Product Reviews by KVR Members

This is a really great flute product that dives into the evocative, breathy textures of unusual woodwinds. Recorded at Spitfire's own London studio, Rare Flutes focuses on instruments that veer away from the standard orchestral toolkit. I found tones of the bansuri, ocarina, shakuhachi, and other less conventional flutes captured in detail. The collection includes 47 presets spanning single articulations and layered textures, with long sustains, shorts, flutters, and expressive bends all playable through Spitfire's streamlined Originals interface.

What I especially love about it is the ease with which you can get a flute part that sounds big, but easily blends with other instruments.

The footprint is under 1GB and inexpensive, Rare Flutes is a compelling addition for composers looking to expand their sonic storytelling. It won't replace your orchestral woodwinds, but it will add instant mystique to any score.

Back in the early 80s I actually owned a Roland JC-120 amp and would lug to gigs. It was an innovation when it appeared in 1975 with its built in Chorus. It was hugely popular with people wanting a big, very clean sound. Mine had two 12" speakers and it was very heavy. Nobody misses its weight of course, so now I have the JC-120 amp model plugin, which gets the sounds and weighs nothing.

This is a really good take on the amazing Jaco Pastorius sound in the earlier days of his creative run. Whoever did the sampling was deifnitely a fan.

This is a great updated emulation of the original and it's approved by the ARP Foundation. This was the original synth used by Herbie Hancock for the baseline in Chameleon. See the other reviews...

Equator is one of the best and well-supported MPE synths out there. The presets are thoughtfully put together, which is one of the most important features of any MPE compatible plugin because it separates synths that support. The UI is well laid out and helpful for someone not necessarily familiar with MPE conceptually. I have been using it with both my Sensel Morph and Linnstrument controllers. It's fun because both hardware controllers implement the spec properly and that simplifies the experience. It's a bit pricey, but if you want to enjoy true MPE it's a great way to go.

It's really hard to expand upon Ficciones review, which is really thorough. Pigments is a great sounding, MPE compatible softsynth. There are many, many presets that clearly someone had fun creating. Highly recommended.

Helix Native is an excellent amp sim from the company that pretty much invented the category. Presets can be shared between Helix Native and Helix hardware, so the hardware can act as an accelerator for your computer system, and you can take the exact sound you used in the studio to a gig. Of course it will need a bit of tweaking for the live system. The GUI is totally resizable, easy to use, and there are many many sonic possibilities. It's set up as a signal path with effects inserted.

Of course there is an inter-ap store where you can buy additional presets and impulses for what seems to me like reasonable prices.

It's not inexpensive, but delivers, especially if you own Helix hardware.

This is a really cool collection of sounds from master recorder and ethnomusicologist Eduardo Tarilonte. He really does his research. There are even voices from Tuvan singers...! Huge drums, and pads. Great for film or game music.