# Spitfire Audio - Albion Solstice



## AdamKmusic (Jun 14, 2021)

Been a couple of tweets / Instagram posts about this now, can only assume it’s a new library & from the sounds of it possibly a string one, maybe a new evo library


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## Niah2 (Jun 14, 2021)

Eerrr....

I give up.


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## zolhof (Jun 14, 2021)

Guy with pants down: 
Me: sure why not


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## Bear Market (Jun 14, 2021)

Well, the summer solstice occurs on June 21 so there's that.


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## wilifordmusic (Jun 14, 2021)

Maybe the new National Lampoon Animal House Toolkit?


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## muziksculp (Jun 14, 2021)

Was that teaser supposed to excite me ?  

Well sorry, it didn't. Try again.


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## dandandaaan (Jun 14, 2021)

My prediction is either some kind of Evo library or a new Albion; either way I'm guessing from the teasers that it's going to be geared towards contemporary horror scores/eerie sound design.


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## Zedcars (Jun 14, 2021)

Bear Market said:


> Well, the summer solstice occurs on June 21 so there's that.


Yeah but…Spitfire are British and we put the day before the month (as is logical ) so that should be 216 if it is indeed a date.


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## Zedcars (Jun 14, 2021)

The webpage confused me. It said “click to play” but I’m on a mobile phone so had nothing to click with. Then I tapped the “click to play” about 6 times before I realised I had to tap the pictures.


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## Toecutter (Jun 14, 2021)

Bear Market said:


> Well, the summer solstice occurs on June 21 so there's that.


6/21 release next week? I don't even care about the weird cryptic teasers anymore, at least SF release their stuff. Tired of the vaporware announcements.


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## DivingInSpace (Jun 14, 2021)

I predict another library i won't buy.


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## redlester (Jun 14, 2021)

Post in thread 'Spitfire Audio Library future purchases, suggestions please'
https://vi-control.net/community/th...chases-suggestions-please.109193/post-4849750


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## PerryD (Jun 14, 2021)

Spice is Nice posted 2nd with 6 to 1 odds ("621") I am betting on a Spice Girls Composer Toolkit.


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## redlester (Jun 14, 2021)

Zedcars said:


> Yeah but…Spitfire are British and we put the day before the month (as is logical ) so that should be 216 if it is indeed a date.


More to the point the 21st is a Monday. I think Spitfire have released everything of note on a Thursday for as long as I can remember?


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## Batrawi (Jun 14, 2021)

AdamKmusic said:


>




That typically looks like someone going mad from the countless libraries SF releases


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## Robert_G (Jun 14, 2021)

The video is stupid beyond explanation.


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## Ruffian Price (Jun 14, 2021)

DivingInSpace said:


> I predict another library i won't buy.


The second video is hilarious, it just sounds like a demo for Spitfire's existing catalogue.


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## D Halgren (Jun 14, 2021)

redlester said:


> More to the point the 21st is a Monday. I think Spitfire have released everything of note on a Thursday for as long as I can remember?


They will announce that you can buy it on Thursday 😉


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## si0099 (Jun 14, 2021)

I'm going to guess at ... Albion VI - Eon ....


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## LamaRose (Jun 14, 2021)

Sounds like they're 45 digits short... also sounds LCOish.


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## Soundbed (Jun 14, 2021)

If there’s strings, there’s also potentially not strings too:


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## Soundbed (Jun 14, 2021)

I’m guessing Forgotten Aboriginal Toolkit.

or

FAT


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## Double Helix (Jun 14, 2021)

(yawn)
I generally like Spitfire Audio, but what am I supposed to do with this?
Sorry, I am not in suspense


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## Double Helix (Jun 14, 2021)

Soundbed said:


> I’m guessing Forgotten Aboriginal Toolkit.
> or
> FAT


You might be close, @Soundbed.

"I'm very excited today to be introducing . . . well, it is difficult to describe. . . it's actually. . . uh, okay, I confess--I'm really not that excited."


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## Technostica (Jun 14, 2021)

621 is close to the Squadron numbers of RAF units that flew Spitfires amongst other planes. 
So maybe Christian has been sampling old war planes? 









No. 613 Squadron RAF - Wikipedia







en.wikipedia.org


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## Ian Dorsch (Jun 14, 2021)

I could've sworn I heard some EVO Grid 3 in one the teasers.


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## Mornats (Jun 14, 2021)

Christian Henson has been posting classic British horror movie posts so I'm going with British Horror Toolkit. The teasers sound in that domain to me at least.


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## Zedcars (Jun 14, 2021)

Mornats said:


> Christian Henson has been posting classic British horror movie posts so I'm going with British Horror Toolkit. The teasers sound in that domain to me at least.


You could have something there…

Spitfire Horror Inspirational Toolkit?

Oh wait…


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## Ian Dorsch (Jun 14, 2021)

The most annoying thing is that I'd probably buy it


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## Getsumen (Jun 14, 2021)

Wait do you guys think the 621 is an important number?

Is it not just 6/21 for the release date?


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## ALittleNightMusic (Jun 14, 2021)

Getsumen said:


> Wait do you guys think the 621 is an important number?
> 
> Is it not just 6/21 for the release date?


Spitfire is pretty good about not announcing new stuff too far in advance (see Sonokinetic), so it is reasonable to assume it’ll be out next Monday plus / minus a couple of days.


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## Mannix (Jun 14, 2021)

U all a bunch of fuddy-duddy, this sounds very cool to my little ears

I say its ambient voices and string textures blended with some aleatorics into a brew with a dash of AI


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## StillLife (Jun 14, 2021)

Spitfire Postmodern? Samples of Spitfire libraries played via a plethora of midi-controllers.


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## Mike Fox (Jun 14, 2021)

WTF?


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## Rex282 (Jun 14, 2021)

Mornats said:


> Christian Henson has been posting classic British horror movie posts so I'm going with British Horror Toolkit. The teasers sound in that domain to me at least.


I thought British Horror Toolkit was their marketing strategy.....


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## PerryD (Jun 14, 2021)

I want a 25 or 6 to 4 Chicago toolkit!


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## Trash Panda (Jun 14, 2021)

Getsumen said:


> Wait do you guys think the 621 is an important number?
> 
> Is it not just 6/21 for the release date?


It’s 45 short of relevance.


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## Rex282 (Jun 14, 2021)

Trash Panda said:


> It’s 45 short of relevance.


Relevance 13:18


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## pinki (Jun 14, 2021)

They have the most extraordinary ability to generate pages and pages of noise on VI-C for every product they release. They are the masters of hype. 


(Who are the puppets?)


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## Double Helix (Jun 14, 2021)

621 is divisible by 23 (a prime number) = 27, which is highly significant in the history of Spitfire Audio Holdings Limited.
(hint-- look up the year of its founding)


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## Robert_G (Jun 14, 2021)

pinki said:


> They have the most extraordinary ability to generate pages and pages of noise on VI-C for every product they release. They are the masters of hype.
> 
> 
> (Who are the puppets?)


That they are. Thankfully I'm not a Spitfire puppet.

If you look back at all the TV commercials ever made....and we might remember some of the stupidest ones....those that make literally no sense....sound and look like white noise....like a clanging gong.....resembling something the worst abstract artist ever designed.....almost as if they know their brand of pointless hype is trying to bait their audience.....THAT video is it.

Congratulations Spitfire Audio for descending to the bottom dwellers of commercials.


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## tcb (Jun 14, 2021)

June 21?


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## Trash Panda (Jun 14, 2021)

Robert_G said:


> That they are. Thankfully I'm not a Spitfire puppet.
> 
> If you look back at all the TV commercials ever made....and we might remember some of the stupidest ones....those that make literally no sense....sound and look like white noise....like a clanging gong.....resembling something the worst abstract artist ever designed.....almost as if they know their brand of pointless hype is trying to bait their audience.....THAT video is it.
> 
> Congratulations Spitfire Audio for descending to the bottom dwellers of commercials.


Somewhere in Spitfire HQ, a recent film score graduate is angrily adjusting his beret and complaining about how some people “just don’t get” his ART.


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## biomuse (Jun 14, 2021)

I understood it as a public service message reminding me that I can apply pitchbend to the orchestral patches I already have. Yippee!


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## Michel Simons (Jun 14, 2021)

Soundbed said:


> I’m guessing Forgotten Aboriginal Toolkit.
> 
> or
> 
> FAT


Or Forgotten Aboriginal Roots Toolkit.


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## Toecutter (Jun 14, 2021)

Robert_G said:


> That they are. Thankfully I'm not a Spitfire puppet.


They got two comments from you. I know, it's hard to ignore, no shame XD

SF will keep pushing the enigmatic artsy-fartsy teasers as long as ppl comment. Every comment is a bump and more visibility to their product. It works, all that matters is the engagement, it's like SF is targeting tiktokers lol They will only stop if we stop but I don't think that will ever happen.


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## Robert_G (Jun 14, 2021)

Toecutter said:


> They got two comments from you. I know, it's hard to ignore, no shame XD
> 
> SF will keep pushing the enigmatic artsy-fartsy teasers as long as ppl comment. Every comment is a bump and more visibility to their product. It works, all that matters is the engagement, it's like SF is targeting tiktokers lol They will only stop if we stop but I don't think that will ever happen.


Cant really argue with you on that.....make it 3


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## robgb (Jun 14, 2021)

Yawn.


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## muziksculp (Jun 14, 2021)

I thought Spitfire Audio has been quiet for a while, and will surprise us with either a new useful AROOF expansion/s , or something more exciting related to AR-1 Modular Orch. I guess I was being too optimistic.


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## LamaRose (Jun 14, 2021)

robgb said:


> Yawn.


You just described the modern edifice of mankind... yawn being a synonym of hubris.


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## harmaes (Jun 14, 2021)

Solstice related maybe?


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## Zedcars (Jun 15, 2021)

The psychology behind SA’s marketing, which they seem to have used successfully time and time again, is if you tickle prospective buyers’ brains with obscure, slightly Hitchcockian videos, imagery and off-kilter sounds dressed up as a clever riddle to solve then they will bite. And once they have bitten they will already be half the way there to buying the product whether they need it or not.


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## SZK-Max (Jun 15, 2021)

I don't mind if spitfire agitate me more. I enjoy this time.


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## Batrawi (Jun 15, 2021)

Getsumen said:


> Wait do you guys think the 621 is an important number?
> 
> Is it not just 6/21 for the release date?


that' obviously a typo, it should've be 321... jesus they don't even know how to count down..


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## AdamKmusic (Jun 15, 2021)

If you check Christians Instagram he’s been posting about some old British horror films. Wonder if this will be a British horror toolkit or something


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## Alex Fraser (Jun 15, 2021)

I’ve no idea what this is, but it feels like the original Albion vibe and imagery.

Aside, I very much doubt Spitfire cares what VIC thinks of it’s marketing efforts. They’re waaay beyond needing likes and post counts from us lot.


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## CliveC (Jun 15, 2021)

Sounds to me like an OT Babel style vocal textures library


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## Greeno (Jun 15, 2021)

looks to me to be something aimed at a folky, earthy, esoteric angle perhaps a new Albion based on that ? or maybe a new £29 instrument in that vein


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## Daniel James (Jun 15, 2021)

You know your marketing is getting wanky when the mod team has to step in and tell your fonts to chill the fuck out. 😂

-DJ


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## borisb2 (Jun 15, 2021)

Happily didnt watch any teaser video 👍 .. why am I even typing this?


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## Michael Stibor (Jun 15, 2021)

I used to find Spitfire’s teaser trailer style hype marketing annoying. Now I realize they’re just doing their job.

What _actually_ annoys me is that threads are started over these videos for literally no reason at all, except that it has Spitfire in the title.

I think most people have become desensitized to Spitfire’s “game changer” approach and realize that whatever this is, it’s probably just another run of the mill ho hum Spitfire product that will be forgotten about in a week.


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## VSriHarsha (Jun 15, 2021)

I


LamaRose said:


> You just described the modern edifice of mankind... yawn being a synonym of hubris.


Is this going to be a Greek Choir Library?


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## Mr Sakitumi (Jun 15, 2021)

AdamKmusic said:


> If you check Christians Instagram he’s been posting about some old British horror films. Wonder if this will be a British horror toolkit or something


A movie scene where cold tea has been served 🙀...we need a soundtrack!...get me a composer who has the SA British Horror Toolkit!...but we have to wait until the 6/21...perfect! the tea will be even colder by then!


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## Michael Antrum (Jun 15, 2021)

Sounded like the World Cup Vuvuzela Composer Toolkit......


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## Mornats (Jun 15, 2021)

AdamKmusic said:


> If you check Christians Instagram he’s been posting about some old British horror films. Wonder if this will be a British horror toolkit or something


That's what I said  Glad you thought the same and it wasn't just me pulling wild ideas out of my whatsit!


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## robgb (Jun 15, 2021)

LamaRose said:


> You just described the modern edifice of mankind... yawn being a synonym of hubris.


Actually, it's just my way of saying that Spitfire's teases are getting tired and predictable and are, therefore, boring.


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## Reid Rosefelt (Jun 15, 2021)

I'm very excited to say that this is a game-changing insta-buy no-brainer!!


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## Alchemedia (Jun 15, 2021)

"No one knows who they were or what they were doing. But their legacy remains."


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## Frederick (Jun 15, 2021)

I think their pre-release marketing is usually doing a good job telling me if it will be something I'm interested in, regardless of the fact that I still don't know what it actually will be at this point. In this case the product is very likely not for me.


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## el-bo (Jun 16, 2021)

Mr Sakitumi said:


> A movie scene where cold tea has been served 🙀...we need a soundtrack!...get me a composer who has the SA British Horror Toolkit!...but we have to wait until the 6/21...perfect! the tea will be even colder by then!


A British Horror Toolkit?

Maybe they deep-sampled this guy, recorded in the lush ambience of The House Of Commons. Features a somewhat slovenly legato, and very little in the way of velocity:


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## Alex Fraser (Jun 16, 2021)

el-bo said:


> A British Horror Toolkit?
> 
> Maybe they deep-sampled this guy, recorded in the lush ambience of The House Of Commons. Features a somewhat slovenly legato, and very little in the way of velocity:


Fine, except the release date will be put back repeatedly.


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## Technostica (Jun 16, 2021)

el-bo said:


> A British Horror Toolkit?
> 
> Maybe they deep-sampled this guy, recorded in the lush ambience of The House Of Commons. Features a somewhat slovenly legato, and very little in the way of velocity:


Intro price is £299/$299/€6,666.


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## Ned Bouhalassa (Jun 16, 2021)

So, again the game changes. Does anyone remember the original game, before it was changed? Was it pencil and an upright? And how many times has it changed now? is it time for the next SF release to be an NFT?


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## davidson (Jun 16, 2021)

Ned Bouhalassa said:


> is it time for the next SF release to be an NFT?


Don't give them ideas ffs...


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## Daniel James (Jun 16, 2021)

Ned Bouhalassa said:


> So, again the game changes. Does anyone remember the original game, before it was changed? Was it pencil and an upright? And how many times has it changed now? is it time for the next SF release to be an NFT?


And when the game changes do we return to Chapter 1? or do we need to wait for 'the next chapter'?

Speaking of which what chapter are we on now? 😂

-DJ


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## chrisr (Jun 16, 2021)

Christian's custom samples for Inside Number 9 (6+2+1)?


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## AdamKmusic (Jun 16, 2021)

Looks like it’ll be a kontakt library, the top one doesn’t look familiar to me


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## davidson (Jun 16, 2021)

Why does it say albion in that screenshot, does that confirm albion 6?!


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## ALittleNightMusic (Jun 16, 2021)

Christian talks a bit about it at the beginning of this video - confirms the launch date as well:


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## Jacob Fanto (Jun 16, 2021)

New teaser on their Instagram page as well!


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## Toecutter (Jun 16, 2021)

June 21, 5pm BST on the SF youtube channel. Kontakt lib


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## EwigWanderer (Jun 16, 2021)

It will definitely be a polka library. Spitfire Polka core with gallery mics and pro with gallery and next door bathroom mics.


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## Toecutter (Jun 16, 2021)

EwigWanderer said:


> It will definitely be a polka library. Spitfire Polka core with gallery mics and pro with gallery and next door bathroom mics.


@Polkasound collab? XD


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## wilifordmusic (Jun 16, 2021)

el-bo said:


> A British Horror Toolkit?
> 
> Maybe they deep-sampled this guy, recorded in the lush ambience of The House Of Commons. Features a somewhat slovenly legato, and very little in the way of velocity:


What does Chris Farley (RIP) have to do with sample libraries?


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## LamaRose (Jun 16, 2021)

wilifordmusic said:


> What does Chris Farley (RIP) have to do with sample libraries?


I had someone else in mind:


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## borisb2 (Jun 16, 2021)

Nobody says anything against Boris

Still havent watched the teaser btw 😋 … am I a bad person?


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## EwigWanderer (Jun 16, 2021)

Toecutter said:


> @Polkasound collab? XD


I'm pretty sure they will provide the close mics...


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## Alex Fraser (Jun 17, 2021)

Actually quite taken by the sound and vibe of this library. Appears to be more than "just strings."
Might be perfect for a short score I've got due next week. Think I'd be pushing my luck waiting until the 21st though..


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## Mornats (Jun 17, 2021)

It looks like it might actually be a new Albion based on some of the screenshots.


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## Lode_Runner (Jun 17, 2021)

Judging from the video of the spinning man, this is clearly going to be a subscription model.


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## davidson (Jun 17, 2021)

Alex Fraser said:


> Actually quite taken by the sound and vibe of this library. Appears to be more than "just strings."
> Might be perfect for a short score I've got due next week. Think I'd be pushing my luck waiting until the 21st though..


You'd be seriously pissed if you waited and it ended up being a deeply sampled kazoo.


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## redlester (Jun 17, 2021)

davidson said:


> You'd be seriously pissed if you waited and it ended up being a deeply sampled kazoo.


There’s absolutely nothing wrong with kazoos!


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## LamaRose (Jun 17, 2021)

borisb2 said:


> Nobody says anything against Boris
> 
> Still havent watched the teaser btw 😋 … am I a bad person?


What!? You missed the SATB orgasm? Congrats on the no-fap diet!


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## Zedcars (Jun 17, 2021)

Are we guessing names yet?

Obviously Albion [something]...

Here is a close-up on the screenshot posted earlier:






Albion Neo, Spitfire Chamber Strings and Spitfire Symphonic Strings (Professional?) are just about legible, but only after we know the names are they identifiable.

The distorted "S" in "Symphonic" is very similar in shape to the first letter after "Albion" in the new library. So my guess is the second word begins with "S".

Based on the Stonehenge/pagan imagery in the marketing, I'm guessing, firstly:

*Albion Solstice*

My 2nd guess would be:

*Albion Sarsen*.

In reference to the types of stones found at Stonehenge.

Any other ideas?


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## si0099 (Jun 17, 2021)

Well that screenshot would rule out my "Albion Eon" theory (based on a Christian H video in the last month or 2 with scribblings saying ONE, NEO, EON?).

Taking my own grabs, I'd say it's Solstice...and includes lots of modular samples from CH's modular rack (quick-ish image just after the dancing person intro)

22.29 in this video for the ONE, NEO, EON? point


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## Mornats (Jun 17, 2021)

Zedcars said:


> Are we guessing names yet?
> 
> Obviously Albion [something]...
> 
> ...



Oh c'mon, we all know there's only one answer if it begins with S. Subsc..... (I'll get my coat...)

I think Solstice is more likely due to how they're releasing it on the summer solstice instead of their usual Thursday tea and crumpets time.


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## Nate Johnson (Jun 17, 2021)

Alex Fraser said:


> I very much doubt Spitfire cares what VIC thinks of it’s marketing efforts. They’re waaay beyond needing likes and post counts from us lot.


How are we _not_ actually the epicenter of the sample library universe???


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## MaxOctane (Jun 17, 2021)

Spitfire Sulaco


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## Trash Panda (Jun 17, 2021)

MaxOctane said:


> Spitfire Sulaco


That first one looks like the demigorgon. Could we be seeing Stranger Strings?


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## TomislavEP (Jun 18, 2021)

Alien Toolkit?! I'll just _need_ to get my hands on this, being a huge fan of the first two films. )

With my astigmatism, I can't really say is it "Alien" or "Albion" in the title, but the background is definitely symptomatic...


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## doctoremmet (Jun 18, 2021)

VSriHarsha said:


> I
> 
> Is this going to be a Greek Choir Library?


No. During the last Global Sampling Vendors Illuminati Meeting they gave the “Greek” niche to Soundiron


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## doctoremmet (Jun 18, 2021)

What’s this talk of a composer’s walk in mister Henson’s video. Is this where a bunch of Spitfire converts gather at his shed and roll rocks up some Scottish hill to perform weird Brittish pagan rituals to conjure up the Gods of Flautando or something? (since I am now officially a fan of the Bernard Herrmann toolkit, I desperately want to join in on the fun of course).


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## gnapier (Jun 18, 2021)

Mornats said:


> Oh c'mon, we all know there's only one answer if it begins with S. Subsc..... (I'll get my coat...)
> 
> I think Solstice is more likely due to how they're releasing it on the summer solstice instead of their usual Thursday tea and crumpets time.


This. I think you’ve pegged it!


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## Phaedraz (Jun 18, 2021)

Definitely Albion Solstice since it is released on 21. June, which is solstice this year.


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## wilifordmusic (Jun 18, 2021)

doctoremmet said:


> What’s this talk of a composer’s walk in mister Henson’s video. Is this where a bunch of Spitfire converts gather at his shed and roll rocks up some Scottish hill to perform weird Brittish pagan rituals to conjure up the Gods of Flautando or something? (since I am now officially a fan of the Bernard Herrmann toolkit, I desparately want to join in on the fun of course).


Yes, be sure and drop your kilts off at the dry cleaners soon.


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## el-bo (Jun 18, 2021)

davidson said:


> You'd be seriously pissed if you waited and it ended up being a deeply sampled kazoo.


Really?!?

My current best virtual kazoo only has simulated-legato, 5 velocity-levels and 7RR's per note. That might be enough for a vuvuzela, but, as I'm sure most will agree, it's not nearly enough to coax an expressive performance from such a 'lyrical' and emotive instrument as the kazoo.


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## el-bo (Jun 18, 2021)

doctoremmet said:


> What’s this talk of a composer’s walk in mister Henson’s video. Is this where a bunch of Spitfire converts gather at his shed and roll rocks up some Scottish hill to perform weird Brittish pagan rituals to conjure up the Gods of Flautando or something? (since I am now officially a fan of the Bernard Herrmann toolkit, I desparately want to join in on the fun of course).


Perhaps the library is Albion: Sisyphus


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## VSriHarsha (Jun 18, 2021)

doctoremmet said:


> No. During the last Global Sampling Vendors Illuminati Meeting they gave the “Greek” niche to Soundiron


Lol!


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## Toecutter (Jun 18, 2021)

TomislavEP said:


> Alien Toolkit?! I'll just _need_ to get my hands on this, being a huge fan of the first two films. )
> 
> With my astigmatism, I can't really say is it "Alien" or "Albion" in the title, but the background is definitely symptomatic...


