# When does one STOP buying sample libraries?



## José Herring (Sep 28, 2020)

I'm in a unique position of having a little bit of extra cash and with the pandemic sales and the relatively low price of sample libraries in general, I'm able to get a fair bit more stuff then I have in the past. Hopefully the trend continues, but......

I've run out of room. My 64 gigs of ram are all but gone, so now contemplating 128 gigs. About to build a new computer as a DAW but don't want to load the DAW up with libraries like I have in the past. Not that it won't house some but I want to keep it free for things like Drums and Synths and Plugins, ect.

So It's like each library I add makes it all that much harder to find space for it. 

I still need to get some good Drum Libraries and also contemplating the upgrades to SSO, BBCSO Pro, more JXL Brass and SysPro for the extra mic positions. And, let's not forget Komplete 13 (which is good because I still haven't even downloaded 2/3's of Komplete 11. So I know that my purchase can sit on the NI server until I have a need for it). And, don't forget HOOPUS is coming SOOONNNN....

So, now I'm like, I need to stop, but I can't, but I need to, but I yet don't have everything I need.

Should I leave things out of the template and just pull them up when I need them like the old days. Play doesn't have sample purge but Kontakt does. Sine I don't think has sample purge. 

I know that Nico (and his assistant Bob ) seem to have like 1000 libraries ready to go but how does one house all that? I don't want to go back to having 5 machines, ect.. but maybe I need to but what a PIA without a techie assistant.

How do you cope with having a glut of libraries these days?


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## robgb (Sep 28, 2020)

I've certainly slowed way down. Doubt I'll ever stop, though.


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## José Herring (Sep 28, 2020)

robgb said:


> I've certainly slowed way down. Doubt I'll ever stop, though.


I'd be curious to know what you're criteria are for when to buy? Based on your need at the moment or something you just think you may need ect?

I basically went on a 5 year ban on buying anything sample library related. Much more focused on synths, hardware and software. But, now the binge has started and I find myself "experimenting" with trying new things.


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## NekujaK (Sep 28, 2020)

Stop?


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## Henrik B. Jensen (Sep 28, 2020)

Track templates?


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## Living Fossil (Sep 28, 2020)

José Herring said:


> Should I leave things out of the template and just pull them up when I need them like the old days.



Honestly, i still don't see the benefit of large templates.
Usually, i import what i need from other projects (if i want to maintain the routing) or i just open a new instrument and choose the setting i need.
Takes a few seconds (i doubt it's much longer than navigating through a large template), but that's it.


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## Ivan M. (Sep 28, 2020)

In case you missed it: 





Wasting money


Hey fellow composers, What I notice is people talking endlessly about new libraries and throwing endless amounts of money at them. Why do you do that? Do you really need 5 strings libs, 5 brass, 5 woods, 55 percussion, 999 sound design? Especially if you are going to record live orchestra...



vi-control.net




:D


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## Ashermusic (Sep 28, 2020)

José Herring said:


> I'd be curious to know what you're criteria are for when to buy? Based on your need at the moment or something you just think you may need ect?
> 
> I basically went on a 5 year ban on buying anything sample library related. Much more focused on synths, hardware and software. But, now the binge has started and I find myself "experimenting" with trying new things.



My criteria is when one clearly does something better than any I have and I anticipate needing to do that thing.


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## José Herring (Sep 28, 2020)

.


Living Fossil said:


> Honestly, i still don't see the benefit of large templates.
> Usually, i import what i need from other projects (if i want to maintain the routing) or i just open a new instrument and choose the setting i need.
> Takes a few seconds (i doubt it's much longer than navigating through a large template), but that's it.


I use to feel this way many years ago then I got HS and the patch structure is so hard to understand that I needed to keep them in a template. 

What I do like is having one patch for vlns loaded and using expression maps. That right now is impossible to do with EWHO but I think that will change with HOOPUS.

BBCSO has my preferred template. Looks like there was some attempt to do that with SSS but there are 100's of additional patches. So what I may do is use the basic patch in the template then dial up the additional patches as needed. Kind of the best of both worlds.


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## CT (Sep 28, 2020)

I'm a minimalist in general, so for me it's about getting to a point where I'm not saying, "boy, if only I had something that could do X," and then just not getting anything else. I feel good about not overloading, having exactly what I need and nothing more. I don't get very bad gear lust. Some, but nothing major. 

