy provide three style‑based variants in terms of bass tones and performances, and the three titles share the same engine.

Rating: **** 4/5 Stars. Built around a virtual eight-string guitar, Carbon offers a stylistic take on modern metal and rock.

Arturia's latest instrument is a software recreation of Oberheim's pinstriped polysynth.

G-Sonique's Technol HN1 offers bread-and-butter techno sounds in an easy to use format and at a bargain price.

Soniccouture deliver a powerful drum sampler engine where you provide the samples.

XILS Lab have recreated a classic Roland string synth, and made a few improvements to boot.

Does Modartt's Organteq do for the pipe organ what Pianoteq did for the piano?

Is Native Instruments' virtual picked acoustic guitar better than the real thing?

Toontrack's virtual bass player should have its human counterparts very worried indeed.

Rating: **** 4/5 Stars. From a damaged, poorly-maintained Soviet-era monosynth that suffers from crackles, frequency drift and other problems, RR saw an opportunity to create an unusual polysynth...

Is it a drum loop player? Is it a drum sampler? Auddict try to do both, and more...

If you are looking for a source of instant drum parts for your latest electronic music production, UJAM's Beatmaker 2 collection might be just what you need.

Bassynth is all about big and meaty bass sounds. Its 11GB sample library comprises over 800 multi-samples of 'real' instruments such as brass, winds and bass guitar, plus synthetic sounds.

IK Multimedia follow up their highly acclaimed MODO Bass with a percussive counterpart.