Expeditions by Sample Logic Review There are so many loop and phrase libraries for ethnic and cinematic application on the market, you’d have a better chance finding your way around Brooklyn in a cab. You have to do something interesting and playable to stand out with a loop library, and we’re going to see if Expeditions…
Jaeger by Audio Imperia Review Orchestral all-in-one packages have become handy tools for working composers to use, with libraries like Symphobia 2, Albion and Metropolis Ark becoming popular examples. We’ll be having a look at Jaeger from Audio Imperia today to see how it fairs in the all-in-one orchestral package game. Audio Imperia hasn’t been…
TEXTURE MOZAIK .01 Review It’s time to take a look at something different. A cinematic design library with quite an unusually niche twist – instead of being like every other cinematic design library focusing on modern cinema, this one is designed for past cinema – Texture Mozaik by ThePhonoLoop. Let’s see what the fuss is…
Steven Slate Drums 5 Review Yet another drum library hits the shelves. It would appear drum libraries are being packed with more and more content these days at more affordable prices – and Slate Drums 5 is no exception. But with more libraries and content, it’s becoming harder to impress customers. Let’s see how Slate…
Afflatus Chapter Strings Review The string library market is always a little saturated, but strings are those special things many composers keep on collecting. It’s been a while since any kind of string library broke new ground, but with the arrival of Afflatus Strings by Strezov Sampling, the competition is about to be thoroughly schooled. Strezov…
Taiko Creator – Create, control & generate your own Taiko sound There seems to be no end to percussion libraries, and Taiko percussion libraries are a mainstay in cinematic music. Every Taiko library has its own charm and its own strengths, but few can deliver a sound or use-ability that can cover almost any application.…
Session Keys Acoustic Bundle by e-instruments Review There are so many piano libraries available you could get dizzy just looking at half of them – but today we’ll have a look at a collection that’s balanced, well priced and well worth a look – Session Keys Acoustic Bundle from e-Instruments. I’ve long been a fan…
Walker 1955 Steinway D by Embertone Yet another piano library has landed, and it’s again another Steinway D – possibly the most sampled grand piano of all time alongside the Yamaha C7 – but this time it’s from the folks at Embertone, and it weighs in at a hefty 200G for the full library, so…
Vertigo Strings by Cinematique Instruments Review Today we’ll be having a look at an experimental string library designed to create raw pads, harsh tones, and soft sustains with relative ease for different varieties of cinematic music – Vertigo Strings from Cinematique Instruments. Thorsten also did review Vertigo Strings earlier in May 2018. Cinematique Instruments have been…
Charakter Pianos by Cinematique Instruments Second Review Yet another piano collection rolls by – there are so many, it’s hard to keep track of them all, but I’ll be focusing on one that isn’t quite like the others here – Charakter Pianos from Cinematique Instruments. Cinematique Instruments are known for their wide range of experimental…
Shimmer Shake Strike by In Session Audio Review Libraries that focus on shaker and tambourine percussion are always a bit awkward. The sounds are either delivered as loops – which aren’t very flexible – or samples that simply don’t have the same expression as a real shaker or tambourine. This is due to how shakers…
Oceania by Performance Samples Review Every year another sampled choir walks to the stage and shows off its “next-gen” features. But what if the realism and playability of such next-gen offerings could be supplied with old-gen simplicity? We’ll discuss this concept by looking at Oceania – an effectively simple choir library from Performance Samples. For…
Dream Guitars by Dream Audio Tools Review It can be fun to explore weird and wonderful sounds supplied with cinematic-themed libraries. There are many available, and today I’ll be focusing on a particular package designed for cinematic guitar sounds – Dream Guitars by Dream Audio Tools. Dream Audio Tools offers a range of affordable and…
California Keys by Q Up Arts Review With the multitude of piano and keyboard libraries on offer, it’s difficult to make a choice let alone feel like you made the right choice when it comes to buying and playing such libraries – pianos and keys can be a very personal thing for composers (most composers…