Plus I'm increasingly picky about virtual instruments and it's gotten really easy to decide that I can't bring myself to spend money on 90% of them.


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## Jimmy Hellfire (Sep 28, 2020)

I eventually got bored of the same stuff in slightly different packaging. Most of the time I just don't care all that much. I'm quite picky. Stuff looks shiny and alluring when you see the walkthroughs and the tempting introduction offers, but I've been through the whole experience enough times to know that once I load a patch on my own machine, I'll most probably go "well, it's strings" or "that's a snare alright". Buying stuff is a fleeting thrill, and this particular thrill often ends in the exact sobering moment when you load the patches and hit the keys for the frist time.

Regarding storage space and template dimensions etc: my favorite thing is pruning. Keeping it lean, sharp and ready to strike fast. Like @Mike T said, it feels good running a tight ship, being organized and not overbloating. Knowing what your fundamentals are, what the backbone of your work is. Keeping around what's good, reliable and brings results. I like practical thinking and I've learned to not hesitate to discard stuff if it's not used often enough, played out or just got boring. If a new library finds its way onto my drive, chances are, it's probably retiring another.

I mostly have a clear idea of what I'm missing from my current toolbox or what bugs me about the library I currently use, and what it would take to fix that. That's always the benchmark. If I'm fine, no need to spend money. My interest in another product isn't so much peaked by the fact that it's new or that they're running a sweet deal. I get interested if I feel that a product actually adresses a specific thing I always wanted to fix.


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## JonS (Sep 28, 2020)

José Herring said:


> .
> 
> I use to feel this way many years ago then I got HS and the patch structure is so hard to understand that I needed to keep them in a template.
> 
> ...


I have BBCSO and a lot of other libraries. BBCSO is perfectly fine and one doesn't really need any other library than that one.


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## Uiroo (Sep 28, 2020)

I always do expression maps for everything, they are a pita, so I shy away from buying stuff I don't really need. Half of the stuff I own i'm not intimately familiar with, which is where I want to get to, so I don't think I'll buy much in the next months/years, except for maybe CSW if it turns out do be amazing.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Sep 28, 2020)

When there are physical modeling instruments that supersede sampling technology.


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## Takabuntu (Sep 28, 2020)

What can I say... Bought a sample library yesterday.


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## easyrider (Sep 28, 2020)

The sample hoarder..it’s a common affliction


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## Wunderhorn (Sep 28, 2020)

You will never stop wanting to add new color to your sound palette as long as you produce sample based music.
But you can develop a sharp sense on when to buy something and when not.

I also like to make my hardware a priority. To make sure that the computer can handle what I install is number one before I buy another library. To this end I always recommend expandable systems. Towers with plenty of PCI slots so you can add enough SSDs.

Another rule for me is to only jump on sales of things I really need.
Don't buy just because it's cool and it's on sale. Sales happen all the time and a bit of patience goes a long way.

Also, I suggest to avoid bundle offers. "Oh so cool, 100GB of stuff for $9.99!" Even if that offer actually contains some good things, I stay away from it. Why? Sifting through 5000 patches of bloat will cost me more time than the few cool things (that I will have to remember and log somewhere) are worth it. And then the drives are full and I have to clean out what I don't want. Too much hassle. I like to target libraries of specific sounds that I need. During the time of shopping around I actually rate libraries with fewer patches higher than the ones with many (Among other criteria). Work gets done more efficiently and fast with fewer patches that really sound great and are nailing it than working with many patches that I have to patchwork together in endless detail work.

I also mostly stay away from proprietary sample players, especially when they are still new. Spitfire player and SINE are are still blacklisted for me until they have proven themselves a bit more. It will be two or at least one more year before I will even consider any library in that format. It took PLAY a lot more than 2 years to be stable. Most of the time proprietary players add only complications instead of advantages (usually only for the manufacturer). Then you have to individually babysit them with updates, learn all their bugs and cater to their individual workflow. The more of these, the more complex and potentially unstable the entire template becomes.
And then comes the day when you decide to move your whole template to a new computer. Oh dear, how did that work? where is my password? do I have to re-download? what folder did these things have to go into? where is my serial number or was that on the dongle? do I have to de-activate first and then re-activate? You probably know this scenario all too well...