That background definitely looks like you might be on to something here, Christian worked on Alien Isolation and said this library is deeply personal, the amalgamation of what we've been witnessing him doing on his channel ... a CH toolkit probably? AI has a lot of synth and sound design, I wouldn't be surprised if he decided to include that stuff in the library. We could start seeing more composers sharing their project-specific sounds like TH percussion, HGW Phonenix Orchestra, JR Modus, CL Sew What...


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## Wally Garten (Jun 18, 2021)

Toecutter said:


> TH percussion


Ah, yes, Tom Hanks' legendary percussion library! "63 sounds you can make with a coconut and a volleyball."


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## Crossroads (Jun 18, 2021)

It's The Stephan Micus Toolkit:



Tell me I'm wrong!


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## AdamKmusic (Jun 18, 2021)

Toecutter said:


> That background definitely looks like you might be on to something here, Christian worked on Alien Isolation and said this library is deeply personal, the amalgamation of what we've been witnessing him doing on his channel ... a CH toolkit probably? AI has a lot of synth and sound design, I wouldn't be surprised if he decided to include that stuff in the library. We could start seeing more composers sharing their project-specific sounds like TH percussion, HGW Phonenix Orchestra, JR Modus, CL Sew What...


I was thinking that but he has said on a few occasions that he can’t release the sounds/instruments he created for that project…unless of course he’s now got permission 🤷‍♂️


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## AdamKmusic (Jun 18, 2021)

Well evo grid is back


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## Toecutter (Jun 18, 2021)

AdamKmusic said:


> I was thinking that but he has said on a few occasions that he can’t release the sounds/instruments he created for that project…unless of course he’s no got permission 🤷‍♂️


That's interesting, I didn't know that


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## Drundfunk (Jun 18, 2021)

So far nothing of what I heard in these teasers actually intrigued me. I just don't hear "it".


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## Toecutter (Jun 18, 2021)

Drundfunk said:


> So far nothing of what I heard in these teasers actually intrigued me. I just don't hear "it".


This one sounds pretty darn cool 

But something tells me that I can already do this with my other 34 expertly curated on the edge of something SF boutique libraries.


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## TomislavEP (Jun 19, 2021)

Toecutter said:


> That background definitely looks like you might be on to something here, Christian worked on Alien Isolation and said this library is deeply personal, the amalgamation of what we've been witnessing him doing on his channel ... a CH toolkit probably? AI has a lot of synth and sound design, I wouldn't be surprised if he decided to include that stuff in the library. We could start seeing more composers sharing their project-specific sounds like TH percussion, HGW Phonenix Orchestra, JR Modus, CL Sew What...


Though many things point in this direction, we might still be wrong and surprised in the end (as usual with SA). 

But when you look at the "Alien" franchise, starting with Ridley Scott's masterpiece to the various games, there is certainly enough diversity for a stylistic "toolkit", even the whole "Albion" library. From romantic-sounding orchestral score by Goldsmith, through the bombastic one by Horner, to the various sound design tricks found in newer "instalments", games, etc. - it's all in there.

P.S. One of my first impressions when I've purchased "Albion" years before was: those short woodwinds are straight from the "Alien". Just to add a bit of tape delay and echo...


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## Reid Rosefelt (Jun 19, 2021)




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## doctoremmet (Jun 19, 2021)

TomislavEP said:


> those short woodwinds are straight from the "Alien". Just to add a bit of tape delay and echo...


That sounds like fun. As someone who loves the first three Alien movies (yes - all three), I have to admit the only score I actually know is the one Christian Henson (+ his brother) did for AI. Although I believe that does quote some bits from the original score here and there.

Which of the original scores has the woodwind shorts put through a delay? I so need to hear that! “Alien”, right?


----------



## doctoremmet (Jun 19, 2021)

TigerTheFrog said:


> View attachment 52026


But shouldn’t that just be a Composer Toolkit with loads of sampled Frippertronics and eDXNA7 patches?


----------



## doctoremmet (Jun 19, 2021)

Ah wait. The Albion only has ensembles of Robert Fripp and DX7 pads. And a bunch of Brianel Loops, played by The Edge. Whereas the CT version breaks it down into separated articulations.


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Jun 19, 2021)

doctoremmet said:


> Ah wait. The Albion only has ensembles of Robert Fripp and DX7 pads. And a bunch of Brianel Loops, played by The Edge. Whereas the CT version breaks it down into separated articulations.


I've revised my original idea, Temme. This is NOIBLA ENO, which is, if not a game-changer, it's certainly a change in direction.


----------



## doctoremmet (Jun 19, 2021)

Sounds like something straight out of Oblique Strategies. 

“Honour thy mistakes as hidden intentions”


----------



## doctoremmet (Jun 19, 2021)

doctoremmet said:


> Which of the original scores has the woodwind shorts put through a delay? I so need to hear that! “Alien”, right?


Found it:


----------



## doctoremmet (Jun 19, 2021)

TigerTheFrog said:


> I've revised my original idea, Temme. This is NOIBLA ENO, which is, if not a game-changer, it's certainly a change in direction.


Does it come with the U2 Orchestra Hit patch?



3:02 (I also want that string section)


----------



## Ray Cole (Jun 19, 2021)

Crossroads said:


> It's The Stephan Micus Toolkit:
> 
> 
> 
> Tell me I'm wrong!



Thanks for posting this! I was unfamiliar with Stephan Micus, but I'm listening to _The Garden of Mirrors _now and really like what I'm hearing. A couple of the vocal numbers remind me a bit of some of Don Cherry's music.

If SA were to release a Stephan Micus Toolkit, now I might be interested!


----------



## TomislavEP (Jun 20, 2021)

doctoremmet said:


> Which of the original scores has the woodwind shorts put through a delay? I so need to hear that! “Alien”, right?


Yes, though I'm not 100% certain is delay really being used here. It always sounded to me that way, and Goldsmith was among the first Hollywood composers who started incorporating synth elements and studio equipment into orchestral work.


----------



## doctoremmet (Jun 20, 2021)

TomislavEP said:


> Yes, though I'm not 100% certain is delay really being used here. It always sounded to me that way, and Goldsmith was among the first Hollywood composers who started incorporating synth elements and studio equipment into orchestral work.


It sure does sound like a measured delay effect to my ears. Very cool


----------



## Nate Johnson (Jun 20, 2021)

TomislavEP said:


> Yes, though I'm not 100% certain is delay really being used here. It always sounded to me that way, and Goldsmith was among the first Hollywood composers who started incorporating synth elements and studio equipment into orchestral work.


The 'Alien Planet' cue has Echoplex all over it (Goldsmith's big trick at the time). The 'Main Title' reference, though, doesn't.


----------



## Marsen (Jun 20, 2021)

Delay!


----------



## doctoremmet (Jun 20, 2021)

Marsen said:


> Delay!



Cool! Looks like this has been recognized as a crucial part of the DNA of any Alien score, as a nod to Goldsmith.


----------



## PhilA (Jun 20, 2021)

Who ever said Albion Solstice may be (categorically is) right.


----------



## AdamKmusic (Jun 20, 2021)




----------



## Niah2 (Jun 20, 2021)

Woah, continually floored by the detective work of VI-C members. You guys rock !


----------



## Marsen (Jun 20, 2021)

doctoremmet said:


> recognized as a crucial part of the DNA of any Alien score


I absolutely agree on this.


----------



## Marsen (Jun 20, 2021)

PhilA said:


> Who ever said Albion Solstice may be (categorically is) right.


VI-Leaks!

what a find!


----------



## Zedcars (Jun 20, 2021)

Also this:



https://fabrikmedia.blob.core.windows.net/1c39/files/matthew-hollis-cv-2021-1.pdf


----------



## redlester (Jun 20, 2021)

doctoremmet said:


> What’s this talk of a composer’s walk in mister Henson’s video. Is this where a bunch of Spitfire converts gather at his shed and roll rocks up some Scottish hill to perform weird Brittish pagan rituals to conjure up the Gods of Flautando or something? (since I am now officially a fan of the Bernard Herrmann toolkit, I desperately want to join in on the fun of course).


From 2019:


----------



## si0099 (Jun 20, 2021)

And from Christian's latest YouTube video, this screen grab...which is a little bit clearer than before (you'll need to zoom in)...definitely says, Albion Solstice

Now the only issue is that this was from a video about his music to the amazing TV Series, Inside No.9...and, if you watch it, you'll know there is always a twist...


----------



## muziksculp (Jun 20, 2021)

I would have preferred it if Spitfire just focused more on the AR-1 Modular Orchestra, and AROOF Expansions instead of another Albion. 

Oh well, let's see what Albion Solstice will offer tomorrow.


----------



## Hendrixon (Jun 20, 2021)

Daniel James said:


> Speaking of which what chapter are we on now? 😂
> 
> -DJ


11


----------



## Zedcars (Jun 20, 2021)

Try this:

1. Use VPN and/or private/incognito browser window so there is no pre-loaded bias in search results.
2. Search in Google “Albion Solstice” and include quotes.
3. Open Image search results.

What do you notice?

My results:

Lots of Spitfire Audio Albion images show up on mine. This leads me to conclude SA have already built in “Albion Solstice” tags into their website.


----------



## moon (Jun 20, 2021)

Zedcars said:


> Try this:
> 
> 1. Use VPN and/or private/incognito browser window so there is no pre-loaded bias in search results.
> 2. Search in Google “Albion Solstice” and include quotes.
> ...


I notice they're all images from the "Everything" collection. And there is a song in the embedded playlist titled "Solstice". Not saying that this one isn't Solstice, it just seems that it's not because of tags.


----------



## Zedcars (Jun 20, 2021)

moon said:


> I notice they're all images from the "Everything" collection. And there is a song in the embedded playlist titled "Solstice". Not saying that this one isn't Solstice, it just seems that it's not because of tags.


Ah yes, that’s annoying. You’re probably right.


----------



## Greeno (Jun 20, 2021)

si0099 said:


> And from Christian's latest YouTube video, this screen grab...which is a little bit clearer than before (you'll need to zoom in)...definitely says, Albion Solstice
> 
> Now the only issue is that this was from a video about his music to the amazing TV Series, Inside No.9...and, if you watch it, you'll know there is always a twist...


The cat is out of the bag, I repeat, the cat is out of the bag!


----------



## Mike Fox (Jun 20, 2021)

Zedcars said:


> Are we guessing names yet?
> 
> Obviously Albion [something]...
> 
> ...


Must be a hoax, because this is what all the bigfoot, UFO, and loch ness monster photos look like.


----------



## Zedcars (Jun 20, 2021)

Anyone noticed the countdown timer at the top is running much slower than the countdown timer further down the page?



Spitfire Audio —



I think the top one is too slow. It's already lost quite a few minutes since I've been sitting here staring at them for the last few hours...um...yeah...maybe I have too much time on my hands!


----------



## dunamisstudio (Jun 20, 2021)

MaxOctane said:


> Spitfire Sulaco


I like this theory. Also Albion Solstice might just be a project name.


----------



## Justin L. Franks (Jun 20, 2021)

"Our Boldest Albion To Date – Join Us For Launch"


----------



## prodigalson (Jun 20, 2021)

Imagine seeing one blurry image that maybe, kind of looks like an Alien and weeks of imagery that invokes ancient, woodland, pagan-like ritual and think Sulaco is actually the name of the library and Solstice is the internal project name...


----------



## Muddles (Jun 21, 2021)

The level of hype for this one seems to be extreme, even by Spitfire standards. Hope it’s good!


----------



## zimm83 (Jun 21, 2021)

Albion...Kontakt !!!! and Vocals ! Hype ? Oh YES !
Sort of Witches thing....Houuuuu !


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Jun 21, 2021)

Only 8 pages on this post so far. Have they lost their touch?

It's looking to me like a library for folk horror movies like THE WICKER MAN, MIDSOMMAR, THE WITCH, and THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT. Music for weird cultish rituals in the woods.

If I'm right, I like the idea. We have enough regular horror and Nordic noir libraries. And that kind of feeling could be useful for many kinds of music.


----------



## Technostica (Jun 21, 2021)

If Paul T is the new Wicker Man I suspect he won't be very excited at all.


----------



## Wally Garten (Jun 21, 2021)

Technostica said:


> If Paul T is the new Wicker Man I suspect he won't be very excited at all.


“Paul Thomson here, and I’m very nervous today....”


----------



## Hendrixon (Jun 21, 2021)

TigerTheFrog said:


> Only 8 pages on this post so far. Have they lost their touch?


Two reasons (I think):
1. If its from SF and doesn't seem to be connected to Abbey Road, ppl assume its not a major project. nothing to be overly excited about [I hope they are wrong].
2. SF has their own forum now, so the more militant side of the "fan boy" base probably vents their blind appreciation for anything SF there [I hope I'm wrong].


----------



## Zedcars (Jun 21, 2021)

Technostica said:


> If Paul T is the new Wicker Man I suspect he won't be very excited at all.


He's always excited...


----------



## Technostica (Jun 21, 2021)

I actually am a bit excited about this one for the first time in a while.
Very unlikely to buy it but hope to tune in at 5.


----------



## Technostica (Jun 21, 2021)

Hendrixon said:


> SF has their own forum now, so the more militant side of the "fan boy" base probably vents their blind appreciation for anything SF there [I hope I'm wrong].


Pretty quiet there and most threads only have a few comments.


----------



## dzilizzi (Jun 21, 2021)

This should be interesting. Though I'm not sure it is something I will get now. Or ever. But you never know.


----------



## Hendrixon (Jun 21, 2021)

dzilizzi said:


> ...Though I'm not sure it is something I will get now. Or ever. But you never know.


But... you don't know what it is yet  

Hey we made it to page 9!


----------



## Toecutter (Jun 21, 2021)

Justin L. Franks said:


> "Our Boldest Albion To Date – Join Us For Launch"



Is this the answer to why every library I was interested in was delayed?


----------



## mussnig (Jun 21, 2021)




----------



## Toecutter (Jun 21, 2021)

mussnig said:


>



Nice find! Cool but doesn't feel like an Albion imo. 10 minutes for the announcement, guess we'll find out why this is so special to Christian and why another Albion.


----------



## Toecutter (Jun 21, 2021)

TigerTheFrog said:


> It's looking to me like a library for folk horror movies like THE WICKER MAN, MIDSOMMAR, THE WITCH, and THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT. Music for weird cultish rituals in the woods.


Ding ding ding we have a winner!


----------



## Justin L. Franks (Jun 21, 2021)

"Folk Music Library"

Wow, they actually did it.


----------



## Instrugramm (Jun 21, 2021)

Spitfire Audio — Albion Solstice






www.spitfireaudio.com





20% off until July 15th

Very interested in this one!


----------



## Markrs (Jun 21, 2021)

Surprised that it is in Kontakt


----------



## cqd (Jun 21, 2021)

People that talk very expressively with their hands make me want to turn off YouTube videos..

It sounds cool alright, but I'm kinda boycotting sf..


----------



## Justin L. Franks (Jun 21, 2021)

LOL, the intro to the Youtube premiere had text saying "A folk music library", but the copy on the Albion Solstice page says "This is not a library to create folk music with".


----------



## N.Caffrey (Jun 21, 2021)

it sounds bloody good


----------



## Wally Garten (Jun 21, 2021)

This might be everything I’ve ever wanted in a sample library. ❤️


----------



## AdamKmusic (Jun 21, 2021)

I really like the sound of it, I think I'd pick it up had I not just bought S+A Landforms!


----------



## Hendrixon (Jun 21, 2021)

Wally Garten said:


> This might be everything I’ve ever wanted in a sample library. ❤️


Everything?!


----------



## Wally Garten (Jun 21, 2021)

Hendrixon said:


> Everything?!


EVERYTHING.


----------



## Muddles (Jun 21, 2021)

One thing I don’t really understand with this sort of library is won’t everything just sound the same? They sound nice enough but they are very characterful. I am not a composer and don’t have anything to do with tv or film music etc, but from my perspective I don’t know how I’d use any of this in ‘normal’ music.


----------



## Wally Garten (Jun 21, 2021)

Wally Garten said:


> EVERYTHING.


(Not literally everything. But it does seem to cover a ton of stuff that I really love — weird voices, bells, small ensembles, weird folk instruments... it’s all my bag, baby!)


----------



## Hendrixon (Jun 21, 2021)

Wally Garten said:


> EVERYTHING.


Very minimalistic of you


----------



## cqd (Jun 21, 2021)

Muddles said:


> One thing I don’t really understand with this sort of library is won’t everything just sound the same?


It seems like you understand?..


----------



## Jacob Fanto (Jun 21, 2021)

I know I don’t need it, I literally do not need it. But mmm horror folk, delicious lip smacking samplesHELP.


----------



## Sunny Schramm (Jun 21, 2021)

Instrugramm said:


> Spitfire Audio — Albion Solstice
> 
> 
> 
> ...


35% if you own other albions


----------



## Muddles (Jun 21, 2021)

cqd said:


> It seems like you understand?..


Do I? Fantastic!


----------



## Pablocrespo (Jun 21, 2021)

Boy I wish spitfire would allow buying a la carte


----------



## ism (Jun 21, 2021)

The recorders from Logria would have really fit well here.


----------



## Drumdude2112 (Jun 21, 2021)

Definitely NOT like any other collection out there ...Hats off to spitfire for thinking outside the box .


----------



## jbuhler (Jun 21, 2021)

More flautandos! And flautandos with circular bowing.


----------



## SupremeFist (Jun 21, 2021)

The names for the sections already annoy me but I am really interested in these strings...


----------



## Muddles (Jun 21, 2021)

SupremeFist said:


> The names for the sections already annoy me but I am really interested in these strings...


“Folk noire” nggng


----------



## youngpokie (Jun 21, 2021)

Jacob Fanto said:


> I know I don’t need it


----------



## Technostica (Jun 21, 2021)

If Spitfire didn't get the tone of the legatos right, they can expect the ghost of this man to serve a quick and brutal justice. The EQualizer - He'll go all parametric on your ass.







Note: The actor above is Edward Woodward who was the star of the Wicker Man.


----------



## LamaRose (Jun 21, 2021)

Love the female choir... this is what I was expecting with EWC. I'd pay $100 for those.


----------



## Getsumen (Jun 21, 2021)

This genuinely seems pretty interesting. My initial reaction was is this the 34th textural lib from Spitfire? But it is rather nice. 

Time to go through the hour long walkthrough to get a better idea . I'm pretty sold already though.


----------



## KEM (Jun 21, 2021)

So far I’m really liking this concept, something interesting and unique, I like these more “niche” libraries that really inspire creativity and get you to explore new territory, not just another string or brass library or whatever we get all the rest of the time.


----------



## jbuhler (Jun 21, 2021)

It's interesting that both Christian and Paul stress that you don't need to change the way you write to use these libraries. I find it a curious worry.


----------



## ABeatLame (Jun 21, 2021)

The song Sunderdancer from Lucie Treacher is out of this world !


----------



## jbuhler (Jun 21, 2021)

The intro video and Pau's walkthrough are doing a much better job of selling me on this library than did any of the teasers. Also there seems to be a ton of content in this library.


----------



## Jimmy Hellfire (Jun 21, 2021)

Oh wow, it's folk _and _noir! But is it scandi enough?


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Jun 21, 2021)

Wally Garten said:


> This might be everything I’ve ever wanted in a sample library. ❤️


I'm totally with you on this. 

I haven't bought anything from Spitfire in years. I'm not buying any more orchestral libraries from anybody, so I don't give a hoot about Neo or BBC or Abbey Road or whatever they come up with like that in the future. I'm happy with my Cinematic Studio Series and my solo instruments.

But I love stuff like the OT Time Series, and Ben Osterhouse and Tarilonte and Sunset Strings, and this has a kind of oddness and unusual instrumentation that I like. This rings my ritual bell.

Also, Folk Horror is one of my favorite genres. 

And for what it's worth, Folk Horror is the term all cineastes use for this genre. I'm guessing that Spitfire came up with this inaccurate term Folk Noir for marketing reasons: a) to not have people think it is _only _for horror; and b) to tie it to Nordic Noir. 

But it is right up my neck of the pitch-black woods. A pity I have no $$$ at the moment.


----------



## Double Helix (Jun 21, 2021)

jbuhler said:


> . . . Also there seems to be a ton of content in this library.


You are correct about that: 73 GB, 74286 samples (maybe not Zimmerific, but that ought to be plenty to get one started)


----------



## KEM (Jun 21, 2021)

Jimmy Hellfire said:


> Oh wow, it's folk _and _noir! But is it scandi enough?


One day Spitfire will record an orchestra outside on the island of Svalbard during the dead of winter, the ultimate scandi library


----------



## Toecutter (Jun 21, 2021)

Loved what I heard in the reveal video, seems like a fine companion to OT Tallis. Intro price + loyalty discount will be hard to resist.


----------



## zwhita (Jun 21, 2021)

Sounds nice. Pass.


----------



## n9n9n9 (Jun 21, 2021)

I own all the other Albions, yet my complete the collection price is $798. They are offering me the individual license for 35%: $291. Seems like a bug, but I do wonder if I would get an even better discount for completion of the collection... I have in the past.


----------



## MA-Simon (Jun 21, 2021)

Sounds very interesting. No need for it yet, but It's nice.
I was a teensy bit frustrated with the walktrough not showing the kontakt keyboard view and playable ranges.


----------



## AEF (Jun 21, 2021)

lovely sound but not recorded in Air so matching to the other Albions or SCS is not as seamless.


----------



## Technostica (Jun 21, 2021)

AEF said:


> lovely sound but not recorded in Air so matching to the other Albions or SCS is not as seamless.


There's a guy on eBay UK selling jars of air that were taken from AIR studios.
Release that into your room when mixing and Bob's your Uncle.


----------



## David Kudell (Jun 21, 2021)

Playing around with it now and it sounds fantastic to me - a lot of really lovely sounding instruments and it's great to have unique sounds like this. The winds, choirs, the "nursery," and strings are nice and they included a lot of articulations. Love that they did something different and knocked it out of the park.


----------



## Zedcars (Jun 21, 2021)

Technostica said:


> There's a guy on eBay UK selling jars of air that were taken from AIR studios.
> Release that into your room when mixing and Bob's your Uncle.


Will it cure my GAS???


----------



## Marsen (Jun 21, 2021)

Seeing Paul's walkthrough right now.
Holy Cow!
Hard to resist, .. I will not buy it. 

At least in the next hour!


----------



## Futchibon (Jun 21, 2021)

Technostica said:


> There's a guy on eBay UK selling jars of air that were taken from AIR studios.
> Release that into your room when mixing and Bob's your Uncle.


Lol, on a more serious note, I wonder if there are Air IRs available anywhere?


----------



## Marsen (Jun 21, 2021)

Futchibon said:


> Lol, on a more serious note, I wonder if there are Air IRs available anywhere?


Air does not allow that.


----------



## DovesGoWest (Jun 21, 2021)

Markrs said:


> Surprised that it is in Kontakt


Most likely as they havent got the EVO grid or EDNA engine to work in their own player yet


----------



## John R Wilson (Jun 21, 2021)

I don't think this one is for me. I have not watched the full walkthrough yet but it seem like it's just another textural library. Seems quite niche, but does sounds good and looks like it does have a lot of content.


