Spitfire Audio releases LABS+, a new subscription-based collection of sound packs. The company has also updated the popular LABS plugin, which is still free but requires an internet connection.
If I’m honest, the news of a subscription-based version of LABS wasn’t exactly music to my ears. Spitfire Audio LABS is one of the best resources for excellent and often quirky free sounds, and I want that to stay the same.
I love Spitfire Audio libraries, but they can be very expensive, and LABS provides some counterbalance. But there’s some good news for existing and new users of the free LABS; all is not lost.
Firstly, here’s what LABS+ has to offer. Despite my cautious reaction to the change, I have no doubt that it will be an outstanding collection.
LABS+ already has over 40 new sound packs (in addition to the existing 59 free packs), totaling over 76GB of new sounds.
A subscription to LABS+ will give you access to all existing sounds, and Spitfire Audio will release new sound packs monthly. So, you’re paying for access to an ever-expanding library.
LABS+ offers a 14-day free trial, and if you sign up soon, you’ll get a special discount on subscription fees.
- Monthly – £8.99 for the first three months (usually £12.99)
- Yearly – £79 for your first twelve months (usually £99)
The reduced fees are only available until the end of July 2024. Remember, you can pick up Frostbite 2 or EQuivocate free at Plugin Boutique till the end of the month, too.
Now, back to the good news I mentioned earlier. LABS+ comes with a brand-new plugin that’s similar to Output’s Arcade.
You can now view, hear, and download sound packs inside the plugin, which is far more convenient. The new plugin is available for free LABS users; I think newcomers will love it, and existing users, like me, should enjoy the smooth workflow.
One caveat is that the plugin now requires an active internet connection to work, which users who keep their DAW computer offline will not appreciate.
If you don’t have LABS yet, don’t be put off by the paid version; there are still 59 awesome freebies; get it. If you fancy trying LABS+, I’m sure it will be awesome! (we just want everything for free)
Regarding the free libraries, I can’t say if Spitfire Audio will add to the current 59 or if everything new will be subscription-only, but I’ll update when I get confirmation.
Another cool thing that LABS+ offers is artist signature packs, such as Abe Laboriel Jr Drums (Paul McCartney). I would guess we might see packs from artists like Ólafur Arnalds in the future.
I’m not sure if there will be any discernable difference between the quality of the free and subscription sound packs because LABS’ freebies are already great.
After looking through the new releases, LABS+ may get you closer to products that wear the Spitfire Audio badge for core orchestral scoring instruments like BBC SO celli/Basses/Violas/Violins, but we’ll have to wait and see what comes next.
That reminds me that LABS Cello Moods is one of my favorite free sound packs, and I highly recommend it if you don’t have it already.
I’d like to hear what you think of the new model for LABS+ and the new plugin.
Check out the deal; LABS+ (14-day FREE trial – reduced subscription fees until the end of July)
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66 Comments
Bruno de Souza Lino
onI don’t know if the whole visual change is also a way of mocking whoever uses it on top of that. It’s ugly and doesn’t match how the rest of their products are presented. The always online thing is a huge letdown as well. As always, subscription based services serve nothing but to remove ownership from the user and hold said user for ransom while business slowly figure the proportion of what they can take away before they start losing money.
Jamie
onincredible, another free plugin i now have to pirate so i can use it when working on the train
Hell'ektrix
onPersonnally I don’t like subscription things, I buy a plugin when I want it, simply.
About the free Labs libraries, I just try to search for Cello moods and Astral Forms for example on Labs Spitfire website, but they’re not there… unfindable.
So bad… I hope it’s just a momentary bug…
James Nugent
onMaybe there was an issue with the website, but it seems fine now.
https://labs.spitfireaudio.com/packs/cello-moods
You download/install them directly through the plugin now, but I’m also hoping that free LABS isn’t a thing of the past. The response I got from Spitfire Audio regarding new free libraries (for non-subscribers) in future was very noncommittal.
alex
onWell, not for a while, but the old LABS plugin won’t be updated anymore.
