# Eastwest 50% off sale! ends tonight!



## Peter Alexander (Nov 21, 2012)

Click the link and save big! Sale includes HD versions of Hollywood Strings and Brass (but not HOW).

Please copy link into new browser if it doesn't click through:

http://www.alexanderpublishing.com/Departments/Sample-Libraries-and-Software/Sample-Libraries-%28Virtual-Instruments%29/EastWest.aspx (http://www.alexanderpublishing.com/Depa ... tWest.aspx)


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## HDJK (Nov 22, 2012)

*Re: New! EastWest 50% Off Sale!*

I saw that, great sale! If only I didn't just get Spaces not even 2 weeks ago :cry:


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## utopia (Nov 22, 2012)

*Re: New! EastWest 50% Off Sale!*

Any word on upgrade discounts? I'm waiting to upgrade HB and HS from gold to diamond.


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## Mihkel Zilmer (Nov 22, 2012)

*Re: New! EastWest 50% Off Sale!*



utopia @ Thu Nov 22 said:


> Any word on upgrade discounts? I'm waiting to upgrade HB and HS from gold to diamond.


 
+1


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## tabulius (Nov 22, 2012)

*Re: New! EastWest 50% Off Sale!*



utopia @ Thu Nov 22 said:


> Any word on upgrade discounts? I'm waiting to upgrade HB and HS from gold to diamond.



+1 This.


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## Dan Stearn (Nov 22, 2012)

Wow, extremely tempted by Hollywood Strings now! I have been weighing up getting this or LASS, was slightly leaning towards the latter, but unless AudioBro have some good Black Friday sales, this could sway me!

Slightly off topic (maybe I'll make a new thread), but just out of interest, has there been any improvements with the Play engine since HS was first released? In terms of sound quality, HS is my favourite library from what I've heard, but the Play engine was definitely the main thing that put me off in the past. I realise it's been on the market quite a while now though, so maybe there have been some updates and fixes?

(Hope you don't mind the slight derail, Peter, but I think this will have a big impact on my decision!)


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## yellowstudio (Nov 22, 2012)

*Re: New! EastWest 50% Off Sale!*

Unfortunately no upgrade discounts from the looks of it. I'm a bit bummed because I got SO as part of the CCC with a view to buying the mic bundles later on. Then they pulled them (they used to be discounted, too in their promos, but after I had pulled the trigger on the CCC, there were none). Now I had hopes for a discounted platinum upgrade, but again, no such luck. :(

Hollywood Strings and Brass look extremely tempting at 50% off, unfortunately (or fortunately, in respect to curing GAS) due to renovating a new flat, buying a kitchen and the likes, I'm not as stacked with cash as I was last year around this time...Also, being a mere hobbyist, I haven't even found much time to thoroughly play with all the toys I got in last year's Black Friday sales, so I'm a bit wary of buying more stuff this year, but a deal's a deal's a deal, y'know... 

so long
Andreas


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## Katzenjammer (Nov 22, 2012)

*Re: New! EastWest 50% Off Sale!*

I'm hoping they're going to do the same discount on CCC as they did last year.


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## Hicks (Nov 22, 2012)

*Re: New! EastWest 50% Off Sale!*

Yes, it is quite tempting.

But what about Play and Mac? I would like to buy HS and HB. I remember reading that gold versions were more stable than diamond on Mac.


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## fido94 (Nov 22, 2012)

Spaces is an easy decision.

I'm debating getting Silk.It has a couple of good sounding instruments. Any advice or alternatives to Asian and Middle Eastern instruments?


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## jamwerks (Nov 22, 2012)

Awesome prices for awesome libraries !


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## Peter Alexander (Nov 22, 2012)

*Re: New! EastWest 50% Off Sale!*

Thanks, guys, for your positive response. It's Thanksgiving today, so tomorrow I'll check about upgrades. As I understand it, CCC is gone for now, but may be available only at EW. The latest Play update is running fine on my system, a Mac Pro.


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## Peter Alexander (Nov 22, 2012)

fido94 @ Thu Nov 22 said:


> Spaces is an easy decision.
> 
> I'm debating getting Silk.It has a couple of good sounding instruments. Any advice or alternatives to Asian and Middle Eastern instruments?



Check Sonokinetic on our site. Different from Silk.


