Spitfire Audio Abbey Road Two: Iconic Strings Professional

The Most Famous String Sound In The World

Abbey Road Two: Iconic Strings represents something truly unique - a landmark, one-off sample library consisting of a signature string sound never before available.

Captured at Abbey Road’s Studio Two, the most famous recording venue in the world.

Iconic Strings captures five of the world's best players, recorded by GRAMMY-winning engineer Sam Okell using a mouth-watering array of beautiful microphones and recording equipment from the studio's impressive collection.

This is your chance to compose using the illustrious and historic Abbey Road signal path.

Stunning mixes give you professional, broadcast-level performances with groundbreaking, instant playability plus creativity and control.

The Professional edition offers the most control and customisation featuring 12 signals including 2 modern mixes, 2 vintage mixes, and 8 microphone positions and some of our most expressive legatos to date.

Following In The Footsteps of Legends

If the walls of Studio Two could talk, they would speak of all the musical advances made in this magical space. Studio Two has a history like no other, and continues to influence the music industry after almost a century of work.

It comes as no surprise then that Studio Two remains one of the most in-demand recording venues in the world, a hallowed space where some of the most legendary artists, engineers and musicians have produced the most inspiring albums and scores of our times.

From the beginnings of stereo and the big bands of the '30s and '40s, to the swinging '60s, and standout pop recordings from The Beatles, Pink Floyd and Shirley Bassey, through to Kate Bush and Oasis, and more modern acts like Dave, Adele, Frank Ocean, Woodkid, Radiohead, Wolf Alice and Kanye West.

Also the scores for AAA film, TV and games, from world famous composers like Alexandre Desplat, Anne Nikitin, Carter Burwell, Steven Price and Kazuma Jinnouchi, have all etched themselves into the illustrious history of Abbey Road's Studio Two.

The Sought-After Signal Path

The unique sonic fingerprint of Studio Two simply cannot be replicated elsewhere due to its combination of controlled acoustics and one-of-a-kind equipment, refined over 90 years of innovation.

From the vintage J37 tape machine to the dizzying array of microphones, this is the first time the sought-after signal path has been made available in a virtual string instrument.

Abbey Road Two Iconic Strings delivers a selection of modern and vintage microphones and mixes engineered by Grammy-award-winning engineer Sam Okell.

The Vintage mixes capture what many music lovers think of as Studio Two, recorded using the vintage REDD desk, parallel compression from the RS124 and all passed through the J37 tape machine.

This chain was inspired and influenced by the iconic Studio Two recordings using this exact one-of-a-kind equipment.

The 12 Signals found inside the Professional edition feature four world class mixes, two vintage and two modern, and eight mic positions allowing composers the chance to customise their sound even further, a deep dive into the mic cupboard of Abbey Road Studios.

They can explore all the classic microphones including the very same Neumann u47s, KM54 and M50s used on those iconic sessions from the ‘60s and many more.

Access a collection of reverb options including EMT plate and the famous Studio Two Echo Chamber, an effect well known for the part it has played in the classic productions from the studio’s history.

Groundbreaking Playability and Versatility

Abbey Road Two: Iconic Strings captures the sounds of five of London's top string players (V1, V2, Va, Cello, Bass) down to the tiniest detail.

The library offers music makers the choice between highly detailed composition and easy-to-use technology that assists in the writing process.

The Arranger is a brand-new feature that offers a curated approach to writing with ensemble techniques.

It gives composers a newfound freedom to control the instrument voices/ranges within the string band, helping them to arrive at more tailored performance quickly.

Another intrinsic part of Iconic Strings is the all-new legatos programming. Incredibly detailed and of the highest quality, these legatos represent a significant step forward in quality and realism, building on Spitfire Audio’s 15 years of experience in sampling.  

Both editions include Slurred legato and a Performance legato (including Slurred, Alt Attacks and Fast Runs).

The Performance legatos offer an intuitive and expressive playing experience, allowing for more emotive lines while being highly detailed and versatile.

In addition, Iconic Strings Professional features a Portamento legato, an expressive transition sound made famous on Oasis’ Whatever.