At the end, ask yourself what is _your_ workflow, what works best for _you_ and don't get sidetracked too much. keep it streamlined and consider efficiency as one of the deciding factors before buying something new.


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## robgb (Sep 28, 2020)

José Herring said:


> I'd be curious to know what you're criteria are for when to buy? Based on your need at the moment or something you just think you may need ect?



It has to be something that will fill a void in my current setup. Or it has to be so innovative in terms of sound and scripting that I have no choice but to buy it. Finally, it has to be at a price that I can live with and not feel I'm wasting good money.


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## tack (Sep 28, 2020)

Nick Batzdorf said:


> When there are physical modeling instruments that supersede sampling technology.


Hear hear. And this is just a matter of time. I'm surprised no one has yet tried (that I've heard of at least) to use machine learning to build a neural network to model acoustic instruments. I mean, when you can do things like this or this, the technology is there -- or will soon be.


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## jononotbono (Sep 28, 2020)




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## easyrider (Sep 28, 2020)

Oops I just bought BBCSO Pro...


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## artomatic (Sep 28, 2020)

When my gas runs out!


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## Nick Batzdorf (Sep 28, 2020)

tack said:


> Hear hear. And this is just a matter of time. I'm surprised no one has yet tried (that I've heard of at least) to use machine learning to build a neural network to model acoustic instruments. I mean, when you can do things like this or this, the technology is there -- or will soon be.



Wow. That is truly amazing - and sort of frightening!

And you'd think audio would be easier.


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## Blakus (Sep 28, 2020)




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## patrick76 (Sep 28, 2020)

Nick Batzdorf said:


> Wow. That is truly amazing - and sort of frightening!
> 
> And you'd think audio would be easier.


It is a bit disconcerting. I worry about the future of politics (and everything else) when people really will be able to fake anything and anyone in video. They could create a video of me composing a masterpiece in real time and no one would know it is total bullshit (except of course those that know me well). Scary times.


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## Trash Panda (Sep 28, 2020)

When you max out all your credit cards.


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## dcoscina (Sep 28, 2020)

I honestly mostly use Staffpad. No fuss no muss. I write music and let the app worry about performance.

on my computer I generally work wth BBCSO. I augment with some OT here and there but generally try to keep everything unified.


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## Polkasound (Sep 28, 2020)

For some of us, the passion for acquiring libraries started a long time ago...


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## enyawg (Sep 28, 2020)

A beautiful addiction to enhance creativity and thin wallet!


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## JohnG (Sep 28, 2020)

When does a painter have enough colours? I think it's kind of a similar question. I guess Turner, for example, painted in part during a period of time when new technology for paints was being invented and refined and he adopted the new technology right away.

IDK if it was more expensive.


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## enyawg (Sep 28, 2020)

Some of my colleagues are blind but still love composing...


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## mybadmemory (Sep 28, 2020)

I guess it depends on why you’re in it.

If you’re in it to write music, I think you stop buying libraries when you realize you spend more time thinking about and tinkering with them than you do on actually writing. 

If you’re in it to collect and tinker with sample libraries, which is a hobby as fine as any I guess, you don’t really need to stop do you?

Eyes on the goal. Whatever that might be.


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## Bluemount Score (Sep 28, 2020)

easyrider said:


> Oops I just bought BBCSO Pro...


Let us hear how it turns out for you


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## Bluemount Score (Sep 29, 2020)

Nick Batzdorf said:


> When there are physical modeling instruments that supersede sampling technology.


That's scary... in maybe 10 years we are all like damn it, wish I knew that technology was around the corner, could have saved me hundreds / thousands


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## TomislavEP (Sep 29, 2020)

For me, the answer is quite easy. The money. I'm struggling to make ends meet through music and as a consequence I often have a limited budget on hand. So this naturally has a great impact when buying sample libraries. I simply cannot afford to buy some things, let alone to follow trends and replace what I already have.

On the other hand, I'm glad this is so as this abundance of choices is often overwhelming, and it's so easy to forget the music and creativity in the process. Also, I often cringe when I realize that I'm not actively using and exploiting the good part of my library. And my collection is nowhere as extensive as the ones that many people around here seem to have.

