Sample Libraries

Spitfire’s latest project marks a new partnership with an iconic London studio.

Heavyocity’s commando percussion team return to the sound stage tooled up and looking for something to break.

Rating: ***** 5/5 Stars. This library features a rich close‑miked viola with the same depth of colour, wealth of articulations, and seamless ornamental transitions found in previous Emotional releases.

Rating: ***** 4.5/5 Stars. Oceania II is not an upgrade, but a newly recorded library with additional features. Its remit is exactly the same: full‑on Mens’ and Womens’ choir performances.

Rating: **** 4/5 Stars. Guitar Swell won’t replace your guitar player, but will help you produce a wide range of evocative sounds that might inspire you to take your compositions in a new direction.

Rating: **** 4/5 Stars. This cool virtual instrument will appeal to those looking for something a little different to spice up their virtual percussion arsenal.

Toontrack recapture the drums of rock’s golden age with help from legendary producer Eddie Kramer.

Rating: ***** 5/5 Stars. If you need driving short‑note string ostinatos heard in countless contemporary action‑film cues, Symphonic Motions serves them up at the touch of a key.

Rating: **** 4/5 Stars. Moonglades provides the user with a modest number of distinctive sounds that can be modified to a limited but useful degree via very simple controls.

Rating: ***** 5/5 Stars. The 3GB of sample content is divided amongst nearly 50 different bass and sub‑bass sounds and these are complemented by a further 50+ drones, noise layers and ‘attack’ sounds.

An A-list Hollywood composer joins forces with Orchestral Tools to create a major brass library.

Rating: **** 4/5 Stars. This compelling massive multi-instrument library combines the sound of Mongolian and Chinese ethnic instruments into a collection of 50 instruments and 100+ individual patches.

Rating: **** 4/5 Stars. Zero-G suggest Ignition is aimed at those with an interest in scoring sci-fi themed cinematic material.

This innovative sample library launches the electric guitar into new sonic territory.

Rating: ***** 5/5 Stars. VSL have added six new brass and strings libraries to their ambitious Big Bang Orchestra series.

Rating: ***** 5/5 Stars. CGM is an impressive beast. With over 850 instruments and presets included, there's plenty to explore even before you dig into the multitude of possibilities offered by the powerful front-end.

Rating: **** 4/5 Stars. This tasteful 60GB library is the flagship of the Organic Samples range and consists of violin, viola and cello solo instruments recorded at the Teldex Scoring Stage, Berlin, from five mic positions.

Rating: **** 4/5 Stars. This expansion pack for Spectrasonics Omnisphere is described by its Polish creators as a collection of ambient sounds inspired by the sea.

Rating: ***** 5/5 Stars. Primarily aimed at media composers, Trails is best described as a blend of playable instrument, rhythm/pulse creation and abstract sound design.

The Viennese maestros go intergalactic with their full-scale orchestra range.

I'm looking for advice as to what I should be considering as my next move, to give me the 'oomph' for creating music that uses the best sample libraries for orchestra...