Sample Libraries

Rating: ***** 5/5 Stars. Vocal-esque sounds dominate but this is not just another collection of 'ooh' and 'ahh' vocal pads...

Rating: ***** 4/5 Stars. Cabal 8 comprises three sampled eight-string guitars paired with Audio Assault's Bulldozer plug-in.

Rating: ***** 5/5 Stars. With sound sources derived from modular synthesizers plus industrial and natural sounds, it is the way in which these are layered and controlled that makes Northern Lights so appealing.

Rating: ***** 5/5 Stars. The emphasis here is on sounds with a shorter duration and there are many with a percussive nature, allowing you to easily create a rhythmic element within your sequenced patterns.

Rating: **** 4/5 Stars. These lower-priced libraries offer an alternative to top-end virtual drum instruments.

Rating: **** 4/5 Stars. Recorded in Berlin's all-analogue Vox-Ton Studios, this library is based on a collection of prepared piano multisamples created by film composer and sound designer Volker Bertelmann

UJAM's Virtual Drummers may not come with their own van and annoying personal habits, but they're quick, reliable and always on time.

Rating: **** 4/5 Stars. This follow-up library provides soul and psychedelic-influenced funk loops that sound like they could have been sampled from records cut in the late '60s or early '70s.

Rating: **** 4/5 Stars. The brainchild of Spitfire's Paul Thomson, Kepler Orchestra was inspired by the idea of contrasting rhythmic subdivisions that move in and out of sync like orbiting planets.

Rating: **** 4/5 Stars. The latest expansion for EZ Drummer 2/Superior Drummer 3 recreates the drum sounds associated with swing-era big bands and jazz ensembles.

Rating: ***** 5/5 Stars. For this library, Cinesamples recorded the sound of every tool and material they could find that's related to embroidery!

A large strings collection from Eastern Europe heralds a breath of fresh air.

Recorded by Al Schmitt, Toontrack's Decades SDX is a tour de force.

Is Terminus the final destination in your search for hits, slams, risers and falls?

EastWest's Hollywood Pop Brass does exactly what it says on the tin.

Rating: ***** 5/5 Stars. Ostinato Woodwinds delivers a much more focused vocabulary of less than a dozen motifs, ideal for minimalist rhythmic beds and pads.

Rating: ***** 4/5 Stars. To create Randy's Prepared Piano, various objects and materials were used to alter the sound of the source instrument before it was recorded.

Rating: ***** 5/5 Stars. It's perhaps not surprising that electronic keyboard sounds are a big part of the underlying sound set. However, these also include synths, ambient noises, attack sounds and various drones.

Rating: ***** 4/5 Stars. Nearly 10,000 samples of a modern 10-string E9 pedal steel were taken for this appealing virtual instrument...

Spitfire Audio join forces with the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the celebrated Maida Vale Studios. Is this the best of British?

Rating: ***** 5/5 Stars. World-renowned and Grammy-nominated cellist Tina Guo returns to Cinesamples to create a valuable update to her industry-defining virtual instrument.