Virtual Instrument

Attack EP88 is an elaborate, 47,000-sample presentation of a vintage 88-key Rhodes Mark I prepared with a brass tack on the surface of each hammer, guaranteeing a Rhodes attack like no other.

Arturia have updated their V Collection, and one of the stand-out instruments is a recreation of Farfisa’s classic combo organs.

A Noah Bell is a type of Indian bell, traditionally sold by monasteries as a way of generating income. It’s usually necessary to assemble differing-sized bells into a set so that together they form a musical scale, and that’s what Soundiron have done to create this virtual instrument.

Chris Hein’s popular horn, wind, guitar and bass collections are some of the most deeply sampled products on the market and show a remarkable eye for musical detail. The veteran producer has now released Chris Hein Solo Violin...

B5 utilises clever synthesis tricks to overcome the ‘sample stacking’ phase-cancellation artifacts typically associated with sample-based virtual organs.

Eclipse is a Kontakt instrument with a lot of similarities to Orbit, Wide Blue Sound’s previous opus. The installation...

Hollywood Solo Instruments puts world-class violin, cello and harp sounds at your fingertips.

Heavyocity soar into orbit with a collection of dramatic scoring elements.

Conceived as an affordable alternative to the Ondes Martenot, the Ondioline was invented by Frenchman Georges Jenny in 1940. Soniccouture’s Kontakt recreation stays true to the simplicity of the original, modelling its features and behaviour as closely as possible...

All of Output’s products so far have been an attempt to break new ground in the world of sample processing. Their first...

Our in-depth buyers guide takes you through the world of brass sample libraries and virtual instruments aimed at pop and rock production.

I don’t know whether it’s just me, but haven’t we seen rather a lot of very good Kontakt-based sample...

Shreddage might sound like a Heston Blumenthal recipe involving Shredded Wheat and cabbage, but it’s actually a Kontakt-based sample engine from Impact Soundworks.

Struggle with your strumming? Perhaps NI’s Strummed Acoustic can lend a helping hand.

This fastidiously sampled instrument could be the only Rhodes you’ll ever need.

Orbit is a Kontakt 5 instrument designed to be a source of evolving or pulsing textures. Unusually, you access it via...

Grand pianos can sound fantastic, but many of us cut our teeth playing old uprights in homes and schools and still want that kind of sound for our recordings from time to time.

With so much choice on offer, picking the right brass library for your music can be tricky. Our comprehensive product guide shines a spotlight on the current contenders.

Sample Magic have been making sample libraries for many years, but this virtual drum machine and synthesizer combination is their first instrument.

Audio files to accompany the article.

What exactly is a harp guitar? It’s a new one on me, but its history and background is intriguing.