Smokestack Sounds is the new venture of Oliver Patrice Welder, who previously worked as a lead composer and sample library creator for Spitfire Audio, as well as collaborating with the likes of Westwood Instruments, Emergence Audio and more. Established in December 2025 with the aim of creating interactive, “vibe-driven” plug-ins, the company already have two products available: Cloud Guitar and Aurora, both of which have been developed with a focus on emotional experience.
Cloud Guitar
Developed alongside Tristan Rêverb, Cloud Guitar comes housed in an intuitive interface that, true to its name, allows users to craft their patches by positioning clouds within an image of a sky. Each image is linked to an instrument parameter, and it’s possible to move them directly with the mouse by clicking and dragging, or assign them with MIDI CC values and get hands-on with an external controller — or automate them from a DAW track. The mod wheel (or CC1) then shifts the overall tonality of the patch, turning the sky from day to night and, of course, introducing a graphic of the moon!
The core samples behind the library capture an Epiphone guitar processed using a Fostex R8 tape recorder, but have been treated in such a way that they offer everything from plucked sounds to more processed, pad-like sounds that are particularly well suited to ambient, cinematic work. Take a look at the video below to see and hear it in action.
Aurora
Aurora takes a similar approach to Cloud Guitar, presenting users with a GUI that lets them ‘play’ the aurora borealis (Northern Lights). Created alongside ockpii, the instrument’s GUI depicts a polar village set against a night sky, with its seven layers of underlying samples represented by adjustable lights in the houses. Again, it’s possible to control the level of each control directly within the interface, or by assigning it to an external MIDI controller/DAW automation track.
Compatibility
Cloud Guitar and Aurora run in the full version of Native Instruments Kontakt version 7.1 or higher — they will not work with the free Kontakt Player — which is supported on PCs running Windows 10 and above, and Macs running macOS 11 or later. VST3, AU and AAX plug-in versions are available.
Pricing & Availability
Cloud Guitar and Aurora are both available now, priced at €19 and €29 respectively.
