NKS PARTNERS
To succeed, a new standard like NKS needs people to adopt it. NKS is succeeding – the list of companies creating NKS-ready instrument and effects ranges from industry giants like Arturia, Spitfire, and Waves to acclaimed boutique instrument makers such as Soniccouture, Sonokinetic, and Orchestral Tools. And the list is growing constantly.
Audio Imperia
Founded in San Diego, California in 2016, Audio Imperia is a team of creatives whose vision is to provide bespoke compositional tools that both inspire the mind and simplify the process. Initially focused on creating well-produced sample packs, the company has blossomed into a huge sample library operation.
112dB
112dB develops high-quality, easy-to-use plugin effects that provide the same warmth and unique character as vintage analog devices. For professional producers, performing musicians, or audiophile amateurs – their creative tools can become an integral part of any music-making process.
Applied Acoustics Systems
The team at Applied Acoustics Systems melds science and art to create analog and acoustic sound synthesis modules with straightforward and intuitive interfaces. From reproductions of classic sounds like strings, keys, and drums, to sounds that can’t be found in real life, their innovative instruments let you create anything you can imagine.
Artistry Audio
Artistry Audio is a collective of developers and sound designers with a passion for creating audio tools for the modern producer, composer and sound engineer. Our philosophy is simple: Create beautiful and innovative virtual instruments that inspire your creativity.
Arturia
With painstakingly authentic recreations of legendary synths, Arturia gives musicians access to legendary sounds at affordable prices. Analog synths, modular marvels, revolutionary digital synths, acoustic and electric pianos, organs, and even strings are all faithfully reproduced with Arturia’s exclusive True Analog Emulation (TAE®) technology and class-leading physical modeling.
Audio Modeling
Audio Modeling is a global leader in multi-vector expressive acoustic instrument emulation. Their focus is primarily on instruments such as woodwinds, brass, and strings: those that offer continuous input and control by the musician on several dimensions at the same time.
AVA MUSIC GROUP
AVA MUSIC GROUP is music producer and sound designer collective that creates innovative virtual instruments and plugins. The company partners with talents around the world to offer the most cutting edge sounds in modern music. Their acclaimed sounds have been utilized everywhere, from Hollywood productions to chart-topping tracks.
Baticci Lab
Batiici Lab is run by Alessandro Baticci. As a freelance flautist, composer and electroacoustic performer, Alessandro is active internationally in the field of contemporary music and sound art.
Best service
Featuring a large collection of painstakingly sampled instruments, Best Service is one of the leading creators of virtual instruments and sound libraries. Strings, woodwinds, drums, percussion, and more – all recorded with the greatest care – are precisely edited and merged into easily accessed instruments for Kontakt Player.
Big Fish Audio
Since 1986, Big Fish Audio has produced some of the highest quality sample libraries available. Featuring advanced recording and playback techniques, their virtual instruments allow you to play melodies and lines that sound truly lifelike. Plus built-in, innovative effects and modes make these one-of-a-kind instruments truly unique.
Blinksonic
Blinksonic makes noisy, wonky, and glitchy sounds for Reaktor. Created from a rich library of sample-based instruments, Blinksonic° instruments and ensembles are perfect for both sound design and live performance. Their fun, interactive interfaces help spark new ideas and add craziness to your compositions.
Boom Library
Founded in 2010 by the award-winning sound designers at Dynamedion, BOOM Library has quickly become known for their vast library of sound effects. From historic firearms and classic airplanes to ambient recordings of nature, they have the tools to add realistic sonic detail to your productions.
Cinematic Studio Series
Cinematic Studio Series is a collection of professional orchestral sample libraries that deliver the true Hollywood sound at an affordable price. The series was recorded with incredible care, consistency, and attention to detail in a world-class scoring stage, resulting in a breathtakingly realistic, expressive, and emotive series of instruments designed to inspire and amaze.
Cinematique Instruments
Cinematique Instruments focuses on film music with a certain quirkiness. From orchestral and chamber orchestra instruments, to world percussion and drums, glitch, and electronic sounds, their virtual instruments combine classical instruments with a mix of unique, sometimes weird sounds – designed for unconventional artists who find their own way.
Cinesamples
Cinesamples was founded in 2007 by two entrepreneurial composers who wanted to create new, niche libraries that weren't initially available on the market. Since then, their portfolio has grown to include full orchestra releases recorded on famous Hollywood sound stages. Their intuitive graphical interfaces help you write, program, and mix with ease.
