# If you could start all over with sample purchasing?



## Resoded (Mar 19, 2021)

If you could start from scratch, you have yourself a computer but neither DAW nor libraries. From your current perspective and experiences, would you do things differently? How would you approach it?


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## chrisav (Mar 19, 2021)

I would stick with Logic for my DAW, but I would maaaaaaybe not go with the Native Instruments Symphony Series for my first orchestral purchase... 

I'd probably jump on Nucleus instead and save buckets of money. 

Well, what can you do.


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## P3TAAL (Mar 19, 2021)

Great question. There is so much I would change. I have many libraries that I just don't use very much. I'll have to give this some thought🤔


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## SupremeFist (Mar 19, 2021)

I would buy everything I've bought again, and again come to realise that only about half of it works for me. 🤷‍♂️


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## Jeremy Spencer (Mar 19, 2021)

I wouldn’t change much. Hollywood Strings/Brass would still be my main string/brass, and EW Symphonic Orchestra would still be my main percussion and “miscellaneous” orchestral library. I just wouldn’t have bought all the flash-sale synth libraries, I have too many of those.


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## jbuhler (Mar 19, 2021)

I don’t think you can do it without making lots of mistakes, because it‘s hard to learn which libraries suit your music without trying things out. Then too workflow is often hard to evaluate from walkthroughs, and what works for you may not for me.

For me, trained in traditional pencil and paper composition in the 1980s, I found working with orchestras based on individual instruments more difficult at the start because the analogue to live players was too ready. It was only when I started working with ensemble libraries that I could recalibrate my musical intuitions for virtual instruments. I could then move back to the individual instruments, which is mostly how I work now except I still do basic sketches with ensemble libraries. But I found passing through a stage of working primarily with ensemble libraries very helpful to understanding the difference between orchestrating for live orchestra versus for samples.


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## mybadmemory (Mar 19, 2021)

I would go for Logic and BBCSO Pro again, and skip everything else.


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## CT (Mar 19, 2021)

I'd probably stick with Logic. Wouldn't waste time and money with Garritan, VSL etc. and skip right to what I know I won't totally hate. Actually might convince myself not to bother with virtual instruments at all and just get Omnisphere and *maybe* a good virtual piano (and organ?) and do ambient stuff.


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## Mike Fox (Mar 19, 2021)

I definitely would have splurged on N, instead of spending so much on Spitfire.


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## SupremeFist (Mar 19, 2021)

Stephen Limbaugh said:


> .Would have acquired DIVA at the beginning.


+1 to this: if I'd got Diva at the start I would have saved a fair bit on cheaper synths/synth sample libraries that suck by comparison. 

Otherwise I wouldn't get the NI "definitive piano collection" (lol) or Albion One, but apart from that I'm pretty good.


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## ashX (Mar 19, 2021)

Would stick to Ableton and get CSS, CSB, U-he Diva, Hive, Zebra2, Shreddage Hydra, Archtop, Perf Samples Fluid Shorts, Cinesamples Tina Guo, Cinesamples Brass, Heavyocity Damage2 and 1 and get some free pianos from Pianobook


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## artomatic (Mar 19, 2021)

I wouldn't purchase half of the samples I have.
GAS was partly to blame.


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## Laurin Lenschow (Mar 19, 2021)

I would get a DAW that is not Ableton (and better suited for orchestral purposes) and out of the libraries I have I would keep/get these:
Jaeger, Cinewinds core and pro, Cinebrass core and pro, Cineperc, Hollywoodwinds, Cineharp, Metropolis Ark 1 and 2 (and maybe 3), The Grandeur, Noire, AGE 1&2, Swing More, Mojo 2, Legacy (Audio Imperia), Arva, Afflatus and maybe Berlin Woodwinds.


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## Kurosawa (Mar 19, 2021)

I would go for Reaper, CSS, CSSS, CSB, CSW, CinePerc, Berlin Woodwinds, Berlin Strings, Berlin Brass, Berlin Percussion, Metropolis Ark 1 & 2, SimpleSamSample's Signature Grand, MIRPro & Cinematic Rooms (and ProjectSam's Swing & Swing More!)


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## NoamL (Mar 19, 2021)

1. I'd realize it's better to buy one $600-$1000 library that is truly top notch than to buy several $120-$200 libraries over the years that have niche applications or that are just "affordable" or "playable."

2. I'd realize there is really no replacement for libraries that are a) recorded with a truly professional multi-mic setup (minimum: close-tree-outriggers) to capture a multidimensional sound, especially on strings where the mics actually pick up different players!, b) recorded on real scoring stages used by major Hollywood films. Everything just starts to sound flat compared to the multidimensional, cinematic quality of libraries recorded this way.

3. I'd realize that score study is more valuable than buying another library.

4. I'd realize that the most important technical quality of a library is the number of options it gives you to accomplish the same passage, since usually one mockup "technique" won't work all the time even for passages that are written the same way on the page. Redundant or near-redundant articulations like different "lengths" of shorts, or different attack types on the start of a note, are far more important than _variety_ of articulations.


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## Shredoverdrive (Mar 19, 2021)

I'd buy a house instead.


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## Michael Antrum (Mar 19, 2021)

Problem is - that back then the stuff I love and use now wasn't available.....

My first proper library was Symphobia, and though things have moved on I still love it to bits. 

Ivory I and then II has been replaced with VSL Synchron Pianos - but they VSL Synchrons weren't available then. 

I'm thinking of moving to Studio One from Cubase.....

But the biggest thing I would have done is invent a time machine and go to the future and brought back Staffpad.....

I bought too much Spitfire & OT, over half the stuff I have bought from them I wouldn't buy again. BBCSO is really nice though....

I'd never have bought any Izotope at all if I thought they were going subscription....


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## Evans (Mar 19, 2021)

Michael Antrum said:


> Problem is - that back then the stuff I love and use now wasn't available


Same. Unavailable, or possibly out of my price range at the time. Now I've spent more money overall, because I eventually did pick up the things that were originally out of my price range.

But that's not unique to VIs.


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## Tremendouz (Mar 19, 2021)

I would be able to save a bunch of money by buying only the stuff that turned out to suit my needs.

That's pretty much it.


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## davidson (Mar 19, 2021)

I wouldn't spend a single penny on libraries which can't be sold on.


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## Per Boysen (Mar 19, 2021)

My DAW choice would depend on what type of computer I would have. If I had an Apple I would go with Logic but if it was a Windows machine I would go with Cubase 11. In any case, I would buy into Kontakt and some of the full orchestra libraries (Abbey Road, BBC etc) plus a good setup of SWAM instruments, since I like to plug in my EWI now and then to do some additional organic playing/recording. From there I would expand with orchestral solo instrument libraries for Kontakt, as they turn up on deals.


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## Loïc D (Mar 19, 2021)

I would have saved a lot of money and now I would be making drifts with my AMG Benz on my golf course.
Ok maybe Noire and SCS.


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## BezO (Mar 19, 2021)

I'd likely not start with the Komplete bundle as I now only use a few of the synths, keys and Session instruments. And I could live without those.


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## Jimmy Hellfire (Mar 19, 2021)

I'd spend a lot less money. A lot.

I wish I could get rid of a whole bunch of overpriced and overrated stuff I never use, like all this Spitfire stuff and a bunch of others. I would buy only a few plugins, they're all the same anyway. For all things orchestral, I'd probably just get Synchron/Big Bang and Cinematic Studio Series, maybe some smaller additions here and there and call it a day.

I would buy higher quality hardware (monitors) and get studio space and acoustic treatment sorted out instead.


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## AndyP (Mar 19, 2021)

I would buy every goddamn library and plugin just so I could add my two cents to every thread in vi-contol.


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## Duncan Formosa (Mar 19, 2021)

I would probably try to stick to only libraries that are playable like the Infinite Series instruments and Sample modelling. They sound great but most importantly I'm just able to play them and not mess around with keyswitches all the time. 

The amount of times I bought a library cause I went "that sounds good" only to find out that it sounds good when you've had to mess around with the midi editor for ages and put me off writing music entirely.


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## BasariStudios (Mar 19, 2021)

A lot, and i mean a lot, probably worth over 10k.
The first thing i would not buy would be EW and
the second OT. Spitfire i would not buy some and
i do not have any regrets about VSL except few
Special Editions which are like nothing now.


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## NoamL (Mar 19, 2021)

5. Don't buy sample libraries just buy BTC, Domino's, and TSLA. :\


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## Mark Schmieder (Mar 19, 2021)

My first purchase was the only one I really needed, but during the many many years where I was an observer only (vs. a participant) on this forum, I allowed myself to be swayed by what others said and thus bought a bunch of other libraries, when all along my initial instinct was correct FOR MY NEEDS: Vienna Symphonic Library. Augmented, of course, by other stuff for world instruments.


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## Gerbil (Mar 19, 2021)

I'd still use Reaper and still end up with lots of different libraries because I'm not a one library person. I like having lots of choices.

But if I was advising someone new to the game then I'd say get one of the following: BBCSO Pro, the Cinematic series (with something like Cineperc), the recent VSL Synchron series or EWHO, and stick with them for a few years until you've squeezed every last drop out of them.


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## GtrString (Mar 19, 2021)

I wouldn't change a lot, to be fair there isn't that much out there. Once you start to shop around, you can map the market after 2-3 years. Studio One, everything Spectrasonics, everything ProjectSam, everything NI, Superior Drummer 3 with the new SDX'es, and sprinkle with the rest. Im happy.

Plugins is all over the place, but I like the Softube stuff especially, also a happy IK T-Racks user. A lot of other stuff, but also quite content here.


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## NekujaK (Mar 19, 2021)

Omnisphere, Diva, The Legend, and Absynth would be the only synths I would buy (instead of buying up every shiny new synth that came along).

I'd pick one or two reliable and versatile plugin makers and just stick with them for my mixing needs - probably Fabfilter and Acustica.

And then... and then I would buy everything else all over again because BUYING PLUGINS IS JUST *SO MUCH FUN!!*


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## Resoded (Mar 19, 2021)

Like many others, I would buy less.

One lesson learned; do you want to be a composer or a sample library collector? Libraries are silly expensive and most of the purchases end up not being used much. The temptation and inspiration hurts the wallet. I wish I understood not to fall victim to the fantasy that a purchase will improve my compositions or production in any way. Buying is completely separate from making music. For me, having a disk full of libraries almost becomes stressfull. That I'm not using them to the fullest and haven't gotten value out of my purchase. Better to have fewer libraries and be creative with the few you have.

Also, don't trust developers. The developers are tricky because most of them won't let us demo libraries. Their own walkthroughs are often sub-par in giving a proper look, and the compositions marketed are written based on the strengths and not the weaknesses of the library. Once you have the library in your hand, it's very possible to be disappointed. And now you can't resell it or get your money back. Once you've been burned enough, you sort of learn what to watch out for. Of all the products I've ever bought, I think sample libraries are the least customer friendly and borderline scams in some cases. And a side note, developers rarely reward loyal customers. I really like how Fabfilter gives discounts the more you buy from them.

For orchestra I would go dry instead of wet. Perhaps not completely dry but something like spitfire studio orchestra or cinematic studio orchestra. That gives a lot more flexibility, just add reverb for a bigger sound. Honestly adding reverb often sounds pretty good because it smoothes over some of the choppy programming. Wet libraries are so difficult for developers to record and program. I wouldn't bother with any of the big name stages. It's not going to sound like the movies anyways, and choppy transitions kills the immersion pretty quickly imho. Programming, smooth transitions and workflow is way way way underrated.

For synths and sound design I would go for Omnisphere and spend time to learn it properly. I bet you can spend decades with Omnisphere, never needing anything else. But I'm a hypocrite now having 3 synths, love them all and don't know which one to choose when I write.

For drums, that's tricky. I don't think there is a single go-to library that covers it all for me. Adding reverb to dry drums does not sound good imho.

For plugins I would go either stock plugins or the complete Fabfilter setup, and nothing more. Buying new shiny ones will not improve my production if my skills and ears aren't trained.

Oh well, you live and you learn.


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## pmountford (Mar 19, 2021)

AndyP said:


> I would buy every goddamn library and plugin just so I could add my two cents to every thread in vi-contol.


Since when has buying the library become a prerequisite for commenting about it on a forum...? 😉


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## FrankieD (Mar 19, 2021)

I've been buying sample collections for a long time and my advice is to buy a full library, a good one and own it. The best you can afford. Then, forever after you won't hurt for material to compose with. I bought the EWSO 11 years ago and that is still one of the best sample libraries. I bought Miroslav 22 years ago and it's still going strong. This year I bought a large Vienna library. Now I don't have to buy much to have an insane collection of samples for composing. I asked a pro last month what the A list composers use in terms of samples. His response was "Everything". Another pro confirmed this to me.


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## pmountford (Mar 19, 2021)

No problem with Cubase as my DAW choice but like many, have bought way more libraries than needed/used and partly swayed by the gas generated on this forum... 

If I'd have gotten into the synth hardware sooner I wouldn't have bought half as many soft synths nor hybrid sample libraries. Still, you live and learn, so no regrets here.


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## from_theashes (Mar 19, 2021)

I started with Kontakt and upgraded to Komplete 12 on sale and got BBCSO Discover. I think that was a good start.
Than I upgraded to K13U, AlbionONE and Spitfire Studio Orchestra, which I still use and I‘m pretty happy with 
And I would stick with Logic for sure! I tried Reaper and Studio One... but Logic is just the one for me.


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## FrankieD (Mar 19, 2021)

@pmountford: I was listening to part of your requiem for a soldier and wow, that was really beautiful. I'm just learning to apply counter point to my compositions and have been thinking, in American music, there is very little call for counterpoint. I never considered choral music. But I did invest in the EW Diamond Choir so tomorrow I'm off to "be influenced" by you...lol. That's if I can follow where you went. Which, in trying, will teach me a lot.


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## wilifordmusic (Mar 19, 2021)

Afraid I would buy a new car instead.

And then use Spitfire Labs with Reaper for my music fix.


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## Vik (Mar 19, 2021)

I would have bought Berlin Strings instead of what I bought, because it was a more finished and deep product, offering more ways to make the end result sound good.

Also, I would have warned myself against being distracted away from the very reason I'm interested in sample libraries: music making.


NoamL said:


> Redundant or near-redundant articulations like different "lengths" of shorts, or different attack types on the start of a note, are far more important than _variety_ of articulations.


This.


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## LynxUK (Mar 19, 2021)

No regrets with the libraries I have purchased, but looking back, I probably would have put some money aside, for some VSL libraries. 
I may still invest in them, but I can honestly say VSL have one of the worst, most confusing websites ever...it was more off putting than the thought of buying a dongle for their products. I hope they didnt pay anybody for the design of their website!! If they did, then they were robbed!


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## David Kudell (Mar 19, 2021)

I would buy every Orchestral Tools library then enter a contest to win every Spitfire library.

A bit risky, but it could work.


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## Scamper (Mar 19, 2021)

Back when I started, I got the Complete Composers Collection from East West and after using it, I noticed that I don't like their way of sampling and the lack of support for issues with the software. So, I wish I didn't get any EWQL stuff.

Luckily, the library landscape is very different today and if I'd start out today, I'd be happy with Berlin Inspire 1 or BBCSO Core and a few extras.

I'm still happy with Cubase, but today, it would be tougher to decide between Cubase and Studio One.


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## benmrx (Mar 19, 2021)

I wouldn’t buy anything from 8DIO, and I would buy more from ProjectSam and Heavyocity.


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## BasariStudios (Mar 19, 2021)

davidson said:


> I wouldn't spend a single penny on libraries which can't be sold on.


Which is most of or almost all of them.


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## BasariStudios (Mar 19, 2021)

Ok, lets turn this on its head? What have you actually deleted from your HD?
Should i start first?


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## CT (Mar 19, 2021)

Actually let me revise my answer. I'd buy great mics and start developing my own private libraries ten years ago in order to head off the frustration I'd feel with almost everything commercially available today, instead of realizing I want to do that during Plague Era.


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## ryans (Mar 19, 2021)

Mike T said:


> I'd buy great mics and start developing my own private libraries ten years ago in order to head off the frustration I'd feel with almost everything commercially available today,


Well, that's what I did. But let me tell you my private libraries have frustrated me 100x more than any commercially available one, heh..


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## puremusic (Mar 19, 2021)

Honestly there's very little I would do differently. A couple of small mistaken purchases, one medium sized maybe mistake, some of which were learning experiences and so beneficial that way, but mostly everything I bought I researched quite well beforehand, being cost conscious, so I knew I wanted it and what it could do.

Mostly my mistakes have been because I simply couldn't review the product properly through videos or whatnot beforehand, the info wasn't out there or was too buried to find -- and took a chance that turned out badly -- or was lazy about researching the product thoroughly and impulse buying.

I agree, better to go big and buy the big dollar libraries than buy a bunch of low/midrange stuff that just doesn't cut it. I figured that out pretty early on, that it'd be less expensive in the long run to just go big rather than buying a bunch of partially dissatisfying stuff.

I'm sure I'll make more mistakes in the future.. I've only been at this a couple of years.


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## Alex Niedt (Mar 19, 2021)

I'd still use Cubase for production. I'd buy all the OT stuff instead of looking for cheaper deals and collecting a bunch of garbage. I'd also still buy CSS, about a 1/4 of the Spitfire libraries I have, and some various specialty type stuff.


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## Saxer (Mar 19, 2021)

I'm so happy I don't have to start all over again!


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## lettucehat (Mar 20, 2021)

Agree that starting point matters. If I started around the same time I couldn't afford the good stuff, not then not now. I'd do a lot of other things differently and then just afford the good stuff. Ideally you don't piecemeal your collection together but sometimes that's just how it goes. If I had to start over right now with a reasonable budget, no time to wait for sales, gotta keep working on projects - CSS, CinePerc, BWW, Cinebrass and Berlin Brass, and a bunch of Performance Samples for the orchestral staples - and I don't own several of those, but am convinced they're what I'd get.

Can't regret the approach I took though, sometimes you have to buy the best you can afford even if you understand intellectually that getting the expensive real deal will be better.


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## pmountford (Mar 20, 2021)

FrankieD said:


> @pmountford: I was listening to part of your requiem for a soldier and wow, that was really beautiful.


Thank you, that's very kind of you to say. It was my first (but I hope not my last) foray into choral music. Careful what you wish for though if you do go down that path as it made me feel for quite sometime that everything else I was writing was musically worthless...


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## Mr Sakitumi (Mar 20, 2021)

I would stay away from “Commercial Announcements” and “Deals, Deals, Deals!”
Those sections are both amazing and dangerous 😇😈


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## easyrider (Mar 20, 2021)

I’m pretty much happy with what I have bought. I bought all the major ones on sale.

