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Buyer's Basic Guide to Orchestral Sample Libraries

Zhao Shen said:
Also, just a note - this will open the guide up to contributions, but it won't make the guide a collaborative document. I will deny pull requests when I personally disagree with the information added. Maybe that rubs some people the wrong way, but I think it's important for the guide to be wholly consistent instead of representing a smattering of different people's (possibly contradictory) opinions.
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This is definitely a good idea. Some curation and moderation in collaborative efforts is necessary. I'd say the main value in PRs in this case is that they at least let you know of things you've potentially missed out on. Even if you completely change the pros/cons and just include the library "name" from the PR it's imo still worth it, especially for nubs like me who might browse these guides simply to discover what options are out there.
 
darthdeus said:
This is definitely a good idea. Some curation and moderation in collaborative efforts is necessary. I'd say the main value in PRs in this case is that they at least let you know of things you've potentially missed out on. Even if you completely change the pros/cons and just include the library "name" from the PR it's imo still worth it, especially for nubs like me who might browse these guides simply to discover what options are out there.
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Yeah PRs will be great, but actually something I completely forgot about when considering GitHub as a platform to use is the issue tracker. PRs can be kind of a pain to work out especially if you don't have previous experience with Git and version control in general, but reporting an issue is super simple and it will be great to have a centralized source for recording all the bugs and requests people have, as well as being able to report progress on the resolution of each one.
 
The new guide is live! Well, it's basically the same but with some updates since it was 2 years old. Here's hoping all the theoretical planning for how much better a GitHub site would be actually translates! Please let me know if you guys run into any issues.

A Basic Guide to Orchestral Sample Libraries · A Basic Guide to Orchestral VSTs

A Basic Guide to Orchestral Sample Libraries Author: StormSound Last updated/Changes made: Information for all updates is available in the GitHub r...
stormsoundmusic.github.io stormsoundmusic.github.io
 
Love the new digs. However, I noticed some libraries included in the old guide aren’t in the new one, like LASS and Voxos. Any particular reason they were removed?
 
Noc said:
Love the new digs. However, I noticed some libraries included in the old guide aren’t in the new one, like LASS and Voxos. Any particular reason they were removed?
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The guide is meant to do a brief survey of the best options on the market. Voxos simply doesn't hold up to its alternatives nowadays.

LASS was harder to decide on as it's still cherished by many, but strings sampling is filled with fierce competition and innovation, and I finally decided it was time to retire it from the guide. A major factor in that was out-of-the-box experience, and wanting to pare down the already quite hefty Strings page. It isn't my intent to have the guide be an index of every good library that ever existed.
 
I'd still suggest maybe including a list of those that were intentionally removed or not put in the list because of quality. For beginners who are overwhelmed by choice it might be useful to see just something like "Libraries intentionally left out for quality reasons: Voxos, LASS, ..." or something like that. Just knowing that they were considered is useful when browsing various reviews and guides and seeing which reviewer looked at what.
 
darthdeus said:
I'd still suggest maybe including a list of those that were intentionally removed or not put in the list because of quality. For beginners who are overwhelmed by choice it might be useful to see just something like "Libraries intentionally left out for quality reasons: Voxos, LASS, ..." or something like that. Just knowing that they were considered is useful when browsing various reviews and guides and seeing which reviewer looked at what.
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Funny you should choose two libraries that I consider to be among the very highest tier of quality in their respective categories for this example:shocked:
 
darthdeus said:
I'd still suggest maybe including a list of those that were intentionally removed or not put in the list because of quality. For beginners who are overwhelmed by choice it might be useful to see just something like "Libraries intentionally left out for quality reasons: Voxos, LASS, ..." or something like that. Just knowing that they were considered is useful when browsing various reviews and guides and seeing which reviewer looked at what.
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I understand the motivation, but I think it's a tricky thing. There are many libraries I consider adding, but just because I choose not to add one or end up removing another, it doesn't necessarily mean that I'm condemning anyone that buys them, or even giving them all the same amount of consideration. I think a list of "these libraries are specifically not on this list" could be misleading to the guide's target demographic.

Speaking of which, this guide is targeted toward people who are less comfortable with surveying the orchestral sampling landscape for themselves. I personally feel that I have a pretty good ear for identifying libraries that are more realistic/usable than others, but I don't claim to be the objective and authoritative source on what defines a "good" library. However, if I was introducing someone newer to samples to orchestral libraries, I wouldn't recommend getting LASS or Voxos with all the other options out there. There are bound to be differences between my own opinions and the opinions of each user in this forum, and I think that's simply inevitable.
 
one guys one pratical question, what is the best library that fits with the tons of phrases I am buying from SonoKinetic ? i am thinking about BBC core or nucleus may be else? I mean in term of sound since I want a perfect legato
 
All right? it seems like a low intensity conflict here, don't argue, can we back to the main topic? what shall I buy to blend in legato type with phrases libs from Sonokinetic? :) please
 
Zhao Shen said:
I understand the motivation, but I think it's a tricky thing. There are many libraries I consider adding, but just because I choose not to add one or end up removing another, it doesn't necessarily mean that I'm condemning anyone that buys them, or even giving them all the same amount of consideration. I think a list of "these libraries are specifically not on this list" could be misleading to the guide's target demographic.

Speaking of which, this guide is targeted toward people who are less comfortable with surveying the orchestral sampling landscape for themselves. I personally feel that I have a pretty good ear for identifying libraries that are more realistic/usable than others, but I don't claim to be the objective and authoritative source on what defines a "good" library. However, if I was introducing someone newer to samples to orchestral libraries, I wouldn't recommend getting LASS or Voxos with all the other options out there. There are bound to be differences between my own opinions and the opinions of each user in this forum, and I think that's simply inevitable.
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Your guide totally helped me when I was starting out! Many thanks to you for creating and maintaining it!
 
