# Dilemma: Audio Imperia - Jaeger or Nucleus?



## Aphanasis (Nov 19, 2019)

Hi all, 

Both Jaeger and Nucleus are roughly the same price for BF ($400ish) and I'm torn between the two. It's difficult to find any concrete info about what the differences are between them. 

Having said that, there is a crossgrade discount available from each to the other, which implies owning one wouldn't rule out owning both. The vocal content in Jaeger sounds incredible, but then Nucleus sounds very impressive in its own right. 

Any advice/anecdotal experience with either library (or both for comparison's sake) much appreciated. 

Cheers, 

Aphanasis


----------



## Sjoerd Visser (Nov 19, 2019)

I just have Nucleus, so it's a pretty one-sided view here. This is what they say about Jaeger:

_Though the library is primarily focused on punchy, epic music, it is not just designed to be loud; it is also cinematic._

In short, Jaeger is focussed more towards epic music, and Nucleus is more focussed around the orchestra. Jaeger contains slightly more articulations per instrument, but focusses on strings, brass and epic percussion. Does not contain woodwinds or solo instruments.

Nucleus has those more traditional orchestral instruments. Includes woodwinds, solo instruments, tonal percussion and more traditional non-tonal percussion. (Like Timpani versus the epic Taiko's Jaeger has).

So it really depends what you are looking for and what gaps you want it to fill.
Can only speak for Nucleus, but you probably can't go wrong with either of them.


----------



## constaneum (Nov 19, 2019)

If you already have sketching libraries, you might wanna opt for Jaegar which has more mic positions, more specialised for epicness and cinematic scoring and etc for multipurpose scoring use. If not, Nucleus for a start for traditional orchestral write up with modern cinematic sound. That's how I see it.


----------



## dozicusmaximus (Nov 19, 2019)

I'm in the same spot. I don't have any libraries at all, besides stock Kontakt. So the logical choice for me should be Nucleus as it's a well rounded with solo instruments. But, the sound of Jaeger is more appealing. Maybe I need to hear more demos of Nucleus doing multiple styles.
Either way my goal is more towards horror and possibly adding industrial elements (synth & guitar). So I'll need to get some kind of string fx too. I have plenty of synths so the sound design portion of Jaeger might not get much use after a few days.

Anyway, I'm no help. haha


----------



## Digivolt (Nov 19, 2019)

I'm in a different spot, I have Nucleus already and I'm wondering if it's worth up/cross grading to Jaegar, the vocals are the main selling point for me but... I can buy that Hangar separately for $99 instead of $299 for Jaegar so the question for me is, is the difference between the libs sans Vocal section worth the additional $200 ?


----------



## Leo (Nov 19, 2019)

I have Jaegar (for full price) and I use only hangar 4, mics are not so different (hall is pretty dry),
sound design in Jaeger is not so cool such as Keep forest, or other thriller spec. libraries.
Strings and brass are same...
I'd like to change the product for Nucleus, It seems to me more versatile.
So verdict: buy Nucleus and hangar 4. Best from both world.


----------



## Aphanasis (Nov 19, 2019)

Very much appreciate all the input so far. 

I'm kind of leaning towards Jaeger, as I already have SSO and SSS for the more traditional classical side of things. The gap in my tools is more an exaggerated 'epic' kind of sound than the lush feel that I can get from SSO. 

I'm not overly bothered about the sound design tools. I have a lot of Heavyocity libraries to fulfil that need. 

Knowing me, I'll probably end up buying both, though I really shouldn't...


----------



## Trombking (Nov 20, 2019)

To me the Nucleus orchestral instruments sound way more processed than the instruments in Jaeger. I only know Jaeger from some walktrough videos but I own Nucleus. Can anyone who owns both libraries confirm that the sound and tone of the strings and brass are quite different between both libraries? I'm asking because I'm tempted to buy Jaeger


----------



## Sjoerd Visser (Nov 21, 2019)

Trombking said:


> To me the Nucleus orchestral instruments sound way more processed than the instruments in Jaeger. I only know Jaeger from some walktrough videos but I own Nucleus. Can anyone who owns both libraries confirm that the sound and tone of the strings and brass are quite different between both libraries? I'm asking because I'm tempted to buy Jaeger



Are you talking about the Modern Mix? Cause that makes sense, that's a way more processed mix than normal.


----------



## Trombking (Nov 21, 2019)

About both the classic and modern mix. My Impression is that for example in Nucleus the strings sound more like a synth string patch than they do in Jaeger


----------



## Mike Fox (Nov 21, 2019)

Didn't they used to sell the vocal section of Jaeger separately?


