VSL Expands Its World-Inspired Collection With Two New Synchron Libraries

Vienna Symphonic Library has expanded its Synchron Series with two new collections designed to bring distinctive international instruments and percussion traditions into modern scoring and production workflows: Synchron Cimbalom and Synchron World Percussion II.

Both libraries were recorded at Vienna Synchron Stage’s Stage A, giving composers access to instruments captured in the same large-scale acoustic environment used throughout VSL’s Synchron range.

Synchron Cimbalom Brings a Distinctive Hungarian Voice

The new Synchron Cimbalom focuses on the Hungarian concert cimbalom, performed by Hungarian specialist Gergely Lajti. The instrument is known for its metallic, resonant character and is played by striking its strings with handheld mallets.

VSL has sampled the instrument across its chromatic range and included several mallet types, covering standard, Romanian, and Gypsy playing styles. Full damper-pedal control is also available, allowing users to shape the instrument’s natural resonance and sustain.

The resulting sound can be used for traditional Hungarian-inspired compositions, contemporary orchestral writing, cinematic scoring, and arrangements that need a distinctive melodic-percussive texture.

The library is offered in Standard and Full versions. VSL's current pricing lists the Standard edition at €89 and the Full edition at €129.

World Percussion II Covers Four Continents

Alongside the cimbalom release, VSL has introduced Synchron World Percussion II, the second volume in its collection of instruments from different musical traditions.

The library contains 20 individual percussion instruments representing four continents: Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe. Among the featured instruments are Cuban batá, Brazilian berimbau, Indian mridangam, Iranian dammam, and Irish bodhrán.

Rather than focusing exclusively on individual hits, VSL has also recorded characteristic rhythmic patterns performed by the participating musicians. The collection includes 180 MIDI grooves, which can be auditioned through the Synchron Player and dragged directly into a DAW for further editing. Users can adjust elements such as tempo, dynamics, length, and arrangement to fit a production.

The library also provides multiple microphone perspectives, including close, mid, and main positions, along with room and immersive signals depending on the edition. This gives composers additional control over how prominently the instruments sit within an arrangement.

Part of VSL's "Sounds of the World" Promotion

The two releases arrive alongside Vienna Symphonic Library's Sounds of the World promotion, which runs through September 30, 2026. The campaign also includes special pricing on existing world-instrument collections such as Synchron World Percussion I and Synchron World Winds, as well as selected individual instruments.

VSL currently lists Synchron World Percussion II at €199 for the Standard edition and €319 for the Full edition.

With the two new releases, VSL continues to broaden the Synchron platform beyond conventional orchestral instruments, giving composers access to more region-specific timbres and playable rhythmic material within the same production environment.