Old, tired, and frustrated.. (Orchestra SW Content)

VST, AU, AAX, CLAP, etc. Plugin Virtual Instruments Discussion
RELATED
PRODUCTS

Post

progtronic wrote:I know people are saying otherwise.. but I really would not recommend PS' Orchestral Essentials. They are really just very overpriced demos IMO.

OE2, in particular.. is an odd assortment of ensembles, that will have very limited use. They contain few multi-samples, limited (if any) velocity switching, round robbins or articulations. Also, a lot of single sample stretching and baked-in ensemble layering.

These products should have been marketed as stripped down instrument demos of their parent products, for $50-$70.. tops.

$329, for demo quality.. is just crazy.

ProjectSAM's full version products, however.. are OK. They still rely on baked-in-layered, ensembles though. Really not a fan of that whole concept. I like to have everything separated and layer things up myself, as needed.

/rant 8)
One's own opinion. Project Sam''s essentials are exactly as described, essentials.
Yes, only one mic position and less round Robins but a lot can still be achieved with the two libraries. Calling them demos is extremely harsh.
8Dio might also still be a great option for the OP.
Each to their own at the end of the day. We are here to give he or she available options.
The worst they could do i's listen or demo the products to make a decision.

Post

Thanks for all of the replies, much appreciated.
Looks like I need to do quite a bit more digging, but that's OK, I'm going to be waiting for sales that should crop up on at least a few of these products around the end of November.

As far as my level, yes, I'm pretty much a newb to this area of music production, but have been a working musician since '85, so I'm no stranger to music itself. It's just that it's been 70% stringed instruments, and the rest split between drums/percussion and the keys.
Took piano years ago, but I lost interest to more of a rock music pursuit. I know my way around on the keys though, and have the patience to reacquaint myself with all the rest it/this entails.

Thing is, getting into this area has much more going on than playing the keys, and a lot more to do with MIDI programming and knowing my way around pieces of software. And the very subject of this thread; deciding what the heck to get, at what price, at what level, etc... :help: :lol:
Another level to mention is that my studio is a project studio run out of my home, it's no big-time operation. That said, I know my way around EQs, Reverbs, etc...and have the ears to make just about anything sound like I want it to, especially the space the sound is being played in...

Which leads me to a question about the EW subscription: First, I hear people complain that the gold level has only one mic position.
But is it impossible to recreate the sound of the other mics using reverb(s) in an intelligent way? I would think not if one knows what they are doing. :shrug:

Well, there's a little background, the search continues, but I think I may do a one month subscription for EW Gold, see what I can live without, what I think are must-haves, and hopefully by the time sales roll around, decide on something.

By all means, keep chiming in with suggestions, and debate amongst yourselves. It's all informative to me. :tu:

*edit* If it's only for one month, I may as well get Diamond (Plus) sub, that way I could prove/disprove the mic position/reverb question I posed...hmmm

Cheers
-Steve
Is that a real Poncho? I mean, is that a Mexican Poncho? Or is that a Sears Poncho? ...hmmm...no fooling...-FZ

Post

Just looked at (and heard) Kirk's Diamond Collection, and love the fact it includes solo instruments.

Thing is, a lot of these offerings from smaller companies require Kontakt Full, which adds $400 to the price of admission (literally) right off the bat ...ugghh...

Does that thing EVER go on sale? What a gouge IMO.
Is that a real Poncho? I mean, is that a Mexican Poncho? Or is that a Sears Poncho? ...hmmm...no fooling...-FZ

Post

Okay, if you also need Kontakt you really should check out EastWest Composer Cloud (personally I hate subscriptions for software). Another option would be IK Multimedia Miroslav Philharmonik 2. I don't like IKMM that much and I never really fell for the sampletank engine (I have Kontakt). But they are the kings of product devaluation price wise. Get the crossgrade (if you have a 99+$ product) in a sale (black friday is coming).

Post

3rdstone wrote:Just looked at (and heard) Kirk's Diamond Collection, and love the fact it includes solo instruments.

Thing is, a lot of these offerings from smaller companies require Kontakt Full, which adds $400 to the price of admission (literally) right off the bat ...ugghh...