----------



## Zedcars (Jun 21, 2021)

DovesGoWest said:


> Most likely as they havent got the EVO grid or EDNA engine to work in their own player yet


Their own player does include EDNA references under-the-hood though. It’s been there since BBCSO was released in 2019. My guess it will come sooner rather than later.


----------



## Utkarsh (Jun 21, 2021)

TigerTheFrog said:


> Only 8 pages on this post so far. Have they lost their touch?
> 
> It's looking to me like a library for folk horror movies like THE WICKER MAN, MIDSOMMAR, THE WITCH, and THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT. Music for weird cultish rituals in the woods.
> 
> If I'm right, I like the idea. We have enough regular horror and Nordic noir libraries. And that kind of feeling could be useful for many kinds of music.


Wow! are you into stock market too? 🤯🙏🏼


----------



## DovesGoWest (Jun 21, 2021)

Zedcars said:


> Their own player does include EDNA references under-the-hood though. It’s been there since BBCSO was released in 2019. My guess it will come sooner rather than later.


oh i agree that they will eventually move, the problem is the design is all around the big knob and neither the evo grid or the edna ui fit in that metaphor, so they got to work out a way to hide all the useful features of the grid and edna behind something that fills the screen LOL


----------



## LudovicVDP (Jun 21, 2021)

Damn. Loving it!
Another one I'll immediately regret not being able to buy.
I really like those niche libraries.


----------



## Zedcars (Jun 21, 2021)

DovesGoWest said:


> oh i agree that they will eventually move, the problem is the design is all around the big knob and neither the evo grid or the edna ui fit in that metaphor, so they got to work out a way to hide all the useful features of the grid and edna behind something that fills the screen LOL


You mean like this...? 






Yeah, it's not EDNA, but the EVO grid is there. If they want EDNA, I guess they will have to compromise on their big knob somehow.


----------



## Akarin (Jun 21, 2021)

DovesGoWest said:


> Most likely as they havent got the EVO grid or EDNA engine to work in their own player yet



EVO grids work perfectly fine in their player. Fragile Strings and the other ones are just fine.


----------



## Mithnaur (Jun 21, 2021)

We end up being a little bit blasé by the announcement effects of Spitfire regarding the new products presented.
But I have to admit that this one is really interesting for me !
Very nice atmospheres for which I would surely have a use 
What annoys me is that I am tempted while it is not so much my priority!


----------



## Chaosmod (Jun 21, 2021)

Would be an immediate buy, right this second, if I had any cash at all. Absolutely love the concept and the sound, and I've never been this excited for a library. I need a rich uncle, pronto!


----------



## d4vec4rter (Jun 21, 2021)

I had to watch Paul's walkthrough to be thoroughly convinced but... convinced I was that this will be a refreshingly different enough library to complement my other Albions. Tons of content and some really beautiful original sounds that will be ideal for the kind of music I like to compose. As I type this, I've got 22 mins download time left. Enough time this evening to have a little play.


----------



## mussnig (Jun 21, 2021)

Zedcars said:


> Their own player does include EDNA references under-the-hood though. It’s been there since BBCSO was released in 2019. My guess it will come sooner rather than later.


Orbis runs in their own player and is basically EDNA. Even says so on the product page ...


----------



## Technostica (Jun 21, 2021)

Christian mentioned a collaborator so I wondered if this person may have been a main scripter for this. 
If so, that might be one reason that they went with Kontakt. 
There must me many people with Kontakt scripting experience, whereas for their own player that would be much more limited. 
So to reduce time bottlenecks it makes sense to use Kontakt at times.


----------



## easyrider (Jun 21, 2021)

Might have to get this.


----------



## Zedcars (Jun 21, 2021)




----------



## Zedcars (Jun 21, 2021)

mussnig said:


> Orbis runs in their own player and is basically EDNA. Even says so on the product page ...


Thanks. I had completely forgotten about that product!


----------



## artomatic (Jun 21, 2021)

Hmmm... Sounds too folky for me.


----------



## Toecutter (Jun 21, 2021)

Okay had a quick run with Solstice... the strings alone could be the whole library (under another name) and I would be happy. The Hosts is what I expected EWC to be, so good!! Seriously my best purchase of 2021, Tallis will finally take a break. Thumbs up @Spitfire Team


----------



## Instrugramm (Jun 21, 2021)

Seems like a neatly priced and pretty extensive library so I finally caved in... just wasn't strong enough to resist this one. Well played Mr. Henson!


----------



## Alchemedia (Jun 21, 2021)

Mannix said:


> U all a bunch of fuddy-duddy, this sounds very cool to my little ears


Thus sprach Mike Connors.


----------



## Tronam (Jun 21, 2021)

I'm sure it'll be a content rich Albion with plenty of potential (I love many of them), but the marketing for this one is a bit funny to me. "Folk" is about melody, yet they advertise it more like a suspense texture bed library. CH isn't much of a melody guy, so I wonder why they didn't have someone else make the trailer score so that it doesn't come across like so many of their other libraries.


----------



## Alchemedia (Jun 21, 2021)

Robert_G said:


> That they are. Thankfully I'm not a Spitfire puppet.
> 
> If you look back at all the TV commercials ever made....and we might remember some of the stupidest ones....those that make literally no sense....sound and look like white noise....like a clanging gong.....resembling something the worst abstract artist ever designed.....almost as if they know their brand of pointless hype is trying to bait their audience.....THAT video is it.
> 
> Congratulations Spitfire Audio for descending to the bottom dwellers of commercials.


Got Milk?


----------



## Muddles (Jun 21, 2021)

I’ve watched a few videos and some of it sounds very nice - especially the strings bits, as they sound a bit more real and less ‘cinematic’ to me. I’ll wait a while though and see if there are applications outside of scoring for it though - not entirely convinced so far, as much of it looks like the sort of hold a few keys down and hope it turns out nice automatically type affair (which I realise probably doesn’t make sense outside of my head).


----------



## Toecutter (Jun 21, 2021)

Tronam said:


> I'm sure it'll be a content rich Albion with plenty of potential (I love many of them), but the marketing for this one is a bit funny to me. "Folk" is about melody, yet they advertise it more like a suspense texture bed library. CH isn't much of a melody guy, so I wonder why they didn't have someone else make the trailer score so that it doesn't come across like so many of their other libraries.


Listen to "Sundancer" by Lucie Treacher, it's the last demo in the website, should be the first imo


----------



## Marsen (Jun 21, 2021)

I resisted another 2 hours.
Then, i felt asleep and accidently hit the purchase button with a deaf thumb.
I dreamed about typing some kind of Paypal numbers and felt warm & save, booking my next well earned holiday.

I got waked up with a harsh ringtone message, congratulating on my last Spitfire purchase.

Am i eligible for a full refund?


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## Robert_G (Jun 21, 2021)

From the demos and walkthrough......*I just am not excited today*.....
very little here we haven't heard before.


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## givemenoughrope (Jun 21, 2021)

Tronam said:


> I'm sure it'll be a content rich Albion with plenty of potential (I love many of them), but the marketing for this one is a bit funny to me. "Folk" is about melody, yet they advertise it more like a suspense texture bed library. CH isn't much of a melody guy, so I wonder why they didn't have someone else make the trailer score so that it doesn't come across like so many of their other libraries.


Tough to play convincing and semi-exposed melodies with samples imo. I always think these tools are a great way to make textures, rhythms, etc though...


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## iMovieShout (Jun 21, 2021)

Of all the libraries released in the last 5 years, this one seems to have come from the bottom of the barrel.


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## Alex Niedt (Jun 21, 2021)

Tronam said:


> I'm sure it'll be a content rich Albion with plenty of potential (I love many of them), but the marketing for this one is a bit funny to me. "Folk" is about melody, yet they advertise it more like a suspense texture bed library. CH isn't much of a melody guy, so I wonder why they didn't have someone else make the trailer score so that it doesn't come across like so many of their other libraries.





Toecutter said:


> Listen to "Sundancer" by Lucie Treacher, it's the last demo in the website, should be the first imo


^^^This! Not until the last demo by Lucie did I feel like I had any clear idea of what the library is. Spitfire has often steered clear of melody in recent years, and so many demos are droning ambient film stuff. I'm sure that's the point, but it really loses me. With that said, loving a lot of the stuff I'm hearing in the walkthrough, and there seems to be enough unique content to make it worth ordering.


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## Scottyb (Jun 21, 2021)

Been at work all day, but excited to get to listen to the walkthrough. Always interesting to see everyone's varying takes on things and then get to hear it and see where my thoughts fall. : )


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## Alchemedia (Jun 21, 2021)

jpb007.uk said:


> Of all the libraries released in the last 5 years, this one seems to have come from the bottom of the barrel.


You say that like it's a bad thing.


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## Daniel James (Jun 21, 2021)

Some of these sounds are instantly useable, but many feel like I have them a million times over! Also, it's 2021 and they still have the bloody sucking effect. At this point, it has to be on purpose or a troll 😂

I might be tempted to buy a few of the instruments separately if that ever becomes a thing, but the whole package is a bit expensive considering how much common ground it feels like its treading. In my opinion.

-DJ


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## TomaeusD (Jun 21, 2021)

On one hand I hope less people pick up on this gem for sake of originality in sound, but on the other hand I want Spitfire to be able to financially justify producing these types of libraries.


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## Evans (Jun 21, 2021)

Daniel James said:


> Also, it's 2021 and they still have the bloody sucking effect.


Oh god, did they do it again? I haven't listened.

If so, this is the thing I can't get over. I don't understand it. Yes, software is hard. But I don't give a shit. Stop releasing crap with that sucking sound. It's ruined otherwise great patches.


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## jtnyc (Jun 21, 2021)

Daniel James said:


> Some of these sounds are instantly useable, but many feel like I have them a million times over!


Yeah, between Tundra, OAE, OACE, the Drama Toolkits and the vastly redundant eDNA stuff in A1, AOne, Tundra and Earth, I’m not hearing all that much here that I don’t already have covered.


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## moon (Jun 21, 2021)

Daniel James said:


> Some of these sounds are instantly useable, but many feel like I have them a million times over! Also, it's 2021 and they still have the bloody sucking effect. At this point, it has to be on purpose or a troll 😂
> 
> I might be tempted to buy a few of the instruments separately if that ever becomes a thing, but the whole package is a bit expensive considering how much common ground it feels like its treading. In my opinion.
> 
> -DJ


When you say sucking effect, what exactly are you referring to?


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## Instrugramm (Jun 21, 2021)

After a bit of a quick dive into the library I can confirm the sucking sound issue is still a thing but this might possibly be the most versatile Albion as far as I can tell (it feels like a mix of 20 small libraries).

It's the opposite of a bread and butter library in a good way, I can see how it may not be for everbody but I'm really diggin' it so far.


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## KEM (Jun 21, 2021)

moon said:


> When you say sucking effect, what exactly are you referring to?


The release tails of the samples are very short so it feels like it’s sucking into the next note as opposed to flowing into it, only Spitfire libraries seem to have this problem and it’s very prominent


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## Toecutter (Jun 21, 2021)

Alex Niedt said:


> ^^^This! Not until the last demo by Lucie did I feel like I had any clear idea of what the library is. Spitfire has often steered clear of melody in recent years, and so many demos are droning ambient film stuff. I'm sure that's the point, but it really loses me. With that said, loving a lot of the stuff I'm hearing in the walkthrough, and there seems to be enough unique content to make it worth ordering.


I honestly don't get it, why hide the best and most unique demo? The one that feels like proper storytelling? Not that the other stuff is bad by any means, but I'm so done with the generic "cinematic" stuff... gives the impression that Solistice is like the other dozen "evo" or "texture" libraries they have. Nothing further from the truth.


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## ALittleNightMusic (Jun 21, 2021)

Wouldn't mind an "In Action" walkthrough of that Lucie Treacher demo. Spitfire is quite good about having a lot of video content lined up for their releases, so here's hoping. Or could be Homay (always great) or Dan Keen (wonderfully articulate in his videos).


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## SimonCharlesHanna (Jun 21, 2021)

2021 and this is spitfire legato. Crazy.
View attachment 2021-06-22 10-26-04.mp4


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## szczaw (Jun 21, 2021)

I half-expected something like ERA II. I'm not interested in textures, colors, drones, generators, mangled instruments. Just give me captured acoustic instruments.


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## Consona (Jun 21, 2021)

The only thing I wish to see from Spitfire is the possibility to resell their libraries.


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## ALittleNightMusic (Jun 21, 2021)

Paul has a new walkthrough of his Solstice demo


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## Wally Garten (Jun 21, 2021)

Tronam said:


> I'm sure it'll be a content rich Albion with plenty of potential (I love many of them), but the marketing for this one is a bit funny to me. "Folk" is about melody, yet they advertise it more like a suspense texture bed library. CH isn't much of a melody guy, so I wonder why they didn't have someone else make the trailer score so that it doesn't come across like so many of their other libraries.


Yeah, that's a very fair point, and I was a little surprised to learn that it doesn't have any solo instruments (except the bass). But then I thought -- yes, but you could pair it with a good solo violin or any of the Embertone winds and have something pretty magical. It's sort of a kit to create this kind of sonic/textural environment, and then you can add your own melodic stuff. That's how I'm thinking of it, anyway.

(And I agree with @Toecutter that the "Sundancer" demo shows that there's at least some melodic potential.)


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## Mike Fox (Jun 21, 2021)

Really peculiar library with some cool sounding shit, but I'm not hearing anything that captures enough of my attention to warrant the price tag.

Maybe I’ll complete my Albion collection when BF rolls around.


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## Sunny Schramm (Jun 21, 2021)

Instrugramm said:


> After a bit of a quick dive into the library I can confirm the sucking sound issue is still a thing but this might possibly be the most versatile Albion as far as I can tell (it feels like a mix of 20 small libraries).


Yep - I feel kind of the same. Its like a mix out of Rob´s "The Unfolding Sun", Westwood Untamed Series, Spitfire LCOT, Symphonic Evolutions, Tallinn, Straylight, etc.

In Paul´s Walkthrough I´m not tempted by the strings, brass, whistles, etc. - but the choir, percs & loops, guitars and blaggards are very interesting. Maybe I take the 35% off deal in the next days - maybe not - not fully convinced yet


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## Getsumen (Jun 21, 2021)

SimonCharlesHanna said:


> 2021 and this is spitfire legato. Crazy.
> View attachment 2021-06-22 10-26-04.mp4


Holy shit I must of missed that initially because that is atrocious.

Wow. How in the world did they make _that_


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## Daniel James (Jun 21, 2021)

ALittleNightMusic said:


> Paul has a new walkthrough of his Solstice demo



I see he has started doing the Youtube pout too lol 

-DJ


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## Alex Niedt (Jun 21, 2021)

Getsumen said:


> Holy shit I must of missed that initially because that is atrocious.
> 
> Wow. How in the world did they make _that_


I replayed that part of the walkthrough a couple times because I couldn't believe my ears. Definitely a low point, though maybe it's an issue they'll improve in a patch? But that legato sounds like an afterthought, to say the least. To be fair, I'm not sure that Spitfire feels the need to bother with innovation in the legato realm since they're so heavily into textural pad territory in recent years. Sable was released in early 2013, and I haven't heard a truly noticeable improvement since. Makes sense, though, when you hear the style of music they're often making in demos.

_Edit_: Just downloaded. Almost an overwhelming amount of content, and it basically all sounds fantastic. Some samples need a bit of clean-up here and there, but overall I'm really impressed. Tons of inspiring stuff, and I'm surprised by how good some of the processed drum samples are (and various other things I wouldn't necessarily expect from Spitfire). Definitely worth the $291, IMO.


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## d4vec4rter (Jun 22, 2021)

The announcement video by Christian and Homay didn't quite convince me on this one and I'm normally wowed by the Albion libraries. Then I watched Paul's walkthrough and half way through that, I pulled the Paypal trigger and downloaded. A part impulse buy that had the potential to be a mistake?

It's a bit of a weird one this. So far, I only have Albion One and Tundra (in the the Albion collection that is) so there's enough new and unique content without any overlap although I'm sure I could recreate some of the sounds closely enough with some other VIs I have. Although I'm not much into Traditional Folk music, I do like the earthy, organic textures and soundscapes which this library seems to excel at - ideal for the landscape videos I enjoy doing so much.

It's also a library I can see myself wanting to blend into others rather than using on its own but, at the moment, I'm not sure how well it will although I'm fairly sure it will with some of the choirs I have. Contrary to what Paul says in the walkthrough, it also seems to me to be a library that will very much dictate the way you compose music with it.

I'm looking forward to seeing and hearing some good demos being made with it. A Daniel James "Aving A Look" video would be interesting but as he's already commented, it's not really Daniel's thing. Perhaps Guy Michelmore will have a go.


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## doctoremmet (Jun 22, 2021)

d4vec4rter said:


> The announcement video by Christian and Homay didn't quite convince me on this one and I'm normally wowed by the Albion libraries. Then I watched Paul's walkthrough and half way through that, I pulled the Paypal trigger and downloaded. A part impulse buy that had the potential to be a mistake?
> 
> It's a bit of a weird one this. So far, I only have Albion One and Tundra so there's enough new and unique content without any overlap although I'm sure I could recreate some of the sounds closely enough with some other VIs I have. Although I'm not much into Traditional Folk music, I do like the earthy, organic textures and soundscapes which this library seems to excel at - ideal for the landscape videos I enjoy doing so much.
> 
> ...


Make sure to also check @Simeon ‘s channel - he seems a likely review candidate too


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## OrangeCloud (Jun 22, 2021)

oh.. woah.... another spitfire strings library.... neat.


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## Bereckis (Jun 22, 2021)

Whether one needs and likes Albion Solstice is an individual decision.

I would have liked to see this implemented in their own GUI; as I don't find their GUI in Kontakt particularly comfortable and up-to-date. There are also much better implementations in NI Kontakt.

I was surprised that they expanded their Albion series; because I thought Albion would eventually be replaced by expanded Abbey Road One.

I have Albion One, Tundra, Neo and now Solstice....

Solstice is an interesting addition to the series and another musical colour catalogue.

I would like to see a sound search similar to Omniphere for the Spitfire products, because the search is becoming more and more time-consuming.

I try to solve it by using only one library per project if possible.


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## RM 13 (Jun 22, 2021)

Alex Niedt said:


> I replayed that part of the walkthrough a couple times because I couldn't believe my ears. Definitely a low point, though maybe it's an issue they'll improve in a patch? But that legato sounds like an afterthought, to say the least. To be fair, I'm not sure that Spitfire feels the need to bother with innovation in the legato realm since they're so heavily into textural pad territory in recent years. Sable was released in early 2013, and I haven't heard a truly noticeable improvement since. Makes sense, though, when you hear the style of music they're often making in demos.


I'm quite sure that after all these years (and libraries) most people know that (to put it politely) legatos aren't Spitfire's strongest feature. Almost always there are people who bought any library containing legato hoping Spitfire will eventually fix it. To be honest I don't hear legato on most of their patches called "legato". Even on their solo Strings it's difficult to tell the difference between the sustains patch and the legato compared to other libs. That's the obvious reason that they put their legato somewhere in the articulations list instead of putting it first as almost all the other devs do. They are great in textures, their EVOs are unmatched, but when you need legato or characteristic solo instruments like Embertone does, Spitfire isn't the place to go.


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## jcrosby (Jun 22, 2021)

I think this is the most interesting Albion so far. For once orchestral instruments don't make up the majority of the instrument selection, instead a bunch of instruments previously not found in the Albion series. As an all in one package this has a really broad range, and the overall character and vibe are something I genuinely haven't seen before in a single package. 

SF finally broaden the definition of the Albion series's instrument range and the reaction is outrage... Go figure.


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## Joulupukki (Jun 22, 2021)

I'm out. These are sounds that I already have in nearly the same or a similar form (even if not as ensembles).


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## Daniel James (Jun 22, 2021)

d4vec4rter said:


> The announcement video by Christian and Homay didn't quite convince me on this one and I'm normally wowed by the Albion libraries. Then I watched Paul's walkthrough and half way through that, I pulled the Paypal trigger and downloaded. A part impulse buy that had the potential to be a mistake?
> 
> It's a bit of a weird one this. So far, I only have Albion One and Tundra (in the the Albion collection that is) so there's enough new and unique content without any overlap although I'm sure I could recreate some of the sounds closely enough with some other VIs I have. Although I'm not much into Traditional Folk music, I do like the earthy, organic textures and soundscapes which this library seems to excel at - ideal for the landscape videos I enjoy doing so much.
> 
> ...


I didn't say its not my thing per se. It actually sounds pretty good. The more textural and EVO type libraries from Spitfire are by far my favorite. I just feel I already have most of this type of sound covered, and the few little rough edges like poor legato and sucking effect just make me not quite so keen (you would think after 30 string libraries they might get the hang of it 😂).

On sale after some tweaks, I might reconsider. I just tend not to buy new Spitfire libraries these days until they fix all the stuff that is inevitably wrong with it, by which point they will probably be on sale and I will get some sale incentive (still mad about buying, I think it was BBC, only for it to be included in a sale a month later where you could get the aperture library for free). Being a Spitfire early adopter seems to be a negative thing unfortunatly.

-DJ


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## Markrs (Jun 22, 2021)

Daniel James said:


> I didn't say its not my thing per se. It actually sounds pretty good. The more textural and EVO type libraries from Spitfire are by far my favorite. I just feel I already have most of this type of sound covered, and the few little rough edges like poor legato and sucking effect just make me not quite so keen (you would think after 30 string libraries they might get the hang of it 😂).
> 
> On sale after some tweaks, I might reconsider. I just tend not to buy new Spitfire libraries these days until they fix all the stuff that is inevitably wrong with it, by which point they will probably be on sale and I will get some sale incentive (still mad about buying, I think it was BBC, only for it to be included in a sale a month later where you could get the aperture library for free). Being a Spitfire early adopter seems to be a negative thing unfortunatly.
> 
> -DJ


I think that is a rule with most libraries and plugins, don’t be an early adopter. You will basically be a beta tester for issues and the discount will likely be greater in the future, plus less bugs.

I’m sure there are some exceptions to this rule, but I find it holds for 90% of sample/plug-in companies


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## CliveC (Jun 22, 2021)

From what I've heard, I think to get hung up on legato is missing the point entirely. In fact the strings (along with the odd drum beats) are the least interesting thing about this library. To me, this is all about mood and storytelling taking absolute priority, not template structure or conforming to how you compose. I love how it does evoke the mysteries and folkloric moods, when used right. Something which disappears immediately when the drum beats start unfortunately. The one word I did keep thinking while listening to all of it was Westwood. If the same brief was given to them, what would their Folk Untamed have sounded like?


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## Daniel James (Jun 22, 2021)

Markrs said:


> I think that is a rule with most libraries and plugins, don’t be an early adopter. You will basically be a beta tester for issues and the discount will likely be greater in the future, plus less bugs.
> 
> I’m sure there are some exceptions to this rule, but I find it holds for 90% of sample/plug-in companies


Exactly this. Thats what I was saying, history has taught us most SF libraries go on sale, sometimes within the same year. By which point it may have been one of the lucky few blessed with an update. Then I think I will re-evualate. But for me, not now.

