I’m going to tell you some secrets.
Well, “secret” is a strong word, but maybe I’ll shed some light on tools you haven’t heard of before. Today I’d like to discuss my favorite tools for writing cinematic music that are all completely free!
1) Spitfire Audio LABS
LABS is my current go to secret weapon. At it’s core, LABS is a collection of expertly sampled FREE virtual instruments released by the sample kings themselves: Spitfire Audio. LABS has your standard array of strings and choir, but the sauce is the weird stuff. There is a massive fog horn to take your Inception trailer music to the next level, there’s an orchestra run through a tape machine to bring an organic grittiness to an often too pristine genre (my current obsession), and tons of other crazy stuff. The UI is simple and intuitive and each instrument is a must have.
My favorite thing about the LABS instruments is how well they take to additional processing. While all of the instruments sound great in their own right, they’re tailor made to go buck wild and make them your own. SECRET SAUCE TIME: My current favorite sound is using the LABS Strings instrument, on the short articulation and running them through the following processing chain: Transient Shaper to boost the attack and shorten the sustain, Distortion, Delay, and a Tremelo. The result is a super cool synth like sound great for ostinantos on their own or layered under your traditional string parts. You get the distorted synth sound that sounds organic and blends well into an orchestra.
2) BBC Discover by Spitfire Audio
We’re back again with another Spitfire Audio offering but this time it’s their BBC Discover Orchestra which you can get absolutely free right now. Boasting a full range of strings, brass, and percussion, this library is probably the best bang for your buck (or lack there of). Admittedly, there are only a couple of articulations, few (if any) round robins, and they require a fair bit of massaging to sound natural, but for someone new to the composing game this is a no brainer. If anything, the lessons you’ll learn getting this library to sound its best will set you on the right path once you upgrade to the expensive stuff.