# Joshua Bell *Essential* ????



## ohernie (Nov 24, 2019)

Just came across this at the Audioplugin Deals site. Can't find any info, wondering what they stripped it down to Anybody know anything about it?
https://audioplugin.deals/joshua-bell-violin-essential-by-embertone/
Bizarre that I would find it just as the were releasing their own violin.

OT: It looks like Realitone pulled out of their shop, at least for the time being. Damn!


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## unclecheeks (Nov 24, 2019)

Curious about this one too! And more broadly, how the Bell violin compares to Emotional Violin.


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## Fleer (Nov 24, 2019)

Joshua Bell is the most natural as well as virtuoso violin in my (Mac)book, surpassing Emotional Violin, EW Hollywood Solo Violin and other usual suspects. Compared to the newer Taylor violin by Cinesamples, I still wholeheartedly prefer Embertone’s Joshua Bell. It’s a treat to play, almost like playing the actual instrument (only better as I’m a flautist).


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## Sears Poncho (Nov 24, 2019)

SOmeone buy this and quick. Report back. Be our guinea pig.


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## Sears Poncho (Nov 24, 2019)

OK, I tried to order it. It's giving me some weird link to Mountain Dulcimer. Already paid for the violin. Ummmmm, so far not that impressed.


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## Sears Poncho (Nov 24, 2019)

Sears Poncho said:


> OK, I tried to order it. It's giving me some weird link to Mountain Dulcimer. Already paid for the violin. Ummmmm, so far not that impressed.


I have no clue as to how to download this. I have been downloading software for years and years. Link is nonsensical. People might wanna wait on this, cause....damn....


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## Sears Poncho (Nov 24, 2019)

Well that was certainly anticlimactic. Have a ticket in with Embertone, asking why I didn't get the f#*$&% software. Great Googly Moogly!


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## jneebz (Nov 24, 2019)

Sears Poncho said:


> Well that was certainly anticlimactic. Have a ticket in with Embertone, asking why I didn't get the f#*$&% software. Great Googly Moogly!


I think you're victim of a website blunder by APD. "Joshua Bell Essential" isn't even a product on Embertone's website...probably an upcoming release. Bummer it allowed you to pay though...I'm sure it will work out with Embertone, solid developer.


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## Sears Poncho (Nov 24, 2019)

jneebz said:


> I think you're victim of a website blunder by APD. "Joshua Bell Essential" isn't even a product on Embertone's website...probably an upcoming release. Bummer it allowed you to pay though...I'm sure it will work out with Embertone, solid developer.


Yup, it would appear that way... unless they have decided that I have enough string libraries and are forcing me to get the Mountain Dulcimer. ") 

Audio Plugin shows it in my box. First time ordering with them. I've gotta hunch it's the last time as well...


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## ism (Nov 24, 2019)

Demos seem to be the full JB. Link to product page is the full JB.


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## Sears Poncho (Nov 24, 2019)

ism said:


> Demos seem to be the full JB. Link to product page is the full JB.


That's awesome. I'll take my $49 JB full library. Thanks, Embertone!


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## Fleer (Nov 24, 2019)

Here’s hoping you’ll get lucky, SP


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## Drundfunk (Nov 24, 2019)

Would be interesting to know if there is a crossgrade to the full version. Got some APD store credit left, so with a good price on the full version on Black Friday this could become a bargain for me.


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## Zero&One (Nov 25, 2019)

I bought it. It's since been refunded


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## Theodor Andrews (Nov 25, 2019)

So.... What is it now exactly..? 🤔 Very corious


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## Zero&One (Nov 25, 2019)

Theodor Andrews said:


> So.... What is it now exactly..? 🤔 Very corious



It's a myth, a legend, a Mountain Dulcimer as me and @Sears Poncho discovered  

I think it was released on the site early and was pulled. I think it will be similar to the Chris Hein Compact line?


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## Satorious (Nov 25, 2019)

James H said:


> I bought it. It's since been refunded


How long did the refund take? I find myself with no code to put in to the Embertones site (have contacted APD). I also got the Mountain Dulcimer at the reduced price, I'm hoping the will at least honour that being as they are messing me around now!


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## ohernie (Nov 25, 2019)

LOL, looks like APD's got some splainin' to do ...


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## tokatila (Nov 25, 2019)

A sneaky way to sell ... wait for it .. a mountain of dulcimers


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## Sears Poncho (Nov 25, 2019)

Satorious said:


> How long did the refund take? I


Got mine last nite around midnite. I wrote to Embertone and APD, APD responded quickly and apologized for the "confusion". Embertone hasn't responded.



ohernie said:


> LOL, looks like APD's got somd 'splainin' to do ...


IMO, Embertone does too. Someone at APD messed up, OK. THey put something on the interwebz that wasn't ready for prime time, alright. But... this was my first attempt at purchasing an Embertone product. Bad way to start out. A lot of us are very loyal to companies, the good folks at Spitfire and Heavyocity know that I'm putting their kids through college.  

I don't want discounts/free stuff, none of that. I want a good relationship with companies whose libraries I purchase. And even though it's assumedly not Embertone's fault, I suggest they do damage control and send out emails along the line of "Hey man, sorry about the product you legally purchased and have documentation for but aren't getting.".... 'cause the good folks at Spitfire, Heavyocity and others are like "Hell yeah bro, give us that sweet sweet money posthaste, here's your stuff!"


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## Zero&One (Nov 25, 2019)

Satorious said:


> How long did the refund take? I find myself with no code to put in to the Embertones site (have contacted APD). I also got the Mountain Dulcimer at the reduced price, I'm hoping the will at least honour that being as they are messing me around now!



Luckily I didn't click the buy button. So it was around midnight, when I woke up they had refunded me.
So no Josh or Dulcimer for me.


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## Sears Poncho (Nov 25, 2019)

I'm seeing a whole new product line here: The Josh Bell Mountain Dulcimer!


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## Theodor Andrews (Nov 25, 2019)

This thing is coming later this week! APD told me... 🙂


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## Zero&One (Nov 25, 2019)

Sears Poncho said:


> I'm seeing a whole new product line here: The Josh Bell Mountain Dulcimer!



"Josh on a Mountain"
Just him, on a mountain, freezing his cods off playing like a beast. Deeply sampled though.


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## Satorious (Nov 25, 2019)

Confusion? The product was available to buy on their site!

I've had no response or refund offer from Audio Plugin Deals yet (will give them 24hrs), maybe it's more complicated being as I've bought the Dulcimer also. They have found time to email me their next big deal in the meantime. Haven't contacted Embertone yet as technically I bought this from APD (so it's them who should ideally sort out the next step).


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## ohernie (Nov 25, 2019)

For the record, I've picked up several libraries from APD without any issues. If I remember right, the process of purchasing and downloading can, as with any third party discount site, get a bit convoluted but that's about it. I would have no problem purchasing from them in the future and have absolutely no doubt that they will correct any errors and make good on any existing purchases.


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## Tim_Wells (Nov 25, 2019)

James H said:


> "Josh on a Mountain"
> Just him, on a mountain, freezing his cods off playing like a beast. Deeply sampled though.


If they can make it sound anything like the JB Violin version of the dulcimer, I'd buy it...


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## Tim_Wells (Nov 25, 2019)

Sears Poncho said:


> ... unless they have decided that I have enough string libraries and are forcing me to get the Mountain Dulcimer. ")


I think that's it. They were all talkin about how you had way too many string libraries over at Embertone.


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## Mornats (Nov 25, 2019)

Well this is a convoluted way of announcing the Yo-yo Ma Cello :D


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## tokatila (Nov 25, 2019)

It's up!






Joshua Bell Violin







www.embertone.com


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## TomaeusD (Nov 25, 2019)

tokatila said:


> It's up!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Cool. It says it maintains the core articulations from the full library but everything else functions the same, it seems. Honestly I can't see the difference in the articulation lists, but it could be my strained dry eyes.


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## Henu (Nov 25, 2019)

I wonder what's going to happen if I want to later to get the full version- will Embertone offer crossgrades or am I stuck with the lite- version for the rest of my life? If there's a possibility for a crossgrade in the future, I'm so hopping in.


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## Michael Stibor (Nov 25, 2019)

tokatila said:


> It's up!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Amazing, I'm buying this tonight. I was considering buying the full version if it went on sale on Black Friday, but it seemed like overkill for my needs, so the timing of this is perfect. Embertone is just killing it lately.


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## anjwilson (Nov 25, 2019)

Henu said:


> I wonder what's going to happen if I want to later to get the full version- will Embertone offer crossgrades or am I stuck with the lite- version for the rest of my life? If there's a possibility for a crossgrade in the future, I'm so hopping in.



Embertone's website indicates that there will be an upgrade option for the full instrument.


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## anjwilson (Nov 25, 2019)

mikefrommontreal said:


> Amazing, I'm buying this tonight. I was considering buying the full version if it went on sale on Black Friday, but it seemed like overkill for my needs, so the timing of this is perfect. Embertone is just killing it lately.



APD's website is still messed up, so no buying yet. Clicking to add Joshua Bell Essential to your cart instead puts Ueberschall's The Resource in there. Presumably this will be one of the 8-hr flash sales APD is doing on Black Friday.


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## Tim_Wells (Nov 25, 2019)

tokatila said:


> It's up!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Awesome!! The original deal at the top of this thread now points to the correct product page. I wonder if there is any chance AudioPlugin Deals will honor that price now?? 

https://audioplugin.deals/joshua-bell-violin-essential-by-embertone/
Anyone willing to take a chance?


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## Tim_Wells (Nov 25, 2019)

I just put it in my cart and it stuck a different product in there. So I guess it doesn't work. At least not at the moment.


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## Michael Stibor (Nov 25, 2019)

anjwilson said:


> APD's website is still messed up, so no buying yet. Clicking to add Joshua Bell Essential to your cart instead puts Ueberschall's The Resource in there. Presumably this will be one of the 8-hr flash sales APD is doing on Black Friday.


Wow, I just tried it too and got the same thing. Are we sure this site is legit? I've never dealt with them before. APD I mean.


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## h.s.j.e (Nov 25, 2019)

mikefrommontreal said:


> Wow, I just tried it too and got the same thing. Are we sure this site is legit? I've never dealt with them before. APD I mean.


APD is legit, but they have a checkered past with controversial missteps and issues. They'll get it figured out, but sometimes it takes a while.


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## SoNowWhat? (Nov 25, 2019)

FWIW, I’ve bought from APD and Embertone several times. Never had a problem. This would seem to be a glitchy launch of a new product line. Not ideal but stuff happens I guess. 

I have Josh Bell violin and it’s freaking amazing. My opinion of course. I haven’t purchased Emo Violin (yet) so cant really compare (and I’m eligible for the crossgrade price having Emo cello, just can’t quite justify it at the moment). I also have Bohemian Violin and I would say it is equally amazing as JBV for exposed solo virtuoso lines. They are different and I’m happy to have both options. Sometimes one works better than another depending on piece.


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## SoNowWhat? (Nov 25, 2019)

Mornats said:


> Well this is a convoluted way of announcing the Yo-yo Ma Cello :D


THIS!!!! x1000


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## Sears Poncho (Nov 25, 2019)

SoNowWhat? said:


> FWIW, I’ve bought from APD and Embertone several times. Never had a problem.



