There’s a never-ending list of sample library companies that create tools for composers. It’s pretty overwhelming when you actually start to list them. But not all of them are worth your time.
Here are some of our favorite sample library companies. These brands offer high-quality virtual instruments that’ll take your music to the next level.
Quick Look: Our Favorite Sample Library Companies
Native Instruments offers some of the world's best virtual instruments and plugins. We'd go as far as to say some of their products are absolutely essential.
These guys produce a diverse range of unique sample libraries, including retro video game sounds, shredding guitars, and ethnic instruments.
Spitfire is one of the premiere sources for orchestral libraries, including products like Albion One, BBC Symphony Orchestra, and more. Plus, they offer a wide range of free LABS instruments.
Soundiron makes an ever-growing collection of orchestral instruments, ethnic instruments, and other off-the-wall sample libraries. Many of them are fairly inexpensive.
One of the leaders in orchestral sample libraries. They’ve set the bar high with some of their incredibly detailed string, brass, and woodwind instruments.
Known for their cinematic sample libraries, Orchestral Tools instruments are big, bombastic, and powerful.
ProjectSAM offers cinematic and orchestral sample libraries with a focus on unique textures and effects.
Affiliate Disclaimer
Sonic Atlas is reader-supported. By clicking any links in this article, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
1. Native Instruments
Native Instruments is the one company with products every composer arguably needs.
If you haven’t already done so, do yourself a favor and pick up Komplete 14 Ultimate. It’s a comprehensive collection of synths and sample libraries that’ll last you a lifetime.
Plus, it includes Kontakt, the platform that runs sample libraries from almost every developer on this list. Without it, these companies likely wouldn’t exist.
Highlights from Native Instruments:
- Komplete 14 Ultimate — An impressive software suite that covers all your music production needs.
- Kontakt 7 — This software engine hosts most of your sample libraries. You can even use it as sampler to create your own instruments.
- Massive — One of the most powerful software synthesizers ever created.
Native Instruments offers some of the world's best virtual instruments and plugins. We'd go as far as to say some of their products are absolutely essential.
2. Impact Soundworks
Impact Soundworks is one of my absolute favorite sample library companies today. One way or another, at least one of their products makes it into most of my tracks.
They offer a wide range of sample libraries that cover all your scoring needs for film, TV, and video games. Their product line includes orchestral instruments, ethnic flutes, chiptune synths, and a whole lot more.
Highlights from Impact Soundworks:
- Super Audio Cart — The largest collection of samples from vintage game consoles and computers ever assembled (Read Our Review)
- Shreddage Guitar Series — A collection of incredible-sounding electric guitars and basses
- Tokyo Scoring Strings — The iconic sound of Japan’s top session orchestra heard in countless video game and anime soundtracks.
These guys produce a diverse range of unique sample libraries, including retro video game sounds, shredding guitars, and ethnic instruments.
3. Spitfire Audio
Spitfire Audio is a UK-based company that produces highly detailed and professional-sounding sample libraries. They’re best known for their premiere orchestral libraries, which have unreal depth and realism.
But in recent years, they’ve released a huge collection of free instruments in their LABS series. These sample libraries give new possibilities to composers of all skill levels and budgets.
Highlights from Spitfire Audio:
- Albion One — This sample library sets the standard for all “epic orchestra” libraries in the industry.
- BBC Symphony Orchestra — The rich, historic sound of the BBC orchestra right in your DAW.
- LABS — A vast suite of unique virtual instruments you can download for free. No strings attached.
Spitfire is one of the premiere sources for orchestral libraries, including products like Albion One, BBC Symphony Orchestra, and more. Plus, they offer a wide range of free LABS instruments.
4. Soundiron
Soundiron is one of the most prolific sample library companies out there. They create everything from orchestral instruments to weird helium-induced Elvish Choirs.
Compared to other companies, most of Soundiron’s libraries are cheap. But don’t be fooled by the low prices. They’re extremely high quality and will help you make professional-sounding tracks.
Highlights from Soundiron:
- Hyperion Strings and Hyperion Brass — A series of budget-friendly symphonic libraries
- Emotional Piano — A warm, emotive piano sampled from a Kawai grand.
- Apocalypse Percussion Ensemble — Epic percussion for trailers and action cues.
Soundiron makes an ever-growing collection of orchestral instruments, ethnic instruments, and other off-the-wall sample libraries. Many of them are fairly inexpensive.
5. Cinesamples
Cinesamples almost exclusively makes orchestral sample libraries. Most of them were recorded at the MGM Scoring Stage in Los Angeles. This gives their libraries a classic Hollywood sound that stands out from the European orchestral libraries mentioned here.
Cinesamples was my first introduction to the world of orchestral sample libraries, and I can’t recommend them enough! They sound incredibly rich and detailed, and you’ll love the amount of realism they bring to any mockup.
Highlights from Cinesamples:
- CineStrings Core — The premiere Hollywood orchestral string library.
- CineBrass Twelve Horn Ensemble — Twelve French horns playing in unison.
- Hollywoodwinds — A woodwind library packed with ensemble runs, phrases, and woodwind FX.
One of the leaders in orchestral sample libraries. They’ve set the bar high with some of their incredibly detailed string, brass, and woodwind instruments.
6. Orchestral Tools
Orchestral Tools is another sample library company that focuses exclusively on premium orchestral libraries. But their biggest claim to fame is the Metropolis Ark series — a suite of instruments designed to sound big and epic.
Aside from their epic stuff, they offer a range of other symphonic libraries. All of them are as equally impressive and detailed as the other offerings on this list.
Highlights from Orchestral Tools:
- The Metropolis Ark Series — A series of super-charged orchestras for big, bombastic sound.
- Berlin Symphonic Strings — Beautifully detailed symphonic strings for every situation.
- Tom Holkenborg’s Brass & Percussion — The epic sounds used by Junkie XL in his film scores.
Known for their cinematic sample libraries, Orchestral Tools instruments are big, bombastic, and powerful.
7. ProjectSAM
ProjectSAM is a smaller company that, like others on this list, offers mostly orchestral sample libraries. Their flagship products are the Symphobia Series, which focuses more on unique textures and orchestrations rather than detailed samples of individual instruments.
Highlights from ProjectSAM:
- Symphobia 2 — An inspiring set of orchestral textures and symphonic effects.
- Orchestral Essentials 1 — A collection of sampled instruments from various ProjectSAM libraries.
- Swing! — Lively big band instruments for jazz and pop tracks.
ProjectSAM offers cinematic and orchestral sample libraries with a focus on unique textures and effects.
8. Plogue
Video game composers all need to keep Plogue products on their radar. They specialize in creating near-perfect emulations of classic video game sound chips. So whether you make authentic 8-bit music or hybrid chiptune tracks, you should definitely add some Plogue synths to your arsenal.
Highlights from Plogue:
- Chipsounds — A virtual synth that recreates the sound chips from 15 classic systems.
- ChipSynth SFC — This instrument emulates the SNES sound hardware.
- ChipSynth PortaFM — A synth that recreates the FM sound of ’90s MS-DOS computers.
Before You Go…
Most of the sample library companies on this list create instruments for either Kontakt or Kontakt player. And with the recent release of Kontakt 7, you may want to brush up on the differences between the full version and the free Kontakt player version.
And as a composer, you might be interested in our top picks for Kontakt String sample libraries.
Or if you want to escape the Native Instruments bubble, here are 5 string libraries that don’t require Kontakt.