Audio Imperia NI collection
Cinesamples NI collection
U-HE NI collection
Novo Vento Forzo bundle and Ascend Piano 50% off
Spitfire Justin Hurwitz Professional Selects 60% off Symphonic orchestra
BBCSO Pro 40% off
SStO 50% off
Spitfire The Black Weekend collection 60% off
Spitfire Chamber
AROOF 
Few Spitfire others...always on sale....

Ominsphere 20% off
Keyscape 20% off

Bought Komplete 12 UCE with a S61 keyboard on big discount ...( Mainly for Kontakt )

Not bought any OT yet..


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## el-bo (Mar 20, 2021)

Most of the mis-steps I made were with soft-synths, which i was able to sell. Much more cautious with sample libraries. No huge regrets, thus far


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## jamessy (Mar 20, 2021)

I'd probably just have Reaper/Vital/Labs and spend my money on Scoreclub for a few years first


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## synergy543 (Mar 20, 2021)

A Tesla and Staffpad.


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## chocobitz825 (Mar 20, 2021)

I’d do it all the same, and then I’d buy the library to end all libraries 😳


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## Zamenhof (Mar 20, 2021)

David Kudell said:


> I would buy every Orchestral Tools library then enter a contest to win every Spitfire library.
> 
> A bit risky, but it could work.


Just a tip: You might want to throw in an 8-bit library...


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## quickbrownf0x (Mar 20, 2021)

I'd not be sleeping on the couch for most of 2021. And 2020..., 2019, definitely not..., 2018... ouch, that was a rough one, too - come to think of it - basically for the past 10 years or so. And I'd get Zebra2, Cinematic Series and Cinematic Rooms.


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## Trash Panda (Mar 20, 2021)

quickbrownf0x said:


> I'd not be sleeping on the couch for most of 2021. And 2020..., 2019, definitely not..., 2018... ouch, that was a rough one, too - come to think of it - basically for the past 10 years or so. And I'd get Zebra2, Cinematic Series and Cinematic Rooms.


Jokes on her if the couch is more comfy than the bed.


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## quickbrownf0x (Mar 20, 2021)

Trash Panda said:


> Jokes on her if the couch is more comfy than the bed.


Yeah, unfortunately no - the couch's way too short and as a result I've already lost 2 pinky toes because of poor blood circulation. Good thing I still have 10 left out of the original 12. Dedicated my last toe to buying Soothe2, Shreddage3 and the JADE Ethnic Orchestra. Worth it. 🤟

Probably a good way to measure if you really need that new VST or not; 'But is it worth a toe?'


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## Trash Panda (Mar 20, 2021)

For the most part, I’d probably do most of it all over the same way but I’d skip out on the choir libraries and wait for a sale on the Oceania’s and Storm Choir Ultimate. Probably skip the non Ethera libraries from Zero G as well.


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## dzilizzi (Mar 20, 2021)

Would I be restarting now or back in 2006 when I never heard of half these developers. Also, the prices were way more than I could afford back then. As in prices have dropped so much. Still, there are a few libraries I never used and should never have bought. 

Starting now? I wouldn't bother with a lot of the less expensive, beginner libraries and just wait for a sale on SSO or Berlin. Or both. Definitely wouldn't have bought the Cinesamples bundle, not because it wasn't good, but I find I prefer keyswitches to any other type of articulation changing type. 

I definitely don't need all the effects I have. Though I don't know if I would bother with getting both Melodyne and Autotune. And frankly Waves tune is easier than either of them. I'm sure there are a lot more. but who wants to go through it all and figure it out.


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## Laurin Lenschow (Mar 20, 2021)

dzilizzi said:


> Definitely wouldn't have bought the Cinesamples bundle, not because it wasn't good, but I find I prefer keyswitches to any other type of articulation changing type.


You can go to the "Mapping" tab of the cinesamples patch you want to use and set it up to work with keyswitches with just two clicks by changing the mapping preset from "velocity map" to "keyswitch map"


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## Page Lyn Turner (Mar 20, 2021)

Developers read this thread...
Cinesamples people: hmm we’re doing something wrong
Spitfire people, oh well, our small libraries are unique
Cinematic Series person, hmm people like my library
OT/Vienna people, yes we're expensive, ok? 

Back in the day I paid over 1000 pounds for EW Gold and Symphonic choirs, same money now you buy BBC pro on sale, CSS, and a better choir. For me a Cinematic Studio bundle ssd with a price of $899 would have been great!


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## dzilizzi (Mar 20, 2021)

Laurin Lenschow said:


> You can go to the "Mapping" tab of the cinesamples patch you want to use and set it up to work with keyswitches with just two clicks by changing the mapping preset from "velocity map" to "keyswitch map"


I know. But it wasn't that easy for some reason. I do live by Murphy's Law, so....


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## InLight-Tone (Mar 21, 2021)

Wow, a lot of regret from sleeping with Spitfire...


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## Reid Rosefelt (Mar 21, 2021)

As I now am very happy with Cinematic Studio Strings, Solo Strings, Brass, and Woodwinds, I wish I hadn't spent so much money on standard orchestral libraries I'll probably never use again. I recognize the value for professionals for having many libraries, but for me as a non-pro, I'm done. 

The only exception is for some solo instruments, and unusual approaches like The Orchestra, Sunset Strings, Solid State Symphony, OT's Time Series, and Ben Osterhouse. I'm very happy I have those libraries, but all the other symphonic stuff mostly turned out to be very expensive mistakes, unless they included solo instruments that aren't in one of the Cinematic Studio libraries. The cornet in VSL's Epic Orchestra 2.0 is a good example.

But what I regret most is that I have so many reverbs, which I picked up like candy. For the life of me I don't know why. I have all these expensive ones that people rave about here. I don't want to admit the one reverb I use every time because you all would think I was an ignorant Philistine.


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## GNP (Mar 21, 2021)

I realize there's no easy answer to this, because every library I bought, I eventually found some kind of use for it, further down the road. The actual question for me is, how often do I use a particular library. Even if I don't use one often, but it came in extremely handy for just ONE situation in my work, I'm glad I had it, even if it was really expensive.

In short, I don't think I could "start over again". I'll stick with what I currently have, and find further uses for them down the road, thanks.


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## lettucehat (Mar 21, 2021)

dzilizzi said:


> I know. But it wasn't that easy for some reason. I do live by Murphy's Law, so....


What do you mean by this? What happened when you tried changing the mapping to keyswitch based? Personally I don't hate their default mode for sketching but I always use the keyswitch mode because that's the only way it works with Babylon Waves' articulation sets.


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## Trevor Meier (Mar 21, 2021)

TigerTheFrog said:


> I don't want to admit the one reverb I use every time because you all would think I was an ignorant Philistine.


Well of course now you have to tell us..... !!


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## Montisquirrel (Mar 21, 2021)

For orchestral music I wouldn't buy any plugin but only StaffPad + Add-ons and concentrate on writing good music with some help of ScoreClub and M. Verta.


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## dzilizzi (Mar 21, 2021)

lettucehat said:


> What do you mean by this? What happened when you tried changing the mapping to keyswitch based? Personally I don't hate their default mode for sketching but I always use the keyswitch mode because that's the only way it works with Babylon Waves' articulation sets.


I don't remember now what the problem was. I just remember being frustrated with it. I do love their Tina Guo. I will have to play with it again to figure out the problem I had and come back.


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## Marsen (Mar 21, 2021)

dzilizzi said:


> I don't remember now what the problem was. I just remember being frustrated with it. I do love their Tina Guo. I will have to play with it again to figure out the problem I had and come back.


It's really easy to change to KS, then save it as your own KS Patch, and forget about it forever.


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## Quasar (Mar 21, 2021)

Given hindsight, I would have bought nothing that has anything beyond a license number or key file that you can control locally and install entirely autonomously offline. I used to be okay with challenge/response ported to an online computer, but since the Native Instruments unforgivable betrayal I no longer trust any developer who uses this. 

Thankfully, there are still plenty of FX effects to be had that do not require online activation, "download managers" and other such rot. But for VIs it's pretty crippling. I think this means that for a virtual orchestra I am limited to Garritan, for instance. Music Labs Real Guitar/Strat is cool, as is u-he for synths; there are a few who still do things in an ethical way.

I realize that you lose out on many/most of the best VIs if you don't accept corporofascist CP, but as the biblical proverb says:

_Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a fatted calf with hatred._


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## dzilizzi (Mar 21, 2021)

Marsen said:


> It's really easy to change to KS, then save it as your own KS Patch, and forget about it forever.


I want to say I was having trouble figuring out the GUI, I know I got to the page where you could change it, but I don't remember being able to select it. Something that required some work. so I put it aside. I think I fixed it at some point, but I may have forgotten that key step of saving the change. Thanks. I will try that.


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## AndyP (Mar 21, 2021)

What I would buy again at any time and what I would not want to do without under any circumstances is Hollywood Orchestra Diamond.
Especially Hollywood Strings and Brass. They save my ass all the time.

VSL Synchron Series and BBO, anytime again, especially for the Woodwinds and Strings.

Percussion, I recently bought Saga at a sale and am totally happy with it. Can be used incredibly well with other libraries. Great addition to Cinepercussion.

Ethera Gold is my must have.
The Ark Choirs, Oceania and the Strezov Choir Essentials.
8 Dio Century Ostinato Strings 1 and Intimate Strings (yes, I like those).
8 Dio Century Solo Brass.
All the stuff from Audio Imperia, especially Legacy and Performance Samples.
Spitfire Studio Strings Pro.
The guitars, drums and bass from Impact Soundworks, Medusa and Ruby from Musical Samples.
Symphobia 1+2 (3 not so much use for it).

For pianos Noire and the D-274 from VSL.

I could live with that just fine and do without the other stuff as much as possible (except for a few small special Libraries).

Sounds like a lot, but everything has its place.


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## dcoscina (Mar 21, 2021)

Option A- Buy Staffpad on a 12.9” iPad Pro. All of the expansion libraries. Then Dorico and NotePerformer for finishing and prep for concert hall. But honestly, aside from the larger iPad Pro, that’s pretty much what I’m doing these days anyhow.

Option B- If I had to choose a sample library/DAW, I would probably go with BBCSO for orchestral. The Audio Imperia stuff for hybrid/film scoring because it has the sizzle. Studio One for the DAW. Love it. It complies to my orchestral writing sensibilities. 

But ideally, I would prefer Option A and work harder to get stuff performed by real groups. Nothing beats 50-80 musicians who have spent their lives dedicated to perfecting their chosen instrument. No sample library will ever measure up to that.

No sample developer will ever disagree either.


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## mandan (Mar 21, 2021)

I bought in sale some Production Voices compact pianos for sforzando on 1st of March, which isn't very good at all, maybe the kontakt version with many mics is better. 

My first piano was Noire from NI, which I bought on 5th of November for 149€. Some days later on Black friday from 18th of November until 7th of December I could get it for half price, which was really frustrating. I don't use it somehow, although it is a very good piano, but I don't like the sound of it.

I have free Hammersmith from Sonnicouture and free demo version of Gentleman from NI and trial version of Pianoteq, pianoteq stage and organoteq. I would like to play some fortepiano in classical pieces and pianoteq is very good. 

I am thinking about ivory II, but I should pay the price+VAT, which is very expensive for me, for that price I could buy VST, which is far better.


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## David Kudell (Mar 21, 2021)

Zamenhof said:


> Just a tip: You might want to throw in an 8-bit library...


Yes of course. I don’t regret that one, do I @Andrew Aversa of Impact Soundworks?


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## JGRaynaud (Mar 22, 2021)

I'd still start like I did, with Garritan Personal Orchestra.

Why ? Just because it forced me to learn a lot. When you use a library that doesn't shine easily you have to learn how to write a proper arrangement, you have to find little tricks everywhere to fake a better result and really work a lot your programming, just to be able to have a decent result..

Once you buy a better sample library all this knowledge gives you the ability to program and compose better than someone else who would have started with something sounding good out of the box. Most of people who started with a great sounding library (not everybody of course, but most) just rely on the beautiful sound they get out of the box and think it's enough (or just don't go deep enough in the programming because they think it's enough to have a good result). That's why using a shitty library at first and learn with this is very useful in my opinion.


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## TomislavEP (Mar 22, 2021)

I would definitely choose REAPER again as my main DAW and Komplete as my primary toolkit. I would probably also gravitate back toward Spitfire Audio for orchestral sounds.

Speaking of Kontakt libraries, I'm sad to say, but I probably wouldn't buy many of them again, especially those from the smaller boutique developers. While I immensely appreciate their work and the fact that they can often match up the heavyweights, collecting such libraries is really as expensive in the long run as with the ones with several times as much content, if not even more. Also, the sources of quality free sounds like Spitfire Labs and Pianobook have reached a whole new level of maturity these days, so I safely assume that they could eliminate my needs for many of these smaller libraries. Unfortunately, what's done, it's done. At least, more and more I'm able to resist even the most tempting discounts.


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## jononotbono (Mar 22, 2021)

I'd buy everything all again. Come to think of it, I still might. 😂


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## Michel Simons (Mar 22, 2021)

TomislavEP said:


> At least, more and more I'm able to resist even the most tempting discounts.


Me too. I didn't install roughly 1/3 of what I have on my new machine.


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## easyrider (Mar 22, 2021)

Composer cloud ends this month...EDU discount

I reclaim 750GB of space back.... 

Hardly used it it....and I hate play.


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## wst3 (Mar 22, 2021)

I get the gist of the question, but honestly? Of course I'd do things differently, libraries and tools have matured tremendously in the last 20 years (or more, oh my!)

I would skip over the Spitfire Albion range in favor of the Project Sam and Orchestral Tools ensemble libraries, and I'd spend more time learning to use them, from the start!

I'd probably swap out CHHorns for Glory Days and Mojo2 (probably).

I'd focus on the Cinesamples range for my bread and butter stuff. I'd still buy the 8Dio strings and winds, but I'd be aware of their limits

And I'd by everything from Cinematic Studios!

I'd still buy every single percussion library, and then some.

I'd start studying scores sooner.

I'd skip straight to Studio One - DP and Cakewalk are great tools, but Studio One seems to be the one I use the most. And I'd keep Finale but I'm not certain why<G>.

Interesting query!


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## Markrs (Mar 22, 2021)

easyrider said:


> Composer cloud ends this month...EDU discount
> 
> I reclaim 750GB of space back....
> 
> Hardly used it it....and I hate play.


Mine comes up soon as well but plan on keeping it for another year. I'm no longer a student, so I would lose the discount, but like you, I haven't really used it (I also own HOD separately)


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## TomislavEP (Mar 23, 2021)

If I could start all over again, I'd surely try to avoid these pitfalls that I've made all too often:


buying more affordable, yet inferior alternatives to something as a stopgap solution
trying to build a larger library out of smaller boutique titles
buying something drawn to large discount (before anything else)
not exploiting enough what I already have and/or quality free resources before shopping
Of course, my library is moderate in size by the usual standards of this community, but I still very much regret falling into mentioned traps.


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## Markrs (Mar 23, 2021)

TomislavEP said:


> not exploiting enough what I already have and/or quality free resources before shopping


This is an issue for me. I have more stuff than I have time to fully explore, so often I don't know what I have so I then often buy stuff on heavy discount (FOMO) which I already have, which is often a better version of it as well. 

So I now I am just trying to learn what I have and the only new stuff I am interested in is things that work differently (I.e sample modeling or physical modeling stuff) rather than things that sound (often only slightly) differently.


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## yiph2 (Mar 23, 2021)

I would start the same - Justin Hurwitz Bundle + perc, then K13, then CSS stuff


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## Crowe (Mar 23, 2021)

I would change nothing.

I would once again buy the Aria collection on sale, try against all odds to make it work, learn that that's not possible, and figure out what is actually is that I need.


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## Trevor Meier (Mar 23, 2021)

TomislavEP said:


> buying more affordable, yet inferior alternatives to something as a stopgap solution
> trying to build a larger library out of smaller boutique titles
> buying something drawn to large discount (before anything else)
> not exploiting enough what I already have and/or quality free resources before shopping


Spot on.


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## Mr Greg G (Mar 23, 2021)

What I would change is first I wouldn't buy these overpriced VSL stuff. Biggest mistake I made. Also their upgrade policy is laughable. On the bright side it was easy for me to move on. I already mentioned that in another post but in the end what I just need is:
1/ Symphobia 1-2 for ensembles
2/ LASS core + sordinos for the brass
3/ Cinebrass core + pro for the strings or it's the other way around
4/ CS Winds
5/ Whatever perc lib you drool on because they all sound good

and that's it. My Cubase template, RAM and SSD actually sent me a Thank You note for that.


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## Leon Portelance (Mar 23, 2021)

I wouldn’t have so many damn string libraries, 3 would be plenty, not 20+.


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## dzilizzi (Mar 23, 2021)

Leon Portelance said:


> I wouldn’t have so many damn string libraries, 3 would be plenty, not 20+.


or 4.

Edit: Wait! there's that 5th one I use all the time also. Okay 5. 

Edit: Oh, shoot! forgot about 6 & 7. I really can't live without 6 & 7 - the legatos are stellar! 

Edit: Hmm.... 9, 10 and 11 are also important. But that is IT! No more!

Edit: Hey! did you see that new string library that just came out? It will solve all my problems....


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## CT (Mar 23, 2021)

Just make sure they're the good four.


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## Stringtree (Mar 23, 2021)

Everything I acquired was a learning experience, so I don't think I'd change a thing.

Another hobby of mine is electronics tinkering. So I have towers of drawers filled with things that are no longer available. ICs, LEDs, VFDs, motors of all kinds, boards, transistors, op-amps, tubes, inductors, battery holders, headers, vintage displays and indicators, enamelled copper wire, chicken-head knobs. Amazing test equipment like oscilloscopes, analyzers, a variac, tube power supply, industrial salvage. It all took time, and I made the most of learning from every piece.

There's no modern kit whatsoever that would provide this wealth of choice and flexibility. Those angry red 7-segment displays used in early digital wristwatches? Not a chance, unless I had a lot of cash. Nixie tubes. Powerful semiconductors, sensors. Modern quality doesn't hold a candle to what once was.

Where would be my Albion Loegria today? Or VSL percussion from the Cube? Horizon Epic Horns? Patiently waiting for sales and grabbing all those choirs. All of this would be insanely cost-prohibitive. 

No, I'm holding on to what I have and recognizing its value, and what I've learned will inform any new purchase. What can't be altered (yet?) in this equation is time.


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## pcarrilho (Mar 23, 2021)

For me... Symphobias and BBCSO PRO... That's all i need.


