An Ode to Community
February 2024
coming soon
Back in May 2020, we started dreaming and scheming about what kind of studio we’d like to be (read all about that in Season 1: Mood Matters), and we knew we needed a tool that would support our musical expression as well as grow with us.
We have a heart for storytelling, and our love of cinema, modern orchestral scores, and diverse multi-genre composition topped the list of drivers for us as we developed our identity. We wanted these pillars to be reflected in the products and tools we invested in as well; we were looking for something that reflected the quality of what we build. But, we also needed something that was affordable (after all, we were just getting things rolling) and something that was accessible; a multi-functional tool to be our “Swiss-army knife” for composition.
As we began collaborating remotely (more on that next season), we signed up for as many free offers and services as our email inboxes could hold. We needed to find the right fit. After trialing numerous products, we discovered Spitfire Audio: LABS. This incredible product checked-off all of our boxes (and still fell in that FREE category). Its diversity in sample offerings kept growing and it was hard to find another tool where we could find beautiful pianos juxtaposed against experimental strings and electric guitars. It truly was an all-in-one powerhouse for composition.
Spitfire Audio recently started a new YouTube channel specifically for LABS as well as created a dedicated (office) space for their new team to experiment.
We embarked on our first original collection with a powerful tool at our fingertips. That cinematic collection, English Weather, utilized LABS’ “soft piano” as the unifying instrument. Right around that time, Spitfire Audio released BBCSO: Discover, which allowed us to step further toward a more professional and inspiring orchestral foundation.
Serendipitously, when we set off on our folk-inspired sophomore collection, Milestone, LABS released the perfect mandolin instrument. And again with our third collection, A Breath You’ve Seen, LABS helped provide the experimental pads and tones needed to reinforce the story arc.
The sounds were unmatched, and we felt unstoppable. In addition to the sonic quality and diversity of the samples offered in LABS, the Spitfire Audio plug-in interface inside of our DAW (we use Logic Pro X) helped us write engaging music at break-neck speed. The above three collections we released in the first ten months of collaborating! Similar to most sample-based VSTs, LABS offers control of numerous facets of the instrument: attack, decay, sustain, reverbs, expression, and dynamics (typically). The simplicity and large visual display of the dynamic and expression control, all easily MIDI mappable to your keyboard, is one of our favorite features as well; this allows for a more realistic performance. All of this packaged in a simple UI with speed and regular updates…whew. Seriously, we’re fanboys of this incredible tool.
So this all leads us to our most recent project, Interference: Dead Air, which just wrapped (on the music front). Call us brand loyalists, but Spitfire Audio had our backs, so when it came time to upgrade our libraries, we knew where to turn. For Interference: Dead Air, we worked closely with game-developer Fear of Corn to build an ambient, synth-driven, 80’s inspired score with orchestral roots. We upgraded piano libraries with Spitfire Audio’s incredible “Originals” collections, embraced their experimental libraries like “Olive Patrice Weder’s - The Pool Project” to create unique reverberating soundscapes, and took advantage of their regular sales to upgrade to BBCSO: Professional (a literal symphonic orchestra on your hard drive). It has more articulations, more control parameters, solo instruments…the list goes on. We can’t wait for the soundtrack for Interference: Dead Air to drop so you can hear the beautiful intricacies we were able to create with Spitfire Audio’s sample libraries.
The future looks bright for Rosefinch. We’re in the collection writing and dreaming phase right now in order to turn around a couple new ones this year. We are especially eager to dig into a Spitfire Audio library we picked up called “Symphonic Motions.” This is a more experimental orchestral library really focusing on polyrhythmic patterns.
Last thing about Spitfire Audio is that they are a brand that supports composers and writers just like us. It’s rich in their free content like LABS, YouTube channel, and social media. Like us, they know that mood matters, and anyone should be given the opportunity to prove it true. After all, when you see and use the best products, you can truly appreciate anything with little cost attached.
Musicians gotta stick together, support one another, and create meaning in this world. That, I guess, is why we’re writing this ode to Spitfire Audio. Seriously, thank you.
Full disclosure, this is not sponsored by Spitfire Audio. As mentioned earlier, we want to shine a spotlight on products and businesses that foster creative expression and support for the community.