Then this would be a good time for Embertone to enter this thread. For people like me who haven't purchased Embertone products before, they are risking their reputation, which is a good one. @Embertone


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## Zero&One (Nov 25, 2019)

I get a chimp holding a banana now.


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## AllanH (Nov 25, 2019)

Sears Poncho said:


> Then this would be a good time for Embertone to enter this thread. For people like me who haven't purchased Embertone products before, they are risking their reputation, which is a good one. @Embertone



I think it's legit, as it's hidden on Embertone's website. I'm hoping this is a nice incoming BF surprise


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## BlackDorito (Nov 25, 2019)

Well, it seems it can't be bought quite yet.


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## Embertone (Nov 25, 2019)

Hey all,

We're not sure how APD's site let this information slip (we're not too excited about that), but please wait just a few days for the announcement. The APD site (which links to our site which was also meant to be hidden) isn't fully updated, so not all the details are correct in either place. Sit tight! We're so sorry that this information got out prematurely, and we can't wait to share the full announcement in a few days 

<3,

Alex


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## Theodor Andrews (Nov 25, 2019)

On the other hand...we're all very much excited 🙂 I think this little mistake turns out to be good in the end ❤️


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## Embertone (Nov 25, 2019)

Theodor Andrews said:


> On the other hand...we're all very much excited 🙂 I think this little mistake turns out to be good in the end ❤



I agree!


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## Drundfunk (Nov 25, 2019)

Embertone said:


> I agree!


When are you guys going to jump on the Black Friday train? I actually want to purchase the full version of Joshua Bell


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## Embertone (Nov 25, 2019)

Soon. It'll be a really fun end of 2019


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## Sears Poncho (Nov 25, 2019)

Embertone said:


> I agree!


Some of us actually purchased and paid for the product, tried to download it, had to write both customer services, check with the bank to make sure the refund was legit. I won't do it twice.


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## Embertone (Nov 25, 2019)

Sears Poncho said:


> Some of us actually purchased and paid for the product, tried to download it, had to write both customer services, check with the bank to make sure the refund was legit. I won't do it twice.



I'm really sorry about that. We were as surprised as you when we found out not only that their unfinished site leaked, but that APD's "buy now" button was active on their site. Honestly I'm upset about that too! This may have already been alluded to in a previous post, but we have no control over the APD website.

This was, frustratingly, out of our hands. And though there was nothing I could've done to change the outcome, I am sorry that you had a bad experience. Hope you have a great holiday weekend!!

-Alex


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## Theodor Andrews (Nov 25, 2019)

Sears Poncho said:


> Some of us actually purchased and paid for the product, tried to download it, had to write both customer services, check with the bank to make sure the refund was legit. I won't do it twice.


How could you buy this, if I may ask? I also tried but there always were different things in my basket, but never the violin?


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## Rob (Nov 26, 2019)

Embertone hasn't been completely transparent on this though... I followed Tokatila's link a few hours ago and found myself in an Embertone page with an announcement about the JBE and how it was discounted at APD. Looks like their site leaked too


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## tokatila (Nov 26, 2019)

Brilliant marketing move, now I have the discounted mountain dulcimer, which I never knew I needed before.


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## Sears Poncho (Nov 26, 2019)

Embertone said:


> I am sorry that you had a bad experience.


It was beyond a "bad experience', I had to get a new credit card.

Internet Commerce is nothing to mess around with. Here's 2 companies I've never dealt with in my life. I give one, in good faith, my credit card #.

What do I get? Nothing.
What do they have? My credit card. Unacceptable.

It does no good for forum members to say "Nah man, it's a good company(s)". Being careless is just as bad as being malevolent when dealing with eCommerce. Having been ripped off before, this is not something I take lightly. Nor should you. So, it's a bit different than "Wah, I didn't get my fiddle software". I trusted Embertone and APD with credit card info, bought the product, got ye olde official email, have the download links and pic of the product I purchased. Since APD was/is apparently very careless, there would be no friggin way I would trust them with my CC. Had to get another... and I don't even have it yet. Thanks!

Anyone who would feel comfortable in that situation has got rocks in their head. So, hopefully you can understand that it's a bit more serious than you think, and both companies look very bad.


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## Theodor Andrews (Nov 26, 2019)

You should use PayPal if you're so afraid about your credit card then. 

And neither APD nor Embertone are bad. I have great experiences with both. APD replies within minutes contacting them on Facebook for example. 
I never needed help from Embertone but what I've heard they also do great support. 

Go for it when it's officially released and all will be fine, for sure 🙂


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## Zero&One (Nov 26, 2019)

To be fair, it was clearly a leak. We took a risk at getting it. At the time I purchased Embertone did not list it, so it’s not on them at all from my experience. APD refunded me whilst I slept, so I can’t grumble there.


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## Satorious (Nov 26, 2019)

Yes, I've since been refunded. Not sure if my original email got through - so I re-contacted via the site and it's all resolved quickly. Plan to take another look on Friday when it's officially released. I also have the Dulcimer now which is a lot of fun to play.


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## ohernie (Nov 26, 2019)

Sears Poncho - the ordering situation was obviously sketchy. You're paranoid about your credit card. You could have waited. You could have asked about APD's credibility. Instead you went ahead, took the chance, and placed the order.

Could be wrong, but here's how I see it:

APD has been running discount sales on VI for a long time. If there were ANY issues with the mishandling of credit cards, they would have been exposed on this forum and Mike would have kicked their butts out - there's too much money being spent via this forum to not take credit card fraud seriously. Embertone is going to privately ream APD and APD will be doing a lot more double-checking of themselves in the future (understatement). If APD wants to stay in business they need the support of this forum so they WILL, loudly, get your money back to you.

And I'm really looking forward to finding out what's included in the "essential" version. It's really looking like a "no-brainer" ... which fits me perfectly ...


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## gordon williams (Nov 26, 2019)

I emailed Embertone yesterday and received a quick response. I was told that there had been a mistake and that the product in question is not ready to go live yet, thats why its not on there website s yet. They didn't say who's mistake.


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## Sears Poncho (Nov 26, 2019)

ohernie said:


> Sears Poncho - the ordering situation was obviously sketchy. You're paranoid about your credit card. You could have waited. You could have asked about APD's credibility. Instead you went ahead, took the chance, and placed the order.


No offense but that's ridiculous. I'm not the bad guy. I tried to give Embertone money, that's like all good and stuff. Really. I did. I'm not paranoid about shit, I've never had this situation ever. Not one time. APD fucked up and it's now "Hey man, YOU could have done this and that"? That's silly. And insulting. I clicked a legit link that went to a legit company. There was no talk of "leak". I made an impulse buy, the software biz would implode if that is considered "bad'.

I'm done with this thread. I've said my peace to Embertone. Yes, I do understand that it was APD that messed up. Hopefully they understand the old phrase "The Buck Stops Here". They are the Buck. I'm a customer, a good one with money in the bank (for a change). Repeat over and over: I tried to give them money. 

Let us summarize, so that I can move on and spend my BF money somewhere:

S Poncho: Good guy. Tried to give Embertone money. Which is good and stuff.
Embertone: "The Buck".
APD: Careless AF. Messed up both S Poncho and Embertone.

Caio.


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## Reid Rosefelt (Nov 26, 2019)

Sears Poncho said:


> It was beyond a "bad experience', I had to get a new credit card.
> 
> Internet Commerce is nothing to mess around with. Here's 2 companies I've never dealt with in my life. I give one, in good faith, my credit card #.
> 
> ...



First, speaking as a frog to a swell-looking piece of rainware, I admire your musicianship and appreciate everything you have contributed to this forum, @Sears Poncho We all owe you a lot.

That said, I think if you stop for a moment, you might want to consider:

1) How many libraries in your experience have been brought out as an "Essential" with zero information about what the difference was between the essential and the full library? And in fact advertised the IDENTICAL features to the full library? I have never seen this.

2) Is it your standard practice when you buy libraries to post: "SOmeone buy this and quick. Report back. Be our guinea pig." 

I think it is within the realm of possibility that you suspected this was a mistake. Which, of course, it was. This product will come out soon. We will learn what it is. If we want it, we'll be able to buy it. It's an Essential. It won't have all the articulations. I'm a nonpro, but I never buy junior products without knowing what is included. Sometimes you have to save up for the full version if it doesn't meet your minimum requirements.

The deal with APD is that they are given the right to sell things by developers. After they do, they send a percentage (I believe it is half) to the developer. The developer has NOTHING to do with these transactions. You can't go to the developer afterward and ask for a refund. Sales at APD are marked as final, regardless of the business practice of each developer. 

If I understand your logic, if you, Mr. Poncho, allow your music to be sold by another company, and that company messes up--we should be mad at you? We should never work with you again and tell other people not to work with you? Even if you were the one who lost because of this? I don't think that would be fair.

Look at the list of companies who have sold their stuff on APD. Embertone didn't do anything they didn't do. Should we all be mad at Impact Soundworks, Soundiron, Kirk Hunter, Sonible, Virsilian, Gospel Musicians, Best Service, Sonuscore, and many other companies? Just because they were lucky that APD didn't make a mistake? By the way, I don't remember them ever making a mistake like this before, so there was no reason for Embertone to think there was a risk.

I don't know if I understood it correctly, but did some people get the Mountain Dulcimer plus a refund because of this mess? I recently paid $39.99 for it, and it is one of the best purchases I ever made. Even if you paid for the Dulcimer, that doesn't seem like the worst thing that ever happened, particularly when you consider Embertone is the aggrieved party in this case.


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## tokatila (Nov 26, 2019)

I admit it, knew it was highly likely a mistake. Still took a shot, what's the worst that could happen? Getting my money refunded? Best case, could have gotten a taste of Joshua's Bells.


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## Theodor Andrews (Nov 26, 2019)

Sears Poncho said:


> No offense but that's ridiculous. I'm not the bad guy. I tried to give Embertone money, that's like all good and stuff. Really. I did. I'm not paranoid about shit, I've never had this situation ever. Not one time. APD fucked up and it's now "Hey man, YOU could have done this and that"? That's silly. And insulting. I clicked a legit link that went to a legit company. There was no talk of "leak". I made an impulse buy, the software biz would implode if that is considered "bad'.
> 
> I'm done with this thread. I've said my peace to Embertone. Yes, I do understand that it was APD that messed up. Hopefully they understand the old phrase "The Buck Stops Here". They are the Buck. I'm a customer, a good one with money in the bank (for a change). Repeat over and over: I tried to give them money.
> 
> ...


Wow, this is ridiculous! You are the good guy because you gave money? Haha. Sorry... Well, they did a mistake (this happens to all of us), said sorry and gave you your money back. So, where is the problem? Guys like embertone are our friends. They are one of the devs giving us the opportunity to make highly realistic music. And this isn't changing because of a mistake.


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## ism (Nov 26, 2019)

Big picture though, it's still totally worth a little bit of messing around with dodgy site screw up to get the JB. Or even a lot of messing around - this is the JB after all.


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## AllanH (Nov 26, 2019)

I'm very much looking forward to seeing what the essential JB violin is comprised of. I have the JB on my watch list for black Friday. It's a pity that such a nice new product should initially be "tainted" by a mishap at APD. However, it's clear that APD made a mistake, and so there is little else to do than wait for Embertone to release.

