Hi there!

Currently i've been making fusion/funk tunes () and I'm miss having something like a brass section going on from time to time! The problem is that I'm not familiar with orchestral VSTi/libraries. Can any of you guys recommend me one for this purpose? Preferentially something that's not super heavy on the PC and clunky (like most of those big Kontakt libraries, I hate Kontakt) AND something that's readily available at sister site.

Thanks!

 

Do you already have Audio Modeling SWAM instruments? The shared Woodwinds bundle apparently had some malware in it, but there are VR and R2R versions of most of the instruments separately. They are one of the best alternatives to sample-based options like Falcon(IRCAM) or Kontakt. Linn Sax Lab 2 is old, but small and pretty decent, if you want to fill a second chair.

 

Last edited: Mar 11, 2024

Hi.
Nice track, i know that synth is the main element, but it's slaping the face... .
Beside of that, you hate kontakt... And you need something brassy and not heavy in resoruces of ram or disk, then the answer is...
Acousticsamples Vhorns Brass sections.
it's for Falcón. The saxo it's amazing too.
That's is a hola new era, it's like a audio modeling, but like a tradition library, actually it's a hybrid aproach, they use the modeling and real samples. I'm waiting for the strings.

 

Thank you for the kind words, I'll check that out definitely.

Lol I actually have SWAM installed in my laptop but I think it's the R2R version (thankfully). Linn Sax Lab 2 sounds awesome tho.

 

A lot of people like the Pop Horns that on the sister site in the East West Play module. Some of the others have already been mentioned so I won't regurgitate. You said you wish to avoid Kontakt. I cannot remember the thread, but someone said a while back that the horns in Falcon were also pretty decent.

It's a shame there is not a standalone version of Session Horns outside of Kontakt because they're really easy to get emulating Tower of Power style Funk horns, if that's what you're looking for.

 

I mean, yeah, I'm trying to avoid stuff like Kontakt but if the other alternatives involve having to download Falcon or whatever then I'd appreciate Kontakt libraries recommendations (that aren't like 80GB) cuz I already have Kontakt installed but I'm trying to run away from it.

 

If you don't want 100+ Gigs of Kontakt library [Strezov Diamond Jazz], you can try Roland SRX [each library is 120mb]. It sounds just decent.

 

After trying Kontakt under several variables, it works at its best when you have under 30 libraries. It then loads as well as anything else. It runs into speed and loading issues when it has to read 100s of thousands of files. It also needs to have its libraries on an nVme or SSD of some kind. Hope that helps. Unless you use all the libraries you have installed, delete them and their registry entries and xml files in the NI Service center.

 

I use 100+ Gigs libraries on NTFS Segate 2tb HDD under Tuxera. They work flawlessly. Just Batch Resave & after that it's great.

 

Falcon libs are much smaller than Kontakt. They are mostly .Flac files, and it is also very light on resources when compared with Kontakt. If I wanted something as hq sounding as Kontakt, but way less storage and cpu resource using; downloading Falcon is exactly what I would do.

 

No argument whatsoever
I am merely saying that if Kontakt is the option, less is more for speed and usage.

 

I have 1400 libraries on 2x 8TB nvme's. NI even says the more you load and number of large libraries, the klunkier Kontakt is when it first loads, and all of the libs are batch saved with only 200 not. I merely saying what is. I also have 128GB ram and an 11th gen i9 so it's not a slow machine. Any machine that reads over a million files is not going to be fast, batch saved or not. Kontakt itself takes longer to load, the libraries notsomuch because it makes the same mistake Arturia Analog Lab does. It reads everything loading the application. The largest library I have loads pretty quickly. Kontakt itself with so many libs is the issue.

 

Damn dude! I haven't got used to my 8-10 Libraries. 1400! It'd be couple lifetimes going through those. I don't have any Libs that come defualt with it, which I guess makes it easier for me. I don't know if kontakt reads all libraries that are installed? I guess that's only a issue when you have tons of them.

 

How about the old Garritan Jazz & Big Band 3 Sound Library?
Not that heavy on CPU and size isn't huge either
https://www.garritan.com/products/jazz-big-band-3/

 

Not really there is a really good trick to it - Most libraries have around 2-5 maximum things that are regularly usable.

Honestly it is Klunky with that many and I get why he does not want to use it possibly for that reason. If you could order sort more easily into categories it would be a blessing. Some of the libraries like the session horns are based on function. The LibOrganizer is possibly the best thing out there but it is limited to the default functionality of Kontakt itself. Sorting shortcuts into categories is the best way I found for sorting. Select the entire directory and create shortcut (does the whole lot). Then using a batch replace do the - shortcut, replacing it with a blank...boom, done. You can then sort into Strings, Brass, Vendor name, style etc etc.. and create your own folders for quick access.
On a MAC, ALIAS does much the same thing

Being totally honest, I need to delete probably 65% of them but in doing that, I have to be sure that I have not used it in a DAW project (it gets messy if so on opening), and be absolutely sure there is not one sound in any of the libraries I will delete that I cannot find somewhere else in my resources, that is at least as good or better. Images below - slider at top and slider close to bottom so you can see there's no BS.

The one thing that is not mentioned is that the Kontakt libraries themselves function as is whether you use MAC or PC. In other words, they're not different. So if you have a PC and a MAC, you only need one version of the libraries. Both O/S's can use them and access them (with permissions of course). Just make sure they're on an NTFS formatted drive because a MAC can read it by default whereas a PC has default issues with HFS without a MAC reader.

BTW I am not a wizard with this, the real wizards here are people like Bob Dule and others. I just know the limitations and advantages within my own environment, nothing more.

 

Last edited: Mar 12, 2024

@Djord Emer Glory days if you decide on Kontakt and Hein Pro Horns complete also - IF - you decide to use Kontakt i.e. will also cover the BB more than adequately. Fable Horns if you want more but it is Klunky.

 

BBC spitfire audio