What Cinesamples does

Cinesamples Inc. is a Burbank, California-based developer and direct-to-consumer retailer of orchestral sample libraries and virtual instruments, founded in 2007. The company's portfolio spans roughly two dozen individual libraries covering strings, brass, woodwinds, percussion, choir, harp, piano, harpsichord, and specialty/world instruments, plus artist series products (Randy Kerber, Apocalyptica, Tina Guo) and sound-design categories (percussion impacts, granular-synthesis soundscapes). A core technical differentiator is that the core orchestral content is recorded at industry-leading Hollywood scoring stages — Sony's MGM Stage, Fox's Alfred Newman Stage, and Hollywood Scoring Stages — lending acoustic credibility that is difficult for competitors to replicate. Products are sold as individual perpetual licenses ($99–$699), themed bundles (Piano, Choir, Drums of War, CineSymphony), and a flagship Everything Bundle ($5,999); a new Musio+ subscription offering provides unlimited access to 2,300+ instruments across 90+ collections via a Kontakt-free playback environment.

The revenue model blends one-time license sales, discounted bundles during recurring seasonal promotions (up to 55% off), and the emerging Musio+ subscription stream. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via store.cinesamples.com and the Musio portal, with a minor third-party distribution arrangement through Sonicsmiths; the company does not maintain an enterprise sales motion. Customers are primarily professional and independent film, television, and video-game composers, plus media production professionals working on trailers and commercials — a horizontally segmented, long-tail user base rather than a concentrated enterprise book. Operationally, Cinesamples is a small private firm (11–50 employees) with only a single disclosed $500,000 funding round dated March 2022, suggesting a lean, founder-led operation rather than a venture-scaled growth company.

Name

Cinesamples

Legal name

Cinesamples Inc.

Website

https://cinesamples.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cinesamples develops and sells orchestral sample libraries and virtual instruments, plus the Musio+ subscription platform, directly to professional and independent film, TV, and video-game composers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Virtual Instruments and Sample Libraries

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132), Musical Instrument and Supplies Retailers (459140)

akta.pro primary industry

Audio Plugins & Virtual Instruments (VST/AU/AAX) (MPAIAIAB)

Keywords

• Virtual instruments
• Sample libraries
• Orchestral sound design
• Film scoring tools
• Cinematic music production

Headquarters

HQ city

Burbank

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. One-Time License Sales: Individual sample library products sold as one-time purchases. Customers pay upfront for perpetual licenses to specific libraries or bundled collections.
2. Bundle Sales: Pre-configured bundles offering multiple libraries at discounted prices compared to individual purchases. Includes Complete Bundle, Everything Bundle, Choir Bundle, Piano Bundle, and artist-specific bundles.
3. Musio+ Subscription: Unlimited access subscription model providing access to the entire Cinesamples collection through the Musio platform, with fresh sounds from top developers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cinesamples develops and sells sample libraries and virtual instruments for music composers working in film, television, and video game scoring. Its catalog spans individual instruments (strings, brass, woodwinds, percussion, choir, harps, piano, world instruments) and bundled collections recorded at renowned Hollywood scoring stages, sold as perpetual licenses or accessed via the Musio subscription platform.

Product overview

Cinesamples is a portfolio of virtual instrument and sample library products developed for composers and musicians. The offering spans individual sample libraries across orchestral sections (strings, brass, woodwinds, percussion, choir) as well as specialty instruments and sound design categories. Key product lines include CineSymphony (orchestral strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion), CineBrass, CinePerc, CineHarps, Voxos (choir), and the Randy Kerber Artist Series. Bundles are available at different tiers (Core, Complete) and the Everything Bundle provides access to all libraries. Additionally, Musio is a subscription-based access service offering 2,300+ instruments across 90+ collections with instant playback without Kontakt requirement. Products are sold as individual libraries, themed bundles, or through the Musio subscription service.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Musio: A subscription-based platform offering access to Cinesamples and other third-party sound libraries, with over 2,300+ premium instruments across 90+ pro-grade collections.