I also agree with @Sears Poncho defensive approach to managing his credit card information. I would have done the same. This must be super frustrating as it messes up all sorts of things.

ADDED: Given the very "odd" behavior of APD's website, how could @Sears Poncho not conclude that his information might have been compromised. His reaction makes complete sense to me (but then I also do a fair bit of computer security professionally)


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## ism (Nov 26, 2019)

AllanH said:


> I also agree with @Sears Poncho defensive approach to managing his credit card information. I would have done the same. This must be super frustrating as it messes up all sorts of things



Yes entirely sympathetic. There need to be consequences for website messing around when it comes to your credit card details. 


But still - its the JB. There's a lot that I could forgive in exchange for the JB.


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## gordon williams (Nov 26, 2019)

Sears Poncho said:


> No offense but that's ridiculous. I'm not the bad guy. I tried to give Embertone money, that's like all good and stuff. Really. I did. I'm not paranoid about shit, I've never had this situation ever. Not one time. APD fucked up and it's now "Hey man, YOU could have done this and that"? That's silly. And insulting. I clicked a legit link that went to a legit company. There was no talk of "leak". I made an impulse buy, the software biz would implode if that is considered "bad'.
> 
> I'm done with this thread. I've said my peace to Embertone. Yes, I do understand that it was APD that messed up. Hopefully they understand the old phrase "The Buck Stops Here". They are the Buck. I'm a customer, a good one with money in the bank (for a change). Repeat over and over: I tried to give them money.
> 
> ...


You are mistaken if you are taking my post in any way personally. I was just interested in the library myself and wanted to know what the situation was.


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## Michael Stibor (Nov 26, 2019)

tokatila said:


> I admit it, knew it was highly likely a mistake. Still took a shot, what's the worst that could happen? Getting my money refunded? Best case, could have gotten a taste of Joshua's Bells.


Exactly. It's that simple. Products get put up by mistake on much bigger sites than APD/Embertone all the time. Not sure what the big deal is.


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## MartinH. (Nov 26, 2019)

AllanH said:


> I also agree with @Sears Poncho defensive approach to managing his credit card information. I would have done the same. This must be super frustrating as it messes up all sorts of things.



I don't know what the correct term for these is, but I have a "credit card" that doesn't give me any actual "credit". I have to deposit money into an account linked to the card, and that's all the money that can be spent using that card at most. If you try to go beyond that, it'll just decline. So I always keep a couple hundred on that account, use it for most of my online purchases and don't worry about security too much. At most, the money in that account is at risk, and it's impossible to ruin my finances or credit rating with that card. It costs me 20,- Euro per year I think, and otherwise it works like a normal VISA card. 

@Sears Poncho: Maybe something like that would suit you too? I haven't read the entire thread, so please forgive me if I'm missing something.


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## reutunes (Nov 29, 2019)

The Joshua Bell announcement is now https://audioplugin.deals/joshua-bell-violin-essential-by-embertone/ref/10/ (OFFICIAL) on the Audio Plugin Deal site.

$59 for a brand new version of Joshua Bell Violin (normally $99) - https://audioplugin.deals/joshua-bell-violin-essential-by-embertone/ref/10/ (DETAILS HERE)

Blurb:

Virtual Violin made for Kontakt 5 Player
Performed by the legendary violinist
The tone of a priceless Stradivarius
12+ true legato styles
Flexible performance modes
Advanced copy protection
8.86 GB of disk space
Compatible with Kontakt Player 5.6.8+ or Kontakt Full 5.4.1+. Kontakt Full/Player 5.6.8+ is required to load the instrument in the library tab of Kontakt. If you are running an older version of Kontakt, we have made a special legacy patch for Kontakt FULL 5.4.1+. If you need this patch, send us a message to request it.


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## tokatila (Nov 29, 2019)

Downloading...


----------



## Henu (Nov 29, 2019)

I'm still getting the "Morphestra" to my cart when trying to buy this. Anyone else having the same problem?

EDIT: It seems like it's using the same item code, being the "433273" which is Morphestra. Does anyone have the JBV item code anywhere so I could add it manually?


----------



## P3TAAL (Nov 29, 2019)

MartinH. said:


> I don't know what the correct term for these is, but I have a "credit card" that doesn't give me any actual "credit". I have to deposit money into an account linked to the card, and that's all the money that can be spent using that card at most. If you try to go beyond that, it'll just decline. So I always keep a couple hundred on that account, use it for most of my online purchases and don't worry about security too much. At most, the money in that account is at risk, and it's impossible to ruin my finances or credit rating with that card. It costs me 20,- Euro per year I think, and otherwise it works like a normal VISA card.
> 
> @Sears Poncho: Maybe something like that would suit you too? I haven't read the entire thread, so please forgive me if I'm missing something.



Yep me too, i do exactly the same. So if i ever get any issues i can only loose what's on that card.


----------



## Satorious (Nov 29, 2019)

*@Henu *
This is the link to use to add it to the cart.
https://audioplugin.deals/?add-to-cart=433594

If you click on the Black Lightning countdown thumbnail it will add Morphestra to the basket, but if you scroll down a bit and click on the "Buy Now" button - it should add the Violin to the cart. Hopefully @APD can now fix for others?


----------



## Henu (Nov 29, 2019)

<3 Thank you!


----------



## Fry777 (Nov 29, 2019)

Do we already have an idea of the future upgrade price to the full version ?


----------



## N.Caffrey (Nov 29, 2019)

I’m not sure if I understood well, the only articulation is legato in this essential version?


----------



## Fry777 (Nov 29, 2019)

N.Caffrey said:


> I’m not sure if I understood well, the only articulation is legato in this essential version?



If you scroll down this product page you get the full list of artics and contents


----------



## N.Caffrey (Nov 29, 2019)

Fry777 said:


> If you scroll down this product page you get the full list of artics and contents


Thank you! I looked on the APD page and there’s wasn’t much info.


----------



## I like music (Nov 29, 2019)

reutunes said:


> The Joshua Bell announcement is now https://audioplugin.deals/joshua-bell-violin-essential-by-embertone/ref/10/ (OFFICIAL) on the Audio Plugin Deal site.
> 
> $49 for a brand new version of Joshua Bell Violin (normally $99) - https://audioplugin.deals/joshua-bell-violin-essential-by-embertone/ref/10/ (DETAILS HERE)
> 
> ...




Wait, wait ... is this THE Joshua Bell violin that absolutely everyone loves? The one I always hear about, going for $49?!

EDIT - I responded before checking other responses. So its a more basic version. What articulations are missing compared to the full version at this point?

EDIT EDIT - I'll stop being lazy and take a look at the page :D


----------



## ckeddf (Nov 29, 2019)

I considered getting it, but suddenly it is 59 (99 regular) instead of 49. In the promo email it is 49 (89 regular). They really thought this through...


----------



## N.Caffrey (Nov 29, 2019)

I have csss and lass first chairs. Is it worth getting the essential? I don’t think it would make a difference, but happy to hear other people’s opinion


----------



## I like music (Nov 29, 2019)

N.Caffrey said:


> I have csss and lass first chairs. Is it worth getting the essential? I don’t think it would make a difference, but happy to hear other people’s opinion



I _imagine_ it would work better than those in a purely solo capacity? Controllable vibrato could be a differentiator? I don't have it but thinking the same thing.


----------



## Fry777 (Nov 29, 2019)

I like music said:


> I _imagine_ it would work better than those in a purely solo capacity? Controllable vibrato could be a differentiator? I don't have it but thinking the same thing.



Not sure the Essentials actually has vibrato control if you look at the table on the product page. More of an on/off trigger ?



N.Caffrey said:


> I have csss and lass first chairs. Is it worth getting the essential? I don’t think it would make a difference, but happy to hear other people’s opinion



Noticed the same. That's very weird...


----------



## Henu (Nov 29, 2019)

So, I finally bought it but annoyingly enough, Connect seems to stop installing at 25%, getting stuck with package 2 at 83%. 

Having been tried two different version on two computers both doing the same, so I wonder where is the problem.... :(


----------



## woafmann (Nov 29, 2019)

Here's the official link on Embertone's site for the JBV Essential:






Joshua Bell Violin







www.embertone.com





Click on the "Promo" link and it takes you straight to APD.


----------



## woafmann (Nov 29, 2019)

Damn. They just raised the price from the $49 to $59 on ADP :(


----------



## river angler (Nov 29, 2019)

tokatila said:


> It's up!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I just investigated this link to the "Joshua Bell Violin Essential" which does seem to take one to an Embertone page where this is advertised but if one navigates anywhere else on the Embertone sight I can't seem to find any web page mentioning this "Essential"version! This seems somewhat peculiar!

_I HAVE HOWEVER FOUND THIS PAGE ON THE EMBERTONE WEBSITE ADVERTISING THE ORIGINAL FULL VERSION OF JBV AT 30% OFF !!!..._


Product Browser



Considering there are a umber on this thread who have had failed downloads after having purchased this I would say there is definitely something awry here!


----------



## Zero&One (Nov 29, 2019)

woafmann said:


> Damn. They just raised the price from the $49 to $59 on ADP :(



Couldn't have made this release any worse if they tried. Wrong price now
And where do you add your points/how (found it)?

I'm out of this, too much hassle and risk. I didn't even get the free Dulcimer everyone else got for the initial fiasco. But I'll consider it a lucky break.


----------



## Embertone (Nov 29, 2019)

Hey all,

We're checking in so that you know what's going on behind the scenes. APD had gotten the promo price incorrect, and they fixed it quickly. If you got the initial email from them, you may have noticed the price there said $59, and then the site itself was at $49. That was an error and we're sorry for the mishap! As an experiment, we decided to have APD release the instrument exclusively during the black friday period, which is why we aren't promoting it from our website.

We are ALSO simultaneously gearing up for our own BLACK FRIDAY sale -- which, yes, includes the FULL version of Joshua Bell Violin for 30% off. And a bunch of other cool discounts/promotions. Of note---

- *JUST FOR TODAY* Walker 1955 Concert D Lite is on sale for 75% off! ($10)
- *JUST THIS WEEKEND* All ISS Solos and Solo Bundles are 50% off.

If you have any questions or comments, we'll be reading them here and on the thread that we're about to create. Thank you and have a safe Black Friday!!

-Alex


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Nov 29, 2019)

Embertone said:


> Hey all,
> 
> We're checking in so that you know what's going on behind the scenes. APD had gotten the promo price incorrect, and they fixed it quickly. If you got the initial email from them, you may have noticed the price there said $59, and then the site itself was at $49. That was an error and we're sorry for the mishap! As an experiment, we decided to have APD release the instrument exclusively during the black friday period, which is why we aren't promoting it from our website.
> 
> ...


Maybe I missed it, but what is the upgrade price from JB Essential to Full? 

Thanks!


----------



## river angler (Nov 29, 2019)

Embertone said:


> Hey all,
> 
> We're checking in so that you know what's going on behind the scenes. APD had gotten the promo price incorrect, and they fixed it quickly. If you got the initial email from them, you may have noticed the price there said $59, and then the site itself was at $49. That was an error and we're sorry for the mishap! As an experiment, we decided to have APD release the instrument exclusively during the black friday period, which is why we aren't promoting it from our website.
> 
> ...