Cymatic Form
Developing surreal and thematic sample instruments with a high level of attention to detail. Using conceptual integration of sampling and multi-dimensional synthesis techniques that provide characteristic sound inspiration across music and film genres.
Divergent Audio Group
Inspired by a love of technology, sound, and elegant interface design, Divergent Audio Group creates groundbreaking virtual instruments for producers, synth-heads, composers, and sound designers. Whether you want to create rich, evolving soundscapes or play with versatile, analog-inspired synthesizers, their products push the limits of what is possible.
e-instruments
e-instruments creates innovative, easy-to-use virtual instruments so you can focus on what's important – the music. With beautifully captured clarity, warmth, and soul of real instruments, their mission is to combine acoustic accuracy, outstanding sound quality, and an intuitive user interface to develop virtual instruments for all musicians and genres.
Embertone
Embertone strives to make nuanced and realistic virtual instruments so that you can make awesome music. Their instruments are so deeply sampled that basses are rich and clear, while the high register sparkles with harmonics other providers might miss. Plus, their impressive range of meticulously recorded velocities will heighten the expressivity of your music.
Ethnaudio
ETHNAUDIO presents a huge archive of ethnic, wind, stringed and percussion instruments. Their instruments contain a unique variety of sounds suitable for all music genres. All their instruments have been reviewed to the finest details and their real timbre is fully reflected.
EASTWEST
EastWest specializes in professional-quality music creation tools for music, film, television, games, and performing arts. For more than 30 years, EastWest has created thoughtful, well-recorded, and ambitious effects and virtual instruments for every genre and style.
Eventide
For more than 40 years, Eventide have been known for their studio rack and stompbox effects. Their deep expertise is now available in the digital realm. From the extreme to the sublime, their rule-breaking effects let you manipulate and shape your sounds with professional precision.
Emergence Audio
Emergence Audio is based in the greater New York City area. Founded by multi-award winning film composer and soundcrafter Michael Vignola who is known for his unique blend of contemporary era music. Here at Emergence Audio, we are committed to developing intuitive tools that will inspire a sense of discovery, setting the stage for a unique creative experience.
Ethnaudio
"ETHNAUDIO presents a huge archive of ethnic, wind, stringed and percussion instruments which contains a unique variety for all music genres. All instruments have been refined to the finest details and their real timbre is fully reflected within their instruments.
Get Good Drums
GetGood Drums: The name says it all. Whether you’re sketching out a song idea or working on a final mix, their drum libraries bring your ideas to life. Every kit is tuned to perfection, every sample is phase coherent for easy layering, and different tunings give you a full range of sonic options without pitch shifting or other tricks that degrade the tones.
Gothic Instruments
Gothic Instruments turns traditional instruments like flutes, classic synths, horns, and guitars into beautiful soundscapes. Deep, expressive, and innovative, their unique virtual instruments make it easy to craft otherworldly yet deeply human atmospheres and pads.
Heavyocity
Heavyocity is a collective of professional composers and sound designers with a mission to create world-class virtual instruments for today’s modern composer and sound designer. The philosophy is simple: Provide inspiring, cutting-edge instruments and sounds that supercharge creativity, with a user experience and design to enhance productivity.
Impact Soundworks
From rare video game samples and metal impacts to shredded electric guitars and sitars, Impact Soundworks creates sample libraries, virtual instruments, and plug-ins designed for modern composers who want to go beyond the traditional sounds.
In Session Audio
In Session Audio seeks to create well-thought-out, unique instruments that don’t exist anywhere else. With flowing, richly layered sounds, arpeggiated percussive elements, and shimmering strums, these robust tools are known for their unique, inspirational tones and lightning-fast creative workflow.
indigisounds
Indigisounds brings you the most authentic percussive and drum sounds from the Caribbean. Direct from the twin island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, you’ll find rich recordings of soca, steelpan, and other key components of the Carnival rhythm section – all beautifully designed for quick, inspired creating.
Korg
Since its founding in 1962, Korg has created new experiences in music and performance – and the name has become synonymous with quality sound and innovative design. This reputation carries with a rich lineup of classic virtual instruments, including beloved synthesizers, keyboards, drum machines, and samplers that cover every style of music.
