[NAMM] New O.Arnalds soundbank at Spitfire Audio

While many virtual instruments libraries are created with the art of production in mind, Olafur Arnalds and the Spitfire team decided to create a more nuanced brief here with the writer at heart for their second collaboration. Everyone has that piano, that guitar, that instrument they love to write on, everyone has that place that inspires them, and this is the kind of intimate ambiance thay aimed at recreating here with this set of tools.

A crack team of Spitfire technicians, musicians and engineers descended on Olafur’s studio in Reykjavik to work closely with the BAFTA winning composer to capture the essence of Arnald’s approach to harnessing the spirit of his surroundings. Centred around a deep sampled 'felted’ antique 1904 Beckstein grand piano recorded ultra quiet via Olafur’s vintage outboard, the set also features a selection of go-to sounds personally programmed and curated by the man himself.

The felt piano is presented with 4 unique signals; KM84, Coles, Processed and Spaced. The KM84 signal is the pure sound of the small condensers in place, giving a tight crisp sound to the piano. The Coles is a mono signal below the soundboard, processed through a Roland Space Echo as a LoFi tape simulation to give a gritty low end. The processed signal is a mix of the KM84s with a pair of C12s, mixed by Ólafur into a pair of Pultec EQs and finally slammed through a 1178 stereo compressor to give the distinctive Arnalds sound. This processed sound has been paired with a ‘Spaced’ sound in a ‘Mixed’ patch that Ólafur has further processed to give a truly unique take on his signature piano.

To accompany this inspirational instrument, Ólafur has created numerous sonic manipulations of the original piano as well as individual instruments to provide instant aural inspiration. With nearly 100 presets, neatly presented by type, the library contains more than enough to allow musical creativity to flow, all presented in Spitfire’s Mercury synth engine.

It is available now for the introductory price of £149 (“roughly $210, €194” according to Spitfire Audio) until February 1st, when the £199 full price will start to apply. More details at Spitfire’s website.