Big Fish Audio Vintage Horns 3 for KONTAKT is a library specifically designed for vintage brass horn sounds, perfect for producers, arrangers, and mixers looking to create warm, classic brass tones in styles like pop, funk, and jazz. This article will provide an in-depth review of its features, applications, and comparisons with competing products to help you decide whether to incorporate it into your music production workflow. For more details, please visit the Big Fish Audio website.

Product Overview

Vintage Horns 3 is a KONTAKT library from Big Fish Audio. The latest version was updated in 2025, and the file size is approximately 12GB (according to the official website and KVR Audio information). It includes a variety of brass instruments (such as trumpets, trombones, and saxophones), focusing on vintage sounds from the 1960s and 1980s. It is compatible with NI KONTAKT 6.7 and above. Key highlights include high-fidelity sampling, flexible MIDI control, and dynamic layering technology.

Product Positioning

Designed for professional music producers and arrangers, Vintage Horns 3 is ideal for projects requiring vintage brass tones, such as funk, soul, jazz, or pop. It performs reliably in DAWs like Ableton Live and Logic Pro, making it suitable for studio arrangements, film and television scoring, and live performances.

Core Features

  • Vintage Brass Samples: Contains a variety of instruments such as trumpet, trombone, saxophone, etc., sampled from classic analog equipment, with warm and full sound.
  • Dynamic Layering: Switch tones at different velocity levels, simulating realistic playing dynamics. For example, playing the saxophone softly produces a mellow tone, while playing harder produces a more impactful one.
  • MIDI control: Supports MIDI CC to adjust volume, expression and vibrato, suitable for real-time performance or fine-tuning.
  • Built-in effects: Integrated reverb, compression and EQ, quickly optimize the brass sound without the need for additional plug-ins.
  • Various playing styles：Provides solo, ensemble and short phrases (licks), suitable for quickly arranging complex brass passages.
  • KONTAKT Optimization: The interface is intuitive, supports fast loading, and occupies low CPU (based on Gearspace testing).

User scenarios

  • Pop music arrangement: Add a retro brass riff to a pop song to elevate it, like an 80s-style chorus.
  • Jazz and Funk: Through dynamic layering technology, it simulates a real brass band, suitable for funk rhythms or jazz improvisations.
  • Film and TV soundtracks: Adds warm brass tones to enhance the emotional atmosphere of retro-style film or commercial soundtracks.
  • Live Performances: Combined with a MIDI keyboard, it can play brass phrases in real time, suitable for live DJ or band performances.

Technical characteristics

Vintage Horns 3 supports 44.1kHz/24-bit sample rates and is compatible with both the free KONTAKT Player and the full KONTAKT 6.7+. Available only in KONTAKT, the plug-in is licensed via a machine key (no iLok required). Key parameters include velocity control, vibrato speed, and reverb depth, and the intuitive interface makes it suitable for both beginners and experts.

Advantages and disadvantages analysis

advantage:

  • The sound is authentic and the retro style is prominent, suitable for a variety of music types.
  • Flexible MIDI control and dynamic layering technology enhance expressiveness.
  • Built-in effects streamline your workflow and save on plug-in overhead.
  • KONTAKT is well optimized, has low CPU usage, and loads quickly.

shortcoming:

  • The file size is large (approximately 12GB), so sufficient storage space is required.
  • Only supports KONTAKT platform, limited to non-KONTAKT users.
  • The price is relatively high (estimated $199, it is recommended to check the official website for confirmation).

Competitive Comparison

characteristic Vintage Horns 3 Loopmasters Horns EastWest Hollywood Brass
Sound style Retro and warm Modern, universal Hollywood, film
File size About 12GB About 8GB About 20GB
Price (estimated) $199 $149 $299
platform KONTAKT Multiple formats PLAY Engine
Ease of use High (intuitive interface) medium Medium (learning curve)

System requirements

Operating System: Windows 10/11 (64-bit) or macOS 11+; Hardware: Minimum 8GB RAM, 16GB recommended, 12GB storage space required; DAW Compatibility: Supports Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Cubase, etc.; KONTAKT Version: 6.7 or above (including KONTAKT Player).

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