Well, we all know there is no great all-in-one orchestral library. If strings are great than winds are blah etc... Almost every full package has objection.

So, with this knowledge we must to join all kind of libraries to make perfect orchesta.

Currently I'm playing with these (big thanks to Andrew for great reviews):

Strings

1) Spitfire Mural
2) Spitfire Albion 2
nice fit together with Mural individual instruments.
3) Cinematic Strings 2
This library has that "something". I really love staccato and runing articulations.

(I want to try Sable series and LASS)

As I read LASS has RAW sounding and must be using with reverb etc... to shape a nice sound. It's very comparable to BFD over other drum libraries.


Winds

1) Cinesamples CineWinds core/pro

Brass

1) Cinesamples CineBrass core/pro

Perc

1) Native instruments Action Strikes
2) Heavyocity Damage (it includes some orchestral phrases etc...)

Piano

1) Galaxy II Steinway
2) Tone hammer - Emotional piano

(planing to put Ivory piano instead two of these)

There is a big question of music genre, but if we speak about orchestra this perfect library must can reproduce sounds of any genre, from classical to modern or even movie sound (cinematic).

I almost a month research what is good and what is bad, and this is result of my current conclusion (because I must try some of these like Sable or LASS). What is your expirience ?

 

Strings

1) Spitfire Mural
2) Spitfire Stable
3) 8Dio Adagietto


Winds

1) Orchestral Tools Berlin Woodwinds Collection

Brass

1) Broadway Big Band 1.3.0
2) Orchestral Brass Classic

Perc

1) Evolution Series World Percussion 2.0
2) Spitfire Percussion REDUX

Piano
1) Production Grands
2) Fazioli Ebony Concert Grand Complete
3) Orchestral Tools The Orchestral Grands

 

I am more than satisfied with the LASS library combining audio with good convolution reverb very good results are obtained.
I'm currently using audio products spitfire (Albion I, II and III). giving that soft touch that look sometimes.

 

One of the hardest things to do in in programming is to play like the perfect orchestra, once you get that sorted then you're closer to how to create the perfect orchestra sound so others will think its the perfect orchestra.

And even then real orchestras have issues beyond their control to deal with, the list could go on and on as an insight to what can and does happen.

If i was to pass on one valuable tip it would be - to study as hard as you can and concentrate on playing and feel and remember i've never met any single person to successfully play all real instruments in an orchestra, if they could then you would see 1 single chair sitting in the room.
Take those thoughts with you thats a lot of instruments to learn and be well accustomed to playing correctly.

If you feel the learning curve is too long or too hard then use any library your ear finds pleasing and sit back and enjoy the vibe.

Cheers and good luck ​

 

I have a lot of strings library but i'm still searching for my definitive sound, while i'm pretty sure for other orchestral section's library.

Strings: LASS (my first choice, with convolution reverb)
Cinematic strings 2

Woodwinds: Berlin woodwinds

Brass: Cinebrass

Perc.: EWQLSO Perc.

Piano: Orchestral tools Grand piano
Cinesamples Piano in blue 2

I will try Cinesamples Cinestrings...

 

Intresting, playing yesterday with orchestral stuff and libraries..

Try LASS and personaly don't like it.

Also finally install EWQLSO Platinum + Pro XP and I must admit that nothing can beat that old library... clear sound and small size of articulations.

I play with mic positions, and I have legato or sustain 1st violin with 3 mic position for around 60mb (with DFD buffer 120kb) and sound great.

EWQL side by side with Spitfire Mural, sound nice together if I put 1st violin from EWQL and 2nd violins from Mural per example, they add ambience to overal sound, because Spitfire has a lot of reverb included.

So, for now I put EWQL Strings at first place for strings section.

---------------------

Today I will continue exploration of the woodwinds from EWQL.

I just realise that version 2.0 is really bad, there is a lot of noise etc... and people still using 1.5 When I play 2.0 I ask myself, what the hell !

--------------------

LASS 1.5 has great sounding, but there is no ARC Am I miss something or what ? What version do you guys use ? Is there any version 2 working ?

 

Today I try Embertone Friedlander Violin but I experience some glitches at the key release... Sound like LASS violin and it has great vibrato.

 

My libraries of choice:

Universal
Live Orchestra (see review from April 1st)

Strings
Spitfire Mural vol. 1 (and 2 in the future)
Spitfire Sable vol. 1,2,3
Spitfire Albion 2 Loegria Strings
LASS (for the sake of argument )

Skaila Kanga Harp
Symphonic Sphere Harp

Ilya Efimov Acoustic, Nylon
Vir2 - Acoustic Legends (downsampled to 48k)

8dio 1969 Legacy Piano
Gwilym Simcock - Felt Piano

Brass
Samplemodeling - everything
Cinesamples' - CineBrass Core, Pro
Spitfire Low Brass
Spitfire Horns vol. 1

Woodwinds
Orchestral Tools Berlin Woodwinds MAIN and EXP A (MIX mike only)
Orchestral Tools Berlin Woodwinds EXP B
Westgate Studios Woodwinds
Spitfire Albion 1,2 Woodwinds (for quick mockups)

Percussion
Spitfire Percussion Redux
Evolution Series World Percussion
ProjectSAM True Strike 1
(and some not yet released ones)

Choir
8dio Liberis
Soundiron - Mars and Venus

Ethnic and ancient
Soniccouture - The Conservatoire Collection
Best Service - Era, Forest Kingdom


Want to know which combination will work together? Don't hesitate to ask.

The samples are the same as with 1.5, you only need to move the CC1 (mod-wheel) as the volume curve is initialised later. The noise you're hearing is from low-velocity samples. *yes*

 

Andrew you are the man ! Thanks

I don't know about modwheel I have to try for the maybe six time

 

After the loading is complete, move the mod-wheel in any direction, this will 'initialise' the crossfading script by adjusting the volume/dynamic layers accordingly.

 

Thanks I will try

--------------------------

He he, what a dumb just turn modwheel... Believe me or not, maybe six time dl complete 2.0 version and delete, and thinking whatfor people are fascinated about that library - sounding distorted and noisy like a old BASF normal tape

Thanks again

 

Andrew:
I would like to know which combination will work together.

And a technical question: how you can downsample a library from 96 K to 48 K?

Thanks.

 

Hi jagian,
the conversion process is easy, you just need to convert NCW samples to WAV and then run your favourite resampler on them.

To properly advice you what works, I'd need to know your primary lib, i.e. 'reference' library *yes*

Actually LASS was powerful at the time of its release, but now it's the same old tears on a new background

 

Thanks Andrew for answer:

Im thinking to downsampling for example 8Dio libraries.
I have a 2d question: after converting and obtaining *.wav files, can i convert again to NCW format again?

Thanks in advanced