KVR Audio

Vintage73 · Post by **Vintage73** » Tue Dec 22, 2015 4:30 pm

Sorry, yes, Epic Orchestra (I was looking right at it, too).

So probably not the sound that's being pursued here.

nineofkings · Post by **nineofkings** » Tue Dec 22, 2015 4:51 pm

VSL SE 1 is about $250 at B&H. Not cost-prohibitive, light on RAM, very expressive. It does require some mixing, and it has a dongle, but it excels at classical over epic.

kbaccki · Post by **kbaccki** » Tue Dec 22, 2015 6:40 pm

Aha! I was thinking of Sonokentic's Da Capo... prepackaged sections lib. Needs full kontakt though.

https://www.sonokinetic.net/products/classical/dacapo/

I could have sworn there was another one like that released within the last 18 months... could be imagining...

kbaccki · Post by **kbaccki** » Tue Dec 22, 2015 7:05 pm

An oldie but possibly goodie...

http://www.bestservice.de/en/complete_o ... ction.html

Includes String Essentials + Advanced Orchestra (a classic!) + a bunch of other stuff for under 200. Products have been around separately for years, then a couple years ago combined with some new programming for Kontakt 5... also runs in Kontakt Player.

[Nevermind. I see the OP already knows about this one

]

[Edit 2: after playing with String Essentials again (which I own), I think there are probably better alternatives out there for that kind of money]

fmr · Post by **fmr** » Tue Dec 22, 2015 7:42 pm

I find Garritan Personal Orchestra a very good package. And the Instant Orchestra is a good add-on for obtaining instant lush orchestral backgrounds. But, bang-for-the-buck, perhaps the winner is still East West Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra Silver Edition.

ObsoleteAcc99 · Post by **ObsoleteAcc99** » Wed Dec 23, 2015 4:31 am

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jancivil · Post by **jancivil** » Wed Dec 23, 2015 6:57 am

Garritan Personal Orchestra has a bad rap around here. There are a number of things in it that are quite nice, I think. The strings are by turns flat and tubby, but they can be produced to sound decent. This takes me back to what for me is an earlier life. I bought GPO before he even had boxes or CD jackets, disks were in paper sleeves in a Manila envelope by snail mail. The harps are nice; there is some very nice percussion; and I used his bass flute last year more than once. It's got character and a convincing grain to it. Lacks legato tho'. The solo strings have possibilities, but need EQ and an exciter. Shortly after that, I picked up EWQLSO Silver. When it was a KOMPAKT library! At Guitar Center, for $100. It's all dry. The strings here are very much NOT Hollywood; kinda raw and woody. Now it has some percussion I may still call on, even with VSL Full Perc at hand. Such as cymbal swells and brush swipes, a few sounds by particulars that aren't redundant for me. I would really not want a whole orch. in PLAY, tho'. Seen too many people moan about loading time, and the one PLAY lib I have, RA which is LITE, finishes loading in the time of like 17 other Kontakt or VSL which are mostly heavier. I'm sure the more you load here the worse it'll be.

bill45 · Post by **bill45** » Wed Dec 23, 2015 3:34 pm

The vsl stuff comes with tutorial project files for various DAWS., that will help with mixing and arranging.

Bombadil · Post by **Bombadil** » Wed Dec 23, 2015 3:54 pm

TheoM wrote:I have to say - be careful about one thing with the play cheap stuff.. it only gets the one mic absolutely *drenched* with verb...

This is why i refuse to subscribe.. if they let us CHOOSE the one mic WE wanted, (and everyone would probably pick the close mic so they could add their own ambience), then i'd be all for it. But you need to pay the big bucks to get the really useful libraries.

I don't find the Hollywood Gold libraries 'drenched' in reverb. There is certainly room ambience from the center Decca-tree mic, but it isn't that off-putting to me. I just signed on for the Composer Cloud arrangement on a monthly basis, mostly to audition their stuff. So far, I am fairly impressed, and I have Garritan, VSL SEs, Miro 1, and the standard stuff that comes with the Kontakt library. Speaking of which, I'd possibly recommend getting the full Kontakt for that IF it goes on sale in the near future. I got the full Kontakt at a cross-grade price that was 50% off, so it was €125 or so. Otherwise, I'd go with Garritan. I don't particularly like their strings, though.

Elektronisch · Post by **Elektronisch** » Thu Jan 14, 2016 6:09 am

chroma wrote:i found miroslav sounds good but a _lot_ of work - i had the original version, and have some of the kontakt versions (which are $10 for each of the 5 volumes at esoundz right now).... this as opposed to, say, pop/rock strings (the kirk hunter library I have), where I can just kind of play on the keyboard and it sounds reasonably good..