I wholeheartedly agree that one should strive to have a diverse set of tools on hand, but am also certain that there has to be a "limit" to everything. I've accumulated a solid number of fine commercial libraries over the last 6-7 years, and I'm planning to invest in new ones only if I really find something "painfully" lacking in my toolkit. I will also try to get as much as I can from what I already have, as well as from many free but great things you can find nowadays before buying new things.


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## easyrider (Sep 29, 2020)

TomislavEP said:


> For me, the answer is quite easy. The money. I'm struggling to make ends meet through music and as a consequence I often have a limited budget on hand. So this naturally has a great impact when buying sample libraries. I simply cannot afford to buy some things, let alone to follow trends and replace what I already have.
> 
> On the other hand, I'm glad this is so as this abundance of choices is often overwhelming, and it's so easy to forget the music and creativity in the process. Also, I often cringe when I realize that I'm not actively using and exploiting the good part of my library. And my collection is nowhere as extensive as the ones that many people around here seem to have.
> 
> I wholeheartedly agree that one should strive to have a diverse set of tools on hand, but am also certain that there has to be a "limit" to everything. I've accumulated a solid number of fine commercial libraries over the last 6-7 years, and I'm planning to invest in new ones only if I really find something "painfully" lacking in my toolkit. I will also try to get as much as I can from what I already have, as well as from many free but great things you can find nowadays before buying new things.




I totally agree with this....While I'm working and have some spare money I have bought some Major ones on sale and at heavy discount.

There is always the trap of the paradox of choice.

Think about a guitar player like Clapton or Stevie Ray Vaughan...No endless guitar choices when in the Zone....Clapton sold his total collection, Gilmour and his black strat, he also sold his complete guitar collection....Before I got into learning orchestration I mainly worked in my studio recording guitar, bass live drums and vocals...I have too many plugins....too many compressors and EQ's....

The solution? Simplify things down to a couple of Console emulations and Softube Console one. Its certainly made me more creative...I twiddle a knob and the sound changes....This beats scrolling through endless lists of plugins....

I have made the mistake of buying a library in the sale....The Cinesamples NI bundle seemed a steal...But The strings are noisy and I doubt I will ever use them....OK the Cineperc was worth the price alone and the harp....but I didn't really need the whole suite....

I think alot of it is FOMO....The sales will always come...We have the Halloween sale and BF sale incoming....Try to ride these out without buying anything and use what you have then come out the otherside with some music written...rather than more TB on your hardrive...

For me though last Jan I had not one library, not even Komplete....So I had to buy a few right?


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## TomislavEP (Sep 29, 2020)

easyrider said:


> s and EQ's....
> The solution? Simplify things down to a couple of Console emulations and Softube Console one. Its certainly made me more creative...I twiddle a knob and the sound changes....This beats scrolling through endless lists of plugins....



Completely agree with this. The less is always more and I believe that it's actually possible to find your all-time favorites and fallbacks without falling into the trap of repetitiveness at the same time. This is IMO also the truth for real instruments and equipment, even more so.




> I think alot of it is FOMO....The sales will always come...We have the Halloween sale and BF sale incoming....Try to ride these out without buying anything and use what you have then come out the otherside with some music written...rather than more TB on your hardrive...
> 
> For me though last Jan I had not one library, not even Komplete....So I had to buy a few right?



Yes, these frequent sales are really the problem. I mean, despite your budget, the GAS is generally quite expensive so you often develop this "sense of guilt" when a generous discount comes along and you decide to pass. But it is definitely possible to withstand this.


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## Mornats (Sep 29, 2020)

I have a list of what I need/like/want (same list, not categorised into those three boxes). Then when a sale comes round or I get GAS or whatever then I can check against it so I'm not buying redundant or frivolous stuff. So I may have "lyrical cello of the JBV calibre" or "ethereal pad generator" on there.

I also have a spreadsheet with all my libraries on and I have them tagged with the type of instrument or sound they make. I'll check any new potential purchases against that with the criteria of only buying something new if I can't create the same effect with an existing library. Then I'll play around putting existing libraries through some funky effects and get distracted long enough to forget what I was tempted by in the first place.