----------



## RogiervG (Nov 21, 2019)

Mike Fox said:


> Didn't they used to sell the vocal section of Jaeger separately?


yes, hangar 4 (i have it too)


----------



## handz (Nov 21, 2019)

Nucleus - classical Orchestral sound
Jaeger - modern trailer epic bombastic sound 

I think you need both if you want to write in various styles If you just wanna do modern epic style, Jaeger is a way to go.


----------



## vitocorleone123 (Nov 21, 2019)

Trombking said:


> About both the classic and modern mix. My Impression is that for example in Nucleus the strings sound more like a synth string patch than they do in Jaeger



Incorrect.

Also, the “classic” is the raw recording with no processing. None of them sound synth, unless you abuse the octave range a lot (you can change it beyond default).


----------



## vitocorleone123 (Nov 21, 2019)

RogiervG said:


> yes, hangar 4 (i have it too)


I’m struggling with the decision of paying even $99 for that one, though it is pretty. I have Ethera EVI2 and Gold already. I want it, but that’s still a fair amount of money for a limited “instrument”.


----------



## Trombking (Nov 22, 2019)

So the classic mix of Nucleus is exactly the same sound like Jaeger, apart from the limited mic positions?


----------



## Aphanasis (Nov 22, 2019)

I seem to have started a wider discussion here, which is all good. 

I personally went with Jaeger in the end and I'm very pleased with the purchase! I bought it specifically for the strings, brass and vocal patches, but have been pleasantly surprised by both the percussion and sound design aspects of the library. I'll definitely be using a lot more of that side of the content going forward than I thought I would.

I should also thank everyone for their input. It helped a lot in making the decision, so cheers!


----------



## vitocorleone123 (Nov 22, 2019)

Trombking said:


> So the classic mix of Nucleus is exactly the same sound like Jaeger, apart from the limited mic positions?



Some of them are the same raw recordings. But they recorded a lot of new, original content for Nucleus, as well. Woodwinds, for example.


----------



## gum (Nov 24, 2019)

I was caught in this trap too.
Will woodwinds be added to Jaeger?
Will Nucleus arrive at Best Service next year?
Hmm ...


----------



## paulmatthew (Jan 24, 2020)

gum said:


> I was caught in this trap too.
> Will woodwinds be added to Jaeger?
> Will Nucleus arrive at Best Service next year?
> Hmm ...


I want both Nucleus and Jaeger but think I will hold out until more info comes regarding new content coming to Jaeger. If woodwinds get added to Jaeger , then I'd rather just buy Jaeger and have extra mics and woodwinds available to me for the extra cost. I'm guessing the strings in Nucleus ,with the exception of the soloists and a few articulations, are just mic mixes from Jaeger strings. If I heard correctly somewhere, the low brass in Nucleus is from Talos and I would assume the brass , again with the exception of the soloists and some articulations, are mic mixes from Jaeger as well. If only there was more information available regarding the Jaeger update we could make a more informed decision on which one to get. They both sound great , but I would prefer the more flexible choice of mic options in the end. It's a tough spot to be in as a consumer in this regard.


----------



## jaketanner (May 21, 2020)

Sorry to rehash an older thread. But what is the consensus of who has the better strings. Nucleus or Jaeger?


----------



## vitocorleone123 (May 21, 2020)

jaketanner said:


> Sorry to rehash an older thread. But what is the consensus of who has the better strings. Nucleus or Jaeger?


Better for what?


----------



## jaketanner (May 21, 2020)

vitocorleone123 said:


> Better for what?


Sorry...sound and playability. I know they have different uses, but Jaeger is supposed to also be able to handle softer lines no? or is it purely geared for epic?


----------



## Aphanasis (May 25, 2020)

I went for Jaeger in the end and was very pleased with the purchase, though I'm still tempted to pick up Nucleus as well at some point. 

For me, the sample start slider in Jaeger's strings is great for playability, meaning you can have immediate key response when recording and then adjust it later on to get the full sample on playback. I think Nucleus uses the same system. Faster legato and spiccato lines are very achievable because of this. You can record them with zero delay and then adjust the sample start until it sounds natural without sounding smeared. 

I personally like the sound quite a lot and it works well for a range of uses on its own, as well as for layering.

I realise I sound like an ad, but it really was a great buy at the sale price, particularly with the vocal patches. The percussion and hit patches also turned out to be much more usable than I was expecting. 