Thanks for the update!

Can you please indicate where on your site there is a link to the "Essential" version of JBV ?
Another composer posted a link which seems to go to a page on your site yet there is no portal on your website to it!

Also on behalf of some of my fellow composers here perhaps you can shed light on their current plight getting the "Essential" version of JBV to download correctly!


----------



## Henu (Nov 29, 2019)

And for the love of all that is decent, could it be possible to post manual download links for the people who bought it? There's something completely fucked up in the Connect installation and it's impossible to install the library as we speak.


----------



## Embertone (Nov 29, 2019)

river angler said:


> Thanks for the update!
> 
> Can you please indicate where on your site there is a link to the "Essential" version of JBV ?
> Another composer posted a link which seems to go to a page on your site yet there is no portal on your website to it!
> ...



As I mentioned, we decided to give the release to APD to see how that went (so far rocky it seems!) So for the weekend, we will keep the new product on their site only. (with only an internal page on our site for APD users who want more information)

We've already figured out the installation issue. It's isolated to users on PCs. For those users, you can either manually extract the zips and put the NKX files into the sample folder, or sit tight while we produce new files.

Thanks!!

-Alex


----------



## river angler (Nov 29, 2019)

Embertone said:


> As I mentioned, we decided to give the release to APD to see how that went (so far rocky it seems!) So for the weekend, we will keep the new product on their site only. (with only an internal page on our site for APD users who want more information)
> 
> We've already figured out the installation issue. It's isolated to users on PCs. For those users, you can either manually extract the zips and put the NKX files into the sample folder, or sit tight while we produce new files.
> 
> ...


Very good! Thanks for making things clearer!


----------



## Henu (Nov 29, 2019)

Yep, I'm just actually doing the same as we speak. I got it working and HOLY MOTHER**** JESUS H CHRIST HOW GOOD THIS SOUNDS.


----------



## Raindog (Nov 29, 2019)

Embertone said:


> Hey all,
> 
> We're checking in so that you know what's going on behind the scenes. APD had gotten the promo price incorrect, and they fixed it quickly. If you got the initial email from them, you may have noticed the price there said $59, and then the site itself was at $49. That was an error and we're sorry for the mishap! As an experiment, we decided to have APD release the instrument exclusively during the black friday period, which is why we aren't promoting it from our website.
> 
> ...


Bought the Joshua Bell via Audioplugin Alliance and the Walker Piano from your website. Got a link for the Joshua Bell essential violin but not for the walker. Maybe you´re just busy dealing with all the buyers who couldn´t resist the offer. Should I just wait or is there a problem with providing the links?
Best regards
Raindog


----------



## ism (Nov 29, 2019)

Henu said:


> Yep, I'm just actually doing the same as we speak. I got it working and HOLY MOTHER**** JESUS H CHRIST HOW GOOD THIS SOUNDS.



That was pretty much my reaction. JB singlehandedly restored my faith that sampling solo string was even possible,


----------



## I like music (Nov 29, 2019)

Embertone said:


> As I mentioned, we decided to give the release to APD to see how that went (so far rocky it seems!) So for the weekend, we will keep the new product on their site only. (with only an internal page on our site for APD users who want more information)
> 
> We've already figured out the installation issue. It's isolated to users on PCs. For those users, you can either manually extract the zips and put the NKX files into the sample folder, or sit tight while we produce new files.
> 
> ...



Hey! Want to buy this for a composer friend (early Christmas present while the deal lasts) but don't want it associated with my emails etc. Is there a way to gift it to someone?


----------



## I like music (Nov 29, 2019)

Shit. Might also have to buy one for myself ... this demo is ridiculous ...


----------



## Mornats (Nov 29, 2019)

Yeah the Joshua Bell is one of those instruments where you put on a pair of white cotton gloves before playing it, just to give it the care and respect it deserves.


----------



## Embertone (Nov 29, 2019)

Raindog said:


> Bought the Joshua Bell via Audioplugin Alliance and the Walker Piano from your website. Got a link for the Joshua Bell essential violin but not for the walker. Maybe you´re just busy dealing with all the buyers who couldn´t resist the offer. Should I just wait or is there a problem with providing the links?
> Best regards
> Raindog



Raindog - you should receive an email from us with download instructions. Can you check SPAM? If no joy still, please reach out to [email protected] and we will get you sorted. Or if you get this in the next few minutes, PM me your name/email and I'll look it up. (I'm going to sleep in about 30 minutes so act quick! )


----------



## tokatila (Nov 29, 2019)

And it's awesome...And the upgrade price to the full version is?


----------



## Embertone (Nov 29, 2019)

tokatila said:


> And it's awesome...And the upgrade price to the full version is?



I'll give you a final answer on that later today. Thanks!


----------



## davidson (Nov 29, 2019)

I like music said:


> Shit. Might also have to buy one for myself ... this demo is ridiculous ...




That does sound good. I'm wondering how close the essential version of the product can get to that though, seeing as how its lacking some legato features etc. @Embertone, how close could we get to this with essential?


----------



## oukaitou (Nov 29, 2019)

Embertone said:


> Hey all,
> 
> We're checking in so that you know what's going on behind the scenes. APD had gotten the promo price incorrect, and they fixed it quickly. If you got the initial email from them, you may have noticed the price there said $59, and then the site itself was at $49. That was an error and we're sorry for the mishap! As an experiment, we decided to have APD release the instrument exclusively during the black friday period, which is why we aren't promoting it from our website.
> 
> ...



Hello Embertone, I have already own Friedlander Violin and want to buy ISS Bundle, can I get an extra discount for it? Thanks.


----------



## B7Sounds (Nov 29, 2019)

looking forward to it, I'm also curious of the upgrade discount, as I want a taste before I upgrade eventually


----------



## Embertone (Nov 29, 2019)

davidson said:


> That does sound good. I'm wondering how close the essential version of the product can get to that though, seeing as how its lacking some legato features etc. @Embertone, how close could we get to this with essential?



The essential has 
P / MF / F Bow Changes
P / MF / F Slurs
MF Slides
P / MF / F Same Notes

...in non-vib and con-vib variations

Along with 

Spiccatos
Pizzicatos
Tremolos
Sordino

The "full" version also has these additional legato styles:
P / MF / F Fast Bow Changes
P / MF / F Fast Slurs
P / MF / F Fast Same Notes
P / MF / F "Emotional" Same Notes
Harmonics Bow/Slur/Slide
greater than octave legato transitions

Along with

Staccatos
Trills
Sul Pont
Sul Pont Tremolos
Sul Tasto
Ricochet Groups and Individuals
"Contour" Sustains (with built-in dynamics)

I think I got it all there 

Thanks!

-Alex


----------



## Embertone (Nov 29, 2019)

oukaitou said:


> Hello Embertone, I have already own Friedlander Violin and want to buy ISS Bundle, can I get an extra discount for it? Thanks.



There's a quick form to fill out here: https://embertone.com/instruments/issbundle.php

I don't believe we'll be able to stack discounts, but you're probably going to get a better deal with this weekend sale than you would typically!!

Hope that helps--


----------



## Embertone (Nov 29, 2019)

TO EVERYONE EXPERIENCING DOWNLOAD ISSUES (we think it's just PC users)! We've figured it out. You have two options:

(1) Take the files you've downloaded and manually extract the NKX files:
========

JoshuaBellViolin_Essential_Samples1
JoshuaBellViolin_Essential_Samples2
JoshuaBellViolin_Essential_Samples3
JoshuaBellViolin_Essential_Samples4

=========

Into the Samples Folder.

Parent Folder is called Joshua Bell Violin Essential

There needs to be a "Samples" folder in that parent folder.

OR...

(2) Simply redownload. You'll know you have the "right" files if they end in "B1.rar"

Thanks!!


----------



## Michael Stibor (Nov 29, 2019)

Downloaded it this morning. Wow, this program sounds amazing. You can’t make it sound crappy. Still not quite how to work it fully, but why would I read the manual when I can bash away at a keyboard making awesome sounds?


----------



## Cinebient (Nov 29, 2019)

Strange...i got 2 e-mails from APD. One with 46% off and one with 40%.
Also the normal price is different there as well.
And if i go the the APD directly i see 44%...Confused....


----------



## ism (Nov 29, 2019)

Embertone said:


> P / MF / F "Emotional" Same Notes



What is this one?


----------



## rrichard63 (Nov 29, 2019)

Unlike APD's other current deals, this one doesn't have a countdown timer to the expiration date. (Unless I'm going blind.) Does that mean the discount is valid until they decide it isn't and pull it? Or does it mean they just forgot?


----------



## Embertone (Nov 29, 2019)

ism said:


> What is this one?



my favorite. Same notes but with a little scoop in between.


----------



## Embertone (Nov 29, 2019)

rrichard63 said:


> Unlike APD's other current deals, this one doesn't have a countdown timer to the expiration date. (Unless I'm going blind.) Does that mean the discount is valid until they decide it isn't and pull it? Or does it mean they just forgot?



that’s a good question for them. I won’t pretend I understand the way the Full APD system works...


----------



## ism (Nov 29, 2019)

Embertone said:


> my favorite. Same notes but with a little scoop in between.



I should totally go back and read the manual on this - but how is it triggered vs the regular same note?


----------



## Cinebient (Nov 29, 2019)

This has a really great tone. I already have Emotional Violin (so far my favorite) and Bohemian Violin plus some others (but not as good and more limited). Maybe this could add another flavor?
I just wish we would see more Violas (and double bass) such deeply sampled and not only violins and cellos.
However, sounds wonderful and also seems easy to use. I do not like midi editing in my sequencer and prefer to record mostly at least 90% live without need for editing.


----------



## David Kudell (Nov 29, 2019)

I’m about to buy a ton of Embertone stuff today. I would love to see a new solo cello library like Joshua Bell!


----------



## Tim_Wells (Nov 29, 2019)

Just bought Joshua Bell - full version


----------



## woafmann (Nov 29, 2019)

Tim_Wells said:


> Just bought Joshua Bell - full version



I'm not seeing the 30% discount that Embertone said they'll have set up. Did you manage to get the lower price?

Nevermind. I see it now by going through the discount page instead of through the instrument page (which is still showing at full price).


----------



## Sarah Mancuso (Nov 29, 2019)

It'll show up at the discounted price when you add it to your cart.


----------



## Haakond (Nov 29, 2019)

Bought and downloaded. Played one note, and was blown away. It sounds so good just right out of the box


----------



## Tim_Wells (Nov 29, 2019)

woafmann said:


> I'm not seeing the 30% discount that Embertone said they'll have set up. Did you manage to get the lower price?
> 
> Nevermind. I see it now by going through the discount page instead of through the instrument page (which is still showing at full price).


Go figure. I saw it at $139 on the Instruments page


----------



## Michael Stibor (Nov 29, 2019)

David Kudell said:


> I’m about to buy a ton of Embertone stuff today. I would love to see a new solo cello library like Joshua Bell!


Likewise. Just bought JB Essentials. Now I'm going for the Herring Clarinet, the Chapman Trumpet, and God know what else. Love Embertone's stuff. Man I wish they'd make a concert flute! They're the only ones I trust to do it.