-DJ


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## mushanga (Jun 22, 2021)

Toecutter said:


> I honestly don't get it, why hide the best and most unique demo? The one that feels like proper storytelling? Not that the other stuff is bad by any means, but I'm so done with the generic "cinematic" stuff... gives the impression that Solistice is like the other dozen "evo" or "texture" libraries they have. Nothing further from the truth.


I agree with this. Lucie Treacher's demo is lovely. Kinda reminds me (in a weird way, because of the chord progression if not the unusual instrumentation) of Thomas Newman's opening theme to Boston Public.


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## d4vec4rter (Jun 22, 2021)

Daniel James said:


> Exactly this. Thats what I was saying, history has taught us most SF libraries go on sale, sometimes within the same year. By which point it may have been one of the lucky few blessed with an update. Then I think I will re-evualate. But for me, not now.
> 
> -DJ


With the intro offer and loyalty discount, it came in at £259 (35% off). I think I'm correct in saying that the sale discount one normally gets from Spitfire hovers around the 40 - 50% mark. I would probably have to had waited until Black Friday for the next sale so I'm happy enough to forfeit about £20 to get it now. I've not noticed any glaringly prominent bugs yet but I've, obviously, not used it much. Time will tell I suppose.


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## RM 13 (Jun 22, 2021)

Markrs said:


> I think that is a rule with most libraries and plugins, don’t be an early adopter. You will basically be a beta tester for issues and the discount will likely be greater in the future, plus less bugs.


That's the rule for any kind of software these days. Nothing comes out as it should. It's totally frustrating.


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## Muddles (Jun 22, 2021)

Markrs said:


> I think that is a rule with most libraries and plugins, don’t be an early adopter. You will basically be a beta tester for issues and the discount will likely be greater in the future, plus less bugs.
> 
> I’m sure there are some exceptions to this rule, but I find it holds for 90% of sample/plug-in companies


Also I try to leave an amount of time inverse to the level of hype, just to be sure it’s not clever (or relentless) marketing that’s making my ID do things the rest of my brain will feel sad about.


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## Instrugramm (Jun 22, 2021)

Indeed...Spitfire libraries tend to have awful legato (especially SStS and the Albions) except for BBCSO.

Ps. No glaring bugs so far.


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## doctoremmet (Jun 22, 2021)

RM 13 said:


> these days


I totally agree with you, DJ and Mark. But I can tell you it has always been this way - so it’s hardly a new thing


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## RM 13 (Jun 22, 2021)

doctoremmet said:


> I totally agree with you, DJ and Mark. But I can tel you it has always been this way - so it’s hardly a new thing


I get the feeling that it gets worse. When I started using software some 20 odd years ago, if I remember correctly, there were no updates of any kind in almost everything unless it was some major issue. I understand that things were much simpler. The thing that bugs me is that updates are the rule now. It's almost guaranteed that if you buy something the moment it comes out, it'll have something broken or incomplete or whatever and it will be needing updates that may eventually leave some of the problems unfixed. 

I'm pretty sure I steered away from the thread topic😋


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## Daniel James (Jun 22, 2021)

d4vec4rter said:


> With the intro offer and loyalty discount, it came in at £259 (35% off). I think I'm correct in saying that the sale discount one normally gets from Spitfire hovers around the 40 - 50% mark. I would probably have to had waited until Black Friday for the next sale so I'm happy enough to forfeit about £20 to get it now. I've not noticed any glaringly prominent bugs yet but I've, obviously, not used it much. Time will tell I suppose.


Good for you mate. I just know that SF occasionally tends to have sale incentives (ie spend over a certain amount get a unique freebie). So sure, save your £20 now but you might kick yourself come sale time when you realize had you had waited it could have been £20, bugfixes and a free library you cant get anywhere else.

But each to their own 😂

-DJ


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## Daniel James (Jun 22, 2021)

RM 13 said:


> I get the feeling that it gets worse. When I started using software some 20 odd years ago, if I remember correctly, there were no updates of any kind in almost everything unless it was some major issue. I understand that things were much simpler. The thing that bugs me is that updates are the rule now. It's almost guaranteed that if you buy something the moment it comes out, it'll have something broken or incomplete or whatever and it will be needing updates that may eventually leave some of the problems unfixed.
> 
> I'm pretty sure I steered away from the thread topic😋


The ability to easily and digitally push upgrades made it less important to get it right the first time. Video games are the prime example of this.

-DJ


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## pawelmorytko (Jun 22, 2021)

SimonCharlesHanna said:


> 2021 and this is spitfire legato. Crazy.
> View attachment 2021-06-22 10-26-04.mp4


That's a yikes :|

It's a shame Spitfire doesn't do a la carte type shopping as there are some really nice patches in there (as with any of the Albions), but also a lot of patches that would probably never see any use. This is just an opinion but I know there is a LOT of content in the Albions, but if at least half of that content feels like "filler" content and not as good as others then it feels like you're paying extra money just to get to use those few really nice patches...


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## Nate Johnson (Jun 22, 2021)

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

bought it. 

and I didn't even check with you guys first!


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## RM 13 (Jun 22, 2021)

Daniel James said:


> The ability to easily and digitally push upgrades made it less important to get it right the first time. Video games are the prime example of this.
> 
> -DJ


Yeah, games were what I was mainly referring to-but major sample library developers tend to do the same. I always thought releasing something that needs fixing as being disrespectful towards your best customers, who are the ones that will buy your product first.


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## borisb2 (Jun 22, 2021)

szczaw said:


> Just give me captured acoustic instruments


OT Time Micro/Macro 👍👍👍


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## davidson (Jun 22, 2021)

Personally I think it's the best release to date from spitfire, it's just a taste thing. If you're creating music even remotely similar to someone like haxan cloak, lorn, burial, or like @christianhenson mentioned - snakes of russia, this library is a godsend.


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## Hendrixon (Jun 22, 2021)

doctoremmet said:


> I totally agree with you, DJ and Mark. But I can tell you it has always been this way - so it’s hardly a new thing


Yup even in the hardware days... thought not to the extent of software.
Actually, of all things, the availability of the internet made software even worse, because its "easy" to push fixes afterwards.

I remember working as a tech for a software house in the late 90s, there was a bug in a suite we developed, something that was sporadic so it needed lots of programmer hours to sink in.
Because the devs worked on a new project (new project, more money), the CTO wanted to push the "pesky client" off his back for some time, so he sent me in with a little tool that all it did was change the dates of the EXE... that way the pesky client will think its a new version with a bug fix.

That pesky client was the f***k military  
I found out what I did afterwards and it pissed the hell out of me.

Sorry for sidetracking


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## TomislavEP (Jun 22, 2021)

It seems that I was quite wrong in my predictions on what this new SA library is all about (as usual). 

After skimming through Paul Thomson's walkthrough, I must say that I'm pretty impressed. Not just with the sound quality but even more so with the diversity included here. The concepts of broad-stroke, all-in-one, and "Meccano set system" found in the "Albion" series were what has brought me to SA in the first place. While this installment is (IMO) definitely much more esoteric than the three Albion's that I already have (I, II, and V), the sheer amount of content promises the potential that is well outside its primary scope. In any case, Celtic and folk music is very dear to me and I would certainly enjoy having all these ingredients in an elegant package.

That being said, I must sadly conclude by saying that buying this library now would be a luxury I cannot afford. It is still very much a niche product, especially from a standpoint of someone who would primarily be using this as a "secret spice" here and there. And while many things in "Solstice" might be unique in nature, you can still found sounds that are sonically similar in character in some other Spitfire products as well as in the LABS range (not to mention on Pianobook).

Meanwhile, I will keep "Albion Solstice" on my radar and hopefully, I would be able to purchase a copy in some better times ahead.


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## Mr Frodo (Jun 22, 2021)

TomislavEP said:


> That being said, I must sadly conclude by saying that buying this library would be a luxury I cannot afford. It is still very much a niche product, especially from a standpoint of someone who would primarily be using this as a "secret spice" here and there. And while many things in "Solstice" might be unique in nature, you can still found sounds that are sonically similar in character in some other Spitfire products as well as in the LABS range (not to mention on Pianobook).
> 
> Meanwhile, I will keep "Albion Solstice" on my radar and hopefully, I would be able to purchase a copy in some better times ahead.


I feel the same way. As a hobbyist, I can't justify (to myself) spending so much on something that is probably only going to fit into a limited number of projects. Solstice does sound beautiful in the walkthroughs, but I would much prefer individual instruments than ensembles - if only it included a solo hurdy gurdy! For now, a combination of Dark Era, Voices of War, Ethera, Lacrimosa, and Majestica gives me enough of a dark/mysterious/medieval/"Look out! Vikings!" sound, and Solstice would just be a luxury.

Like you, I'll be keeping an eye on it, but I'm really hoping Era II goes on sale first (for the summer? Black Friday?) - although it has less content in total, it has relatively more that I want to use: individual instruments that I think will be a better fit for me than Spitfire's ensemble patches, as good as they are.


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## RM 13 (Jun 22, 2021)

Daniel James said:


> And when the game changes do we return to Chapter 1? or do we need to wait for 'the next chapter'?
> 
> Speaking of which what chapter are we on now? 😂
> 
> -DJ


This isn't a new "chapter", it's a modest "wellspring of sounds" for a whole "new age in film scoring" 😂


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## SupremeFist (Jun 22, 2021)

Just thought I'd check how many times Albion Solstice had been curated and the word "curated" appears a game-changing 15 times on the product page. Say what you like about Spitfire but their products are more curated than anyone else's.


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## Jdiggity1 (Jun 22, 2021)

Spitfire legatos - damned if they do, damned if they don't.

I've only spent an afternoon of fiddling, but my initial thoughts:

*Don't *buy this for the legatos (you have enough already).
*Do *buy it for the excellent selection of grooves and loops. Not only the organic percussion but "the visitor" grooves too. (Kudos to whoever programmed those!)
*Don't *buy it if you want to sound like a traditional orchestra. The dynamic range is rather limited.
*Do *buy it for the unique articulations that you probably can't get anywhere else yet, like tremolo bowed bells. Gorgeous!
*Don't *buy it if you can't bare the thought of more evos, swarms, or artisan longs.
*Do *buy it for the fact they named an instrument "The Gut Circle".
*Don't *buy it if you only want to make a "my wallet is hurting" joke.
etc...

In all honestly, as an owner of most of the other evo, albion, and textural-type libraries out there, the orchestral sections in Solstice probably won't get a lot of use by me personally, unless I get a project that falls within the niche that this library covers (which it does so quite comprehensively). I'm sure I'll throw a couple of the strings evos and drones in with the rest in my template, but if I deleted the strings and brass folders by accident, I doubt I'd miss them.
Beyond the orchestral sections though, there's a fair bit to like if your music allows for some exploration beyond traditional orchestral arrangements.
There's some fantastic flavour in this library that I'll be trying to make use of at any chance I get.
The "Generator Trio" does things I wished Enigma (Ambient Guitars) did.
And while there are sounds among the various folders that are more or less "other versions" of sounds I already have, the recordings in Solstice are really, really good, and will likely be the reason they replace the older alternatives.
The bells are magical. The percussion is earthy and I found myself "jamming" with the kit for a good few minutes. Plucks, bellows, harps, all great. Simple, but great.

I don't know if the copywriter kept a straight face when they wrote "...simply everything you need to create cinematic scores for today...", but if you can look past the hyperbole, there's a decent amount of value in this library. ....(for me)

EDIT: My valuable demo contribution can be found here: https://vi-control.net/community/threads/spitfire-audio-albion-solstice.110832/post-4855771


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## doctoremmet (Jun 22, 2021)

Imho, nowadays we have the “luxury” of online patching. Back in the old days, you had 20 CDs and good luck with any bugs. At least today things get patched.

On the other hand, this may also imply developers release half-ready software (Cyberpunk 2077) knowing they’ll eventually patch it. I grant you that!


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## Muddles (Jun 22, 2021)

Daniel James said:


> The ability to easily and digitally push upgrades made it less important to get it right the first time. Video games are the prime example of this.
> 
> -DJ


Also it’s just the way projects are managed these days - get the minimal viable product done and then update over time. Consumers either get stuff earlier that basically works but may have some issues, or wait until everything has been ironed out. At least this this way we get a choice about when to buy things.


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## Muddles (Jun 22, 2021)

SupremeFist said:


> Just thought I'd check how many times Albion Solstice had been curated and the word "curated" appears a game-changing 15 times on the product page. Say what you like about Spitfire but their products are more curated than anyone else's.


‘Curated’ is one of the most misused and overused words in the English language now, along with ‘iconic’ and ‘legendary’.


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## Mr Sakitumi (Jun 22, 2021)

SupremeFist said:


> Just thought I'd check how many times Albion Solstice had been curated and the word "curated" appears a game-changing 15 times on the product page. Say what you like about Spitfire but their products are more curated than anyone else's.


What I want to know.. does the nyckelharpa only do Scandi style Nyckelback covers?


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## easyrider (Jun 22, 2021)

d4vec4rter said:


> With the intro offer and loyalty discount, it came in at £259 (35% off). I think I'm correct in saying that the sale discount one normally gets from Spitfire hovers around the 40 - 50% mark. I would probably have to had waited until Black Friday for the next sale so I'm happy enough to forfeit about £20 to get it now. I've not noticed any glaringly prominent bugs yet but I've, obviously, not used it much. Time will tell I suppose.


Collections are 50% off plus…

Most new releases don’t go to 40% off in sales for over a year….

Stratus didn’t go 40% off until recently.

Neo was the same….

35% off is a decent deal if you want it now…


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## RM 13 (Jun 22, 2021)

Muddles said:


> ‘Curated’ is one of the most misused and overused words in the English language now, along with ‘iconic’ and ‘legendary’.


You left out the worst in these categories... EPIC😂


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## easyrider (Jun 22, 2021)

Muddles said:


> ‘Curated’ is one of the most misused and overused words in the English language now, along with ‘iconic’ and ‘legendary’.


Bloviator! 😂


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## holywilly (Jun 22, 2021)

I bought Solstices after watch the premier. I love everything except the orchestral content, well…


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## wahey73 (Jun 22, 2021)

Muddles said:


> ‘Curated’ is one of the most misused and overused words in the English language now, along with ‘iconic’ and ‘legendary’.


or in our field even "cinematic"


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## Simeon (Jun 22, 2021)

doctoremmet said:


> Make sure to also check @Simeon ‘s channel - he seems a likely review candidate too


Oh yes, Solstice has arrived. I am still wondering through the different layers of it to get my head wrapped around some of the aspects. There is a lot of humanness injected into a lot of the patches, there are little performance artifacts that make things breathe and provide a little bit of the unexpected at times, I think this might be what they were calling the "un-notated" feel of this library.
It is a very interesting package to be sure. Stay tuned!


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## from_theashes (Jun 22, 2021)

I have to say: I haven‘t heard any demos or watched the walkthrough yet (will do it tonight)… But to those who have Solstice and Neo:
which one has the „better“ string section, when looking for a bread&butter-chamber section?
I think I will dig the over all content in Solstice more tbh.


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## Evans (Jun 22, 2021)

from_theashes said:


> I have to say: I haven‘t heard any demos or watched the walkthrough yet (will do it tonight)… But to those who have Solstice and Neo:
> which one has the „better“ string section, when looking for a bread&butter-chamber section?
> I think I will dig the over all content in Solstice more tbh.


I would never think to call Solstice bread and butter for chamber strings. There's too much "performance" baked into the instruments, in the very least.

Albion NEO doesn't really fit that bill either, with its Strings A and Strings B approach. It also doesn't have the "standard" articulations you'd expect.

If you want Spitfire and you want chamber strings, then go Spitfire Chamber Strings. It's far more expensive off sale, but as the saying goes, "buy cheap and you buy twice (or more)."


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## d4vec4rter (Jun 22, 2021)

from_theashes said:


> I have to say: I haven‘t heard any demos or watched the walkthrough yet (will do it tonight)… But to those who have Solstice and Neo:
> which one has the „better“ string section, when looking for a bread&butter-chamber section?
> I think I will dig the over all content in Solstice more tbh.


Solstice certainly isn't what I'd describe as a "bread & butter" library - more "niche" than anything else and the strings are a very small part of a much broader range of other instruments.


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## from_theashes (Jun 22, 2021)

Evans said:


> I would never think to call Solstice bread and butter for chamber strings. There's too much "performance" baked into the instruments, in the very least.
> 
> Albion NEO doesn't really fit that bill either, with its Strings A and Strings B approach. It also doesn't have the "standard" articulations you'd expect.
> 
> If you want Spitfire and you want chamber strings, then go Spitfire Chamber Strings. It's far more expensive off sale, but as the saying goes, "buy cheap and you buy twice (or more)."


Ok… maybe „bread&butter“ was missleading^^ I want AlbionONE but small and intimate


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## d4vec4rter (Jun 22, 2021)

from_theashes said:


> Ok… maybe „bread&butter“ was missleading^^ I want AlbionONE but small and intimate


Neo or Tundra might be your best bet there.


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## jbuhler (Jun 22, 2021)

from_theashes said:


> Ok… maybe „bread&butter“ was missleading^^ I want AlbionONE but small and intimate


You’re describing one face of Neo.


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## Bluemount Score (Jun 22, 2021)

Jdiggity1 said:


> *Don't *buy this for the legatos (you have enough already).
> *Do *buy it for the excellent selection of grooves and loops. Not only the organic percussion but "the visitor" grooves too. (Kudos to whoever programmed those!)
> *Don't *buy it if you want to sound like a traditional orchestra. The dynamic range is rather limited.
> *Do *buy it for the unique articulations that you probably can't get anywhere else yet, like tremolo bowed bells. Gorgeous!
> *Don't *buy it if you can't bare the thought of more evos, swarms, or artisan longs.


Just gotta mention all these points sound very much Spitfire to me lol


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## mafgar (Jun 22, 2021)

Lots of people saying they already have sounds like this covered in other libraries, could yall share which?


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## Greeno (Jun 22, 2021)

Sounds like a really lovely library, lots of content and the vibes are clear for sure. Very tempting!
Fair play to Spitfire, I think they've rounded the defenders and nutmegged the keeper with this one (excuse my Euro2021 analogy)


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## Greeno (Jun 22, 2021)

mafgar said:


> Lots of people saying they already have sounds like this covered in other libraries, could yall share which?


In terms of Spitfire for me the existing Evo grids in Tundra, OACE for the undulating evo chamber string sounds, Orchestral swarm for the pontillistic undulating sounds...
Eduardo Tarilonte's libraries have comprehensive amount of traditional instruments and pads but not Evos. So for example Era 2 Medieval, Celtic Era, Dark Era, Era 2 Vocal Codex...there are more


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## Evans (Jun 22, 2021)

RM 13 said:


> That's the rule for any kind of software these days. Nothing comes out as it should. It's totally frustrating.


Software development is like music (or anything, really). There's almost never a time at which everything is perfect. If you wait for that, it'll never get released.


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## doctoremmet (Jun 22, 2021)

mafgar said:


> Lots of people saying they already have sounds like this covered in other libraries, could yall share which?


Just based on listening to some demos:
- strings: intimate Ben Osterhouse stuff
- guitars: multiple libraries really, some of the Sonuscore ones, Waverunner Celestial Guitars
- UVI World Suite 2 instruments
- a lot of choir and vocal libraries (Vocalise 2, Waverunner Kat, Soundiron Mimi Page, 8Dio Soprano stuff)
- a lot of the Soniccouture libraries I have


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## Sarah Mancuso (Jun 22, 2021)

Interesting library, but I have to agree that the legato sounds seriously disappointing.


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## Evans (Jun 22, 2021)

It's kind of like Contemporary Drama Toolkit, right? "I have these sounds elsewhere... across five libraries at a combined cost of $800."


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## AndyP (Jun 22, 2021)

Daniel James said:


> I didn't say its not my thing per se. It actually sounds pretty good. The more textural and EVO type libraries from Spitfire are by far my favorite. I just feel I already have most of this type of sound covered, and the few little rough edges like poor legato and sucking effect just make me not quite so keen (you would think after 30 string libraries they might get the hang of it 😂).
> 
> On sale after some tweaks, I might reconsider. I just tend not to buy new Spitfire libraries these days until they fix all the stuff that is inevitably wrong with it, by which point they will probably be on sale and I will get some sale incentive (still mad about buying, I think it was BBC, only for it to be included in a sale a month later where you could get the aperture library for free). Being a Spitfire early adopter seems to be a negative thing unfortunatly.
> 
> -DJ


This!


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## RM 13 (Jun 22, 2021)

Evans said:


> Software development is like music (or anything, really). There's almost never a time at which everything is perfect. If you wait for that, it'll never get released.


Well, my impression is that (doctoremmet said it also above) devs are relying on the fact that they will fix the problematic areas of their software at some point in the future, so releasing a product being ready at 70%-80% it's ok. Again, far from the topic but you all remember Spitfire releasing BBCSO with broken legato which they fixed later. They didn't see that when they released it? Anyway, I am only encouraging developers to be more careful before they release their product and agreeing that most times you buy some brand new software, it needs patching. I'm not searching for perfection.


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## Mike Fox (Jun 22, 2021)

Wait a minute, Christian said that NEO was all i was going to need to take my scores into the next decade. 

What’s this Solstice funny business?!


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## RM 13 (Jun 22, 2021)

Mike Fox said:


> Wait a minute, Christian said that NEO was all i was going to need to take my scores into the next decade.
> 
> What’s this Solstice funny business?!


This one is for a new age, not just the next decade😋


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## jneebz (Jun 22, 2021)

OrangeCloud said:


> oh.. woah.... another spitfire strings library.... neat.


LOL. I don’t know whether to call you a troll or just really ignorant.


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## ism (Jun 22, 2021)

Yep, new library and a bunch of brand new users appear seemingly only to disparage it … hmmm.


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## Mike Fox (Jun 22, 2021)

RM 13 said:


> This one is for a new age, not just the next decade😋


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## Hendrixon (Jun 22, 2021)

Mike Fox said:


> Wait a minute, Christian said that NEO was all i was going to need to take my scores into the next decade.
> 
> What’s this Solstice funny business?!


You misunderstood... Neo is for the _next_ decade.
For this decade? well you need to buy other libraries of course.


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## Robert_G (Jun 22, 2021)

SimonCharlesHanna said:


> 2021 and this is spitfire legato. Crazy.
> View attachment 2021-06-22 10-26-04.mp4


Ive said it before......mind boggling what Spitfire allows to get past their quality control department. Wait......does Spitfire have a quality control department?


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## Jdiggity1 (Jun 22, 2021)

Mr Sakitumi said:


> What I want to know.. does the nyckelharpa only do Scandi style Nyckelback covers?


Sort of...

View attachment Look at this phonograph.mp3


(100% Solstice)


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## ism (Jun 22, 2021)

SimonCharlesHanna said:


> 2021 and this is spitfire legato. Crazy.
> View attachment 2021-06-22 10-26-04.mp4



This isn’t an orchestral legato. I certainly wouldn’t buy the library for the legato, but this strikes me as a very characterful legato that in the right context could sound a lot better that, say, CSS.

In the wrong context, of course, it could sound terrible. And I would implore people not to attempt with it Bach fugues, or high romantic passages of soaring and epic yearning, or intimate moments of introspection opon a sunrise over a Sweedish Glacier, or a breezy and playful meet-cute moment in a Parisian patisserie involving croissants …

But for a characterful, contextual, folk noir passage, the extremity and bendyness of the portamento could sound really, really fabulous.

