Sample Libraries

This exquisitely touch-sensitive virtual instrument comprises over 11,000 samples of what many consider to be the ultimate Rhodes electric piano: the Mark I Suitcase model.

Sample Logic’s latest release, while appealing to media composers, is perhaps more firmly situated on the sound design side of that line.

As a source of very playable — and suitably thunderous — orchestral toms, Cinematic Thunder provides plenty of bang for a relatively modest buck.

Soundiron’s original Ambius release received a glowing review from Martin Walker here in November 2010, since when the concept...

Sonuscore’s new library takes an unusual and inventive approach to the sampled orchestra.

Heavyocity take a fresh approach to orchestral strings with their Novo instrument.

There are plenty of Kontakt-based virtual instruments using sound engines that blend multiple samples. Luftrum’s take on this approach is Lunaris, which offers the user a source of pad sounds.

Electro City is a follow-up to Sample Logic’s Rhythmology. It uses the same Kontakt-based front end to provide loop...

Ancient Era Persia focuses on the Middle East, expanding on developer Eduardo Tarilonte’s earlier Desert Winds collection, and includes all four of the wind instruments contained in that library.

Sonokinetic turn their usual high standards towards something more sinister...

Orchestral Tools add orchestral percussion to their Berlin symphonic project and unleash a second cinematic epic.

NI describe Thrill as a “cinematic tension performance instrument”...

San Francisco-based Soundiron’s impressively esoteric product list includes a substantial collection of choir and solo...

Having designed their interesting Kontakt-based Dronar front-end, Gothic Instruments are now moving pretty quickly to provide users with a range of sample content (‘modules’) to exploit it...

EastWest’s new instruments aim to put guitarists on the same footing as keyboard players when it comes to MIDI control.

In a departure from their normal orchestral agenda, Spitfire Audio have released North 7 Vintage Keys, a collection of four classic instruments from the 1960s and 1970s.

Ethera Soundscapes includes 14GB of sample content spread across three different elements: a vocal library with both male and female vocal samples, a range of atmospheric ambience elements, and a wavetable-based synth-engine.

Soniccouture breathe new life into some classic drum sounds.

This is most certainly not just another orchestral string library. Indeed, what’s perhaps most impressive with Dronar is just how far the playback engine can take its original sample source and in how many directions.