Cant find them in esoundz. Can you link me ?

chroma · Post by **chroma** » Thu Jan 14, 2016 1:40 pm

themachinelt wrote:
chroma wrote:i found miroslav sounds good but a _lot_ of work - i had the original version, and have some of the kontakt versions (which are $10 for each of the 5 volumes at esoundz right now).... this as opposed to, say, pop/rock strings (the kirk hunter library I have), where I can just kind of play on the keyboard and it sounds reasonably good..
Cant find them in esoundz. Can you link me ?

they are in the Infinite Player tab, under Kapsules. They don't say miroslav anywhere on them, but my understanding is that they are from the same samples (or the same sampling session at least).

https://www.esoundz.com/landingpages/infiniteplayer.php
e.g.
https://www.esoundz.com/sounds/orchestr ... /4614.html

note they are back to $29, but they have a lot of sales.

Elektronisch · Post by **Elektronisch** » Thu Jan 14, 2016 1:55 pm

chroma wrote:
themachinelt wrote:
chroma wrote:i found miroslav sounds good but a _lot_ of work - i had the original version, and have some of the kontakt versions (which are $10 for each of the 5 volumes at esoundz right now).... this as opposed to, say, pop/rock strings (the kirk hunter library I have), where I can just kind of play on the keyboard and it sounds reasonably good..
Cant find them in esoundz. Can you link me ?
they are in the Infinite Player tab, under Kapsules. They don't say miroslav anywhere on them, but my understanding is that they are from the same samples (or the same sampling session at least).

https://www.esoundz.com/landingpages/infiniteplayer.php
e.g.
https://www.esoundz.com/sounds/orchestr ... /4614.html

note they are back to $29, but they have a lot of sales.

Thanks!

hmm it writes infinite player, is that a separate program from Kontakt?

bigcat1969 · Post by **bigcat1969** » Thu Jan 14, 2016 3:45 pm

Based on their Sampletank stuff and I have many packs from a buy one get many sale they did with IKM, esoundz is bottom of the barrel. I'd take Sonatina over the things I've tried from them. Getting their stuff over Kontakt would be like getting a Yugo over a Chevy. If you want Miro 1 just get it from IKM on a sale, probably 50 bucks or less.

Infinite Player...
https://www.esoundz.com/sounds/infinite ... /2459.html

jancivil · Post by **jancivil** » Thu Jan 14, 2016 9:48 pm

Blue Phase Music wrote:Not for myself, but in the interest of this thread, how is the VSL Essential Orchestra that comes with Vienna Ensemble Pro 5?

At only about $200 (plus discounts, depending), the software itself seems like kind of a bargain with an orchestra.

VE Pro should be more emphasized in this type of question, I think. If you have VSL libraries, VEP will learn the samples and optimize the load accordingly. If you have things requiring a bit bridge, it runs both 32 and 64 bit simultaneously. It is more CPU efficient due to being a separate process than the sequencing host. It can parse cores to take advantage of multicores, per instance. IE: if you have FX or what-not which are hungrier, you let them have more 'threads'. You have all of plugins' automation parameters in one map, both MIDI CC and host automation, incl. physical controller learn.

The Epic Orch, like anything, is useful to the extent of your musical point. I find the strings in it sound so wonderful it's a real go-to. These are not woody, aggressive, such as LASS or basic EW, it's smooth and sweet. It's just a tutti patch, your violas overlap vlns, celli overlap vlas, bassi overlap celli, so it's not suitable for very detailed, very neat writing. I've found a place for the oboe d'amore once or twice, but it's all limited by articulation. The Epic Horns are very 'classical music' type and I've not called them.

Vintage73 · Post by **Vintage73** » Thu Jan 14, 2016 9:53 pm

jancivil wrote:
Blue Phase Music wrote:Not for myself, but in the interest of this thread, how is the VSL Essential Orchestra that comes with Vienna Ensemble Pro 5?

At only about $200 (plus discounts, depending), the software itself seems like kind of a bargain with an orchestra.
VE Pro should be more emphasized in this type of question, I think. If you have VSL libraries, VEP will learn the samples and optimize the load accordingly. If you have things requiring a bit bridge, it runs both 32 and 64 bit simultaneously. It is more CPU efficient due to being a separate process than the sequencing host. It can parse cores to take advantage of multicores, per instance. IE: if you have FX or what-not which are hungrier, you let them have more 'threads'. You have all of plugins' automation parameters in one map, both MIDI CC and host automation, incl. physical controller learn.

The Epic Orch, like anything, is useful to the extent of your musical point. I find the strings in it sound so wonderful it's a real go-to. These are not woody, aggressive, such as LASS or basic EW, it's smooth and sweet. It's just a tutti patch, your violas overlap vlns, celli overlap vlas, bassi overlap celli, so it's not suitable for very detailed, very neat writing. I've found a place for the oboe d'amore once or twice, but it's all limited by articulation. The Epic Horns are very 'classical music' type and I've not called them.

Thank you. After VSL SE Woodwinds Vol.2 and Vol2 Plus, VE Pro is my next VSL purchase.

Entry level Orchestral VST