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## Russell Anderson (Mar 23, 2021)

I probably wouldn't have purchased Unfiltered Audio BYOME for $40?... And I wouldn't have gone and bought the Lydian Chromatic Concept for $125 which I've not read a single page of yet. Anyone want to buy the Lydian Chromatic Concept at a discount?  And maybe I'd have gotten Jaeger instead of AROne? Idk, the brass is pretty killer in ARO... Honestly I don't know. I think I did pretty okay, a little wobbly but my bases are pretty well covered (aside from wanting CSS still)

Honestly I'm more on the fence about whether buying Nimbus/R4/Sonsig was a good idea or if I should have just held out for Cinematic Rooms or, dare I say it, MTurboReverb . Then again, the Exponential Audio reverbs are part of what got me interested in powerful early reflections software in the beginning, so maybe I wouldn't have known to be interested in something like MTR (and then owning both CRP and MTR? I think I'd be getting more into regret territory at that point)


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## Resoded (Mar 23, 2021)

Stringtree said:


> Everything I acquired was a learning experience, so I don't think I'd change a thing.


Really good point. 

Also learning your own tastes and workflow during the whole process of using samples.


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## Michael Antrum (Mar 23, 2021)

mandan said:


> I bought in sale some Production Voices compact pianos for sforzando on 1st of March, which isn't very good at all, maybe the kontakt version with many mics is better.
> 
> My first piano was Noire from NI, which I bought on 5th of November for 149€. Some days later on Black friday from 18th of November until 7th of December I could get it for half price, which was really frustrating. I don't use it somehow, although it is a very good piano, but I don't like the sound of it.
> 
> ...


For years, Ivory II American Concert D running through Spaces II was my piano of choice. But if I were starting again now, I think I‘d get Synchronized Special Edition 1 from VSL, which has the LE version of their Steinway D274 on it, along with a very good orchestral setup.

What’s even better is that if you don’t like it - you can return it within 14 days for a refund if you buy from VSL.


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## dzilizzi (Mar 23, 2021)

mandan said:


> I bought in sale some Production Voices compact pianos for sforzando on 1st of March, which isn't very good at all, maybe the kontakt version with many mics is better.


I think I have all the Kontakt versions. I love the Death Piano. But it is not your ordinary piano. Their big grand sounds good, but I'm not a pianist, I just love pianos. It came on a external drive - so really big. It is easier for me to use the Kontakt versions, but if you don't mind the sforzando player, I guess they are fine? I never play my sforzando ones.


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## dunamisstudio (Mar 23, 2021)

I think I have more regret with amount of plugins I bought than sample libraries. Purchased Symphobia when price was reduced. Skipped Cinestrings. And either went all Kontakt libraries or all Vienna possibly.


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## Markrs (Mar 24, 2021)

dunamisstudio said:


> I think I have more regret with amount of plugins I bought than sample libraries.


Me too, far too many plugins that I won't ever use.


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## TomislavEP (Mar 24, 2021)

I agree with both of you on plugins. These are (IMO) even the worse money pit. Fortunately, I haven't fallen down this one myself. Sadly, I can't say the same for libraries.


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## TiagoG (Mar 24, 2021)

Such a great question for me, who's just getting started. It's also an odd one if you think of it - what makes us us today, is really the accumulation of all those past decisions. So if you had a chance to do it again, you wouldn't know better, so you'd do the same things (insert mindblown gif). And even if you had come across this thread back then, you would end up making another set of decisions based on it, which in 5 years time you might also regret  Ok, enough of cheap philosophy. 

My 2 cents from a beginner perspective - agree that watching reviews and following deal forums can be overwhelming and make it too easy to splurge on libraries. I've been tempted a few times but instead decided to invest in a good PC, Omnisphere, Scoreclub and some Thinkspace courses. I will also be applying to the Masters with TS this Summer. 

In terms of orchestral libraries, I just have EW CC X (Gold stuff), 8dio anthology ($88 couldn't resist) and BO's Sospiro and Pattern Strings (heavily discounted and super useful). Oh and BBCSO Discover. This feels more than enough to practice.


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## dzilizzi (Mar 24, 2021)

TiagoG said:


> Such a great question for me, who's just getting started. It's also an odd one if you think of it - what makes us us today, is really the accumulation of all those past decisions. So if you had a chance to do it again, you wouldn't know better, so you'd do the same things (insert mindblown gif). And even if you had come across this thread back then, you would end up making another set of decisions based on it, which in 5 years time you might also regret  Ok, enough of cheap philosophy.
> 
> My 2 cents from a beginner perspective - agree that watching reviews and following deal forums can be overwhelming and make it too easy to splurge on libraries. I've been tempted a few times but instead decided to invest in a good PC, Omnisphere, Scoreclub and some Thinkspace courses. I will also be applying to the Masters with TS this Summer.
> 
> In terms of orchestral libraries, I just have EW CC X (Gold stuff), 8dio anthology ($88 couldn't resist) and BO's Sospiro and Pattern Strings (heavily discounted and super useful). Oh and BBCSO Discover. This feels more than enough to practice.


This is somewhat true. But I also have more money now and may not have bought some of the inferior libraries that I never use. So, if starting now? I wouldn't have bought a lot of the outboard gear I never use - it is not fancy gear. And I would have bought SSO a lot sooner. I would have still bought things like 8Dio's weird percussion libraries, Sonivox's Silk Road Percussion, and SonicCouture's Haunted Spaces because they are so different. 

But I wouldn't have bought Miroslav (I think I paid $150 all in) and some others like it that I never, ever used. They didn't help me learn because they were hard to use. I also might not have bought Albion 1, the OT Inspires (go straight for the Berlin) and other beginner orchestras that didn't work for me. I am glad I brought the Project Sam stuff, though at first, when I didn't know you can turn off instruments and not every piano also has a harp and bells, I hated it.


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## Soundbed (Mar 24, 2021)

NoamL said:


> 1. I'd realize it's better to buy one $600-$1000 library that is truly top notch than to buy several $120-$200 libraries over the years that have niche applications or that are just "affordable" or "playable."
> 
> 2. I'd realize there is really no replacement for libraries that are a) recorded with a truly professional multi-mic setup (minimum: close-tree-outriggers) to capture a multidimensional sound, especially on strings where the mics actually pick up different players!, b) recorded on real scoring stages used by major Hollywood films. Everything just starts to sound flat compared to the multidimensional, cinematic quality of libraries recorded this way.
> 
> ...


This feels closest to what I would have written. So, +1


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## darcvision (Mar 25, 2021)

Cinematic Studio Strings

before i want to buy sample library, i always check their discount, or which one are very affordable. My first strings i bought are 8Dio Adaggieto($48) which is steal, great sounds but very sluggish and need a ton of editing to make it usable. Second strings i bought are LSCS($120), unique sounds and a lot of mic options, but what i really want is flexible legato strings, which is good for creating melody strings sounds.


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## FrankieD (Mar 31, 2021)

I've been owned EWSO for many years and only recently have been on a cloud subscription. With VSL and Spitfire, I'm going to drop my EW Cloud subscription. After reading this thread, I'm going to check out Berlin and CineSamples, but, not buy them until I get VSL fully worked out...sometime next year.


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## AEF (Mar 31, 2021)

I'd buy BBCSO, everything from Performance Samples, the Metropolis Ark series, and save the rest I spent (god knows how many thousands) waiting for Voyage from Performance Samples.


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## dpasdernick (Mar 31, 2021)

I’d be f$&king rich!


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## Stringtree (Mar 31, 2021)

I'd have a good car. Spitfire Labs, and whatever was occasionally on sale, and it's really rare any virtual instruments go on sale. Soundfonts. Real instruments. My self respect. A lot more score knowledge. 

Biceps. Washboard abs. Beautiful hair. A portfolio. Ravenous drive to create. 

Instead of buying something, I'd put the crumpled bills into the pickle jar and stretch to place it on top of the cabinet. No, no spending on anything fun. All the coins, too. 

Ridiculous. I want sounds and I want them right now.


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## Evans (Mar 31, 2021)

Large purchases aside, I would still be happy purchasing most of the smaller libraries I've picked up. Even when they don't make a final cut, they're often still inspirational.

I'm talking about releases like Ben Osterhouse stuff; the kantele from Xperimenta; Sunset Strings; Dystopian Guitars; Djembe X3M. Yes, these range in price a good bit, but we're not talking monumental purchases such as pre-sale EWHO Diamond or the Berlin series.


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## Alchemedia (Jun 9, 2021)

Shredoverdrive said:


> I'd buy a house instead.


I did the next best thing. I bought "Death Piano" and wrote an addendum to my will that I want to be buried in it when I kick the bucket.


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## jaketanner (Jun 9, 2021)

I would stick with Pro Tools, but would have learned Cubase early on. As far as libraries go...BBCSO Pro is what i would start with. Omnisphere for sure...I still love Performance Samples libraries...And I would have invested in OT and VSL sooner. A lot of other libraries I never use.


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## Casiquire (Jun 9, 2021)

I'd grab all of OT's orchestral libraries, keep LASS, Pianoteq, Omnisphere, CSS, Superior Drummer, Shreddage guitar and bass. As for fx, Altiverb, Spaces, MIR, Ozone, pretty much everything from FabFilter, and i do like some of the cheap Waves vintage-styled things like the H-delay and H-compression. All of that would get me like 98% of what i do and what i want to do.


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## wilifordmusic (Jun 9, 2021)

So, I'm sticking with my earlier statement. I haven't bought any libraries this year.

But I have bought two Mercedes Benz. Both older cars, an '03 CLK 320 coupe and a 2000 E320 4matic.
Cash.
I'm okay with the libraries I own now.

ymmv


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## EgM (Jun 9, 2021)

I'd just buy the whole VSL rig, especially VI Series and complement it with the new Synchron series 

Vienna Instruments Pro is just too sweet to work with


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## Frederick (Jun 9, 2021)

I only started 14 months ago buying Vst's and I have no regrets so I'd say all the libraries I've bought:

8Dio 1985 Passionate Piano
8Dio 1990 Prepared Grand Piano
8Dio Adagietto
8Dio Adagio Basses v1
8Dio Adagio Cellos v1
8Dio Adagio Violas v1
8Dio Adagio Violins v1
8Dio Advanced Guitar Series: Steel String
8Dio All Agitato Strings Bundle
8Dio Aluphone (also part of exotic studio percussion)
8Dio Anthology Strings 1.3 (New Adagio Anthology Series; Ensemble, Divisi, Solo)
8Dio Bible of Salsa Bundle
8Dio Blackbird (drumkit)
8Dio CAGE Brass FX
8Dio CAGE Strings FX
8Dio CAGE Woodwinds FX
8Dio CASE Solo Brass FX
8Dio CASE Solo Strings FX
8Dio CASE Solo Woodwinds FX
8Dio Century Artisan Brass
8Dio Century Harps
8Dio Century Ostinato Brass Trumpets & Horns
8Dio Century Ostinato Brass Trombones & Tuba
8Dio Century Ostinato Strings
8Dio Century Ostinato Strings II: Advanced Patterns
8Dio Century Ostinato Woodwinds Flute & Clarinet
8Dio Century Ostinato Woodwinds Oboe & Bassoon
8Dio Claire Alto Flute Virtuoso
8Dio Claire Bassoon Virtuoso
8Dio Claire Clarinet Virtuoso
8Dio Claire English Horn Virtuoso
8Dio Claire Flute Virtuoso
8Dio Claire Oboe Virtuoso
8Dio Claire Piccolo Flute Virtuoso
8Dio Insolidus Choir
8Dio Lacrimosa Epic Choir
8Dio Legion Series: 66 Basses
8Dio Legion Series: 66 Cellos
8Dio Legion Series: 66 Trombones
8Dio Legion Series: 66 Tubas
8Dio Liberis Angelic Choir
8Dio Majestica
8Dio Misfit Harmonica
8Dio Orchestral Shepards
8Dio Requiem Professional Choir
8Dio Silka Choir
8Dio Studio Percussion Auxiliary
8Dio Studio Percussion Exotic
8Dio Studio Percussion Orchestral
8Dio Studio Quartet Series: Deep Solo Bass
8Dio Studio Quartet Series: Deep Solo Cello
8Dio Studio Quartet Series: Deep Solo Viola
8Dio Studio Quartet Series: Deep Solo Violin
8Dio Studio Series: Intimate Strings
8Dio Studio Series: Intimate Woodwinds
8Dio Studio Series: Tenor Saxophone
8Dio Studio Vintage Series: CP70 Electric Piano
8Dio Studio Vintage Series: Hammond Studio Vintage Organ
8Dio Studio Vocals: Laurie
8Dio Studio Vocals: Roula
8Dio Supercluster - Recordings of the Universe
8Dio Symphonic Shadows
8Dio The New Acoustic Grand Ensembles (AGE) Vol. 1
8Dio The New Acoustic Grand Ensembles (AGE) Vol. 2
8Dio The New Basstard
8Dio The New Bazantar
8Dio The New Century Brass Ensemble Bundle
8Dio The New Century Brass LITE
8Dio The New Century Solo Brass Bundle
8Dio The New Century Ensemble Strings Bundle 
8Dio The New Century Sordino Strings Bundle
8Dio The New Century Strings LITE
8Dio The New Epic Dohl Ensemble
8Dio The New Epic Framedrum Ensemble
8Dio The New Epic Toms Ensemble
8Dio The New Epic Taiko Ensemble
8Dio The New Forgotten Voices: Barbary
8Dio The New Forgotten Voices: Cait
8Dio The New Forgotten Voices: Francesca
8Dio The New Forgotten Voices: Terrie
8Dio The New Studio Sopranos
8Dio The Polyphon
8Dio Train Flute
8Dio Wind Chimes

Acoustic Samples GD-6 EDC
Acoustic Samples Strategy EDC
Acoustic Samples Sunbird EDC
Acoustic Samples Telematic V3 EDC

Auddict Master Solo Woodwinds

Ample Sound Guitar L III - Alhambra Luthier classic guitar
Ample Sound Guitar LP III - Gibson Les Paul 1958 Reissue
Ample Sound Guitar M III - Martin D-41 acoustic guitar
Ample Sound Guitar PF III - PRS Custom 24 Artist
Ample Sound Guitar SC III - Fender Stratocaster 50th Anniversary
Ample Sound Guitar Semi Hollow III - Gibson ES 335
Ample Sound Guitar SJ - Gibson SJ-200 Vintage Custom Shop
Ample Sound Guitar T III - Taylor 714CE acoustic guitar
Ample Sound Guitar TC III - Fender Telecaster John English Masterbuilt
Ample Sound Guitar Twelve III - Taylor 956CE 12 String guitar
Ample Sound Guitar VC III - Gibson SG 61 Vintage

AudioBro Genesis Children's Choir
AudioBro Modern Scoring Brass
AudioBro Modern Scoring Strings (incl. Legato expansion)

Ben Osterhouse - Pattern Strings V2

CineSamples Ancient Bones
CineSamples Artist Series - Randy's Celeste
CineSamples Artist Series - Randy's Prepared Piano
CineSamples Artist Series - Taylor Davis Violin
CineSamples Artist Series - Tina Guo Accoustic Cello Legato
CineSamples Artist Series - Tina Guo Vol. 2
CineSamples CineBrass Core
CineSamples CineBrass Descant Horn
CineSamples CineBrass Horns from the Deep
CineSamples CineBrass Pro
CineSamples CineBrass Sonore
CineSamples CineHarps
CineSamples CinePerc
CineSamples CinePiano
CineSamples CineStrings Core
CineSamples CineStrings Runs
CineSamples CineStrings Solo
CineSamples CineWinds Core
CineSamples CineWinds Monster Low Winds
CineSamples CineWinds Pro
CineSamples Handbells
CineSamples Voices of War - Men of the North
CineSamples Voxos 2 Epic Choir

East West Gypsy
East West Hollywood Backup Singers
East West Hollywood Brass Diamond edition
East West Hollywood Harp Diamond edition
East West Hollywood Orchestra Opus Diamond Edition
East West Hollywood Orchestra Percussion Diamond edition
East West Hollywood Orchestra Woodwinds Diamond edition
East West Hollywood Solo Cello Diamond edition
East West Hollywood Solo Violin Diamond edition
East West Hollywood Strings Diamond edition
East West Hollywood Choirs Diamond edition
East West Ra
East West Silk
East West Symphonic Choirs Platinum
East West Symphonic Choirs Voices of the Apocalypse Expansion
East West Symphonic Orchestra Platinum edition
East West Voices of Opera
East West Voices of Passion
East West Voices of Soul
East West Voices of the Empire

Fluffy Audio Spaghetti Western

Heavyocity Ascend
Heavyocity Damage 2
Heavyocity Forzo
Heavyocity Forzo Essentials
Heavyocity Intimate Textures
Heavyocity Novo
Heavyocity Novo Essentials
Heavyocity Rhythmic Textures
Heavyocity Vento
Heavyocity Vento Essentials

Native Instruments Komplete 13 Ultimate CE


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## Frederick (Jun 9, 2021)

Orange Tree Samples Angelic Harp
Orange Tree Samples Angelic Keys
Orange Tree Samples Angelic Zither
Orange Tree Samples Cherry Electric Bass
Orange Tree Samples CoreBass Pear
Orange Tree Samples Evolution Dracus
Orange Tree Samples Evolution Flatpick 6
Orange Tree Samples Evolution Flatwound
Orange Tree Samples Evolution Hollowbody Blues
Orange Tree Samples Evolution Infinity
Orange Tree Samples Evolution Jazz Archtop
Orange Tree Samples Evolution Jumbo 12
Orange Tree Samples Evolution Modern Nylon
Orange Tree Samples Evolution Rick
Orange Tree Samples Evolution Rick 12
Orange Tree Samples Evolution Rock Standard
Orange Tree Samples Evolution Roundwound
Orange Tree Samples Evolution Sitardelic
Orange Tree Samples Evolution Songwriter
Orange Tree Samples Evolution Steel Strings
Orange Tree Samples Evolution Stratosphere
Orange Tree Samples Evolution Strawberry
Orange Tree Samples Evolution Texas Twang
Orange Tree Samples Iconic Bass Jaco
Orange Tree Samples MesaWinds
Orange Tree Samples Passion Flute
Orange Tree Samples SLIDE Acoustic
Orange Tree Samples SLIDE Lap Steel
Orange Tree Samples TinyBox

Orchestral Tools Berlin Strings
Orchestral Tools Berlin Strings: Special Bows I
Orchestral Tools Berlin Strings: Special Bows II
Orchestral Tools Berlin Woodwinds
Orchestral Tools LA Sessions: Rhodes
Orchestral Tools Majestic Horn (Organic Samples)
Orchestral Tools Modus - Jeff Russo
Orchestral Tools Phoenix Orchestra
Orchestral Tools Tallinn
Orchestral Tools Time Macro
Orchestral Tools Time Micro

