Olafur Arnalds Composer Toolkit

Designed for composers, songwriters and producers, this is an intimate and deeply personal set of tools, curated by BAFTA-winning composer Ólafur Arnalds, recorded at his studio in Reykjavik, Iceland.

It centres around a characterful ‘felted’ grand piano, as well as a comprehensive set of inspiring sonic manipulations and progressive synth sounds, designed with the writer in mind.

An intimate felted piano
Our second Spitfire collaboration with BAFTA-winning, multi-instrumentalist producer and composer Ólafur Arnalds, who mixes organic instruments with loops and edgy beats to create textural tracks and scores, from ambient to electronic.

So many virtual instrument libraries are focused on the art of production, while the nuanced and beautiful Ólafur Arnalds Composer Toolkit was designed with the writer in mind. Ólafur conceived what would be his staple set of sounds that would enable him to continue to produce original, inspiring and moving music, wherever he was in the world. Spitfire’s expert team of technicians, musicians and engineers descended on Ólafur’s studio in Reykjavik, working closely with the composer to capture the essence of Ólafur’s approach and to harness the spirit of his surroundings.

Ólafur Arnalds
Ólafur Arnalds is a BAFTA-winning Icelandic composer and producer (Broadchurch, Kiasmos, Erased Tapes), known for his unique ambient electronic sound. He takes strings and pianos to a new place, treating them with effects and mixing them with loops and beats. His most recent albums include For Now I Am Winter, and The Chopin Project, a collaboration with classical pianist Alice Sara Ott. Based in Reykjavík, Iceland, Ólafur’s approach to sound and composition has inspired a new generation to enjoy and create modern orchestral music. He gained huge notoriety with a new audience for his BAFTA-winning score featuring haunting strings, pianos and electronics for the British crime drama, Broadchurch. He has drawn heavily on the techniques he explored for that project for this selection of samples.