# Majestica vs. Metropolis Ark



## qkrzazzang (Jul 29, 2016)

I have Metropolis Ark and I recently saw the walkthrough of the majestica and it sounds bigger than ark. Also like the sound as well. From what I can tell from using Ark, it sounds great right out of the box but I've never used 8dio stuff before and I'm not sure if there were 3rd party fx used for the majestica walkthrough or not..

Are there any justifications to own both? Or would this be a waste of money? Would they compliment each other to a certain degree, if possible at all?


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## jononotbono (Jul 29, 2016)

I only own M Ark 1 and haven't really felt compelled to buy Majestica (yet). I think it's a different animal altogether. The sections are huge. Way bigger than anything in real life so I don't really think they can be compared. So, thinking about that, I would only buy it if I felt like I wanted it in my template as an "Effect" type library. Who knows, maybe I would buy it an love it but I wouldn't buy it to think it's for creating some sort of realistic Orchestral mock up to start with. M Ark 1 was created with the intention of Creating Trailer music. So, Majestica, perhaps it was made to just write music with? Either way, it's an amazing library. It's just I don't "need" it yet!


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## mac (Jul 29, 2016)

I can't help you with your question, but I have always wondered why Majestica never gets much love. Even stranger seeing as how composers love their epic, and Majestica seems as epic as anything else that's ever been released.

Maybe it's a victim of its own strengths. Maybe things are just too big and epic?


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## Mike Fox (Jul 29, 2016)

I own Majestica, and I can honestly say I would never buy it as a main library. There aren't enough articulations, and it's somewhat of a tricky library to get down. This has a lot to do with the excessive amount of reverb in almost every section. The percussion section is drenched with reverb, and I always have to go into the Kontakt settings and adjust the release so the reverb trails aren't so long. Majestica is a ram hog when all 3 mic positions are on. I also think it's an overpriced library (IMHO), so if you're going to buy it, wait until they have another sale.

Now for the good...

Majestica absolutely shines as a boost/layering library. Combining Symphobia 1 strings with Majestica strings sounds beautiful and massive at the same time. The same goes for brass. Seriously, I don't think I could live without Majestica for this reason alone. I'm assuming you could get similar results with Metrop. If it has the ability to adjust the reverb. The woodwinds sound incredibly unique, so much so that I don't really know how to quite use them yet, or where to place them in my compositions (that's actually a good thing). The articulations that are included in Maj. are very fun as well! I recommend listening to all of the demos wand watching the tutorials before you buy. Overall, Majestica has a very beautiful sound to it, you just have to be patient with it.


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## Orchestrata (Jul 29, 2016)

Very different beasts. I have 8W (which is what Majestica is a repackaging of), so everything I say is based on that:

Majestica is fairly limited in terms of articulations, and you have far less control in terms of arrangement (you get "Brass", "Woodwinds", "Strings" and "Percussion", spanning the keyboard, no subdivisions). It's also a *very* wet library, so mixing it with MA1 would be tricky, depending on how natural you want your sound. In terms of usefulness it's a mixed bag; for instance, the string legatos were super disappointing (to me), but its low, short articulations blew my head off. I'm a bit of an 8Dio fanboy, but I always feel conflicted about this one; there are a few patches there that I adore and wouldn't want to live without... but I feel like I paid too much for them. If Majestica doesn't have the close and spot mics that its 8W Black equivalent has, then it would be even less of a must-have.

I mostly do over-the-top epic stuff, and often find uses for it... but knowing what I know now, I would wait for the inevitable 40%-off 8Dio sale. And even then, I'd still be using Ark far more.


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## Orchestrata (Jul 29, 2016)

Oh, I see mikefox789 summed it up super well while I was typing


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## Mike Fox (Jul 29, 2016)

Ha


Orchestrata said:


> Oh, I see mikefox789 summed it up super well while I was typing


Haha! I thought you hit some really nice points as well!


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## Parsifal666 (Jul 29, 2016)

Forgive me if this doesn't exactly adhere to the topic...I've been curious about Ark since released. The thing that first caught my eye was the fact that Metropolis makes me think of Superman, and I have been writing superhero music for awhile now. I'm just wondering...what would make me interested in buying this when I have the EW Hollywood libraries, the Albions, Stormdrums, Evolution Taiko, etc? Any help would be massively appreciated.


