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CineSamples vs. Spitfire

Essentially for me right now I'm looking for the perfect balance in playability, sound and price

Cinesamples and SFA are different. But what it is going to come down to, is not the libraries, but your ability to orchestrate and write. There is no one correct answer here.
 
If I may chime in...

The suggestion of Composer Cloud from EWQL is one of the best suggestions thus far. But let's get a straight record-

You already own Albion One and Berlin Inspire. These ARE your out of the box starting points. Everything from there is going to require a bit more effort. And there are some wonderful tools available in Cinesamples and Spitfire. But for your next step, I really believe you should put your feelers out there a bit more and consider Composer Cloud.

Several reasons: it opens up a huge box of opportunities at a price point unmatched by most any other company. These are the guys that really set the standard, and that bar is really not much higher today. They really got it right.

Some will chime in about VSL, and no doubt there are some fine tools there, but I think they require even more work than EWQL. Trust everyone here who says you can't go wrong with a one month $30 investment to try it out. To make matters really good, EWQL has fantastic sales throughout the year where you can get the products your really will use at a price point hard to beat.
 
Hi Sami,

I too am classically trained and worked with live players for many years. I am now writing for myself and use Vsl, spitfire, hein, berlin, etc. If you want to hear them in action, go to my website to the scores page and listen to the Adagio for strings, or the theme and variations. These 2 are spitfire and vsl in various combinations. Sorry, it seems like a shameless plug, but I think you may find it helpful. I am not the greatest mixer in the world, but there is a good sense of realism in the programming and it should give you an idea of what is possible.
 
statistically. when i've heard or watched mockups/whatever, cinebrass generally has always popped up until as of recent when there's more options. you're probably the first person i've seen to question it's popularity

Where did you see me question its popularity? I have done no such thing.

Seeing cinebrass in a lot of mockups does not mean it is "the most popular library pretty much ever."
 
Any tips for a beginner on processing CineSamples?
Well, you will propably get a bit frustrated for the lack of softer dynamics on the trombones. Fear not! Try this: go to the settings tab within kontakt UI and activate LO PASS filter and assign a CC# of your choice to it. Now you can cut some of the brassines out when doing softer stuff.
 
Well, you will propably get a bit frustrated for the lack of softer dynamics on the trombones. Fear not! Try this: go to the settings tab within kontakt UI and activate LO PASS filter and assign a CC# of your choice to it. Now you can cut some of the brassines out when doing softer stuff.
Certainly something I will be trying thanks :)
 
I am a hobbyist, not a pro. But I own most of the Cinesamples products, all of the VSL products, Chris Hein Brass, Spitfire Symphonic Strings and OT Berlin Brass. Of course each product has strengths and weaknesses, but one thing I think a buyer can truly depend upon. The demo tracks represent the absolute best that can be achieved with that library. So listen closely to the demo tracks. Some developers offer more to listen to than others, but listen to as many as you can find. No one, especially not a hobbyist like myself or someone just starting out, is going to be able to surpass the demo tracks with that library unless they are truly exceptional, in which case they can probably sound great with anything. So if you do not like the sound of the demo tracks, or the kind of music you want to write is not included, that library is probably not the one for you. Also, usually demo tracks are carefully chosen to emphasize the strength of the library and avoid it's weaknesses. VSL posts a lot of mock-ups of classical music because that is it's strength. The same applies to every library.

Anyway, listen to the demos and see if that library features demos of the kind of music you want to write. If not, perhaps another library might be a better first choice. For example, you will not hear any "epic" demos featured on the VSL site. You could maybe use some VSL instruments in an epic track, but there are other libraries that would be easier to use for epic.

I own no EastWest products other than QL Spaces, but if I was just starting over, I would go for the $30 per month composer cloud. They have many, many different libraries, and after a few months you will get a feel for what you want to accomplish that cannot be done with the Cloud. You will then be a better shopper.
 
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If I may chime in...

The suggestion of Composer Cloud from EWQL is one of the best suggestions thus far. But let's get a straight record-

You already own Albion One and Berlin Inspire. These ARE your out of the box starting points. Everything from there is going to require a bit more effort. And there are some wonderful tools available in Cinesamples and Spitfire. But for your next step, I really believe you should put your feelers out there a bit more and consider Composer Cloud.

Several reasons: it opens up a huge box of opportunities at a price point unmatched by most any other company. These are the guys that really set the standard, and that bar is really not much higher today. They really got it right.