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## Akarin (Sep 29, 2020)

José Herring said:


> I know that Nico (and his assistant Bob ) seem to have like 1000 libraries ready to go but how does one house all that? I don't want to go back to having 5 machines, ect.. but maybe I need to but what a PIA without a techie assistant.



Hahaha. Alright, I'll bite 😬 I have an iMac Pro, maxed out with 256 GB of RAM. Something like 12 TB of external SSD. Also a Windows slave with 64 GB RAM but I mostly don't use it as I use a disabled template in Cubase. A good chunk of libraries, I got as NFR from the lib developers. The others, I get by reinvesting 30% of my placements income.

Now, to be quite honest, I don't need all those. My first placements came from having Albion One, Grandeur, Metro Arks and a couple Heavyocity libraries, 32 GB RAM. I could very well have continued this way. But I like layering and finding my own sound rather than using, say strings libraries, out of the box. This expanded the range of production music briefs that I can complete as well. For example, I was just asked to do some string quartet cues so I got the Embertone range of solo strings. Of course, Bob will review them as soon as time permits.

Ultimately, if I had to downsize, I'd keep:

- 1 piano
- 1 felt piano
- 1 chamber-sized strings lib
- 1 symphonic-sized strings lib
- 1 brass lib
- 1 woodwinds
- 1 trailer sfx lib
- 1 percussion lib
- 1 hybrid percussion
- 1 choir
- Omnisphere

...and with this, I could produce the next 50 albums of library music.

The same goes with plugins: Cubase stock plugins can handle everything I throw at them and are of a quite high quality. It even has a convo and an algo verb. I buy plugins as it all comes down to fast workflow and color palette.


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## Consona (Sep 29, 2020)

I've stopped just because I went broke.


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## mscp (Sep 29, 2020)

Blakus said:


>



unless...


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## LudovicVDP (Sep 29, 2020)

I guess it also depends how you use them. 
I suppose 1 library you perfectly know how to use right is better than 10 libraries you barely open to use presets badly ......




.... Naaaaah, I'm kidding. Just buy them all.


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## Akarin (Sep 29, 2020)

José Herring said:


> What I do like is having one patch for vlns loaded and using expression maps. That right now is impossible to do with EWHO but I think that will change with HOOPUS.



It is doable with EWHO. You load articulations on different MIDI channels and you set the Expression Maps to switch between them instead of using keyswitches


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## José Herring (Sep 29, 2020)

Thanks for the input. 

Yes, I realized now that I was moving out of what I needed and headed into Gear Lust territory. Just for the first time I actually can get some of the stuff I lust rather than having to strain to get just what I needed. Kind of a new position for me and I hope it last. But, I do realize that I may WANT product X but I don't really have to have it right now.

So I'm getting Damage 2 and then going back to my no brainer policy for a bit while I focus on upgrading computers and speakers and such.


Akarin said:


> It is doable with EWHO. You load articulations on different MIDI channels and you set the Expression Maps to switch between them instead of using keyswitches


Yeah thought about doing that but wasn't sure if it was possible. Thx for letting me know!


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## vitocorleone123 (Sep 29, 2020)

My guess is that you stop buying libraries when you start buying Eurorack.


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## MA-Simon (Sep 29, 2020)

For me, my last 3 libraries were... weird. Or mixed bags.
Was hoping for diamonds, but got zirconia instead.

Jade, Phoenix, Amber. Quality wise all over the place. Not ready to be used in serious stuff, for me. So thats ~1000$ down the drain. Gluck-gluck-gluck..........


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## José Herring (Sep 29, 2020)

Akarin said:


> Hahaha. Alright, I'll bite 😬 I have an iMac Pro, maxed out with 256 GB of RAM. Something like 12 TB of external SSD. Also a Windows slave with 64 GB RAM but I mostly don't use it as I use a disabled template in Cubase. A good chunk of libraries, I got as NFR from the lib developers. The others, I get by reinvesting 30% of my placements income.
> 
> Now, to be quite honest, I don't need all those. My first placements came from having Albion One, Grandeur, Metro Arks and a couple Heavyocity libraries, 32 GB RAM. I could very well have continued this way. But I like layering and finding my own sound rather than using, say strings libraries, out of the box. This expanded the range of production music briefs that I can complete as well. For example, I was just asked to do some string quartet cues so I got the Embertone range of solo strings. Of course, Bob will review them as soon as time permits.
> 
> ...