It’s not the one legato to rule them all. But surely most of us have enough hight romantic string libraries that this is to be celebrated?


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## Evans (Jun 22, 2021)

ism said:


> But surely most of us have enough hight romantic string libraries


This is the only part of your post that doesn't make sense.


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## ism (Jun 22, 2021)

Evans said:


> This is the only part of your post that doesn't make sense.


Excellent point. 

To clarify, I certainly didn’t mean to imply that any of us have enough high romantic legato string libraries that we don’t need more high romantic legato string libraries. That would be silly. Just that most of us will have enough high romantic strings libraries that, once in a while, a slightly non-high romantic legato string library might also be nice. 

Just strictly for a bit of color and variation, and only until the next high romantic legato string library comes along, you understand.

Because no one should ever be made to feel that occasionally appreciating a non high-romantic legato string library should in any way question their devotion to high-romantic legato strings libraries in general.


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## Mike Fox (Jun 22, 2021)

Hendrixon said:


> You misunderstood...


Story of my life. 🤷‍♂️


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## Mr Sakitumi (Jun 22, 2021)

Jdiggity1 said:


> Sort of...
> 
> View attachment Look at this phonograph.mp3
> 
> ...


100% Nyckelbacka...0% legato necessary!


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## Evans (Jun 22, 2021)

Curtis is good stuff.


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## Instrugramm (Jun 22, 2021)

Evans said:


> I would never think to call Solstice bread and butter for chamber strings. There's too much "performance" baked into the instruments, in the very least.
> 
> Albion NEO doesn't really fit that bill either, with its Strings A and Strings B approach. It also doesn't have the "standard" articulations you'd expect.
> 
> If you want Spitfire and you want chamber strings, then go Spitfire Chamber Strings. It's far more expensive off sale, but as the saying goes, "buy cheap and you buy twice (or more)."


NEO has a pretty classical/cinematic sound (you probably want with your strings) and does mix nicely with Tundra and HZS out of the Box. (It also goes to say you can throw BBCSO and AROOF in the mix as well but you'll have to tinker with the reverb and mics a bit). Articulations are a bit limited but then again you should have more than one strings library anyway.

Solstice has a very intimate and distinctive sound and I actually wish SStS would sound more like it. The closest library I have regarding sound is L.A. Sessions by OT. The Articulations are even more "creative" than in NEO and might be hard to implement for some projects.


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## daan1412 (Jun 22, 2021)

I wish there was more straight-up folk in this library, but instead there's more "contemporary underscore" type of content. It feels too ambient/drone-oriented for my taste and the ensembles are too specific sounding. If only all the traditional instruments here were sampled separately... That said, I think it seems like a nice library for what they wanted it to be. Spitfire definitely executed their vision for this product pretty well.


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## stratus (Jun 22, 2021)

daan1412 said:


> I wish there was more straight-up folk in this library, but instead there's more "contemporary underscore" type of content. It feels too ambient/drone-oriented for my taste and the ensembles are too specific sounding. If only all the traditional instruments here were sampled separately... That said, I think it seems like a nice library for what they wanted it to be. Spitfire definitely executed their vision for this product pretty well.



You nailed it, that's my only complaint, there's not enough folk. I can't really hear the nykleharpa very well, for instance. I'd love to hear more folk in this folk library.

I bought the library, it's worth it to me, I'd buy it again, but daan1412 hit upon something important, I think.


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## Marsen (Jun 22, 2021)

Couldn´t stop noodling around. So I made a short test/piece with Solstice. 
View attachment Albion Solstice P1.mp3

100% Albion Solstice.


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## Turloch (Jun 22, 2021)

stratus said:


> You nailed it, that's my only complaint, there's not enough folk. I can't really hear the nykleharpa very well, for instance. I'd love to hear more folk in this folk library.
> 
> I bought the library, it's worth it to me, I'd buy it again, but daan1412 hit upon something important, I think.


Thanks for posting that (and daan1412), it was a question in my head about the extent of the folkiness. Im torn between solstice and slate and ashes new release, landforms and was leaning toward solstice due to my wish for a folk slanted library. Now Im torn again. Both sound amazing but my pockets only have space for one. And both seem to achieve similar goals (at least in my head) and have their own uniqueness.

Hopefully there will be plenty of reviews before the intro prices on both run out. How I long for the day for trial periods for libraries.


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## Seycara (Jun 22, 2021)

SimonCharlesHanna said:


> 2021 and this is spitfire legato. Crazy.
> View attachment 2021-06-22 10-26-04.mp4


Welcome to the _*Future of Sampling*_


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## GMT (Jun 22, 2021)

After watching some videos, I feel the voices sound nice enough, but the rest not so impressed. Guess it's a no from me.


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## Alchemedia (Jun 22, 2021)

Developers are clearly becoming more & more desperate in a highly saturated market and doing everything possible to encourage impulse shopping via hype, games and sales (nevermind some of the ridiculously inflated prices) while counting on as many early adapters as possible before the initial buzz wears off and reality sets in. The longer you wait, the less likely you'll need it. Being lactose intolerant, I never fell for the "Got Milk?" campaign.


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## ism (Jun 22, 2021)

The glass half full version of this story is that, now that there's lots of bread and butter libraries in the bag, not only is the price of them coming down drastically, but samplers are able to expand their artistic vision from just sampling the same basic high romantic legato over and over again and set out in exploration of more adventurous sonic spaces.

Solstice probably isn't for me (at least not before Neo). But it's full of absolutely beautiful sound, and curated with what seems to me an acute ear and coherent artistic vision. The trailers didn't do much for me, and among "modern", "cinematic", "fold", and especially "noir" ... I'm 0 for 4 in terms of what I need right now.

But it's still beautiful library, and like the best sample libraries - ie Tundra, Tallinn, Sunset Strings, Sospiro strings - rather a lovely work of art in its own right in how it realizes a particular artistic vision.

I know some people get very disappointed when Spitfire makes a library that isn't designed specifically to cater to their specific personal tastes and needs. But surely we can recognize that there will be people for whom this will is perfect, and be happy for them.

Looks awfully fun to play with though. Maybe in a nice BF bundle some day ...

In any event, I'm still wholly absorbed in fully understanding just how great EWC, Tallin, Sunset Strings and a few other recent libraries are. Which takes the sting out of sitting this one out.


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## Sarah Mancuso (Jun 22, 2021)

ism said:


> The glass half full version of this story is that, now that there's lots of bread and butter libraries in the bag, not only is the price of them coming down drastically, but samplers are able to expand their artistic vision from just sampling the same basic high romantic legato over and over again and set out in exploration of more adventurous sonic spaces.


I don't think the legato needs to sound "high romantic", I just don't think it sounds very convincing at what it _is_ doing...


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## from_theashes (Jun 22, 2021)

jbuhler said:


> You’re describing one face of Neo.


Jep… I watched both walkthroughs (again) today and Neo (still) seems to be the perfect fit. Sorry Solstice, I‘ll pass. But it’s definitely an innovativ library!


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## ism (Jun 22, 2021)

Sarah Mancuso said:


> I don't think the legato needs to sound "high romantic", I just don't think it sounds very convincing at what it _is_ doing...


Yes, I'm being a bit tongue in cheek. And I suppose it could be just bad sampling. But my first impression was more that this sounds like it could be great and characterful in the right context.

Probably a messy, impolite, noisy context  

More (as someone was saying to me earlier) like AltSS than SCS or CSS.


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## Marsen (Jun 22, 2021)

Marsen said:


> Couldn´t stop noodling around. So I made a short test/piece with Solstice.
> View attachment Albion Solstice P1.mp3
> 
> 100% Albion Solstice.


Made a second, bit
View attachment Albion Solstice P2.mp3

more cleaned up version.
Here you go.


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## Daniel James (Jun 22, 2021)

ism said:


> The glass half full version of this story is that, now that there's lots of bread and butter libraries in the bag, not only is the price of them coming down drastically, but samplers are able to expand their artistic vision from just sampling the same basic high romantic legato over and over again and set out in exploration of more adventurous sonic spaces.


The problem with niche libraries is they usually don't sell in the same quantities I imagine. Which is something I have been saying for years, usually to quite a hostile backlash. Its risky to build your company on a finite resource. Without any major technical advancements in sampling, there are only so many ways you can record an orchestra before people no longer _need _a new one.

I mean we are already at Brand name stage of sampling....ie people are not buying our regular orchestras now so we have to add BBC, Hans Zimmer, Abbey Road, in order to shift regular stock. Tie that in with high overheads....you are forced to move into territories and compete with companies who already established and have the market cornered. Thats why we see the marketing wankery we do these days. The writing is on the wall I think. And sure I am sure we will see some aggressive expansion, usually in the form of providing free/cheap products of certain types to undercut the smaller devs who are showing success, then heavily marketing yourself as the expert of that field, and using those paid for positions to discredit and disregard detractors..... I mean its as if someone went to marketing school over there 😂

They have 30 SKU's with strings in them now. Is there really a _demand_ for more? Their marketing is some of the strongest out there and I have no doubt all the full page ads in music magazines aimed at electronic musicians who simply don't care that there is some solid competition out there makes up a sizable portion of their user base, And they know the names BBC, Hans Zimmer, and Abbey Road so they MUST be the best right? but I have to believe that's also a market that wont consistently keep investing in more string libraries over time, meaning at the end of the day it will come down to those that are investing in their composing career or hobby. And as time goes by I see more and more people in that field sharing, lets say discontent, with how things are going.

Lets be honest, Spitfire are the market leaders for orchestral samples, I just want their quality to match their position, and to keep holding them to that standard. Great samples benefit all of us, but mediocre programming which can be outclassed by solo developers is unacceptable by them in 2021 (in my honest opinion). I wish they would invest the same time and energy into making these libraries AMAZING rather than spending time and money on more cameras, fancy lighting and wanky marketing campaigns. Because if the quality dips, as I feel it has, they are in for a bumpy future as they saturate themselves out of the market.

Just my opinion of course. But its hard for me to see the glass as half full. I want them to start killing it again!

-DJ


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## Braveheart (Jun 22, 2021)

Daniel James said:


> The problem with niche libraries is they usually don't sell in the same quantities I imagine. Which is something I have been saying for years, usually to quite a hostile backlash. Its risky to build your company on a finite resource. Without any major technical advancements in sampling, there are only so many ways you can record an orchestra before people no longer _need _a new one.
> 
> I mean we are already at Brand name stage of sampling....ie people are not buying our regular orchestras now so we have to add BBC, Hans Zimmer, Abbey Road, in order to shift regular stock. Tie that in with high overheads....you are forced to move into territories and compete with companies who already established and have the market cornered. Thats why we see the marketing wankery we do these days. The writing is on the wall I think. And sure I am sure we will see some aggressive expansion, usually in the form of providing free/cheap products of certain types to undercut the smaller devs who are showing success, then heavily marketing yourself as the expert of that field, and using those paid for positions to discredit and disregard detractors..... I mean its as if someone went to marketing school over there 😂
> 
> ...


For that, they would need to hire you as lead designer and producer, but it sadly won’t be TA-day


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## InLight-Tone (Jun 22, 2021)

Way too niche for me...


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## InLight-Tone (Jun 22, 2021)

Daniel James said:


> but I have to believe that's also a market that wont consistently keep investing in more string libraries over time, meaning at the end of the day it will come down to those that are investing in their composing career or hobby.


Boom, as well as the "collectors"...


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## borisb2 (Jun 22, 2021)

Daniel James said:


> Their marketing is some of the strongest out there


Curated untold Folk Noir..

That is indeed something. I am speechless.. why does it has to be untold? And if it is really untold, who told Spitfire? The Curator?


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## Studio E (Jun 22, 2021)

What I love about this library already, is the incredible amount of character it exudes. I am totally a Spitfire fanboy. I'm playing through sounds and there are things that on the demos, I thought "Yeah, nice but not really for me", and yet, now that I'm playing the short strings, of which I have 437 options, I'm like "holy shit!". I just played a progression I've never played for the first time ever. Maybe it's just serendipitous, but it does make me think a certain way. The synth stuff is on a whole other level of bad-assery. I can see where this might not check someone else's boxes, and honestly, when I initially saw what the library was, I really thought" Ok, I can wait on this", but then when I saw the cassette library and heard some of the other patches, and saw my discount for owning other Albions, I was all-in. No regrets!


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## d4vec4rter (Jun 22, 2021)

Studio E said:


> What I love about this library already, is the incredible amount of character it exudes. I am totally a Spitfire fanboy. I'm playing through sounds and there are things that on the demos, I thought "Yeah, nice but not really for me", and yet, now that I'm playing the short strings, of which I have 437 options, I'm like "holy shit!". I just played a progression I've never played for the first time ever. Maybe it's just serendipitous, but it does make me think a certain way. The synth stuff is on a whole other level of bad-assery. I can see where this might not check someone else's boxes, and honestly, when I initially saw what the library was, I really thought" Ok, I can wait on this", but then when I saw the cassette library and heard some of the other patches, and saw my discount for owning other Albions, I was all-in. No regrets!


I had the same initial reservations but went ahead and bought it about half way through Paul Thomson's walkthrough. I've just been playing around with it and applying some of Paul's tips and techniques from his excellent video (below) and been getting some wonderful sounds, especially when layered with Tundra.


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## Wally Garten (Jun 22, 2021)

Sunny Schramm said:


> In Paul´s Walkthrough I´m not tempted for the strings, brass, whistles, etc. - but the choir, percs & loops, guitars and blaggards are very interesting.


Yeah, same here. The strings and brass are nice enough but not the main draw. (The strings in particular may be redundant if you have LCO/ASS.) But the choir has some really neat tricks (I've never heard the "Songbath" thing anywhere else), and I think the folk instruments and the bells, even though they're not exactly unkown, maybe haven't been done as ensembles in quite this way before. (I really like the idea of an ensemble of "vibes, celeste, dulcitone, glockenspiel, bike bells, hand drums, and various elements of found percussion"!) Same with the little electric guitar/bass trio. 

I think this is sort of like the BHCT ensembles -- maybe you normally prefer to keep your trumpets and your xylophones separate, but BHCT asks you to imagine what you'd do with them together. Same thing here, really. It's not trying to be comprehensive or give you fine-grained control, but it is trying to inspire. 

I like it. 

That's to say nothing of the "Cassette Orchestra" and the "Drone Grid" aspects, some of which are also up my alley, and which definitely expand the library's palette. (And I don't usually care for "sound design from our orchestral recordings" content, but a lot of this stays closer to the organic source material -- the vocal pads still sound like vocals, the brass still sound like brass.) It's really a very generous, interesting set of content.


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## HeliaVox (Jun 22, 2021)

I have to say, after playing around with Solstice for a couple of hours yesterday, that this is by far my favorite Spitfire library yet. IDK what it is, I just groove with this thing. I connect to this more than any other Albion library, and most anything else I own by Spitfire.


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## iMovieShout (Jun 22, 2021)

Most of these sounds already exist elsewhere - especially Omnisphere and other Albions. So it really seems like easy money for SA and nothing unique for the industry, unless this is aimed at beginners with a need for a bumbling noise library.


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## szczaw (Jun 22, 2021)

I bought a couple of SF libraries on sale because I thought that they provide a very good value. While they absolutely do in general, the musical aesthetics of the people behind SF are different from mine. This is what stopped my purchase of discounted HZ strings. In a saturated market, it may be helpful to broaden your criteria. If you don't like how a developer looks, don't buy his libraries


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## Kevperry777 (Jun 22, 2021)

SimonCharlesHanna said:


> 2021 and this is spitfire legato. Crazy.
> View attachment 2021-06-22 10-26-04.mp4


My jaw hit the floor that this was only a few minutes into the walkthrough. What in the world...you can basically create a better legato yourself in Kontakt.


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## AndyP (Jun 22, 2021)

With Spitfire it is apparently like with football. You are either thrilled, disappointed or bored.

I can't decide between option 2 and 3, but found the move in the 12th minute quite appealing.


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## StillLife (Jun 22, 2021)

I am intrigued. What I hear from Paul's walkthrough in particular does flex my musical muscles (not that I am remotely a body builder in that regard (or any regard for that matter), but still). It's marketed as a cinematic library (as are all Albions), but I can hear it being used in pop/rock/indie also. Someone wrote that there is an 'earthy' quality to the sounds, and I can comply - at least from what I heard thusfar. Also, an abundance of content! Do I have these sounds already? Not to my knowledge...

I actually regretted buying Tundra (too wet for me), but this one might be right up my alley. And having Tundra at least gives me 35% off now...

As for Spitfire's marketing... it is such a hallmark of their brand that I think many of us would feel estranged if they'd just say: here's another perfectly fine library for you all, please buy and enjoy. Also, I have never ever come across a Spitfire add while watching Youtube, they just send me a mail (as I am on their mailing list) and advertise here (luckily, as I also visit this place to learn about new libraries and sales etc). To me that's quite classy, non-obtrusive marketing.


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## Marsen (Jun 22, 2021)

jpb007.uk said:


> , unless this is aimed at beginners with a need for a bumbling noise library.


Oh this is bullshit. Please stay objective or just mute. No need to be rude.


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## Toecutter (Jun 22, 2021)

Solstice does a lot more than the somber sound associated with SF textural offerings. Listen to the Nickelback demo posted in this thread, it's a good example of how lively and playable this library can be. No regrets so far, dodgy legato and all!


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## StillLife (Jun 22, 2021)

jpb007.uk said:


> Most of these sounds already exist elsewhere - especially Omnisphere and other Albions. So it really seems like easy money for SA and nothing unique for the industry, unless this is aimed at beginners with a need for a bumbling noise library.


Easy money? As if they stole these sounds from Omni and other Albions and now sell it under a new name... And following your logic Omni and the other Albions are aimed at beginners with that same need then. I beg to differ.


jpb007.uk said:


> Most of these sounds already exist elsewhere - especially Omnisphere and other Albions. So it really seems like easy money for SA and nothing unique for the industry, unless this is aimed at beginners with a need for a bumbling noise library.


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## Casiquire (Jun 22, 2021)

What in the world is up with all the comments saying that there's nothing new in this library 😐 i can't think of anything that sounds quite like what i heard in the walkthrough. There's definitely Spitfire fanboyism which gets on my nerves but it seems like there is also unfair criticism against them. And this is coming from someone who doesn't own nor is even interested in a single product from them (free Pianobook aside)


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## chrisav (Jun 22, 2021)

Casiquire said:


> What in the world is up with all the comments saying that there's nothing new in this library 😐 i can't think of anything that sounds quite like what i heard in the walkthrough. There's definitely Spitfire fanboyism which gets on my nerves but it seems like there is also unfair criticism against them. And this is coming from someone who doesn't own nor is even interested in a single product from them (free Pianobook aside)


Just some good old-fashioned childish internet polarisation! You love to see it.


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## Double Helix (Jun 22, 2021)

Casiquire said:


> What in the world is up with all the comments saying that there's nothing new in this library 😐 i can't think of anything that sounds quite like what i heard in the walkthrough. There's definitely Spitfire fanboyism which gets on my nerves but it seems like there is also unfair criticism against them. . .


+1
Aesop got the big money for circumstances like these (The [cough] Fox and [cough] the Grapes--reaches for a Ricola)
But I can see @Daniel James' point, in post #348, as well.

The Helix family is currently in the midst of a self-imposed moratorium since the various spring/summer sales. Make no mistake--Solstice is filling a niche, whether it's a "need"? Time will tell.


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## Alex Niedt (Jun 22, 2021)

After a day with the library, I really feel the marketing and rather one-note demo content does it a disservice. Either that, or it simply requires hands on to fully appreciate, regardless of marketing. I own SO MANY LIBRARIES, and to say this can all be had in various other libraries is not only untrue, but you'd certainly spend more than $291 (price if you already own Albion content) to come anywhere remotely close. On top of that, the massive content in this single library already has a cohesive sound with an interesting character of its own. Upon first glance at the demos and walkthroughs, it seemed like a potentially regrettable purchase, but I got more and more excited and inspired upon diving through the folders and playing through the sounds myself (a bit of an overwhelming task), discovering the various gems. And while Solstice naturally reminded me of other sounds I own, I often thought, "Ooh, don't have an articulation like that," or "Ahh, that's how I wished that other library sounded."


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## jbuhler (Jun 22, 2021)

ism said:


> Yes, I'm being a bit tongue in cheek. And I suppose it could be just bad sampling. But my first impression was more that this sounds like it could be great and characterful in the right context.
> 
> Probably a messy, impolite, noisy context
> 
> More (as someone was saying to me earlier) like AltSS than SCS or CSS.


Having now had a chance to play with it, that's my sense, too, and I imagine those who dislike Solstice legato dislike AltSS legato, too, believing it to be a bad legato rather than one engineered for the library AltSS is. The legatos throughout Solstice are somewhat uneven and rough, but I've already come to like the fact that the legatos extend throughout the range of the instruments and they opted to give a full range of legatos rather than limit it to ensure evenness of tone across the legato. I find the roughness appealing and it fits the general tenor of the library.


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## TomaeusD (Jun 22, 2021)

It's amazing how much variety you'll find in this Albion! I'm having even more fun with it than I anticipated.


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## mafgar (Jun 22, 2021)

Damn yall some of you sound so salty and toxic. Wish the sucking thing wasn't a thing but they've said many times it's on purpose cause they prefer having control over how the notes fade vs having a predetermined release envelope.. it's not a case of "not having figured it out by now" They specifically said why.. I aint a fan but sometimes the comments on here just sound so mouth breathy and rooted in some bizarre spite. If you're not actively contributing to the conversation with something constructive and you're just tearing down the hard work of arguably one of the most charitable devs then idk it just seems like maybe you should go actually finish some music people will care about? like prove everyone wrong and write good music without it. I'm dumb for even engaging in it cause I'm not new to the internet and this sort of thing but there are real people behind these products who spend a ton of time and if it's not your thing that's totally fine but damn do you really have to be so harsh over some fuckin digital horn sounds jfc

Think the idea and the sounds in the library are pretty cool. I like how it's not drenched in reverb like alot of the SA libraries, and cassette orchestra sounds ace 👍


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## Wally Garten (Jun 22, 2021)

TomaeusD said:


> It's amazing how much variety you'll find in this Albion! I'm having even more fun with it than I anticipated.



Wow. That first part reminds me a lot of '90s Bill Frisell. Really lovely.


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## Daniel James (Jun 22, 2021)

mafgar said:


> Damn yall some of you sound so salty and toxic. Wish the sucking thing wasn't a thing but they've said many times it's on purpose cause they prefer having control over how the notes fade vs having a predetermined release envelope.. it's not a case of "not having figured it out by now" They specifically said why.. I aint a fan but sometimes the comments on here just sound so mouth breathy and rooted in some bizarre spite. If you're not actively contributing to the conversation with something constructive and you're just tearing down the hard work of arguably one of the most charitable devs then idk it just seems like maybe you should go actually finish some music people will care about? like prove everyone wrong and write good music without it. I'm dumb for even engaging in it cause I'm not new to the internet and this sort of thing but there are real people behind these products who spend a ton of time and if it's not your thing that's totally fine but damn do you really have to be so harsh over some fuckin digital horn sounds jfc
> 
> Think the idea and the sounds in the library are pretty cool. I like how it's not drenched in reverb like alot of the SA libraries, and cassette orchestra sounds ace 👍


Hello anonymous user. (they always have the spiciest rhetoric huh)

I'm actually working on 3 popular IP video games currently, and my clients are seemingly loving my work, all without this library, shock horror. So one _can_ be actively working and still share an opinion on a message board designed for the sharing of opinions. If you don't like them you can counter them with points of your own. Or you can just moan, as usual, behind anonymity and leap to the defence of the largest company in our industry who I think is fair, as the market leader, to hold to a higher standard.