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## Mike Fox (Jul 29, 2016)

Parsifal666 said:


> Forgive me if this doesn't exactly adhere to the topic...I've been curious about Ark since released. The thing that first caught my eye was the fact that Metropolis makes me think of Superman, and I have been writing superhero music for awhile now. I'm just wondering...what would make me interested in buying this when I have the EW Hollywood libraries, the Albions, Stormdrums, Evolution Taiko, etc? Any help would be massively appreciated.


Are you saying that the sound of the library makes you think of Superman, or the marketing of the library (the name, the imagery, etc.)?


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## Ashermusic (Jul 29, 2016)

Parsifal666 said:


> Forgive me if this doesn't exactly adhere to the topic...I've been curious about Ark since released. The thing that first caught my eye was the fact that Metropolis makes me think of Superman, and I have been writing superhero music for awhile now. I'm just wondering...what would make me interested in buying this when I have the EW Hollywood libraries, the Albions, Stormdrums, Evolution Taiko, etc? Any help would be massively appreciated.




If you want HUGE quickly, it is hard to beat Metropolis Ark. As you would expect from the OT guys, it is very well recorded.


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## Lawson. (Jul 29, 2016)

[Shameless plug alert!]

If you want a super-comprehensive review of Ark with tons of video walkthroughs, you can check out DesigningMusicNOW's review here.


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## Mike Fox (Jul 29, 2016)

Can you adjust the reverb in Ark 1 (I'm assuming you can't)? A lot of the samples seem a bit too wet for my liking, but the library sounds very nice overall.


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## Lawson. (Jul 29, 2016)

mikefox789 said:


> Can you adjust the reverb in Ark 1 (I'm assuming you can't)? A lot of the samples seem a bit too wet for my liking, but the library sounds very nice overall.



Just throw in more close mic and take out the ambients.


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## Parsifal666 (Jul 29, 2016)

mikefox789 said:


> Are you saying that the sound of the library makes you think of Superman, or the marketing of the library (the name, the imagery, etc.)?



The name, Mike. Metropolis is where Clark Kent works, my friend.


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## Parsifal666 (Jul 29, 2016)

Ashermusic said:


> If you want HUGE quickly, it is hard to beat Metropolis Ark. As you would expect from the OT guys, it is very well recorded.



Thanks! Coming from you and your experience with libraries, that means a lot. Really glad you chipped in.


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## Parsifal666 (Jul 29, 2016)

Lawson. said:


> [Shameless plug alert!]
> 
> If you want a super-comprehensive review of Ark with tons of video walkthroughs, you can check out DesigningMusicNOW's review here.



Super cool and personable review!


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## Ashermusic (Jul 29, 2016)

Parsifal666 said:


> Thanks! Coming from you and your experience with libraries, that means a lot. Really glad you chipped in.



Thank you for the kind words. Here was my review btw:
https://ask.audio/articles/review-orchestral-tools-metropolis-ark-1


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## jononotbono (Jul 29, 2016)

Ashermusic said:


> Thank you for the kind words. Here was my review btw:
> https://ask.audio/articles/review-orchestral-tools-metropolis-ark-1



Another student at Thinkspace actually shared that the other day and I said "Hey, I know who that guy is. Well, sort of!"  Really good review and I thought it was spot on.


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## Mike Fox (Jul 29, 2016)

I'm tempted to buy Ark 1 now! Does this company ever have sales?


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## jononotbono (Jul 29, 2016)

mikefox789 said:


> I'm tempted to buy Ark 1 now! Does this company ever have sales?



Ark 1 is such a great library man! I don't think OT ever have sales with the exception of introductory offers! No one here has mentioned the Choirs in M Ark 1 (I know, I know, it's not a thread about M Ark's specifics but the sound of those Choirs)!


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## Parsifal666 (Jul 31, 2016)

You know, this isn't exactly on topic either, so forgive me. I was getting ready to purchase Metropolis, and watched a bunch of videos concerning it...while there are some very impressive sounds, I was able to come up with extremely similar (in a few instances even better sounding) on the Albions (btw I have all but Loegria).

Suffice to say, if you have the Albions mentioned, I really can't see why you'd need Metropolis. Unless you collect such things.

Just my opinion, I could be wrong! Would love to see and/or hear examples of the differences.


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## AlexanderSchiborr (Jul 31, 2016)

mikefox789 said:


> I'm tempted to buy Ark 1 now! Does this company ever have sales?


No, never because to respect loyal customers. The only thing what they offer is the introductory price. As for myself I can say I am very satisfied with MA1. (I had done some demos..)


