# What library for live playing?



## 88Keyz (Apr 24, 2021)

I am fairly new to the MIDI game. I have a 61-key board, PC, decent speakers and some free software. The DAW I've been using is Cakewalk, and I have some various plugins (Analog Lab, Expand2, SpitFire BBC Discover and a few other free ones). I may experiment with composing, but my main interest right now is just playing the keyboard live (just in my home), and having it sound good. I'm particularly interested in cinematic music, which I know can take a lot of effort to get sounding realistic. What would be the best sound library to do this? I think what I am interested in are very playable samples. Spitfire describes it well here:

_When using samples, there are commonly two approaches to creating realistic lines:

*1)* Using a 'performance' instrument, such as our our own *performance legato* patches. These instruments allow you to 'perform' musical lines in a single take. This method is quick and easy, and especially useful for playing live.

*2)* Using multiple articulations to 'piece' together a line, almost like a musical-jigsaw-puzzle. The advantage of this method is that you have total control over how a note is played, and can create an overall more convincing performance. _

At this point, I'm definitely more interested in option 1. I'm typically playing with 2 hands, so I'm not going to be able to fool around with the mod wheel. I have an interest in Albion One, but it's expensive, and not sure it'd be worth it if I'm mainly interested in "performance instruments". Any tips or recommendations? I see Kontakt has a series called Play, which also seems to be geared toward performing rather than complex composing. Thanks!


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## Trash Panda (Apr 24, 2021)

Aaron Venture Infinite Brass/Woodwinds and Performance Samples will most closely align with #1.


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## 88Keyz (Apr 24, 2021)

Thanks! Do they have strings, too?


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## Tralen (Apr 24, 2021)

Sample Modeling and Audio Modeling are also built towards live playability. Together with Aaron Venture's Infinite Series, they are the ones that naturally react according to your playing. Infinite Series is expecting a release for strings at any time, Sample Modeling has ensemble and solo strings, Audio Modeling only has solo strings. All of these will require you to handle the modwheel or breath controller for modulating dynamics.

Next you have those libraries that require you to change articulations from the keyboard, with keyswitches. They are still playable, but to a lesser degree. You will have to do some of the switching post-recording. Again, for realistic performance, you will need some modulation.

Finally, you have those that require you to set multiple patches (instruments) for the different articulations, these are not playable at all.


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## Trash Panda (Apr 24, 2021)

88Keyz said:


> Thanks! Do they have strings, too?


Coming at some point this year.


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## Spaceageoctave (Apr 25, 2021)

The BBC Orchestra library is lux.


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## hannu (Apr 25, 2021)

I really like Abbey Road One Orchestral Foundations for live playing in cinematic style. It's all ensemble patches that blend together nicely and it sounds really good right off the bat. The live playability is probably a bit more limited compared to the other libraries mentioned, but there's enough possibilities for creating various playable patches, for example triggering different articulations by velocity or midi cc range in addition to keyswitches. I use MainStage for live playing and have experimented a lot with layering different patches from AROOF and other libraries.

The amount of articulations in AROOF is unfortunately pretty limited, there are currently no legato articulations other than the two separately sold selections (legendary low strings and sparkling woodwinds). The price is quite high as well, but for me it has definitely been worth it. 

Spitfire's Originals libraries provide a more affordable but still very usable option, although they don't have similar trigger options as AROOF player. Your DAW might offer options for that though? Nevertheless, especially Originals Intimate Strings is worth checking, it's really good for the price!

Btw I really recommend getting an expression pedal for 2 hand playing if you don't have one yet. I bought one last year when I got a new midi keyboard with expression pedal input, and it has raised the live playability of my setup to a completely different level! Remember to check that the pedal is compatible with your controller, there are differences between manufacturers. There are also midi/USB adapters if your midi keyboard only has a sustain pedal input.

-Hannu


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## 88Keyz (Apr 25, 2021)

I've sort of found what I want, but still not exactly. I ended up buying Intimate Strings. For 30 bucks, why not? Pretty nice sounding for really slow pieces, but trying to play them live for other types of music doesn't sound the most realistic. I layered the short and long patches in my DAW, and that sort of works for performance-type playing. I see that Nucleus Lite has "performance patches", and I guess so does Albion One. This type of thing is basically what I'm looking for, but without all the other stuff. It doesn't make a ton of sense to spend 100 or even 400 bucks on a big sample library only to use the few performance patches that it comes with.


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## Trash Panda (Apr 25, 2021)

I wouldn’t recommend the performance patches. They lack round robins, so you get the machine gun effect if you repeat the same note. Better to combine the sustain patches and stacatissimo patches to one channel. Let’s you control the attack via velocity and the sustain/release via the mod wheel. You can do that with any library that offers those two articulations though.


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## EgM (Apr 25, 2021)

I jam to orchestra music for fun daily and my goto is VSL, very easy on resources, never a glitch and also easy to edit to taste for live purposes.


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## 88Keyz (Apr 25, 2021)

EgM said:


> I jam to orchestra music for fun daily and my goto is VSL, very easy on resources, never a glitch and also easy to edit to taste for live purposes.


I see VSL has the free Big Bang Orchestra which sounds cool, but looks like it requires a USB drive to work?


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## ashX (Apr 26, 2021)

I'd say Audio Imperia might be good for live recording and playing because with their UI you can change the delay to 0 ms. But it might be worth it with spiccato only


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## Petter Rong (Apr 27, 2021)

I'm constantly switching out my preferred live orchestral libraries, but I find this stack to do quite nicely for general staccato/spiccato purposes:

Strings
- MS Trailer Strings Spiccato Velocity
- BONUS TIP: Contact Musical Sampling and get the no-filter version of TS. Don't know exactly what the filters are, but it taxed my CPU like crazy before I got the no-filter patches
- CSS Spiccato (despite the pre-transient time, it works when layered)
- CS CineStrings Spiccato (EQed like crazy to counter the massive amounts of random noise in release samples, like coughing and talking)


Brass
- NI Symphony Brass Staccato Velocity (Tweaked the instrument ranges)
- PS Angry Brass (For longer majestic lines)

Misc.
- AI Nucleus mixed choir staccato multivowels (random round robin latin words)
- CS Perc Timpani (mapped to only trigger at the bottom of the keyboard and in a certain velocity range)

I use this combination, as well as some additional choir and string sounds from Roland Cloud, in this performance I did at my school. There is obviously backing tracks here, but most of the general orchestra is played live on my keyboard:





Hope this helps!


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## 88Keyz (Apr 27, 2021)

Sounds great! Two awesome Zimmer pieces


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