Laboratory Audio
LABORATORY audio was founded by Los Angeles-based film composers Thor Laewe and Tobias Enhus to create sample libraries for the professional composer. Extremely useful and easy to use, their meticulously crafted instruments are of the highest sonic standard. And their unique layering means all sounds immediately blend in with any programmed material.
LMDSP
lmdsp provides innovative audio software and services for musicians, producers, and sound designers. Their focus is on creating tools based on original ideas and developing cutting-edge algorithms. Based in France, lmdsp was founded in 2009 by Lorcán Mc Donagh.
Luftrum
The Luftrum signature sound is atmospheric and cinematic. Lush pads, melodic keys, and harmonic textures and soundscapes are all recorded with the utmost attention to detail. The deep and complex sounds are powerful additions to any creative palette.
Modartt
Modartt creates refined, physically modelled instruments. Their exquisite attention to detail means realistic interactions between strings, the use of pedals, the cabinet resonance, and the position of the hammers. Together, these parts create an end product that sounds like a real piano. Their virtual instruments are more vivid and adaptable than any you’ve played.
Neotron
Neotron's team is enthusiastic about music and offers libraries that they're also using in their daily production work. Their products are all rounder libraries that span many categories of sounds.
Ohm Force
Ohm Force’s wicked effects and synths take your sound to faraway planets. From creative sound destruction, through cosmic loops of delay and interstellar emulations of classic synths, these unique and powerful tools will blast your creativity into the Milky Way. Find your inspirational freedom and reach for the stars.
Orange Tree Samples
Orange Tree Samples has one of the largest selections of acoustic guitars and stringed instruments on the market. By recording the subtleties that other commercial sample libraries overlook, their high-end virtual instruments are almost indistinguishable from live performances. Plus, the intuitive design ensures each instrument is enjoyable and easy to play.
Output
From deep-sampled hybrid bass and strings, to uniquely powerful modulated patches, Output’s instruments are renowned for stunning and unconventional sound. Their instruments push boundaries with groundbreaking concepts, original sounds, and new sources of inspiration for musicians of all genres.
Ploque
With a keen interest in 8-bit-era sound chips, Plogue is a world leader in the field of retro digital emulation of hardware synthesizers, vintage gaming consoles, and speech synthesizers. Their virtual instruments capture the smallest idiosyncrasies so you can dynamically reproduce the accidental sound effect tricks and abusive musical techniques made famous by chip music.
Red Room Audio
Red Room Audio doesn’t just make virtual instruments; they make sound palettes for the modern composer. From thunderous drum ensembles, dynamic metals, world instruments, and other acoustic percussion, to dramatic and powerful orchestral strings and woodwinds, unique effects, and more, their tools make it easy for you to turn your musical ideas into art.
PREMIER Engineering Inc.
Japanese company PREMIER Engineering Inc. is no stranger to high-quality sound. In fact, their founder, So Ichiro has engineered more than 6,000 musical pieces. This deep expertise can be found in the PREMIER SOUND FACTORY® collection of fat, organic virtual sounds, which includes rare Japanese instruments, super hi-res drums, beautiful pianos, and vintage keys.
PROJECTSAM
Over the years, ProjectSAM has become one of the most respected orchestral sample development companies. Their sounds, heard in many blockbuster films, television series, and video games, are used by industry-leading composers around the world.
Prominy
Prominy focuses on virtual guitar instruments with ultra-real sound. Their innovative interactions result in beautiful expressions of sounds traditionally only found by real human playing. And advanced recording techniques like double tracking and true stereo recording ensure a rich, complex sound.
Rob Papen
Rob Papen’s virtual synthesizers, drum machines, and grooveboxes are packed with speaker-busting boom. Whether you’re a beginner looking for presets or an advanced synth programmer wanting to turn all the knobs yourself, you’ll love these inspiring, rich virtual instruments.
ROOM SOUND
Room Sound specializes in premium drum samples for producers and musicians. With an impressive kit list recorded from every angle, they’ve worked hard to create the best-sounding, most versatile drum samples possible.
SAMPLE LOGIC
Sample Logic is an award-winning company dedicated to fresh and innovative technologies in the field of sampling and virtual instrument design. Established in 2006 in Brooklyn, New York, by Joseph Trupiano, Sample Logic’s mission is to develop cutting-edge digital tools for composers, musicians, producers, sound designers, and DJs of all music styles.
