A Spitfire LABS alternative that builds your own sounds
LABS keeps working where it is already installed, and its free packs are still free inside Splice INSTRUMENT. Studio 56 is a different thing: it builds synth sounds you describe and plays them in your DAW.
| LABS | Studio 56 | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Packs of recorded instruments, now part of Splice INSTRUMENT | Synth sounds you describe or build by hand, played inside one plugin |
| What is free | The free LABS packs, with a free Splice account | Building by hand with no limit, your first 3 asks to the AI and your first 3 sends to your DAW |
| What you pay for | The LABS+ sounds, on one of INSTRUMENT’s own plans | Pro, $10 a month, with about 70 sounds a month from the AI and as many sends as you want |
| Recorded instruments | Yes | No |
What happened to LABS
Spitfire Audio ended support for LABS and LABS+ on October 31, 2026. They no longer get new sounds, updates, bug fixes or support.
If LABS is already installed and working it keeps working, and songs that use it still open and play. You can no longer download or repair LABS sounds, and Spitfire says it won’t provide a legacy installer. LABS is authorized to the computer it’s on, so moving to a new computer may stop it working.
Is LABS still free?
The free LABS packs are still free. Splice acquired Spitfire Audio, and the packs are now part of its plugin Splice INSTRUMENT, which needs a free Splice account.
The LABS+ sounds are there too. A LABS+ subscription doesn’t unlock them in INSTRUMENT, which has plans of its own. If you want the LABS sounds themselves, that’s where they are.
What Studio 56 does instead
Studio 56 is not a library of recorded instruments. You describe the sound you want in Studio 56 in your browser and the AI builds it there. You might ask for “a warm Rhodes with slow tape wobble” or “a gritty 808 that glides between notes.” You can also build one by hand. Either way you can play it in your browser the moment it’s made and change any part of it.
When it sounds right, send it to your DAW. Every sound you make plays inside the Studio 56 plugin, a VST3 and AU, so there’s nothing new to install for each one. It works in Ableton Live, Logic Pro, GarageBand, FL Studio and most other DAWs except Pro Tools.
Sounds it does best
Basses, leads, pads, plucks, keys and bells come out best, along with organ and string-machine textures, and the synth guide shows what to ask for. If you came to LABS for its recorded instruments, keep INSTRUMENT for those.
How to try it
Open Studio 56 in your browser and describe a sound, or build one by hand. To play it in your DAW you need a Mac or Windows computer and a DAW such as Ableton Live, Logic Pro, GarageBand or FL Studio. Download Studio 56, add it to an instrument track and sign in, then send the sound from your browser. The guides for FL Studio, Ableton Live and Logic Pro have the exact clicks.
What is free and what Pro adds
Building a sound by hand is free with no limit, and your first 3 asks to the AI are free. Your first 3 sends to your DAW are free, and Pro sends as many as you want. Pro is $10 a month, and the AI builds about 70 sounds a month on it.
More guides
- How to make a VST plugin with AI
- Can AI make VST plugins?
- How to make your own synth VST
- How to make your own distortion plugin
- How to make your own VST plugin for FL Studio
- How to make your own VST plugin for Ableton Live
- How to make your own AU plugin for Logic Pro
- A Serum 2 alternative: make your own wavetable sound
- A Massive alternative for basses and leads you build yourself
- A ZENOLOGY alternative for synth sounds you build yourself
- An Omnisphere alternative for synth pads and textures
- A Reaktor alternative for building synths without code
- How to tell if a plugin was vibe-coded before you buy it
- Can AI make Serum presets?
- What synth plugins really cost in 2026
LABS is a trademark of Spitfire Audio. Studio 56 is not affiliated with Spitfire Audio or Splice, and neither endorses Studio 56.