If you had to choose just one Orchestra Sample Library, Which one is it?

[JonSolo]

Believe me, people actually have managed ok with VSL dry stage and producing the room themselves.

Oh I agree. I used to use dry stage in all my productions. But I also used to change my own oil, alternators, and brakes. Now I am willing to pay for the luxury of not doing it.

So you have a great point. We "managed". I am not virtuoso...ok I am. But I am not a great orchestrator...ok I am. Kidding aside, I am not a virtuoso or great orchestrator and I depend on my tools to give me the path of least resistance. I do the music. Let something else do the rest. I know, I know, it is not that easy. But as these tools become available I am willing to fork over the cash to help me get to my ideas quicker...maybe better than I could on my own.

Berlin Woodwinds are incredible and do the task. I have Hollywood Woodwinds, which are great, but plagued with issues that I don't have to fool with with Berlin. They have new products coming out which will make that even better.

Honestly I have not warmed up to Berlin Strings. Hollywood Strings are awesome...but so are the other 30 string libraries I own. One advantage to having so many libraries is that I can give REALLY good recommendations because I have seen the dark side and it is bad. Ha ha ha. Man...all that without alcohol. I need a drink. I become more agreeable with them. (Down to 3 a week now, yaaa me. ha ha ha)

For the record...Hollywood Orchestra Diamond is on sale for $499 (including hard drive). Great price for a fantastic orchestra! (You can complement with great woodwinds if you have extra credit, ha.)

[jancivil]

Berlin Strings weighs in at 115 GBs, so...

[jancivil]

I wish I had the cash for Synchron Stage Strings, I would not need to think about that problem too much further.

[Rockerpreneur]

Just realize this thread still alive..
Anyone knows does the ViennaKey can hold other licenses beside VSL products? Say, Steinberg. All I know ViennaKey is eLicenser, does they only rebrand it or somehow they make it work only with VSL.

If it's not, I think better to use eLicenser for long term use.

[fmr]

Just realize this thread still alive..
Anyone knows does the ViennaKey can hold other licenses beside VSL products? Say, Steinberg. All I know ViennaKey is eLicenser, does they only rebrand it or somehow they make it work only with VSL.

If it's not, I think better to use eLicenser for long term use.

ViennaKey is a regular eLicenser dongle. You can either use an eLicenser (if you already have it) or you can buy ViennaKey and store there your Steinberg products licenses too.

I have the first case (I already had an eLicenser, and used it to authorize VSL products, and the same happens to customers of mine).

[Rockerpreneur]

ViennaKey is a regular eLicenser dongle. You can either use an eLicenser (if you already have it) or you can buy ViennaKey and store there your Steinberg products licenses too.

I have the first case (I already had an eLicenser, and used it to authorize VSL products, and the same happens to customers of mine).

Thank you

[fmr]

Berlin Strings weighs in at 115 GBs, so...

Berling Strings sound absolutley gorgeous (actually, all Orchestral Tools are absolutely first grade, IMO). But the damn libraries are so expensive (even at sale price) that I can't justify the extra expense.

Someday, who knows...

[Rockerpreneur]

Berlin Strings weighs in at 115 GBs, so...

Berling Strings sound absolutley gorgeous (actually, all Orchestral Tools are absolutely first grade, IMO). But the damn libraries are so expensive (even at sale price) that I can't justify the extra expense.

Someday, who knows...

The same goes to me. I sometimes think these things just right for anybody out there but me..

[JonSolo]

Berlin Woodwinds are on sale.

The strings sound great, but Hollywood Strings cover my needs...as does Hollywood Brass. Now for bigger stuff...Metropolis Ark!

[dandezebra]

If I had to choose, Albion One. I agree with a lot if the previous comments about Spitfire but this library just works so well for me.

[AstroCastro]

Berlin Woodwinds are on sale.

The strings sound great, but Hollywood Strings cover my needs...as does Hollywood Brass. Now for bigger stuff...Metropolis Ark!

Metropolis Ark is consisted of 2 libraries. In MA1 you don't have woodwinds, but you have brass instruments, in MA2 you have woodwinds, you don't have brass instruments. Both of them don't have typical orchestral percussion.
MA is definitely not for everyone. It has a big, lush sound that only fits cinematic stuff.
This is most noticeable when you go for staccatos and that low end rumble starts to move your kidneys...really, really massive, big, evil sound. For cinematic junkies, MA1 is a god send.
If you are fine with Hollywood Strings and Brass, then you are absolutely free to skip at least MA1 because MA1 is built around strings and brass.

