Music producers these days have too much; we’re RICH in sounds: pianos, strings, brass, vocals, synths. We’re covered.
But when the price is right, the price is right.
Arturia Augmented Series 8 combines acoustic sounds with synthesis, effects, modulation, and sound design. Pianos become atmospheres. Strings become moving pads. Voices turn into something completely different.
The 8 instruments normally cost $1,192 combined. Audio Plugin Deals got it down to $349.
That’s about $44 per instrument.
Now the question is, are these worth adding to an already crowded collection?
What Is Arturia Augmented Series 8?
Augmented Series 8 includes
→ Augmented STRINGS
→ Augmented VOICES
→ Augmented BRASS
→ Augmented WOODWINDS
→ Augmented GRAND PIANO
→ Augmented MALLETS
→ Augmented YANGTZE
→ Augmented PERSIA
Each instrument combines detailed acoustic samples with Arturia’s Virtual Analog, Granular, Wavetable, Harmonic, and Simpler synthesis engines.
Patches can use 4 sound sources across two layers, letting you blend organic and synthetic sounds inside one instrument.
Then there’s the Morph control.
The Morph Control Is The Big Idea
No sound design experience needed!
Turn the control, and a familiar sound can gradually become more processed or synthetic. Automate it, and a simple chord can change throughout a section without stacking more plugins.
You also get macro controls, modulation, effects, MPE support, and a 16 step arpeggiator. Or grab a preset and start playing.
What Do You Get With All Eight Instruments?
Take a listen to this demonstration.
Augmented STRINGS
Augmented STRINGS takes orchestral, chamber, and solo string sources and pushes them toward cinematic pads, moving textures, and hybrid sounds.
It’s a good fit for scoring, ambient music, electronic production, or anyone looking for strings that don’t always sound like strings.
Augmented VOICES
Human vocal recordings meet synthesis to create choirs, pads, leads, and atmospheric sounds.
If you like adding vocal layers without needing actual lyrics, VOICES gives you plenty of room to experiment.
Augmented BRASS
Augmented BRASS combines orchestral brass with synthesis for swells, cinematic hits, evolving layers, and synthetic brass.
You can stay traditional or push it toward sounds that fit electronic music and modern scoring.
Augmented WOODWINDS
Flutes, clarinets, oboes, bassoons, and other woodwinds become the starting point for pads, breathy textures, leads, and atmospheric layers.
That makes WOODWINDS useful even if traditional orchestral arrangements aren’t your thing.
Augmented GRAND PIANO
GRAND PIANO starts with a sampled Steinway Model D, prepared piano sounds, and synthesis.
You can get recognizable piano sounds or push them toward lo-fi keys, pads, and cinematic textures. Hip hop, R&B, pop, and electronic producers should have no problem finding uses for this one.
Augmented MALLETS
Marimba, vibraphone, celeste, and tubular bells provide the acoustic foundation.
Arturia combines them with synthesis for melodic percussion, rhythmic parts, shimmering pads, and evolving metallic sounds.
Augmented YANGTZE
YANGTZE brings instruments including erhu, pipa, guqin, dizi, xiao, and yangqin into the Augmented engine.
Those less common acoustic sources can stay recognizable or become completely new hybrid sounds.
Augmented PERSIA
PERSIA does something similar with Persian instruments including oud, tar, saz, and ney.
That makes it useful for cinematic production and sound design, as well as for producers looking for interesting plucked and melodic sounds to build tracks around.
Who Is Augmented Series 8 For?
The bundle makes the most sense for music producers and composers who like acoustic instruments, but also like to experiment.
Hip hop producers can sample the pianos, vocals, strings, mallets, and traditional instruments. Pop and electronic producers get organic sounds they can push in more synthetic directions.
Ambient producers? You’re going to have a field day with this thing.
Final Thoughts
Most of us have everything we need…or do we?
If your library already covers the basics but you’re looking for sounds that could spark something different, Augmented Series 8 is worth a closer look.
And if you’re new to Audio Plugin Deals, take a look around while you’re here. We regularly feature deals on plugins, virtual instruments, sample libraries, and other music production software that can save you quite a bit compared to regular pricing. APD Shop
Frequently Asked Questions
What is included with Arturia Augmented Series 8?
You get 8 instruments: Augmented STRINGS, VOICES, BRASS, WOODWINDS, GRAND PIANO, MALLETS, YANGTZE, and PERSIA. Together, they cover orchestral instruments, vocals, piano, mallets, Chinese instruments, and Persian instruments, combining sampled acoustic sources with synthesis, effects, modulation, sequencing, and Arturia’s Morph controls.
Is Arturia Augmented Series 8 worth buying?
It makes the most sense if you want acoustic sounds that can move beyond traditional performances. The collection combines recognizable instruments with synthesis and sound design. At the $349 APD price, you’re paying roughly $44 per instrument, so the value gets stronger if you’ll regularly use several instruments.
Is Augmented Series 8 an orchestral sample library?
Not exactly. STRINGS, BRASS, WOODWINDS, and other instruments use sampled acoustic sources, but realism isn’t the collection’s only focus. Arturia combines those recordings with synthesis, modulation, effects, and morphing. If you mainly need realistic orchestral mockups, a dedicated orchestral library may be a better fit.
Can beginners use the Arturia Augmented Series instruments easily?
Yes. You don’t need to understand synthesis before you start making music. Each instrument includes ready-to-use presets and straightforward macro controls for quickly changing sounds. You can use Morph to create variations without digging deeper, then open the advanced controls when you want more detailed sound-design options.
Is Arturia Augmented Series good for hip hop?
Absolutely. GRAND PIANO, STRINGS, VOICES, MALLETS, YANGTZE, and PERSIA offer plenty of interesting material for melodies, chords, and sampling. The hybrid engine is especially useful if you want sounds that don’t immediately resemble standard piano, string, choir, or synth presets already sitting in your plugin folder.
Is Arturia Augmented Series good for cinematic music?
This is one of the collection’s strongest applications. The acoustic sources provide familiar orchestral and organic character, while Morph, synthesis, modulation, effects, and sequencing can create evolving hybrid sounds. That combination can work particularly well for film, television, trailers, games, ambient cues, and other cinematic productions.
Can you create your own Augmented Series sounds?
Yes. You can move beyond the factory presets and edit individual sound sources, synthesis engines, filters, modulation, effects, and other parameters. Patches can combine four sound sources across two layers. That gives experienced sound designers considerably more control without forcing everyone else to build patches from scratch.
How much storage does Arturia Augmented Series 8 require?
The complete collection requires roughly 30 GB of storage. Consider that before buying, especially if your main production computer has limited internal space. The size comes from having 8 separate instruments containing sampled acoustic material, factory presets, synthesis capabilities, and the additional content needed for each Augmented instrument.
Does Augmented Series 8 support MPE controllers?
Yes. Arturia includes MPE support in the Augmented instruments, giving compatible controllers additional expressive control over performances. That can be particularly useful with strings, voices, woodwinds, and evolving hybrid patches where changes in expression can make sustained notes feel more dynamic instead of simply holding the same sound.
Who should buy Arturia Augmented Series 8?
It’s best suited to producers, composers, and sound designers who want acoustic instruments with modern sound-design capabilities. If you make cinematic, hip hop, electronic, pop, ambient, trailer, television, or game music and enjoy turning recognizable instruments into something less predictable, you’ll have plenty to work with.
