VSTBuzz Kirk Hunter Diamond Library at a very low price

[kevvvvv]

I wanted this library last Xmas but I wouldn't spring for the necessary, as I could get so much more else for the same money.

Then today I see VSTBuzz's latest deal, Kirk Hunter's $500 Diamond library for 99 euros.

It's downloading as we speak.

I'm writing this post as I've used Kirk Hunter strings for a year now, and some people might wonder what they're like?

Like many here, I've been using orchestral samples since samplers began.

I find I use KH Strings all the time, whether as solo instruments, quartets, or as ripienos doubling Kontakt's VSL strings.

If Kontakt VSL reminds me more of Mahler or Beethoven, then Kirk Hunter reminds me more of Mozart or Handel. Perhaps dreadful analogies, but ....

If you're a candidate for an orchestral upgrade I'd suggest this offer is worth a serious check.

regarding Kirk Hunter solo strings - points in its workflow favour:

- flexible keyswitching

- lots of key switched articulations

- brilliant choice of contrasting violins etc at an instant click

- a choice of two types of legato

- controllability of bow dynamics

It's the best I've played for small chamber sounds

- very good at fast light detache sounds. Think nimble.

With the new Diamond UI this instant interactivity looks even better and is more logically laid out.


Points against

- Kirk Hunter strings is a quiet library. I have to put a gain on every track of up to 10db. I'll write back if Diamond has improved this.

- there'll always be, say, a better 4 part cello in such and such a library, or a better trumpet elsewhere. Tastes will differ.


But there's never been a better time to buy a serious level orchestra, at a student orchestra price.

[TheKid]

My opinion: the price is very good, but the sound is a bit outdated. It is way better than Garritan Personal Orchestra and Miroslav Philharmonik but can't compete against great stuff e.g. from CineSamples, Spitfire Audio or Cinematic Studio (granted that stuff costs a lot more). 500$ is way overpriced to me, 100$ is a no-brainer if the sound quality is acceptable for the buyer. I'm still hesitating. Next problem: no license transfer possible (iirc).

[Jazzaria]

How good are the solo strings? Specifically, how do they compare to the various dedicated solo strings libraries (Embertone, CineStrings Solo, etc.)? To be clear, I don't expect them to be competitive in terms of fancy features, but how playable are they and do they have a nice/cutting enough lead sound to play a compelling melody line on top of orchestra?

I'd also be curious if anyone knows how the strings in Diamond compare to Concert Strings 3. It seems like the autodivisi isn't as fancy (just switches between full/half, rather than all the way down as in CS3), and I imagine the samples themselves are different but not sure how much.

[bosone]

i already have garritan instant and personal orchestra, miroslav 1, komplete, kirk hunter solo strings (the old one)
i was thinking about this but then i realized that i have too much stuff to work with, so i'll skip!
moreover, i am more tailored to "hollywood epic trailers" right now and this does not seem the ideal choice.

[kevvvvv]

Been at it with Diamond Orchestra all afternoon and this evening.

It's gorgeous.

I set both super fast & andante baroque concertos using just plain vanilla legato and both sounded lovely.

I did side by side tests with Kontakt VSL, which sounds harsh by comparison. KVSL sounds loud & gritty when firing on all cylinders, while Diamond is more light and airy and catches the fast notes better even in legato.

In this respect it's quite the opposite of the huge Berlin orchestra samples I heard a while back.

The attack is adjustable which makes for a smoochier violin, that still catches the attack nicely and builds expressively and slightly slightly out of tune as the attack forms the intonation, which is very tasty when overdone

- though when overcompressed, background noise comes out in the louder parts.

KH admits this noise and says it's part of the sound, though I'd have preferred super clean.

There are presets for different vibrato settings as well, which all adds to the palette..

And all on one screen, and easy to use.

I'll grapple with key switches later.

The choice between 16,8,4,1 desks is instant to use. It feels like I can set the mood of the piece by manipulating the different orchestra section sizes almost on the fly.

Thumbs up so far, and a welcome addition.

[Jazzaria]

Glad to hear you like it - any opinions specifically on solo strings? Also, how was the download/activation process?

[kevvvvv]

I've had KH solo strings for some time.

They're much lighter, more detache than VSL. V sweet to my ears, but can screech now and again - but then all string samples do this sometimes.

I like the choice of 4 different solo violins as this lets me find the particular violin that suits the way the piece is played.

Ditto 2nd violins, violas etc.

It's easy to make a solo violin pair with another model of solo violin so you hear the two together. The same thing thing works for 3 and 4 violins together

- which means I can match the density of "solo violin" sound to the piece.

This flexibility is what I like and what stops the strings being a one trick wonder, and more universally useful.

The reverb is NI reverb, though the whole orchestra sounds very lush when played through a nice thick plate verb.

I'll test if Diamond solo strings are the same as KH Solo Strings, and let you know.

Download was 80 odd zips and 80 odd extractions until the 80gbs were done.

But painless and reliable, with no server issues.

No activation. Just copy the files to your Kontakt folder and start playing.

I'm still very delighted and intend to start trying out the keyswitches this evening on a piece that I know is very demanding for a sample orchestra (Rameau's Overture to Pygmalion, full of gusto if played right)

[DarkStar]

Solo String 1 = Diamond Strings
https://www.kirkhunterstudios.com/produ ... strings-1/

Solo Strings II is newer, more velocity layers and notes, included in Concert Strings II.
https://www.kirkhunterstudios.com/produ ... strings-2/

[Torchlight]

I bought the Diamond Orchestra during a Group Buy on here last year I think.

There are a lot of good sounds in it.

My quibbles: I found the downloading and unpacking process of all the individual files a bit bewildering and it took some effort and time to get the correct directory structure.

There doesn't seem to be any real UI for controlling the sounds or, if there is, I haven't worked out how to access it, perhaps because of the byzantine directory structure that I somehow did not set up correctly. Looking at the KH forum on KVR, a lot of people seem to have these issues.

While the overall sound is good, it seems to me there are small flaws in the samples that make me wary of using them. I did something in Notation a while ago using the KH trumpet sound I think. At one point, during a sequence of notes, there was an abrupt change in the volume and nature of the trumpet sound for no obvious reason. It was like a different articulation, but there had been no articulation or velocity change in the Midi signal.

That said, I still use it, albeit more warily, and I think it's worth buying for this price.

[DarkStar]

... it took some effort and time to get the correct directory structure.

Agreed, it can be a bit fiddly, but Kirk did provide some detailed instructions (in TVEC_3_Installation.rtf).

There doesn't seem to be any real UI for controlling the sounds or, if there is, I haven't worked out how to access it

Au contraire - here I just select one of the instruments in the _TVEC_3.1_Instruments folder that came when I got Diamond, or from the newer _TVEC_4_Diamond_Instruments folder.


or

[Torchlight]

Well, probably I have not organised the directory structure correctly to get this to work properly. But the fact is that it is not obvious how to do that; there are multiple sets of instructions for TVEC2, TVEC3, TVEC4, other products that seem to have been incorporated into the Diamond Library such as Concert Strings, etc; and the instructions are not clear, otherwise I would have been able to work it out before now.

And since I do not have these problems with other orchestral libraries, it is a flaw or "feature" that it would be reasonable of other people to take into account when making a purchasing decision.