Spitfire Audio has released Harp Swarm, a new instrument library featuring 9 Harps playing simultaneously all over the Hall at Air Studios.

From hauntingly slow and fast tremolandi, to short, long plucks, harmonics, and what has to be the most extraordinary selection of cascading glissandi. The second instalment in the Swarm story offers instant inspiration and a broad variety of uses.

The obvious use of 9 beautifully maintained harps, playing both on the scoring stage and in the galleries at Air studios, would be to engulf your listener in a cascade of sweeping glissandi. Yes, if you’re a blockbuster composer working on fantasy and magical material, once you’ve had NINE you’re unlikely to go back! Swarm 2 delivers some staggering epic glissandi resonating around this world renowned hall.

But this is only the beginning…

The plucks and plucked harmonics offer a hauntingly epic melodic universe that will happily straddle larger strident orchestral arrangements at all dynamics. However, the Spitfire team feel the real magic of this library lies in the slow, fast and at times almost granular tremolandi that range from a soft choral sea of calm to a ferocious rain storm. Great for anything other-worldly, science fiction, mystery and horror. But also awesome if you’re looking to score sweeping period dramas with a fresh modern vernacular and an engulfing romance. The longs trems, with full speed and dynamic control, have an inherent kinetic movement and energy even when playing simple and slow chords. For us, this is a new tool for your sonic arsenal to provide you with new shimmering pastures of inspiration.

Harp Swarm features

  • Long, short & harmonic plucks with numerous round robins.
  • Full dynamic range with mod wheel crossfading on trems and glisses.
  • Recorded to tape via the finest microphones and pre-amps.
  • Selection of mic perspectives from up front and personal to epic widescreen.
  • Easy to use out-of-the-box.

The sample library is available for the introductory price of £104 GBP until November 16th, 2015 (regular £149 GBP).

More information: Spitfire Audio / Harp Swarm