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## tmm (Aug 1, 2016)

I have both MA1 and 8W (Majestica with more mic positions), and as has been stated in the thread, they're very different. I'm hitting on points already covered in one way or another here but -

MA1 is def more universally useful. Between the available dynamics (mf-FF), mic positions (3-4 per patch), and patch configurability, it will get just about anything you'd need from an ens library except for anything super subtle / intimate. I really like they way they implemented the choir's automatic articulation changes, it's great for quick sketches.

Majestica's tone spans from a quiet-but-in-a-very-"majestic / regal"-way to, well, the biggest FFF orchestra ever recorded. _Nothing_ else sounds as powerful and menacing as the low string shorts, and the string / brass arcs are nothing short of majestic . Play the gran casas at low dynamics with the volume raised a little, and you'll create an earthquake. WWs are the weak point of the library, IMO. They sound awesome in their useful range, but their useful range is very narrow.

Not sure if this is expected or not from the demos / marketing, but Majestica is perfectly capable of delivering lower dynamics, just in a very atypical and certainly not small way.

I'm not speaking with definitive knowledge, but I don't believe any of the Majestica demos have 3rd party FX. Some may use the built-in Kontakt FX (it comes with a pretty substantial convo reverb pack). I don't work for 8Dio, so I don't know for sure, but I do know that I could easily get the tones from the demos without any 3rd party FX.

Neither is a great choice for a core / standalone orch ens library, IMO.


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## Patrick (Aug 1, 2016)

Parsifal666 said:


> You know, this isn't exactly on topic either, so forgive me. I was getting ready to purchase Metropolis, and watched a bunch of videos concerning it...while there are some very impressive sounds, I was able to come up with extremely similar (in a few instances even better sounding) on the Albions (btw I have all but Loegria).
> 
> Suffice to say, if you have the Albions mentioned, I really can't see why you'd need Metropolis. Unless you collect such things.
> 
> Just my opinion, I could be wrong! Would love to see and/or hear examples of the differences.


I am using Albion I-III and I would like to add that there is stuff in MA1 that I can't achieve with the spitfire samples.
The brass, especially the trumpets and horns, have a totally different sound compared to the (mostly) mixed sections in the Albions. The Albions, to me are lush and sweet, with exception of the low brass in Iceni. The metropolis brass is very aggressive throughout and cuts through the mix like crazy but offers less of a dynamic range. 
Then there are the very usefull choirs in Metro which are pretty basic articulations-wise but are recorded well and get the job done quickly.


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## NoamL (Aug 1, 2016)

I kind of agree with @Parsifal666

I assist a composer who's used MA1 on big epic projects. It just sounds like a more up to date Symphobia/Albion to me. Useful for sketching. In particular I used the 9Hn patch a lot on one of his projects and it didn't seem more "epic" to me than Hollywood Brass's 6Hn.

But, next time I'm in his studio I'll put together a quickie comparison of legato horns, maybe MA vs Albion classic vs HWB vs Symphobia.


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## Parsifal666 (Aug 1, 2016)

From working with a friend who bought MA a couple of months ago, I learned that you can stack the Albions (or if you want a drier, more malleable sound) the East West cognates like Hollywood, SC, and Stormdrum(s) and get all the sounds you get in MA. MA is for someone who doesn't already own the above (I understand I shouldn't leave out LASS, Superior Drummer, or perhaps the VSL stuff).

Plus, if you want to get rockin' with minimal input Metropolis Ark is great.

As a seasoned orchestrator, I'd never recommend MA to someone of similar ownership. Stick with the Albions...though I have to admit I'm biased, because I own both those *and* all the East West stuff, so it's hard for me to look too droolingly upon ANY such library. It was rightfully mentioned above that the Albions can be just as already-drenched as MA gets at times, so I fully admit that. The above mentioned EW _*ISN'T*_ like that, however. You have a world of options with EW (despite the at times aggravatingly quirky Play engine itself).

Still, like I said, if you're looking for just one ta start ya off, something where everything's-pretty-much-out-of-the-box-and-thus-might-end-up-cliched-before-even-your-first-trailer-becomes-public, then you're an Ark type 'o guy (or gal)!


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## DSmolken (Aug 1, 2016)

Parsifal666 said:


> Still, like I said, if you're looking for just one ta start ya off, something where everything's-pretty-much-out-of-the-box-and-thus-might-end-up-cliched-before-even-your-first-trailer-becomes-public, then you're an Ark type 'o guy (or gal)!