Michael Jackson
on“another free plugin i now have to pirate so i can use it when working on the train”. Yep! Or on the bus or at burning man with no internet or in a motel room with crappy internet service.
You can also use the older plugin and not update. That’s what I plan to do. Being on windows 7 still part-time, none of these newer “updates” will work on this system :-)
Musicians will either use the old plugins and libraries or they will dump SpitFire. They have made a very BAD move for their business.
yeah
onIt’s free and you still manage to complain.
Febbie Ivaaden
onAs much as I am pleased that new stuff is being published out for LABS, the new update is very disappointing. The UI, workflow and performance of the plugin when trying to browse for sounds is not really working out for me. I had to roll back to my old .vst3 and .dlls to use the old Interface. I’m honestly let down as well that LABS is now partially paid via subscriptions. (LABS+) Plus the UI is much of a downgrade of the more cozy and professional looking white it had. And the old contemporary-vintage aesthetic the covers had for every instrument. I liked those a lot aswell.
From this point I’ll just stay on an older version for performance sake.
Sorry!
Al
onCan we please as a culture move away from anything requiring an internet connection?
I’m sure we’d all love to be able to create even in remote areas, during power outages etc.
MRugaW
onActually there are FREE LABS+ Libraries. I downloaded “Hyperpop Synths” and “Expressive Strings” Just yesterday.
The internet connection requirement is a TOTAL let down for people like me with a low specs computer and dial up internet.
And It keeps resizing itself with every new instance even if you save a thumbnail of it.
Plus, I’m not pleased with the whole downloading packs within the plugin. I was totally okay with setting up the plugin from spirfire audio app.
MRugaW
onI agree. Online installers are becoming ever popular and ALL of them are buggy as hell. It takes me at least 3 attempts to open Native access successfully. Waves has an iffy way of uninstalling plugins. The list of BS goes on and on.
And some dont even make sense like IK expecting you to download a 2.9GB file to update 2 plugins. On dial up internet!
Huge respect to OG companies like u-he and Plugin Boutique who are still offering individual installers over their website.
Michael Jackson
onWe have this false sense of security that the internet will always be around and never go down. That’s what people thought when the 2008 housing bust popped that security and very hard. With globalization coming to an end and the increase threat of cyber threats, expect days without it. Ah!….the good old days of when I was growing up. When Windows didn’t connect to the internet and didn’t need to.
Arthur
onAnd using steam or coal if there is no electricity!))) Yeah, the obligatory Internet connection sometimes stops from using some plugins…
Arthur
onNew LABS is a real headache… That’s very pity. Sometimes developers must do the only thing – not to spoil something good and reliable.
Cello Woodwinded
onHey guys! Who does the problem with server connection? I can’t open the website and standalone Spitfire app, it says i don’t have an Internet connection.
george
onif you have to be online for the free stuff im out i use a laptop for everything and that just ain’t viable , plus just keep the free stuff free , the problem is labs have a lot of competition now so many kontakt player libaries have followed suit now , and then there’s orchestral tools sine player stuff , so skip this if you want ,
Adam
onthere are already three new libraries: a new version of labs wurli, labs expressive strings and labs hyperpop synths.
but the new gui is so ugly that I will stick with the old version as long as possible.
Adam
onforgot: all three are free
Shannon
onI do not like subscription services. I either own something or I don’t – I’m not interested in renting. The original LABS concept was outstanding, and felt encouraging and community-oriented, but this new model feels a bit like a retroactive way to get money out of people. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to pay for good quality products, I just don’t like when something starts out as free and is changed later. I think I’ll just be sticking to the free OG LABS.
JJ
onSubscription? Always online? no thank you! staying with the old version! I dont say this out of entitlement, as im gratefull for their free offerings as ive used them for a lot of my music and they gave us all some wonderful sounds for free! P.S. the new UI looks like a downgrade imo.
Siddharth Saraswat
on“An active internet connection to work…” I would stick to the old version as long as I could.
Peter L
onNo way I’m going for a subscripiton model. It might be worthwhile for (semi)-professionals but not for me as a pure hobbyist who is using libraries on and off in his (limited) free time. I will stay away from any software which is not free or which I do not own.
