Spitfire Audio have once again teamed up with Grammy-nominated composer, producer and technologist BT, creating a new software instrument that combines a vast archive of vintage synthesiser, sampler, cassette and vinyl samples with orchestral recordings taken from Spitfire’s premium sample libraries.
Phoenix is the third collaboration between Spitfire and BT, and follows on from Phobos (2017) and Polaris (2022). The instrument has been built around six powerful synthesis engines that deliver a mixture of spectral wavetables, hyper-modern FM and deep sampling, alongside subharmonic generation and a complex noise oscillator. The engines can be freely combined and modulated across the instrument, allowing users to craft complex sounds that progress and evolve over time.
BT’s sample collection provides a huge collection of interesting sources, and is complemented by over 50 instruments from Spitfire’s back catalogue, covering everything from strings, brass, woodwinds and choirs to guitars, pianos and tuned percussion — the content strays far from the orchestral norms, drawing on many of Spitfires more experimental offerings. The instrument also boasts a set of eight built-in sequencers, four random generators and a probability-based arpeggiator derived from BT’s StutterEdit processor.
Key Features
- Six synthesis engines per voice: spectral wavetables, FM, sampler, two-operator FM transients, sub and noise, all cross-modulating.
- Stereo from the ground up: two independent synthesis chains per voice, one per channel.
- Six-operator FM engine with 34 algorithms; eight-voice unison stacks up to 48 operator-oscillators into a single note.
- Stereo wavetable engine with deep spectral warping and modal resynthesis.
- Modulation matrix with no slot limit; eight MetaSequencers; probability arpeggiator built on StutterEdit's rhythmic language.
- 37 studio-quality effects, each with its own interface, from spectral smearing to shimmering granular reverbs, low fidelity vinyl emulation to vast shimmer reverbs.
- Real-time 3D renderer that draws the actual waveform being synthesised: after every warp, after every spectral stage, as an object you can take hold of and turn.
- 16-voice full MPE.
“Our collaboration with BT now spans more than a decade, which has allowed us to build a deep creative connection and explore radical new approaches to synthesis together. Phoenix gives composers brand new ways of combining and transforming source material with unique synthesis techniques in ways not typically found within a single synthesiser, from subtle movement and evolving texture to aggressive cutting edge tones, all the way to deeply cinematic, immersive soundscapes.” — Paul Thomson, Co-Founder, Spitfire Audio
Compatibility
Phoenix is supported on PCs running Windows 10 and above, and Macs running macOS 15 or later. VST3, AU and AAX plug-in versions are available.
Pricing & Availability
Phoenix is available now, and is being offered at an introductory price of £119 until 25 October 2026, when it will increase to its full cost of £249. Prices include VAT.
