# Buyer's Guide to the Metropolis Arks



## Cory Pelizzari (Mar 4, 2020)

Libraries: https://www.orchestraltools.com/store/collections
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## zimm83 (Mar 5, 2020)

Great review.
For me the Best Orchestral vsts.
Superb collection .
My go to libs.
Thanks.


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## gussunkri (Mar 5, 2020)

This video was very helpful. I hadn't really payed attention to the Metropolis series. Both 1 and (and parts of 4) are quite appealing. Now I regret not having payed more attention to the NI sales of them.


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## Stringtree (Mar 5, 2020)

Great work, as usual. I knew these were good, but never listened through a patch demo. 

I'm a little puzzled about a library with a contrabassoon and full-on drum kit and metal guitar in the same box. Yngwie mockups? 

Really delicious sound in so many areas.

Greg


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## Cory Pelizzari (Mar 5, 2020)

gussunkri said:


> This video was very helpful. I hadn't really payed attention to the Metropolis series. Both 1 and (and parts of 4) are quite appealing. Now I regret not having payed more attention to the NI sales of them.


Just as a heads up 1 & 4 have inconsistencies with midi quantizing because the different sections have different attack times depending on the instrument - this is especially noticeable with the first volume so you have to be sure to compose with that in mind (the sample attacks aren't cut into like Spitfire's Albion libraries). Pulling back certain sections' midi or playing live is needed to get the sound you want.


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## jcrosby (Mar 5, 2020)

gussunkri said:


> This video was very helpful. I hadn't really payed attention to the Metropolis series. Both 1 and (and parts of 4) are quite appealing. Now I regret not having payed more attention to the NI sales of them.


1 and 4 are by far the most broadly useful. They also sound nothing short of spectacular.

1 is great for big bold arrangements. (But not just "epic". These work great for when you just need some big dynamics...). 4 is pretty dry and direct. It can be used to add detail to MA1, and the string shorts are great if you have a section that needs an ostinato that's quiet-to-medium but still has to cut through. And the choirs are nothing short of amazing. They really nailed these... My favorite all around libraries by miles.

I use the Arks 1 and 4 in just about every project... 2 is great as well, but a little too soft for most of what I do, and a bit noisy.


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## Cory Pelizzari (Mar 5, 2020)

jcrosby said:


> 2 is great as well, but a little too soft for most of what I do, and a bit noisy.


Yeah recording and boosting those lower dynamics results in a more noticeable noise floor, especially for the piano when the notes build up.


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## Ashermusic (Mar 5, 2020)

I gave MA 1 a positive review for AskAudio.com and I still think it’s quite good, but I hardly ever use it because I just prefer to compose with individual instruments.


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## Cory Pelizzari (Mar 5, 2020)

Ashermusic said:


> I gave MA 1 a positive review for AskAudio.com and I still think it’s quite good, but I hardly ever use it because I just prefer to compose with individual instruments.


Same here. If I'm going to use Orchestral Tools' stuff on a track I'll use Berlin Strings and Brass over the all-in-ones. Same with Spitfire's stuff.


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## davidson (Mar 5, 2020)

It really annoys me that they don't differentiate the interfaces between volumes slightly. How hard would it be to add a numerical next to the M logo?


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## stevebarden (Mar 5, 2020)

I have all 4 volumes and love them. Overall I think they're fantastic. I do have issue with some of the repetition patches (can't remember if it's in MA3 or MA4). These are the repeated eighth and sixteenth note patterns. I have a very difficult time getting them to stay in sync with the beat. They seem to drift over a period of time. If I hold a note over, say, 16 bars, by time it reaches the end it's off the beat by an annoyingly noticeable amount.


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## Emmanuel Rousseau (Mar 5, 2020)

stevebarden said:


> I have all 4 volumes and love them. Overall I think they're fantastic. I do have issue with some of the repetition patches (can't remember if it's in MA3 or MA4). These are the repeated eighth and sixteenth note patterns. I have a very difficult time getting them to stay in sync with the beat. They seem to drift over a period of time. If I hold a note over, say, 16 bars, by time it reaches the end it's off the beat by an annoyingly noticeable amount.



Yep, same problem with MA3 here. Strange, because the repetition patches in Time Macro stay in sync.


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## Cory Pelizzari (Mar 6, 2020)

I'm surprised no one found it odd to put the Spaceballs theme in this video.


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