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## Peter Alexander (Nov 22, 2012)

Dan Stearn @ Thu Nov 22 said:


> Wow, extremely tempted by Hollywood Strings now! I have been weighing up getting this or LASS, was slightly leaning towards the latter, but unless AudioBro have some good Black Friday sales, this could sway me!
> 
> Slightly off topic (maybe I'll make a new thread), but just out of interest, has there been any improvements with the Play engine since HS was first released? In terms of sound quality, HS is my favourite library from what I've heard, but the Play engine was definitely the main thing that put me off in the past. I realise it's been on the market quite a while now though, so maybe there have been some updates and fixes?
> 
> (Hope you don't mind the slight derail, Peter, but I think this will have a big impact on my decision!)



Both libraries are both excellent yet radically different in sound and approach. It really depends on what you want to write. I got Gold because it fit my work flow better. I'm not aware of any stability issues of Diamond vs Gold.


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## yellowstudio (Nov 22, 2012)

*Re: New! EastWest 50% Off Sale!*



Peter Alexander @ Thu 22 Nov said:


> It's Thanksgiving today, so tomorrow I'll check about upgrades.



That's great Peter. EW have the SD2 Pro upgrade listed specifically on their promotion page, so I think they deliberately excluded SO upgrades (and I'd possibly get Pianos and the SC VOTA expansion too, at a 50% discount). As I said before, I'd love to get the SO Platinum Plus upgrade at 190,- USD and would buy that in the blink of an eye from your store, if you could talk EW into doing it.

Don't want to take away from your business but:



Fido said:


> Any advice or alternatives to Asian and Middle Eastern instruments?



You might want to check out http://www.chineekong.com/

so long
Andreas


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## matolen (Nov 22, 2012)

*Re: New! EastWest 50% Off Sale!*

Terrific time to get the QL solo violin! 49.50! o-[][]-o


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## Peter Alexander (Nov 22, 2012)

*Re: New! EastWest 50% Off Sale!*



matolen @ Thu Nov 22 said:


> Terrific time to get the QL solo violin! 49.50! o-[][]-o



Go for it! Web site open 24/7.


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## jleckie (Nov 22, 2012)

Why on the East West site is the download version of SD2 pro upgrade download $149.00 but the DVD version is $79?


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## polirak (Nov 23, 2012)

I'm thinking about buying SO Platinum Plus or Hollywood strings .

I have now only 2 libraries , albion 1+2 .

Not sure if it's better getting SO with all the sections , or start to getting each section separately and purchase now HS ?


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## pierre434 (Nov 23, 2012)

*Re: New! EastWest 50% Off Sale!*

Hi everybody,

Concerning QL solo Violin, could you tell me if we can have keyswitches with fast legato/spiccato/chromatic runs (pre made phrases) synchronized in personal project tempo ?

I have watched the video demo of VSL solo strings and the keyswitches performances are astonishing !
http://www.vsl.co.at/videoplayer_flv.asp?ID=149

I'm wondering if we can have similar results with QL Solo Violin ?

Thanks for informing me.


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## Peter Alexander (Nov 23, 2012)

jleckie @ Fri Nov 23 said:


> Why on the East West site is the download version of SD2 pro upgrade download $149.00 but the DVD version is $79?



Jay - that question needs to be directed at EW since dealers aren't allowed to sell upgrades. Thanks for asking.


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## Peter Alexander (Nov 23, 2012)

*Re: New! EastWest 50% Off Sale!*



pierre434 @ Fri Nov 23 said:


> Hi everybody,
> 
> Concerning QL solo Violin, could you tell me if we can have keyswitches with fast legato/spiccato/chromatic runs (pre made phrases) synchronized in personal project tempo ?
> 
> ...



Because of the price, only EW can sell the solo violin, so I need to refer you to them with that question.


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## Peter Alexander (Nov 23, 2012)

polirak @ Fri Nov 23 said:


> I'm thinking about buying SO Platinum Plus or Hollywood strings .
> 
> I have now only 2 libraries , albion 1+2 .
> 
> Not sure if it's better getting SO with all the sections , or start to getting each section separately and purchase now HS ?



Based on our experience with the online Writing For Strings course (with a mentor) we found consistently that QLSO was the way to go because you could focus on composition without being concerned about spatial placement. All sections is a complete integrated sound.

Depending on your budget, get from us QLSO Gold and HS Gold. 

iLok key required.


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## Peter Alexander (Nov 23, 2012)

*Re: New! EastWest 50% Off Sale!*



Peter Alexander @ Thu Nov 22 said:


> Thanks, guys, for your positive response. It's Thanksgiving today, so tomorrow I'll check about upgrades. As I understand it, CCC is gone for now, but may be available only at EW. The latest Play update is running fine on my system, a Mac Pro.



