8Dio

8Dio is an American music-technology company and brand best known as the leading independent developer of Kontakt software instruments and as the originator of the deep-sampling approach to sampled instruments. Founded in 2011 by the husband-and-wife team Troels Folmann and Tawnia Folmann, the company grew out of their earlier venture 8Dawn and their work in Silicon Valley, video-game audio, and trailer music. Its catalog is built on millions of recorded samples and is aimed squarely at professional composers, producers, and sound designers working in film, television, trailers, and video games. The brand's product line spans orchestral, choral, percussive, and hybrid cinematic instruments. Flagship and well-known libraries include the Majestica symphony orchestra (described by the company as the largest symphony orchestra ever sampled), the Century Strings and Century Brass series, the Intimate Studio Series (strings, brass, and woodwinds recorded at Scotland's Gorbals Sound), the Lacrimosa, Requiem Professional, Liberis, Silka, Insolidus, and Aetheria choirs, the Hybrid Tools line (including Terminus), the Legion Series, and the Deep Quintet Strings. Many titles are delivered as downloads and require the full retail version of Native Instruments Kontakt. 8Dio positions itself as a favorite among industry professionals, stating that its music has been used in roughly 40% of blockbuster releases since 2011 and that its instruments have featured across hundreds of popular TV shows and major video games. The company has earned recognition including BAFTA, TEC, and other awards, and its founders bring notable credentials: Troels Folmann is an award-winning composer and Ph.D. scholar in music technologies, while Tawnia Folmann is a Tony Award-nominated Broadway producer and a member of the advisory board for The Bob Moog Foundation. 8Dio operates as a privately held, independent company and sells primarily through its own website, offering individual libraries, bundles, and related educational content such as master classes. It remains active and continues to expand its deep-sampled catalog for the professional scoring market.

8Dio's origins lie in the partnership of Troels Folmann and Tawnia Folmann, who met in Silicon Valley. At the time, Tawnia was working on a location-based social app and Troels was writing full buyout production audio tracks for video games, trailers, and movies. Both were driven creatives who wanted to build something of their own, and their first company, 8Dawn, was born from that ambition. Eight years later they signed with the Extreme Music label Taboo, a subsidiary of the high-end publisher Sony Publishing. 8Dio itself was formed in 2011. From the outset it focused on creating advanced sampled instruments for Native Instruments' Kontakt platform, and it pioneered what it calls deep-sampling — building instruments from very large numbers of recorded samples to capture nuance, dynamics, and expressive detail. Over the following years the company assembled an extensive catalog spanning orchestral, choral, percussive, and hybrid cinematic instruments, and it became a leading source of sample libraries for film composers and producers around the world. The company's product history includes landmark releases such as the Majestica symphony orchestra, which it describes as the largest symphony orchestra ever sampled; epic taiko ensembles; 200-piece "Titanic" choirs; 66-piece cello ensembles; and 12 deep-sampled pianos. Its Century Strings and Century Brass series, the Intimate Studio Series recorded at Scotland's Gorbals Sound, and the Hybrid Tools line (including Terminus) further established its reputation for cinematic scoring tools. The company also produced the Adagio String Series and other industry-standard scoring libraries. 8Dio's work has earned the founders numerous awards, including the prestigious BAFTA and TEC awards, among others. Troels Folmann is an Academy Award (BAFTA), TEC/Mix Foundation, GANG, and D3 award-winning composer, a Grammy Pro member, and a Ph.D. scholar in music technologies. Tawnia Folmann is a Tony Award-nominated Broadway producer, a member of the advisory board for The Bob Moog Foundation, a Grammy Pro member and Grammy mentor, and a frequency sound healing artist. By the 2020s 8Dio continued to operate as an independent, privately held company selling its libraries and bundles directly through its website, alongside educational offerings such as the 4K master classes included with products like Terminus. It markets its sounds as having been used in roughly 40% of blockbuster releases since 2011, across hundreds of popular TV shows, and in major video games.

• 2011

  8Dio is formed by Troels and Tawnia Folmann.

• Founders' earlier company 8Dawn is established in Silicon Valley; eight years later they sign with Extreme Music label Taboo, a subsidiary of Sony Publishing.

• 8Dio releases the Majestica symphony orchestra, described as the largest symphony orchestra ever sampled.

• The Intimate Studio Series is recorded over hundreds of hours at Scotland's Gorbals Sound scoring stage.

• Hybrid Tools Terminus is released after over 18 months of deep production, including a 4K master class with Troels Folmann.

Leading independent developer of Kontakt software instruments and inventor of deep-sampling, aimed at professional film, TV, and game composers.

• Majestica

  Symphony orchestra library described by 8Dio as the largest symphony orchestra ever sampled.

• Century Strings / Century Brass

  Orchestral string and brass series, available individually and in bundles.

• Intimate Studio Series

  Strings, brass, and woodwinds recorded at Scotland's Gorbals Sound, with up to 256 string size combinations.

• Lacrimosa Choir

  200-singer epic choir library.

• Requiem Professional

  Classic choir and solo singers library.

• Liberis Choir

  Award-winning children's choir library.

• Silka

  Choir library marketed as super realistic.

• Insolidus Choir

  Choir library described as humanity in a choir.

• Aetheria Choir

  16-piece operatic choir library.

• Hybrid Tools Terminus

  Hybrid cinematic instrument with percussive, epic/hybrid, neo-orchestral, and synth categories, plus ear candy and strum banks.

• Legion Series

  Series of cinematic instrument libraries available as a bundle.

• Deep Quintet Strings

  Deep-sampled string quintet library.

• Adagio String Series

  Industry-standard cinematic string scoring library.

1. 18Dio – 8dio.com8dio.com
2. 2COMPANY – 8dio.com8dio.com
3. 3Hybrid Tools Terminus – 8dio.com8dio.com
4. 48Dio Intimate Studio Series – 8dio.com8dio.com
5. 58dio – Wikidatawikidata.org