LABS
LABS is a free virtual instrument for macOS and music production workflows, offering playable sampled sounds in a standalone app and DAW plug-in.
What is LABS?
LABS is a virtual instrument used to play sampled sounds for music production on Mac. It is made by Spitfire Audio LLP and is commonly used by songwriters, producers, composers, and hobbyists who want ready-to-play instruments inside a DAW or in standalone mode. Users install the LABS plug-in, then download and load instrument packs such as pianos, strings, pads, drums, and experimental textures. On macOS, it fits into common recording and composing workflows with AU, VST, VST3, and standalone use cases. It is designed for browsing sounds quickly, loading presets, and sketching ideas without building an instrument setup from scratch. Existing installations can continue to open and play their content, including in older projects that already use LABS.
Key features
- Play sampled instruments in a standalone app or inside compatible DAWs
- Browse and load instrument packs for composing, beat making, and sound design
- Use common plug-in formats including AU, VST, and VST3 on macOS
- Open existing projects that already use LABS sounds
- Switch between a range of sounds such as keys, strings, drums, pads, and textures
- Sketch musical ideas quickly with ready-to-play presets
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Safety overview
Status: Mostly safe
LABS is legitimate music software and its normal behavior is consistent with an audio instrument. It may store downloaded content, settings, and logs on your Mac, and it needs access to standard audio plug-in locations so your DAW can load it. If you remove it, projects that depend on LABS may open with missing instruments or changed sound. Keep a backup of important sessions and exported stems before uninstalling or cleaning up related files.
Recommendation: Keep LABS if you use it for music production or have past projects that rely on its sounds. Remove it only if you no longer need the instrument and do not have sessions that depend on it, and consider saving rendered audio from older projects first.
Common paths
/Applications/LABS.app/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/LABS.component/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST/LABS.vst/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/LABS.vst3
Cache paths
~/Library/Logs/com.spitfireaudio
Support paths
~/Music/Spitfire Audio/Settings
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