I'm having this tricky moment on whether should I get Spitfire Audio Studio Orch Coll. + HZ Piano or just get Kontakt 13 Ultimate because of more or less equivalent price but more complete library incl. w/ Kontakt 13 Ultimate. I really like Spitfire Audio Studio Coll. + HZ Piano because it just mix ready and sound close to published records I've tested and referenced with some tracks and just blends well and I could easily get inspired with.. somehow with the same price I could get Komplete 13 Ultimate which offers more wide range set of instruments library and stuff only limited by creativity.. my mix sucks btw and therefore i'm not really creative at the job and is one of main reason I'm opt for Spitfire but i dunno.. what would you do if you can only have one of the two? Spitfire Studio Orchestral Coll + HZ Piano OR Komplete 13 Ultimate?? andwhy... any inspiring thoughtful advise I appreciate in advanced, thanks

 

They are very different products really. Komplete 13 is a much more varied bundle offering a huge variety of content, whereas the Spitfire bundle you're planning to get is much more focused. Since you're comparing the bundle to these two specific Spitfire products, I'll give you my points based on them.

Pianos:
I have tried the NI pianos, and although I'm not a pianist, I really seem to like them all. I think all of them have their own sound and are useful in many ways. The Grandeur, for example, is a really versatile library and does a good job in many contexts, but doesn't have too much of a character. The Maverick is more of a characterful grand useful in other contexts. The Una Corda is a really unique piano which would be a great fit for a cinematic score. And the Noire is, well, simply beautiful! It's probably the best NI piano to date, and I find it to be surprisingly versatile too.

I don't have experience with HZ Piano, so I can't comment on it. However, from what I've read, people seem to have mixed opinions on it. 200GB+ for just a piano library seems a bit too much IMHO. I'll probably side with NI on this front.


Orchestral Instruments:
On the orchestral front however, it's a different story. If you're getting the Ultimate bundle, and not the Ultimate Collector's Edition, you're getting only the Essentials from the Symphony collection, which have fewer articulations than their Series counter parts, and also only a single mic position. Also keep in mind that various sections of this collection were recorded by different developers, and in very different spaces, so getting them to sit together in a mix might be a bit of a task.

Whereas in the case of the Studio Orchestra, it'd be a much easier task to make them sit together, considering all the sections were recorded in the same hall by the same developer. Having tried the Studio Strings, I can say that they are quite dry and hence very versatile, and can be processed to be more wet depending on the context. One more thing, the Studio Strings have more articulations than the Symphony Series Strings.

However, you don't get solo strings in the Studio Orchestra, whereas you get at least a solo violin in the Ultimate bundle. So it's a point for NI. But I think I'd still side with Spitfire on this one.


Conclusions:
Ultimately, it all depends on you of course. I just stated my opinions. If you do require the varied content that NI provides, and can work with the slightly limited orchestral ensemble instruments, go for Komplete 13 Ultimate. But if you'll be strictly scoring orchestral music, the Spitfire bundle makes more sense. I'll still advise you to rethink about HZ Piano, as it's quite expensive and IMHO you can get great instruments for much less from other developers. You can even get multiple pianos for the same price which would give you a more varied collection. Again, this is all my opinion and you're the only one who can decide what'd be right for you.
Personally, if I had to get something from these bundles, I'd probably get the Komplete 13 Ultimate bundle along with the Studio Orchestra.


Damn that's a long post!
Anyway, I hope this helps!

 

I second rethinking about HZ Piano. It is great and I like it a lot, used to be my go to piano but It's not really worth 200 GB of space. I switched to NI Noire and I think it's way better for its price and size (also included in K13). It sounds great and I agree with rollerball, it is the best NI piano so far.

Can't say much about the orchestra as I've never personally used NI's orchestral libraries, except Action Strings. But I'll echo what rollerball said. With Komplete you'll get a little bit of everything but it'll be very basic orchestral sections when compared to dedicated Spitfire libraries, which are more deeply sampled and have way more articulations. Also it depends on what you want to do with the orchestra.
Spitfire, in my opinion, exceeds at big, soft and lush types of sound, it's their main strength as Spitfire started to create sample libraries so that they can use them themselves. If you're composing for TV or just generally writing similarly to Chris Henson or Paul Thomson, you can't go wrong with Spitfire for the most part. I didn't really like their Studio series but Chamber Strings and Symphonic Woodwinds are two of the best libraries they've ever made and I highly recommend them over their Studio alternatives.

I would go with Spitfire if that's how you feel, only I would advise you to think again about HZ Piano and check out some other libraries first. $400 is a lot for piano that has Hans Zimmer's name on it purely for the marketing sake and not much else. I also wouldn't call it mix ready as its main strength is its size and huge choice for microphones, which you're supposed to fiddle and experiment with to find combinations and sounds that you like.

 

I prefer Spitfire but I would choose NI most likely.

Why?
Because it's in my opinion, way more versatile than Spitfire and doesn't limit you to a few musical genres.

Lastly, in a mix, I am not sure if you would be able to hear any differences between Spitfire and NI Orchestral stuff.

 

I agree! Spitfire have the most detailed libraries for softer sounds IMHO.

While I agree that the Chamber and Symphonic sound more beautiful and lush than their Studio counterparts, IMHO the strength of the Studio series lies in the fact that they are dry and less lush, allowing them to be more versatile. Also, at that price point, I think it's one of the best value for money options in the market. Especially because you're getting the whole Studio Orchestra for less than the Chamber Strings.