----------



## woafmann (Nov 29, 2019)

Just picked up JBV full version to go along with the bazillion other libraries I've purchased today. So many great deals out there this year!


----------



## woafmann (Nov 29, 2019)

mikefrommontreal said:


> Likewise. Just bought JB Essentials. Now I'm going for the Herring Clarinet, the Chapman Trumpet, and God know what else. Love Embertone's stuff. Man I wish they'd make a concert flute! They're the only ones I trust to do it.



Chapman Trumpet is amazing! A good buy. I'm still on the fence with the Herring. Been lusting after that lib for a long time though, so we'll see.


----------



## Michael Stibor (Nov 29, 2019)

woafmann said:


> Chapman Trumpet is amazing! A good buy. I'm still on the fence with the Herring. Been lusting after that lib for a long time though, so we'll see.


Good to know! I was on the fence about the trumpet, but at that price it's not much of a risk.


----------



## jbuhler (Nov 29, 2019)

woafmann said:


> Chapman Trumpet is amazing! A good buy. I'm still on the fence with the Herring. Been lusting after that lib for a long time though, so we'll see.


Herring Clarinet is great as a solo instrument, amazingly agile, but in my experience sometimes hard to sit with other instruments.


----------



## woafmann (Nov 29, 2019)

jbuhler said:


> Herring Clarinet is great as a solo instrument, amazingly agile, but in my experience sometimes hard to sit with other instruments.



This is also good to know. I was hoping to nestle it into small chamber pieces. I'll probably wind up buying it regardless, lol. Who am I kidding. I'm so in love with that Herring


----------



## evilantal (Nov 29, 2019)

The deal now says $59. Wasn't it just $49 a minute ago?

EDIT: Too quick... I just read @Embertone's comment


----------



## HardyP (Nov 29, 2019)

evilantal said:


> The deal now says $59. Wasn't it just $49 a minute ago?


Hm, if you were writing ‚some hours ago‘, right, but was clearified allready around noon....:





Joshua Bell *Essential* ????


If you scroll down this product page you get the full list of artics and contents :thumbsup: Thank you! I looked on the APD page and there’s wasn’t much info.




vi-control.net


----------



## Michael Stibor (Nov 29, 2019)

Apparently I had a Embertone Black Friday only. Bought the JB Essentials, the trumpet, the crystal flute. I was so drunk on a buying high, I just started adding free stuff to my cart like the Ancient voices.

Man, I wish I was home to start downloading the rest of this stuff.


----------



## 667 (Nov 29, 2019)

This is a really great product. Because I'd already bought Friedlander I didn't want to buy JB full even though I thought it sounded amazing. So great to have a Lite version available, and one that isn't fully gutted (articulation list looks pretty good to me!).


----------



## Zero&One (Nov 29, 2019)

Embertone said:


> I'll give you a final answer on that later today. Thanks!



Just a gentle reminder on upgrade price


----------



## Montisquirrel (Nov 29, 2019)

Bought it and playing with it right now. Awesome instrument. Thank you!


----------



## Embertone (Nov 29, 2019)

James H said:


> Just a gentle reminder on upgrade price



Regarding the upgrade from Joshua Bell Essential --> Full, here's what it will be:

(1) If you want to switch from Essential to Full, the price will simply be the price difference between the products. $199 - $99 = $100. If you get the Essential on sale now though, the upgrade will still only be $100 

(2) If you want to keep the Essential and also get the full, it would just be $10 more to keep both licenses.

That make sense?

Thanks!

-Alex


----------



## HardyP (Nov 29, 2019)

@Embertone
Alex, do we old-time-users also get this one as a kind of “light patch”?
Would be helpful in some cases when working on several instruments in parallel, I think.


----------



## B7Sounds (Nov 29, 2019)

@Embertone 

When do you expect the Upgrade to be available, and would it stack with other discounts?


----------



## Embertone (Nov 29, 2019)

HardyP said:


> @Embertone
> Alex, do we old-time-users also get this one as a kind of “light patch”?
> Would be helpful in some cases when working on several instruments in parallel, I think.



Heya! That’s an interesting question. I’d say probably not- because they’re completely separate products. Let me think about that though!


----------



## Uiroo (Nov 29, 2019)

My god, unpacking rar files just NEVER seems to work proberly. I am the only one who's got problems with that all the time? 

(i'm talking about the Embertone Mountain Dulcimer)


----------



## premjj (Nov 29, 2019)

reutunes said:


> The Joshua Bell announcement is now https://audioplugin.deals/joshua-bell-violin-essential-by-embertone/ref/10/ (OFFICIAL) on the Audio Plugin Deal site.
> 
> $59 for a brand new version of Joshua Bell Violin (normally $99) - https://audioplugin.deals/joshua-bell-violin-essential-by-embertone/ref/10/ (DETAILS HERE)



Thanks. Am a little late to this thread. Was the price $49 earlier? Someone quoted your post here where the price was $49.


----------



## premjj (Nov 29, 2019)

I like music said:


> Wait, wait ... is this THE Joshua Bell violin that absolutely everyone loves? The one I always hear about, going for $49?!
> 
> EDIT - I responded before checking other responses. So its a more basic version. What articulations are missing compared to the full version at this point?
> 
> EDIT EDIT - I'll stop being lazy and take a look at the page :D



The price shows as $49 on this post. Just confirming if that was a short time deal and now it's been raised to $59.


----------



## Wally Garten (Nov 29, 2019)

@Embertone -- sorry if this has already been asked and answered (I didn't see it) but what's the footprint of the Essential? APD has it as 8.86GB, but that appears to be the same as what's listed on the Embertone website for the full JB.

Thanks!


----------



## Sopranos (Nov 29, 2019)

I thought I just purchased a little while ago.... does APD take awhile to show in downloads?


----------



## Embertone (Nov 29, 2019)

B7Sounds said:


> @Embertone
> 
> When do you expect the Upgrade to be available, and would it stack with other discounts?



the upgrade can happen at any time, email us!

The upgrade will be the difference in MSRP, clean and simple (regardless of how much you bought it for). So for now it’ll be $100!


Wally Garten said:


> @Embertone -- sorry if this has already been asked and answered (I didn't see it) but what's the footprint of the Essential? APD has it as 8.86GB, but that appears to be the same as what's listed on the Embertone website for the full JB.
> 
> Thanks!



It's another mistake. The Essential comes in just under 5GB

-A


----------



## Divico (Nov 29, 2019)

Uiroo said:


> My god, unpacking rar files just NEVER seems to work proberly. I am the only one who's got problems with that all the time?
> 
> (i'm talking about the Embertone Mountain Dulcimer)


Works properly here. You have to unpack only the 1 sample rar and the watermark rar. The rest happens automatically.

@Embertone May I ask how the keyswitches work? If I set my KS to portamento for example I still have to trigger it with low velocities. Is this on purpose?

Had no problems with the transaction. So far pretty happy with the sound. A bit thin sounding to my taste, but nothing a low shelf wouldnt fix.


----------



## Embertone (Nov 29, 2019)

Divico said:


> Works properly here. You have to unpack only the 1 sample rar and the watermark rar. The rest happens automatically.
> 
> @Embertone May I ask how the keyswitches work? If I set my KS to portamento for example I still have to trigger it with low velocities. Is this on purpose?
> 
> Had no problems with the transaction. So far pretty happy with the sound. A bit thin sounding to my taste, but nothing a low shelf wouldnt fix.



Hey there, the portamento keyswitch is working just as expected in all our tests (and I've tried it just now). Can you confirm? And then maybe send an example of it not working so we can take a look. Even just smart phone shooting video of the screen can help. Thanks!

-A


----------



## oukaitou (Nov 29, 2019)

Embertone said:


> There's a quick form to fill out here: https://embertone.com/instruments/issbundle.php
> 
> I don't believe we'll be able to stack discounts, but you're probably going to get a better deal with this weekend sale than you would typically!!
> 
> Hope that helps--



Thanks for the answer. I also want to ask about the future update for ISS bundle (I saw you said about it in another thread), will it be updated to NKS-Ready?


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## AllanH (Nov 29, 2019)

The Joshua Bell really is a beautiful instrument. I'm not sure why I didn't go for it before, but the Essential version made that easy. Thanks for putting in place a reasonable upgrade path as well. Back to the keyboard


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## premjj (Nov 29, 2019)

AllanH said:


> The Joshua Bell really is a beautiful instrument. I'm not sure why I didn't go for it before, but the Essential version made that easy. Thanks for putting in place a reasonable upgrade path as well. Back to the keyboard



I second that. 
I really hope I can start with the Essential version this BF. Lots of purchased lined up so still deciding.


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## Divico (Nov 30, 2019)

Embertone said:


> Hey there, the portamento keyswitch is working just as expected in all our tests (and I've tried it just now). Can you confirm? And then maybe send an example of it not working so we can take a look. Even just smart phone shooting video of the screen can help. Thanks!
> 
> -A


Nvmd it is working now :D Probably this was because Kontakts C1 is Reapers C2. I was pretty sure though I tried multiple ocatves . The KS are not latching right? So I have to hold the key for the time I want to overwrite the intuition mode?
Anyways thanks for the fast response. A nice instrument it is.


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## Uiroo (Nov 30, 2019)

Divico said:


> Works properly here. You have to unpack only the 1 sample rar and the watermark rar. The rest happens automatically.


Yeah, that somehow didn't work, and I unpacked everything and put it together manually. Not a big deal, but a bit annoying, though.


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## Michel Simons (Nov 30, 2019)

I purchased it today and had a quick test run. Bloody hell, what a playable instrument this is. Maybe even more than the Bohemian Violin.


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## Satorious (Nov 30, 2019)

Gee-whiz, I've just had a play with this thing and I'm already absolutely in love with it... wonderfully playable, sounds fantastic!


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## dzilizzi (Nov 30, 2019)

With the full version on sale at $139, which would be better to get? 

I'm still new to this and manipulating strings to sound good. I was thinking about getting something else, but frankly when the play-through on the their website sounds like an accordian, so I know I can't make it sound better. JB wasn't on my radar, but $139 puts it there. And $59 definitely is a no-brainer, except for the $139 for the full version.


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## Sarah Mancuso (Nov 30, 2019)

I'd recommend the full version if you're on the fence. It's amazingly expressive and versatile. While I haven't used all of its more specialized articulations yet, the faster legato types have definitely been useful, and the sul tasto/superflautando sustains are lovely for textural use.


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## Uiroo (Nov 30, 2019)

I am really thinking about the full version. Sounds so damn good.


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## kgdrum (Nov 30, 2019)

tokatila said:


> I admit it, knew it was highly likely a mistake. Still took a shot, what's the worst that could happen? Getting my money refunded? Best case, could have gotten a taste of Joshua's Bells.




I had to double check you said “Bells”


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## dzilizzi (Nov 30, 2019)

Sarah Mancuso said:


> I'd recommend the full version if you're on the fence. It's amazingly expressive and versatile. While I haven't used all of its more specialized articulations yet, the faster legato types have definitely been useful, and the sul tasto/superflautando sustains are lovely for textural use.


Thanks. That is kind of my thinking based on everything I'm reading.