Being honest and being harsh are different things. Again no one leaps to the defence of Native Instruments, no one crawls out the woodwork for Izotope. But the second someone shares an opinion of Spitfire they don't like, folks like you come seeping in to defend them.

And the defence of "it sounds shit because they want it to sound shit" isn't a particularly strong argument to sway my feelings towards your argument. Maybe take a sit down, cool off and try again with some actual points instead of the childish bluster.

If you like the library just buy it. No one is stopping you. I'm just saying it isn't for me and, in some detail, explaining why. I am not claiming objective truth, just subjective opinion. If people disagree that is fine. I will keep to my career and you keep to yours. The constant crying from you types helps even less than criticism, regardless of how blunt.

Every time 😂

-DJ


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## duanran007 (Jun 22, 2021)

Bought Solstice and Landforms(from Slate+Ash) yesterday
Used them together for a 1-min cue and earned twice back on the same day
Better than bitcoin


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## CT (Jun 22, 2021)

TomaeusD said:


> It's amazing how much variety you'll find in this Albion! I'm having even more fun with it than I anticipated.



Hey this sounds really cool. It reminds me a little of some of Eno's/Budd's _The Pearl_.


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## Mike Fox (Jun 22, 2021)

I wish that female choir could be individually purchased. Sounds dope as hell!

I’d probably buy Solstice just for that, but i just spent over 2K on a new amp. Faaaack!!!!


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## Manfred (Jun 22, 2021)

So 


Markrs said:


> I think that is a rule with most libraries and plugins, don’t be an early adopter. You will basically be a beta tester for issues and the discount will likely be greater in the future, plus less bugs.
> 
> I’m sure there are some exceptions to this rule, but I find it holds for 90% of sample/plug-in companies


So true..patience, young grasshopper!


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## TomaeusD (Jun 22, 2021)

Wally Garten said:


> Wow. That first part reminds me a lot of '90s Bill Frisell. Really lovely.





Mike T said:


> Hey this sounds really cool. It reminds me a little of some of Eno's/Budd's _The Pearl_.


Thank you both! Those are some great musicians, I'm happy to bring them to mind!

One thing I love about Solstice is how dry it is compared to the other Albions I've heard and used. The strings are much closer to SStS or LCO which is more useful to me.


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## Manfred (Jun 22, 2021)

I’m gonna pick it up on “Black Friday” for $89 (US). Will be worth both the price and the wait! Till then, I’m all over Albion One (still)!


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## Jdiggity1 (Jun 22, 2021)

Daniel James said:


> Hello anonymous user. (they always have the spiciest rhetoric huh)
> 
> I'm actually working on 3 popular IP video games currently, and my clients are seemingly loving my work, all without this library, shock horror. So one _can_ be actively working and still share an opinion on a message board designed for the sharing of opinions. If you don't like them you can counter them with points of your own. Or you can just moan, as usual, behind anonymity and leap to the defence of the largest company in our industry who I think is fair, as the market leader, to hold to a higher standard.
> 
> ...


Have you had your knees checked lately? They're jerking like crazy. 

You say _"...*the second* someone shares an opinion of Spitfire they don't like, folks like you come seeping in to defend them."_ after we've had 10 pages (200 posts?) since release, most of which are criticisms, before this *single *uncontrollable fanboy showed up to vent.
It seems you took his post personally when it wasn't even directed at you (bonus points for the humble brag though).
And yes, people do leap in to defend NI, iZotope, SampleLogic, Sonokinetic, etc etc. I see it all the time. In fact a Cinesamples one just recently. But that shouldn't even be relevant right now...

My point being... and I'd say the same to the "anonymous poster" you referenced.... relax.
It didn't get personal. It didn't get nasty. And it doesn't have to. But the more victimization and finger pointing we play, the higher the chances are for it go in that direction.


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## Daniel James (Jun 22, 2021)

Jdiggity1 said:


> Have you had your knees checked lately? They're jerking like crazy.
> 
> I like how you say _"...*the second* someone shares an opinion of Spitfire they don't like, folks like you come seeping in to defend them."_ after we've had 10 pages (200 posts?) since release, most of which are criticisms, before this *single *uncontrollable fanboy showed up to vent.
> It seems you took his post personally when it wasn't even directed at you (bonus points for turning it into a humble brag though).
> ...


Fuck it, not arguing with a mod again. Be as condescending as you like. I am proud of my career and won't be made to feel bad about it. I didn't say everyone who disagreed was a 'fanboy', its been very civil, just this specific guy showing typical SF defence symptoms. You extrapolated everything beyond that.

-DJ


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## Instrugramm (Jun 22, 2021)

Just finished writing a whole song using mainly the cassette orchestra... I'm gonna go out on a limb and state that (opinions and stuff) this is my favourite Spitfire library. It's niche and maybe I'm a niche person but this just ticks a million boxes and there are sounds in there I definitely don't have in any other library (and I own more libraries than anybody really needs...).


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## Mike Fox (Jun 22, 2021)

Instrugramm said:


> I'm gonna go out on a limb and state that (opinions and stuff) this is my favourite Spitfire library.


Not sure if I’ve seen so many similar comments about a new Spitfire release before. Seems like the people who bought Solstice are really digging it! Very cool!


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## Mike Fox (Jun 22, 2021)

Studio E said:


> What I love about this library already, is the incredible amount of character it exudes. I am totally a Spitfire fanboy. I'm playing through sounds and there are things that on the demos, I thought "Yeah, nice but not really for me", and yet, now that I'm playing the short strings, of which I have 437 options, I'm like "holy shit!". I just played a progression I've never played for the first time ever. Maybe it's just serendipitous, but it does make me think a certain way. The synth stuff is on a whole other level of bad-assery. I can see where this might not check someone else's boxes, and honestly, when I initially saw what the library was, I really thought" Ok, I can wait on this", but then when I saw the cassette library and heard some of the other patches, and saw my discount for owning other Albions, I was all-in. No regrets!


Haha! That’s awesome!

I too have some favorite libraries that make me think a certain way when it comes to composing. They just totally pull me out of my tiny box i normally reside in, and help me realize that there’s a little more to my skills as a composer than i thought.

It’s awesome that Solstice has that effect on you!


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## Toecutter (Jun 22, 2021)

I'll say it again: my best purchase of 2021 so far, it surpassed Tallis for the inspiration aid and I don't even write folk music. Same deal with Jade, I never got to use it contextually but fire it up all the time and get inspired by it. Solstice is a niche library but not THAT nice that I can't use it in my hacky anime work XD

Why people have such a hard time reading negative feedback in this forum? Let DJ or anyone else have their word, it's harmless. I love Solstice but couldn't care less if everyone here hated it... that's the point of the forum, share our different opinions. Why it always have to become personal? I like reading DJ posts, especially the ones I disagree with. He's very passionate about sample libraries (*not the people behind them*) and always brings something to think about. I enjoy examining my libraries from different perspectives, it forces me to get out of my safe zone to try new things. The personal remarks are so boring and off-topic.


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## sourcefor (Jun 22, 2021)

This or Olafor Arnold chamber evo!


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## Manfred (Jun 22, 2021)

We’re all in post-Covid PTSD! 
Cure = write music, share inspiration, find community!
Patience, compassion, and heart-intention!
Stay strong brothers and sisters!


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## NoamL (Jun 22, 2021)

Not really a pressure buy because I don't immediately need it, but the sounds are lovely. If Spitfire does a Black Friday deal on the Albions I'll definitely be picking up this one, Tundra, and maybe the mountaintop one too.

I already use Iceni quite a bit..


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## Frederick (Jun 23, 2021)

The people that were posting about 'Alien' influences in Solstice before its release were giving me hope that this might be something for my latest template, which is hybrid orchestral *). Unfortunately for me Soltice is (warped/mangled?) folklore, which I'm not into. I do like a lot of the ethnic stuff out there in general, but for my taste this is a bridge too far. 

Still, I think Spitfire is showing guts to do a library that is so far out of mainstream that it must be hurting its sales potential, rather than repeating itself. 

*) Core of the template: Heavyocity's Novo, Forzo, Vento and Ascend, ProjectSAM's Symphobia 4: Pandora and Adaptive Runs and a subset of Zero-G's Etheral libraries. All my other orchestral templates are built around a specific recording room, but with hybrid that doesn't make sense. I went with ProjectSAM's Symphobia 3: Lumina instead of Solstice to add fairy dust so to speak - just in a different direction than if Solstice had been more like an 'Alien' library.


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## d4vec4rter (Jun 23, 2021)

Toecutter said:


> Why it always have to become personal? I like reading DJ posts, especially the ones I disagree with. He's very passionate about sample libraries (*not the people behind them*) and always brings something to think about. I enjoy examining my libraries from different perspectives, it forces me to get out of my safe zone to try new things. The personal remarks are so boring and off-topic.


Absolutely! DJ is an excellent composer and his videos are very inspirational. No doubt about his passion for what he does. He's entitled to his opinion as is everyone else but laying into a guy who came to SA's defence (especially when the post wasn't even specifically directed at him) is a bit out of order and has the potential to get unnecessarily personal.

Spitfire Audio are one of the leaders in this game and they have some great products. They are where they are for a reason and the world of digital music composition would be a poorer place without them. I enjoy watching Spitfire videos immensely. They are very informative and I learn a lot from them. We should all respect long time successful composers who are so willing to pass on their knowledge to us and provide us with the tools to create the amazing music we can today. I often think back to the time I started off in this recording game with just a 4-Track Cassette Recorder, a Drum Machine and an Electric Guitar compared to what I use today.

We all have a choice. To buy their products if you like them (and can afford them) or not buy them if you don't. As with all products and especially software, there's always a risk of bugs, glitches, issues, etc. and it will be the vendor's duty to do what they can to resolve these and to accept criticism if they don't. There's a difference between strong marketing and invasive/aggressive marketing. Personally, I'm not seeing any type of aggressive marketing from Spitfire. I'm not getting bombarded by emails and I don't see their adverts on social media any more than any other company's.

Success breeds resentment, of course, and we will always have the keyboard warriors who like nothing better than an opportunity to have a good old swipe at a company on social media just because they can and have nothing else better to do. I'm all for subjective and objective comment - it's why I join forums but I do get thoroughly p155ed off with the trolls and those who find it impossible to say anything nice about anyone or anything.

OK. My thoughts for this morning are over. Time for a cup of tea.


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## Ricgus3 (Jun 23, 2021)

Solstice is for me, when i can afford it . I read through this thread and watched the demos and listen to all your sampels you post here. Sounds amazing to me, as I don't own that many libraries this really fits alot of gaps for me (intimiate sounding, also have been eyeing NEO for a year), I also really love the dark Folklore stuff. Getting ideas to write Dark Fatansy/Pirates/Horror with Soltice.


In these times of Covid (post covid for some), people are more stressed and, I see this en everyday life as a teacher and in the internet conversations and common interaction out in the real world. Take a deep breath and remmeber like so many other say: If it is now for you, it is not for you .

Like a wise individual once said in a movie: Fear leads to anger (fear of being wrong? fear you made a mistake?), Anger leads to Hate, hate leads to suffering. Don't suffer over small stuff <3

Take Care all you beautiful composers!


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## dave.irrlicht (Jun 23, 2021)

So, I managed to resist yesterday, but am getting twitchy fingers again today- and being an Albion owner, I am finding the added bonus of the 35% off quite tricky. I've watched the walk-throughs and read this thread.. maybe I should just pull the trigger, so to speak.


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## David Baran (Jun 23, 2021)

TomaeusD said:


> It's amazing how much variety you'll find in this Albion! I'm having even more fun with it than I anticipated.



Would it be wrong for me to say that strangely somehow this gives me an earthy Blade Runner vibe? Listening to it, I kind of checked out for a sec and the next thing I knew I was in an earthy Blade Runner zone.


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## d4vec4rter (Jun 23, 2021)

Daniel James said:


> There is a history of people being needlessly aggressive towards my *opinion*. The post in question quoted a line from my post directly,("not having figured it out by now") making it hard not to assume it was directed at me. I responded with the same venom aimed at me. Thats just how I operate, I treat people appropriately to how they act.
> 
> I DM'd you directly with this information, but for some reason, your response indicated you have no desire to change that error in your post. I can only speculate as to why. Not only is that in itself a bit rude, and to use your words 'out of order' it leads to me having to clear this shit up here. Its unhelpful to misrepresent my stance in that way. I am not on a rampage, I am responding to direct posts with appropriate responses. I am happy to have civil discussion, but as soon as someone starts calling you a mouthbreather and insinuating that simply because one is critical they can't be writing music...then I will respond in kind.
> 
> ...


I have responded to your PM Daniel by saying that it certainly wasn't apparent that the post had been directly targeted at you and, if it had been, I very much doubt you would have had the reply you did from the moderator.

One would have to have a helluva perverted imagination to construe that my comments about you - "Excellent Composer, Inspirational Videos, No doubt has a passion...," etc. were vitriolic don't you think? And merely saying I thought you were "a bit out of order" whether justified or not can hardly be seen in the malicious light you appear to be seeing it in. Chill out man! Life's too short.


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## TomislavEP (Jun 23, 2021)

Mr Frodo said:


> if only it included a solo hurdy gurdy!


IIRC, PT has mentioned in his walkthrough that this was one of the most requested instruments for the LABS series. With "Solstice" released recently, perhaps we will see it soon.


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## Nate Johnson (Jun 23, 2021)

wow, so I've only auditioned the strings ('Elders') so far and hot damn are there some tasty treats in there articulation-wise. Of course, this is BARELY scratching the surface! Not bad for a purely impulsive-didn't-even-listen-to-the-demos purchase. 

I'm a big fan of non-traditional articulations; I own LCO Strings, BDT, Orchestral Swarm, Alt Solo Strings, NEO - this does NOT overlap, so dive in, folks!


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## easyrider (Jun 23, 2021)

Why do people get so wound up about a bunch of samples?

Bizarre……🙈


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## Greeno (Jun 23, 2021)

Ey now lads..take it easy, its only a cup of tea

Calm Down Scousers


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## mafgar (Jun 23, 2021)

Daniel James said:


> Hello anonymous user. (they always have the spiciest rhetoric huh)
> 
> I'm actually working on 3 popular IP video games currently, and my clients are seemingly loving my work, all without this library, shock horror. So one _can_ be actively working and still share an opinion on a message board designed for the sharing of opinions. If you don't like them you can counter them with points of your own. Or you can just moan, as usual, behind anonymity and leap to the defence of the largest company in our industry who I think is fair, as the market leader, to hold to a higher standard.
> 
> ...


I wasn't actually referring to your feedback in this instance and am actually a pretty big fan of your constructive feedback w/ spitfire ☺

edit: but I can see why you would think I was referring to you since I dove into the whole 'sucking' thing. I mean, I was agreeing with you on that. I just think some of the comments in this thread are kinda gross. I have always appreciated your feedback and honesty and no matter how anonymous or paid by spitfire you think I am, will continue to be a fan of your work and thoughts on samples.


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## Wally Garten (Jun 23, 2021)

TomislavEP said:


> IIRC, PT has mentioned in his walkthrough that this was one of the most requested instruments for the LABS series. With "Solstice" released recently, perhaps we will see it soon.


Alternatively, Rhythmic Robot makes one:









Hurdy Gurdy for Kontakt – sampled traditional folk instrument


A Kontakt hurdy-gurdy meticulously sampled from a traditional Eastern European. For NI Kontakt version 4.2.3 and above. Get some gypsy magic into your mix!




www.rhythmicrobot.com





In fact, their whole “Alt-Folkist” bundle would probably be a good complement to this library.


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## zouzou (Jun 23, 2021)

I find Solstice to be a nice library, with its own character.
It will undoubtedly be excellent for creating the basis of specific atmospheres.
I particularly like the women's choir (THE HOSTS) and the Bells & Mallets (THE NURSERY). Maybe one day S.A. will make it possible to buy the contents of a library instrument by instrument (like O.T.)?
For me, many libraries that I already own (from S.A. and other companies) have elements very close to Solstice (especially for the Strings) and will probably allow me to create these styles of "ambiences".
I find it unfortunate that some instruments have not been sampled separately (nyckelharpa for example), but it is true that there are already many libraries dedicated to folk instruments (which I already have)...
As beautiful as it is, it is not essential for me currently.
May be later...


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## Daniel James (Jun 23, 2021)

mafgar said:


> I wasn't actually referring to your feedback in this instance and am actually a pretty big fan of your constructive feedback w/ spitfire ☺
> 
> edit: but I can see why you would think I was referring to you since I dove into the whole 'sucking' thing. I mean, I was agreeing with you on that. I just think some of the comments in this thread are kinda gross. I have always appreciated your feedback and honesty and no matter how anonymous or paid by spitfire you think I am, will continue to be a fan of your work and thoughts on samples.


I must have misread. I just saw you quoted me directly (I'll accept coincidence) and saw that you were calling folks mouthbreathers. I took it as a personal jab, and I respond to vitriol in kind. Its just how I am. 

But if genuine, then I apologize for going so hard at you. It's just this isn't my first time having to defend my opinions in this area, I guess I came in with my guard up. Sorry again.

-DJ


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## Technostica (Jun 23, 2021)

Does the Albion series 'bundle concept' still seem attractive to you in the era of OT with their sound packs and also a la carte instruments?
It does come across as a bundle of 3 instruments as is clear by the three separate walkthroughs.
I wonder if they split them if they'd find a wider audience?


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## Yogevs (Jun 23, 2021)

Some of the sounds sound super cool and some sounds like a few of their Labs instruments (which I love).

Wish I could buy instruments individually or as some Originals version.

Either way, I don't think I'm ever buying Spitfire libraries not on Black Friday so I won't miss any "one time only" libraries they give out during that sale.


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## Toecutter (Jun 23, 2021)

Yogevs said:


> Either way, I don't think I'm ever buying Spitfire libraries not on Black Friday so I won't miss any "one time only" libraries they give out during that sale.


That's a smart decision. Unless I need a library for a specific project I'm currently working on or there's an excellent intro price + loyalty discount (like Solstice) I wait for Black Friday or the holidays. Spitfire best deals are around christmas time.


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## TomaeusD (Jun 23, 2021)

David Baran said:


> Would it be wrong for me to say that strangely somehow this gives me an earthy Blade Runner vibe? Listening to it, I kind of checked out for a sec and the next thing I knew I was in an earthy Blade Runner zone.


Earthpunk?


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## SupremeFist (Jun 23, 2021)

Technostica said:


> Does the Albion series 'bundle concept' still seem attractive to you in the era of OT with their sound packs and also a la carte instruments?


It for sure made more sense when the Albions were still some flavour of a "full orchestra". This one seems like more of an arbitrary compendium of stuff, sort of half-way between an Albion and a Toolkit. Personally I love the sound of the strings but can't quite imagine how I'd use anything else I've heard from the demos, so not for me at this time. But kudos to Spitfire for pushing the boundaries of interesting sound combinations!


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## quantum7 (Jun 23, 2021)

After watching the videos I love what I heard. Even though I probably do not need Solstice, I may end up picking it up anyway because it does sound quite beautiful.


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## Bereckis (Jun 23, 2021)

I was able to spend two hours with Albion Solstice today and did not regret the quick purchase.

For me, it is one of the better Albion libraries, because the sounds and possibilities are simply good.

I was initially afraid that it would just be a library for making quick money, but it's not.

But they should modernise the NI Kontakt GUI in general, because I think they are missing out on new developments.

A positive example would be Bioscape by Luftrum.


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## Technostica (Jun 23, 2021)

Bereckis said:


> But they should modernise the NI Kontakt GUI in general, because I think they are missing out on new developments. A positive example would be Bioscape by Luftrum.


Yes, I felt the same when looking at the videos.
I don't think of myself as being that fussy about GUIs, but this is bland to the point of being off putting!
With this project started over 2 years ago and Spitfire moving more towards their own player, I do wonder how much incentive they have to update it.


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## Marsen (Jun 23, 2021)

Havin so much fun with the library, so
View attachment Solstice 2.mp3

I noodled another one. FYI


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## Instrugramm (Jun 23, 2021)

Technostica said:


> Yes, I felt the same when looking at the videos.
> I don't think of myself as being that fussy about GUIs, but this is bland to the point of being off putting!
> With this project started over 2 years ago and Spitfire moving more towards their own player, I do wonder how much incentive they have to update it.


To be fair at least on my system the performance of Kontakt is far superior to the Spitfire Player and I guess Spitfire know that at least part of the user base still prefers it regarding workflow and tweakability. (Not arguing against you, just guessing why the went that route.)


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## Pyro861 (Jun 23, 2021)

I really tried my best to pass up on this one...but it's simply turning out to be the most exciting new library in a while for me. Instant inspiration for new pieces emerging from the void from just testing most patches. 

The Blaggards! The Hosts! Fun times!


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## Marsen (Jun 23, 2021)

So far, my personal feeling of solstice:

Is the legato bad? Kinda yes, it is!
It's not unusable, but it could be a good way better.
No part of the library is bread & butter. It is niche, yes but it is really good in what it does.
A lot of people said, they already have these sounds in other libraries and can reproduce it.
This is true for some part/ articulations of the library, yes.
But there is so much more in it, not really covered in the walkthrough's ( sure, otherwise , who is looking 4 hour walkthrough's?).

There is a lot of stuff going on there.
I may can explain it with my own situation.

I have Tundra, Neo, OACE ( to name a few) I don't have the other dry recorded libs like AlternativeString Orch and so on.
I have Hurdy Gurdys, millions of accordion libs, a nickelharpa...you name it.
The Guitar/ Bass Chapters, I can reproduce with my Orangetree Gits/Bass easily better.
The Evogrid is...ok. Well doesn't interest/bother me much.

The Strings are great but special, but we already have the strings for the non special stuff.
The combi-instrument are just great, and the motors have dynamic layers.
The Choir is kinda special - I love it.
The Brass & Wind Section is totally crazy, I really love it.
The Accordion-Harmonica- + Sections are great too.
The playability of this whole library is, beside the bad legatos, really good.
I did not explore the Cassette Orchestra too much, but what I heard so far is good stuff.
But my main interest is the Solstice Orchestra. 

And one of the most important thing for me is:
I dig the sound of the studio and these dry dpa's.
This in combi with the room sound is something, I couldn't get from any Spitfire library yet. It's also a complete different sound to the Studio Series.
Very modern, sits in the mix.

So far my conclusions. I don't regret it, falling on the purchase button these night.


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## Hadrondrift (Jun 23, 2021)

quantum7 said:


> I do not need Solstice ... may end up picking it up anyway because it does sound quite beautiful.


