Welcome to Developer Spotlight 3 – this week we are taking a closer look at Soul Samples.
Soul Samples is a boutique sample library company that creates high-quality, user-friendly instruments for Native Instruments Kontakt. Focused on exceptional sound and ease of use, they provide carefully crafted tools designed to inspire creativity and elevate music production.
In Developer Spotlight 3 we explore the journey behind Soul Sample’s virtual instrument development — from how they first got started, to the creative decisions that shape their products. They share lessons learned along the way as well as a dream project they’d pursue with unlimited resources.
As a bonus, you can save up to 61% on three exclusive Soul Samples bundles until 24th September 2025!
In 2020 I was writing a lot of orchestral music and constantly searching for the perfect-sounding virtual instruments. At some point, I noticed how underrepresented ethnic instruments were, and I became curious to try creating my own.
Ukraine has an incredible variety of national and folk instruments — many of them unique, handmade, and still unavailable as Kontakt instruments (at best, they exist only as raw sample libraries). That’s how the very first library, the Ocarina, was born.
Most of the time, we work within the possibilities of Kontakt itself, as well as the functionality we admire in other developers’ instruments. Some features or articulations appear naturally during the creation process.
For example, in the Bandura library we introduced a “Tape” articulation, inspired by musician Yaroslav Dzhus (with whom we created the virtual instrument Bandura), who showed us an experimental technique where players tape the strings to achieve a very unusual sound.
Many technical and artistic decisions must be made in advance, without the chance for a “second take” or proper evaluation of the outcome.
For instance, if a mistake happens during the sample recording stage, by the time we’re packaging edited samples into the instrument there’s very little room for correction — you can’t go back and change microphone placement or preamp settings.
And often there isn’t enough time or budget for a redo. So the rule is: double-check everything you possibly can… and then just hope it all works out.
At the Bandura launch event, one of the guests asked whether I had ever thought about creating a virtual instrument of a full Ukrainian folk orchestra. That question actually planted a seed — and now it’s a real goal for the future.
In general I love when people use my instruments creatively, often transforming their sound far beyond the original. So my advice would be: experiment freely, and let Soul Samples instruments bring something truly unique and special into your music.
Soul Samples has carved out a unique space in the world of virtual instruments, blending cultural heritage with innovative design to inspire musicians everywhere. From their first Ocarina library to future ambitions of a full Ukrainian folk orchestra, their work reflects both passion and precision.
If you’re curious to explore their instruments for yourself, don’t miss the chance to save up to 61% on three exclusive bundles at the Pulse Audio Store, available until 24th September 2025.
