Sample Libraries

Roll out the red carpet, dim the lights and raise the curtains - it's showtime for this big jazzy production from Fable Sounds...

The budget-priced Vienna Special Edition (SE) lets you test VSL's wares without breaking the bank. SE is an 80GB (53.5GB when installed) compilation of instruments drawn from VSL's vast sample database...

• SoniccoutureAbstrakt Breaks• Zero G Degrees Of Abstract • Sample Magic Transmission-X• Propellerhead Abbey Road Keyboards

• Zero-G The Big Reason •Equipped Music Smokers Relight Deux •Propellerhead Reggaeton Refill

• Zero-G Soundclash • SonicCouture E-bow Guitar • Ueberschall 60s A GoGo

• Toontrack EZ Drummer Expanders: Vintage Rock, Drumkit From Hell, Latin Percussion • Pendle Poucher Dulcitone 1884 • Big Fish Audio Groove Planet

Combining multitimbral sample playback, loop tempo matching, synthesis, multi-effects and an 8GB sound library, is Plug Sound Pro the only software sound source you need alongside your DAW?

• VSL Appassionata Strings/Bösendorfer Imperial • Loopmasters Urban Soul • Canira Music International The Essence Of Panflute

Three more recently released libraries and virtual instruments get installed and tested to oblivion! • Muse • Chris Hein Guitars • Sample Lab Luscious Grooves: The Dark Side

The latest offerings in Ueberschall's Liquid Instruments series focus on vocals, aiming to provide you with a flexible band of personal backing vocalists via a front-end based on Celemony's Melodyne.

This complete orchestral library is the jewel in its maker's crown, but are we talking Tiffanys or Ratners?

• Sonivox Flying Hand Percussion• Davide Carbone's Drum & Bass Masterclass • Zero-G Kocktail Kollection

• Loopmasters Disco House Sessions • Synthogy Ivory Italian Grand • Ueberschall Hip Hop Underground • Bela D Media Anthology Volume 1: Celtic Wind

• VSL Saxophones, Elements & Vienna Konzerthaus Organ • Scarbee Imperial Drums XL • BFD Platinum Samples: Andy Johns Classic Drums

Is it a loop librarian? Is it a sample library? Is it a drum-sample playback engine? No - it's all of these, and it brings along its own roster of hyper-famous drummers too...

This new software instrument majors on lively and evocative loops and phrases that can be flexibly combined to create convincing world-music atmospheres.

• Sample Magic Funky House Grooves

• Sample Logic Ambience Impacts Rhythms

• VSL Percussion & Harps

• Soundlabel Piano Attack

• VSL Woodwinds II, Brass I & Brass II • Ilio Skippy's Big Bad Beats, Skippy's Noizbox, Stark Raving Beats & Ethno Techno • Ueberschall Urban Jointz

Five new evocative sampled Chinese instruments in virtual instrument form at a seriously low price.

Our monthly round-up and evaluation of what tickled our fancy from the newest Sample Library releases.

We find out how well Steinberg's new take on the virtual orchestra conducts itself...