Whether you’re a home-studio guru or a trusted producer looking to develop professionally intricate soundtracks, albums, or demos, virtual instruments can help streamline the process from conception to post-production. At Sweetwater, we carry lots of virtual instruments that all contribute to fantastic musical creations from musicians of all backgrounds and skills. Virtual instruments can speed up the production process in almost every phase of music creation while also lending your music depth, emotion, and a more polished quality. There’s no doubt the world of virtual instruments can seem daunting to even experienced buyers, so the experts at Sweetwater compiled this fantastic guide to virtual instruments no studio should be without! Although Sweetwater’s virtual-instrument (VI) junkies compiled this list for you, you don’t need to have a degree in music production to be able to use them! With easy-to-use interfaces and intuitive workflow designs, you’ll master the software in no time flat.
Drums
It’s true that drums provide the backbone of almost every recording. Therefore, having the right percussion VI means creating a piece of music that features engaging rhythm, realistic note articulations, and sensational tones with just the right dash of precision to tie it all together. Enter the worlds of Toontrack Superior Drummer 3 and Steven Slate Drums 5 to experience two of the best drum plug-ins on the market. Used by both professionals and home-studio users alike, these are affordable; and they sound fantastic, provide simple workflows, and exhibit nearly limitless percussive combinations — not to mention, they’re a blast to experiment with! Toontrack Superior Drummer 3 excels at providing high-quality drum lines that will leave you wondering why you’d ever record with live drums again. Sometimes recording drums becomes unfeasible due to time constraints, budgets, and lack of proper gear. But that’s not a problem with Steven Slate Drums 5. This VI excels at providing 1,000 easily accessible drag-and-drop rhythms and fills. No matter what genre, mood, or rhythm you’re looking to create, there’s no doubt these two favorites at Sweetwater will have just the one you need.
Bass
We all know a good bass line should sit in the mix and provide emphasis and lift to the tones happening around it. This is why the bass can often fly under our radar. But that doesn’t mean you can shirk the bass line because, when the mix is off, people will notice. But not to worry — if you’re crunched for time, don’t have a session bassist, or can’t play the bass yourself, then EZbass from Toontrack can make your studio life so much easier. Choose from vintage and modern tone libraries for the perfect mood and timbre. What recording artists love about EZbass is its ability to build a bass line specifically matched to your song. In this way, given its smart technology, it’s as much of a bass player as it is an incredible tone library. When you need to get your song produced quickly and to lift those creative clouds from your head, EZbass will streamline your process without sacrificing your creation’s quality.
Piano/Keyboard
There’s nothing like the sound of a grand piano or a keyboard aged to perfection. Often regarded as one of the most chameleon-like instruments, pianos and keyboards can add rhythm, backing chords, melodies, and much more to your songs. And, with Synthogy Ivory II and Spectrasonics Keyscape, you can do just that without having a piano of your own. These phenomenal plug-ins offer any sophisticated piano voice you can dream of from the Eilish to the percussive funk to the beloved classical. For majestically flawless grand pianos, you can’t go wrong with Synthogy Ivory II Grand Pianos. And Keyscape features over 500 unique world-class keyboards and pianos sourced from around the globe. Absolutely no detail was spared during the entire process from rebuilding and sampling the instruments to creating an easy-to-navigate interface — and that’s why you won’t find many other piano and keyboard VIs like these!
Orchestra
In many cases, orchestral arrangements have been used to add depth, pathos, and interest to compositions ranging from film soundtracks to hip-hop masterpieces. But finding a full orchestra to actually play for you is not only extremely difficult but also incredibly expensive. But that’s not a problem you ever have to worry about! If you’re looking to add the professionalism that orchestral arrangements provide for your creations, then stay tuned for these next two plug-ins. With UJAM STRIIIINGS and IK Multimedia Miroslav Philharmonik 2 CE, you can explore anything from divine string arrangements to provocative woodwind exhibitions — all without the encumbering use of real orchestras.
Arguably one of the coolest virtual-instrument plug-ins on the Sweetwater website, UJAM STRIIIINGS features gloriously sampled instruments from Hans Zimmer’s own sound library. With a library of pristine samples amassed over decades, STRIIIINGS can take your soundtracks and songs to the next level. Whether your songs range from majestic ambiences to rock operas to hip-hop albums, UJAM STRIIIINGS will worry about the details while leaving you free to focus on the rest. Given its world-class string-section phrases, STRIIIINGS can automatically conjure just the right magic for your composition whether it requires eerie anticipation or lush, traditional voicing.
Next, with IK Multimedia Miroslav Philharmonik 2 CE, the entire world of orchestral instruments is open to your guiding hand. Featuring 733 excellently sampled instruments from woodwinds to strings to percussion, Miroslav brings it all. Not only that — but, with this plug-in, you can access 34 insanely cool effects from IK Multimedia’s renowned SampleTank 3. At Sweetwater, we’re crazy about this VI because it brings uniqueness to every creation it touches through enchantingly sampled instruments that not only sound like the real thing but also are far easier to operate.
Komplete 13
Last, if you’re that jack-of-all-trades kind of person looking for experimentation in multiple realms, then Sweetwater’s got the last virtual-instrument plug-in you’ll ever need: Native Instruments Komplete 13 software production suite. This insanely massive suite provides 68 premium instruments and more than 36,000 preset sounds. Audio producers and engineers at Sweetwater still haven’t found an end to the music they can create and master all from within the software itself. Production obstacles fade away when you have Komplete 13 — create and mix anything from tribal drums to symphonic strings to crunchy electric guitar to pulsing 80’s synth. This suite functions as much as a songwriting tool as it does a post-production tool, so you never even have to leave the software! If you are in the market for a single VI plug-in, then you can’t go wrong with Native Instruments Komplete 13.
At Sweetwater, we’ve found that these VIs not only take your sonic explorations to new levels, but they also facilitate creative energy in the discovery of tones, effects, and compositions you wouldn’t have originally thought of. Without a doubt, no studio would be complete without these eight virtual-instrument plug-ins. And, when it comes time for you to create your next big project, you’ll be glad you have them! If you have any questions, then make sure you give your Sweetwater Sales Engineer a call at (800) 222-4700. Happy composing!