Thanks. 

Do you house your disabled tracks in the instrument rack or do you have Instrument tacks setup?


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## shponglefan (Sep 29, 2020)

I'll stop when I'm dead. Maybe.


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## Dirtgrain (Sep 29, 2020)

When the thrill is gone.


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## Dex (Sep 29, 2020)

José Herring said:


> but I yet don't have everything I need.



Are you sure about that? Like really really sure?

I too bought sample libraries until my hard drive filled up and then I was like, wait, I don't need to be able to produce every possible type of music. There's a certain style that I do, and whenever I'm evaluating a new library now, I always think, "is there anything in here that would help me do what *I* do better?" And the answer is almost always no.


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## shponglefan (Sep 29, 2020)

vitocorleone123 said:


> My guess is that you stop buying libraries when you start buying Eurorack.



Sadly no. Instead one's bank account simply drains that much quicker.


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## Trash Panda (Sep 29, 2020)

Dirtgrain said:


> When the thrill is gone.


I don’t think NI is retiring that library any time soon.


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## ProfoundSilence (Sep 29, 2020)

I slowed significantly when I became relatively satisfied with my arsenal. Since I'm mixing and matching a little I might pick up something else major this year, but it's become a lot of redunancy.


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## Akarin (Sep 29, 2020)

José Herring said:


> Thanks.
> 
> Do you house your disabled tracks in the instrument rack or do you have Instrument tacks setup?



Only instrument tracks. It's easier when enabling/disabling/muting/searching, etc


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## Henning (Sep 29, 2020)

My purchases for sample libs went down as my purchases of real life instruments went up. For me it is so much more fun to learn a new instrument than sitting down at the keyboard nowadays 😊


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## José Herring (Sep 29, 2020)

Henning said:


> My purchases for sample libs went down as my purchases of real life instruments went up. For me it is so much more fun to learn a new instrument than sitting down at the keyboard nowadays 😊


Did that until I realized the neighbors didn't like me banging on the taikos until 2am.


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## Bluemount Score (Sep 30, 2020)

Dirtgrain said:


> When the thrill is gone.


It still shows up in my library tab, not gone...


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## José Herring (Sep 30, 2020)

vitocorleone123 said:


> My guess is that you stop buying libraries when you start buying Eurorack.


I can stop when I buy Eurorack? Wish you would have told me that BEFORE I started buying Eurorack.


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## Daniel James (Sep 30, 2020)

🔜


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## gussunkri (Sep 30, 2020)

José Herring said:


> I can stop when I buy Eurorack? Wish you would have told me that BEFORE I started buying Eurorack.


You're doomed!


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## I like music (Sep 30, 2020)

Hahahahahahaha. Sorry, I'm laughing because a few months ago I had said to myself "You've bought everything you need. You don't need to buy a single library."

Actually, this was broadly true. I have almost everything I need. I was about to reply to this thread to say "You'll know when you have enough. I certainly have enough."

Since that time, I've purchased two libraries that until last week, _I didn't even know existed!_

So I'm going to revise my answer. One never stops.


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## PhiBee (Sep 30, 2020)

"*When does one STOP buying sample libraries?*"

When I saw that I was wasting time finding "the" sound, to the detriment of creativity.


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## Loïc D (Sep 30, 2020)

I’d say until you die.
But with a subscription plan, this might also extend beyond death.


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## el-bo (Sep 30, 2020)

After the next one...promise 

I have neither the talent nor the wallet for big orchestral libraries. However, it's the small boutique curiosities and no-brainers, added together, that I have to be really careful about.


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## Sarah Mancuso (Sep 30, 2020)

> *When does one STOP buying sample libraries?*


When the sale ends.


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## Alex Fraser (Sep 30, 2020)

Mike T said:


> I'm a minimalist in general, so for me it's about getting to a point where I'm not saying, "boy, if only I had something that could do X," and then just not getting anything else. I feel good about not overloading, having exactly what I need and nothing more. I don't get very bad gear lust. Some, but nothing major.


This is pleasing to read as I thought I was the only one 'round these parts who felt the same way. 

It's the speed. To get any sort of income from music, I need to write quickly and having a streamlined toolbox helps massively.

