KVR Audio

sillyboy · Post by **sillyboy** » Sat May 31, 2008 7:08 pm

Hey everyone, I'm looking for a sample library to play some big band music in Sonar, and I'm wondering if anybody has suggestions? I play trumpet live and I've got some good trombone samples in another vst, so the priority is a good sax sample, so I've been looking at Yellow Tools Candy, but also kick ass brass. Right now those are my top choices. I've listened to the linplug saxlab and garritan jazz and big band demos and I wasn't that impressed with either. But if anyone has other suggestions, I'd love to hear 'em!

Thanks very much for any tips!
-S

koolkeys · Post by **koolkeys** » Sat May 31, 2008 7:15 pm

You may want to look into Chris Hein Horns. There is a version out now with solo instruments that is getting updated soon with new scripting and VERY playable. Highly recommended, as is all of Chris's stuff.

Also, Chris is releasing a horns section sample library with a huge amount of detail and playability. He talks about it here:

http://www.northernsounds.com/forum/sho ... hp?t=61107

His website is www.chrishein.net if you want to check out the older library. But the update makes that library extremely different and much better. I don't think there is anything better out now for all-round big band style horns. I haven't tried them all though either.

Brent

Waker · Post by **Waker** » Sat May 31, 2008 7:17 pm

The ones in Kontakt 3 sounds good. They are from the Chris Hein Library AFAIK. NI also has the Kontakt Sax & brass korepack with an interresting arranger script built into it. It's nice, but No vibrato.

freddemillio · Post by **freddemillio** » Sat May 31, 2008 7:25 pm

I think that the sax is one of the areas where samples have a very tough time of delivering something realistic. I am usually disappointed with any sampled sax. IMHO, I think we are going to have to wait until either The Sample Modeling folks or Wallander attack saxes. The expressiveness of the instrument makes it very difficult to really create a virtual instrument with standard sampling techniques. Something with some synthesis techniques thrown in with the samples is needed in order to craft a virtual instrument that is really an instrument and not just a very sophisticated jigsaw puzzle.

koolkeys · Post by **koolkeys** » Sat May 31, 2008 7:32 pm

I don't know. The new Chris Hein solo horns are pretty darn easy to play and are believable. But I don't think samples could ever fully replace a real instrument because it will ALWAYS be more expressive than a sample set or synth.

Brent

keyman_sam · Post by **keyman_sam** » Sat May 31, 2008 7:45 pm

EWQL Brass for 35$ is a bargain and imo, better than the garritan library.

teomi · Post by **teomi** » Sat May 31, 2008 7:52 pm

have you listened to Broadway BigBand?
Just go to either fablesounds.com or sonivoxmi.com and listen to the demos.

I don't think there is a reason to wait...unless, of course, for saving up...

Eitan

Tony Ostinato · Post by **Tony Ostinato** » Sat May 31, 2008 11:20 pm

one of the fundamental things is horns dont have to tongue every note, you can just tongue the first one and then wiggle your fingers and the notes will smoothly blend together as a fluid line. its called a slur, or slurring.

samplers tongue every note, its maddening. it always gives it away too.

I agree, keep an eye on wallander and samplemodeling. the former for anything live and the latter for studio/editing type composition.

im hoping wallanders bari sax is anything even half as good as their bass clarinet.

freddemillio · Post by **freddemillio** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 5:38 pm

Tony Ostinato wrote:one of the fundamental things is horns dont have to tongue every note, you can just tongue the first one and then wiggle your fingers and the notes will smoothly blend together as a fluid line. its called a slur, or slurring.

samplers tongue every note, its maddening. it always gives it away too.

I agree, keep an eye on wallander and samplemodeling. the former for anything live and the latter for studio/editing type composition.

im hoping wallanders bari sax is anything even half as good as their bass clarinet.

I heartily recommend that you give Tony's work with the Wivi instruments a listen. He uses them live with a wind controller and he makes some beautiful music with them. Check out the Wallander forum and you'll find his posts with his live takes. I enjoy them a lot and I hope others will too.

@Tony: FYI, I am LRK from the Wallander forum.

Chris Hein · Post by **Chris Hein** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 7:25 pm

Tony Ostinato wrote:one of the fundamental things is horns dont have to tongue every note, you can just tongue the first one and then wiggle your fingers and the notes will smoothly blend together as a fluid line. its called a slur, or slurring.
samplers tongue every note, its maddening. it always gives it away too..

Tony, you are right, but todays features in modern samplers solved this problem.
The new CHH instruments have a very flexible and adjustable legato-mode,
as well as some more, new ways to handle the note transtions.
You can hear a little bit of that in the new demos, but there will be more detailed informations available very soon on my site.
http://www.wizardserver.de/forum/chh/CH ... Lounge.mp3
http://www.wizardserver.de/forum/chh/CH ... OhBabe.mp3

Chris Hein

sillyboy · Post by **sillyboy** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 11:21 pm

thanks very much everyone for your help! I guess I'll wait for more info on the new CHH instrument...I'm not in a huge rush.

Thanks!
-S

Tony Ostinato · Post by **Tony Ostinato** » Mon Jun 02, 2008 1:24 am

yah sample modeler falls into that new sampler catagory, and its amazing what these things can do, but ill never be into keyswitching live with my particular brain heh.

freddemillio, i cant thank you enough that was very kind.

Yki · Post by **Yki** » Mon Jun 02, 2008 8:01 pm

Beautiful stuff on those CHH sax demos!

I wonder how playable they will be, or will it be a keyswitch hassle?

Wallander WIVI's realtime playability is awesome. The feeling I get when playing a solo instrument or a polyphonic brass section live with a breath controller, it's unbeliveable. That beautiful brass sound coming to my ears, just like it was following my thoughts?! When I first set up a polyphonic brass section in WIVI, it was one of those very rare occasions when I've felt like being inside a science fiction movie. I was like, am I dreaming or is this actually happening.

There are a couple of my demos on Wallander's site ("Oh when the saints", and the Youtube clip). I don't know about the rest of you, but I must say those demos impressed myself.

LOL You should never say such things about your own music though.

Jazz sample library, saxes in particular.