Upgrades are only available from EW. So you'll need to ask them.


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## polirak (Nov 23, 2012)

*Re: New! EastWest 50% Off Sale!*

I have about 600$ but prefer to get 24bit libraries and not 16 bit =] 

Just have to choose between SO or HS


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## Peter Alexander (Nov 23, 2012)

*Re: New! EastWest 50% Off Sale!*



polirak @ Fri Nov 23 said:


> I have about 600$ but prefer to get 24bit libraries and not 16 bit =]
> 
> Just have to choose between SO or HS



Negligible difference. And you have an upgrade to Diamond.


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## Peter Alexander (Jan 19, 2013)

*Re: New! EastWest 50% Off Sale! Extended Through Jan 31*

Take advantage while you still can!


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## Steve Steele (Jan 22, 2013)

*Re: New! EastWest 50% Off Sale! Extended Through Jan 31*

Running the Play engine on a Mac. _Are you guys sure?_

I have a MacPro 3,1 with 26GBs of RAM and two SSDs (one for OS/Apps, and one for samples/audio).

I'm tempted to buy HS, HB, Pianos Virtual Instrument and Solo Violin. But if the Play engine choakes on my Mac I'll be pissed at the money I wasted. Especilly becuase I want to finish buying my LASS lib now too and I can't afford a second computer right now. I run Digital Performer in 64-bit mode, so my system is fast for a 2008 MacPro.

Is that enough?

Thanks for any comments.


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## Peter Alexander (Jan 22, 2013)

*Re: New! EastWest 50% Off Sale! Extended Through Jan 31*



nightwatch @ Tue Jan 22 said:


> Running the Play engine on a Mac. _Are you guys sure?_
> 
> I have a MacPro 3,1 with 26GBs of RAM and two SSDs (one for OS/Apps, and one for samples/audio).
> 
> ...



This has been discussed a lot on this forum. Not to be rude, but I suggest you do a search here and on Soundsonline forums. I have HS, HB, QL Pianos and the solo violin running on my Mac which is a 2.66 12 Core system running 26GB RAM. I run it in VE Pro. At 3.1GHz you're faster than my system.

There are plenty of folks running these libraries with PLAY with your system specs.

Since you wrote 3,1 I take it you're in Europe. And if that's correct you might want to check with the European EW office.


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## Steve Steele (Jan 23, 2013)

*Re: New! EastWest 50% Off Sale! Extended Through Jan 31*

Yeah it has been discussed a lot here on this forum and there still seems to be a lot of difference of opinion. Try to understand how many people who I've talked to, even recently who have similar setups that say "don't do it!" I _have_ done a lot of research on this product, been to other forums, and even bought some of EW's smaller Play engine libs to get a feel for it, but unfortunately I do not know anyone where I'm located that I can go see the Play engine run on a Mac with my own eyes.

Peter, I was just telling you guys what system I have and asking for a little last minute reassurance. The 3,1 is not a European Mac. It's simply what's known as the "early 2008" MacPro.


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## Peter Alexander (Jan 23, 2013)

*Re: New! EastWest 50% Off Sale! Extended Through Jan 31*



nightwatch @ Wed Jan 23 said:


> Yeah it has been discussed a lot here on this forum and there still seems to be a lot of difference of opinion. Try to understand how many people who I've talked to, even recently who have similar setups that say "don't do it!" I _have_ done a lot of research on this product, been to other forums, and even bought some of EW's smaller Play engine libs to get a feel for it, but unfortunately I do not know anyone where I'm located that I can go see the Play engine run on a Mac with my own eyes.
> 
> Peter, I was just telling you guys what system I have and asking for a little last minute reassurance. The 3,1 is not a European Mac. It's simply what's known as the "early 2008" MacPro.



I'm sorry, but you've written above that you hvae smaller PLAY engine libs. So if you've updated to the current version of PLAY and it's running on your system then your PLAY question is answered.

HS and QL Pianos are big files. That's documented. It's also documented to use VE Pro which is read by all the cores so the "weight" is evenly distributed outside the sequencing program regardless of the one you're using. 

Some because of Mac design are not getting what they hoped for with SSD drives, while others seem to be OK. That's a Mac motherboard/SSD selection issue. 

I'm on the written record for advising to use HS and HB Gold for now, and when you can afford a new PC, move the license to the new system and upgrade to Diamond at that time. 