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## MartinH. (Nov 30, 2019)

Divico said:


> Nvmd it is working now :D Probably this was because Kontakts C1 is Reapers C2.



I think you can change somewhere how they are labled in reaper. Use the search field in the options menu to find the right setting.


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## Uiroo (Dec 1, 2019)

So, I still see the full version for 139$, but Embertone wrote that the upgrade is always 100$. 
So would that mean that if you buy Essential for 59$ and upgrade for 100$, it's more expensive than having bought the full version on discount right away? Nice trick


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## Embertone (Dec 1, 2019)

Uiroo said:


> So, I still see the full version for 139$, but Embertone wrote that the upgrade is always 100$.
> So would that mean that if you buy Essential for 59$ and upgrade for 100$, it's more expensive than having bought the full version on discount right away? Nice trick



We're having a once-a-year sale, so I'll acknowledge that the math doesn't work out. We're not trying to trick anybody! Just so happens that this new product is on special, and the full version is on sale for Black Friday. Thanks for the feedback though! We're doing our best 

-Alex


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## Jimmy Hellfire (Dec 1, 2019)

Embertone said:


> We're not trying to trick anybody! Just so happens that this new product is on special, and the full version is on sale for Black Friday.



Yeah, what a coincidence!


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## Cinebient (Dec 1, 2019)

So i could always upgrade for 100 to the full after all the black friday, cyber monday and whatever sale time is over. At the end i spend then 20 more but i also see you get the full $59 also in your APD rewards (if you use it really) on top. Anyway still a steal for such a great instrument and i really appreciate essentials since i often just use less than the half of the content of my sample libraries.


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## Uiroo (Dec 1, 2019)

Well, it think it's a perfectly valid business strategy (or "coincidence" :D).

Would have been nice to upgrade without paying extra, though  But still worth it!


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## Jimmy Hellfire (Dec 1, 2019)

It's just needlessly clumsy how all of that was handled. 

I'm not even complaining about having to pay 159 bucks total instead of 139 if I wanted to upgrade now. It's not about those extra 20 bucks per se. If the BF deal for the full version was 159 bucks anyways, I'd still think it's a really generous discount. 

But if you got the essential first - and be it just to see if you liked it before upgrading - you end up feeling duped. You're the dork who didn't get the full version right away. Now I most certainly won't be upgrading just on principle alone. It's just stupid and unneccesary.


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## Cinebient (Dec 1, 2019)

If i understand it right if you later decide to upgrade you also have 2 version. The essentials and the full version. I see a benefit here if i use many instances and not need all the articulations. 
(For the same reason i bought other libraries essential counterparts and then later upgraded to have 2 versions at hand). At the end i payed a little more mostly (but not always) but it was worth it.
In general people seems to complain about paying a dollar too much here and there (even about those wonderful useful iOS apps which cost 5 dollar or so) and i´m thankful that developers still in the game.
Beside that Embertone is a great company. I bought once the ISS bundle (funny also via a APD sale) and was not quite happy after a while and it was so easy and fast to transfer a license with Embertone.
I even felt bad after it since the support was so fast and super friendly and these days it seems rare to be allowed to transfer sample libraries licenses.


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## Uiroo (Dec 1, 2019)

Cinebient said:


> If i understand it right if you later decide to upgrade you also have 2 version. The essentials and the full version.


That's if you pay 10$ on top, so 110$. If I understood correctly.



Cinebient said:


> In general people seems to complain about paying a dollar too much here and there


No one is complaining about paying too much here, if that's what you're implying. If not, I don't know why you brought that up.


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## Cinebient (Dec 1, 2019)

O.k. bought.....installed successful via Native Access but then for some reason it does not show in NativeAccess and Kontakt.
Edit: Oh, i was too dumb.....for some reason each time i reopen Native Access it does not saved my preferences and so i always have to choose again my extern SSD again as content and download source.
Everything is fine, sorry.


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## Cinebient (Dec 1, 2019)

Wow.....so far i love Bohemian Violin and my favorite by far was Emotional Violin....until now. 
Since i do not like much midi editing and like to play live into my DAW i´m blown away that even the Essentials version is straight my favorite solo violin now. 
So no question that i will upgrade to the full in short time as well.
But in the meantime....is there a way to customize the control page (i saw that in a video but not sure if that only works in the full version). Means i want to set my own velocity values etc.
However, what a wonderful V.I. 
Now i cannot wait to hear a Cello, Viola and Bass (hopefully) one day. 
I think i just bought my library of the year. Thank´s.


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## Embertone (Dec 1, 2019)

We decided to bump the price down on the upgrade as an incentive— $90 to upgrade while swapping licenses, $100 if you want to keep both.

We’re not trying to screw anyone. We didn’t expect people would want to upgrade so quickly after buying the Essential.

Alex


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## Cinebient (Dec 1, 2019)

Embertone said:


> We decided to bump the price down on the upgrade as an incentive— $90 to upgrade while swapping licenses, $100 if you want to keep both.
> 
> We’re not trying to screw anyone. We didn’t expect people would want to upgrade so quickly after buying the Essential.
> 
> Alex



That´s very fair......but you gave such a great essentials version that people just want more of it. Clever 

Oh and beside i find it the most playable of all the solo violins it also seems to works better as my others dry as bone plus my own reverb. Really fantastic.


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## Jimmy Hellfire (Dec 1, 2019)

It's a good middle ground. But me personally, I wasn't trying to beat down the price by complaining. I wanted to express that it wasn't ideal how it all went down with the APD thingy and the BF discount on the full library at the same tme. The Essential for 59 bucks is already a steal, upgrade or not.


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## Uiroo (Dec 1, 2019)

That's a nice gesture Embertone, i'll most likely upgrade!


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## rrichard63 (Dec 1, 2019)

rrichard63 said:


> Unlike APD's other current deals, this one doesn't have a countdown timer to the expiration date. (Unless I'm going blind.) Does that mean the discount is valid until they decide it isn't and pull it? Or does it mean they just forgot?


APD says all of the Black Lightning deals -- including this one -- expire at midnight Eastern (U.S.) Time on Monday, December 2. That's 5:00am Tuesday UTC.


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## k4music (Dec 1, 2019)

Any idea till when does the sale end for full joshua bell on embertone website?


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## Embertone (Dec 1, 2019)

k4music said:


> Any idea till when does the sale end for full joshua bell on embertone website?



That would be Friday at 1159PM EST - thanks!


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## unclecheeks (Dec 1, 2019)

Embertone said:


> That would be Friday at 1159PM EST - thanks!



Awesome. Will probably pull the trigger on full Bell this week...

... Any chance of also extending the ISS sale into the week? Black Friday overload, aaaah!


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## Embertone (Dec 1, 2019)

unclecheeks said:


> Awesome. Will probably pull the trigger on full Bell this week...
> 
> ... Any chance of also extending the ISS sale into the week? Black Friday overload, aaaah!



Sorry, we'll be switching over to "Cyber Week" mode, whatever that means! The weekend deal will just be the weekend deal.

Between you and me, though (and I guess everyone else who is reading this!), it usually takes us a few extra hours to fully switch. So if you still want any of the solo strings at half price, you still have a few hours.

Thanks!


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## k4music (Dec 1, 2019)

Oh i didn't know about the cyber week sale. Hope this sale will not over lap with my purchase today. Just got Full Joshua bell Violin and it is just Amaaazing!!!


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## josephspirits (Dec 1, 2019)

Just got the Essential violin. Wanted to go for the full... but trying to be cautious with money, so I appreciate the option to get into the product a cheaper way.


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## Embertone (Dec 1, 2019)

k4music said:


> Oh i didn't know about the cyber week sale. Hope this sale will not over lap with my purchase today. Just got Full Joshua bell Violin and it is just Amaaazing!!!



No overlap! We will officially be "announcing" Joshua Bell Violin Essential tomorrow... and there will be some "flash" deals throughout the week. We were careful not to undercut any of the deals that are currently going on. 

Thanks!!


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## 667 (Dec 2, 2019)

What is the 'advanced copy protection' it refers to on the Embertone website? Are there extra steps end users need to take beyond just using Native Access?


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## Michel Simons (Dec 2, 2019)

667 said:


> What is the 'advanced copy protection' it refers to on the Embertone website? Are there extra steps end users need to take beyond just using Native Access?



Not that I remember.


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## 98bpm (Dec 2, 2019)

Embertone said:


> That would be Friday at 1159PM EST - thanks!


That would be this coming Friday 12/6/19, correct? While the Essential is very tempting, I've been wanting the full version for a long time and I'm suffering through a computer rebuild right now and a few more days to recover would be great!


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## jaketanner (Dec 2, 2019)

I would love to hear from someone who knows if it's worth getting with the limitations, or is it better to hold out for the full version? I don't use many articulations anyway...and I am more concerned with the tone...which I am imagining is the same? This is not a re-recording right? @Embertone Thank you!!


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## jaketanner (Dec 2, 2019)

josephspirits said:


> Just got the Essential violin. Wanted to go for the full... but trying to be cautious with money, so I appreciate the option to get into the product a cheaper way.


How are you liking it thus far? Any other solo violins you have to compare it to?


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## Satorious (Dec 2, 2019)

I don't have the full version - but it kind of reminds me a little bit of Cinesamples Tina Guo's Legato Cello - but it's more flexible/adaptive. I'm not saying it's a direct comparison, but it has a wonderful tone just like TG and it will shine through during expressive and exposed solo parts. The main difference is that it can be used for livelier passages also, so I find it easier to use (ie. I can just play). Does what I need, pretty happy with it!


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## jaketanner (Dec 2, 2019)

Satorious said:


> I don't have the full version - but it kind of reminds me a little bit of Cinesamples Tina Guo's Legato Cello - but it's more flexible/adaptive. I'm not saying it's a direct comparison, but it has a wonderful tone just like TG and it will shine through during expressive and exposed solo parts. The main difference is that it can be used for livelier passages also, so I find it easier to use (ie. I can just play). Does what I need, pretty happy with it!


I have Tina, and the vibrato is over the top for many things. Being that this essential is on/off basically, how much of a vibrato is there?


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## Sopranos (Dec 2, 2019)

jaketanner said:


> I have Tina, and the vibrato is over the top for many things. Being that this essential is on/off basically, how much of a vibrato is there?


You can have no vibrato unless you call for it.


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## jaketanner (Dec 2, 2019)

Sopranos said:


> You can have no vibrato unless you call for it.


I mean I want vibrato, but is it over the top expressive, or moderate that can handle most things? I think Tina Guo is too much as a comparison and also the SF virtuoso violin is too much I think at times. A middle of the road vibrato would be ideal if we don’t have a choice.


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## artomatic (Dec 2, 2019)

So where can I upgrade to the full version of JB on Embertone's website?


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## Embertone (Dec 2, 2019)

artomatic said:


> So where can I upgrade to the full version of JB on Embertone's website?



We don't have an area for that yet - email us [email protected]! 

In the near future we'll have a simple webform for it  Thanks!

-Alex


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## unclecheeks (Dec 3, 2019)

Embertone said:


> Sorry, we'll be switching over to "Cyber Week" mode, whatever that means! The weekend deal will just be the weekend deal.
> 
> Between you and me, though (and I guess everyone else who is reading this!), it usually takes us a few extra hours to fully switch. So if you still want any of the solo strings at half price, you still have a few hours.
> 
> Thanks!



