Spitfire Audio Launches LABS+: Breakthrough sounds for breakthrough creators

23 October 2024 - Press release

 

Featuring new Amapiano Foundations sound packs created by influential artists in the scene

Every brilliant music-maker starts somewhere. Spitfire Audio, the gold standard for sound and sample libraries for composers, introduces LABS+, a wide-ranging collection of samples and sounds to inspire the next generation of creators. LABS+ matches the energy of its audience of wildly creative music-makers while delivering the same top-tier production quality that has earned Spitfire Audio respect from the world’s leading composers.

Renowned for its uncompromising approach to recording and sound creation, Spitfire Audio has spent 17 years developing a reputation among professional composers as the leader in sampled virtual instruments. Offering the most forward-thinking sample library, and created in collaboration with the best modern musicians and producers in the most iconic studio spaces.

With the launch of LABS+, Spitfire Audio grants creators access to many of the same core recordings used in Hollywood scores and hit records at an affordable price. In a market saturated with low quality sounds, LABS+ offers exceptional, highly-curated content—saving creators the time they might spend scrolling through seas of bad samples on other platforms.

Following three months of community feedback-driven development, LABS+ officially launches out of beta with over 200,000 early adopters and over 3 million pack downloads.

“Not everyone can be so lucky to record at Abbey Road or AIR Studios, but that shouldn’t keep them from making music that sounds fantastic. We created LABS+ to democratize the music creation process and give emerging talent around the world access to this incredible and unique sound palette,” says Spitfire founder and CPO Paul Thomson. “LABS+ meets the needs of the modern music-making world, combining accessibility, diversity, and quality of sound to make creation more inclusive and fun than ever.”

LABS+ charges a low monthly fee that helps pay royalties to musicians, artists, and studios—continuing Spitfire Audio’s support of the talent in the industry. The company has distributed over £25 million in royalties to the music community to date.

Initially emerging from the streets of South Africa and now occupying stages around the world, Amapiano — “the pianos” in the Zulu language — has hooked listeners worldwide with its rolling basslines and log drum rhythms. Launching out of beta, LABS+ proudly unveils a new collection of Amapiano sounds performed by the very artists shaping the future of the genre. In collaboration with Shannen SP—a London-based curator and DJ with deep ties to the Amapiano scene—Spitfire Audio brought together three powerhouse artists: Major League DJz, Jay Music, and MDU aka TRP. Working together in Johannesburg, the four captured the instrumentation that defines the genre, like synths, and unmistakable log drum. 

“More people are experimenting with music today,” says Thomson. “Where our core Spitfire Audio sample packs are designed for professional composers, LABS+ is our way of catering to the growing community of up-and-coming creators—delivering fun, easy-to-use samples while maintaining our dedication to the highest quality of recording and sonic excellence.”