I dont’t like the necessity of an active internet connection either.
Arbey
on“LABS” conjures the impression of brilliant, slightly crazy scientists in white coats working tirelessly in a chain of labs across the world to bring us never before seen instruments with too much reverb, no articulations, notes ringing out after midi note-off (because we only ever want to play a charango like a piano), and chill globo-fascist graphics.
Rob Stuart
onDoes the latest free version of LABS require the user to be online? I hate that and all subscription services. Everything should be pay-to-own.
The new graphic design is ugly and not in keeping with Spitfire Audio’s image.
As Venus Theory recently stated in response to this negative development from Spitfire, in the music and audio business there’s a general trend of ENSHITTIFICATION. Humanity has entered the ENSHITTOCENE.
I’m going to stick with the old version as long as possible.
Bob
onI really appreciate Cameron’s support for Decent Sampler. Unlike all the “free” commercial sample players like Kontakt Player, Labs, Sine, UVI etc it supports Linux (and iOS).
Any freebie that can be taken away with the flick of a server switch isn’t truly free in my eyes and I won’t waste time on them. I don’t see the point in growing to depend on a tool that could be taken away at any time.
pacman
onSubscriptions are antichrist.
THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU!
I WILL NEVER SUBSCRIBE, SATAN!
TORLEY
onOne of the most lacking and glaring things about the Spitfire ecosystem is having separate plugins for many of their instruments, instead of a unified loader like how Kontakt can load anything in its ecosystem. LABS — and now this — is unified, which is cool… but many other more expensive ones are NOT and remain divided. I agree that more UI improvements would be beneficial, and even a feature to load a random preset.
For comparison of a newer ecosystem doing it right, see Soundpaint, which has made MANY notable strides in even the last couple years.
Jack
onSoundpaint is promising. I hope the instruments will get better. I bought one, and it came with the ridiculous promises of “128 dynamic layers” or whatever. I expected at least four or five actual samples of different dynamics, but it had three (as support told me). All of them loud. Playing a passage from midi velocity 1 to 128 resulted in a waveform with essentially no dynamic variation.
tom
onThis paid version goes against the whole concept behind the original LABS releases. It’s another piece of the new Spitfire Audio model, of which I don’t approve.
I’ve followed Chris Henson to Crow Hill instead. https://thecrowhillcompany.com/
Shannon
onI do not like subscription services. I either own something or I don’t – I’m not interested in renting. The original LABS concept was outstanding, and felt encouraging and community-oriented, but this new model feels a bit like a retroactive way to get money out of people. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to pay for good quality products, I just don’t like when something starts out as free and is changed later. I think I’ll just be sticking to the free OG LABS.
Jamie
onGot out of the Spitfire Audio ecosystem a long time ago. Expensive libraries, buggy, no demos and no re-sell and after they removed Christian from his own company I would not go back. I wondered how long it would be before they made LABS into a paid product and now I have the answer.
alex
onI started to move away from LABS the moment I got the email about LABS+. They said something like: “The old plugin will still work but won’t be updated anymore”. Well, farewell LABS. And now off to uninstall the rest of it.
Frits van Zanten
onI placed a critical comment below the video above, that was removed, according to the reviewer not by him. Main content must have been LABS always had my sympathy and made me familiar with the brand Spitfire. However, I found the libraries of limited use, I hardly ever went back to them after trying and using them once. With that infrequent use the GUI becomes rather annoyingly unclear, what were those knobs doing again (the symbols are not self-explanatory)? For disclosure, I’m not into ambient and I’m not into cinematic. So no drone-ey multi-bar layering. I’m also not into aliens. And the main LABS+ page starts with a Roswell one. Where did I land? Reading comments above things seems to have become complicated; LABS and LABS+, paid and free, but also free in the paid service, a bit unclear. And what’s the use of the internet connection (can someone explain)? By chasing people away, I think Spitfire is damaging their own brand here. I’m out certainly.