Sample Magic
For more than 10 years, Sample Magic has specialized in the finest cutting-edge audio, plugins, apps, and courses, building a reputation for unique, award-winning products. Their virtual instruments push the threshold of electronic music production, offering expansive parameter editing, comprehensive mixer functionality, and multi-FX arsenals.
Softube
Whether it’s hardware or software, Swedish company Softube is known for superb-sounding gear – and their effects and virtual instruments are no exception. Beautifully designed and made with the studio professional in mind, they help add color, character, and creativity to your productions.
SONIC FACTION
Sonic Faction is a collective of musicians, designers, programmers, and tech heads. They create virtual instruments – from polyphonic megasynths, to 80s and 90s powerhouse synths redesigned for the future – with inspiring interfaces and intuitive controls designed to tickle the creative mind.
Soniccouture
Combining unprecedented levels of detail with organic performance programming, Soniccouture has built an inspiring portfolio of sampled sounds. Groundbreaking instruments like pan drums and Balinese gamelans join cinematic soundscapes captured from ancient temples and creepy, rare glass instruments to create a unique collection of high-quality instruments.
Sonokinetic
From phrase-based cinematic tools to rare and exotic instruments, all Sonokinetic products combine instant playability with exquisite sound. Action-packed orchestral sounds and perpetual cinematic strings accompany hard-to-find medieval string instruments, tower bells, and more in these virtual instruments designed for the modern composer.
Sound Yeti
With a flare for the dark and creepy, Sound Yeti delivers exceptional sound palettes designed to help you compose, score, and create impressive cinematic productions. Cinematic hits, risers, drops, whooshes, textures, and effects roar with authentic sonic hot sauce for your custom creations.
Soundiron
Soundiron has a compelling spectrum of instruments, voices, environments, and objects that create thousands of distinct and nuanced sonic flavors. Be it thunderous percussion ensembles, noisy found sounds, or heavenly choral samples with full articulation, their vibrant palettes are perfect for anyone looking for an unconventional idea for their musical tool chest.
Sonixinema
Since establishing in 2016, Sonixinema have been exploring unique sonic possibilities to create original and inspiring instruments for producers and sound designers. Their boutique KONTAKT instruments are made in collaboration with some of the UK's finest musical talent, and in some of London's top recording studios, to create libraries that are used by composers across the globe.
Spitfire Audio
Working with heavies like Hans Zimmer, the London Contemporary Orchestra, BT, and Leo Abrahams, British music technology company Spitfire Audio collaborates with the best composers, artists, and engineers in the world to build musical tools that sound great and are exciting to use.
Stereo7 Audio
Stereo7 Audio crafts captivating synthesizer and piano plugins, bringing a touch of indie spirit to the world of Native Instrument Kontakt and providing a unique palette of sounds for musicians and producers carving their own artistic path.
Strezov Sampling
Especially known for unrivaled virtual choirs, Eastern European folk instruments, unique strings, and organic drums, Strezov Sampling pushes the boundaries of what is possible to achieve with sampling. Their idea of 'living and breathing' samples means leaving small imperfections – like a high French horn sample being a bit flat – to provide the realism that’s lacking in other providers’ offerings.
SubMission Bass
The brainchild of long-time recording engineer and author Ermin Hamidovic, SubMission Bass focuses on the classic Spector Euro 5 LX. Whether clean and direct from the source or ramped through pedals and aggressively driven, these multisampled, pristinely recorded tracks boom with that low end that all producers and engineers crave.
Sugar Bytes GmbH
Beautifully designed, future friendly, and made for instant use, Sugar Bytes creates virtual synths and effects for electronic music producers. Fun and intuitive while packing a light processing load, their beloved tools are perfect for spontaneous composition or live performances.
Surreal Machines
Surreal Machines effects plugins are inspired by classic hardware delay and reverb effects of the 70s and 80s. Combining the technical emulation of well-known analog FX units with the power of digital, these tools transcend the original gear with creative possibilities of their digital engines – and their intuitive interfaces help you push your creative limits.
Synapse Audio Software
Synapse Audio Software has created software synths for electronic music producers for almost 20 years. Whether emulations of classic and analog synths, or synths that push the limits (Dune 2 has 8,320 oscillators at full polyphony), you’ll find something that fits your sound palette – from lush pads to thick basses and soaring leads with unbelievably low host system resource usage.
