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My Journey into Sample Libraries

(This post is about a company and their products. I want to clarify that I have no relationship with them nor am I an affiliate. This is my personal opinion about the company and their products, based on my own experience.)


After releasing my three singles from the album, a lot of friends asked how I performed these instruments or who performed them. While some understood they were programmed, others didn't realize they were not live recordings. Due to this, I decided to create this blog post as an acknowledgment as well as to provide information for the curious.


For those unfamiliar with the world of music production, let me first explain what a sample library is. Imagine a library full of sounds, where instead of books on shelves, you have meticulously recorded notes and performances from real instruments. These recordings are then arranged in a way that allows a musician to "play" the instrument using a computer or a MIDI keyboard.


Each note from an instrument—say, a violin or piano—is sampled, meaning it is recorded at different pitches, with various articulations, dynamics, and playing styles. The result is a vast collection of sounds that you can use to simulate the playing of real instruments.


The level of detail in modern sample libraries is astonishing—so much so that in many cases, it’s hard to tell the difference between a recorded live performance and one created using samples. These libraries can be particularly useful when you need an entire orchestra or specialized instruments that might not be readily available.


The Growing Role of Sample Libraries in Media Production


It is now common practice to use sample libraries in film, game, and media productions. This shift is often due to cost-effectiveness and the need for faster turnarounds. While large orchestras are still used, their role has become less frequent in many productions.


Advances in sampling technology have made it possible for composers and producers to achieve near-identical results to live performances, allowing them to work efficiently without compromising on quality. Many professionals even prefer using sample libraries for their flexibility and ability to make last-minute adjustments without the logistical challenges of live recordings.


My (Former) Reluctance Towards Sample Libraries


Now, I have to confess something. For a very long time, I was personally against using sample libraries. I saw them as something of a shortcut, a way to replicate a real musician's performance but without the nuance, soul, or human touch that a live player brings. In fact, for my previous album, Paradise Lost, I went to great lengths—quite literally—to record live string players. I traveled to Istanbul to hire musicians and record their performances in a studio. To me, there was no substitute for that genuine human expression.


At the time, I hired all sorts of musicians for that project, from string players to other instrumentalists, because I felt that only a live performance could do justice to the music I was trying to create. The idea of using samples instead felt like settling for less. I was determined to avoid it at all costs.


But then, the pandemic happened. The world shifted, and so did my perspective. I toyed with the idea of revisiting sample libraries, something I hadn't seriously considered for over 20 years. At the time, I was working on a video-game music project (which ultimately didn’t materialize) and the developer needed realistic orchestral sounds. After much reluctance, I decided to download a few, just to explore what was available.


And, well, let me tell you—I was wrong!


The technology of sample libraries has progressed light-years ahead of where it was when I first encountered them. The detail, realism, and flexibility that modern sample libraries provide are truly remarkable. I was blown away by how far this technology had come. Yes, you could call me old-fashioned for being skeptical at first, but it was a humbling and eye-opening moment.


The Search for the Perfect Sound


Once I realized the potential of these modern sample libraries, I dove headfirst into a near-exhaustive research process. I explored countless libraries, each offering its own unique sounds, articulation options, and interfaces. It became a bit of an obsession—finding the right sound libraries that would meet my specific needs.


Due to their nature, you often can’t demo these libraries before buying them, so the only alternative is to watch videos, read user reviews, and take other musicians' word for it. I spent countless hours comparing different libraries, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses. Some were better suited for traditional orchestral work, while others excelled at creating atmospheric textures or electronic sounds. My task was to find the ones that would best suit the sound palette I was trying to create.


Falling in Love with Spitfire Audio


After all that research, I eventually settled on using Spitfire Audio’s libraries. If you’re not familiar with them, Spitfire Audio is known for creating some of the most detailed and expressive sample libraries on the market, particularly for orchestral instruments. Initially, what drew me to Spitfire was their BBC Symphony Orchestra library, which offers a full orchestral suite recorded in meticulous detail. I quickly found myself acquiring more and more of their offerings.


The BBC Symphony Orchestra library, in particular, is a work of art in itself. It provides a full range of orchestral instruments, recorded at the iconic Maida Vale Studios in London, and is designed to give you the kind of sound you’d expect from a world-class orchestra. The warmth, richness, and realism of the recordings are astounding.


Talking about flexibility, imagine having the option to mix and match which microphone positions to use from the actual recording. This essentially gives you the illusion of being there in the recording session and being part of the recording process.


From there, I couldn’t resist exploring Spitfire’s other libraries—each one a treasure trove of sounds. For Once Upon a Cloudtop Meadow, I extensively used Spitfire libraries such as:


  • DC Noisemaker (No longer available) – This library features the evocative and eerie sound of a musical saw, an instrument that plays a critical role in the album. Its haunting tones add a unique, dreamlike quality to several tracks.


  • Soft Piano – One of the more popular "felt-piano" libraries out there. The sound is achieved by dampening the strings with a felt or a cloth, similar to how an upright piano sounds with its damper pedal. It's perfect for melancholic passages, contributing to the album’s introspective tone.


  • Abbey Road Two – This library focuses on solo string performances recorded at the iconic Abbey Road Studios. It excels in delivering expressive, nuanced legato lines.


  • Hammers – This percussion library is all about raw, powerful drum hits and loops. It offers a selection of percussive instruments that add weight and impact to key moments in the music, making it essential for crafting dynamic, cinematic buildups.


  • Spitfire Percussion – A comprehensive orchestral percussion library, this collection provides a wide range of mallet, tuned, and untuned percussion instruments. From delicate glockenspiel chimes to thunderous timpani, this library is on almost all of the tracks from the album.


  • Spitfire Harps – Featuring a beautifully sampled concert harp, this library offers ethereal glissandos and delicate plucked notes.


  • Rare Flutes – A collection of ethnic and unconventional flutes, this library brought an organic quality to the album. The breathy textures and expressive playing styles helped add depth to the more atmospheric sections.


These libraries allowed me to create music that is not only intricate and detailed but also deeply expressive. And the best part is, they don’t feel like "samples" in the traditional sense. They feel like instruments, living and breathing.


The Art of Programming Performances


Having said all that, just because you have access to high-quality sample libraries doesn’t mean they magically sound like real instruments on their own. This is one the biggest misconceptions about using samples for anyone that is just starting out. The truth is, just like a live musician carefully controls vibrato, dynamics, legato, and articulation, a composer working with samples has to painstakingly program these elements to bring the performance to life. It really is a tedious and tiresome task that require bucketloads of patience.


It took me a great while to improve my programming skills to the level where I could convincingly perform and program whole orchestras. Every phrase requires attention to detail, and the more effort you put into programming, the more lifelike the performance becomes.


When done right, sample libraries allow you to create something truly breathtaking. But getting there requires musicality, a deep understanding of orchestration, and an appreciation for the nuances of each instrument.


A Change of Heart


In retrospect, I’m grateful for the way the pandemic nudged me into exploring sample libraries. My decades-long reluctance faded away as I realized just how powerful and versatile these tools had become. The quality, depth, and expression in today’s sample libraries can bring a project to life in ways I hadn’t thought possible.


I may have been skeptical for long enough. In any case, creating Once Upon a Cloudtop Meadow would not have been possible without them.

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