Or you produce hip-hop, heh. I know it wasn't meant to be the world's greatest trap brass library, but it is!


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## Parsifal666 (Aug 1, 2016)

DSmolken said:


> Or you produce hip-hop, heh. I know it wasn't meant to be the world's greatest trap brass library, but it is!



That actually sounds like an EXTREMELY cool idea, my friend. I'd love to hear such tracks. Really!


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## Ashermusic (Aug 1, 2016)

Parsifal666 said:


> F
> Still, like I said, if you're looking for just one ta start ya off, something where everything's-pretty-much-out-of-the-box-and-thus-might-end-up-cliched-before-even-your-first-trailer-becomes-public, then you're an Ark type 'o guy (or gal)!



OR if you already have complete orchestral collections you like but sometimes need to get HUGE in a hurry, it will come in handy.


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## DSmolken (Aug 1, 2016)

Parsifal666 said:


> That actually sounds like an EXTREMELY cool idea, my friend. I'd love to hear such tracks. Really!


I don't want to litter this thread, but if you're curious I posted some in what's hopefully a better part of the forum for it:

http://vi-control.net/community/threads/some-trap-featuring-metropolis-ark-1.54942/

It is a great library for quick results, that's for sure. And a lot of fun.


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## Parsifal666 (Aug 1, 2016)

Ashermusic said:


> OR if you already have complete orchestral collections you like but sometimes need to get HUGE in a hurry, it will come in handy.



Oh sure, "if I were a rich man" I'd probably scoop it up myself just to make creative splats with.


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## StatKsn (Aug 1, 2016)

I really like MA1's brutal brasses despite having many other out-of-the-box libraries (reading Parsifal666's comments I realized that Albion One is a very close comparison except that MA1 doesn't do anything below f).


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## Parsifal666 (Aug 1, 2016)

I think another member was perfectly right to mention Spitfire's Iceni for really great, intense lows. There are also all kinds of useful and cool things to be gleaned from the Brunel loops.

Jay really hit it when he mentioned getting it for just "wanting everything now" (the classic Deep Purple "turn everything up louder than everything else" lol!). But both Iceni and the Albion 1 that StatKsn mentioned can be similarly useful. At least from what I've experienced with MA, and that hasn't been too much besides working some with my friend the other day and checking out several videos (with an eye out at the time for buying the library).

Again, if I had the cash I'd probably buy the darn thing anyway, but I'm in a good place with the mountain of stuff I have. I'm working on superhero stuff a lot lately, and none of it has let me down, in fact I'm pretty darn crazy about my Spitfire and EW libraries. And of course I use a lot of the Zebra/HZ, which are _amazingly_ (consistently) handy as well. And I have "secret weapons", so I'll shut up now lol!

Oh...except the classic: if it works perfectly toward what you're aiming for in your music, you should get it.


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## Mike Fox (Aug 1, 2016)

How does Ark 1 brass sonically compare to HB?


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## Ashermusic (Aug 1, 2016)

mikefox789 said:


> How does Ark 1 brass sonically compare to HB?




Equally well recorded but sounds very different.


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## Mike Fox (Aug 2, 2016)

I just bought Ark 1. I'll compare it with Majestica and then offer my own 2 cents.


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## Mike Fox (Aug 3, 2016)

So at 4am this morning I was able to sit down and run through Ark 1. The main thing I want to say about Ark is that it's been a very long time since I've had this much fun with a sample library (probably not since Symphobia). I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of instruments and articulations it has to offer. With some sample libraries, you have to compromise quality for quantity (or vice versa), but this offers both! I actually bought the library mainly for the choirs, which are the most realistic choirs I've probably ever heard.

In comparison to Majestica, Ark 1 is by far the better buy. It sounds just as good Majestica (if not better), but offers so much more. Orchestral tools definitely gives you your money's worth.

In retrospect, I didn't get the same kind of enjoyment from Majestica, and I was glad that I bought it on sale, because it's just not worth its full price tag, IMHO. Don't get me wrong, Majestica sounds fantastic, and is also fun to play, but 8dio really should have included a lot more in the library to withstand the competition. I guess they were restricted from the start in terms of content, because it wouldn't be fair to the 8W owners.

Since people have brought up Albion. I would take Ark 1 over Albion 1 any day of the week, but that's just personal preference.


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