Realitone Sunset Strings

Sonokinetic Capriccio (Vigorous orchestral phrases)
Sonokinetic Carillon
Sonokinetic Carousel
Sonokinetic Chime
Sonokinetic Espressivo (Aleatoric orchestral phrases)
Sonokinetic Grosso (Grandiose orchestral phrases)
Sonokinetic Ibrido Favola (Sound design)
Sonokinetic Indie (Small Orchestral Ensembles phrases)
Sonokinetic Largo (Majestic orchestral phrases)
Sonokinetic Maximo (Action packed orchestral phrases)
Sonokinetic Minimal (Minimalist orchestral phrases)
Sonokinetic Modal Runs (Strings & Woodwinds)
Sonokinetic Noir (Classic and Neo Noir orchestral phrases)
Sonokinetic Ostinato Brass
Sonokinetic Ostinato Noir
Sonokinetic Ostinato Strings
Sonokinetic Ostinato Woodwinds
Sonokinetic Sotto (Delicate orchestral phrases)
Sonokinetic The Watchmaker (Clocks)
Sonokinetic Toll (Tower bells)
Sonokinetic Tutti (Textures & FX orchestral phrases)
Sonokinetic Tutti Vox (Choir + FX Choir)
Sonokinetic Orchestral Woodwinds Ensembles 

Sonuscore Lyrical Cello Phrases
Sonuscore Ha*pi Concert Harp
Sonuscore Origins Vol. 2: Music Box & Plucked Piano
Sonuscore The Orchestra Complete 2

Soundiron Mercury Boys Symphonic Choir
Soundiron Olympus Symphonic Choir

Spitfire Audio Abbey Road One: Orchestral Foundations + Selections
Spitfire Audio Albion One
Spitfire Audio Albion IV: Uist
Spitfire Audio Albion V: Tundra
Spitfire Audio Alternative Solo Strings
Spitfire Audio Aluphone
Spitfire Audio Aperture Orchestra 
Spitfire Audio BBC Symphony Orchestra Professional
Spitfire Audio Bernard Herrmann Composer Toolkit
Spitfire Audio British Drama Toolkit
Spitfire Audio Chamber Strings Professional
Spitfire Audio Cimbalom
Spitfire Audio Eric Whitacre Choir
Spitfire Audio Glass and Steel
Spitfire Audio Hans Zimmer Percussion Professional
Spitfire Audio Hans Zimmer Piano
Spitfire Audio Hans Zimmer Strings
Spitfire Audio Harp
Spitfire Audio Harpsichord
Spitfire Audio Hg2O
Spitfire Audio London Contemporary Orchestra Strings
Spitfire Audio London Contemporary Orchestra Textures
Spitfire Audio Masse
Spitfire Audio Olafur Arnalds Chamber Evolutions
Spitfire Audio Orchestral Grand Piano
Spitfire Audio Orchestral Swarm
Spitfire Audio Originals: Cimbalom
Spitfire Audio Originals: Intimate Strings
Spitfire Audio Originals: Mrs Mills Piano
Spitfire Audio Percussion
Spitfire Audio Ricotti Mallets
Spitfire Audio Scraped Percussion
Spitfire Audio Solo Strings
Spitfire Audio Steel Drums
Spitfire Audio Studio Brass Professional
Spitfire Audio Studio Strings Professional
Spitfire Audio Studio Woodwinds Professional
Spitfire Audio Symphonic Brass Professional
Spitfire Audio Symphonic Motions
Spitfire Audio Symphonic Organ
Spitfire Audio Symphonic Strings Professional
Spitfire Audio Symphonic Strings Evolutions
Spitfire Audio Symphonic Woodwinds Professional
Spitfire Audio Union Chapel Organ

Strezov Freyja Choir (Female)
Strezov Wotan Choir (Male)

Vienna Symphonic Library Big Bang Orchestra: Andromeda (Essentials + Sordino Expansion)
Vienna Symphonic Library Big Bang Orchestra: Black Eye (Phrases & FX + Sordino Expansion)
Vienna Symphonic Library Big Bang Orchestra: Capricorn (Symphonic Riffs)
Vienna Symphonic Library Big Bang Orchestra: Dorado (Percussion Ensembles)
Vienna Symphonic Library Big Bang Orchestra: Eridanus (Percussion Riffs)
Vienna Symphonic Library Big Bang Orchestra: Fornax (Pitched Percussion Ensembles)
Vienna Symphonic Library Big Bang Orchestra: Ganymede (Choirs)
Vienna Symphonic Library Big Bang Orchestra: Hercules (Low Brass)
Vienna Symphonic Library Big Bang Orchestra: Izar (Low Brass Clusters)
Vienna Symphonic Library Big Bang Orchestra: Jupiter (6 Horns)
Vienna Symphonic Library Big Bang Orchestra: Kopernicus (4 Trumpets)
Vienna Symphonic Library Big Bang Orchestra: Lyra (High Strings)
Vienna Symphonic Library Big Bang Orchestra: Musca (Low Strings)
Vienna Symphonic Library Big Bang Orchestra: Neptune (Woodwinds Tutti)
Vienna Symphonic Library Big Bang Orchestra: Orion (4 Woodwind Sections)
Vienna Symphonic Library Big Bang Orchestra: Phoenix (Pitched Solo Percussion)
Vienna Symphonic Library Big Bang Orchestra: Quasar (Solo Percussion)
Vienna Symphonic Library Big Bang Orchestra: Regulus (FX Strings)
Vienna Symphonic Library Big Bang Orchestra: Solaris (FX Woodwinds)
Vienna Symphonic Library Big Bang Orchestra: Ymir (Children's Choir)
Vienna Symphonic Library Big Bang Orchestra: Zodiac (Supermassive Ensembles)
Vienna Symphonic Library Epic Orchestra 2.0 
Vienna Symphonic Library Great Rieger Organ
Vienna Symphonic Library Synchron Bösendorfer Imperial (full version)
Vienna Symphonic Library Synchron Elite Strings (full version)
Vienna Symphonic Library Synchron FX Strings I (full version)
Vienna Symphonic Library Synchron Strings Pro (full version)
Vienna Symphonic Library Synchron-ized Dimension Strings I
Vienna Symphonic Library Synchron-ized Dimension Strings II (Sordino)
Vienna Symphonic Library Synchron-ized Dimension Strings III (Sul Tasto)
Vienna Symphonic Library Synchron-ized Dimension Strings Bonus (Sul Pont)
Vienna Symphonic Library Synchron-ized Solo Strings
Vienna Symphonic Library Synchron-ized Special Edition 6 (Dimension Brass)
Vienna Symphonic Library Synchron-ized Special Keyboards
Vienna Symphonic Library Synchron-ized Woodwinds
Vienna Symphonic Library Vienna Smart Orchestra (Incl. Expansion)
Vienna Symphonic Library VI Solo Strings I

Zero-G Ethera Gold 2.5
Zero-G Ethera Gold Intimate Voices
Zero-G Ethera Gold Sahara Voices
Zero-G Ethera Soundscapes v1.2


----------



## mybadmemory (Jun 9, 2021)

Well, that escalated quickly.


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## Saxer (Jun 9, 2021)

Frederick said:


> Orange Tree Samples Angelic Harp
> Orange Tree Samples Angelic Keys
> Orange Tree Samples Angelic Zither
> Orange Tree Samples Cherry Electric Bass
> ...


It must be a full time job just to install everything.


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## lettucehat (Jun 9, 2021)

Frederick said:


> Orange Tree Samples Angelic Harp
> Orange Tree Samples Angelic Keys
> Orange Tree Samples Angelic Zither
> Orange Tree Samples Cherry Electric Bass
> ...


Please tell me you had these written down somewhere and just copy-pasted this.

Edit: no Berlin Brass?? What held you back?


----------



## Alchemedia (Jun 9, 2021)

Russell Anderson said:


> I probably wouldn't have purchased Unfiltered Audio BYOME for $40?


I think BYOME is great, and Michael Hetrick is brilliant, however the presets are over-the-top.


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## Markrs (Jun 9, 2021)

I have bought quite a bit of samples libraries over the last 12 months, which is when I found this forum, though not as much as @Frederick i also keep a log of what I have and what I paid. I never wanted to buy and forget what I have. I try to avoid buying multiple of similar things, excluding strings of course


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## Chris Harper (Jun 9, 2021)

All that in just 14 months??? If this wasn’t VI-Control, I would suspect you were trolling. But since it is….


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## Frederick (Jun 10, 2021)

lettucehat said:


> Please tell me you had these written down somewhere and just copy-pasted this.
> 
> Edit: no Berlin Brass?? What held you back?


Of course I just copy pasted this. I have the list to make sure I remember what I have. Some seasons of tv series on blu ray I managed to have bought 3 times. Never again.

No Berlin Brass: I got the Berlin Strings and Woodwinds to complement the CineSymphony. I think CineStrings Core and CineWinds Core are relatively weak and according to some of the pros Teldex and Sony blend well.


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## EgM (Jun 10, 2021)

Ooooh ok, so now we're listing our libraries? Hold my beer!


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## Frederick (Jun 10, 2021)

Chris Harper said:


> All that in just 14 months??? If this wasn’t VI-Control, I would suspect you were trolling. But since it is….


No trolling.


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## Henrik B. Jensen (Jun 10, 2021)

Frederick said:


> Orange Tree Samples Angelic Harp
> Orange Tree Samples Angelic Keys
> Orange Tree Samples Angelic Zither
> Orange Tree Samples Cherry Electric Bass
> ...


That’s nuts, Frederick!!


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## RogiervG (Jun 10, 2021)

I think i would buy some base libraries (all in ones), and not the dedicated libs.


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## mybadmemory (Jun 10, 2021)

Frederick said:


> Orange Tree Samples Angelic Harp
> Orange Tree Samples Angelic Keys
> Orange Tree Samples Angelic Zither
> Orange Tree Samples Cherry Electric Bass
> ...


Just out of curiosity, how much did those first 14 months cost you?


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## Bluemount Score (Jun 10, 2021)

Frederick said:


> Orange Tree Samples Angelic Harp
> Orange Tree Samples Angelic Keys
> Orange Tree Samples Angelic Zither
> Orange Tree Samples Cherry Electric Bass
> ...


Weird flex but okay!


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## zedmaster (Jun 10, 2021)

I think I'd do it mostly the same :D


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## Bluemount Score (Jun 10, 2021)

I would buy KU-C 13 again at first. Too much content (including Kontakt stuff) to pass out on.
Second would be Cinematic Studio Series, followed by the Metropolis Ark Series, followed by Strezov Choirs, followed by _X Y Z_...
I buy most of my samples on sale, it would potentially be more expensive and I would get less samples in the end, if I would be purchasing everything again right now. So... I'll just stick to what I have done  Sure there are certain libraries in between from certain developers I'm never gonna actually be using.


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## Gerbil (Jun 10, 2021)

Frederick said:


> Orange Tree Samples Angelic Harp
> Orange Tree Samples Angelic Keys
> Orange Tree Samples Angelic Zither
> Orange Tree Samples Cherry Electric Bass
> ...


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## Frederick (Jun 10, 2021)

mybadmemory said:


> Just out of curiosity, how much did those first 14 months cost you?


I don't know exactly, but it still should be less than 30K Euros.

Everything was bought on sale. E.g.: The Orange Tree Samples stuff was all bought in a couple of days during their group buy sale last summer. 50% off + what they call 'orange slices'. Total price something like 670 Euros. Those guitars normally cost 179 Euros each. A lot of the CineSamples stuff as part of the bundle on sale at NI last year and the rest while at least 50% off. Most of the 8Dio libs were on sale and then bought with the 50% off bundler on top. VSL I mostly bought with vouchers (25% off) while on sale for 35% off. I've upgraded to Komplete 13 CE last year at 50% off during the clearing sale of Komplete 12 stuff sold on disk. Etc. Etc. I think I've saved at least 50% compared to list prices.


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## Saxer (Jun 10, 2021)

mybadmemory said:


> Just out of curiosity, how much did those first 14 months cost you?


Probably more than a year.


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## Markrs (Jun 10, 2021)

Frederick said:


> I don't know exactly, but it still should be less than 30K Euros.
> 
> Everything was bought on sale. E.g.: The Orange Tree Samples stuff was all bought in a couple of days during their group buy sale last summer. 50% off + what they call 'orange slices'. Total price something like 670 Euros. Those guitars normally cost 179 Euros each. A lot of the CineSamples stuff as part of the bundle on sale at NI last year and the rest while at least 50% off. Most of the 8Dio libs were on sale and then bought with the 50% off bundler on top. VSL I mostly bought with vouchers (25% off) while on sale for 35% off. I've upgraded to Komplete 13 CE last year at 50% off during the clearing sale of Komplete 12 stuff sold on disk. Etc. Etc. I think I've saved at least 50% compared to list prices.


Most of mine was what I call "Opportunity Purchasing" where I felt the price was good enough and unlikely to be substantially lower any time soon. 

The negative of buying like this is you end up with a lot in a short time, so harder to know the pros and cons of what you have. Plus it is easily to duplicate in purpose with something else than you already have, due to not fully exploring what you already have.


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## Frederick (Jun 10, 2021)

Markrs said:


> Most of mine was what I call "Opportunity Purchasing" where I felt the price was good enough and unlikely to be substantially lower any time soon.
> 
> The negative of buying like this is you end up with a lot in a short time, so harder to know the pros and cons of what you have. Plus it is easily to duplicate in purpose with something else than you already have, due to not fully exploring what you already have.


I have to agree 100%. Still, I would do it again like this as indicated by my first post. I like to have many options / lots of choice and if I end up not using some things, then I can live with that. It's always the same pattern with me: A period of heavy buying and after that just an occasional purchase that wouldn't make anyone frown. This time it just happens to be samples.

That whole GAS theory just doesn't feel like it's describing my drive. I'm just stocking up on the good stuff before early retirement. I don't think I would feel comfortable making these kind of purchases without a fixed income and mainly just savings in the bank to bridge the gap to real retirement. When I buy a shitload of samples now, I just have to postpone early retirement a little. The choice is always between more stuff and retire even earlier. I actually do like my job, but I like my hobbies even better. Then again the hobby is more fun with more stuff. Put that against the fact you don't know how long you'll stay healthy...


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## Casiquire (Jun 10, 2021)

Chris Harper said:


> All that in just 14 months??? If this wasn’t VI-Control, I would suspect you were trolling. But since it is….


It's VI-Out-of-Control


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## Laurin Lenschow (Jun 10, 2021)

@Frederick That's quite an impressive collection...
Roughly how much space do your libraries take in total?
Have you actually played with every library you own?


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## Bluemount Score (Jun 10, 2021)

Laurin Lenschow said:


> Have you actually played with every library you own?


I thought they were collectibles. yOu cAn pLaY WiTh tHeM ?


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## Chris Harper (Jun 10, 2021)

If you remove them from their original Zip files, they lose all their value.


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## Frederick (Jun 10, 2021)

Laurin Lenschow said:


> @Frederick That's quite an impressive collection...
> Roughly how much space do your libraries take in total?
> Have you actually played with every library you own?


Thank you!
14TB, with about 2TB free. 
I have used almost everything in try outs. I haven't finished a single project though, but then again that's not imported to me. It's about the journey...


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## Chris Harper (Jun 10, 2021)

Frederick said:


> I have to agree 100%. Still, I would do it again like this as indicated by my first post. I like to have many options / lots of choice and if I end up not using some things, then I can live with that. It's always the same pattern with me: A period of heavy buying and after that just an occasional purchase that wouldn't make anyone frown. This time it just happens to be samples.
> 
> That whole GAS theory just doesn't feel like it's describing my drive. I'm just stocking up on the good stuff before early retirement. I don't think I would feel comfortable making these kind of purchases without a fixed income and mainly just savings in the bank to bridge the gap to real retirement. When I buy a shitload of samples now, I just have to postpone early retirement a little. The choice is always between more stuff and retire even earlier. I actually do like my job, but I like my hobbies even better. Then again the hobby is more fun with more stuff. Put that against the fact you don't know how long you'll stay healthy...



I was in a very similar situation, so I can totally relate. I faced a lot of the same mental hurdles before I finally pulled the plug. If not for a voluntary package that ended up being the offer I couldn’t refuse, I would still be there. Now, I pretty much compose full time. No regrets so far. One really nice unexpected side effect of early retirement to consider is that discretionary spending drops dramatically for many, if not most, people. Incidentally, I also fall into the opportunistic buyer category.


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## HardyP (Jun 10, 2021)

Think I´d stick to Logic, but mainly go the Composer Cloud route... 
+ maybe some Spitfire Orig!nals from the orchestral range for sketching

Then see what I am missing on specialised stuff and buy Orangetree Samples stuff during group buy, maybe decide to leave Composer Cloud when I know what I specifically use and buy just the 1-2 products I really need during a sale.


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## Trash Panda (Jun 10, 2021)

Not sure what the reward is, but @Frederick handily wins this thread.


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## dzilizzi (Jun 10, 2021)

Frederick said:


> I have to agree 100%. Still, I would do it again like this as indicated by my first post. I like to have many options / lots of choice and if I end up not using some things, then I can live with that. It's always the same pattern with me: A period of heavy buying and after that just an occasional purchase that wouldn't make anyone frown. This time it just happens to be samples.
> 
> That whole GAS theory just doesn't feel like it's describing my drive. I'm just stocking up on the good stuff before early retirement. I don't think I would feel comfortable making these kind of purchases without a fixed income and mainly just savings in the bank to bridge the gap to real retirement. When I buy a shitload of samples now, I just have to postpone early retirement a little. The choice is always between more stuff and retire even earlier. I actually do like my job, but I like my hobbies even better. Then again the hobby is more fun with more stuff. Put that against the fact you don't know how long you'll stay healthy...


This has been where I am at. I plan to retire somewhere between 3 and 4 years from now. My family tends to live long, so some of these (Berlin/SSO) are purchases I wouldn't feel comfortable making on a fixed income. But I will have more time to play with my libraries and realize how much I hate working around all their limitations and want that one new library that just came out. 

Oh, wait, no, I mean, I will discover how best to work with what I have. Yeah, that's it. 

I've just taken a lot longer to buy a similar amount of libraries...


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## nuyo (Jun 10, 2021)

I would buy CineBrass Bundle, Areia Strings, JXL Percussion, LA Modern Percussion, Storm Choir, and some Spitfire Stuff for Ambient.


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## robgb (Jun 10, 2021)

I'd buy more guitars and fewer sample libraries. I'd definitely forgo Albion One and buy a nice mid-budget PRS guitar.


