It’s been a little while since Spitfire released the remainder of the Abbey Road Orchestra Symphonic Strings library, and many have been waiting to see how the rest of the orchestra would pan out. Today, Spitfire has released the next instrument group. This time, it’s the Flutes.
Below is the full release. Needless to say, we’ll have a full review soon, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the rest of the series pans out. The Percussion and Strings were both very well done.
You can check out the premiere video with some audio and a walkthrough below:
LONDON, UK: leading sounds and sample libraries creator Spitfire Audio is proud to announce availability of ABBEY ROAD ORCHESTRA: FLUTES as the latest addition to its critically acclaimed ABBEY ROAD ORCHESTRA… series — carefully capturing the superlative sound of a world-class two-person flutes a2 section performed and recorded in Abbey Road Studios‘ iconic Studio One to include two hand-crafted mix signals by GRAMMY® Award-winning engineer extraordinaire Simon Rhodes (Skyfall, Avatar) and offering a comprehensive collection of articulations for anyone’s compositional needs as a virtual instrument that sets a new standard for the sound of the flute in the digital age — as of November 21…
As a welcomed addition to Spitfire Audio‘s critically acclaimed ABBEY ROAD ORCHESTRA… series crafted for professional composers, producers, sound designers, and music editors alike, and, ultimately, bringing every section of the orchestra to the production table in breathtaking detail, ABBEY ROAD ORCHESTRA: FLUTES — in keeping with its …SYMPHONIC STRINGS series sibling (also available ‘individually’ as …FIRST VIOLINS, …SECOND VIOLINS, …VIOLAS, …CELLOS, and …BASSES) — is available in two versions: ABBEY ROAD ORCHESTRA: FLUTES PROFESSIONAL and ABBEY ROAD ORCHESTRA: FLUTES CORE.
Celebrating the superlative sound of a world-class two-person flutes a2 section performed and recorded in Abbey Road Studios‘ iconic Studio One, ABBEY ROAD ORCHESTRA: FLUTES PROFESSIONAL offers a comprehensive collection of articulations for anyone’s compositional needs as a virtual instrument that sets a new standard for the sound of the flute in the digital age. As such, seven technologically advanced legato techniques — including EXTENDED techniques that are the most advanced patches ever created by Spitfire Audio, such as accented MARCATO (performed with a strong accented front to the note, presented as a shorter note length than STACCATO with the option of timed release triggers) and ‘soft swell’ entries for single long notes triggered by key velocity — work with stupendous sampling depth to provide unparalleled expression and realism. Realistically, in fact, ABBEY ROAD ORCHESTRA: FLUTES PROFESSIONAL marks the absolute pinnacle of detail, expression, and playability, capturing the essence of a flautist’s seamless transitions, meticulously recorded for smooth and expressive note changes, allowing anyone to bring their orchestral vision to life and inspire new compositions. Clearly this is helped by the fact that ABBEY ROAD ORCHESTRA: FLUTES PROFESSIONAL features 16 curated mic signals for microscopic mix control, including two hand-crafted mix signals by GRAMMY® Award-winning engineer extraordinaire Simon Rhodes, resulting in an exquisitely authentic flute sound that embodies the timeless essence of one of the most renowned recording spaces in the world — namely, Abbey Road Studios‘ Studio One — as a masterfully recorded virtual instrument.
An alternative — admittedly equally enticing — choice is available to those who do not need the tweak-ability of all those 16 signals or extended playability. Please welcome ABBEY ROAD ORCHESTRA: FLUTES CORE to the production table. This virtual instrument offers key articulations and playing styles; indeed, its LYRICAL LEGATO and PERFORMANCE LEGATO, wide selection of longs and shorts, and control over a variety of articulations allow users to create both intimate and epic soundscapes. Simon Rhodes’ Mix 1 may well only feature as a single signal option this time, but being recorded in the timeless acoustics of Abbey Road Studios‘ Studio One obviously provides realism of the highest order.