I need it because it does sound quite beautiful. May not pick it up to fight my beautiful sound addiction. However, resistance is already fading. I hope there are no more walk-throughs on YouTube, they are not helpful in this regard.


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## David Baran (Jun 23, 2021)

To summarize, so far from reading the comments my understanding is:

1. If you don't own any SA products (like me who only owns BBCSO) this is great. Not bread and butter but great. Both Solstice Orchestra and Cassette Orchestra are good. Drone Grid is ok. Overall nice niche or sound design bundle that can handle everything if that is the sound you "want". Nice dry, modern and unique sound.

2. If you do own a bunch of SA stuff it's still great as it doesn't overlap as much as you might think it will and it still has it's own secret sauce/tone/uniqueness/place. There is lots of stuff in there to play with that isn't shown in the videos.

It also seems to have invigorated many of you here with new life and new creative possibilities/ideas and as a result for the most part it has succeed as a new Albion/Instrument library and SA product (less than stellar legatos aside). Only thing that would make it better is if it had some of the individual instruments sampled as well and/or if you could buy it in pieces like OT stuff.

Am I close in my interpretation of the general consensus?

I do have a question though. How does it compare and contrast to Slate + Ash Landforms Shifting Orchestral Perspectives in terms of overall value and use case? They both seem to be priced similarly and seem to cover similar ground, at least if you have the Albion purchase discount (which I don't and wish I did).

I'm trying to figure out which one would provide more value as an overall sound design tool (not for any specific niche but for unique and different sound creations and inspiration). If I had to specify a niche/use case , I would probably use it to make Earthpunk (Earthy Blade runner vibes), and folk horror and elemental soundscapes.


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## jcrosby (Jun 23, 2021)

Technostica said:


> Does the Albion series 'bundle concept' still seem attractive to you in the era of OT with their sound packs and also a la carte instruments?
> It does come across as a bundle of 3 instruments as is clear by the three separate walkthroughs.
> I wonder if they split them if they'd find a wider audience?


A la carte's great. but as far as OT's creative sound packs I personally don't even see them being in the same league as an Albion for a bunch of reasons. (I'm not saying they aren't good. I'm saying they don't have the same kind of flexibility).

Each Albion is typically a huge comprehensive collection that gives you an incredibly wide range of instruments. Add to that the sound design / 'steamband' (cassette orchestra in the case of Solstice) library and you have an even more immense collection with an even wider range of options.

The OT Sound Packs (while excellent), are super niche (moreso than Solstice), and the amount of sound design you get can be you counted on two hands... (Alright maybe a bit more, but the number's still teeny-tiny in comparison)...

So basically with Solstice you have for example 150+ sound design patches (with a very wide range). And you have the eDNA sound design engine with 700 and some odd sources for you to work with. And you have the EVO patch. And you have 200 loops (198 IIRC).

With Sine you get 10-20 sound design patches. (More like 10 in many instances, and quite tame in comparison). You also don't have an engine you can use to get your hands dirty by manipulating them. And you don't have access to individual samples the way you do with eDNA... And no loops (at least AFAIK?)

Even if you stacked all of the CSP together you still don't have:

An actual sound design focused engine.
An array of effects you can mangle them with.
Access to discrete samples (in the context of sound design this is pretty important, RR isn't necessarily something you want.)
The EVO grid (which is still one of the cleverest and most useful Kontakt scripts out there IMO).
Not to mention that SF's sound design tends to be far more adventurous, and covers a much wider range of timbres - for example incredibly delicate ranging to absolutely filthy, with many shades of gray in between... OT's sound design so far is quite 'clean'. That's not a bad thing, it's just another approach. I personally greatly a range of options...

So at least IMO they're just two completely different types pf products, even if you added all of the CSP's together. If anything I'd compare CSP to being closer to SF's _Originals_ instruments.


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## Soundbed (Jun 23, 2021)

Media composers: what market forces do you suppose provoked this Albion?

Is there a wave of “back to basics” TV shows and folk noir movies coming our way?

I haven’t seen the requests coming in, and I cannot think of a particular soundtrack/miniseries that would have inspired this project.


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## jcrosby (Jun 23, 2021)

Soundbed said:


> Media composers: what market forces do you suppose provoked this Albion?
> 
> Is there a wave of “back to basics” TV shows and folk noir movies coming our way?
> 
> I haven’t seen the requests coming in, and I cannot think of a particular soundtrack/miniseries that would have inspired this project.


The two things I immediately thought of when I saw this were:

Midsommar and The Third Day.

The Third Day would make much more sense as it's current (and ongoing), and it just fits the whole vibe of Solstice. The score especially has a Solstice thing going on..


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## Soundbed (Jun 23, 2021)

jcrosby said:


> The two things I immediately thought of when I saw this were:
> 
> Midsommar and The Third Day.
> 
> The Third Day would make much more sense as it's current (and ongoing), and it just fits the whole vibe of Solstice. The score especially has a Solstice thing going on..


Awesome thanks. These were both off my radar.


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## Technostica (Jun 23, 2021)

jcrosby said:


> A la carte's great. but as far as OT's creative sound packs I personally don't even see them being in the same league as an Albion for a whole bunch of reasons. (I'm not saying they aren't good. I'm saying they don't have the same kind of flexibility).
> 
> Each Albion is typically a huge comprehensive collection that gives you an incredibly wide range of instruments. Add to that the sound design / 'steamband' (cassette orchestra in the case of Solstice) library and you have an even more immense collection with an even wider range of options.
> 
> ...


You're discussing a very specific comparison that I didn't make.
My question was more about whether SA should also release this Albion in 3 separate packages; they can still also offer the full fat version. 
So offer more granularity in how they release it
As OT do, but SA could do it in a different way, by breaking it into the 3 component parts.
So it's irrelevant if each of the 3 components are larger and more expensive than an OT sound pack.
The issue is about choice, granularity and price and not about directly matching another developer's release modalities.

Beyond that, SA could release a series of 'packs' for for both eDNA and the Evo Grid 'engines'.
You buy one pack and get the engine with it, so you don't have to buy the full version of eDNA just to use a pack.
They would need to repackage the current pre-set/sample pools so they are stand alone from their Albion parent.
Even better if you could mix and match samples from different packs within one instrument, but that might well significantly increase the development complexity and therefore cost.
With their own player, this should be more feasible than with Kontakt I suspect!

For me, this is a way to maximise your resources and give more choice.
Albions are still the flagship and will be better value if you want all 3 components.
It's not at the granularity of OT's a la carte, but it must be easier to implement so more feasible.
If you are going to build your own player, then take advantage of it.


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## ka00 (Jun 23, 2021)

Technostica said:


> Does the Albion series 'bundle concept' still seem attractive to you in the era of OT with their sound packs and also a la carte instruments?
> It does come across as a bundle of 3 instruments as is clear by the three separate walkthroughs.
> I wonder if they split them if they'd find a wider audience?


That’s interesting. On the flip side, if I had to value the parts of Solstice as I perceive them from the walkthroughs (relative to the $292 intro loyalty discount price), and imagine they were three independent libraries, being sold as a bundle, then I’d break them down (for myself) as follows:

$149 for the orchestral part
$99 for the Cassette modular synth part
$44 for the drone grid.

At least that’s my initial impression. And it seems like a reasonable bundle.


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## jcrosby (Jun 23, 2021)

Technostica said:


> You're discussing a very specific comparison that I didn't make.
> My question was more about whether SA should also release this Albion in 3 separate packages; they can still also offer the full fat version.
> So offer more granularity in how they release it
> As OT do, but SA could do it in a different way, by breaking it into the 3 component parts.
> ...


My reply was in response to your 1st question: _Does the Albion series 'bundle concept' still seem attractive to you in the era of OT with their sound packs and also a la carte instruments?_

To which my (personal) answer is yes. 100%. I find the concept attractive as I appreciate the comprehensive approach that makes the Albions what they are.

What I personally like about the Albion's I have are that I either discover something new in the form of a steamband patch, or re-discover a section of the library I'd stopped using after a while. Even 4-5 years later I can open Albion One or Tundra and still find something I hadn't fully explored before. That's part of what I enjoy about the 'bundle concept', and why I still find the pricing attractive.

Sure. A la carte would be a nice option. I don't think anyone would disagree with that... What works for me about the Albions as they currently stand, are them being libraries that are deep, and as a result they age well due to the depth of content .


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## GNP (Jun 23, 2021)

ka00 said:


> That’s interesting. On the flip side, if I had to value the parts of Solstice as I perceive them from the walkthroughs (relative to the $292 intro loyalty discount price), and imagine they were three independent libraries, being sold as a bundle, then I’d break them down (for myself) as follows:
> 
> $149 for the orchestral part
> $99 for the Cassette modular synth part
> ...


Exactly, that's what I'd like to see as well.


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## Robo Rivard (Jun 23, 2021)

Finally fell for it. This is my "Quebec Day" (national holiday) present to myself. Downloading.

Bonne St-Jean Baptiste à tous les Québécois et Franco-Canadiens!


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## givemenoughrope (Jun 23, 2021)

ka00 said:


> That’s interesting. On the flip side, if I had to value the parts of Solstice as I perceive them from the walkthroughs (relative to the $292 intro loyalty discount price), and imagine they were three independent libraries, being sold as a bundle, then I’d break them down (for myself) as follows:
> 
> $149 for the orchestral part
> $99 for the Cassette modular synth part
> ...


I'd pay $149 for the strings part in a second


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## givemenoughrope (Jun 23, 2021)

Soundbed said:


> Media composers: what market forces do you suppose provoked this Albion?


Did disaster films. Did zombies. Now it's time to go back to pre-Christian paganism or something.


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## jcrosby (Jun 23, 2021)

Soundbed said:


> Awesome thanks. These were both off my radar.


I really like The Third Day. It has some quirky moments as it gets going, but overall I thought it was pretty spectacular.

The theatre company that produced it (Punchdrunk) actually have a really cool history... They've done immersive/interactive theatre in a bunch of different cities. Probably the most infamous is Sleep No More, where you basically become a character in the play.

It was pretty insane. You could rummage through murder scenes, read through the scribblings of different characters. There were all kinds of hidden rooms... Some with pretty disturbing stuff like a taxidermy lamb presented as if it were slaughtered and left as a shrine. Some rooms had deliberately intense smells. There was one room filled with pine trees and the smell haunted me (in a great way) for weeks. The whole thing ran on a loop and it was more or less impossible to see it in the correct order. Mind you the whole story was a retelling of Macbeth, but you would never know if you weren't aware going in...

Anyway they've always had this pagan/witchy kind of thing going on. They're from the UK and incredibly well know so I'd be kind of surprised if this didn't make it onto something like a 'mood board', (or whatever sample developers use?) while outlining what the library would be...


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## Soundbed (Jun 23, 2021)

jcrosby said:


> I really like The Third Day. It has some quirky moments as it gets going, but overall I thought it was pretty spectacular.
> 
> The theatre company that produced it (Punchdrunk) actually have a really cool history... They've done immersive/interactive theatre in a bunch of different cities. Probably the most infamous is Sleep No More, where you basically become a character in the play.
> 
> ...


Very informative thank you! Reminds me of a particularly unusual haunted … studio space (?) that goes up during Halloween around here.


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## Pyro861 (Jun 23, 2021)

Robo Rivard said:


> Finally fell for it. This is my "Quebec Day" (national holiday) present to myself. Downloading.
> 
> Bonne St-Jean Baptiste à tous les Québécois et Franco-Canadiens!


Go Habs go tabarnak!


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## Bereckis (Jun 23, 2021)

ka00 said:


> That’s interesting. On the flip side, if I had to value the parts of Solstice as I perceive them from the walkthroughs (relative to the $292 intro loyalty discount price), and imagine they were three independent libraries, being sold as a bundle, then I’d break them down (for myself) as follows:
> 
> $149 for the orchestral part
> $99 for the Cassette modular synth part
> ...


The Albion series is characterised by the fact that they always offer a mixed musical colour box per product.

As a long-time user of Omniphere, I was initially only really interested in the orchestral parts of the Albion products and found the yield rather poor.

In the meantime, however, I have discovered that it is precisely the combination of the different parts that is often very appealing.

When I think of Tallinn from OT, I have a similar but more limited effect there. Nevertheless, I like Tallinn a lot!


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## avocado89 (Jun 23, 2021)

I personally don’t understand why folks go gaga over legato, especially when we already have tons of libraries out there with awesome legato.

I am always scratching my head when someone’s first questions about a new library is “but does it have legato” or “how is the legato”?!

I understand it’s a staple technique of orchestral sampling, but to expect every single string/orchestral library to have it is well a bit absurd.

I for one think the consensus is that CSS is the current king along with PS Vista and so forth.

I guess I am just a weird composer who never really uses legato in my scoring or if I do I use it quite sparingly 🤷🏼‍♂️

Each to their own I guess.

I am definitely not a SA fanboy but I am really loving the sound of this Albion. I loved Tundra, and bought NEO on intro price, but to be honest I was expecting a bit more from NEO, this seems to be right up my alley and showing that SA is back to form with their more experimental outings which I absolutely love! Give us more of these out there libraries, we don’t need another orchestral library sampled at Asgard or Rivendale or wherever the heck they record them these days.


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## Technostica (Jun 24, 2021)

jcrosby said:


> My reply was in response to your 1st question: _Does the Albion series 'bundle concept' still seem attractive to you in the era of OT with their sound packs and also a la carte instruments?_
> 
> To which my (personal) answer is yes. 100%. I find the concept attractive as I appreciate the comprehensive approach that makes the Albions what they are.
> 
> ...


I could maybe have made it clearer that having an a la carte option doesn’t preclude the bundle also being sold!
OT offer both options and a bundle is generally better value in the software world.
It seems unlikely that SA would want to abandon it with Albions, where they have already created a bunch of related content.
That would be strange!


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## jcrosby (Jun 24, 2021)

Technostica said:


> I could maybe have made it clearer that having an a la carte option doesn’t preclude the bundle also being sold!
> OT offer both options and a bundle is generally better value in the software world.
> It seems unlikely that SA would want to abandon it with Albions, where they have already created a bunch of related content.
> That would be strange!


Plus it's Kontakt. I don't see how they'd be able to do that unless in their own player. I'd imagine Kontakt attracts the broader audience vs their player libraries. And it tells me that Albion's still their product line with the broadest appeal... It also dispels any questions (including my own) about whether SF was ultimately moving away from Kontakt. I'm glad they're still doing both.


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## davidson (Jun 24, 2021)

Regarding the legato, I don't feel like it was designed to work with quicker melodic passages. With slower and more haunting atmospheric lines, it fits perfectly.


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## Alex Fraser (Jun 24, 2021)

davidson said:


> Regarding the legato, I don't feel like it was designed to work with quicker melodic passages. With slower and more haunting atmospheric lines, it fits perfectly.


Yep. Soaked and dripping with reverb, accompanied by pagan chanting from zombie druid priests. No-one needs legato there.


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## Yogevs (Jun 24, 2021)

Soundbed said:


> Media composers: what market forces do you suppose provoked this Albion?
> 
> Is there a wave of “back to basics” TV shows and folk noir movies coming our way?
> 
> I haven’t seen the requests coming in, and I cannot think of a particular soundtrack/miniseries that would have inspired this project.


Maybe COVID and the ability to record smaller amount of people in cheaper rooms?


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## Ron Verboom (Jun 24, 2021)

First test with Solstice.



Love this library, very inspiring, great job again by the Spitfire team.


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## Marsen (Jun 24, 2021)

Quiet interesting behinds:


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## Greeno (Jun 24, 2021)

jcrosby said:


> The two things I immediately thought of when I saw this were:
> 
> Midsommar and The Third Day.
> 
> The Third Day would make much more sense as it's current (and ongoing), and it just fits the whole vibe of Solstice. The score especially has a Solstice thing going on..


Although not of the same historical period , I think parts of Solstice could be used for things like The Last Kingdom, Brittannia, ( both set in Britain) and you could use ( although not the right location) elements for things Barbaren & The Witcher. It could do well for a historical documentary series like the Netflix Pirates one and other ones on TV set in the past especially in Britian?


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## Greeno (Jun 24, 2021)

avocado89 said:


> I personally don’t understand why folks go gaga over legato, especially when we already have tons of libraries out there with awesome legato.
> 
> I am always scratching my head when someone’s first questions about a new library is “but does it have legato” or “how is the legato”?!
> 
> ...


Where can I get the library recorded in the hall at Rivendell?


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## Technostica (Jun 24, 2021)

jcrosby said:


> Plus it's Kontakt. I don't see how they'd be able to do that unless in their own player. I'd imagine Kontakt attracts the broader audience vs their player libraries. And it tells me that Albion's still their product line with the broadest appeal... It also dispels any questions (including my own) about whether SF was ultimately moving away from Kontakt. I'm glad they're still doing both.


Ignoring all the tangential points you have made, are you against SA also releasing the individual components as separate products?


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## jcrosby (Jun 24, 2021)

Greeno said:


> Although not of the same historical period , I think parts of Solstice could be used for things like The Last Kingdom, Brittannia, ( both set in Britain) and you could use ( although not the right location) elements for things Barbaren & The Witcher. It could do well for a historical documentary series like the Netflix Pirates one and other ones on TV set in the past especially in Britian?


Definitely. It's a really cool library that I see it fitting into a wide range of genres. I also like that he says explicitly that i's a library of folk instruments not inetended for folk music, something people were banging on about, even though it seemed pretty clear to me that that wasn't the intention of the library. (Not that that couldn't be accomplished though)... It's also interesting that he mentions wicker man as my immediate impression of 3rd Day was that it was a sort of homage to the original film...


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## jcrosby (Jun 24, 2021)

Technostica said:


> Ignoring all the tangential points you have made, are you against SA also releasing the individual components as separate products?


No. Not at all.

If you're implying that that's how you perceive my comments, (It's not clear if you are), I honestly don't see how or where you'd have drawn that inference from... I'm simply being realistic about how the Kontakt market currently, and historically works.

A la carte via kontakt is much more complicated than a la carte via SF's own software. This would require SF purchasing discrete serial numbers from NI per _section_ of the library on top of serial numbers for the whole library. That means SF would have to manage 4 sets of serial numbers with NI as the middle man for the licensing system, all for a single product.

I just don't see that being cost effective for SF. Not to mention that NA doesn't really seem set up to accommodate this kind of model. Not currently at least.


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## Greeno (Jun 24, 2021)

jcrosby said:


> Definitely. It's a really cool library that I see it fitting into a wide range of genres. I also like that he says explicitly that i's a library of folk instruments not inetended for folk music, something people were banging on about, even though it seemed pretty clear to me that that wasn't the intention of the library. (Not that that couldn't be accomplished though)... It's also interesting that he mentions wicker man as my immediate impression of 3rd Day was that it was a sort of homage to the original film...


For me I think that their promo videos gave slightly the wrong impression , to me it gave the impression that it was going to be more for thriller/horror because upon hearing the walkthroughs it is much broader than that and a lot more beautiful. Thus in some of the early comments people were suggesting it might be a 'British Horror Kit' for example. I think this might have been down to whoever is doing the marketing putting the usual bias on anything esoteric and pagan as 'bad' or 'dark', which is a bit of a shame really, as if you know about these things, it is all based on love and light ( via balance). Sure, you can make anything sound dark - it depends on how you play it but these folk instruments aren't by nature ' dark' they just as anything can be played in any way - most of it in celebratory, fun, communal ways from my observation and experience.


----------



## Hadrondrift (Jun 24, 2021)

jcrosby said:


> I just don't see that being cost effective for SF


Additionally, a la carte can destroy an overall artistic concept of a library. In my opinion, one of the marketing and selling points of the Albions is the overall theme, the whole, which is more than its parts, so to speak. Perhaps it is not in the spirit of this concept to sell individual parts taken out of context.

However and on the contrary, society is gradually becoming accustomed to very short and highly fragmented presentations of products of all kinds. Therefore, a la carte is perhaps in the spirit of the times and maybe the most effective means to the end of making money. And the latter is more and more above everything, especially above passion and art.

A la carte is like Pink Floyd's "The Wall" scattered in pieces, losing its meaning. It is like Selling England by the Pound.


----------



## Soundbed (Jun 24, 2021)

Greeno said:


> Although not of the same historical period , I think parts of Solstice could be used for things like The Last Kingdom, Brittannia, ( both set in Britain) and you could use ( although not the right location) elements for things Barbaren & The Witcher. It could do well for a historical documentary series like the Netflix Pirates one and other ones on TV set in the past especially in Britian?


Good suggestions thanks! I’ll check in with my UK based publisher to see if there’s ongoing demand 


Yogevs said:


> Maybe COVID and the ability to record smaller amount of people in cheaper rooms?


well that could explain a little on the supply side but I’m asking more about the demand side of the market; the composers who would use it and what they’d use it for. this is an Albion. So Spitfire are targeting people scoring to picture. I’m asking which pictures “demand” this sonic palate … some interesting answers so far.


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## jcrosby (Jun 24, 2021)

Greeno said:


> For me I think that their promo videos gave slightly the wrong impression , to me it gave the impression that it was going to be more for thriller/horror because upon hearing the walkthroughs it is much broader than that and a lot more beautiful. Thus in some of the early comments people were suggesting it might be a 'British Horror Kit' for example. I think this might have been down to whoever is doing the marketing putting the usual bias on anything esoteric and pagan as 'bad' or 'dark', which is a bit of a shame really, as if you know about these things, it is all based on love and light ( via balance). Sure, you can make anything sound dark - it depends on how you play it but these folk instruments aren't by nature ' dark' they just as anything can be played in any way - most of it in celebratory, fun, communal ways from my observation and experience.


Fair enough... I didn't get the horror thing at all, then again the 1st thing I watched was the stream they did after seeing they announced a new Albion. Maybe that colored my perception, but I didn't get the impression that it was horror/thriller centric. Actually after Christian played his piece the 1st thing I thought of was that it had a bit of a Radiohead vibe hiding underneath all of the distortion.


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## Michel Simons (Jun 24, 2021)

Hadrondrift said:


> A la carte is like Pink Floyd's "The Wall" scattered in pieces, losing its meaning.


All you need is Comfortably Numb.


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## Instrugramm (Jun 25, 2021)

Here's the song I made with Solstice (only the drums, 1 synth track and ambient sound in the beginning are picked from other libraries). And yes, my OXYM project is very niche...


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## Oliver (Jun 25, 2021)

Instrugramm said:


> Here's the song I made with Solstice (only the drums, 1 synth track and ambient sound in the beginning are picked from other libraries). And yes, my OXYM project is very niche...



wow


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## Soundbed (Jun 25, 2021)

I knew it! Apparently CH was working on Solstice before he got the gig, but he says in this video: "what's particularly exciting about the Solstice project is it's been running concurrently with a Warner Brothers movie that I'm doing, and it just so happens that the Solstice palate has really found its way into that film"

I figured there was a movie or a series someone was doing that was helping drive the aesthetic. Earlier in this video (I think?) he was also talking about the Upside Down and related Stranger Things vibes.


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## Pyro861 (Jun 25, 2021)

The project has to be: Unwelcome (2021)

''Londoners Maya and Jamie who escape their urban nightmare to the tranquility of rural Ireland only to discover malevolent, murderous goblins lurking in the gnarled, ancient wood at the foot of their new garden.''