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## dzilizzi (Jun 10, 2021)

robgb said:


> I'd buy more guitars and fewer sample libraries. I'd definitely forgo Albion One and buy a nice mid-budget PRS guitar.


I don't know. I think guitars are more expensive than sample libraries.


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## apollinaire (Jun 10, 2021)

I use Logic Pro, so i wouldn't change that, however sample libraries i definitely would've made different decisions. I spent way too much on Spitfire libraries that i rarely use now. I blame GAS but also the notion that sample libraries (EVO's and such) would give me musical ideas. What ended up happening is "writing for the samples syndrome". How i approach things now is different. The ideas flourish in my head and therefor all i need is a well rounded complete library, then i just write/program my a#% off with it. I'd be fine with the complete Cinematic Studio Series, for the most part. I do like BBCSO, though. This is just my personal view, of course.


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## Rudianos (Jun 10, 2021)

Resoded said:


> If you could start from scratch, you have yourself a computer but neither DAW nor libraries. From your current perspective and experiences, would you do things differently? How would you approach it?


Ive done all this recently sooo ... I think its really important to have some fails do know what does not work. I may have avoided Aria's Strings on an impulse buy. And not too thrilled with Ethnic Voices ... I am tending to replace those sounds ... id say Buy and make something ... play it deeply ... and know what you own. Some things I still dont even know what I have. I am totally happy with Cakewalk for the DAW.


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## robgb (Jun 10, 2021)

dzilizzi said:


> I don't know. I think guitars are more expensive than sample libraries.


Depends what you buy. There are some very, very good budget guitars out there. I bought a PRS Temonti a few years back for about $500. Wonderful guitar.


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## jneebz (Jun 10, 2021)

robgb said:


> Depends what you buy. There are some very, very good budget guitars out there. I bought a PRS Temonti a few years back for about $500. Wonderful guitar.


I feel the same about my G&L ASAT Tribute Series.


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## Wally Garten (Jun 10, 2021)

This is such an interesting thread. I have mixed feelings about my library/softsynth purchases. I've used almost everything at least once, and a new library is often inspiring. Plus, I don't have as much time to devote to music as I would like and have to be efficient; there's some value in knowing I can get the exact thing I want rather than trying to wrestle an okay result out of a library that wasn't quite built to do it. But there are inefficiencies, too: there's substantial redundancy across my libraries, and there are few libraries I've really gotten to know in depth or use to their full potential. 

I have a bit of a hardware synth collection, too -- but for whatever reason I find it easier to spend a month or two getting to know a hardware synth. And if the workflow really doesn't work out for me, hardware can always be re-sold. So I feel like I've utilized them better and over time I've really figured out what works for me.

I do agree with others above that I would not spend money on a lot of effects plugins. Ninety percent of the time I do just as well with Logic stock plugs. (FabFilter, SoundToys, and PureMagnetik are the big exceptions.)


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## Robert_G (Jun 10, 2021)

I like most of my purchases. Although, I rushed a few of them and spent too much....but I was new in the game. 
Most libs I have I would keep, except I bought 1 too many libraries from Spitfire Audio which if I didn't purchase it, then that would bring my total libraries from Spitfire from 1 to 0.


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## hlecedre (Jun 10, 2021)

Doing it all over again, I would have invested less in Spitfire Audio. Spitfire has been low ROI for me.


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## AlexRuger (Jun 10, 2021)

Reading these comments makes me happy with how I approached buying samples 

I don't own much in the way of Spitfire, Orchestral Tools, etc. No shade to either -- I just always looked at their prices and went "yeah okay maybe not right now." They clearly make great stuff, and I do use *some* of it (huge props to Spitfire especially for their Labs products -- they're absolutely unbelievable, especially considering that they're free), but I never followed the hype and never felt like I was missing out. Since working for guys like Junkie and Elfman, I've pretty much used every library they have (with Junkie it was more like _every library ever made ever), _and yeah, lots of really great stuff. But for me, it was always like "do I want to spend the cash on doubling my RAM so that I can have _everything _I own loaded up at all times, or do I want literally one more string library...that will necessitate more RAM in order for me to get any use out of it?" After a certain point, there's just more important stuff to be purchased.

My arsenal has pretty much always been the same: LASS, Cinesamples brass and winds, and Cinematic Studio Series strings and brass. LASS is my absolute favorite and is still IMO the high water mark of strings sampling -- but I'm sure everyone on this forum is tired of me talking about that. You need to learn to mix it how you want, etc etc etc, but it's still the single most versatile strings library I've come across. CSS balances out and blends with LASS beautifully, so between the two I feel completely taken care of, especially when you factor CSSS into the mix. CineBrass is easily my favorite brass library, followed closely by CBS; they balance one another well. CineWinds sound absolutely fantastic, and in the rare moment when I couldn't find what I wanted there, I'd just reach for EastWest Hollywood Woodwinds -- I don't love that library as much, but it has its moments. 

The only Spitfire library I used commonly was the classic Spitfire Perc library, because man it is fantastic and lightweight. I typically approach orchestral percussion in a "proper" sort of way -- less filmic, more romantic -- and that library has always worked for me.

Beyond that, I've pretty much always kept up with Komplete, as it's a truly incredible value and only gets better each year.

For synths, I'm happy with u-he and Serum. Never really felt the need to branch out. Zebra alone can keep you busy for a lifetime.

This kind of simplicity and contentment with the "bread and butter" stuff has enabled me to feel totally fine throwing down for solid one-trick ponies like Fluffy Audio's Dominus, the odd Best Service library, whatever. But my philosophy has always been "know your tools well and bend them to your will," which of course is better-enabled by having fewer tools rather than more. Only ever purchase by need; I can't believe that I only bought Omnisphere in 2020, 6 years after moving to LA! But I truly never felt the need. When the score that necessitated it reared its head, I bought it (happily so, as it's amazing).

This same approach applies to reverbs, EQs, compressors...I pretty much reach for the same 1-3 in each category, and if something doesn't do what I want immediately, I _make _it do it. Approach producing music this way and your skills will skyrocket.


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## Markrs (Jun 10, 2021)

AlexRuger said:


> Reading these comments makes me happy with how I approached buying samples
> 
> I don't own much in the way of Spitfire, Orchestral Tools, etc. No shade to either -- I just always looked at their prices and went "yeah okay maybe not right now." They clearly make great stuff, and I do use *some* of it (huge props to Spitfire especially for their Labs products -- they're absolutely unbelievable, especially considering that they're free), but I never followed the hype and never felt like I was missing out. Since working for guys like Junkie and Elfman, I've pretty much used every library they have (with Junkie it was more like _every library ever made ever), _and yeah, lots of really great stuff. But for me, it was always like "do I want to spend the cash on doubling my RAM so that I can have _everything _I own loaded up at all times, or do I want literally one more string library...that will necessitate more RAM in order for me to get any use out of it?" After a certain point, there's just more important stuff to be purchased.
> 
> ...


That is some serious GAS control, especially given the sample libraries you have had access to. There is clearly an argument for mastering what you have and maximising that first, even if it initially takes a bit longer to get from it what you want over having a different sample library.


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## SupremeFist (Jun 10, 2021)

robgb said:


> Depends what you buy. There are some very, very good budget guitars out there. I bought a PRS Temonti a few years back for about $500. Wonderful guitar.


I have a mahogany PRS SE acoustic which was ≈£350 and I love it to bits. 🤘🏻


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## MaxOctane (Jun 10, 2021)

dzilizzi said:


> I don't know. I think guitars are more expensive than sample libraries.


While someone else posted about good budget guitars (which is true), for me a guitar will cost $1-2k.

The difference is there's a space limit for how many guitars I can own. And there's a point where (unless you're really a nutso collector) you can be "done." I have a P-bass and a J-bass and I'm *done* with basses. I love them and the sound is perfect and tweakable. Which sample library can I say is _perfect_?

I also have a telecaster that I replaced pickups on -- and I'm *done* there. I'll probably replace my strat at some point, but no rush. etc

Contrast that with all the libs I keep accumulating, because it's so easy to plop out $200 for the newest lib (and then never ever use it, like Spitfire CDT), or even $600-800 for the latest lib that promises to be "the one."

Plus, I can practice my instruments for hours and improve. I'm a better bass player than I was 6 months ago. Better trumpet player now than back in high school. I put in the hours, and see results. Not so much with sample libs. Even after years, I don't feel I've gained any huge skills compared to my earliest noodlings with CS2 or Loegria.


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## ahorsewhocandrive (Jun 10, 2021)

recently discovered that good guitars maintain their value and are resaleable so unlike sample libraries they are actually free


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## CT (Jun 10, 2021)

AlexRuger said:


> Reading these comments makes me happy with how I approached buying samples
> 
> I don't own much in the way of Spitfire, Orchestral Tools, etc. No shade to either -- I just always looked at their prices and went "yeah okay maybe not right now." They clearly make great stuff, and I do use *some* of it (huge props to Spitfire especially for their Labs products -- they're absolutely unbelievable, especially considering that they're free), but I never followed the hype and never felt like I was missing out. Since working for guys like Junkie and Elfman, I've pretty much used every library they have (with Junkie it was more like _every library ever made ever), _and yeah, lots of really great stuff. But for me, it was always like "do I want to spend the cash on doubling my RAM so that I can have _everything _I own loaded up at all times, or do I want literally one more string library...that will necessitate more RAM in order for me to get any use out of it?" After a certain point, there's just more important stuff to be purchased.
> 
> ...


Agree with this completely. This thread has made me feel a _little_ less bad about the relatively few times I've failed to live up to this philosophy!


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## lettucehat (Jun 10, 2021)

AlexRuger said:


> I don't own much in the way of Spitfire, Orchestral Tools, etc. No shade to either -- I just always looked at their prices and went "yeah okay maybe not right now."


This is me with Spitfire, every sale that comes around, year after year - never end up getting anything from them. I hate myself for passing up on Berlins at 50% off though.


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## Trash Panda (Jun 10, 2021)

Markrs said:


> That is some serious GAS control, especially given the sample libraries you have had access to. There is clearly an argument for mastering what you have and maximising that first, even if it initially takes a bit longer to get from it what you want over having a different sample library.


I think part of the issue when you’re starting out is figuring out what type of sound you like and what is best suited to achieve it, which unfortunately means having to purchase and use it to truly know.

If you have worked in a studio where everything is available, I’m sure that part is a lot easier to work out if the studio paid for the libraries it uses.


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## dzilizzi (Jun 10, 2021)

robgb said:


> Depends what you buy. There are some very, very good budget guitars out there. I bought a PRS Temonti a few years back for about $500. Wonderful guitar.


Which is still more than Albion One on sale. And? Probably more useful if you play the guitar.


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## dzilizzi (Jun 10, 2021)

Trash Panda said:


> I think part of the issue when you’re starting out is figuring out what type of sound you like and what is best suited to achieve it, which unfortunately means having to purchase and use it to truly know.
> 
> If you have worked in a studio where everything is available, I’m sure that part is a lot easier to work out if the studio paid for the libraries it uses.


This is so true. I started out more pop/rock and came here to find strings/brass that would work with the type of music I was trying to do. Then I got sucked in..... Scoring to picture is fun, even though I'm not especially good at it. Then I got Orchestral Recipes. More fun and it sounds pretty good.

I really think the more libraries you have/try and the more options you have can be overwhelming, but also can introduce new forms of music/composing that you may not have thought was something you wanted to do.


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## robgb (Jun 10, 2021)

ahorsewhocandrive said:


> recently discovered that good guitars maintain their value and are resaleable so unlike sample libraries they are actually free


A guitar I bought in the 90s for $300 is now worth $1,400. I don't think sample libraries appreciate.


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## José Herring (Jun 10, 2021)

This comes up again. I'm not even sure if i've answered previously. 

But, if I had to start over I'd probably start with Studio One+Reason and then get Jaeger or something like that. Jaeger is flexible enough to get you want you need orchestral wise. Studio One is a great daw with great mix FX. And Reason you could use for synth and sound design and processed drums. I'd probably try and I'd add JXL Drums for non orchestral drums if budget permitted. 

I don't have Jaeger as I have so many other libraries now that I don't really need it. I've been learning Studio One 5. I got the free version that came with my audio interface and IT IS AMAZING! Reason gives you tons of ability for modern sound design.


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## Markrs (Jun 10, 2021)

José Herring said:


> I've been learning Studio One 5. I got the free version that came with my audio interface and IT IS AMAZING!


Getting Studio One Artist free with an interface is amazing. It is very course to the Pro version, even had integration with Notion! I recently got it both from KVR for £35 combined, which is amazing value. The only problem is I now have that, plus Reaper, Mixcraft 9, Cubase 10.5 and Cakewalk by BandLab. Too many DAWs.


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## mscp (Jun 10, 2021)

I generally buy libraries on a need basis...so I don't think I regret having bought any. They all paid off quite nicely.


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## Henrik B. Jensen (Jun 10, 2021)

Frederick said:


> That whole GAS theory just doesn't feel like it's describing my drive. I'm just stocking up on the good stuff before early retirement. I don't think I would feel comfortable making these kind of purchases without a fixed income and mainly just savings in the bank to bridge the gap to real retirement. When I buy a shitload of samples now, I just have to postpone early retirement a little. The choice is always between more stuff and retire even earlier. I actually do like my job, but I like my hobbies even better. Then again the hobby is more fun with more stuff. Put that against the fact you don't know how long you'll stay healthy...


But when you retire, won’t all those sample libraries be dinosaurs in comparison with what’s available then? That’s how it usually goes at least. Newer stuff will either sound better or be more user-friendly (or both) etc.


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## lettucehat (Jun 10, 2021)

Trash Panda said:


> I think part of the issue when you’re starting out is figuring out what type of sound you like and what is best suited to achieve it, which unfortunately means having to purchase and use it to truly know.
> 
> If you have worked in a studio where everything is available, I’m sure that part is a lot easier to work out if the studio paid for the libraries it uses.


This is a really great point. Working with other people's libraries _really_ demystified and brought my perception of certain libraries back down to earth. It also turned me on to libraries I wouldn't have thought of or heard of. Transparency and being able to try things out is good!


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## Marsen (Jun 10, 2021)

José Herring said:


> Jaeger is flexible enough to get you want you need orchestral wise.


Jaeger even doesn't have woodwinds, and you are a clarinetist.


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## José Herring (Jun 10, 2021)

Marsen said:


> Jaeger even doesn't have woodwinds, and you are a clarinetist.


Sorry. I consider Jaeger and Nucleus kind of one product.


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## Marsen (Jun 10, 2021)

Oh ok, no sorry for this 🙂.


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## dzilizzi (Jun 10, 2021)

Henrik B. Jensen said:


> But when you retire, won’t all those sample libraries be dinosaurs in comparison with what’s available then? That’s how it usually goes at least. Newer stuff will either sound better or be more user-friendly (or both) etc.


I was concerned about that until I realized how many around here have been using EWQLSO and HWO for 10+ years and still find them perfectly usable. The samples in SSO are pretty old as well. Everyone I talk to about this says if the samples are good they will always be good, it is just the players that sometimes get better.


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## lettucehat (Jun 10, 2021)

dzilizzi said:


> I was concerned about that until I realized how many around here have been using EWQLSO and HWO for 10+ years and still find them perfectly usable. The samples in SSO are pretty old as well. Everyone I talk to about this says if the samples are good they will always be good, it is just the players that sometimes get better.


Samples are samples, but virtual instruments absolutely continue to improve, as do the techniques involved in capturing the performances. I say that as someone who thinks HS and SSO are still very good. I mean, no matter how old SSO gets, I think very few libraries will try to be as comprehensive as that and SCS are, at the very least.


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## lastmessiah (Jun 10, 2021)

One of the best things I did was learn the ins and outs of synthesis. I mean I _really _learned it. Now I can create most of the sounds I want. I find it more satisfying to craft your own sound sources then to simply scroll through a library and assemble them, and often the results are unique and fresh. So, I create my own libraries by resampling and processing and then mapping them to a sampler.

Of course, for acoustic sounds it is different, but since I'm not interested in emulating a "real" orchestra I can go a long way with just a few strings and brass and woodwind sounds. And sometimes it is nice to have samples of hardware analog synths. But I never fell into the habit of purchasing lots of expensive multi-sampled libraries.


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## zwhita (Jun 10, 2021)

Appreciate all the insight and honesty in threads like this. Very helpful, thank you everyone.

I've only been collecting libraries for about 10 months so I don't want to sound like a troll, but I probably shouldn't have sold my Roland Jupiter 8 in May 2010 and just stayed with vintage synths and would have been ignorantly blissful.
As it stands, I'm now out of money and disk space so I intend to dive into what I now have got and take my time and learn some things about composing and producing.

Actually one library regret so far: UVI Vintage Vault 3 bundle, specifically the analogue synth sourced libraries. No round-robin sampling and all the character of the source appears to have been carefully pruned out so they sound like the digital machine libraries!


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## Alchemedia (Jun 10, 2021)

zwhita said:


> Appreciate all the insight and honesty in threads like this. Very helpful, thank you everyone.
> 
> I've only been collecting libraries for about 10 months so I don't want to sound like a troll, but I probably shouldn't have sold my Roland Jupiter 8 in May 2010 and just stayed with vintage synths and would have been ignorantly blissful.
> As it stands, I'm now out of money and disk space so I intend to dive into what I now have got and take my time and learn some things about composing and producing.
> ...


I personally love UVI Falcon. It's my desert island soft synth. If you own Falcon the possibilities with their sample libraries are virtually limitless. If I didn't have Falcon (and I'm assuming you don't) then Synth Anthology 3 would probably be more appealing (and far less expensive) than VV3.


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## zwhita (Jun 10, 2021)

I quite like Falcon as well and haven't even scratched the surface. I liked SA3 enough that I went through all 3,500 presets and chose 643 to use in future projects.


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## Alchemedia (Jun 10, 2021)

zwhita said:


> I quite like Falcon as well and haven't even scratched the surface. I liked SA3 enough that I went through all 3,500 presets and chose 643 to use in future projects.


Synth Anthology is arguably their stand-out synth library, however, I love having VV3 as a reference tool. It's like owning a synth encyclopedia.


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## givemenoughrope (Jun 10, 2021)

I can't say my purchases (which have been plentiful, mostly SF and 8dio strings but also others) wouldn't be that different or any different but I spent a LONG time trying to get samples to do things that they can't totally achieve in terms of realism and I'd change the way I've worked with them. I also would have jumped into Samplemodeling, Audiomodeling as well as trying to play some string and percussion instruments myself much sooner.


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## Frederick (Jun 10, 2021)

Henrik B. Jensen said:


> But when you retire, won’t all those sample libraries be dinosaurs in comparison with what’s available then? That’s how it usually goes at least. Newer stuff will either sound better or be more user-friendly (or both) etc.