Of course, Studio One needs no introduction as the world’s largest purpose-built recording studio, having hosted celebrated classical recordings ranging from English composer Sir Edward Elgar to Russian composer, pianist, and conductor Sergei Prokofiev, as well as iconic film scores spanning 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark (John Williams), 1983’s Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (John Williams), and 2001-2003’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy (Howard Shore) to more recent releases, including 2022’s Tár (Hildur Guðnadóttir) and 2024’s Gladiator II (Harry Gregson-Williams). It is also home to one of the world’s greatest in- house collections of vintage and modern microphones, while a 72-channel Neve 88 RS large-format mixing console with a unique and comprehensive surround monitor section acts as the centrepiece of its control room. It is little wonder, then, that Studio One is the perfect setting for Spitfire Audio‘s ABBEY ROAD ORCHESTRA… series sessions, meticulously curated, recorded, and programmed to deliver the world’s most detailed orchestral sampling, starting with ABBEY ROAD ORCHESTRA: LOW PERCUSSION — laying the foundations for the series in question as the culmination of over 20 years of sample experience and innovation to offer incredible precision across an encyclopaedic selection of orchestral and cinematic percussion performed by British world-class percussionist Joby Burgess (Black Panther, Mission: Impossible) — and now arriving at ABBEY ROAD ORCHESTRA: FLUTES as the ultimate tool for anyone’s creative compositional needs. Needless to say, whichever version of ABBEY ROAD ORCHESTRA: FLUTES anyone might choose to work with, rest assured that they are in good (recorded) company.
Clearly, company co-founder Paul Thomson — an accomplished composer in his own right — can rightfully supply some sympathetic closing commentary: “There’s just so much beautiful, natural dynamic in these recordings, and in the way that the library has been assembled by the team at Spitfire Audio. It just sounds so glorious! It fits that expressive need that you have with the flutes, as well as giving you a kind of aggressive style, even though the flute is not the most aggressive instrument. It’s not something that has massive dynamic range in the orchestra, but has its own character, so what I love about ABBEY ROAD ORCHESTRA: FLUTES is that we’ve captured bags of character from these incredible flautists who have played on the library.”
The 44.82 GB download-sized ABBEY ROAD ORCHESTRA: FLUTES PROFESSIONAL is available as a dedicated — AAX-, AU-, VST2- and VST3-compatible — plug-in for MacOS X 11 to MacOS 14 (Apple Silicon computers supported, 64-bit DAW required) and Windows 10 or 11 (latest Service Pack, 64-bit DAW required) at a 20%-discounted introductory offer of £199.00 GBP (inc. VAT)/$249.00 USD/€249.00 EUR (inc. VAT) until December 5, 2024 — rising thereafter to its full price of £249.00 GBP (inc. VAT)/$309.00 USD/€309.00 EUR (inc. VAT) — from here: https://www.spitfireaudio.com/abbey-road-orchestra-flutes-professional
The 2.81 GB download-sized ABBEY ROAD ORCHESTRA: FLUTES CORE is available as a dedicated — AAX-, AU-, VST2- and VST3-compatible — plug-in for MacOS X 11 to MacOS 14 (Apple Silicon computers supported, 64-bit DAW required) and Windows 10 or 11 (latest Service Pack, 64-bit DAW required) at a 20%-discounted introductory offer of £119.00 GBP (inc. VAT)/$149.00 USD/€149.00 EUR (inc. VAT) until December 5, 2024 — rising thereafter to its full price of £149.00 GBP (inc. VAT)/$189.00 USD/€189.00 EUR (inc. VAT) from here: https://www.spitfireaudio.com/abbey-road-orchestra-flutes-core
Spitfire Audio’s namesake Spitfire Audio app allows anyone to buy now and download anytime, and is available for free from here: http://www.spitfireaudio.com/info/library-manager/
For more in-depth information, including some superb-sounding audio demos, please visit the dedicated ABBEY ROAD ORCHESTRA: FLUTES PROFESSIONAL webpage here: https://www.spitfireaudio.com/abbey-road-orchestra-flutes-professional
For more in-depth information, including some superb-sounding audio demos, please visit the dedicated ABBEY ROAD ORCHESTRA: FLUTES CORE webpage here: https://www.spitfireaudio.com/abbey-road-orchestra-flutes-core
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