Best Orchestral Percussion?
Are you looking for cinematic orchestral percussion for your music compositions?
Percussion is the essence of action and rhythm, of power and energy.
Anything from low majestic booms, to hard hitting and punchy drums, to driving high percussion.
Epic Sources Damage 2 is brimming with over 40,000 samples, and nearly 60 GB’s of pure percussive inspiration. The Heavyocity team brought in truckloads of drums and percussive elements for the D2 Sessions; an arsenal of 24” to 72” gran casas, 24” to 60” Taikos, huge bass drums, giant snare ensembles, toms, ethnic drums, a myriad of struck found sound elements. The free bass beat loops, samples and sounds listed here have been kindly uploaded by other users. If you use any of these bass beat loops please leave your comments. Read the loops section of the help area and our terms and conditions for more information on how you can use the loops. Native Instruments is a leading manufacturer of software and hardware for computer-based audio production and DJing. Reviewed: Damage. Heavyocity's DAMAGE received the MusicTech Choice Award along with a full page review in the December 2011 issue. “Damage is an impressive package, demonstrating a tangible creative flair in respect to its content, but also a surprising degree of sonic dexterity. Audio Damage – AD036 Dubstation 2 V2.1.1 VST, VST3, AAX, AU WIN.OSX.LINUX x64 MAGIX – Sound Forge Pro Suite 14.0.0 build 112 x86 x64 Cinesamples – CineBrass Sonore (KONTAKT).
In this quick guide I have compiled a list of great orchestral percussion VST libraries:
Orchestral Percussion VST libraries – Top List
- Damage (Heavyocity)
- CinePerc (Cinesamples)
- HZ Percussion (Spitfire Audio)
- Berlin Percussion (Orchestral Tools)
- StrikeForce (Laboratory Audio)
- Action Strikes (Native Instruments)
- Spitfire Percussion (Spitfire Audio)
- SAGA – Acoustic Trailer Percussion (Red Room Audio)
- Symphony Series Percussion (Native Instruments)
- Taiko Creator (In Session Audio)
- Cerberus (Audio Imperia)
Hello Composers! =)
My name is Mike, founder of professionalcomposers.com, music composer and sound designer since 1998, old school nerd, and coffee addict. So grab a cup of coffee, and let’s check out some Orchestral Percussion VST Libraries! =)

A very dark and processed overall sound, including 700+ loops, 500+ one-shots and 58 kits. Damage is not about natural orchestral percussion. The focus is rather on epic, loud and hard impacts.
Heavyocity Damage Free Download
My Favorite Highlights
- Instant Trailer type Epic Percussion
- The Punish Knob for even more “Heat”
- Powerful User Interface
- The Room Placement Mixer
CinePerc was recorded at the SONY Scoring Stage in Los Angeles, and mixed by master engineer Dennis Sands. This is the great “all-in-one” orchestral percussion package, with that instant “Hollywood Sound”.
My Favorite Highlights
- 4 libraries in one (Core, Pro, Epic, Aux)
- Great Hollywood Sound
- The Microphone Mix Controls
- Includes a Full Ensemble Patch (great for quick mockups)
Recorded at Air Studios via an impressive signal chain: 96 rarefied microphones into Neve Montserrat preamps, into the world’s biggest Neve 88R desk. And the selection of percussion included is extensive.
My Favorite Highlights
- Great Selection of Percussion (especially in the low-range)
- Many Powerful Soundshaping Features
- Includes Ensembles and Solo Patches
- The Interface is very Straightforward
Gigantic percussion library (150GB sample set) recorded at the Teldex Scoring Stage in Germany. All instruments were recorded in their natural positions, which gives you a natural percussion mix.
My Favorite Highlights
- Build your own percussion ensembles
- True Damping Feature
- Uniform mapping structure
- Different Mallets for respective instruments
StrikeForce was recorded at 192k in many various recording studios, halls, tunnels, rooms in Los Angeles. The focus is on a modern cinematic sound, compared to a natural orchestral sound. This library will give you big ensembles, anvils, sub boom, and “ticktocks” that simply works great for that big and modern sound.
My Favorite Highlights
- Modern Cinematic Sound
- The Sound Categories
- 5 Different Drum Tunings
- Lots of Round Robins
Action strikes includes 12 full ensembles plus 65 single instruments and 12 carefully-compiled Hit Sets. Even though the main focus is on building percussion from phrases that you trigger with key switches, you can use the individual patches to play the sounds manually.
