At Spitfire Audio, we believe that having the ability to choose sounds that work for you is important and thus, we have created a wide variety of woodwind libraries for every music maker. It is natural to feel a sense of “choice paralysis” when navigating our catalog. Often forgotten or cast aside in modern scoring, woodwinds can be a formidable compositional tool, even when an "epic" sound is required. Think of the chilling, colossal woodwind passages in Hans ZImmer's Interstellar (a score that was partially recorded at Air Studios), or the work of John Williams where traditional and experimental orchestration techniques often feature woodwinds. Below is a handy guide to our ever-growing collection of libraries featuring traditional woodwind instruments and ensembles.
It should be noted that this focuses on libraries that include instruments in the woodwinds family only; full orchestral libraries that also include woodwind sections have been excluded. That said, there are excellent, comprehensive woodwind sections in our BBC Symphony Orchestra Series, our Albion Series, and in our Abbey Road One Orchestral Foundations, etc. We encourage you to take a look at these libraries if you are looking for an "all-in-one" package.
FREE Woodwind Libraries in Our LABS Series
We offer a free series of libraries called LABS where you can find unique, inspiring woodwind sounds. LABS is a great way to become familiar with the Spitfire Audio ecosystem without having to make an investment. All LABS libraries run in our award-winning dedicated plugin and offer broadcast-quality sounds for composers, producers, and anyone looking to add an eclectic edge to their music. We would recommend checking out the following LABS libraries that include patches featuring woodwind instruments:
LABS Tape Orchestra, LABS Arctic Swells, and LABS Astral Forms.
Affordable Woodwind Libraries in Our Originals Series
The next step when considering investing in a Spitfire Audio strings library would be our ultra-affordable Originals series. All Originals libraries are 29 £/$/€ and are housed in our dedicated plugin accessible directly within your DAW, just like LABS. The Originals series woodwind libraries feature a unique and numbered variety of sparkling articulations that help to elevate your music. Another great feature of Originals are the mic positions and signals included; these allow you to tailor the mix as needed.
Originals Epic Brass & Woodwinds combines two related choirs of the orchestra, brass and woodwinds, resulting in two large sections beautifully recorded in Lyndhurst Hall at Air Studios in London perfect for any genre from action and adventure to fantasy.
Originals Rare Flutes, recorded at Tileyard Studios in London near Spitfire Audio HQ, is the successor of two legacy libraries, Andy Findon Kit Bag's I & II. It features woodwind instruments of many different cultures including Fujara, Ocarina in various registers, and Bansuri, to name a few. There are short and long articulations included for each instrument in addition to three mic positions. This library is perfect for adding unique colors and textures to your music.
SA Recordings Gem, "The Pool Project" by Oliver Patrice Weder Featuring Woodwinds
Another affordable series in our catalog is our SA Recordings line. These libraries are made in collaboration with our in-house label, SA Recordings, featuring artists like Yair Elazar Glotman [Double Bass on Joker (2019)], Hainbach, and Lea Bertucci, to name just a few. These libraries are perfect for any type of music-making and give composers, producers, and artists a unique sonic voice. Just like Originals, all libraries in the SA Recordings range are 29 £/$/€, an incredible price for a robust set of sounds in each case.
The Pool Project made in collaboration with in-house composer Oliver Patrice Weder is a library offering cooling, silky textures with comprehensive instrumentation including Woodwinds, Vocals, Pinaos, Synths, and Percussion. A "tribute to peace and stillness," this is a great addition to any composer's collection and was recorded in a reverberant poolhouse in Spain. This library runs in our dedicated plugin.
Character Libraries Featuring Woodwinds in the Abbey Road Film Scoring Selections Lineup
The Abbey Road One Film Scoring Selections series are a range of character libraries expanding our Abbey Road One Collection. A highlight of this range are four woodwind libraries offering playable orchestration techniques that are incredibly difficult to replicate with traditional samples. These libraries were recorded with the world's best instrumentalists in what is arguably the most sought-after scoring stage on the planet, Abbey Road's Studio One. The realism and authenticity of these products are staggering, giving you easy-to-play, inspiring tools and that classic blockbuster sound. They run in our dedicated plugin and act as modular expansion packs pairing seamlessly with each other and accessible from a single plugin within your DAW.
Abbey Road One: Wonderous Flutes' instrumentation includes Flute and Piccolo and offers advanced legato patches as well as traditional shorts and longs designed for scurrying high woodwind passages indicative of John Williams, John Powell, and many others.
Abbey Road One: Vibrant Reeds features Oboes, Clarinets, and Cor Anglais (English Horn) and yields a warm, emotive sound that is perfect for adding a classic contemplative touch to any theme or melody.
Abbey Road One: Mysterious Reeds features a larger, perfectly balanced woodwind section including Oboes, Clarinets, and Bassoons. The texture of this library is darker and foreboding, making it ideal for adding mystique and tension to any orchestral cue, capturing the sound of woodwind passages in the first movement of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 1 "Titan."
Abbey Road One: Sparkling Woodwinds is made up of a larger woodwind section comprised of Piccolo, Flutes, Oboes, Clarinets, and a Glockenspiel overlay that can be mixed into articulations. This library captures a common orchestration texture that is prevalent in the music of Harry Potter, to cite an example.
Our "Evo-Grid" Library Featuring Woodwinds
Our "Evo-Grid" technology allows for composers and music-makers to rely on "randomness by design" when creating their music, enhancing the ability to improvise with ultra-inspiring sonic color.
Woodwind Evolutions features a chilling woodwind section and was recorded dry at Air-Edel Studios giving you freedom in the mixing process. With plenty of parameters included, this library is perfect for adding progressive, evolving passages and tone beds to your score. This library runs in our dedicated plugin.
Professional Woodwind Libraries in our Studio Orchestra & Symphony Orchestra Series
The crowning jewels of our woodwind catalog are those in our Studio Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra ranges. These libraries run in Kontakt and feature comprehensive, encyclopedic sets of articulations, mic positions, signals, mixes, and more. They were recorded at Air Studios in London with some of the world's top instrumentalists giving you astounding realism, humanism, and the classic British blockbuster sound.
Spitfire Studio Woodwinds and Spitfire Studio Woodwinds Professional are a part of our Studio Orchestra Series and were recorded dry in Studio 1 at Air Studios. This gives you complete control over your mix and yields a classic, Hollywood-esque sound. Both editions offer comprehensive instrumentation, with Professional including a more robust collection of instruments such as Contrabass Clarinet, Piccolo Trumpet, etc. These libraries are affordable and yield incredible value at their price.
Spitfire Symphonic Woodwinds and Spitfire Symphonic Woodwinds Professional are our most comprehensive and realistic woodwind libraries to date. Recorded in Lyndhurst Hall at Air Studios, users will be able to take advantage of the coveted "Air Studios Sound." From advanced legato patches to standard articulations, these libraries have it all, allowing you to create broadcast-quality music indistinguishable from live recordings. Both editions include the same content, with Professional offering more mixes and signals for flexible mixing options.
Additional Libraries Including Woodwinds
Listed below are a collection of equally excellent libraries that include woodwinds from various ranges across our catalog. Think of these as toolkits that allow the composer to add specific elements to their scores that are difficult or impossible to achieve with traditional, standard samples: