Sample Library Review announce Best of 2021 Awards Winners for Best Software Instruments & Plugins of the Year

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Sample Library Review has announced its Best of 2021 Awards List.

Sample Library Review’s Best of 2021 Awards celebrates the virtual instruments that found their way into the hearts and scores of music composers.

December 27, 2021, Los Angeles California – Sample Library Review has announced its Best of 2021 short list. The annual celebration of music software is one of the better indicators of music production trends for composers and music makers working on scores and song for TV, films, games and trailers

“Many of our contributors and reviewers work with up to 100 new instruments every year seeking out an edge in our own music production,” said Sample Library Review host, composer Don Bodin.

“It’s rewarding to share our experiences with the readers and viewers through posts and videos but the Best of Awards Show takes that to another level.”

The virtual instruments created by Spitfire Audio, Native Instruments, Vienna Symphonic Library, Soundiron, Orchestral Tools, and many other developers received accolades in Sample Library Review’s “Best of” 2021 Awards list this year, the only annual awards show specifically devoted to the celebration of sample library and virtual instrument software.

The closely watched ‘Best String Sample Library’ category honored Performance Samples for their Vista strgin section, Realitone’s release of Sunset Strings,  and Impact Soundworks’ Tokyo Scoring Strings and Spitfire Audio’s intimate string quartet Abbey Road Two

Spitfire Audio took a total of 9 spots with the developer’s Albion Solstice getting nods in the categories of Orchestral Ensemble Orchestral Virtual Instrument, Graphics/Cover Art as well as Best Trailer/Teaser for a virtual instrument.

There was no shortage of Piano/Keyboard Virtual Instruments on the list with Native Instruments‘ Piano Colors, Skybox Audio‘s Hammers + Waves, Sound Yeti‘s Revelation Scoring Grand, Soundiron‘s Delphi Piano #1: Autumn 1958, Fractured Sounds’ Glacier Keys and Spitfire Audio‘s Originals: Mrs. Mills Piano all receiving recognition.

New this year on the “Best of” list was the category of “Best Developer’s Official Walkthrough” which went to UJAM‘s promotional video for Symphonic Elements Drums.

Sample Library Review’s Best of 2021 Awards was published December 20, 2021 on YouTube, with a complete Sample Library Review’s Best of Awards 2021 award winners listed on the official Best of 2020 Awards show notes page with links to the developers as well as links to reviews of the instruments.

Sample Library Review’s “Best of” awards are determined by an advisory board and selection committee that includes music journalists, producers, songwriters, and media composers. 

Scroll down for a list of the Sample Library Review’s “Best of” Awards 2020 Award Winners or visit the official Best of 2021 Awards page here.

 

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Best Solo Orchestral Virtual Instrument
Solo by Audio Imperia
Sasaki Trumpet – Musical Sampling
Session Guitarist – Picked Nylon by Native Instruments

Best World/Ethnic Virtual Instrument
Ancient Greek Series by Soundiron
Ventus Native American Flutes by Impact Soundworks
World Colors Clar-Duduk by Evolution Series
Ethera Gold Sahara Voice by Zero-G

Best Orchestral Percussion Virtual Instrument
Box Factory by Fracture Sounds
Tom Holkenborg Percussion by Orchestral Tools
Axé – Audio Brewers
LA Modern Percussion 1.1 by Audio Ollie

Best Orchestral Woodwinds Virtual Instrument
Cinematic Studio Woodwinds by Cinematic Studio Series
Synchron Woodwinds by Vienna Symphonic Library
Abbey Road ONE Wondrous Flutes by Spitfire Audio

Best Piano / Keyboard Virtual Instrument
Piano Colors by Native Instruments
Hammers + Waves by Skybox Audio
Revelation Scoring Grand by Sound Yeti
Delphi Piano #1: Autumn 1958 by Soundiron
Glacier Keys by Fractured Sounds
Originals: Mrs. Mills Piano by Spitfire Audio

Best Toolkit / Cue Builder Virtual Instrument
Tallinn by Orchestral Tools
Symphonic Destructions by Heavyocity
Elements Modern Scoring Synth by Zero-G
Contemporary Drama Toolkit by Spitfire Audio
Groth by Wavelet Audio

Best Bass/Guitar Virtual Instrument
RCD Guitar by Audio Ollie
Evolution Dry Relic by Orange Tree Samples
Session Guitarist – Picked Nylon by Native Instruments
1975 Soulful Guitar by Soundpaint
Boutique Mood Guitars by Naroth Audio

Best Orchestral Brass Virtual Instrument
Hyperion Brass Elements by Soundiron
Angry Brass Pro Soloists by Performance Samples
Synchron Brass by Vienna Symphonic Library
Norrland Solo Trumpet by Norrland Samples

Best GUI / Interface in a Virtual Instrument
Lost Piano by Westwood Instruments
Symphonic Destructions by Heavyocity
Tokyo Scoring Strings by Impact Soundworks

Graphics/Cover Art for a Virtual Instrument
Albion Solstice by Spitfire Audio

Best Trailer/Teaser Video for a Virtual Instrument
Albion Solstice by Spitfire Audio

Best Developer’s Official Walkthrough Video for a Virtual Instrument
Symphonic Elements Drums by UJAM

Best Budget Buy a Virtual Instrument
Quadral by Soundiron
OPW Pool Project by Spitfire Audio
Quantum Steel Tongue by Emergence Audio
Originals Media Toolkit by Spitfire Audio

Best Sound Design in a Virtual Instrument
Symphonic Destructions by Heavyocity
Elysion 2 by Best Service
Omen by Silence and Other Sounds
Ashlight by Native Instruments

Best Orchestral Ensemble Virtual Instrument
The Orchestra Essentials by Best Service
Albion Solstice by Spitfire Audio
Orchestral Strings by Sonokinetic

Best Vocal/Choir Virtual Instrument
Tallinn by Orchestral Tools
Omen by Silence and Other Sounds
Ethera Gold Sahara Voice by Zero-G

Best Loop/Phrase-Based Instrument
Symphonic Destructions by Heavyocity
Elysion 2 by Best Service
Symphonic Elements Drums by UJAM
Loop Pool Series by Sound Dust

Best Orchestral String Virtual Instrument
Vista by Performance Samples
Sunset Strings by Realitone
Tokyo Scoring Strings by Impact Soundworks
Abbey Road Two by Spitfire Audio

Best Sampled Synth Virtual instrument
PX SunBox by UVI
Elements – Modern Scoring Synth by Zero-G
Omnisphere 2.8 by Spectrasonics

Best VST Preset Collection or Expansion
DUNESCAPES for Elements – Modern Scoring Synth by Zero-G
Altura for Omnisphere by Very Loud Indeed Co.
Sonic Extensions by Spectrasonics
Serum Alpha by The Unfinished

Game-Shaker
Editors Pick: Soundpaint

See complete list with links to the instruments product pages and review pages in the official  Best of 2021 Awards page here.