The Orchestral Sample Library Thread

[karelm 3,190]

Not sure what thread this best falls under but thought this history of Abbey Road was interesting and worth watching, as it covers the bulk of recorded music history plus talks a bit about the Star Wars and JW sessions.

 

[Manakin Skywalker 5,645]

Interesting to finally hear why those bits of metal are all over the walls... a bit more bizarre and anticlimactic of an explanation that I would have thought. 

[TolkienSS 487]

Does anyone have VSL Synchron Brass and String FX 1?

Is Strings FX in practice as useful and amazing as it sounds? Is Synchron Brass also for media scoring, or is it more aimed at classical music?

 

About Strings FX: this may be a stupid question, but with all the string work going on, how do I know what notes are actually being played so I can fit in the rest of the orchestration? I know that the point of this is to create bizarre sounds, but I'd generally like to know what pitches are there.

[Drew 594]

I've heard some convincing mockups of Synchron Brass in the JW sound.

 

 

[Meredith McKay 7,843]

 

[Drew 594]

CineSamples' new Brass library is now on the market for the Kontakt version.

 

https://cinesamples.com/product/industry-brass-core 

 

I'm not sold on the sound of the demos. However, it's too early to make judgments. This feature looks interesting:

 

"To properly reflect the impact the Newman Scoring Stage has made on our industry, and on music in-general throughout the years, we've included 'color' presets. These presets are designed to shift the sound of Industry Brass to more accurately reflect the different eras of film score that the Stage has helped define.

GOLDEN ERA: 30s The iconic Hollywood sound of the 1930s is the product of the technology available at that time, with all its quirks: recording tools, devices, and formats with narrower frequency ranges and higher noise floors than we have today. Lack of multi-track recording meant the entire ensemble recorded with a single microphone resulting in a monophonic recording, this also meant the balance between instruments was achieved via room balancing.

TIMELESS: 50s Even though recording was still monophonic, some improvements over the 1930s technology allowed for multi-track stereo playback, lower noise floors, and small improvements in frequency range fidelity.

BLOCKBUSTER: 80s The 80s sound is defined by the introduction of Dolby Stereo and THX systems. Dynamic ranges, frequency response, and overall fidelity expanded exponentially.

MODERN: Now Represents the sound of the stage today as Damon Tedesco has shaped it."

[Meredith McKay 7,843]

 

[A24 4,803]

I've downloaded it! A bit dark (even when playing ff) but I like it! Would have been better with more velocity layers. 

[TolkienSS 487]

Pretty much everything would be better with more velocity layers.

[Drew 594]

"Full Walkthrough" in this case means only the trumpets.

 

[karelm 3,190]

35 minutes ago, Drew said:

"Full Walkthrough" in this case means only the trumpets.

 

I don't know.  I immediately don't like it.  It sounds so synthy to me.  It doesn't sound like the next level but rather more of what others are doing.  Don't get me wrong, sounds good for synth but we should be beyond that.  We've been there for years.  

[Drew 594]

Orchestral Tools' Berlin Brass and Tom Holkenborg's Brass, CineBrass, and Cinematic Studio Brass are the gold standard of brass samples. Layering them is magic.

 

28 minutes ago, karelm said:

I don't know.  I immediately don't like it.  It sounds so synthy to me.  It doesn't sound like the next level but rather more of what others are doing.  Don't get me wrong, sounds good for synth but we should be beyond that.  We've been there for years.  

 

I'm sure there are ways to make it sound good that the demos and walkthrough did not do.

[karelm 3,190]

25 minutes ago, Drew said:

Orchestral Tools' Berlin Brass and Tom Holkenborg's Brass, CineBrass, and Cinematic Studio Brass are the gold standard of brass samples. Layering them is magic.

 

 

I'm sure there are ways to make it sound good that the demos and walkthrough did not do.

Tell me one library where your statement doesn't apply. 

[A24 4,803]

On 08/02/2023 at 9:34 AM, TolkienSS said:

Pretty much everything would be better with more velocity layers.

 

Yes, but sometimes the instrument is so interesting, you wonder why they didn't take advantage of the opportunity. 

[TolkienSS 487]

I think Berlin Brass French Horns sound miserable in the upper register above C4.

Not as miserable as Spitfire SB, but still miserable. 

 

VSL Synchron Brass is great.

[Meredith McKay 7,843]

5 minutes ago, TolkienSS said:

Spitfire SB, but still miserable.

SB?

[TolkienSS 487]

Symphonic Brass.

[Meredith McKay 7,843]

Just picked up a free trial for EW Composer Cloud, any recommendations or suggestions?

[filmmusic 2,605]

Does anyone know with what samples can anyone achieve this sound of the violins (?) at 0.48'' of this piece?

 

Is it spiccato?

According to Adler's orchestration book this must be arpeggiando.

[TolkienSS 487]

I watched a few videos about CS Industry Brass, and I must say, for a library released in 2023, it sounds flat out bad.

[Meredith McKay 7,843]

Http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mImgl7y9Kfw

[Meredith McKay 7,843]

Not orchestral but whatever..

 

 

[Giftheck 1,105]

Any chance somebody can guess which drum patches were used in this track? I can identify a few patches (there's definitely True Strike in there) but I'm having trouble finding what's used for the rhythm for the main theme, for instance.

 

 

EDIT: I would also love to know what makes that wail at the end.

[mikal_grig 556]

surprising for sure! downloading now!

[mikal_grig 556]

On 24/03/2023 at 8:53 PM, Michael Grigorowitsch said:

surprising for sure! downloading now!