My Favorite Highlights
- Great for Writing Percussion Parts fast (Ex: Mockups)
- The Categorization of Low, Mid and High Parts
- Adjust accent strength with the pitch wheel
- Change Dynamics with the MOD-wheel
An orchestral percussion library with a great variation of low and high percussion instruments, as well as a set of mallet instruments. A very natural orchestral percussion sound, with amazing dynamics, recorded in the Hall at Air Lyndhurst.
My Favorite Highlights
- Great true recorded dynamic range
- Quick and Easy mapping
- Great Sound Shaping Controls
SAGA, which has the subtitle “Acoustic Trailer Percussion” is of course focusing on trailer type percussion based on recorded sounds. It gives you a range of drum ensembles, dynamic metals, and even world instruments. Recorded in a fairly dry hall with 2 microphone positions. There are over 110 instruments in total, including special sounds like giant silos, metal doors, machinery etc.
My Favorite Highlights
- Up to 7 dynamic layers and 10 round robin
- Multiple articulations (rolls, rims, edges..)
- Simple & Straightforward GUI
- The Extra Field Recordings (Machinery, Tools etc.)
55 orchestral percussion instruments, recorded at Studio 22, Budapest. It features a wide range of both classic and exotic percussive instruments, diverse articulations and powerful drum head resonance simulation.
My Favorite Highlights
- Huge range (55 recorded instruments)
- Tremolo, Crescendo Roll, Flam, Edge variations and FX articulations
- 5 microphone mixes including spot microphone
- Drum Head Resonance Simulation
- Inspiring and simple interface
This library is based on one of the most used percussion instruments in cinematic music, the Japanese Taiko drums. Taiko Creator allows you to create, control and generate multiple solo and ensemble groups of your own, all playable from a single interface. From mega big, and low booming Taikos…to sharp stick hits.
My Favorite Highlights
- The Mapping system is brilliant
- The Presets give you instant access to different ensembles
- Custom creation of percussion groups
- Extremely playable out of the box (all in one patch if you wish)
Based on a hard-hitting drummer trio, thus the name “Cerberus”, this library has a very modern cinematic sound. It is also very customizable, including for example 7 microphone positions and a very nice user interface with sound shaping controls.
My Favorite Highlights
- Modern Hard Hitting Cinematic Sound
- Includes a Recorded Drum Kit
- 7 microphone positions for the regular patches
- True Stacking Engine, with additional round robin samples
- True Strike (Project Sam)
Classic and highly celebrated, and still very much usable today. - LADD (Audiobro)
LA Drama Drums (LADD), had many interesting features, and blends traditional and modern percussion. - StormDrum (EastWest)
Another classic, which comes in 3 versions. All are based on high quality recordings in a great space, by professional percussionists. - Ensemble Drums Collection (Heavyocity)
Great for that big ensemble sound, on several different types of orchestral percussion. - Rhapsody (Impact Soundworks)
Covers a nice range (50+ instruments) of traditional orchestral percussion instruments. - Apocalypse Percussion (Soundiron)
Amazing for big epic toms, hard hits and trailer type percussion.
PS. Free Downloads for You
Vintage Digital Reverbs
This powerful set of impulse responses brings back the reverb sound of the early 80s in Studio One’s “Open Air” Convolution Reverb.
Vintage Spring Reverbs
This impressive collection of impulse responses brings back the famous spring reverb sound in Studio One’s “Open Air” Convolution Reverb.
Vintage Plate Reverbs
A set of impulse plate reverbs for the “Open Air” Convolution Reverb from Studio One.
All libraries are duplicated in two versions: 44.1 kHz and 96 kHz.
Vintage Digital Reverbs
Complete list of sampled reverb units:
Digital Reverb 245 – (10 files) New York and Switzerland
Digital Reverb 246 – (20 files) Austria and Switzerland
Digital Reverb 248 – (16 files) Nashville, Tennessee and Denver, Colorado
Digital Reverb 250 – (26 files) Nashville, TN
Digital Reverb 245
245 was 244 with pre-delay and reflections added. While other German devices included some of these same reflection settings in their algorithms, the 245 gave you the flexibility to actually set those settings. When you look at these files under a microscope, it is interesting to see early reflections (bursts) in the audio files. There has been a lot of engineering science that explored reflections, how far or close they would be from each other, to simulate different rooms, halls, etc. The longest reverberation time of a 245 is around 5 seconds.