Yep.


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## Soundbed (Jun 25, 2021)

Pyro861 said:


> The project has to be: Unwelcome (2021)
> 
> ''Londoners Maya and Jamie who escape their urban nightmare to the tranquility of rural Ireland only to discover malevolent, murderous goblins lurking in the gnarled, ancient wood at the foot of their new garden.''
> 
> Yep.


nice one! good find.


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## d4vec4rter (Jun 27, 2021)

Unashamedly drawing inspiration from Christian's latest video on The Cassette Orchestra, a simple piece to accompany one of my photos. Loving the library for this purpose.


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## Futchibon (Jun 27, 2021)

d4vec4rter said:


> Unashamedly drawing inspiration from Christian's latest video on The Cassette Orchestra, a simple piece to accompany one of my photos. Loving the library for this purpose.



Sounding great!


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## companyofquail (Jun 27, 2021)

Instrugramm said:


> Here's the song I made with Solstice (only the drums, 1 synth track and ambient sound in the beginning are picked from other libraries). And yes, my OXYM project is very niche...



This is cool. The part at 55 seconds reminds me of mogwai. The way the drums pump and swell with the melody. But it still sounds like your own thing.


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## Instrugramm (Jun 27, 2021)

companyofquail said:


> This is cool. The part at 55 seconds reminds me of mogwai. The way the drums pump and swell with the melody. But it still sounds like your own thing.


Thank you!  Actually my inspiration for the piece started with the atmosphere I had in mind. I then created a picture that I warped to visualize different stages and finally orchestrated the stages.

I also used the pictures in a animated state for the youtube video of the song, in hope it would make the music more appealing for the format.


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## jononotbono (Jun 28, 2021)

Ah man, I’m gonna need to start an Only Fans account and do some camming on the Dark Web to get the money together for this! Sounds excellent!


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## Geoff Grace (Jun 28, 2021)

Spitfire may be marketing Albion Solstice as "Folk Noire," but I'm hearing a lot of potential for "Folk Blanc" in the samples I'm hearing in the walkthroughs and demos. In other words, it seems like this could be used for happy, joyous music as well. Does that sound valid to those who've bought it?

Best,

Geoff


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## prodigalson (Jun 28, 2021)

Geoff Grace said:


> Spitfire may be marketing Albion Solstice as "Folk Noire," but I'm hearing a lot of potential for "Folk Blanc" in the samples I'm hearing in the walkthroughs and demos. In other words, it seems like this could be used for happy, joyous music as well. Does that sound valid to those who've bought it?
> 
> Best,
> 
> Geoff


Lucie Treacher's demo on the website sealed the deal for me. fantastic use of the library.


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## Jdiggity1 (Jun 28, 2021)

Geoff Grace said:


> Spitfire may be marketing this as "Folk Noire," but I'm hearing a lot of potential for "Folk Blanc" in the samples I'm hearing in the walkthroughs and demos. In other words, it seems like this could be used for happy, joyous music as well. Does that sound valid to those who've bought it?
> 
> Best,
> 
> Geoff


Yes, it can. That doesn't sound nearly as fashionable though. 

I would pose my earlier Nickelback demo as an example of a lighter, more uplifting approach to using the library, though I understand it has a slight chance of causing fits of rage in some people.


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## Simeon (Jun 28, 2021)

Geoff Grace said:


> Spitfire may be marketing Albion Solstice as "Folk Noire," but I'm hearing a lot of potential for "Folk Blanc" in the samples I'm hearing in the walkthroughs and demos. In other words, it seems like this could be used for happy, joyous music as well. Does that sound valid to those who've bought it?
> 
> Best,
> 
> Geoff


I agree, there are a lot of joyous moments to be found in Solstice.


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## jbuhler (Jun 28, 2021)

Geoff Grace said:


> Spitfire may be marketing Albion Solstice as "Folk Noire," but I'm hearing a lot of potential for "Folk Blanc" in the samples I'm hearing in the walkthroughs and demos. In other words, it seems like this could be used for happy, joyous music as well. Does that sound valid to those who've bought it?
> 
> Best,
> 
> Geoff


Yes, it works very well for festive folk and for uptempo numbers like dances so long as you aren’t looking for speedy legato. Played ornaments (as opposed to those recorded in the samples) don’t sound reliably at faster tempos except for single note graces. Or you can substitute shorts.


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## Geoff Grace (Jun 28, 2021)

Thanks, @prodigalson, @Jdiggity1, @Simeon, and @jbuhler. I appreciate your feedback and validation!

Best,

Geoff


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## Marsen (Jun 29, 2021)

Geoff Grace said:


> Spitfire may be marketing Albion Solstice as "Folk Noire," but I'm hearing a lot of potential for "Folk Blanc" in the samples I'm hearing in the walkthroughs and demos. In other words, it seems like this could be used for happy, joyous music as well. Does that sound valid to those who've bought it?
> 
> Best,
> 
> Geoff


Absolutely yes!


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## ism (Jun 29, 2021)

Geoff Grace said:


> Spitfire may be marketing Albion Solstice as "Folk Noire," but I'm hearing a lot of potential for "Folk Blanc" in the samples I'm hearing in the walkthroughs and demos. In other words, it seems like this could be used for happy, joyous music as well. Does that sound valid to those who've bought it?
> 
> Best,
> 
> Geoff


Marketing generally has to pick one particular narrative and flog it relentlessly.

But I use British Drama Toolkit for gorgeous pointalistic textures, with no particular thought for "underscore by the mile" or "British drama" or any other of the "official" musicalities of the marketing.

And while the musicality flogged in the Tundra Marketing did resonate very deeply with me personally, there was a post some time ago where Tundra was used to great effect in Heavy Metal tracks, with not an Estonia forest in sight.

Musicality is always bigger than marketing. Which is why it's so much fun to listen to user demos


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## Niah2 (Jun 29, 2021)




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## Jack Weaver (Jun 29, 2021)

Niah2 said:


>



Not my favorite Lucie Treacher work. 

.


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## szczaw (Jun 29, 2021)

It's a foreshadowing of upcoming Albion 7 Baba Yaga, broomstick bows, growls, wailing at the moon, sounds of decay, teeth chattering and falling out.


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## jcrosby (Jun 29, 2021)

ism said:


> Musicality is always bigger than marketing. Which is why it's so much fun to listen to user demos


Amen to that... I can't say I've ever felt pigeon-holed by a library other than perhaps its physical limitations. I don't/never have composed or dabbled in folk, but that in no way affects my perception about how useful the library is. 

Guess I'm just saying that people should do their best to look past the marketing.


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## Wally Garten (Jun 29, 2021)

szczaw said:


> It's a foreshadowing of upcoming Albion 7 Baba Yaga, broomstick bows, growls, wailing at the moon, sounds of decay, teeth chattering and falling out.


Eh... I'd buy it.


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## szczaw (Jun 29, 2021)

Wally Garten said:


> Eh... I'd buy it.


Ha ! You must first prepare yourself to receive it. Lay down in a bog during solstice, then climb a maypole.


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## dunamisstudio (Jun 30, 2021)

I picked up Solstice today!



szczaw said:


> It's a foreshadowing of upcoming Albion 7 Baba Yaga, broomstick bows, growls, wailing at the moon, sounds of decay, teeth chattering and falling out.



If it takes any inspiration from Slaughter to Prevail, I'd get it too.


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## ALittleNightMusic (Jul 2, 2021)

Brilliant


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## Toecutter (Jul 3, 2021)

Solstice keeps growing on me, had to write a fast paced track and the spiccatos were incredibly useful, lots of variations. Good job on the sample cutting @Spitfire Team  one of the tightest shorts from an SF library in a while.


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## Oliver (Jul 3, 2021)

the spiccato in this library is excellent!


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## d4vec4rter (Jul 4, 2021)

My first "proper" project with Albion Solstice. Most of the tracks are from the library but I have used other instruments specified in the youtube description (including my newly acquired OTS Mandolin from the Group Buy Sale). Steering away from the cinematic atmospherics we've heard a lot of from the demos and examples, I wanted to see how it would handle Folk in the truer sense with a tradional Irish Folk song - The Wild Rover.


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## Daniel James (Jul 4, 2021)

Got a review copy for my stream. Gave it a good 2 and a half hour look through. I was much happier with this than I thought I would be. Still some edges need smoothing, but a decent package!



-DJ


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## MaxOctane (Jul 4, 2021)

Hmmm, is this trying to tell me something?


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## jim2b (Jul 6, 2021)

Just a shout out to Daniel James. I just watched your walkthrough of Solstice. I went through my own copy of it, using some of your ideas and my own. You really know how to make these libraries sing.

Great work, and thanks for your effort. Jim


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## Daniel James (Jul 7, 2021)

jim2b said:


> Just a shout out to Daniel James. I just watched your walkthrough of Solstice. I went through my own copy of it, using some of your ideas and my own. You really know how to make these libraries sing.
> 
> Great work, and thanks for your effort. Jim


Thank you! and you are very welcome Jim  

-DJ


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## wsimpson (Jul 7, 2021)

Daniel James said:


> Got a review copy for my stream. Gave it a good 2 and a half hour look through. I was much happier with this than I thought I would be. Still some edges need smoothing, but a decent package!
> 
> 
> 
> -DJ



Entertaining and informational! Thanks! Quick question - every once in a while you get some patches in a drone and then use a different instrument to improvise a solo on top. I can't quite see how you do that in Cubase. How do you do that?


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## Kevperry777 (Jul 7, 2021)

wsimpson said:


> Entertaining and informational! Thanks! Quick question - every once in a while you get some patches in a drone and then use a different instrument to improvise a solo on top. I can't quite see how you do that in Cubase. How do you do that?



He holds down the sustain pedal and just switches to a different track in Cubase. Cubase doesn’t send a “sustain off” message when you switch to a different track like most all other DAW’s.


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## wsimpson (Jul 8, 2021)

Kevperry777 said:


> He holds down the sustain pedal and just switches to a different track in Cubase. Cubase doesn’t send a “sustain off” message when you switch to a different track like most all other DAW’s.


Thanks! And I see he has one instrument track for Kontakt and then separate MIDI tracks and channels for each patch. I almost have it working, need to figure out some Cubase/Kontakt MIDI and output settings. Some seriously cool improvisations in that video.


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## doctoremmet (Jul 8, 2021)

Review: Spitfire Audio Albion Solstice


The latest addition to Spitfire Audio’s all-in-one Albion scoring series unearths rootsy folk, horror, noir and Celtic spirit aplenty.




www.musictech.net










Congratulations @Spitfire Team


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## easyrider (Jul 9, 2021)

Still tempted and there is still time…..🙈


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## anderslink (Jul 9, 2021)

Damn this library has SO much quality content in it. Best offering since BHTC or Albion V. I wouldn't get this library for the strings, brass, or winds over BHTC or Albion V but the electric guitars, cassette orchestra, and vocals are absolute stand outs. Then again the no rosin and circular bowing are awesome.


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## Baronvonheadless (Jul 10, 2021)

Tundra, Tallin & Solstice is my new go to combo for magic. The three of them layer so well for atmospheric textures it’s pretty amazing.


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## wsimpson (Jul 10, 2021)

Baronvonheadless said:


> Tundra, Tallin & Solstice is my new go to combo for magic. The three of them layer so well for atmospheric textures it’s pretty amazing.


Got the same three libraries thinking the exact same thing.


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## jbuhler (Jul 10, 2021)

Baronvonheadless said:


> Tundra, Tallin & Solstice is my new go to combo for magic. The three of them layer so well for atmospheric textures it’s pretty amazing.


I would add the Berlin Strings Special Bows to this list, and, perhaps surprisingly, SF's first desk solo violin.


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## Baronvonheadless (Jul 10, 2021)

jbuhler said:


> I would add the Berlin Strings Special Bows to this list, and, perhaps surprisingly, SF's first desk solo violin.


If I can somehow win, or place, in that full contact competition I will def buy the hell out of those Berlin strings. I never really investigated them too much yet, as I was acquiring other string libraries at the time (MSS, BBC Pro, Felt Instruments, Sunset etc) but I think they would be very good with it for sure. Actually some of the string stuff in Solstice reminds me, tonally of Tallin, so I'm sure it's the same with special bows.

I improvised a piece a few days ago and Jesus Christ it sounded accidentally SO Kotor, which to me, is heaven. Such a calming soundtrack.

(regarding SF's first desk, are u referring to the leader in BBC or the total performance solo violin?)


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## jbuhler (Jul 11, 2021)

Baronvonheadless said:


> (regarding SF's first desk, are u referring to the leader in BBC or the total performance solo violin?)


Neither. In the SF Solo Strings library (which also includes the total performance violin) there are three solo violins, one of which is the first desk violin. It’s designed more as a leader and for spot orchestral solos, and was recorded in the concertmaster position, as opposed to the soloist position of the total performance violin. In any case I prefer it to the total performance violin for almost everything except virtuoso passage work. But I think it has a special affinity with the Tallinn strings, though you do have to attend to the vibrato.


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## Wally Garten (Jul 11, 2021)

When’s the last day? The 15th?


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## Zedcars (Jul 15, 2021)

Wally Garten said:


> When’s the last day? The 15th?


Yep. 12 hours left.

Anyone else on the fence? I feel like I'm edging towards buying but I'm still not sure about the short release time on the strings. But maybe there's so much other content that it doesn't matter.


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## SonicBunny (Jul 15, 2021)

Beautifully recorded. But out of budget for me.. And I already have so many libraries.. sigh!


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## jbuhler (Jul 15, 2021)

Zedcars said:


> Yep. 12 hours left.
> 
> Anyone else on the fence? I feel like I'm edging towards buying but I'm still not sure about the short release time on the strings. But maybe there's so much other content that it doesn't matter.


There is a lot of content beyond the strings. I haven’t noticed much issue with the release time on the strings in context. The string legato is on the slow side and slips into portamento rather easily (at higher than expected velocities), but there’s a surprising amount of variety in these two string sections. 

I’m particularly fond of the winds and brass patch. It’s a wonderful kind of chameleon. You’re never sure how it’s going to sound in context but it usually surprises in good ways. It runs from raucous to sweet and sentimental. The flutes and pipes patches are surprisingly versatile and have good range. The accordions and hurdygurdy also sound great and are easy to use. The bells and mallets are nice too. I could go on. 

The library excels at basic folkloric expression but also can mimic a theater orchestra. It works really well with Neo in that capacity. The latter has more traditional strings and a different array of winds and brass, and they complement each other in really productive ways. You can also use Solstice for quick renderings of things like polkas, marches, waltzes and various other 19th century dance forms. Embertone’s Herring Clarinet is a very good supplement for this kind of thing as is Polkasound’s tuba. It also has a darker side that features in much of the ad campaign under the folk noir moniker. 

My only disappointment with the library is the percussion. In itself it’s fine and I can see getting use out of it, but it’s not really set up with the basic percussion sound for a folkloric style band, with a good old style marching bass drum sound, the right variety of cymbals and snares, and the interesting assortment of colorful novelties you’d expect in this kind of ensemble. As far as I’ve been able to make out, the kit is set up more for the folk noir sound and the grooves for media composition. Fortunately the percussion is easily supplemented with other libraries.


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## Wally Garten (Jul 15, 2021)

Zedcars said:


> Yep. 12 hours left.
> 
> Anyone else on the fence? I feel like I'm edging towards buying but I'm still not sure about the short release time on the strings. But maybe there's so much other content that it doesn't matter.


I was initially super enthusiastic. I love the sounds, and the whole atmospheric hybrid folk concept of the library really unlocked some stuff creatively for me. Like, I literally want to do an album inspired by this library. 

_But..._ the more I watched the demos, the more I think Spitfire's description is correct: "This is not a library to create folk music with, but simply everything you need to create cinematic scores for today, inspired by the past." That's great, and totally within Spitfire's wheelhouse. But I think what I would actually want to do with this is _create hybrid folk music_, not hybrid folk-inspired scores. And for that, I think maybe I don't need this and am better off with some of the OTS libraries I got recently and my own modest instrumental and synths chops.

And if I get into it and decide I'm wrong -- well, there's always Christmas!


----------



## jbuhler (Jul 15, 2021)

Wally Garten said:


> I was initially super enthusiastic. I love the sounds, and the whole atmospheric hybrid folk concept of the library really unlocked some stuff creatively for me. Like, I literally want to do an album inspired by this library.
> 
> _But..._ the more I watched the demos, the more I think Spitfire's description is correct: "This is not a library to create folk music with, but simply everything you need to create cinematic scores for today, inspired by the past." That's great, and totally within Spitfire's wheelhouse. But I think what I would actually want to do with this is _create hybrid folk music_, not hybrid folk-inspired scores. And for that, I think maybe I don't need this and am better off with some of the OTS libraries I got recently and my own modest instrumental and synths chops.
> 
> And if I get into it and decide I'm wrong -- well, there's always Christmas!


It likely won’t be any cheaper than now for BF or the end of the year sale. The first 40% sale will likely come next May.

I really love Solstice and I haven’t even used it yet in the folk noir mode the marketing has been pushing. I also haven’t done any more than skim through the cassette orchestra. Overall, It’s a very deep collection. It feels like more content than any of the Albions except maybe One, if you count the legacy patches that were included with that.


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## Levon (Jul 15, 2021)

I gave in with 6 hours to go! Looking forward to exploring the sounds.


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## Zedcars (Jul 15, 2021)

Levon said:


> I gave in with 6 hours to go! Looking forward to exploring the sounds.


I went for it too. Bought Landforms too. My wallet is crying!


----------



## becolossal (Aug 4, 2021)

Did anyone have installation issues with Solstice? Just bought on the summer sale and Kontakt can't locate any of the sample files. My Solstice folder is 73.3GB in size. The SA app said it had completed downloading, but I feel like it didn't properly finish.


----------



## jbuhler (Aug 4, 2021)

becolossal said:


> Did anyone have installation issues with Solstice? Just bought on the summer sale and Kontakt can't locate any of the sample files. My Solstice folder is 73.3GB in size. The SA app said it had completed downloading, but I feel like it didn't properly finish.


Did you authorize it in Native Access?


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## Baronvonheadless (Aug 4, 2021)

becolossal said:


> Did anyone have installation issues with Solstice? Just bought on the summer sale and Kontakt can't locate any of the sample files. My Solstice folder is 73.3GB in size. The SA app said it had completed downloading, but I feel like it didn't properly finish.


No issues, but just for fucks sake, did you also locate the folder in native access? If you don't have any other spitfire Kontakt libraries and this is your first time that may be the snag. It's not like the spitfire libraries that run on the spitfire player, because all you have to do is install in the spitfire player and you're good.


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## becolossal (Aug 4, 2021)

I did. It shows up in the Kontakt menu just fine, but every instrument I load can't find the appropriate samples. The paths seems correct, but the content is missing. For example, the only thing in the Samples folder it's looking at is a folder for the IRs, nothing else. I'm thinking redownloading is in my near future.


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## becolossal (Aug 4, 2021)

Baronvonheadless said:


> No issues, but just for fucks sake, did you also locate the folder in native access? If you don't have any other spitfire Kontakt libraries and this is your first time that may be the snag. It's not like the spitfire libraries that run on the spitfire player, because all you have to do is install in the spitfire player and you're good.


Interestingly enough, the "Locate" function in Native Access doesn't appear for me anymore (used to appear on hover). Did they move it?


----------



## jbuhler (Aug 4, 2021)

becolossal said:


> I did. It shows up in the Kontakt menu just fine, but every instrument I load can't find the appropriate samples. The paths seems correct, but the content is missing. For example, the only thing in the Samples folder it's looking at is a folder for the IRs, nothing else. I'm thinking redownloading is in my near future.


You might try batch re-saving first and see if that locates the samples. But, yes, it sounds like a bad download.


----------



## becolossal (Aug 4, 2021)

jbuhler said:


> You might try batch re-saving first and see if that locates the samples. But, yes, it sounds like a bad download.


It's definitely an incomplete download. There's a boatload of part files in here. Drat. Thanks for talking this out loud with me...LOL.


----------



## Baronvonheadless (Aug 4, 2021)

becolossal said:


> Interestingly enough, the "Locate" function in Native Access doesn't appear for me anymore (used to appear on hover). Did they move it?


I've noticed that too, I just hit install but it just instantly installs. Just like locate used to. When I used to unknowingly install instead of locate back in the day it would literally download for another couple of hours depending on the library.


----------



## becolossal (Aug 4, 2021)

Thankfully the reset didn't require a full redownload. Something caused the merging process to get interrupted last night. A reset and reinstall via the SA app took about 30 seconds for whatever happened yesterday to be resolved!


----------



## Kevperry777 (Aug 4, 2021)

Really, really liking Solstice. Three cheers for the diverse sounds that make up this library. Truly the biggest blemish to me is the string legato….It’s just so wonky which is odd considering the other legatos are fine.


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## jbuhler (Aug 4, 2021)

Kevperry777 said:


> Really, really liking Solstice. Three cheers for the diverse sounds that make up this library. Truly the biggest blemish to me is the string legato….It’s just so wonky which is odd considering the other legatos are fine.


The portamento is triggered at relatively high velocities, so one thing to try is increasing the velocities for the string legatos.


----------



## easyrider (Sep 2, 2021)

Any regrets?


----------



## jbuhler (Sep 2, 2021)

No regrets here. It’s still one of my favorite libraries. I also feel like I’ve only scratched the surface.


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## Baronvonheadless (Sep 3, 2021)

I've been very busy with Solstice the last month or two, but unable to share anything until recently upgrading my soundcloud. I made a playlist that features Solstice all over the place, some of these tracks don't have it but it's on about 10/13 of them. In many different forms. I used the vocals and guitars quite a bit as well as the loops and dabbled everywhere from experimental ambient stuff to straight on horror. 'Hags lair & draconic horror' especially.

I've mixed with with a lot of different MNTRA instruments as well and it blends very nicely. Great, diverse, useful library. Here's a link to a playlist with 13 new pieces I've made


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## MNTRA Instruments (Sep 18, 2021)

Baronvonheadless said:


> I've been very busy with Solstice the last month or two, but unable to share anything until recently upgrading my soundcloud. I made a playlist that features Solstice all over the place, some of these tracks don't have it but it's on about 10/13 of them. In many different forms. I used the vocals and guitars quite a bit as well as the loops and dabbled everywhere from experimental ambient stuff to straight on horror. 'Hags lair & draconic horror' especially.
> 
> I've mixed with with a lot of different MNTRA instruments as well and it blends very nicely. Great, diverse, useful library. Here's a link to a playlist with 13 new pieces I've made



Very nice work and thank you for sharing! It's so nice to see our instruments being flexed in so many ways and we are inspired with how you used them


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## Baronvonheadless (Sep 18, 2021)

MNTRA Instruments said:


> Very nice work and thank you for sharing! It's so nice to see our instruments being flexed in so many ways and we are inspired with how you used them


Hey, thank you so much! I love your libraries (I own them all now). The flexibility of the sounds is amazing and there are so many sounds in each library that I have been building templates but haven’t composed a track solely with them (tho I plan to, and will tag you when I do) because it’s almost overwhelming haha. (A good thing) so I’ve been using them as a secret sauce on tracks at the moment.


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