Re: choking. I don't know DP anymore and I don't kow the version you're using. You also didn't report your OS X version. DP has only recently gone 64bit native. More reasons to use VE Pro. Then, there's how you mix. If you put reverb on every single track and lots of effects, too instead of making judicious use of sends, then yes, it _might_ choke.

But that's a personal usage issue, not a PLAY issue. 

The bottom line is this: if you have PLAY with other iibraries running, then your primary question is answered. Then it's running on the Mac. After that, it's the other points I brought up. 

HTH


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## Steve Steele (Jan 23, 2013)

*Re: New! EastWest 50% Off Sale! Extended Through Jan 31*



> I'm on the written record for advising to use HS and HB Gold for now, and when you can afford a new PC, move the license to the new system and upgrade to Diamond at that time.



Ok. I did not see that. That's a good answer then. Thank you.



> Re: choking. I don't know DP anymore and I don't kow the version you're using. You also didn't report your OS X version. DP has only recently gone 64bit native. More reasons to use VE Pro. Then, there's how you mix. If you put reverb on every single track and lots of effects, too instead of making judicious use of sends, then yes, it _might_ choke.
> 
> HTH



I'm using DP8 in 64-bit mode and my SSDs are the Samsung 830s, which are running great for my motherboard bus speed. I can get DP to use upwards of 10GBs or more real memory with no problems. DP seems to be using the CPUs rather efficiently. I'm quite good with the computer part of the equation (I used to work for Apple awhile back).

I don't yet own VE Pro, but it's on my short list.

Thanks for your time!


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## Peter Alexander (Jan 23, 2013)

*Re: New! EastWest 50% Off Sale! Extended Through Jan 31*



nightwatch @ Wed Jan 23 said:


> > I'm on the written record for advising to use HS and HB Gold for now, and when you can afford a new PC, move the license to the new system and upgrade to Diamond at that time.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



You're welcome! But now we have something actionable to work with. You have 26GB RAM and DP is reading about 10GB. So 16GB is going unused.

If we allow 1GB for the OS, then you have 9GB effectively to work with. 

Patches in HS run 1GB and more. So is your system going to choke? Depends on how many HS programs you load and how DP responds. So the issue isn't PLAY at all.

The issue is you need VE Pro to take full advantage of the RAM you have and then use DP for recording and effects, or, if you have a number of 3rd party plugs, apply them in VE Pro and route them into DP.

Since you're in the US, you can order from us here:
http://alexanderpublishing.com/Departments/Sample-Libraries-and-Software/Sample-Libraries-%28Virtual-Instruments%29/EastWest.aspx (http://alexanderpublishing.com/Departme ... tWest.aspx)


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## Steve Steele (Jan 30, 2013)

*Re: New! EastWest 50% Off Sale! Extended Through Jan 31*



Peter Alexander @ Wed Jan 23 said:


> nightwatch @ Wed Jan 23 said:
> 
> 
> > > I'm on the written record for advising to use HS and HB Gold for now, and when you can afford a new PC, move the license to the new system and upgrade to Diamond at that time.
> ...



Thanks Peter. To add.. just from people's responses here, it's seems just not a question of memory or DAW that some people seem to be complaining about, but that PLAY was not coded very well for OS X. However, it could be that these people just don't have their Mac system optimized very well for Play. Whatever language Play was written in (C++ which is probable, or Objective C), and then whatever compiler was used (I have no idea), if the Play for Mac issue is real, then perhaps this is the reason. 

I'm not a programmer (although I took some programing courses in college), so I don't know. But if there is a disparity between the Mac and Windows versions, then maybe it's either an inefficiency in OS X's CoreAudio (which I know something about), or a difference in the quality of the coding between the two platforms. This is all conjecture on my part.

No need to reply on this. Just giving you my thoughts on this "Play doesn't run well on the Mac" debate.



> The issue is you need VE Pro to take full advantage of the RAM you have and then use DP for recording and effects, or, if you have a number of 3rd party plugs, apply them in VE Pro and route them into DP.



I've decided to purchase VE Pro (and MIR too I think) very soon. It's almost next on my list. I'm also looking at a second computer, which I don't mind a bit.

Again, I thank you for you courtesy and valuable time in helping me sort this out. I'm going to attempt to purchase HS and QL Pianos either tonight or tomorrow if possible.


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## Peter Alexander (Jan 31, 2013)

*Re: New! EastWest 50% Off Sale! ENDS TONIGHT!*

Thanks, you're welcome.


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