Does that thing EVER go on sale? What a gouge IMO.
At least once every year. And with 50% reduction.
Fernando (FMR)

Post

3rdstone wrote:Just looked at (and heard) Kirk's Diamond Collection, and love the fact it includes solo instruments.

Thing is, a lot of these offerings from smaller companies require Kontakt Full, which adds $400 to the price of admission (literally) right off the bat ...ugghh...

Does that thing EVER go on sale? What a gouge IMO.
Got the Diamond Collection, on sale.. for $99. There's so much freaking content.. I hardly know what to do with it all. :lol:

Definitely consider the full version of Kontakt. It will open a huge world of many free and affordable libraries. I went the Komplete (standard) route, years ago. Komplete updates can be had, on sale (half price).. generally around $100. They usually include full version upgrades of the various products.. and a handful of Kontakt instruments.

Post

There is a thread similar to this under the Samples section.

I strongly recommend the EWQL Composer Cloud for a test run to see if you like Play. Subscribe for a month. If it is for you, subscribe for a year and wait for the BOGO's or 50% off sales to get what you want to keep forever. Hollywood Orchestra Diamond is truly one of the best all around and will last well past your initial development. For instant gratification, nothing beats the things Orchestral Tools delivers. The Berlin Series, including Inspire is just awesome. If you are into loud or soft epic then the Metropolis Ark series (I & II respectively) are great and include things like piano and choir.

Spitfire Albion series is great, but I have never viewed them as all-in-ones. They are great filler to round out the sound, or serve as a solid base if you have solo instruments. And Albion I was far better than Albion One...but is no longer available, though some of the legacy sounds are still in One. Beyond that, the rest of the series is extremely niche.

There are many other bits and pieces out there to round out a full palate as time goes on.

Post

Yes, I am going to go with a subscription for now, too bad the "+ and Plus" subs are yearly only.
Guess I won't get to confirm my mic/reverb simulation, (all these companies get you one way or another it seems), oh well.
Gold will be just fine for now, there so much there to check out.

BTW, I just signed up for the free DruMic'a software so I could catch a crossgrade to Kontakt Full at a decent price in the future.
I thought I had everything sewn-up, registered on the Senn. site and downloaded the program.
Then I get the confirmation e-mail with the link to confirm, it flashes the Senn. site then goes right to "Server not found"...arrggh..
I tried this in 3 different browsers and no dice ...I can't win for losin' I tell ya... :bang:
Is that a real Poncho? I mean, is that a Mexican Poncho? Or is that a Sears Poncho? ...hmmm...no fooling...-FZ

Post

thejonsolo wrote:There is a thread similar to this under the Samples section.

I strongly recommend the EWQL Composer Cloud for a test run to see if you like Play. Subscribe for a month. If it is for you, subscribe for a year and wait for the BOGO's or 50% off sales to get what you want to keep forever. Hollywood Orchestra Diamond is truly one of the best all around and will last well past your initial development. For instant gratification, nothing beats the things Orchestral Tools delivers. The Berlin Series, including Inspire is just awesome. If you are into loud or soft epic then the Metropolis Ark series (I & II respectively) are great and include things like piano and choir.

Spitfire Albion series is great, but I have never viewed them as all-in-ones. They are great filler to round out the sound, or serve as a solid base if you have solo instruments. And Albion I was far better than Albion One...but is no longer available, though some of the legacy sounds are still in One. Beyond that, the rest of the series is extremely niche.

There are many other bits and pieces out there to round out a full palate as time goes on.
Thanks for your suggestions (and everyone else's as well).
I think I like the layout/functionality of Kontakt more than Play. Plus all of the libraries that would be available going that route.
I did do the one-month subscription for EW Gold (Diamond/Platinum require a year commitment).

So on the Kontakt front, I finally got a reply from Sennheiser, and they sent me the product key for DrumMic'a. This is good news, as there is still a crossgrade option for Kontakt with the full version of DrumMic'a.

I see someone is selling a full version of Kontakt in the classified, he's asking 120 pounds, which isn't too bad, BUT..
Doesn't Kontakt almost always have a sale around Black Friday? Like 50% off?
Another question: Does anyone know if crossgrades are also 50% off during these sales? Would I be better off waiting?
I logged into the NI store and it says I qualify for the crossgrade @ $249. Does that mean I could get it for around $125 when NI has their sale?

