I need to gather few instruments to have the main instruments used in an orchestra or band. I already have few good pianos. But I am missing, Strings/pads, Drums, bass, Guitars (Electric, acoustic and rhythm), and air instruments.

For strings I have found "Spitfire Audio Albion ONE" and "Orchestral Tools - Berlin Strings", but these are huge libs and I am not even sure if this is what I really need.

Could you guys please share some of your VST and/or Kontakt favorite instruments?

 

A very popular complete orchestral library for beginners is Audio Imperia Nucleus: https://www.audioimperia.com/collections/all/products/nucleus

For drums I very much like XLN Audio Addictive Drums 2: https://www.xlnaudio.com/products/addictive_drums_2
They also have a good collection of Pianos and E-Pianos, called Addictive Keys.

Bass: IK Multimedia Modo Bass: https://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/modobass/

Guitars, Basses and more: Ample Sound: https://www.amplesound.net/en/index.asp

Also very nice Guitars and more: Orange Tree Samples: https://www.orangetreesamples.com/

 

I had the same problem. My solution...

https://sonuscore.com/shop/the-orchestra-complete/

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

• Works with the FREE KONTAKT PLAYER
• KONTAKT Version 6.6.0 or higher
• macOS 10.12 or higher, Intel Core 2 Duo
• Windows 7 or higher, Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD AthlonTM 64 X2
• 4GB RAM
• At least 18.2GB of free hard disc space

Download Manual
KEY FEATURES

• Breakthrough Ensemble Engine
• Play freely or create stunning orchestral colors with simple chords
• Complete set of standard articulations for all instruments
• True Legato Interval Sampling
• 478 ready-to-go ensemble presets
• 230 Multi-Rack Patches
• 14.3GB of data (18.2GB uncompressed)
• 24500+ individual Samples
• Fast loading times

 

Last edited: Mar 2, 2022

I can't get over how good and versatile this lib is with such a small size.

 

@OP Kontakt is great if you need ultra-high quality instrument library with all the various bells and whistles. If you are a producer making Instrumental/Orchestral it's basically a must. If you are not slightly hackerish anyway, pirating good libraries and getting all the silly thumbnails and things people seem to care about working flawlessly can be a challenge. it's very possible, but it is also some considerable effort. And the exceptional quality of the libraries still comes at the same cost; it is time consuming and requires tons of HD space. But nice expensive external SSD's of course...

All things which are nearly a *must* for any competent producer or beat maker in 2022. Therefore, I would suggest you get UVI Falcon instead. all day, and twice on Sunday. you could use only the 4gb factory library for a year. easily. And in a daw session at 24/48, it sounds awesome. there is also no shortage of content.

 

Last edited: Mar 2, 2022

Knowledge is power and most of the time you depend on someone to get it! I was a little uncomfortable and hesitant posting this question as I have been assisted a lot here for the last few days and didn't want another help me thread from me! But I am so happy I did as it is was impossible for me to find this alone. I have been browsing NI and so many other sites for hours today and I was more confused in the end then when I started searching. Thanks a lot for your help Oneeyedstan.

I am going to take a close look at this. Thanks a lot for sharing.

 

Last edited: Mar 3, 2022

Your post was a life saver! I tried Nucleus and it's really handy. I indeed needed something like this. Got guitars from Ample Sound and they really sound amazing. Also got the Modo Bass and it sounds excellent for the size!!

 

@clone ,
Thank you very much for this precious tip. With Kontakt, or without Kontakt, UVI Falcon is a MUST have or at least a MUST try gem.

 

Imo the best sounding system with best playability. also MPE...