Tim Exile
Tim Exile is known for his unique performances and his innovative approach to music technology. User friendly, intuitive to use, packed with handy presets, and brimming with great sound, his synths and effects help you design your signature sound in seconds. Plus, the modern approach to synthesis means fun for the hardcore enthusiast too.
Tru-Urban
TRU-URBAN focuses on high-end virtual instruments and samples for today’s urban musician. From speaker-busting bass created from classic drum machines and vintage synths, to funky guitar licks and keys, they have everything you need to inspire and create chart-topping soul, R&B, hip hop, trap, and more.
Tonsturm
TONSTURM shines with high-quality sound effect libraries especially created for sound designers of films, games, and arts. Their virtual instruments make it easy to precisely design sounds ranging from whistling wind whooshes to air-ripping engine pass-bys or completely over-the-top granular sci-fi effects – all from wondrously recorded, eclectic samples.
TOVU Sound
Tovusound creates unique tools for the contemporary Foley artist, specializing in carefully recorded and naturally randomized footsteps. Easy-to-adjust parameters like distance, surface material, type of shoe, and more, ensure you have exactly the right sound for your needs.
u-he
Since 2001, u-he has created music software that encourages creativity and curiosity. By exploring new technologies for vastly improved analog synth and delay emulation, along with physical modeling approaches to acoustic instruments and effects, they have won acclaim for instruments that are playable for beginners, but that have enough depth to satisfy experts.
Umlaut
Umlaut Audio entered the music tech world by developing custom-made virtual instruments for some of the world's most famous composers, including Harry Gregson-Williams, Danny Elfman, and John Debney. With a focus on intuitive interfaces combined with function-first, minimal workflows, their tools amplify the productivity of modern composers.
unfilteredaudio
Unfiltered Audio makes powerful effects with intelligent controls. Get creative with their automatable flagship modulation system. Easily create driving rhythmic effects that pulse in time with your music, without the hassle of complicated external sidechain routing. Or bring static synth pads alive when you modulate the levels to create ever-shifting timbral patterns.
Versilian Studios
The prime directive of Versilian Studios is 'uncompromising authenticity; addicting playability.' Although it consists of mostly orchestral instruments, their selection of finely crafted virtual instruments also includes ethnic, rare, and weird sounds. No matter the flavor, they seek to create tools that are both inspirational and respectful to the proper techniques and heritage of the instrument.
Vir2 Instruments
Whether you’re scoring a film or composing the next hit, Vir2 Instruments has the essential tools you need. A team of sound designers, musicians, and programmers from around the world works together to create precisely recorded, detailed virtual instruments for the most realistic performances available.
VIRTUAL GUITARIST
From hard and roaring electric power chords to warm and shiny acoustic strums, Virtual Guitarist is there for meticulously sampled virtual guitars with powerful, outstanding sound character. Plus, the built-in professional amps and effects based on hand-picked vintage gear let you tweak the sound even further.
waldorf
For the last 20 years, the name Waldorf has become a synonym for high-quality, refined synthesizers from Germany – and their virtual line is no exception. With spectacular, ergonomic interface design paired with the Waldorf cutting-edge sound, these powerful tools are beloved by synth enthusiasts of all levels and ages.
Wave Alchemy
Wave Alchemy is an innovative, award-winning sound design company based in Nottingham in the United Kingdom. Their sound engine is powered by many tens of thousands of samples that capture every possible tone variation and nuance of the original drum machines and classic synths to give you the subtle differences in behavior exclusive to analog electronics.
Waves
Waves is the world’s leading developer of audio plugins and signal processors for the professional and consumer electronics audio markets. Heard on hit records, in major motion pictures, and in popular video games worldwide, Waves’ cutting-edge effects are used in every aspect of audio production, from tracking to mixing to mastering, live sound, and more.
Wide Blue Sound
Wide Blue Sound designs stunning, evolutionary synths. Design dreamy, mysterious soundscapes or cinematic synths and atmospheric textures with their intuitive virtual instruments. Open up an exciting sonic universe with this armory of cutting-edge sounds at your fingertips.
xils lab
Founded by Xavier Oudin and based in Grenoble, France, XILS-lab believes that a virtual effect or instrument is not only a mathematical algorithm, designed by and for PhD engineers, but a musical machine designed for musicians. From analog to digital, they specialize in the emulation and recreation of classic synthesizers and audio effects – but with a powerful, modern twist.