Galaxy Instruments

Uli Baronowsky, a sound engineer and instrument designer, produces high-quality virtual instruments under the brand name Galaxy Instruments. Specializing in piano and cinematic sound libraries, his Cologne-based sound studio has become known for exquisite Steinway grand pianos as Kontakt instruments, sample content for Native Instruments’ Komplete series, and highly specialized software synthesizers.

Galaxy Steinway

One of the first instruments to put Galaxy Instruments on the map was the Galaxy Steinway. This concert grand piano, sampled at Galaxy Studios, impressed with its superb sound quality and an optional 5.1 surround format. Uli Baronowsky has long been dedicated to making instruments with distinctive sonic character playable as software-based sample libraries. The Galaxy Steinway was soon followed by other successful releases, including the Galaxy Vintage D. This Kontakt instrument features not just any Steinway grand, but a particularly special model built in 1920 and recorded at the renowned Bauer Studios in Ludwigsburg.

Sampling Content for Native Instruments Kontakt

Most Galaxy Instruments products are available for Native Instruments’ Kontakt software sampler and are licensed as official Kontakt libraries. This allows you to add them directly to the Kontakt Library browser and play them in standalone mode or as a piano VST via the free Kontakt Player. Uli Baronowsky contributed to several well-known Kontakt instruments, including The Piano Collection, The Giant, Una Corda, and Noire.

Galaxy Instruments: Cinematic Sound Libraries

This is another area in which Galaxy Instruments excels with its virtual instruments. While authentic sound reproduction still plays a role, the primary focus here is on atmospheric sound design. These libraries often include synthesizer-based tools with highly specialized and unconventional applications. Thrill, for example, provides dynamic textures ideal for scoring suspenseful scenes. What makes these libraries particularly compelling is that they are not static, pre-rendered sound effects intended for post-production. Instead, Galaxy’s Cinematic Sound Libraries are designed for real-time performance, allowing soundscapes to be shaped directly in sync with the timing and emotional arc of a scene.