Each to their own though. It's important that composers find their own individual way of doing things rather than following the herd on internet forums. Writing music is a deeply personal process and what works for me might not for someone else. It's all good.

On the OP - I guess my answer would be I already have. I still look at BBCSO with jealous eyes - I don't _need_ it, only I want it. Other than that, it's strictly a buy-as-I-need thing.


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## mybadmemory (Sep 30, 2020)

I’m recently trying a one-library-per-track (kind of) approach for a number of reasons.

I’ve rearranged my template to be organized by library instead of by section. At the start of a track I simply choose a library based on what overall sound / pros / cons I think will fit the piece best, and I only allow myself to stray from it when absolutely necessary.

This makes me spend much less time on finding the best possible patch for each individual sound and more time on writing. It automatically sounds much more more cohesive. And I also believe it makes me realize I already have more than enough.


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## Monkberry (Sep 30, 2020)




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## Larbguy (Oct 3, 2020)

i've definitely slowed on big "bread and butter" library purchases. I feel pretty covered with what i have. Things that are inventive like S + A products will still catch my eye though, but I see Auras and Cycles as bread and butter libraries as well (sound design wise). I'll pick up cheeky instruments here and there now, like an organ, a tinwhistle, a banjo, etc.


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## Ned Bouhalassa (Oct 3, 2020)

The pandemic has certainly made me appreciate all that I already have!


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## José Herring (Oct 3, 2020)

Ned Bouhalassa said:


> The pandemic has certainly made me appreciate all that I already have!


Great! It made me realize I really didn't have much in the way of samples. Lots of tasty syntjs though!


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## MartinH. (Oct 3, 2020)

patrick76 said:


> It is a bit disconcerting. I worry about the future of politics (and everything else) when people really will be able to fake anything and anyone in video. They could create a video of me composing a masterpiece in real time and no one would know it is total bullshit (except of course those that know me well). Scary times.


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## JonS (Oct 3, 2020)

Top 12 Family Feud Answers:

When do people stop buying sample libraries?

1-Death 81
2-Maxed out on credit cards 7
3-Comet hits the planet 2
4-Coma  2
5-Zombie Apocalypse 1
6-Global Thermal Nuclear War 1
7-Wife confiscates credit cards 1
8-Institutionalized in Insane Asylum 1
9-Get arrested 1
10-Fall madly in love with siren 1
11-Hell freezes over 1
12-The Fat Lady sings 1


cue applause...


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## NYC Composer (Oct 5, 2020)

I’m self aware enough to realize that I have an addictive personality, so I work hard at controlling it. I could definitely afford to buy more and more expensive libraries than I do, but I only buy a few each year and only when they’re at a very good sale price.

(Ok, I just bought Adventure Brass but c’mon, for $99??)


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## marclawsonmusic (Oct 5, 2020)

NYC Composer said:


> (Ok, I just bought Adventure Brass but c’mon, for $99??)



Adventure Brass on sale? Oh dear...

To answer the original question... Buying gear gets in the way of writing - and these days I have a moratorium on buying so I can focus on writing. 

Although I _did _pick up CineBrass Sonore and Randy's Celeste in the recent sale... but I digress... ahem!


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## JohnG (Oct 5, 2020)

mybadmemory said:


> I’ve rearranged my template to be organized by library instead of by section. At the start of a track I simply choose a library based on what overall sound / pros / cons I think will fit the piece best, and I only allow myself to stray from it when absolutely necessary.



I may be doing something similar but not sure if I follow you exactly. I don't try (at all) to stick with just one library for a cue / song, so we may differ there. I sometimes use a bass patch from one library, a legato violin from another, and patches from two or more other libraries still.

Regarding the template, I still group winds, brass, strings in sections (folders). Within strings, I will put the title of the library, say, Spitfire Symphonic Strings, then quite a few tracks for that library -- could be 20 or 30:
v1 (various tracks for legato, shorts, sus)
v2 
vla
vcl
cb


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## NYC Composer (Oct 5, 2020)

I have 80 MIDI tracks for HO strings.


