Before purchasing Spitfire Audio products, it's important to think about what hardware you might need. A general rule of thumb is, the bigger the library, the higher spec your system should be. The most important thing to consider is "where should I store my samples?" and the answer to this is, an External SSD drive. We would also recommend that you are either running Mac OS 10.15+ or Windows 11, though our products will also currently work with Mac OS 10.13 and Windows 10+.
But what other hardware will you need?
Well, here's a quick checklist... and I've split this into Beginner, Intimidate, and Pro as each type of composer will have different needs.
Beginner
This is someone who just uses LABS or BBC SO Discover in their spare time, and do not yet have ambitions to pursue music professionally, or do larger scale projects.
- 8GB of RAM
- Dual Core Processor
- MIDI Keyboard with Sustain Pedal and Mod Wheel.
Apprentice
This is someone who is just starting off in the industry. They have limited experience of using sample libraries, and their projects are generally limited to below 30 tracks. Products they may have include: Originals, SA Recordings, Drama Toolkits, or an Albion.
- 500GB External SSD Drive
- 16GB of RAM
- Quad Core Processor
- 49 Key MIDI Keyboard, with Sustain Pedal and Mod Wheel.
Intermediate
This is someone who has just started to do professional work, or an advanced level university student who is working on student films. Your projects are a bit more complex and can have up to 100 tracks, and you may have begun to invest in our more pro range orchestral products such as the Studio Range, BBC SO Core, and Artist Libraries from the LCO, Olafur Arnalds, and Eric Whitacre.
- 1TB External SSD Drive
- 32GB+ of RAM
- 8 Core Processor
- 61 Key MIDI Keyboard, with Sustain Pedal and Mod Wheel.
- MIDI CC Controller
Professional
This is someone who has a career in music, and uses large and advanced templates of 200+ tracks. Products you own may include BBC Symphony Orchestra Professional, Spitfire Symphonic Orchestra, Symphonic Motions, and Abbey Road One.
- 4TB External SSD Drive
- 128GB of RAM
- 16 Core Processor
- 88 Key MIDI Keyboard, with Sustain Pedal and Mod Wheel.
- MIDI CC Controller