Maybe I'm thick, but how do the daily flash deals work? I _think _the one today was mountain dulcimer as that seems a deeper discount than i remember, is that right? Is it one product per day that gets highlighted for daily flash? And does it then return to the regular non-flash sale price for the rest of the week? Asking because I have my eye on that Herring and wondering if it will make an appearance on daily flash.

Managed to pick up the ISS bundle before the weekend deal expired btw, and despite a few issues I've come accross, really enjoying the instruments. Definitely looking forward to / hoping for the update, and wish you luck with that!


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## unclecheeks (Dec 3, 2019)

Oh, i get it now... on the Instruments page the graphic text describes the daily flash deal. iOS apps today. Thick indeed.


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## jaketanner (Dec 3, 2019)

I'm still torn if the Essential JB is useable for a solid solo performance. I most likely wouldn't use many articulations anyway...if it's that much work MIDI-wise, I'd just hire a live violinist...but for a simple mockup to get the idea across...is it good for that? Will I miss staccato or is spiccato good enough? And lastly, is the vibrato very over the top that it can't really do normal, less expressive passages well? Listening to the full version of JB isn't fair since you can control the amount of vibrato...Essential it's on or off. Thanks again.


----------



## unclecheeks (Dec 3, 2019)

jaketanner said:


> I'm still torn if the Essential JB is useable for a solid solo performance. I most likely wouldn't use many articulations anyway...if it's that much work MIDI-wise, I'd just hire a live violinist...but for a simple mockup to get the idea across...is it good for that? Will I miss staccato or is spiccato good enough? And lastly, is the vibrato very over the top that it can't really do normal, less expressive passages well? Listening to the full version of JB isn't fair since you can control the amount of vibrato...Essential it's on or off. Thanks again.



Curious about these things too! Also a little bummed out that, if my understanding is correct, there is no dynamics crossfading. Since my actual string writing sucks, I rely heavily on modulating dynamics to create expressive parts.


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## jaketanner (Dec 3, 2019)

unclecheeks said:


> no dynamics crossfading


I think the dynamics are controlled via velocity and mod wheel is the vibrato...isn't this how the full version works also?


----------



## unclecheeks (Dec 3, 2019)

jaketanner said:


> I think the dynamics are controlled via velocity and mod wheel is the vibrato...isn't this how the full version works also?



Don’t recall exactly, but I think that’s correct. I like being able to craft arcs by swelling sustained notes in and out (and additional vibrato sculpting). My understanding is that this isn’t possible with the JB, at least the crossfading between dynamic layers bit.


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## jaketanner (Dec 3, 2019)

unclecheeks said:


> Don’t recall exactly, but I think that’s correct. I like being able to craft arcs by swelling sustained notes in and out (and additional vibrato sculpting). My understanding is that this isn’t possible with the JB, at least the crossfading between dynamic layers bit.


Ah, then this is a no go for me...don't want to be that limited then.


----------



## ism (Dec 3, 2019)

jaketanner said:


> Ah, then this is a no go for me...don't want to be that limited then.



Yep, there's no cross fade at all.

But listen to a track like this:




It does use the pre-recored de/cresendos to good effect in adding dynamics. 

But more to the point, there's no way to do crossfades perfectly for solo strings. You can either crossfade in the manor of Spitfire (which I love, but is kind of bumpy when exposed), or you can do phase alignment (ie. Fischer , Hein) which comes at a cost to the tone.

But the JB is all about the maintaining an uncompromising pristine, virtuosic tone at all costs. Cross fade would have compromised that. So all in all, I think it was wise deign choice to never compromise the tone.

But it would be nice to have that dimension of expression.


----------



## jaketanner (Dec 3, 2019)

ism said:


> But listen to a track like this


This is the full version no? I think it's far advanced from what you can achieve with the Essentials though. The tone might be the same, but without the extra articulations to give it life, I am not sure it's worth getting...especially now since there are no dynamic crossfades.


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## ism (Dec 3, 2019)

jaketanner said:


> This is the full version no? I think it's far advanced from what you can achieve with the Essentials though. The tone might be the same, but without the extra articulations to give it life, I am not sure it's worth getting...especially now since there are no dynamic crossfades.



Yes, that demo is the full version. (It did appear to be on the essential page at one point ... but upon reflection think that might have been an error when during the APD screw up before the release.)

I don't know if the de/crescends are included in the essential version.


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## jaketanner (Dec 3, 2019)

ism said:


> Yes, that demo is the full version. (It did appear to be on the essential page at one point ... but upon reflection think that might have been an error when during the APD screw up before the release.)
> 
> I don't know if the de/crescends are included in the essential version.


wish there was more info on it...yes its cheap, but still, once the intro promo ends, it's still limited. I think this essential violin came about after the SF virtuoso violin was broken off...that's also $99, but I think the JBE may be more bang for the buck. BTW, I have the full SF solo strings and that virtuoso isn't worth it...don't like it at all personally.


----------



## unclecheeks (Dec 3, 2019)

jaketanner said:


> BTW, I have the full SF solo strings and that virtuoso isn't worth it...don't like it at all personally.



I think I agree with you on that point. Not very pleased with the SF Solo Strings overall, but part of it is probably my fault too. I was hoping the close mic would give me a more intimate sound but it’s pretty bad. Almost sounds completely mono to me, and still too much room. And the dynamics/vibrato crossfading isn’t really my cup of tea, pretty bumpy affair. However, I’ve managed to get some decent results blending them with the Embertone ISS strings actually, so I think I’ll still find some use for them.


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## jaketanner (Dec 3, 2019)

unclecheeks said:


> I think I agree with you on that point. Not very pleased with the SF Solo Strings overall, but part of it is probably my fault too. I was hoping the close mic would give me a more intimate sound but it’s pretty bad. Almost sounds completely mono to me, and still too much room. And the dynamics/vibrato crossfading isn’t really my cup of tea, pretty bumpy affair. However, I’ve managed to get some decent results blending them with the Embertone ISS strings actually, so I think I’ll still find some use for them.


Best use I’ve found is the first desk added to drier ensemble strings give a lot more depth to the sound. They’re not exposed solos but as first chairs they might do well.


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## ism (Dec 3, 2019)

As even, the point I would make, it makes no sense to compare sampled solo violins without a sense of the expressive space you're looking for.


Spitfire and JB (both of which I bought pretty much instantly on their release) are equally spectacular doing what they do best - and equally terrible outside of their respective sweet spots. They're designed for very different expressive spaces, on all kinds of level (artistic, stylistic, ensemble vs solo, plus the sonority and engineering).


So "Bang for the buck" is a metric that I don't think means anything without adding a lot of context .

JB is more plonkable right out of the box though, and offers more instant gratification. The spitfire Virtuosic Vl by its nature lets you craft performances with much more expressive control in the dynamics. A consequence plus of this is that you have to learn to craft performances - ie its also possible to craft bad performances in these dimension. So it's got poor plonkabiliy, but a little work on how to craft the performances really pays off.

I'm just very happy to have both (and just picked up Emotional Violin too, with opens up a whole other expressive space again, even more orthogonal to the JB and SF instruments that I original thought).


----------



## jbuhler (Dec 3, 2019)

ism said:


> As even, the point I would make, it makes no sense to compare sampled solo violins without a sense of the expressive space you're looking for.
> 
> 
> Spitfire and JB (both of which I bought pretty much instantly on their release) are equally spectacular doing what they do best - and equally terrible outside of their respective sweet spots. They're designed for very different expressive spaces, on all kinds of level (artistic, stylistic, ensemble vs solo, plus the sonority and engineering).
> ...


Yes, I spent yesterday trying to sculpt the lowest dynamic layer in the JB Violin. It was quite resistant to the performance I wanted and would have been a relatively simple matter to coax out of one of the SF violins. I’m still learning the JB so maybe I’m missing something but I suspect the behavior I got is what the instrument is designed to deliver. Don’t get me wrong, I very much like the JB Violin and it is far more versatile than I had feared. But it is nevertheless optimized for certain things and those things appear to come at the cost of other things.


----------



## jaketanner (Dec 3, 2019)

jbuhler said:


> Yes, I spent yesterday trying to sculpt the lowest dynamic layer in the JB Violin


did you get the Essential?


----------



## jbuhler (Dec 3, 2019)

jaketanner said:


> did you get the Essential?


No, the full version.


----------



## bfreepro (Dec 3, 2019)

unclecheeks said:


> Don’t recall exactly, but I think that’s correct. I like being able to craft arcs by swelling sustained notes in and out (and additional vibrato sculpting). My understanding is that this isn’t possible with the JB, at least the crossfading between dynamic layers bit.


It's possible to do this, even with the essential version. Just go to "Control" and then there will be options to adjust dynamics with modwheel/cc01, etc. I was surprised how many features this has for an "essential"version, I don't even use most of the articulations from the full version except legato and spiccato anyway lol.


----------



## jaketanner (Dec 3, 2019)

bfreepro said:


> It's possible to do this, even with the essential version. Just go to "Control" and then there will be options to adjust dynamics with modwheel/cc01, etc. I was surprised how many features this has for an "essential"version, I don't even use most of the articulations from the full version except legato and spiccato anyway lol.


Where it says vibrato amount...from what I saw, it's just an on/off thing right? I mean there is no crossfading between how much vibrato you can have is there?


----------



## jaketanner (Dec 3, 2019)

The other thing that strikes me as a bit odd, is that there are no demos anywhere of what the Essential has to offer except the one video on the Embertone site...not the greatest though. Nothing on YT either. Had Embertone did a proper walkthrough of this, I bet many more people would be getting it right now instead of having second thoughts about how scaled down it is.,,at least I am.


----------



## jbuhler (Dec 3, 2019)

jaketanner said:


> Where it says vibrato amount...from what I saw, it's just an on/off thing right? I mean there is no crossfading between how much vibrato you can have is there?


Not quite. From the manual (full version):

Controlled via the modwheel by default, the Vibrato slider is one of the most important elements of the instrument. At the lowest position, non-vibrato samples are triggered. New notes that are performed when the slider is 50% or above will result in Joshua Bell’s Natural Vibrato. If you play a new note with the slider below 50%, you can manipulate the non-vibrato samples with our Simulated Vibrato. Note that once a natural vibrato sample is triggered, it cannot transition back to a non-vibrato sample - and conversely, a non-vibrato sample cannot transition to natural vibrato.​
So you can add simulated vibrato to the non-vib samples, but they don't crossfade (and I really think you wouldn't want a crossfade between vib and nonvib—there's a good reason that the SF vibrato is on/off for the solo instruments even if it makes the vibrato a challenge to master on those instruments)r. I haven't yet worked enough with the instrument to know how well this works in practice, but I'm sure others will chime in.


----------



## bfreepro (Dec 3, 2019)

jaketanner said:


> The other thing that strikes me as a bit odd, is that there are no demos anywhere of what the Essential has to offer except the one video on the Embertone site...not the greatest though. Nothing on YT either. Had Embertone did a proper walkthrough of this, I bet many more people would be getting it right now instead of having second thoughts about how scaled down it is.,,at least I am.


