Sample Libraries Optomized For Live Use?

[jeffn1]

I think this continues to be a growing area as more and keyboard players (mostly) in various bands/groups incorporate laptops/tablets to replace or supplement their internal keyboard sounds.

I especially am interested in thoughts on replicating acoustic sounds since keyboard players are typically cast with covering horns, strings, accordions, harmonicas, etc. (pretty much all sounds except guitar, drum and bass).

I think Gig Performer, Mainstage, Camelot, Cantabile, and Ableton Live (sorry if I left some out) are often used as hosts.

In live performance, there may be some differences in what is more important in a sample library/vst instrument as compared to recording/composition.

To me, the biggest thing is a realistic sound with the ability to control a (small number) of articulations on the fly. Also, reasonable cpu consumption, memory usage, and hard drive space are important. (Of course, cost is always a factor).

So, what are the best realistic sample libraries for live use?

[DSmolken]

For live performance, you'll want minimum latency, which isn't great for getting realistic choir and string sounds. Also, you'll want to avoid getting into stuff with lots of MIDI CCs (though for horns and strings, breath and bite controllers are an option here, I don't really know anybody who uses those on stage, mostly for playing parts in in the studio), and keyswitches are also not easy to deal with. Switching sounds can also be a pain, especially with things that are very RAM-hungry.

I've mostly just prerendered tracks and basically DJed while playing one part live. It's a lot less stressful. I have managed to use Straight Ahead Jazz Horns live live, though, and managed to trigger the falls with the keyswitches properly. So it's doable. A nice string ensemble patch and choir will probably be a significant sonic upgrade over even a high-end workstation keyboard.

[jeffn1]

Hello, DSmolken,

I think this is changing as laptop computer have become more powerful. Gig Performer and Mainstage are probaby the biggest players in this area (as hosts for VSTs, which make it easier to use live).

I agree. You do not want to deal with large numbers of big sample and articulations. You are not going to "program" articulations and you can not use huge "multis" like I used to love in one of the big guitar sample libraries (LPC).

You want a small footprint (low cpu/low ram/low latency) and reasonable control over a smaller number of parameters. But, if it is manageable, it just has to be a better option than internal sounds on a keyboard.

So, I think this is the challenge for developers. But, I think it is a growing area.

[seangm]

I use Cantabile with sampled instruments like Keyscape and Kontakt instruments (Grandeur, Fable Sounds Broadway Gig) for live playing. I haven't run into any issues with CPU or glitches or whatever and they sound great. I'm planning on switching to Gig Performer 4 though because it seems easier to configure and more powerful than Cantabile. Just my 2c.