Some will chime in about VSL, and no doubt there are some fine tools there, but I think they require even more work than EWQL. Trust everyone here who says you can't go wrong with a one month $30 investment to try it out. To make matters really good, EWQL has fantastic sales throughout the year where you can get the products your really will use at a price point hard to beat.

I know OP said hardware requirements aren't an issue, but it's a big issue for me and, I assume, most people just starting out/expanding beyond stock libraries. Would you still recommend composer cloud to someone (me) that doesn't have the beefiest computing power?
 
I am a hobbyist, not a pro. But I own most of the Cinesamples products, all of the VSL products, Chris Hein Brass, Spitfire Symphonic Strings and OT Berlin Brass. Of course each product has strengths and weaknesses, but one thing I think a buyer can truly depend upon. The demo tracks represent the absolute best that can be achieved with that library. So listen closely to the demo tracks. Some developers offer more to listen to than others, but listen to as many as you can find. No one, especially not a hobbyist like myself or someone just starting out, is going to be able to surpass the demo tracks with that library unless they are truly exceptional, in which case they can probably sound great with anything. So if you do not like the sound of the demo tracks, or the kind of music you want to write is not included, that library is probably not the one for you. Also, usually demo tracks are carefully chosen to emphasize the strength of the library and avoid it's weaknesses. VSL posts a lot of mock-ups of classical music because that is it's strength. The same applies to every library.

Anyway, listen to the demos and see if that library features demos of the kind of music you want to write. If not, perhaps another library might be a better first choice. For example, you will not hear any "epic" demos featured on the VSL site. You could maybe use some VSL instruments in an epic track, but there are other libraries that would be easier to use for epic.

I own no EastWest products other than QL Spaces, but if I was just starting over, I would go for the $30 per month composer cloud. They have many, many different libraries, and after a few months you will get a feel for what you want to accomplish that cannot be done with the Cloud. You will then be a better shopper.
Good concise and detailed analysis Paul :)
 
Is there a reason you aren't considering Orchestral Tools' Berlin Orchestra? IMO, they're the best, most consistent and cohesive set of orchestral samples on the market right now (aside from VSL).

[Note: I have received free products from OT]
 
Hi Sami,

I too am classically trained and worked with live players for many years. I am now writing for myself and use Vsl, spitfire, hein, berlin, etc. If you want to hear them in action, go to my website to the scores page and listen to the Adagio for strings, or the theme and variations. These 2 are spitfire and vsl in various combinations. Sorry, it seems like a shameless plug, but I think you may find it helpful. I am not the greatest mixer in the world, but there is a good sense of realism in the programming and it should give you an idea of what is possible.


Checked your page out Mike - brilliant stuff you've written there
 
one thing I think a buyer can truly depend upon. The demo tracks represent the absolute best that can be achieved with that library. So listen closely to the demo tracks. Some developers offer more to listen to than others, but listen to as many as you can find.

This is excellent advice, Paul. If you find the demos ho-hum, don't buy. And listen veeeerrrry carefully, on good speakers.
 
Is there a reason you aren't considering Orchestral Tools' Berlin Orchestra? IMO, they're the best, most consistent and cohesive set of orchestral samples on the market right now (aside from VSL).

[Note: I have received free products from OT]
From the recent times of being on here though, I have come across many posts about the inefficiency on RAM when it comes to OT and needing lots of it. The OP, I don't think intends to run a Server spec machine for his projects right now.
 
From the recent times of being on here though, I have come across many posts about the inefficiency on RAM when it comes to OT and needing lots of it. The OP, I don't think intends to run a Server spec machine for his projects right now.

Currently my full Berlin Orchestra (purged) uses about ~60GB RAM. That is with every single articulation loaded, though.

As for the OP, he said "Hardware requirements are not an issue, sufficient PCIe storage and RAM is available and slaves can be procured if need be."
 
Currently my full Berlin Orchestra (purged) uses about ~60GB RAM. That is with every single articulation loaded, though.

As for the OP, he said "Hardware requirements are not an issue, sufficient PCIe storage and RAM is available and slaves can be procured if need be."
Fair enough I stand corrected.

Price point for OT is also over $2K though... :/
 
Is there a reason you aren't considering Orchestral Tools' Berlin Orchestra? IMO, they're the best, most consistent and cohesive set of orchestral samples on the market right now (aside from VSL).

[Note: I have received free products from OT]
Berlin Stuff is outside my budget, as much as I love it. Wish I had received "free products" from them too... :((
 
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