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## jononotbono (Oct 5, 2020)

After using OT’s new Phoenix orchestra quite a bit this past week I really want to buy Jade Orchestra now. It never ends 😂


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## JohnG (Oct 6, 2020)

jononotbono said:


> After using OT’s new Phoenix orchestra quite a bit this past week I really want to buy Jade Orchestra now. It never ends 😂



Jade is great


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## jononotbono (Oct 6, 2020)

JohnG said:


> Jade is great



That’s does not help man.


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## X - V I S I O N (Oct 25, 2020)

Have you read Alice in Wonderland ?

You really should...


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## purple (Oct 25, 2020)

I'll stop when they finally get good.


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## Paul Grymaud (Oct 25, 2020)

I will stop when developers stop creating new samples.
It's like smoking or drinking. Buying samples is the curse of contemporary composers.


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## Mark Kouznetsov (Oct 25, 2020)

Thankfully, I understood pretty early that out of everything I have I'm always using the same bunch. And it sounds great and gets the job done! It's just an itch that you can get over if you're Jedi enough. It's unbelievable how MUCH can you squeeze out of a great library, hard to imagine. I'm still surprised by SSS (my favourite) and all the other kinds. Lately I often force myself to step out of the box and use the patches I always avoid, and it's really liberating.


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## jonvog (Oct 25, 2020)

tack said:


> Hear hear. And this is just a matter of time. I'm surprised no one has yet tried (that I've heard of at least) to use machine learning to build a neural network to model acoustic instruments. I mean, when you can do things like this or this, the technology is there -- or will soon be.



I'd say, we're pretty close.








Tone Transfer — Magenta DDSP


Play around with different inputs and outputs to see how machine learning transforms sounds.




sites.research.google


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## Quasar (Oct 25, 2020)

I've completely stopped. I remained an avid enthusiast even after I had more VI software than I would ever need, but Native Access ruined it for me when they ended offline activation for their products. What was once fun and exciting only became hideous and repugnant to me..

...This had the dual impact of revolutionizing my attitude about copy protection in general, and of completely destroying my interest in music software on any kind of consumerist level. Never again will I spend a dime on any software that does not give me 100% local control with a simple license number or key file, which eliminates at least 90% of all products from consideration. I no longer trust offline activations that involve remote registration (challenge/response etc.) because you can't trust the companies to honor the protocols that are in place when you make the purchase...

...Even finding those few companies that aren't corporofascist freaks about it is hard, since they seldom tell you _exactly_ what the activation protocol consists of in a way that is conveniently accessible.

The silver lining is that I no longer waste time, money or energy following new developments and no longer care about holiday sales, product innovations or even free version updates. Rather, I am working with what I have, and thinking of the software only as _tools_ as opposed to _products_. I've either unsubscribed or set mail filters for most of the developer ads that flood in every day.

I do have some small interest in sales this Xmas season, but only in the realm of hardware: computer component upgrades, microphones, preamps, that sort of thing.


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## José Herring (Oct 25, 2020)

Quasar said:


> I've completely stopped. I remained an avid enthusiast even after I had more VI software than I would ever need, but Native Access ruined it for me when they ended offline activation for their products. What was once fun and exciting only became hideous and repugnant to me..
> 
> ...This had the dual impact of revolutionizing my attitude about copy protection in general, and of completely destroying my interest in music software on any kind of consumerist level. Never again will I spend a dime on any software that does not give me 100% local control with a simple license number or key file, which eliminates at least 90% of all products from consideration. I no longer trust offline activations that involve remote registration (challenge/response etc.) because you can't trust the companies to honor the protocols that are in place when you make the purchase...
> 
> ...


Curious. What libraries are you left with?

Yes, I hear you. After a long string of software and library purchase my attention has turned to hardware.


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## gpax (Oct 25, 2020)

vitocorleone123 said:


> My guess is that you stop buying libraries when you start buying Eurorack.


I must have missed the memo, lol. I began putting my Eurorack system together over the summer. I’m still buying sample libraries as well. Help?


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## Quasar (Oct 25, 2020)

José Herring said:


> Curious. What libraries are you left with?



The ones that I paid for that are already activated. When I do a rebuild, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.


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## shponglefan (Oct 25, 2020)

gpax said:


> I must have missed the memo, lol. I began putting my Eurorack system together over the summer. I’m still buying sample libraries as well. Help?



Welcome to the Eurorack club! Now you've got _two_ bottomless money pits to enjoy!


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