Sample Libraries

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5/5 Stars. Spitfire’s Crystal Bowls features seven quartz singing bowls played by composer Aska Matsumiya.

Rating 4.5/5 Stars. UK producer Trevor Horn was a dominant force in 1980s pop, and this collaboration with Spitfire Audio gives users instant access to the maestro’s sound world.

Rating: **** 4/5 Stars. Spitfire’s flagship ARO series now features a third percussion collection around the theme of metals, with essentials such as piatti cymbals and tam‑tams making a welcome appearance.

Rating: ***** 5/5 Stars. Currently retailing at a cool £156k, the nine‑foot Steinway Model D‑274 grand is the star in this Spitfire Audio piano sample library.

Rating: **** 4/5 Stars. The second instalment in Spitfire’s new modular series is a direct continuation of the first.

Spitfire’s new symphonic double‑bill combines two complete orchestras and a host of extras.

Rating: 4/5 Stars. Built in collaboration with Hans Zimmer’s Bleeding Fingers Music collective, Fractured Strings is a compelling library full of personality.

Spitfire Audio launch their new flagship series with an intensively‑miked drum collection.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars. In addition to reverberant clangs and monumental industrial noises, Mercury also excels at quiet, eerie and mysterious textures.

Rating: 5/5 Stars. This very affordable choral instrument from Spitfire Audio features a 50‑piece mixed vocal ensemble recorded at AIR Studios’ legendary Lyndhurst Hall in London.

Rating: **** 4/5 Stars. Spitfire's inexpensive instrument is described as “Explosive Afro‑percussion meets dub and free jazz”.

With hundreds of products crowding the marketplace, choosing an orchestral library can be a daunting experience. Sound On Sound's Buyer’s Guide aims to help you find a way through the maze.

Rating: **** 4/5 Stars. If you like big synth drones, The Stack will not disappoint...

Rating: **** 4/5 Stars. These affordable mini‑libraries provide users with the immediately recognisable and colourful instrumental combinations frequently heard in classic movie scores.

Rating: ***** 5/5 Stars. Looking for great layering options or want to create an orchestral mix using instruments which are different and folk‑like? Solstice delivers a surprising array of choices...

Spitfire’s blockbuster percussion library makes a big impact.

Rating **** 4/5 Stars. As promised at the time of release, Spitfire Audio are now following up Abbey Road One with a series of smaller, inexpensive mini‑libraries derived from the main collection.

Rating **** 4/5 Stars. As with its predecessor, this toolkit lacks any rhythmic material, but its astonishing sounds are well worth the entry price.

Want a full orchestral sample library for free? Spitfire have got you covered...

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

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.