[JonSolo]

Metropolis Ark is consisted of 2 libraries. In MA1 you don't have woodwinds, but you have brass instruments, in MA2 you have woodwinds, you don't have brass instruments. Both of them don't have typical orchestral percussion.
MA is definitely not for everyone. It has a big, lush sound that only fits cinematic stuff.
This is most noticeable when you go for staccatos and that low end rumble starts to move your kidneys...really, really massive, big, evil sound. For cinematic junkies, MA1 is a god send.
If you are fine with Hollywood Strings and Brass, then you are absolutely free to skip at least MA1 because MA1 is built around strings and brass.

I am not sure why you made this comment. I mean are you trying to be contrary (and also just wrong)?

Metropolis Ark is now 3 libraries with one due for release in the next month. MA1 absolutely DOES have woodwinds. MA2 absolutely DOES have brass. (Why did you say that they don't?) Both DO have orchestral percussion that is awesome, as well as choirs and piano (something not available in the Hollywood series). MA1 fits a LOT more than just cinematic stuff, but it has a large sound. MA2 also fits tons of options but focuses on softer sounds.

I was fine with Hollywood Brass and Strings, but MA1 and 2 added some quick fixes to my arsenal that would have cost me a lot more time, effort, and energy, using Hollywood Brass and Strings alone...not that they lack...this is a time only factor. Not to mention two fantastic choir and piano options...

But if I were only aiming for a bigger sound, then my comment stands firmly- NOTHING beats Metropolis Ark 1.

[jancivil]

Believe me, people actually have managed ok with VSL dry stage and producing the room themselves.

Oh I agree. I used to use dry stage in all my productions. But I also used to change my own oil, alternators, and brakes. Now I am willing to pay for the luxury of not doing it.

So you have a great point. We "managed". [...]
I do the music. Let something else do the rest.

By 'managed', I'm very much understating my preference for not having eg., Spitfire's room to contend with or avoid, or collide with some other room. I'm actually pretty happy with how I manage.

When I started in with teh DAW, and for around a couple of years I was just someone that got notes together in order to make virtual instruments speak. I heard enough 'you need to learn to mix' to where I got it. So now I consider mixing and production part and parcel of being a composer.

I am not doing straight orchestral music, though, and I would only go to the extent of that (because, doing it right has to be it) if I was a professional movie composer and I'm not, it isn't really within my wheelhouse as a person tbh. So it's a huge setup (server farm) I don't have the space for on top of the money.

But I have a definite sound and that came from dry room and learning how to deal with reverb. Convolution reverb, although preferably MIR Pro or at least '24'. Or now Synchron Stage, because of HEIGHT as well as back-to-front. And it's more creative for me to develop strategies for creating the illusion of space (which I would continue to do regardless).

[JonSolo]

Ha, ok now that you bring Spitfire into the mix, I totally understand. And it is true that Orchestral Tools have a wetter sound.

I tend to stack my sounds anyway which not only adds a richness, but gives life to some of the ensemble parts. Traditional orchestration is not my common thing either. Much of what I do is, forgive the overused term, hybrid by nature. I don't have ambient down as good as you. But I do want to do something very soon in that direction.

[AstroCastro]

I am not sure why you made this comment. I mean are you trying to be contrary (and also just wrong)?

Metropolis Ark is now 3 libraries with one due for release in the next month. MA1 absolutely DOES have woodwinds. MA2 absolutely DOES have brass. (Why did you say that they don't?) Both DO have orchestral percussion that is awesome, as well as choirs and piano (something not available in the Hollywood series). MA1 fits a LOT more than just cinematic stuff, but it has a large sound. MA2 also fits tons of options but focuses on softer sounds.

A friend of mine bought MA1 as soon as it came out. It didn't have any woodwinds except bassoons and it also didn't have any orchestral percussion except big, deep toms for cinematic stuff.

If you look at the PDF of both MA1 and MA2 on their website "Articulations & Features PDF"
MA1
http://www.orchestraltools.com/resource ... _Ark_1.pdf

MA2
http://www.orchestraltools.com/resource ... _Ark_2.pdf

you can see that there are no woodwinds listed in MA1 and there's no brass in MA2.

I wasn't talking out of my ass, but I used their official documents about their libraries.
If they were updating their sound libraries in the meantime, they obviously failed to update their documents which give false information about their products. That's all.

Also, I was suspicious a bit because I remember that initial MA1 was around 70GB, now on their website it says that it's 75GB (NCW compressed). Then you open their PDF document and to see that nothing has been changed. So, what's about additional 5GB of content?
How can somebody know what's actually in there unless he/she buys their product with the latest updates because information they are giving about their products is misleading.