For me early retirement is between 1 and 2.5 years away. I think the current libraries are good enough and extensive enough to spend at least 20 years with. The way I see it I'm in a much better position with my libraries than anyone else 10 or 15 years ago and even back then amazing things have been done with sample libraries. Improving my knowledge and skillset will be far more important than getting newer and better sample libraries.


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## Markrs (Jun 10, 2021)

Frederick said:


> Improving my knowledge and skillset will be far more important than getting newer and better sample libraries.


Massively agree with the. Looking for and testing out sample libraries can be a big distraction from learning and creating music, as if having a new library will instantly give you better music.

Learning music for me is like learning physics, it is a _huge _area of study and learning. You also have to learn to use your DAW, synthesis, along with a bit of mixing and mastering. Truly a life time of learning.


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## Stephen Limbaugh (Jun 10, 2021)

Saxer said:


> It must be a full time job just to install everything.


Clearly he could afford the assistant to do it!


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## Russell Anderson (Jun 10, 2021)

Alchemedia said:


> I think BYOME is great, and Michael Hetrick is brilliant, however the presets are over-the-top.


It is really interesting, I just stopped using it once I started using Kilohearts stuff and a few other effects. I actually just sold BYOME. I’m glad someone else will get to enjoy it now


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## mybadmemory (Jun 10, 2021)

I’ve found the following over my first three years and first 6 libraries.

1. You have no idea if you like it before you play it yourself. Demos and walkthroughs always sound great. That’s no guarantee at all in will suit you in reality.

2. If the sound or playability is not appealing to you underneath your own hands, the library will end up not getting much use. For me, this has been the case with Inspire, Nucleus and to an extent CSS.

3. If the sound and playability is appealing underneath your own hands, the library will get used. You’ll accept and learn to work around its shortcomings. For me, this has been the case with BBCSO, Berlin Soloists, and CineSymphony.

The tricky thing is, it’s impossible to know without actually toying around with it for a few days.


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## AlexRuger (Jun 11, 2021)

Markrs said:


> That is some serious GAS control, especially given the sample libraries you have had access to. There is clearly an argument for mastering what you have and maximizing that first, even if it initially takes a bit longer to get from it what you want over having a different sample library.


Don't worry, I still used my 20s spending all money not spent on survival on gear. Just not sample libraries  My hardware synth phase was painful.

I think having access to, like, _every _library is what killed the GAS, actually. Ditto for working for Junkie (at first inspiring, but then) killing my hardware synth phase -- after a while the actual reality of a piece of gear pales in comparison to its price tag. Gear in general is nearly always better in our heads than it is in practice, sample libraries included. So having access to stuff made me go "ah, this and that are worth the money, but _all of that _totally isn't." It's like the gear equivalent of that Jim Carey quote: "I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it's not the answer." 

And yeah, I've come up with so many cool sounds I would've never arrived at had I spent all my time searching for something that did it out of the box. There's too many -- very literally infinite -- possibilities anyways. You can't expect a product, any product, to do what you want. You gotta hear a sound in your head first, then look at what you have, and then somehow draw a line between the two. You're only gonna find a product than can do what you want if it's a thing that's been done before, and even if what you end up doing _is _something that's been done before, the creative process doesn't work like that. In the heat of the moment, you're far better off following your nose down some weird ass plugin chain than hunting for something to spend money on.


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## d4vec4rter (Jun 11, 2021)

Frederick said:


> I have to agree 100%. Still, I would do it again like this as indicated by my first post. I like to have many options / lots of choice and if I end up not using some things, then I can live with that. It's always the same pattern with me: A period of heavy buying and after that just an occasional purchase that wouldn't make anyone frown. This time it just happens to be samples.
> 
> That whole GAS theory just doesn't feel like it's describing my drive. I'm just stocking up on the good stuff before early retirement. I don't think I would feel comfortable making these kind of purchases without a fixed income and mainly just savings in the bank to bridge the gap to real retirement. When I buy a shitload of samples now, I just have to postpone early retirement a little. The choice is always between more stuff and retire even earlier. I actually do like my job, but I like my hobbies even better. Then again the hobby is more fun with more stuff. Put that against the fact you don't know how long you'll stay healthy...


Some good points here. I took early retirement 8 years ago now. One of the main reasons was because I didn't want to wait any longer before having enough time to do the things I enjoyed more than my job, one of those being music. I was, of course, in a fortunate enough position financially to be able to do this and still have a reasonably decent fixed income that could pay the bills and provide enough to pursue my hobbies and interests. You never know what's around the corner too and waiting another 10 years before I reached full retirement age filled me with dread quite honestly.

It's only the last few years though that I've gotten a lot more into the home recording which is probably mainly due to striking up a friendship and musical partnership with a singer/songwriter (before that my attentions and focus were on collecting guitars and playing drums/percussion in a band). Since then and working on the production of an album of songs, I've taken it all to the next level and invested quite heavily in gear and software.

Music has played a big part in my life and, of course, will continue to do so until the inevitable happens. Life is short enough so I aim to make the most of it by enjoying my biggest passion to the fullest extent. I've spent a small fortune recently on orchestral sample libraries but I don't really regret any of it. It might take some time to get around using it all but I'm fairly confident it will all get used at some point.


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## Al Maurice (Jun 11, 2021)

I find that vi libraries are like a rabbit warren, they're hidden with pitfalls that lay unseen, until you falll down one. Yet the sooner you've accidently stumbled on one, then you fall down another.

As is usually the case, the best cause of action is to hone your skills first. Over they years, somehow I've managed to create my best and enjoyed works, with the simplest tools. Nobody knows all they see is the outcome. Creativity may have no bounds, but choice is just bewildering and just overwhelms you with possibilities. 

I find less is more, and I agree with Alex R. Learn your stuff to the best of your ability, and when you hit a boundary and have an actual need to plug, then reach out for something else. But only if you are likely to use it extensively, and only when it can be adapted to your ideas.


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## PaulieDC (Jun 11, 2021)

Starting over I'd simply get what I use now... I spent/wasted thousands on stuff BEFORE I acquired what I use now, ugh.

Starting over I'd build the same i9 PC w/128GB ram, Cubase Pro, SpitFire Libraries (Symphony Pro, SCS, BBCSO Core, AR1 and Albion One), Garritan CFX, SL88 Grand, and use my EDU discount to sneak in Berlin Brass and Strings. Oh, half-price Komplete to have full Kontakt and some pop and world instruments. RME BabyFace Pro FS, HD650s and Neumann KH80s with the 750 sub (sub arrives tomorrow!), all calibrated. MixFace and Stream Deck for CC, library and DAW control. And more emphasis on orchestration education: Books by Sam Adler, Walter Piston, etc. The only things I got early on and still remains are Paul Gilreath's MIDI Orchestration and the Orchestration book by Andrej Pejrolo.

That all sounds like a lot and I'm not flexing muscles I lost years ago, above is a good solid setup for a MIDI orchestrator and wannabe film scorer. If I listed ALL that I bought and sold (or can't sell) since 2016, this reply would be 3X longer and I'd end up sitting in a tree house with my coloring books eating Fruit Loops dry out of the box and chatting with my pet iguana Charlie who really doesn't exist.

I'm Paulie and I have a Gear and Library problem...


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## chocobitz825 (Jun 11, 2021)

Resoded said:


> If you could start from scratch, you have yourself a computer but neither DAW nor libraries. From your current perspective and experiences, would you do things differently? How would you approach it?


I would get the full package from studio
one. I’d never buy komplete kontrol, I’d stick to mostly to unique libraries, UVI, hardware and unique soft synths, but probably still end up with most of
my excessive collection of orchestral libraries. #NoRegrets


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## Piotrek K. (Jun 11, 2021)

I'm a hobbyist and based on knowledge I have now I'd go with some wet all in one package like BBC (I don't own it) or Synchronized SE (I own VI editions and love those still, but they are a bit too expensive and I think that merging PLUS editions into main volumes would be a wise thing to do) to avoid headaches of matching rooms, reverbs etc. and focus on writing music. But that would be step 1. Step 2 would be to wait for Infinite Strings, buy it and decide if this kind of library works for me (idea of performing clusters by myself with creep factor at 100% sounds like dream come true). If it works I'd go all infinite.

In general I'm really tired of samples, long loading times, terabytes of space needed, musical phrases broken with 5 keyswitches, searching for right patch, but not finding it and in the end sculpting not right patch to fit what I have in mind with 5 CC's etc. Despite huge sizes and gazillions of layers, sample libraries are still far from being virtual instruments. And Infinite series seems to address that. It just costs a lot...


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## Vik (Jun 11, 2021)

Here's how I would start over, in two steps: I'd buy a good library; good and versatile enough to be usable for composing (it could be CSS, Berlin Strings, SCS, SSS or maybe Afflatus – or some of the newer ones that I haven't tried). That one library would be an existing one, I wouldn't (again, by mistake) jump on a totally new product that claimed to be the next big thing. Ideally, it dshould be 2-3 years old, so fixes and fine tuning already was done.

Step 2: Wait until I have created something with library #1. Then, if/when I need more libraries, I would buy one library at a time, and get to know It properly before buying something more. 

There's been a lot of advancement in string and other libraries lately, and more good stuff is coming. I know there are people here with 50, 100 and more string libraries, but I wouldn't be able to get anything done with that many libraries. Besides, one lib is usually good enough for actual composing – a piano sound will do in most cases (sometimes with more success than with string libraries). In the future, we may even be able to get away with one _detailed_ library – if it sounds great and has a great UI. When such a library is released, many of the existing libraries won't be needed anymore, which is another reason to take one step at a time.

For convincing mockups, more libraries are of course needed today, but the number of needed libraries is decreasing, since there are more good sounding libraries out there now than there was 5 or 10 years ago. With more VI users than ever (I guess?), the prices may actually go down a bit, eg like they did when CSS was released – yet another reason to not rush anything.


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## Grizzlymv (Jun 11, 2021)

I feel it's a bit unfair to answer for me. the choices available back then was much different than what it is today. So obviously, in terms of libraries, there's a couple of different choices I would do. In terms of DAW though, I would stick to Cubase. I do feel that nowadays, the new libraries are more performances instruments whereas before, it was more programmable instruments. What I mean is there's several instrument you can load today, and just play a performance and the instrument would intelligently select the right articulation and feels like you're playing it. Still, you have to program it in the end to fine tune the performance but it is much less work than what we used to have 10-20 years ago where each articulation would be an instrument itself and then you'd have to program each note to get a somewhat decent kind of performance. We'll see where we will be in 10 years from now in terms of tech. Overall, I do have some regrets, but not so much. Mainly because I never succumbed to the temptation of buying any new library coming out, but instead focused on what I needed as much as possible and what could bring more colors to the color pallet I already had.


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## ScrltPumpernickel (Jun 11, 2021)

I started this journey into madness short of a year ago, so not much experience as of yet. 
If I was to start now, I think for the orchestral stuff, AI Jaeger + SOLO could've been a high value combo. I think (*based on other people reviews*) they would compliment each other well, relatively easy to work with and would've saved me a lot of money. And I could even expand them later down the road with other AI libraries (Talos, Cerberus, Areia).


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## Saxer (Jun 11, 2021)

I have too many string libraries but I still have fun trying and comparing. That's the nerdy thing. 

And I have a lot of synths with patch collections and sample libraries I simply forgot on my drives. But especially those libraries help me a lot on jobs. I can search for bagpipes or steel drums on my drives and I'll probably find something interesting and useable. Same with Spitfire evolutions or never used efx patches in the libraries add on goodies folder. And things like noisy synth patches, transitions, textures and endless drones. I just finished two projects where I needed that kind of stuff on each cue!


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## Chris Harper (Jun 11, 2021)

ScrltPumpernickel said:


> I started this journey into madness short of a year ago, so not much experience as of yet.
> If I was to start now, I think for the orchestral stuff, AI Jaeger + SOLO could've been a high value combo. I think (*based on other people reviews*) they would compliment each other well, relatively easy to work with and would've saved me a lot of money. And I could even expand them later down the road with other AI libraries (Talos, Cerberus, Areia).


I have Nucleus and Solo and I think they are outstanding for value and ease of use. Unless you need to go to 11 all the time, I give Nucleus an edge over Jaeger because you get a basic full orchestra.

I feel like some people who don’t use AI stuff don’t give them the credit they deserve. They are not just a one-trick-pony for epic. They cover a lot of ground for a pretty reasonable price and Solo does compliment Nucleus really well. Nucleus handles both sketching and orchestration pretty well with a few layering tricks to approximate some additional dynamic articulations.

Nucleus and VSL are my work horse libraries. Both of these are extremely consistent and reliable. The notes land exactly where they should and offsets and volumes are very consistent, which is really important to me because I work fast and I don’t want to stop and fix sloppy patches.

I was initially turned off by VSL just because the ecosystem is so vast and it’s hard to understand what all the different products can actually do. The information is out there but it still takes time to understand all the product lines. Now VSL is my preference when I need to do really delicate and detailed work. The Synchron player combined with a good articulation mapping system is a joy to use. Both Nucleus and VSL together, when paired with a couple of good reverbs can do almost everything I will ever need to do. My only regret with VSL is that I wish I had skipped the VSL special editions and jumped directly into the more advanced products, but the special editions are excellent for getting all the basics at a reasonable price with a lot of articulations and would be an excellent choice for a many people.

I don’t have very many regrets. In terms of cost vs. use, BBSCO is the weakest link in my collection, but it does have its own charm. The baked-in hall sounds and inconsistencies make it more difficult to work with. I have several other libraries that are more colorful and niche and I love having them, but I’m glad I got them all at really good discounts. No regrets at the prices I paid.

My biggest regret is probably getting Studio One Professional instead of putting in the effort to learn Reaper sooner. S1 Pro has a lot of built-in instruments, but it didn’t take long before I had extensive 3rd party libraries that were better. I now use Reaper most of the time anyway. S1 is a good product, but the flexibility and advanced routing capabilities of Reaper are invaluable to me. That’s very specific to my needs though, and wouldn’t be universally true for others.

One thing I do not regret is seeking out good free plugins. I still prefer a number of free plugins to their much more expensive counterparts. Klangenhelm, Tokyo Dawn, YouLean Loudness Meter, Chow Tape Model and everything in ReaPlugs still get used in most of my mixes. I still use Soundmagic Piano One (Yamaha C7) quite a bit when I need something to sit in a mix just right, particularly for a brighter Nashville sound with a touch of delay. It’s clean and it just works. The time I spent researching freebies was well worth it.


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## Futchibon (Jun 14, 2021)

Frederick said:


> I only started 14 months ago buying Vst's and I have no regrets so I'd say all the libraries I've bought:
> 
> 8Dio 1985 Passionate Piano
> 8Dio 1990 Prepared Grand Piano
> ...


All those 8Dio libraries but no Catmosphere? Sheesh, lightweight....

On a more serious note, not a fan of the Metropolis Arks?


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## Olang (Jun 14, 2021)

New to the game, but after purchasing a legit copy of FL Studio at the end of my college career:

EastWest Composer CloudX for a year

Komplete 13 Ultimate

Gonna wait a while before purchasing more (or maybe not  )


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## BeneJ (Jun 23, 2021)

My phone monitors app usage time, which lets me know how many screen minutes have been spent on social media, productivity etc on whatever day.
I wish all my sample libraries could be accompanied by a time or percentage that would indicate how much attention a sample library has received - then I would.. dunno, continue not using them! Not like they have second hand value!


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## LordOfTheStrings (Jun 23, 2021)

Olang said:


> New to the game, but after purchasing a legit copy of FL Studio at the end of my college career:
> 
> EastWest Composer CloudX for a year
> 
> ...


FL Studio here too : ) Producer edition ..
Lots of cheap junk from Plugin Boutique
Komplete 13 standard
Anthology Strings from 8dio (Came with free Hybrid drums)
Performance Samples Fluid Shorts

So yeah, still need lots of stuff, but enough to get me started. All the stuff in komplete will keep me busy for a while. Considering Nucleus on black friday next.


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## khollister (Nov 26, 2021)

All the VSL Synchron stuff (orchestral, pianos and organ), Ancient ERA Persia, Forest Kingdom 3, NADA, most of the Heavyocity stuff, Spitfire Stratus, NI K13U, VILabs Ravenscroft & Modern U, Keyscape.


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## RSK (Nov 26, 2021)

NoamL said:


> 1. I'd realize it's better to buy one $600-$1000 library that is truly top notch than to buy several $120-$200 libraries over the years that have niche applications or that are just "affordable" or "playable."


This.

I'd get Synchron Strings Pro, Synchron-ized WW, Berlin Brass, Albion One, Gravity, and Omnisphere. That should cover it. Maybe Zebra.

Run it all in Logic, since I've been using that forever and know it best.


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## Vik (Nov 26, 2021)

Resoded said:


> If you could start from scratch, you have yourself a computer but neither DAW nor libraries. From your current perspective and experiences, would you do things differently? How would you approach it?


This will be a long post, sorry about that (well, not really...  )

I don't know what the _outcome_ of my research would be, but I certainly would have done some research, especially in these areas:

Note input
Since I happen to read music notation, I'd check out which app(s) that offer the most transparent way to enter notes into a DAW, including entering it using notation. A lot seems to have happened in those area lately: Staffpad looks interesting, and there are iPad versions of Dorico and Sibelius. All these apps have been improved lately, and many developers have spent time on integrating computer pencils in their workflow – and on how a pencil + tablet can be used together with a computer.
As a Logic user who hasn't, until recently, checked out the newest versions of Logic and MacOs (since my dear 12-core couldn't run the newest versions of these and had other limitations), I would check out if the Apple/Logic team has done as much for pencil input of notes (and DAW/pencil/iPad integration) as the competition.

DAW choice
To write a melody with notation is fast with pencil and paper, because we can define pitch and length in one single hand movement. The same is true for Logic's piano roll, because I can click where I want the note, and drag towards the right to get the length I want. In Logic's score editor the workflow isn't quite as fluent, and piano roll editors have a limitation in that it takes longer to identify which pitch each of the lines represent than it does when entering riches on the 5 lines in a bas or treble clef. I hope some improvement has happened or is planned this area, but again: I don't know how eg Digital Perforer or Studio One behaves in this respect. I probably know Logic too well to switch DAW now, I guess, unless someone makes a DAW which is a fully fledged DAW + a fully fledged score editor with a really good workflow. Someone must be planning something, I just don't know why that would be.

