Sample Libraries

Continuing the recent tradition for wedding software-instrument front ends to vast sample libraries, Ra is a 14Gigabyte collection of exotic and 'world' instruments with an NI Kompakt wrapper...

German company Yellow Tools started off as sample library developers, but like many others, they've moved into the world of virtual instruments with the lovingly crafted MVI range. We check out all three...

Midiman/M Audio have come a long way since their days as a MIDI interface company. Now they sell everything from mics to laptop bags — and Key Rig and Drum ∓ Bass Rig are their first foray into software instruments...

The humble sample CD-ROM is dying out, being replaced by sample collections with a virtual-instrument front-end. Wizoo's first forays into the field combine Latin and Arabic percussion loops with their own Flexgroove virtual-instrument engine...

Featuring the performances of some of the world's best drummers, Drumcore is a software-based cross between a drum library and a custom loop-auditioning interface, allowing you to assemble rhythm tracks fast.

Sample and loop libraries have come a long way from being delivered on a humble audio CD — the most recent trend is to include a specific playback front-end for easy integration with your sequencer.

When it comes to drum sounds, BFD and its XFL expansion pack offer unprecedented levels of detail and flexibility, totalling over 30GB of sample data. Is it overkill, or the rhythm programmer's ultimate weapon?

Rather than using modelling technology to emulate classic synths, Ultimate Sound Bank have created an eight-Gigabyte sample library and packaged it with an accessible virtual instrument front end.