Jay
onSpitfire just hasn’t felt the same since Christian left.
pacman
onIt bee doo that way
Matt
onI primarily do audio work as a hobby, with my wifi connection shut off. My home office *ahem* studio is at the edge of my home wifi range, and on my older hardware (a 2015-era Windows laptop) this produces regular drops and re-connects. Every time this happens, whatever I’m doing glitches and locks up. I’m using PT 12.7, which is also old. To avoid this hassle, I shut off wifi.
And now .. no LABS for me if I ever update the plugin. Sigh.
Yes, I could upgrade my laptop, or my home wifi network, or switch/update DAWs, or go wired, or .. or .. or .. but … all of those will cost me $. I’m am absolutely not a fan of the must-be-internet-connected requirement.
PETER
onI can’t open labs.spitfireaudio.com
I can’t log in to the app
So does anyone know of a free alternative to LABS?
Frank
onDecent Sampler
MRugaW
onDecent sampler (Over 1000 free libraries), SINE player by Orchestral Tools, Kontakt player 7 (Great choice if Native Access ever works at all), Octane, sforzando by Plogue and FLEX if you use FL Studio.
As much as LABS has some of the most beautiful sounds I have ever come across, we don’t need to take this BS from them.
Kinkade
onAn “updated” UI, that nobody asked for, full of uninspiring bland cartoon images that definitely don’t all look the same. Lol.
Another plugin I’ll be glad to no longer bother with.
Shane
onSpitfire Audio hasn’t been the same since Henson left. He was clearly the innovation and spirit behind the brand. It’s so dull and average now that I finally unsubscribed to their email newsletter. Their libraries are absurdly overpriced compared to the competition. And now this. Sad, really.
IIRC, LABS was always going to be free.
Brenny C
onI absolutely love the old LABS plugin and libraries.
So many incredible sounds which drew me in and, because I appreciated how generous they were with the freebies, I was compelled to purchase a couple of their products.
But I absolutely hate that Spitfire did this. Internet access required? A brand new GUI? No way to see just the free libraries? Subscription only?
Why mess with a good thing, Spitfire? (Rhetorical; it’s always money, innit?)
Weak move. 👎
Dee
onI made the mistake of not moving the original .dll file and it got overwritten upon the Labs+ installation. Disappointed about the online requirement is an understatement BUT.. any projects that use both Labs and Labs+ load up and play just fine without an internet connection….. Its only required when opening the plugin, so you don’t necessarily need to bounce out to keep the project alive offline.
joshmelo
onThis really just reinforces my decision to ditch labs. It was mostly because the plugin just broke all the damn time, and I got real tired of having another license manager. Looks like the future for labs is a bad one.
Traversaz
onit is an important paradigm shift: the practice of musician is abandoned (I take an instrument and I play) in favor of the producer part (constant connection for all the different tasks of this profession, music is only one part of that).
even if it is contrary to the initial spirit of labs, I can understand their economic model, even if it does not interest me. But requiring an internet connection excludes performing musicians, creators of digital installations, and so many other possibilities. not everyone composes only for audiovisual productions.
I bought a lot of Spitfire banks and I’m going to stop there, even if I’m interested in future products. nothing says that their products will not work this way in the near future. As a musician, I do not want to go towards such a strong technical dependence. impossible to use in concert, it’s crazy…
This change does not suit me.
Rob V.
onThe article says:
“The reduced fees are only available until the end of July 2024. Remember, you can pick up Frostbite 2 or EQuivocate free at Plugin Boutique till the end of the month, too”
Cut & paste typo? I don’t see Spitfire or LABS at Plugin Boutique. I’d prefer that to earn credits and keep most of my plugin purchases under one account.
I understand the negative takes above but I’ll probably give this a try. It’s inexpensive and while there’s a lot of room for improvement, I assume that’s what they’ll be funding.
Tomislav Zlatic
onHey Rob, it’s not a typo. James referred to another offer (on PB) that lasts until the end od July.