Sample libraries
I'm relative happy with the sample library investments I have done, but I'm not really happy with relying on several libraries to achieve what I want: libraries which aren't always matching each other –neither in terns of sound or workflow. If I would start all over again, I'd spend more time on checking out libraries with massive emphasis on nuance and _detail,_ and based on what's available right now, I'd probably check out libraries like Synchron Strings and Modern Scoring Strings properly before some of these I have now.
Enough dynamic layers, enough Round Robins, a generous number attack and release options, and certainly more than 2-3 vibrato options would have my main focus when checking out string libraries. And of course, character.

Character
I know today that I'd prefer to have several, different version of Violin 1, Viola etc within one library over relying to switch between libraries. And I'm thinking of all kinds of variations here: the same lib could offer the same recording recorded through different signal chains, regular sustains and legatos (with the 'normale' articulation) could come with different amounts of 'swell', 'bloom' and so on. There could be different rebow samples, some more pronounced than others. There could be several variations of bowed and fingered legato, suitable for a wider specter of situations than what I own today.

There was a poll about some upcoming Performance Samples a while ago, where they asked which variation users preferred among two examples, and my immediate reaction was that all libraries should offer at least 3-4 variations of sustains and legatos.
There was a difference between Mural and Spitfire Symphonic Strings as well, where SSS offered longs that and legatos that were usable in more situations than Mural (it sounded like note started had been altered), but again; I wish all libraries should offer more than just a main option here. Some of what I liked with Moral was gone in SSS.

Performance Samples for purists?
All this means that I would have to go back and figure out which of the current libraries that are closest to what I today know that I'd prefer, both in terms of natural sounding instruments, but also for achieving sounds that would be easier to achieve with sampled strings than real strings, like eg. a morph or crossfade between Sul Tasto and Con Sordino, or flautandos with some Rachmaninoff in there... something like Performance Samples but for purists, with a lot of detail, or variations over SSS or BS but with a higher degree of passion, 'soaring' and all that (in various degrees; two levels of vibrato + No Vibrato vib enough), all with at least 5 different note attacks, 5-6 dyn layers, 4 vibrato types and at least 3 different note endings.

Such libraries don't exist yet, but some are closer than others. Besides, I would've to spend some months making some research, and I believe more – and more detailed – libraries with more focus on nuance and variation will pop up next year.


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## kitekrazy (Nov 26, 2021)

Unfortunately you really can't think if I could do it all over again if you started doing this at the turn of the century. There is far more competition. There was a time Gigastudio was king and the average person could not afford most of the libraries. There were fewer options. Now you can build up a VSL library over time. If I had to start out now with little money I'd go with GPO or Spitfire Originals.


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## TintoL (Nov 26, 2021)

Frederick said:


> Orange Tree Samples Angelic Harp
> Orange Tree Samples Angelic Keys
> Orange Tree Samples Angelic Zither
> Orange Tree Samples Cherry Electric Bass
> ...


Wow, have you had even time to use all that stuff ?.... you can buy a super car with that .... lol

It's awesome you have all that ready to be used.


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## Russell Anderson (Nov 26, 2021)

Hi I am just starting over with all libraries and plugins. Should I use Reaper or Cubase?


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## AMBi (Nov 26, 2021)

To my past self:

Textures are a trap!

Buy 2 at most and spend the rest on things that you can actually make melodies with


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## I like music (Nov 26, 2021)

Buy fewer choirs. lol I have never written a single line with choir, yet have spent £1000 on choir libraries.


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## Frederick (Nov 26, 2021)

TintoL said:


> Wow, have you had even time to use all that stuff ?.... you can buy a super car with that .... lol
> 
> It's awesome you have all that ready to be used.


No, of course not. I'm buying a collection for when I've started early retirement in a couple of years. I won't be buying many sample libraries without any fixed income, that's for sure. Now I can buy whatever I want and just postpone said early retirement a little more.


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## TintoL (Nov 26, 2021)

Frederick said:


> No, of course not. I'm buying a collection for when I've started early retirement in a couple of years. I won't be buying many sample libraries without any fixed income, that's for sure. Now I can buy whatever I want and just postpone said early retirement a little more.


Very nice. You are thinking ahead of the game.

But, interesting, I guess is a matter of point of view. When I remember I have stuff I haven't used I feel like my stomach wants to puke. Such is the buying remorse.

best....


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## MusiquedeReve (Nov 26, 2021)

I would have went with HDD over SSD


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## Robert_G (Nov 26, 2021)

I like music said:


> Buy fewer choirs. lol I have never written a single line with choir, yet have spent £1000 on choir libraries.


Buy fewer female solo vocals. I use them a bit, but for the amount I've spent on them.........yeah.....


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## I like music (Nov 26, 2021)

Robert_G said:


> Buy fewer female solo vocals. I use them a bit, but for the amount I've spent on them.........yeah.....


Setting myself a challenge that I'll write a choral piece with Dominus, Genesis, Liberis, and another couple of 8dio ones before the year is out.

I don't have soloists though. Must look into that haha


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## KEM (Nov 26, 2021)

I’m happy with most of what I have now but I definitely would’ve went with only JXL Brass when I started had that been an option


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## from_theashes (Nov 26, 2021)

from_theashes said:


> I started with Kontakt and upgraded to Komplete 12 on sale and got BBCSO Discover. I think that was a good start.
> Than I upgraded to K13U, AlbionONE and Spitfire Studio Orchestra, which I still use and I‘m pretty happy with
> And I would stick with Logic for sure! I tried Reaper and Studio One... but Logic is just the one for me.


yeah... things change... xD
If I would start all over again, I would get Composer Cloud, Albion Neo, Stratus and Damage 2... boom.


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## Robert_G (Nov 26, 2021)

from_theashes said:


> If I would start all over again, I would get Composer Cloud,


Lol. It's usually once people have had Composer Cloud, that they realize they don't want to spend money on EW products


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## [email protected] (Nov 26, 2021)

Resoded said:


> If you could start from scratch, you have yourself a computer but neither DAW nor libraries. From your current perspective and experiences, would you do things differently? How would you approach it?


As to DAWs, I think I'd first try a free one like Cakewalk by Bandlab and see if that met my needs first. It wasn't around when I was starting.

It would be good if there was a way you could learn the things you needed to learn before parting with the cash. I've bought a lot of stuff I don't use, but I'm not sure if I regret it or not. How else do you learn? Also, the stuff that's around now is streets ahead of when I was starting out. There is also the fun factor of buying new things, as distinct from whether you'd realistically ever use them. There's probably a bit of willing delusion there, but again, I can't really say I regret it.

I do get drawn in by the fun factor at times. For example, I bought Soundiron's Questionably Barbershop a few years back. It is a sample library of a bunch of blokes singing typical barbershop quartet backup. I love that stuff! I'm just not sure what I'm going to do with it. But it helps keep me in touch with joys of music in the midst of the technology. There was another one that was a heavy metal vocals sample library of a typical lot of words and phrases of singing/roaring. (I can't remember who produces it because I seem to have lost track of it through having to upgrade the computer a couple of times.) Heavy metal's not my thing, but I had visions of putting together some tracks just for a hoot and pretending it was me 'singing'. Maybe I still will.

Along similar lines, I've bought a heap of percussion libraries I can't possibly use but simply because percussion is fun. I still get tempted by that, and I have a sneaking suspicion that many percussion libraries exist because the people making them felt the same way, rather than the world really needing another one. I even have a hankering to create my own percussion libraries too, but I can't imagine why anyone would want to buy them. Unless there's enough people like me still out there!


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## from_theashes (Nov 26, 2021)

Robert_G said:


> Lol. It's usually once people have had Composer Cloud, that they realize they don't want to spend money on EW products


Why? HOOPUS is great.


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## Getsumen (Nov 26, 2021)

MorphineNoir said:


> I would have went with HDD over SSD


Interesting, may I ask why?


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## MusiquedeReve (Nov 26, 2021)

Getsumen said:


> Interesting, may I ask why?


LOL 

That was a reference to this https://vi-control.net/community/th...g-sound-on-samplers-hard-drive-vs-ssd.116977/


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## Getsumen (Nov 26, 2021)

MorphineNoir said:


> LOL
> 
> That was a reference to this https://vi-control.net/community/th...g-sound-on-samplers-hard-drive-vs-ssd.116977/


Ah! I forgot, gotta get that old warm analog sound


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## Rossy (Nov 26, 2021)

I probably would have tried to stick with one or two companies, Audio Imperia and/or Cinematic Studios and worked hard on mastering every single option their software gave me. I definitely would not have bought the Spitfire products I bought.


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## Jeremy Spencer (Nov 26, 2021)

Robert_G said:


> Lol. It's usually once people have had Composer Cloud, that they realize they don't want to spend money on EW products


Huh? That's not my impression at all, care to elaborate? EW has top notch libraries, worth every penny IMO.


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## Casiquire (Nov 26, 2021)

Rossy said:


> I probably would have tried to stick with one or two companies, Audio Imperia and/or Cinematic Studios and worked hard on mastering every single option their software gave me. I definitely would not have bought the Spitfire products I bought.


This matches up with my experiences, though not necessarily the same brands. Finding the brand is the hard part. But once I find that one product where I say "ah, this is the workflow and sound that I'm looking for, i want to explore the rest of this collection" it goes a long way in settling my GAS. It's like GasX. What more can i want if i have the sound I'm looking for, the workflow I'm looking for, and the articulations i need? Sure other libraries "sound good" but...so do the ones i have. 

Though i do believe that strings and choirs work best layered and having more quality options does help get good results. But that's a very small exception and it doesn't mean i feel the need to buy up every last one, just add some colors that could be useful from time to time


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## Robert_G (Nov 26, 2021)

Jeremy Spencer said:


> Huh? That's not my impression at all, care to elaborate? EW has top notch libraries, worth every penny IMO.



Its come to a point where I own sample instruments from so many companies now that it has become easier to see that EW just isn't as good as so many others. They do not dance with the Elite developers....that's just the way it is.

Hollywood Orchestra is nice, but Play is a pain to use. I got rid of composer cloud+ before OPUS so I can't judge it. Spaces II is nice...

The rest of lot mostly sucks. They are old and there is so much better in every category that I'd rahter have instead. The solo voices are atrocious and as I've said many times, the Pianos are an embarrassment they are so bad. I'm suprised EW hasn't removed them yet.

The prices on some of their instruments is almost like them making fun of themselves..... they are so out of touch with what is out there now.


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## Casiquire (Nov 26, 2021)

Robert_G said:


> Its come to a point where I own sample instruments from so many companies now that it has become easier to see that EW just isn't as good as so many others. They do not dance with the Elite developers....that's just the way it is.
> 
> Hollywood Orchestra is nice, but Play is a pain to use. I got rid of composer cloud+ before OPUS so I can't judge it. Spaces II is nice...
> 
> ...


I mostly agree. The choirs, Hollywood Strings, and Hollywood Brass are really good and deserve the praise, but a, there are much better out there, b, that's the very best they have out of a crazy enormous catalog, and c, they don't have the greatest track record of treating customers well


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## Rossy (Nov 26, 2021)

BasariStudios said:


> Ok, lets turn this on its head? What have you actually deleted from your HD?
> Should i start first?


I deleted Spitfire Solo Strings but kept BBCSO Core. Mostly because of rebowing issues. I have kept everything else as I learned my lesson with Spitfire.


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## Robert_G (Nov 26, 2021)

Casiquire said:


> they don't have the greatest track record of treating customers well


yup....forgot about that

Edit: and lets not forget that they have yet to hire someone who can do grade 5 math to help them with their upgrade prices.


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## Casiquire (Nov 26, 2021)

liquidlino said:


> Wow, reading this list, there's so much dislike/disappointment for Spitfire libraries. I haven't bought any yet... I think this might put me off for life!


I've been in these forums for like a decade or more but I've never bought their libraries despite thinking they have consistently one of the best track records for tone across their catalog. But it's like everything they come out with has some glaring obvious flaw that makes it not worth it.


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## CT (Nov 26, 2021)

You'll be missing out.


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## Jeremy Spencer (Nov 26, 2021)

Robert_G said:


> Its come to a point where I own sample instruments from so many companies now that it has become easier to see that EW just isn't as good as so many others. They do not dance with the Elite developers....that's just the way it is.


I'm not sure how you can accurately make this claim, but fair enough. IMO, they still have one of the best legato's around and the Hollywood series (and HOOPUS) are indeed top notch, pro-level libraries. As for Play, I call BS on your claim, it was a really good sample player (and still running rock solid on my system since V3).

EW has also given me excellent customer service since 2006, always very helpful and responsive. In fact, Lorenz is always quick to respond on their chat window (he was also very helpful when the forum was still up). I agree their marketing and pricing can be erratic, but they have excellent libraries.....even the "dated" ones are still very relevant.

QL Pianos? I still use them professionally, so I'm not sure what you're talking about there.


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## Rossy (Nov 26, 2021)

Casiquire said:


> This matches up with my experiences, though not necessarily the same brands. Finding the brand is the hard part. But once I find that one product where I say "ah, this is the workflow and sound that I'm looking for, i want to explore the rest of this collection" it goes a long way in settling my GAS. It's like GasX. What more can i want if i have the sound I'm looking for, the workflow I'm looking for, and the articulations i need? Sure other libraries "sound good" but...so do the ones i have.
> 
> Though i do believe that strings and choirs work best layered and having more quality options does help get good results. But that's a very small exception and it doesn't mean i feel the need to buy up every last one, just add some colors that could be useful from time to time


That's a good point. My main frustration, and I have said this many times before, I honestly wish these companies would find a way for them to create demos of their product. I am not a programmer and I could only imagine how difficult it could be but I would be way more happy with my purchases if I knew what I was getting myself into before I dropped $300+ on a library. It also would stop me writing negative reviews about them because I tried it first. Maybe a 14 or 30 day trial and then it would just stop working? I honestly don't know but I would be way more happy trying before buying and to be honest, that's the main reason I haven't bought a new library in quite sometime, I would love to try something new but I am just not willing to drop that kind of money with a 50/50 chance I would be happy, no thanks.

Sorry for the rant.


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## Casiquire (Nov 26, 2021)

Rossy said:


> That's a good point. My main frustration, and I have said this many times before, I honestly wish these companies would find a way for them to create demos of their product. I am not a programmer and I could only imagine how difficult it could be but I would be way more happy with my purchases if I knew what I was getting myself into before I dropped $300+ on a library. It also would stop me writing negative reviews about them because I tried it first. Maybe a 14 or 30 day trial and then it would just stop working? I honestly don't know but I would be way more happy trying before buying and to be honest, that's the main reason I haven't bought a new library in quite sometime, I would love to try something new but I am just not willing to drop that kind of money with a 50/50 chance I would be happy, no thanks.
> 
> Sorry for the rant.


Nah i totally agree. And i think it would actually get more sales too. The free sample convinced me to buy Vista and there's a psychological effect that makes a person likelier to buy something they're able to physically able to put their hands on. You make a lot of good points!


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## Casiquire (Nov 26, 2021)

liquidlino said:


> The technology is completely available. It's just that sample library developers choose not to implement it, as it's the standard and much better for them, to just say "resales not allowed" (as instead of a resale, they get a brand new sale and more revenue). All my UVI sample libraries are resellable. As are all of NI libraries (Komplete etc). Some library developers do allow resales as well, so it's not a question of technology. Until folk stop buying non-resaleable, it won't change. I'm still somewhat shocked when I found out only recently that most orchestral libraries are not for resale. It's definitely made me think ultra-carefully about what I buy. Whereas synths and UVI etc, it's all no-regrets, as I can easily get 40-60% of my money back by selling on if I ever choose to.


Well, you can say "resales not allowed" while still offering a sample and get the best of both worlds. If there's not a single octave of a single articulation in your entire library that just plain sounds good, you're basically running a scam lol! Which i don't think any major players are, at all. They can all find at least one limited area where their library really shines and a person would be likely to buy the rest


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## rMancer (Nov 26, 2021)

Jeremy Spencer said:


> As for Play, I call BS on your claim, it was a really good sample player (and still running rock solid on my system since V3).


I tried the cloud subscription some time ago and I just couldn't get on with Play. In some ways it felt like I had stepped through a portal to the early 2000s. Same with the naming conventions... sifting through the several variations "DXF Leg NV NV NV Vib" was less than intuitive. Especially compared to a lot of the more elegantly-presented offerings out there today that are much more "fire up a patch and start making music."


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## RSK (Nov 26, 2021)

rMancer said:


> I tried the cloud subscription some time ago and I just couldn't get on with Play.


Same.


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## Rossy (Nov 26, 2021)

liquidlino said:


> I mean, demos is a start. But even then, such expensive assets should be resellable. Happy to pay ilok fee or whatever for the administration of confirming identity, and a cooling off period to ensure that credit card fraud isn't happening etc, but it's just galling that the money I've just dropped on a strings library can never ever, ever be regained, even if I move to a different library later on.


I bought Spitfire Solo Strings after watching Spitfires own videos and watching some YouTube videos, wrote a piece of music that needed a couple of nice long expressive notes and came across an awful rebowing sound mainly on the violins. I contacted them because I thought I was doing something wrong but was told "that's just the way the sample was recorded and well......) I couldn't get a refund (I had had it less than 4 day) and apparently, you cant resell their products so what does one do? I thought I had done my research but you can only learn so much from watching videos (although Daniel James avin a look videos have saved my bacon more than once, cheers Daniel)

To me, offer demos with a time lock or 50 usage's or bloody something, I cant afford to drop this kind of cash only to use it every now and then because it doesn't fit my writing style and I bet you, if these companies had made demo's available, this thread would be a lot shorter.


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## Robert_G (Nov 26, 2021)

Jeremy Spencer said:


> I'm not sure how you can accurately make this claim, but fair enough. IMO, they still have one of the best legato's around and the Hollywood series (and HOOPUS) are indeed top notch, pro-level libraries. As for Play, I call BS on your claim, it was a really good sample player (and still running rock solid on my system since V3).
> 
> EW has also given me excellent customer service since 2006, always very helpful and responsive. In fact, Lorenz is always quick to respond on their chat window (he was also very helpful when the forum was still up). I agree their marketing and pricing can be erratic, but they have excellent libraries.....even the "dated" ones are still very relevant.
> 
> QL Pianos? I still use them professionally, so I'm not sure what you're talking about there.


You're thoughts on EW are kind of in the minority here it seems.

Perhaps you may use EW pianos professionally. If that is so, then you would know that you can't do delicate transitions with them at the mid to high velocities. The volume and timber jumps are cringe worthy. There is no fix for that. I've tried every adjustment, mic setting, etc, possible.

I can still remember about 2 years ago when I had CC+ and the regular price listed for Pianos Platinum was around $900. I just about hacked up a lung.

Do you own any of the newer pianos from VSL?
Synthogy?