Dr.BrainyPopsin said:
one guys one pratical question, what is the best library that fits with the tons of phrases I am buying from SonoKinetic ? i am thinking about BBC core or nucleus may be else? I mean in term of sound since I want a perfect legato
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Hard to say. One issue is that many phrase-based libraries from Sonokinetic also have distinctive sounds, and in my experience the phrases are most suitable for enhancing the realism of what already exists (especially since they usually are separated into low/mid/high string/brass/woodwind ensembles, which makes replicating the orchestration of specific phrases a bit troublesome).

In that sort of layering context I think a lot of different libraries work well with Sonokinetic phrase libraries, but maybe someone else can comment on what library they've found to be the best for essentially extending the standalone sound of the phrases.

TheKRock said:
Your guide totally helped me when I was starting out! Many thanks to you for creating and maintaining it!
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Really glad to hear that :) Happy to help
 
Zhao Shen said:
Hard to say. One issue is that many phrase-based libraries from Sonokinetic also have distinctive sounds, and in my experience the phrases are most suitable for enhancing the realism of what already exists (especially since they usually are separated into low/mid/high string/brass/woodwind ensembles, which makes replicating the orchestration of specific phrases a bit troublesome).

In that sort of layering context I think a lot of different libraries work well with Sonokinetic phrase libraries, but maybe someone else can comment on what library they've found to be the best for essentially extending the standalone sound of the phrases.



Really glad to hear that :) Happy to help
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thanks a lot I bought core :) now I dont know if I am upgrading to pro or I look somewhere else, still few hours to go
 
darthdeus said:
I'd still suggest maybe including a list of those that were intentionally removed or not put in the list because of quality. For beginners who are overwhelmed by choice it might be useful to see just something like "Libraries intentionally left out for quality reasons: Voxos, LASS, ..." or something like that. Just knowing that they were considered is useful when browsing various reviews and guides and seeing which reviewer looked at what.
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I agree with darthdeus. I’m one of those noobs who is overwhelmed by the huge amount of conflicting info. Some of this info is just a company’s marketing hype. Some may come from paid shills (I’m cynical). Some may come from people with experience with a single product that meets their specific needs (i.e., they are biased). And some may come from unbiased analysis.

As one of the noobs, it’s extremely difficult for me to sift out which libraries will best meet my needs. And buying libraries just to ”sift” can be very expensive. Fortunately I can afford better libraries. But I don’t want to waste money on libraries that don’t make the cut. Including a list of these ”lesser” libraries would help me tremendously.

Thanks,

Dan.
 
I really want to know how to become a paid shill. :inlove:

But I do agree it is hard to say who has what prejudices towards various developers when first starting out. After you get to know a lot of them you can see the various reasons for likes and dislikes, usually caused by good or bad experiences. The problem is workflow and sound are the biggest things that affect whether a library will work for you or not, once you get to a certain level of libraries. And it is hard to tell what will work without being able to try them out. Currently, only EW only really lets you try (for a one time fee for a month of use)
 
CHIS HEIN orchestral libraries

Not surprised to see there is no mention of any of Chris Hein's orchestral libraries! For some reason unbeknown to me they so often get overlooked which is a pity as they are a very underrated collection of orchestral libraries covering all sections except percussion. IMO The vast range of articulations and extreme flexibility of the CH engine to tame the samples to exactly what you need both while playing them and editing in the piano roll outshines all other developers.

Among outstanding features common to all Chris Hein orchestral libraries:

Fantastically sampled instruments with zero phasing across the whole range and an extremely realistic, inspiring sound.
Samples recorded bone dry without any baked in ambience so can be custommed to blend into any mix
Complete control over dynamics of sustained samples with key velocity, cc or even a combination of the two!
"Note Head" feature for adding shorts/spiccato to sustained articulations controllable by key velocity or cc.
Highly programable legato/vibrato
Vast selection of articulations
Two ambience/reverb/initial reflection/room engines per instrument
Mute articulations for solo brass
Fully customisable mapping of key triggering
Awe inspiring solo instruments! Best I've ever heard!
 
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Zhao Shen said:
The new guide is live! Well, it's basically the same but with some updates since it was 2 years old. Here's hoping all the theoretical planning for how much better a GitHub site would be actually translates! Please let me know if you guys run into any issues.

A Basic Guide to Orchestral Sample Libraries · A Basic Guide to Orchestral VSTs

A Basic Guide to Orchestral Sample Libraries Author: StormSound Last updated/Changes made: Information for all updates is available in the GitHub r...
stormsoundmusic.github.io stormsoundmusic.github.io
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The effort here is appreciated (and great UI esp for something on Github!), but there are way too many major players missing from the list. As darthdeus said, you should include those you don't recommend so people know why they aren't recommended...otherwise, they just assume you didn't try them out. And those you haven't tried out, list them too. Beginners want to know what's out there and why they should or shouldn't consider.
 
bill5 said:
The effort here is appreciated (and great UI esp for something on Github!), but there are way too many major players missing from the list. As darthdeus said, you should include those you don't recommend so people know why they aren't recommended...otherwise, they just assume you didn't try them out. And those you haven't tried out, list them too. Beginners want to know what's out there and why they should or shouldn't consider.
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That's very fair, but I've been busy and haven't had the time to add a ton to the guide. Maybe I can keep that in mind the next time I get a chance to work on it.
 
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