Phil Huston
onWhile LABS was free and sounded good it required its own ecosystem, something generally reserved for super synths/samplers. Free is always good until it’s not free anymore. Always online? Has the music business become Apple, MIcrosoft and Adobe? Why make something that was free need to phone home? Because it’s not free anymore. Is there anything in Labs or Labs+ that can’t be found elsewhere cheap, free or part of an existing landscape? How many modified cellos do you need? Whatever happened to synth and sampler programming? Instant gratification. Sad. I walked Waves even though I crutched on one of their plugs until I learned to emulate it with combos of other things. The question for users is DO I really need what they’re offering, or are they just another bad business model looking for suckers with pockets they can stick their hands in. The music industry is like all the other “Only $19 a month to save the world” pickpockets. Except LABS etal don’t kick in a “free” tote bag t-shirt or blanket…
Jonathan
onI loved the previous version of LABS and wish I never updated to LABS+.
The new UI and UX is horrible and almost unusable.
What a huge disappointment.
Aaron
onSeems like the general feeling here is that this Labs “upgrade” is not welcome and worsens the original product. Unfortunately, I agree with this assessment.
I used to love Labs, and use it constantly. Even enticed me to buy some other Spitfire products.
With these new changes I feel less and less inclined to continue with it…
alex
onActually, it’s because of LABS that I wanted to upgrade BBC Symphony Orchestra but now I’m glad I didn’t and there’s no way I’m gonna do it now – who knows what they’re gonna do with it in the future.
Aaron
onAnd the new GUI is terrible compared to the original
jc
onSubscription? are they going nuts? Didn’t they learn from others going into that suicidal business model?
Seriously wake up!
David Dunn
onConsider that we have phone plans in Australia like $12 for 2GB, or $10 for 10GB, $30 for 30GB etc, and then think about how happy we’d be if Labs was constantly using data. I like Labs, but not that much!
Febbie Ivaaden
onIf anyone needs the old .VST3 and .DLLs, Tell me. I’ll send them over gdrive.
the old version can still be used along with the new one. Just download the Standalone one if you want to install a library and use the old .VST3 and .DLL files to use on your DAW.
David Park
onI’d really appreciate it if you could upload those.
JS
onIt’s such a shame that Labs is now a subscription, with the shift in graphics and advertising it feels more like corporate greed rather than delivering on a new product. The fact it requires constant connection is also a dealbreaker for me because I live in a country where internet coverage is limited and slow.
If they had just announced that they were not doing any more Labs releases, then announced an unrelated subscription then it would be ok, although the price is twice what I would pay for it.
Sign this petition
onhttps://www.change.org/p/fix-labs
If any of you want to tell Spitfire that we are unhappy with this, check the link above.
I doubt the petition will go anywhere, but I said the same thing when people made petitions over Waves going subscription only.
Eric
onNot working for linux (Ubuntu Studio).
The plugin (kind of) works (although with problems refreshing the window, but it was like this before and at least it worked).
But now the application only shows an empty window. Meaning that I won’t be able to get new instruments.
I’m using the latest version of wine staging.
Well it was beautiful while it lasted.
Skippy
onThe obligation of an internet connection is stupid. You can’t use Labs+ in an underground practice room, where there is not network or little places away from all… And no use in live gigs because a breakdown of internet would be catastrophic
Maybe a cracked version will be available and everyone will can use free Labs instruments without the need of an internet connection 🤣🤣🤣 – it would be nonsense ! I hope that Spitfire Audio will make free Labs instruments useable without internet 🙏🏻
Mike Mos
onYes! More of this please! Great way to clean out my plugin folder a bit!
Mac
onCalled it! Called it SO LONG AGO! It’s been a ruse to get you comfortable using a subscription model since DAY ONE!