Again, thanks for all of your help everyone, nice bunch of people here... :tu: :phones:
Is that a real Poncho? I mean, is that a Mexican Poncho? Or is that a Sears Poncho? ...hmmm...no fooling...-FZ

Post

I kind of second the advice to subscribe to Eastwest as a first step. It feels funny to give that advice since I have never used an Eastwest product but my advice is founded on two things, basically:

1. I have heard what people can do with it and the results prove what it is capable of and
2. Given the learning curve involved in doing orchestral music, given the fact that all libraries have shortcomings, and given the fact that you can spend thousands of dollars on libraries to discover you don't even like making that type of music or wish you had bought different things, the price of the Eastwest subscription for what you're getting is a no-brainer

The other viable alternative is to try to wade into the whole process using cheap or free libraries (if you have Komplete you can get impressive results with the Factory content and Session Strings, even though eventually you'll grow out of it).

Post

Sonivox Film Score Companion is really good. I downloaded today and played around with it. I really like it!
It is not very realistic and polished like the expensive libraries but for the money (especially now 50% discount) I don't think there is a better option for a small budget:
https://www.pluginboutique.com/product/ ... -Companion

Post

While both are good you seem to like Kontakt over Play. Indeed there are many third party libraries for Kontakt making for a very rich base. If that is the case, then you really need look no further than Berlin Inspire for your first orchestra. Listen to the demos to be sure.

It contains strings, brass, woodwind, and percussion from their stellar Berlin series. It also contains a harp and piano to round you out. With the sound library that comes with Kontakt you should be set for awhile. Kontakt library contains an older VSL set.

Hope this helps.

Post

Thanks again guys... :tu:
@EnGee: Yes, this isn't the first time someone has recommended Sonivox, and that is a good price.
I'll have to listen a bit more, and believe it or not, with a few drinks in me to see if it passes the real vs fake smell-test. If I'm completely sober, I find my ears are not as critical, which seems counter-intuitive, but I've tested this many times...(How's that for an oddball observation..haha).

@thejonsolo: Yes, Berlin Inspire is a great-sounding suite, matter of fact, I found a limited functionality demo and downloaded it. Really ticked me off that the demo version wouldn't load into Kontakt Player.
Like I said though, I'm going to go the full version route by the end of the month.

So Inspire, and no-doubt, a few other specialty libraries (BF Sale stuff) will be making their way into my possession soon.
The other library I like quite well is the Kirk Hunter Diamond Collection, I really hope they have that mega-sale again soon, that would be great.

Well, the wait for sales carries on... thanks again folks... Y'all rock... :clap: :phones:
Is that a real Poncho? I mean, is that a Mexican Poncho? Or is that a Sears Poncho? ...hmmm...no fooling...-FZ

Post

3rdstone wrote: @EnGee: Yes, this isn't the first time someone has recommended Sonivox, and that is a good price.
I have some of the Sonivox singles and libraries and they come in pretty handy here and there. Their Orchestral Companion libs are not that bad at all IMO, especially when you get them on sale.
Just have a look:
https://www.pluginshopberlin.de/en/Soni ... referid=97

Happy shopping! :hihi:

Post

EnGee wrote:Sonivox Film Score Companion is really good. I downloaded today and played around with it. I really like it!
It is not very realistic and polished like the expensive libraries but for the money (especially now 50% discount) I don't think there is a better option for a small budget:
https://www.pluginboutique.com/product/ ... -Companion
I got all of the Sonivox libraries in a huge sale, that included the Film Score products and more.

It was a good value, considering that I was looking for some good sounds on a budget.

I will point out that there are no solo strings in the Orchestral Companion Strings, but the Brass and Woodwinds have a few solo instruments. It is mostly instrument ensembles and full sections.

For the same money today, I would probably opt for Kirk Hunter Virtuoso Ensembles, it's on sale for $89 right now, normally $299. https://www.kirkhunterstudios.com/produ ... -ensemble/

https://vi-control.net/community/thread ... 299.65657/

This one runs on Kontakt Player, as well as the full Kontakt! :tu:
Windows 10 and too many plugins

Post Reply

Return to “Instruments”