Saga – Acoustic Trailer Percussion by Red Room Audio Review We all love a good cinematic percussion library, as long as it delivers the sounds, ease of use and is fun to play. Yet another one of these libraries has hit the shelves of late, and we’ll be taking a look at that today –…
Caspian by Performance Samples Review There are orchestral brass libraries on the market that cater to fine detail and articulation choices, and then there are the libraries that serve as no-fuss drafting tools with simplicity in mind. Today we’ll be looking at a no-fuss brass library that has a unique traditional sound – Caspian by…
Slow by Frozenplain Review In this article, we’ll be taking a look at a highly useful cinematic ambient tool for the full version of Kontakt. There are many, many ambient libraries, plugins and synth presets on the market, so it’s easy to get lost in the ocean of content that’s available – but here I’ll…
Fluid Shorts by Performance Samples Review Strings libraries are becoming one of the most commonly sampled attractions, and there are more available than most people can keep track of at any given time. Performance Samples has an interesting offering for composing with staccatos, aptly named Fluid Shorts, which we’ll be looking at today. Performance Samples…
Colourform by Frozenplain Review In this quick review, we’ll talk about yet another useful experimental/ambient library from Frozenplain – Colourform. Frozenplain offers a good selection of experimental and cinematic libraries such as Arctic Strings and Slow, and they’re all affordable and expertly scripted for Kontakt with creative GUIs and handy customizable settings. Colourform offers a…
Trailer Bundle by Musical Sampling Review There are many cinematic and orchestral libraries floating around. When it comes to hybrid scoring, composers look for the quickest and most polished sounding packages that cover common elements, such as brass and strings. Today we’ll be looking at a package created for fast and epic cinematic scoring with…
Arctic Strings by Frozenplain Review In this article, we’ll be having a quick look at an affordable organic pad library that’s great for beds, slow melodies or hybrid scoring – Arctic Strings by Frozenplain. Frozenplain is an independent sample provider that specializes in ethereal and reasonably priced libraries for cinematic and experimental scoring, with examples…
Soaring Strings by Musical Sampling Review Today we’ll be looking at a simple and effective string library for emotive melodies and soaring legato – Soaring Strings from Musical Sampling. Musical Sampling is a relatively newer sample provider specializing in cinematic orchestral libraries for quick composition and a great sound out of the box, producing libraries like…
United Strings of Europe by Auddict Review Today we’ll be checking out a comprehensive string library from Auddict – United Strings of Europe. String libraries are something close to many composers’ hearts, and as an avid collector of such libraries this one is no exception. There are however, a lot of expectations for a string…
Phosphor 2 by Audio Damage Review Today we’ll be having a look at a unique synthesizer plug-in for experimental and lo-fi sounds – Phosphor 2 by Audio Damage. Audio Damage has been producing VST plug-ins for quite some time, covering creative effects like reverb, delay, and distortion, as well as some synthesizer plug-ins that are…
Strikeforce Cinematic Percussion by LABORATORY Review Today we’ll be looking at a ground-breaking cinematic percussion library from Laboratory Audio – Strikeforce. There are many cinematic percussion libraries on the market, and each one adds its charm to the what’s already available, but very few – if any – offer a change in approach from the…
Symphobia 2 by ProjectSAM Review Today we’ll be looking back at a stellar library released nearly a decade ago – Symphobia 2 by Project SAM, a cinematic orchestral library designed for fast and inspired composing for trailers, games and other media. With all the hype surrounding the rush of similar cinematic orchestral libraries of late,…
TRUE STRIKE by ProjectSAM Review Today we’ll be having a look at a classic orchestral percussion library released by Project SAM over a decade ago, and seeing how it holds up to its peer libraries today. Project SAM is a long-standing sample provider that specializes in orchestral and cinematic libraries for Native Instruments’ Kontakt Player.…
Hollywood Choirs by East West and Quantum Leap Review Today we are having a close look at Hollywood Choirs – a cinematic choir library developed by East West and Quantum Leap. I’ll be covering the library’s look, sound and usability to give you an overall idea of what to expect from the library. EastWest/Quantum Leap…