 

Wrote a short demo already:

 

 

The stereo image of this library is astonishing! Recommended for anyone who needs to score fantasy.

[Meredith McKay 7,843]

 

[LSH 1,098]

4 minutes ago, A Farewell to Kings said:

 

 

Lovely! I'm getting this just to play along to Zero 7 and Air.

[Meredith McKay 7,843]

Any recommendations for the Spitfire Flash 50% off sale?

[mikal_grig 556]

1 hour ago, A Farewell to Kings said:

Any recommendations for the Spitfire Flash 50% off sale?

Depends on the sounds you want, but generally speaking I think Abbey Road One (you can purchase the whole bundle, https://www.spitfireaudio.com/abbey-road-one-the-collection) is the best stuff Spitfire produced so far. If you want some more 'experimental' / 'synth' ones I can recommend Polaris (https://www.spitfireaudio.com/polaris), which recreates synths using orchestral instruments. If you want more intimate libraries, 'Heirloom' (https://www.spitfireaudio.com/heirloom) might be of interest.

[Manakin Skywalker 5,645]

3 hours ago, Michael Grigorowitsch said:

Depends on the sounds you want, but generally speaking I think Abbey Road One (you can purchase the whole bundle, https://www.spitfireaudio.com/abbey-road-one-the-collection) is the best stuff Spitfire produced so far. If you want some more 'experimental' / 'synth' ones I can recommend Polaris (https://www.spitfireaudio.com/polaris), which recreates synths using orchestral instruments. If you want more intimate libraries, 'Heirloom' (https://www.spitfireaudio.com/heirloom) might be of interest.

 

Out of curiosity does Abbey Road One have any muted trumpets at all? I don't see any listed on the site so I assume not. That's always been a gripe of mine with EW Hollywood Orchestra is the last of mute varieties.

 

I'm trying to find something similar to this (cup mute maybe?):

 

 

[Meredith McKay 7,843]

Yeah, no muted trumpet unfortunately.

 

Hopefully the full Abbey Road Orchestra series they are doing includes some.

[Manakin Skywalker 5,645]

Anyone who has Cinesamples Industry Brass, how would you compare it to EW Hollywood Brass?

[TolkienSS 487]

1 hour ago, Manakin Skywalker said:

Anyone who has Cinesamples Industry Brass, how would you compare it to EW Hollywood Brass?

 

EW is miles more realistic.

[Manakin Skywalker 5,645]

I've been using EW for years, but Industry Brass is currently on sale and has a decent muted trumpet sample that I've been looking for, so I'm now trying to decide if that alone is worth the price. Maybe not then...

[Meredith McKay 7,843]

 

 

 

[LSH 1,098]

I've got four weeks of doing nothing before I start my new job (not a complaint in the slightest) and I thought I'd like to keep myself useful by, amongst other recreational activities, knuckling down and making some music, like I used to do a lot.

 

So I bit the bullet, not that my wallet is thanking me, and finally bought Spectrasonics' Omnisphere. Something I've wanted for sodding years. Fuck it. Let's have some fun.

[Manakin Skywalker 5,645]

1 hour ago, LSH said:

Something I've wanted for sodding years.

 

Same... I saved up for it a couple years ago but keep getting paranoid that something else will come along that I'd rather spend the money on. 

[LSH 1,098]

24 minutes ago, Manakin Skywalker said:

Same... I saved up for it a couple years ago but keep getting paranoid that something else will come along that I'd rather spend the money on. 

 

I've thrown way too much money at sample libraries over the years and I'm sad to say that a lot of it has been wasted. Of the stuff I've bought, I probably only use a quarter of it regularly. I was far too fixated on buying all the latest orchestral samples. But now that I have an orchestral template I'm happy with, I'm glad to have finally bought Omnisphere.

 

[Meredith McKay 7,843]

I bought Stylus RMX earlier this year, and am looking to get Omnisphere at some point.

[Meredith McKay 7,843]

Picked up Abbey Road High Percussion in the spring sale, did anybody else pick something up?

[mikal_grig 556]

I spent 641€ rip

[TolkienSS 487]

Any libraries out there able to recreate Shore like aleatoric lines?

[mikal_grig 556]

Maybe Albion IV Uist?

https://www.spitfireaudio.com/albion-iv-uist

[Meredith McKay 7,843]

1 hour ago, TolkienSS said:

Any libraries out there able to recreate Shore like aleatoric lines?

Maybe CAGE?

 

https://8dio.com/products/cage-bundle?variant=41309913383112

[Meredith McKay 7,843]

 

[mikal_grig 556]

I won a copy of this because I (didn't) knew what the fourth film score recorded in Abbey Road was XD!

[Giftheck 1,105]

 

Also has a preview of Hollywood Fantasy Percussion.

[A24 4,803]

Maybe this is the emotional cinematic piano sound you have been looking for?

 

 

Review with lots of playing:

 

 

[filmmusic 2,605]

Does anyone of you good people know any good Fender Rhodes sample library?

I understand there are some free too?

[TheAvengerButton 179]

Seeing as Spitfire just released their Originals orchestra, I thought I'd sit down and play with the patches that I'd already purchased (the Epic Strings, Brass and Woods) and do a short little ditty. I surprised myself--this library says epic but (IMO) it pulled off this more whimiscal sound with gusto. It's a great option for beginner composers to pick up.

 

 

 

I did cheat a little and I used a glockenspiel from Nucleus and a timpani from Abbey Road One Foundations, because I tried to use the free BBCSO Discover glock and timpani but for some reason the samples wont sound no matter what I do.