Subscribe
Gear Reviews

Spitfire Audio Olafur Arnalds Cells review: organic textures that breathe with life

Spitfire Audio has teamed up once again with Icelandic composer Ólafur Arnalds to bring us Olafur Arnalds Cells, an innovative virtual instrument designed to transform the way you create cinematic, atmospheric, and emotive music.

Whether you're scoring films, producing electronic tracks, or experimenting with ambient sound design, Cells delivers a nice balance of organic string samples and modern sound design techniques, making it a strong tool for a wide range of music producers and composers.

Evolving Soundscapes

Olafur Arnalds Cells is not just another string library; it’s a powerful instrument for creating complex, organic textures that breathe with life.

At the core of this VI is the Cell Generator, a unique feature that allows you to manipulate and evolve sounds in real time. The sound design capabilities are nice and flexible, enabling you to create everything from lush, cinematic pads to minimal, atmospheric textures. This evolving nature of the instrument means that the sounds shift and change as you play, offering a serious level of expressiveness as well as depth.

For those looking to build atmospheric soundscapes or manipulate organic sounds with cutting-edge technology, the Cell Generator provides granular control over every sound you craft. This will suit composers working on complex film scores, electronic producers in need of evolving textures, or any creative seeking to add a touch of organic warmth to their music.

it’s a powerful instrument for creating complex, organic textures that breathe with life.

Hybrid Powerhouse

One of the standout aspects of Olafur Arnalds Cells is its seamless integration of real-world string samples with sophisticated sound design tools. The instrument features recordings of cello ensembles, but what truly sets it apart is how these recordings are transformed into something new: the combination of traditional string timbres with modern effects, filters, and modulation techniques allows you to create sounds that feel both grounded in reality and totally original.

This hybrid approach opens up a wide range of possibilities, allowing you to blend the warmth of acoustic instruments with the manipulation power of digital sound design.

Whether you're crafting dramatic strings for a film score or building ethereal pads for an ambient track, the flexibility of Cells gives you the freedom to explore a diverse array of sonic textures.

In addition to its innovative sound design features, Olafur Arnalds Cells includes a range of dynamic layers and realistic articulations that contribute to its expressive power. The instrument is designed to respond naturally to your performance, with each note evolving based on your playing style and the dynamics of your MIDI input.

what truly sets it apart is how these recordings are transformed into something new.

This responsiveness is a key feature for any composer or producer working with emotional or nuanced music. The library includes several articulations, including long sustained notes and short, staccato phrases, making it versatile enough to suit a variety of musical styles.

Whether you're crafting sweeping cinematic scores or detailed, rhythmic compositions, the ability to switch between articulations gives you the tools needed for precise control over your sound.

Fast Creativity

Another compelling feature of Olafur Arnalds Cells is its real-time modulation system. This feature lets you adjust parameters such as filter cutoff, pitch, and modulation depth as you play, enabling you to shape and evolve your sounds dynamically. For producers and composers who thrive on spontaneity, the ability to tweak these settings in real-time adds a layer of creative freedom that is both powerful and inspiring.

This real-time control could be particularly useful for ambient music creators or anyone working with cinematic sound design. You can add movement to your soundscapes, gradually shaping and evolving the tone of your music without needing to stop your performance. The modulation system allows you to create subtle shifts in your music that bring depth and atmosphere, essential for immersive sound design or emotionally charged film scores.

this instrument will provide the depth and flexibility to take your projects to the next level.

One of the most appealing aspects of Olafur Arnalds Cells is its intuitive interface. While the instrument is packed with powerful features, it’s designed to be incredibly user-friendly, so you can spend more time creating and less time figuring out how to use it. The layout is clean and streamlined, with simple controls that make it easy to navigate between different parameters and settings.

Whether you're a seasoned composer or a beginner producer, the interface of Cells ensures that you can jump right into your creative process without getting bogged down in technicalities. The inclusion of presets and phrases provides instant inspiration, allowing you to quickly find starting points for your projects or add atmospheric textures to your existing work. This focus on ease of use ensures that Cells fits seamlessly into your workflow, no matter your experience level.

From a performance perspective, Olafur Arnalds Cells truly shines. The dynamic layers make it incredibly responsive, so whether you're playing manually or programming through your DAW, the instrument feels alive and expressive. The natural flow of the sound - combined with real-time control over modulation and effects - gives composers and producers a deeply immersive experience.

Film composers will surely appreciate the pre-recorded phrases and textures that can quickly enhance a score, while electronic producers will love the depth of modulation options to manipulate sounds and create complex, evolving atmospheres. For those working in ambient music, Cells offers an essential toolkit for crafting rich, evolving pads that form the backbone of any atmospheric composition.

Conclusion

If you're looking for a cinematic instrument that blends realism with modern sound design, Olafur Arnalds Cells is absolutely worth considering. The string samples provide a solid foundation, while the real-time modulation, evolving soundscapes, and dynamic layers open up a world of creative possibilities. Whatever flavour of production or performance, this instrument will provide the depth and flexibility to take your projects to the next level.

Check out Headliner's interview with Ólafur Arnalds about the creation of his live performance film, When We Are Bornhow his influence is being heard in the strangest of places, and his thoughts on fake Icelandic composers in Spotify playlists. 

Read Headliner's previous Spifire Audio reviews here.