Products and services

• CineHarpsichord Virtual instrument sample library featuring a 1624 Rückers harpsichord recorded at Sony's MGM Stage, designed for eerie melodies and haunted scores. Targeted at film/TV/game composers.
• Randy Kerber's Prepared Piano Prepared piano sample library with eerie textures and metallic tones, recorded at Sony and Hollywood Scoring Stages for ghostly atmospheres and unsettling elegance. Targeted at cinematic composers.
• Randy Kerber's Celeste Celeste sample library capturing a sparkling celeste sound recorded at Sony's MGM Stage, ideal for mystical scores and enchanted moments. Targeted at film composers.
• Apocalyptica (Artist Series) Artist Series library featuring symphonic metal cellos with gritty chugs, soaring melodies, and cinematic energy for gothic thrills and shadowy intensity. Targeted at cinematic composers.
• Collision Impact Designer Cinematic percussive sound library with explosive hits and rumbling textures, containing over 4GB of power for jump scares, tension builds, and trailer mayhem.
• Soundscapes Sound design library using granular synthesis to weave eerie tonal and atonal textures through violin samples into ghostly swells for dreamlike tension and cinematic unease.
• Forbes Pipe Organ Pipe organ library resurrecting the grand spirit of Harold Miossi Hall, blending sacred resonance with cinematic power for gothic cathedrals, eerie rituals, and epic modern scores.
• Voices of War: Men of the North Viking choir library channeling thunderous vocal performances, recorded at Sony's MGM Stage, perfect for epic raids, ancient chants, and shadowy heroism.
• Voxos Epic Choirs Epic choirs sample library with soaring symphonic choir, fluid legato, and cinematic realism for epic scores, ghostly hymns, and spine-tingling moments of awe.
• Dulcimer & Zither Plucked and hammered string instrument library with mystical charm, recorded at Firehouse Studios, offering tones perfect for ghostly folk tales and cinematic enchantment.
• Viola da Gamba Renaissance instrument library reviving Viola da Gamba with dark, resonant tone recorded at Sony's MGM Stage, perfect for haunting scores and ancient, candlelit moods.
• Cinewinds Low Winds (CineWinds Monster Low Winds) Low winds ensemble library uniting bassoons and contrabass clarinets into a growling ensemble for dark forests, ghostly marches, and Halloween grandeur.
• CinePerc Thunderous, cinematic percussion library with massive detail and dynamic realism for scoring action or ambiance.
• CineHarps Definitive orchestral harp library meticulously recorded on the MGM Scoring Stage, lush and expressive, built to shine in any mix.
• Industry Brass Core Brass instrument library featuring lush tones from the Alfred Newman Scoring Stage at Fox.
• CineBrass Pro Orchestral brass expansion library recorded at the MGM Stage.
• CineSymphony Lite Lean yet comprehensive orchestral collection featuring Hollywood-trusted strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion instruments.
• CineSymphony Complete Bundle Complete orchestral bundle containing all 14 full-fledged pro orchestra libraries from the CineSymphony series.
• Everything Bundle Complete bundle containing every Cinesamples library in a single package.
• The Choir Bundle Choir bundle combining Voxos Choir Sample Library and Voices of War Nordic Male Choir Library.
• The Piano Bundle Bundle of two piano libraries each with unique character.
• Drums of War Complete Bundle Epic cinematic percussion bundle.
• Tina Guo Complete Bundle Tina Guo's complete cello collection featuring multiple libraries.
• Musio (Musio+ Subscription & Marketplace) Subscription service offering unlimited access to 2,300+ premium instruments across 90+ pro-grade collections, instantly playable without requiring Kontakt, plus individual library purchases via the Marketplace.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Sony Pictures (MGM Scoring Stage)coreOthersRecording partnership for capturing orchestral samples at Sony's prestigious MGM Scoring Stage. Several Cinesamples products are recorded at this location including CineHarpsichord, Randy's Celeste, Men of the North, and Viola da Gamba.
• Fox (Alfred Newman Scoring Stage)coreOthersRecording partnership at the Alfred Newman Scoring Stage at Fox for products like Industry Brass Core. Captures signature brass tones from this storied Hollywood scoring stage.
• Firehouse StudiosminorOthersRecording studio used for products like Dulcimer and Zither, providing alternative recording environment for specific instrument collections.
• Hollywood Scoring StagescoreOthersPartnership with Hollywood Scoring Stages for recording products like Randy's Prepared Piano. Multiple Cinesamples libraries recorded at various prestigious Los Angeles scoring venues.
• SonicsmithsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSonicsmiths distributes select third-party products through the Cinesamples store, such as Piano in Blue by Sonicsmiths, expanding the catalog beyond Cinesamples' own libraries.
• MusiocoreTechnology or IntegrationMusio is a new platform providing access to Cinesamples and other sound libraries. Offers subscription model (Musio+) with 2,300+ instruments across 90+ collections. Cinesamples libraries are integrated into the Musio platform for instant playback without Kontakt requirement.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Heavyocity: Specialist in cinematic hybrid orchestral and sound-design sample libraries for film/TV/game trailers and scores. Targets exactly the same professional composer segment as Cinesamples with a comparable catalog structure and direct-to-consumer e-commerce model.
• 8Dio: Producer of deep-sample orchestral, choirs, and percussion libraries used in cinematic music production. Competes head-to-head with Cinesamples on orchestral depth, choir coverage, and sound design.
• EastWest Sounds: Long-established producer of orchestral and cinematic sample libraries (e.g., Hollywood Orchestra, Symphonic Orchestra), selling directly to film/TV/game composers via the same perpetual-license and bundle model Cinesamples uses.
• Spitfire Audio: London-based developer of cinematic and orchestral sample libraries widely used by film, TV, and game composers. The most direct competitor to Cinesamples, with a comparable focus on premium orchestral content and a similar artist-stage-recording brand narrative.
• Soundiron: Boutique developer of Kontakt-format sample libraries spanning orchestral, choir, world, and specialty instruments, with a direct e-commerce model similar to Cinesamples' store. An emerging-but-established peer in the cinematic sampling niche.
• Sonokinetic: Dutch producer of orchestral and vocal sample libraries frequently used in trailer and cinematic music. Direct peer targeting the same trailer/film scoring composer base with similar recorded-ensemble and choir products.

Emerging players

• Output: Developer of Kontakt-format virtual instruments (e.g., Signal, Rev, Exhale) targeting modern music producers and cinematic composers. A more contemporary, design-forward peer overlapping with Cinesamples on cinematic/cinematic-adjacent instrument categories.
• Orange Tree Samples: Developer of deep-sampled virtual instruments (notably guitars and orchestral ranges) sold via direct e-commerce. Smaller in scale than the leading peers but operating in the same sample-library category with perpetual licenses and bundles.
• Sample Logic: Producer of cinematic and rhythmic Kontakt-based sample libraries and instruments for film/TV/game composers. A niche peer with partial catalog overlap to Cinesamples' sound-design and percussion lines.

Broad incumbents

• Native Instruments: Owns the Kontakt sampler platform — the dominant host for sample libraries including Cinesamples' products — and also produces its own cinematic and orchestral content. A broad incumbent spanning production, performance, and creator tools with much greater scale than Cinesamples.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/cinesamples
• Facebookfacebook.com/cinesamples
• Instagraminstagram.com/cinesamples

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cinesamples