Digital Reverb 246
uses 250 algorithms like 248, with a lot of user control and flexibility. It also includes an extended memory slot similar to the 248. It has 6 program modes with programmable low-pass filter, reflections and attenuation.
Digital Reverb 248
The 248 was the last device in the series and many people appreciate it as a reliable and quite pleasant sound. The 248 was loaded with all sorts of presets and customizable algorithms, including a Baroque church, cathedral, Romanesque church with large rooms, hallways and even stairwells, bathrooms and a preset called “Tiny Room”. The 248 is a very powerful processor, and even today it is used, like many of these vintage devices, by leading musicians around the world. One of our units has been used by top country artists such as Reba, Carrie Underwood, Luke Brian …
Digital Reverb 250
The first real DSP produced. 250 uses 12-bit 24k converters, low is transmitted around 11Khz. This device has large levers at the top, weighs about 100 pounds and looks like it came from space – nicknamed “R2D2”. This is undoubtedly one of the best DSPs of the time, and the few who own one of these remaining vintage outboards still use them often and unabashedly. There are units 251 and 252, which are offshoots of this model. A total of about 250 original devices were manufactured, which were then adapted for the newer interface 251 and 252 updates, with 252 being rack mounted.
Vintage Spring Reverbs Selected
from 6 different countries including UK, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand, Scotland and USA.
Heavyocity Damage Free Download Utorrent
Many of these devices have been used by major artists, including some that are truly historic, such as the tubular springs used by The Rascals, Van Morrison and James Brown’s famous It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World. (K-100 Spring)
General overview
This library contains 26 different Spring Reverb units. Many who grew up in the era of cymbals and springs turned to cymbals for very good reasons. After careful consideration and treatment in studios around the world for the most interesting vintage springs to find and acoustically fix, some of these springs are simply gorgeous with the spring and device electronics, truly producing fantastic sounding reverbs – the 3D sound quality that is sought many engineers.
If you’ve always considered yourself a plate reverb individual, this library will definitely change your mind.
Springs come in all sorts of different kinds, and yes, there are some boring ones – you need a few for this vintage guitar, lead vocals and organ sound, right? There are also mono and stereo versions, as well as a variety of lush and warm springs that sound almost like a cymbal – they convey “reflections from nearby walls” like a spring can – when slight tremors and spring flutters occur.
Heavyocity Damage Free Download Uc Browser
This collection of spring reverbs comes with a wide variety of springs that are useful for a variety of applications. This library has a large number of impulse response files that you won’t hesitate to apply to lead vocals – so good they can rival some of your favorites – digital or plate reverb presets. Springs are regularly used by a number of leading engineers and producers, and some are used as the primary tool for reverb in general.
Vintage Plate Reverbs
Complete list of reverb samples:
Plate Reverb Eco II (8 files) – Appleton, WI
Plate Reverb Eco III (13 files) – Sweden
Plate Reverb 140 Tube (16 files) – Nashville, TN
Plate Reverb 140 (19 files) – Finland
Plate Reverb 240 (15 files) – Los Angeles, California
Plate Reverb Lawson (13 files) – Nashville, Tennessee
Plate Reverb 140
For many, the 140s are considered the king of the mountain for a number of reasons. They were the first to hit the market in the late 1950s. They tend to be slightly warmer, tend to reproduce, as they were originally designed, the sound of a concert hall, and with limited EQ for the most part can reproduce a dark, bright or warm sounding room, etc. more easily. – lovely sound files in every 140 selected models – try them all together with some very cool hybrid impulses that really are a reliable edition for any convolution library!
Plate Reverb ECO
Brighter and more metallic sound. Useful for incorporating specific production elements into a mix when you need to cut through it. These units were slightly smaller than the Plate Reverb 140. The
Heavyocity Damage Free Download Igg
Plate Reverb 240
240 has a darker sound. Weight: 148 lbs in dimensions 1 ‘X 2’ X 2 ‘. Some people say it’s better to use shorter settings and sound sources such as drums. Originally designed as a way to make the original 140 (4 ‘X 8’) in a smaller and lighter box. It really was a technological feat for its time. They use a gold foil plate and are a hybrid between the original 140’s large plate and the early analog-digital rack mount and smaller floor-standing devices, although the 240 is all analog.
Heavyocity Damage Free Download Windows 10
Lawson tends to be brighter, and the bulge in the lower mids warms them up. This device was designed and manufactured by Gene Lawson, who continues to manufacture microphones today at his store in Nashville, Tennessee. His microphones are highly respected and his experience in the business is remarkable.
댓글