Hope that helps!


----------



## RogiervG (May 26, 2020)

Aphanasis said:


> I went for Jaeger in the end and was very pleased with the purchase, though I'm still tempted to pick up Nucleus as well at some point.
> 
> For me, the sample start slider in Jaeger's strings is great for playability, meaning you can have immediate key response when recording and then adjust it later on to get the full sample on playback. I think Nucleus uses the same system. Faster legato and spiccato lines are very achievable because of this. You can record them with zero delay and then adjust the sample start until it sounds natural without sounding smeared.
> 
> ...


but now you don't have woodsies..


----------



## Yogevs (May 26, 2020)

Nucleus is really great. Love it.


----------



## BassClef (May 26, 2020)

I have Jaeger... any news on an update? new content? new features?


----------



## Philament (Jul 21, 2020)

Currently looking into getting my first orchestral sample library. Am no stranger to DAWs or music theory, but I’m definitely getting pretty absorbed in all the different choices. Looking pretty seriously at Spitfire BBCSO or Nucleus. Nucleus seems like a better engine, but the sound and versatility seems to be better with BBCSO, especially when you get up to the pro version.


----------



## jaketanner (Jul 21, 2020)

Philament said:


> Currently looking into getting my first orchestral sample library. Am no stranger to DAWs or music theory, but I’m definitely getting pretty absorbed in all the different choices. Looking pretty seriously at Spitfire BBCSO or Nucleus. Nucleus seems like a better engine, but the sound and versatility seems to be better with BBCSO, especially when you get up to the pro version.


if you haven't already, look also at VSL's S.E. Synchronized offerings. Pretty comprehensive as well...maybe not as complete as BBCSO pro, but worth a look and sounds amazing.


----------



## Efimus (Nov 27, 2020)

I have both and I think the difference is in processing. As I hear samples are the same in both. Classic mix in Nucleus without processing. Modern mix with processing. Jagger more processing. Plus in Jagger you will have some sounds from Talos and Vox. But in Nucleus you will have some solos and woodwinds... Brain damage.


----------



## Jkist (Nov 27, 2020)

Nucleus is more versatile overall. Just because its voiced in a more classic style, doesnt mean it cant do others, even epic sounds. This demo sold me:



I love both, but if I had to pick just one, I think I would go with Nucleus, once again just because of its sheer versatility. Jaeger is versatile too, but Nucleus moreso.


----------



## gsilbers (Nov 27, 2020)

Just to note, because i didnt know, JEager doesnt have normal pizzatos. Nucleus does.


----------



## darthdeus (Nov 27, 2020)

Efimus said:


> I have both and I think the difference is in processing. As I hear samples are the same in both. Classic mix in Nucleus without processing. Modern mix with processing. Jagger more processing. Plus in Jagger you will have some sounds from Talos and Vox. But in Nucleus you will have some solos and woodwinds... Brain damage.



Maybe this depends on the patch, but I have both Nucleus and Jaeger too and at least in some of the string patches it seems they sound exactly the same, except some are a bit louder in Jaeger. But after adjusting the volume slightly they seem to sound basically identical.



gsilbers said:


> Just to note, because i didnt know, JEager doesnt have normal pizzatos. Nucleus does.



Yeah tbh these little bits are quite confusing. Jaeger has more articulations, but not a strict superset ... not really sure why Nucleus has Pizzicato as the only extra and Jaeger has a bunch of others as an extra. Makes it slightly annoying to use in some cases compared to a more cohesive library. Kinda wish they just made one thing you could download if you own both libraries that had everything in it, since they share the same engine anyway.


----------



## ansthenia (Nov 27, 2020)

Tempted to get Nucleus crossgrade form Jaeger, but just for clarification; none of the strings or brass in Nucleus aren't something I already have in Jaeger, correct?


----------



## Mike Fox (Nov 27, 2020)

ansthenia said:


> Tempted to get Nucleus crossgrade form Jaeger, but just for clarification; none of the strings or brass in Nucleus aren't something I already have in Jaeger, correct?


They're the same set of samples.


----------



## darthdeus (Nov 27, 2020)

ansthenia said:


> Tempted to get Nucleus crossgrade form Jaeger, but just for clarification; none of the strings or brass in Nucleus aren't something I already have in Jaeger, correct?



There's an overlap, but you don't get exactly the same articulations. Like mentioned above, if you look at Celli in Jaeger there's no Pizzicato, but in Nucleus there's no Staccato, Portato, etc. See the screenshot, both are the a "6 Celli" patch.










edit: Nucleus gives you a Choir, Woodwinds and some Solo instruments which aren't in Jaeger though. Jaeger gives you the solo Voice (Merethe), Sound design, more articulations and more percussion.


