OPW The Shoe Factory

Spitfire Audio OPW The Shoe Factory

A Sonic Masterpiece from a Historic Shoe Factory

Following the production of ‘OPW’ and ‘The Pool Project’, composer Oliver Patrice Weder has created a library inspired by age-old factory machines and ambiences, working it into a versatile and creative virtual instrument. Featuring grinding machine loops, cinematic hits, endlessly ambient factory textures, swells and shorts, as well as his altered grand piano and characterful brass swells, both recorded in his living room, a former shoe factory.

This library is centred on industrial beauty and is perfect for finding inspiration for new pieces and making great compositions from the unexpected. With 57 presets and an easy-to-use and intuitive UI, it is ideal for all levels of composers to pick up and play with, especially for those who want to experiment with modern and industrial compositions.

Key Features

• An intuitive UI with seamlessly integrated FX including ‘Grime’, ‘Distortion’ and ‘Reverb’, as well as ‘Attack’ and ‘Release’
• An integrated speed slider to adjust the length of swells
• Oliver’s grand piano with two signals intimately recorded with a pair of C414s, and key release and pedal volume control
• Characterful brass trio and sax swells with a blend of close and room mics
• Factory Echoes with 3 different layers for an evocative and aleatoric ambience texture
• Factory Textures and grinding machine loops produced from field recordings at still intact shoe factories

The concept of The Shoe Factory

Initially, Weder planned to move to Los Angeles in 2020. The pandemic changed this and he ended up in a small village in the Tramuntana mountains in Mallorca, part of the Balearic Islands.

Exploring the village’s history revealed a rich shoemaking heritage, with over 60 factories in and around the village. Venturing into these factories with microphones, he captured the machines’ sounds and the unique ambience. The passionate employees, some of whom had worked at the same machine for 40 years, showed him their work was a true labour of love. After getting to know them, he realised the significance of the machine sounds in their lives, especially in the summer when factory sounds spill into the streets.

This unexpected inspiration became the heart of his eponymous album and this sample library, blending with brass, saxophone, piano, and electronics recorded in his own living room, a former shoe factory.