Sample Libraries

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5/5 Stars. Soniccouture continually push the extremes of sound design, and Polarity Tension marks the first in a series of collaborations utilising their impressive new Polarity dual‑granular engine.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ 4/5 Stars. OBSO seems to be designed to satisfy those who want instant gratification and want it now! OBSO uses samples as its sound source, the focus of the instrument being obsolete media.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5/5 Stars. If you ever daydreamed about getting Mr Phillips’ drum sounds on your productions, your wish has been granted: our man has created three drum expansions for Steinberg’s Groove Agent.

Lovingly restored, and then lovingly sampled, Spitfire’s Château Piano recreates a pop icon.

Toontrack keep it real with reel‑to‑reels at Real World Studios.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ 4/5 Stars. Nine Angles For Forte’s (NAFF) Spat Curve is described as a 3D sample‑based instrument collection.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ 4/5 Stars. Sonora Cinematic already offer a felt piano instrument and now they’ve applied the same approach to guitar, with a library of guitar samples played with felt picks.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5/5 Stars. Fracture Sounds’ libraries excel at two things: detailed orchestral sampling and atmospheric textures. Orchestral Atmospheres brings these strengths together in one elegant and extremely expressive Kontakt library.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5/5 Stars. Native Instruments’ Scene series includes a range of instruments designed to provide media composers with an array of premium cinematic sounds in a simple and intuitive interface.

Find the perfect samples for your track with a little help from Output’s Co‑Producer.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5/5 Stars. Obsidian Brass samples French horns to create textural, atmospheric, cinematic soundscapes.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5/5 Stars. The latest instalment in VSL’s symphonic odyssey adds six new solo woodwinds to the company’s hall‑recorded Synchron series.

Rating: 4.5 Stars. Westwood Instruments’ Alt Choir provides a collection of sounds perfect for human, intimate and tense vocal writing.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5/5 Stars. Glow Worm's sample packs are all based on analogue synths.

Spitfire travel through time to uncover the secrets of the BBC’s mysterious ‘special sounds’ department.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5/5 Stars. Valley Forge is a Kontakt library built for composers and sound designers looking to explore the space between the organic and the synthetic.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5/5 Stars. Extended Electric Guitar is a compact 1.5GB Kontakt‑based library offering some 20 experimental and unconventional guitar‑based instruments.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars. Panorama Acoustics bases its sample set on acoustic guitars comprising a nylon‑strung model, a steel‑strung instrument and a 12‑string.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5/5 Stars. How do the two new voices launched by Eclipsed Sounds measure up?

EastWest explore the world of traditional wind instruments with characteristic style in their latest sample library.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5/5 Stars. Damage Guitars 2 continues the metal mayhem with a collection of leads, riffs, grooves, motifs, shredding licks and a host of extras.