----------



## ansthenia (Nov 27, 2020)

Ahh I see, thanks guys


----------



## Yogevs (Nov 27, 2020)

Nucleus!


----------



## Trash Panda (Nov 27, 2020)

darthdeus said:


> There's an overlap, but you don't get exactly the same articulations. Like mentioned above, if you look at Celli in Jaeger there's no Pizzicato, but in Nucleus there's no Staccato, Portato, etc. See the screenshot, both are the a "6 Celli" patch.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Nucleus also gives you tonal percussion (timpani, marimba, xylophone, glockenspiel).


----------



## Chornobyl (Apr 19, 2021)

Are there any other libraries that have similar instruments to “braams” in ‘sound design’ category in Jageer ?


----------



## Efimus (Apr 19, 2021)

Keepforest have a lot of Braams and other sound design elements.


----------



## jesussaddle (Jul 17, 2022)

Digivolt said:


> I'm in a different spot, I have Nucleus already and I'm wondering if it's worth up/cross grading to Jaegar, the vocals are the main selling point for me but... I can buy that Hangar separately for $99 instead of $299 for Jaegar so the question for me is, is the difference between the libs sans Vocal section worth the additional $200 ?


Same here, but opposite - I have Jaeger and am thinking of buying Nucleus because I kind of like its color as well. I wonder if I should just choose Nucleus Lite - it has the choirs apparently and their website doesn't specify that the choirs in the Lite version are different. I need to do some more reading to understand how Lite is different.


----------



## Yogevs (Jul 17, 2022)

A couple of things that Nucleus have and Jaeger is missing - the solo instruments are great and the chorus are great.


----------



## jesussaddle (Jul 17, 2022)

Yogevs said:


> A couple of things that Nucleus have and Jaeger is missing - the solo instruments are great and the chorus are great.


I found a comparison between Nucleus and Nucleus light - unfortunately Nucleus Lite doesn't have the softer choir. 



it takes time to find these comparisons - I almost got disappointed.


----------



## Yogevs (Jul 18, 2022)

jesussaddle said:


> I found a comparison between Nucleus and Nucleus light - unfortunately Nucleus Lite doesn't have the softer choir.
> 
> 
> 
> it takes time to find these comparisons - I almost got disappointed.



I don't have Nucleus Lite so I wouldn't know


----------



## RudyS (Jul 18, 2022)

jesussaddle said:


> I found a comparison between Nucleus and Nucleus light - unfortunately Nucleus Lite doesn't have the softer choir.
> 
> 
> 
> it takes time to find these comparisons - I almost got disappointed.



I have nucleus lite. Choir is good, but very limited. It is only 1 "ensemble patch", with both men and women doing sustained " ahh's" (no legato) or doing staccatisimo phrases. That's it. 

If you have more specific questions, please let me know.


----------



## Satorious (Jul 18, 2022)

Yogevs said:


> A couple of things that Nucleus have and Jaeger is missing - the solo instruments are great and the chorus are great.


If you need these things - I would recommend checking out Audio Imperia's 'Solo' library - this is what I did as a Jaegar owner. One of the advantage is you'll get the Close/Mid/Far mic mixes which you don't with Nucleus - these together blend very nicely. The other plus in the Jaegar column over Nucleus for me are the Merethe Soltvedt vocals, arguably the loveliest vocals I have - although you can buy this separately.


----------



## Yogevs (Jul 19, 2022)

Satorious said:


> If you need these things - I would recommend checking out Audio Imperia's 'Solo' library - this is what I did as a Jaegar owner. One of the advantage is you'll get the Close/Mid/Far mic mixes which you don't with Nucleus - these together blend very nicely. The other plus in the Jaegar column over Nucleus for me are the Merethe Soltvedt vocals, arguably the loveliest vocals I have - although you can buy this separately.


Oh I have that as well!
Nucleus + SOLO has amazing solo selection - I sometimes prefer the Nucleus ones and sometimes SOLO.
I also bought the Hangar 4 from Jaeger


----------



## Yogevs (Jul 19, 2022)

Yogevs said:


> Oh I have that as well!
> Nucleus + SOLO has amazing solo selection - I sometimes prefer the Nucleus ones and sometimes SOLO.
> I also bought the Hangar 4 from Jaeger


The Boy Choir was another treat I got


----------

