Described as “a love letter to 150 years of impressionist art”, the latest addition to the Spitfire Audio range brings together a collection of instrumental sounds designed to create inspiring new musical textures and gestures. Impressionism features some unorthodox combinations of strings, woodwinds and brass as well as a celeste, harp and vibraphone, all captured in the dry acoustic of AIR Studios’ Studio One.
The library captures some of the UK’s most accomplished musicians performing a variety of articulations, and includes a total of 92 instrument combinations. It’s far from a traditional orchestral library, with the players all encouraged to push the boundaries of their instruments with unconventional playing techniques, and the unusual combinations helping to create new and interesting sounds that stray away from the norm. Spitfire describe the included patches as “three-part stories”, with each note combining a short, percussive attack with softer-sounding swell and sustain stages, all of which can be individually remixed or silenced.
Impressionism comes equipped with time controls that make it possible to fine-tune the blend of instruments, while the mod wheel serves to introduce additional instrument layers and help to create interesting, evolving sounds. There’s a collection of built-in effects, too, as well as a selection of impulse responses that allow users to place the dry samples in a range of different virtual acoustic spaces.
Compatibility
Impressionism runs in Spitfire’s own plug-in, which is supported on PCs running Windows 10 or later, and Macs running macOS 11 through 14. VST2, VST3, AU and AAX plug-in versions are available.
Pricing & Availability
Impressionism is available now, and is being offered at an introductory price of $199£159 / €199 until 2 January 2025, when it will increase to its full price of $249£199 / €249. GBP prices include VAT.