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## Michael Antrum (Nov 27, 2021)

Rossy said:


> That's a good point. My main frustration, and I have said this many times before, I honestly wish these companies would find a way for them to create demos of their product. I am not a programmer and I could only imagine how difficult it could be but I would be way more happy with my purchases if I knew what I was getting myself into before I dropped $300+ on a library. It also would stop me writing negative reviews about them because I tried it first. Maybe a 14 or 30 day trial and then it would just stop working? I honestly don't know but I would be way more happy trying before buying and to be honest, that's the main reason I haven't bought a new library in quite sometime, I would love to try something new but I am just not willing to drop that kind of money with a 50/50 chance I would be happy, no thanks.
> 
> Sorry for the rant.


The answer to that is VSL. 14 day refund policy. Now companies like Spitfire and OT have their own player, they really have no excuse.

However I do not expect them to be following suit anytime soon.


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## Marcus Millfield (Nov 27, 2021)

If I could start over with the knowledge I have now, I would get a Reaper license, VEP license and only buy VSL libraries. For synths, I'd stick to hardware. I know this now because of the shitton of € I spent on other libraries and softsynths that just didn't had the sound I was looking for and don't get used anymore.

This does exclude all my piano libraries and specialized stuff.

Keys are a difficult category to choose from, because I like almost all of them. If I could choose the basics for my template, I'd still get:

Pianoteq + Steinway's, Ruckers harpsichord and Kivir
Teletone Audio Golden Age Grand
Cinesamples Piano in Blue
VSL Synchron Blüthner
Fracture Sounds Woodchester and Glacier
Sound Yeti Revelation Scoring Grand
Organteq
Impact Soundworks Fredonia Grand Organ
OT harpsichord
NI Scarbee Mark 1

For the more specialized libraries (don't know what to call them) I would definitely get the Strezov Sampling choirs + Balkan Orchestra, Fluffy Audio Rinascimento, Karoryfer Orcophony, The Amazonic, VSL Jazz Drums, Audio Brewers Axé and NI Special series.

I would stay away from every other plug-in except for ValhallaDSP effects. I just am not good at, nor like to or want to spend time on mixing and mastering because it's hard and tedious work. My ears don't seem to adapt to things like preamps, saturation, distortion and even EQ to an extend.

Stay away from plug-ins that tell you they mix and master for you, it's a scam!


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## DSmolken (Nov 27, 2021)

Strezov Jade, Pianoteq (not samples but you know...), Spitfire LCO Strings, Soniccouture Electroacoustic for sure. Xperimenta Preparato Bass and Majetone AC08 because they're really cool more than because I _really_ need those specific sounds.

Horns... not so sure. I get a lot of use from the Metropolis Ark 1 stuff and Straight Ahead Jazz Horns, but maybe there's a better option that will cover both the big trap brass and pop/Latin horns nowadays.

Drum kits... also not sure. Drumdrops Motown kit nails the Motown mic setup better than anything else, That Sound Sterloid and Hangar are great for huge semi-natural sounds, but after those three maybe I'd go with Soniccouture Moonkits for the quiet side and would do some research on what's best for the "sampled a James Brown record" sound.

The rest like synths, more drum machines and character pianos, I think I can cover perfectly well with freebies and my own samples. Don't need a full "normal" orchestra for my purposes.


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## Satorious (Nov 27, 2021)

If I was being minimalist - the main core of starting over library wise - would need to be Omnisphere 2 and Kontakt. Then I'd probably grab the Cinematic Studio series and build from there. One aspect I'm starting to focus on more when buying is whether the company continues to invest/update in the product. Too many don't do this now sadly (but a big shout out for those that do - such as Project SAM).


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## from_theashes (Nov 27, 2021)

I don’t get that hate against East West and Spitfire, tbh.
Opus is a totally redesigned player for Hollywood Orchestra and (in my opinion) better than Spitfire‘s own player or SINE. 
And Spitfire has some really great and high-quality libraries. Tbh, the rebowing-issue in their Solo Strings is annoying as hell, and I‘m looking for a replacement-library, but everything else is just great so far.
For me it’s Audio Imperia that can’t compete with these.
But hey… great to have a choice^^


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## Markrs (Nov 27, 2021)

There are quite a few of these types of thread, where people discuss previous purchases and how much they like or dislike them. Going through them, I found just about every sample library company is mentioned in both categories. I think you just have to go with your ear as to what you like.

Personally, I love EastWest and in particular Hollywood Orchestra Opus (I haven't fully explored the others). I think they are great value for $495 or $249 for the upgrade (even though these prices will expire after BF they will likely do them again). 

The only thing you can get of the same quality and value with Spitfire Audio BBC SO Core or Pro, which I also own and love. You could reasonably argue that they don't have the perfection of VSL, though I find they have more life to them, but they are also a _*lot*_ cheaper.

I also think 8Dio Century Series and Anthology are similar in that they are imperfect but have loads of character and can be bought, often for very little money, or free with a purchase.


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## jbuhler (Nov 27, 2021)

Rossy said:


> I deleted Spitfire Solo Strings but kept BBCSO Core. Mostly because of rebowing issues. I have kept everything else as I learned my lesson with Spitfire.


And yet Spitfire Solo Strings are my favorite and my first choice though I have most of the others. @Casiquire’s point I think is that you can’t really say which brands are going to click with you and your workflow. And what drives you nuts (the short rebow) may not bother me at all. So while we’re all going to develop favorites and need a way to reduce our options on an individual basis, they won’t look the same from one person to the next. And that’s ok and probably even a good thing in the large scheme of things.


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## Rossy (Nov 27, 2021)

jbuhler said:


> And yet Spitfire Solo Strings are my favorite and my first choice though I have most of the others. @Casiquire’s point I think is that you can’t really say which brands are going to click with you and your workflow. And what drives you nuts (the short rebow) may not bother me at all. So while we’re all going to develop favorites and need a way to reduce our options on an individual basis, they won’t look the same from one person to the next. And that’s ok and probably even a good thing in the large scheme of things.


Exactly, and if they would have offered a trial or money back after a certain time, I would have found out, not bought it and looked else where then, I wouldn't have the attitude I now have which is never to buy any of their product and look for companies that either offer a trial (apparently VSL) or at least let me resell the product so I can recoup some of my money to apply to something that fits my needs. They will never see another penny from me again which is sad as I do own BBCSO core (one of my first purchases) which I am 70% happy with. If they can afford to loose customers that way, so be it, it's their company.


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## ummon (Nov 27, 2021)

Rossy said:


> I bought Spitfire Solo Strings after watching Spitfires own videos and watching some YouTube videos, wrote a piece of music that needed a couple of nice long expressive notes and came across an awful rebowing sound mainly on the violins.


Solo Strings library is not locked so you can do some editing if you will. I edited the rebow part off by setting the loop points differently and that solved the problem for good. I know it's not our job to fix these things but usually it's the only way to get problems solved.


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## Rossy (Nov 27, 2021)

ummon said:


> Solo Strings library is not locked so you can do some editing if you will. I edited the rebow part off by setting the loop points differently and that solved the problem for good. I know it's not our job to fix these things but usually it's the only way to get problems solved.


Amazing, would you be so kind to share how this is done or point me to any resource?


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## Casiquire (Nov 27, 2021)

liquidlino said:


> I mean, demos is a start. But even then, such expensive assets should be resellable. Happy to pay ilok fee or whatever for the administration of confirming identity, and a cooling off period to ensure that credit card fraud isn't happening etc, but it's just galling that the money I've just dropped on a strings library can never ever, ever be regained, even if I move to a different library later on.


I'm on your side with this one. Resale should be allowed. But i understand why kontakt based devs aren't interested in it and it does make sense. If I was a dev using kontakt I'd probably do the same.


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## ummon (Nov 27, 2021)

Rossy said:


> Amazing, would you be so kind to share how this is done or point me to any resource?


I'm not Kontakt expert so I find my way through trial and error. Here's a quick summary:

- Press the wrench button on the upper left side of your KONTAKT Instrument
- Select Group editor, Mapping editor and Wave editor
- Play a note and scroll down group editor window to see which groups are playing (text is orange). Select that group.
- While you're playing the note a small red dot is shown in Mapping editor. Select that sample (pink arrow in the pic).
- Selected sample is now also shown on Wave window. Now you can move the loop brackets around the sample. That green arrow in the pic shows the rebow part of the sample so you can move the ending point of loop before that.


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## Marcus Millfield (Nov 27, 2021)

Markrs said:


> The only thing you can get of the same quality and value with Spitfire Audio BBC SO Core or Pro, which I also own and love. You could reasonably argue that they don't have the perfection of VSL, though I find they have more life to them, but they are also a _*lot*_ cheaper.


Funny. The library that made me say "enough is enough, I'm investing in VSL" is BBCSO Pro.

I really wanted to like the sound. I really wanted to like SA's own player. They did their best to make a library that has it all and a player with a simple lay-out that could get you going in an instant. But I just did not gel with both at all.


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## easyrider (Nov 27, 2021)

Spitfire Studio Strings cost me £69 in a sale….just checked…I learnt pretty early on never to buy anything unless heavily discounted….The NI sales have been pretty sweet…getting the Strezov Choir bundle worked out at 99 per choir….The U-HE sale as well was nuts…Zebra 2 for like 79


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## Rossy (Nov 27, 2021)

ummon said:


> I'm not Kontakt expert so I find my way through trial and error. Here's a quick summary:
> 
> - Press the wrench button on the upper left side of your KONTAKT Instrument
> - Select Group editor, Mapping editor and Wave editor
> ...


I appreciate your post but it looks like I need the full kontakt player, which I don't have


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## chocobitz825 (Nov 27, 2021)

I’d do it all over again, the same, but this time I’d remember to enjoy it more.


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## jbuhler (Nov 27, 2021)

chocobitz825 said:


> I’d do it all over again, the same, but this time I’d remember to enjoy it more.


And know and accept that you’ll make some mistakes along the way and that the mistakes aren’t bad because they teach you what you actually want and need for your music.


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## sostenuto (Nov 27, 2021)

jbuhler said:


> And know and accept that you’ll make some mistakes along the way and that the mistakes aren’t bad because they teach you what you actually want and need for your music.


True, true ..... question is: were the 'mistake' lessons worth the tuition ?? 
In several cases here _ 🙄


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## Jeremy Spencer (Nov 27, 2021)

rMancer said:


> I tried the cloud subscription some time ago and I just couldn't get on with Play. In some ways it felt like I had stepped through a portal to the early 2000s. Same with the naming conventions... sifting through the several variations "DXF Leg NV NV NV Vib" was less than intuitive. Especially compared to a lot of the more elegantly-presented offerings out there today that are much more "fire up a patch and start making music."


I agree, play looked like a gaudy pimp mobile, and the patch choices were overwhelming, but IMO the quality is there. Opus has taken care of the naming clutter and it’s way more streamlined.


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## gpax (Nov 27, 2021)

chocobitz825 said:


> I’d do it all over again, the same, but this time I’d remember to enjoy it more.


Initially, I read the question as being more existential, wondering why there even needed to be an "if" involved at all. 

Just start over.


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## utkujj (Nov 27, 2021)

I wouldn't buy komplete 12 for sure.I didn't use most of them.


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## KevinRAlexander (Dec 22, 2021)

I'm just getting started and only have Albion One for now. I'm likely picking up Albion Neo and BBSCO Core if Spitfire does have their typical Christmas sale. But one thing I wish I wouldn't have wasted money on are plugins that I'll never use. Bought a handful of effects and VI's from Plugin Boutique a few years ago, and I've just never used them.

The best decision I've made though is also a plugin. I'm a guitarist first and foremost and am a huge fan of Line 6 products. I switched from tube amps to modelers years ago when I played in a church band and it wasn't practical to crank up my Hot Rod Deluxe. At the time the best product they had was the XT Live, which was great for the time but is horrible by today's standards. But the Helix family is amazing. I have a Helix LT and Powercab for live scenarios (which these days consists of me in my home studio, but that's something I'd like to change next year and start playing with a group again). But I also bought Helix Native, which is their plugin version. The reverbs and delays are particularly nice, IMO. Especially if you want to get a tone similar to a Strymon Big Sky but want to stay in the box. I find myself using Helix Native on pretty much everything.


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## ALittleNightMusic (Dec 22, 2021)

I’d probably buy most of what I have but skip CineSamples (outside of some very specific items like Randy’s Celeste), skip OPUS (it’s good but redundant and not so good to replace others), and skip the Berlin and JXL series (nice samples, horrible player, mediocre company). I'd also skip the Infinite Brass / Woodwind instruments as I have not grown fond of their usage or tone. Perhaps I would look at SampleModeling instead.

Instead I’d focus on Cinematic Studio Series, VSL, and Spitfire. AudioBro is great as well.


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## aniruddh_immaneni (Dec 22, 2021)

I'd buy the cinematic studio series, truestrike, a few select performance samples libraries and Komplete


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## LamaRose (Dec 22, 2021)

A second house... mountain meadow... underground bunker? Choices, choices.


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## JamelaBanderson (Dec 23, 2021)

I bought NI Ultimate and Ableton Live Suite right off the bat and don't regret doing so at all. I only wish I had explored them more before purchasing some redundant libraries. 
I now want to switch to Studio One or Cubase to take advantage of the notation and ARA features, but Ableton was necessary first because it's one of the easiest DAWs to learn, and I still struggled with it. I needed it temporarily just to learn DAW basics.


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## KevinRAlexander (Dec 24, 2021)

JamelaBanderson said:


> I bought NI Ultimate and Ableton Live Suite right off the bat and don't regret doing so at all. I only wish I had explored them more before purchasing some redundant libraries.
> I now want to switch to Studio One or Cubase to take advantage of the notation and ARA features, but Ableton was necessary first because it's one of the easiest DAWs to learn, and I still struggled with it. I needed it temporarily just to learn DAW basics.


One day I plan to learn Logic, but I've used Ableton for years. I like sketching ideas in Session view. Almost using it as a notepad of ideas before working with them in the Arrangement view.


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## Eptesicus (Dec 24, 2021)

I'd probably get the Cinematic Studio series, most of performance samples stuff, and most of the heavyocity gravity packs and komplete ultimate. These are what I tend to use the most.

Beyond that, I'm really not sure. I probably wouldn't bother with all the 8dio stuff I've bought , and all the rubbish little cheaper libraries I've bought and never used.


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## dunamisstudio (Dec 24, 2021)

I wished I bought more VSL. I was drawn to libraries that could be played with chords after my first VSL purchase. Then after learning more, I started doing more separate parts. Seems a lot here tend to like more drier libraries and the VI series from VSL is good for that. I could eventually paired them with Orchestral Tools and use Teldex MIR Pro to blend them. Then get what Spitfire stuff I wanted. Also wish I would have waited til the big price drop of Symphobia. Skipped Cinesamples until they did their improvements.


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## easyrider (Dec 24, 2021)

dunamisstudio said:


> Skipped Cinesamples until they did their improvements.


I bought the cimesamples NI composer toolkit and only used cine perc and brass

It was an excellent price and I’m lucky they are updating it all and I will get it all for free 👍

The strings were noisey and I hated them. Looks like they are addressing these issues with a new GUI and improved scripting aswell. So my initial investment should pay off


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## ShidoStrife (Dec 25, 2021)

I'd skip HO Gold and get VSL instead. I'll still keep komplete and most of my kontakt libraries (except SStW maybe)


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## UDun (Dec 25, 2021)

I would go to VSL directly instead of having spent/wasted so much with EW/Spitfire.


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## Marcus Millfield (Dec 25, 2021)

UDun said:


> I would go to VSL directly instead of having spent/wasted so much with EW/Spitfire.


Same. I corrected this this year at great expense, but I'm happy now. Some bits still missing, but the bulk is there.


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## easyrider (Dec 25, 2021)

UDun said:


> I would go to VSL directly instead of having spent/wasted so much with EW/Spitfire.





Marcus Millfield said:


> Same. I corrected this this year at great expense, but I'm happy now. Some bits still missing, but the bulk is there.


VSL and it’s archaic copy protection always put me off…and the risk of losing stuff due to the daft e-licenser And then being charged again.

I’ve never bought an EW lib and spitfire offers a lot more than just strings…

Keyscape for pianos and keys

All my purchases have been thought through and bought in one off flash sale bundles and EDU discount so I’m pretty pleased with my choices.

Getting the Stezov Choir Bundle for example from Native Insruments sale meant I got the all the choirs for $99 each…

U-HE bundle form NI meant zebra 2 cost me $79 etc…


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## Futchibon (Dec 25, 2021)

easyrider said:


> VSL and it’s archaic copy protection always put me off…and the risk of losing stuff due to the daft e-licenser And then being charged again.


I thought that way too, but I don't really find it archaic. Just get a Steinberg elicenser, put it on Afterpay if you need to, and then you get a 30 day trial and can sell them later. Easily the best deal on VSTs.


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## Futchibon (Dec 25, 2021)

UDun said:


> I would go to VSL directly instead of having spent/wasted so much with EW/Spitfire.





Marcus Millfield said:


> Same. I corrected this this year at great expense, but I'm happy now. Some bits still missing, but the bulk is there.


+100 VSL has a great system. It's ridiculous in this day and age that you can't trial a product.


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## UDun (Dec 25, 2021)

easyrider said:


> VSL and it’s archaic copy protection always put me off…and the risk of losing stuff due to the daft e-licenser And then being charged again.


I have never seen key licensers as an issue. In case of a new setup/reactivation, at least we don't depend on a server potentially offline or if the company goes out of business one day. But it is all personal and very specific to our way of working. They are, with Steinberg, in the process of moving away from it. So hopefully everybody should be happy.


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## samtrino (Dec 25, 2021)

I have VSL Special Edition 1-4, both VI and Syncronized, do you think EW HO Opus Diamond works well with it to fill in some of the louder more agressive dynamics?


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## cloudbuster (Dec 25, 2021)

Good question. I mainly have to many synths and FX I don't use anymore, especially since I got Bitwig 👍
Orchestra wise I'd stick with Hopus Diamond, a couple of simpler sketching libraries like DaCapo etc... but would keep all my solo instruments and the tons of drum/perc./FX samples I've collected over many years. 
Not too much buyer's remorse over here and GAS has been close to nonexistant lately.


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## uselessmind (Dec 26, 2021)

I might have bought EWQL Hollywood Percussion while ist was still available.


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## Vik (Dec 26, 2021)

(Confused, in spite of this)...

Is CS CineSamples? Cinematic Strings (2)? Cinematic Studio Series?

What's ROI?


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## RogiervG (Dec 26, 2021)

liquidlino said:


> So, like the autistic fool I am, I just tallied up the recommendations on this thread. I ignored anything that wasn't an outright "I would ditch everything and just buy x and y". Results:
> 
> SStO: 2
> SSO: 4
> ...


top tier is a wrong word choice, i would say popular tier.


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