Daniel C.
onThe online restriction is such an unintelligent decision it’s hard to believe it’s happening. The decision regarding the new covers is really hard to explain. What is the point of that? To make the product look low quality? For ages the original LABS had such annoying problems and when SF finally gets arround to update it, it’s for the worse. I just don’t understand people who don’t nurture great products. The libraries are truly awesome, please honor them.
bob
onPhew, relief! the old AU plugin still works with the downloads from the new App, hurray for Time Machine! But seriously though Spitfire, I hope you take everyone’s points on board, you were wide of the mark with this one. Christian Henson sold Spitfire through Labs, we liked Labs, we bought Originals, we needed more we bought the full blown libraries, everyone is happy, we understand the Spitfire eco system. Now you don’t have Christian to sell your stuff anymore you have to work harder on the products so they sell themselves. Don’t commit subscription suicide! You have a huge fan base, thanks to Christian, use them to your advantage! Recruit a new marketing team and get them to study product design, change management and software implementation! Best wishes too!
Dario
onAs someone who works in software development (but not related to music production at all) I have to add a few thoughts. First, I switched to the new installer/plugin for LABS and it actually works better than the old one. The old one wouldn’t show me (correctly) which instruments I have downloaded. Also, I find the new design refreshed, modern, and easy to work with. I don’t get all the hate for the new design.
Next, all of the free LABS instruments work and are still free, plus, you can easily filter for free vs premium ones. Here, I need to add… Look, you still have all of these wonderful, unique instruments for free, I personally think you/we should be thankful for it. I started producing music in the early 2000s and this kind of free instrument VSTs were unheard of back then. Yes, obviously, Spitfire company needs to think ahead and make sure that their business keeps making money. Don’t forget that there is a whole team of people being paid every single month to produce all these goodies. Plus, servers and all other logistics and expenses. The alternative is not much better – if they go under, there will probably be no LABS in any form anymore.
That being said, the only “complaint” I have is about how the VST plugin works inside the DAW. I personally am always connected to the internet so that’s not a problem even though I agree they should allow users to use the downloaded libraries without an internet connection. However, what I don’t like, is how now the VST plugin is browsing the internet to show you the interface and to allow you to browse through the LABS. This is OK and normal for the installer but not for the VST plugin. I don’t know why they did that and I don’t like having an internet browser inside my DAW. It just feels wrong and unnecessary.
Liza
onI want to cry like a baby.. (and I am a very calm big and serious grownup:)) Feels like something uncompromisingly great that was given to me for free is now taken away and replaced with something similar but not so great. And I’ve just made it happen with my own hands by pressing “update”. Why on earth would I do that?? If it was like this from the beginning no one would complain, but making something worse than it was is the saddest thing.
Dear Spitfire Audio, would you explain please, why yesterday I had that neat smart 100% proper plugin with all the libraries that I HAVE SELECTED BY MY OWN CHOISE, and now I have this messy web store INSIDE MY DAW with the pics which load from scratch every time I load the plugin (they could at least not refresh every time like a website rather than a plugin), with screaming green banners “free” “free” “free”!! “upgade” “upgrade”! under each library?
I can’t believe now I have to filter to “downloaded only” to see my libraries, I am sorry, but this is ridiculous. Is the fact that I now have an oppressive marketplace inside my music project supposed to inspire me creatively? Or support the meditative non-materialistic creative zone within my daw (like btw the old LABS version did)?
What are you trying to make the user feel? Like if they are kind of cheap then they have to deal with the way it is now? And if they want to feel good again and to stop the app screaming “PAY!” then they’ll have to pay?
I have a little desire to pay when it feels forced. Not to mention I prefer a subscription free life. (Just to clarify I do pay for plugins a lot and happily.)
You could at least leave a choice to keep the old version or download the new one. I think it’s best to create something so desirable which people will pay for without an extra push.. actually extra push would be okay, but this is more like rubbing it into user’s faces.
I would definitely check out and buy some of the new payed libraries if they were released separately and I could just add them into the old version, instead of seeing them first thing when I load the plugin! (at least could’ve make the already downloaded libraries in the default tab and keep their pics and info loaded at all times (maybe even offline) and the ALL LIBRARIES or LAB+ tabs to be opened by consent and load as webpage..)
P.S. I don’t want to criticise the artwork because this is too subjective (I think even more subjective than the user experience). The new artwork is very bold and straightforward which feels clean and fresh. And the old ones are more abstract and artistic and interestingly timeless to me.