I


jaketanner said:


> The other thing that strikes me as a bit odd, is that there are no demos anywhere of what the Essential has to offer except the one video on the Embertone site...not the greatest though. Nothing on YT either. Had Embertone did a proper walkthrough of this, I bet many more people would be getting it right now instead of having second thoughts about how scaled down it is.,,at least I am.




That's literally me haha. I had no manual and had a version that was not even for the Kontakt player yet. I'll admit these Black Friday videos were more just entertainment and too really hear what it sounds like just right out of the box as opposed to totally diving deep as a walkthru or tutorial. It's just missing some articulations. It's amazing for the price. I consider myself a sample junkie, and this is easily in the top 3 kontakt libraries I've ever used in my entire life, and I own thousands. I use virtual instruments every day as a full time composer but never once while playing the Essential version did I think "oh wow I really miss this from the full.." not saying that full isn't worth it, but it just shows you HOW in depth both products are, if the essential version gives you so much.

Full Disclosure: Yes I work with Audio Plugin Deals but no I don't make commissions and honestly don't care who buys it or not, but from my personal experience, either version of this instrument is absolutely superb. If I didn't own it already I'd just buy the essential, and if you really feel you need more, there's a crossgrade as well for when you want to upgrade.


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## Embertone (Dec 3, 2019)

jaketanner said:


> I'm still torn if the Essential JB is useable for a solid solo performance. I most likely wouldn't use many articulations anyway...if it's that much work MIDI-wise, I'd just hire a live violinist...but for a simple mockup to get the idea across...is it good for that? Will I miss staccato or is spiccato good enough? And lastly, is the vibrato very over the top that it can't really do normal, less expressive passages well? Listening to the full version of JB isn't fair since you can control the amount of vibrato...Essential it's on or off. Thanks again.



(1) We think the spiccato is the more usable articulation. Crisp and short. In my work I use it more often than not
(2) The vibrato is not over the top at all -- super usable... Though obviously my opinion will be biased here
(3) Just to correct you -- you CAN control the amount of vibrato with both versions of the JBV. We combined our scripted vibrato with Mr. Bell's legit vibrato. So you get the best of both worlds there.

In terms of dynamics, we decided not to go down the road of processing these samples that way, because they would squeeze the natural sound out. So though there isn't the possibility to crossfade from a PP to an FF in one bow, you can use our dynamic modulation fx which sound great in most situations, and also, if you absolutely need to move up in "legit" dynamics, you can do a rebow to the new dynamic level.

The full version of the JBV does feature contour sustains, FYI. So there it is possible to hear Mr. Bell's real dynamic modulation in different levels.

-Alex


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## bfreepro (Dec 3, 2019)

jaketanner said:


> wish there was more info on it...yes its cheap, but still, once the intro promo ends, it's still limited. I think this essential violin came about after the SF virtuoso violin was broken off...that's also $99, but I think the JBE may be more bang for the buck. BTW, I have the full SF solo strings and that virtuoso isn't worth it...don't like it at all personally.


The Joshua Bell (even essential) is the most Virtuoso sounding kontakt library I've ever used, for any instrument, not even just for violin. It blows the Spitfire Performance Violin out of the water.


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## Embertone (Dec 3, 2019)

jbuhler said:


> Yes, I spent yesterday trying to sculpt the lowest dynamic layer in the JB Violin. It was quite resistant to the performance I wanted and would have been a relatively simple matter to coax out of one of the SF violins. I’m still learning the JB so maybe I’m missing something but I suspect the behavior I got is what the instrument is designed to deliver. Don’t get me wrong, I very much like the JB Violin and it is far more versatile than I had feared. But it is nevertheless optimized for certain things and those things appear to come at the cost of other things.



Hmmm, what Control Preset did you use? If you want *just* the lowest dynamic, I would highly suggest using something different than the default preset, which triggers legato dynamics via MIDI velocity. Try one of the "Pro Controller" presets, which allows you to set dynamics via MIDI CC. That way you can consistently trigger *just* the lowest dynamic. IMO that set of samples is super beautiful. Gentle but full.


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## jbuhler (Dec 3, 2019)

bfreepro said:


> The Joshua Bell (even essential) is the most Virtuoso sounding kontakt library I've ever used, for any instrument, not even just for violin. It blows the Spitfire Performance Violin out of the water.


I have both and I really don't think this is true. As @ism has pointed out at length, they have different sweet spots, and I've already found much that I prefer in the Spitfire Total Performance Virtuoso Violin but also the First Chair Violin. Yes, there is lots—an incredible amount—to like in the JB violin and in the short time I've had it I've already found a number of its sweet spots, but there are definitely things that are more challenging for the JB violin and things that don't sound as good (or at least are not to my taste) played by the JB violin. I'm really happy to have both libraries.


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## Embertone (Dec 3, 2019)

ism said:


> JB is more plonkable right out of the box though, and offers more instant gratification. The spitfire Virtuosic Vl by its nature lets you craft performances with much more expressst picked up Emotional Violin too, with opens up a whole other expressive space again, even more orthogonal to the JB and SF instruments that I original thought).



Orthogonal! I had to look that one up


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## bfreepro (Dec 3, 2019)

jbuhler said:


> I have both and I really don't think this is true. As @ism has pointed out at length, they have different sweet spots, and I've already found much that I prefer in the Spitfire Total Performance Virtuoso Violin but also the First Chair Violin. Yes, there is lots—an incredible amount—to like in the JB violin and in the short time I've had it I've already found a number of its sweet spots, but there are definitely things that are more challenging for the JB violin and things that don't sound as good (or at least are not to my taste) played by the JB violin. I'm really happy to have both libraries.


I disagree entirely haha but fair enough, just my opinion, when I want an instantly amazing performance without having to tweak everything afterwards, I can just live record playing on the keyboard and it sounds amazing, with Spitfire it may offer more control, but they lack character and just sound sterile and especially the vibrato control... it's like all or nothing and sounds awkward transitioning from nv to vib.. That's why I say that, not that it's bad, but very different, since he said he was disappointed in the Spitfire one . I guess Spitfire, to me, is more classical and just kind of "bread and butter",the Joshua Bell is a true instrument and you get so much life and character out of it.


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## jbuhler (Dec 3, 2019)

Embertone said:


> Hmmm, what Control Preset did you use? If you want *just* the lowest dynamic, I would highly suggest using something different than the default preset, which triggers legato dynamics via MIDI velocity. Try one of the "Pro Controller" presets, which allows you to set dynamics via MIDI CC. That way you can consistently trigger *just* the lowest dynamic. IMO that set of samples is super beautiful. Gentle but full.


Thanks for the tip. Yes, I'm still learning the instrument. I also love the sound of these samples of the soft layer, which is why I was trying to sculpt them! It's good to know that a different setting will give me more control. It also looks like I need to spend some time studying the configuration presets and ultimately build my own set.


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## jbuhler (Dec 3, 2019)

bfreepro said:


> I disagree entirely haha but fair enough, just my opinion, when I want an instantly amazing performance without having to tweak everything afterwards, I can just live record playing on the keyboard and it sounds amazing, with Spitfire it may offer more control, but they lack character and just sound sterile and especially the vibrato control... it's like all or nothing and sounds awkward transitioning from nv to vib.. That's why I say that, not that it's bad, but very different, since he said he was disappointed in the Spitfire one . I guess Spitfire, to me, is more classical and just kind of "bread and butter",the Joshua Bell is a true instrument and you get so much life and character out of it.


I find the Spitfire first chair violin works very well in context for spot solos in a larger ensemble setting, and I really like its tone. The sound seems to emerge from the ensemble and then recede back into it, and in those contexts I rarely if ever even notice the transition from non-vib to vib. The total performance virtuoso patch handles the vib transition differently being linked to progressive vib samples that are then modified using Time Machine for speed. I don't especially like what Time Machine does to the sound at the extreme, so I tend to stay away from that, but the progressive vibrato generally sounds nice and seems to fit the kind of things I write. I'm not as enamored of the virtuosos tone but I wouldn't call it lifeless or sterile. None of the SF instruments are really noodling instruments though, where you just sit down and play. The JB is far better than the SF violins in this respect, but I find the Virharmonic Violin even better, especially the original version, which has many fewer options, but just seems to fit my playing. So when I just want to noodle on the violin, I almost always take out that one. But I also find the Virharmonic Violin very hard to control when composing for it. It will play what it will play by golly. That's fine when you are noodling, less happy when you are trying to compose (unless you are willing to compose specifically to the instrument). So far the JB Violin is a little recalcitrant (it rightly wants to show off that beautiful tone) but it does seem to take instruction much, much better than the Virharmonic. I'm hoping as I learn the JB instrument better I'll find it even more flexible.


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## Satorious (Dec 4, 2019)

Sopranos said:


> You can have no vibrato unless you call for it.


Yes you can control the vibrato unlike Tina!


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## ism (Dec 4, 2019)

Satorious said:


> Yes you can control the vibrato unlike Tina!



To clarify though (and see jbuhler’s quote from the manual above) you have a beautiful, recorded progressive vibrato. You can start a note with the vib on, and progress quickly to Joshua actually playing vibrato. But there’s no ability to crossfade at arbitrary times.

Or you can use simulated vibrato, which is ok, but obviously not remotely as good as Joshua himself playing vibrato.

I think the amount and speed of the progressive vibrato is very well chosen, both for ease of play, and for the expressive space the lib captures.

But SF and EV make different choices - for instance the ability to crossfade between vib and non vib suitable to their own expressive spaces.


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## jaketanner (Dec 4, 2019)

bfreepro said:


> It blows the Spitfire Performance Violin out of the water.


I don’t like the performance violin. And since they updated both violin and cello, my library seems to act funny now. The vibrato defaults at max and I just don’t like it. Maybe I will pick up the JBE. BTW, so if there is no dynamic crossfades, is it all velocity based then for p to f?


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## ism (Dec 4, 2019)

jaketanner said:


> I don’t like the performance violin. And since they updated both violin and cello, my library seems to act funny now. The vibrato defaults at max and I just don’t like it. Maybe I will pick up the JBE. BTW, so if there is no dynamic crossfades, is it all velocity based then for p to f?



There a number of presents on the controls. 

The easiest one, I find, lets you control volume with the mod wheel - meaning it select the dynamic layer from the mod wheel, then alter the volume (but not the timbre) - which is usually ok as long as you keep in to within ~10%.

It also avoid forcing you to control the vibrato - if you start with the mod wheel above 50%, you get the recorded vibrato. Below 50% you start with non vi, but moving the mod wheel up will add some simulated vibrato.

This locks you into a particular expressive spaces where louder => more vibrato. But to a first approximation, it makes it easy to play with just the mod wheel.

Of course you get better control (and enter a larger expressive space) if assign vibrato to a separate cc - and three's of course a preset for that too.

The videos that Alex did on release are really worth watching.


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## jaketanner (Dec 4, 2019)

ism said:


> There a number of presents on the controls.
> 
> The easiest one, I find, lets you control volume with the mod wheel - meaning it select the dynamic layer from the mod wheel, then alter the volume (but not the timbre) - which is usually ok as long as you keep in to within ~10%.
> 
> ...


We are talking about the Essential violin though right? Not the full. Can the essential version dynamic be CC controlled?


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## ism (Dec 4, 2019)

Embertone said:


> Orthogonal! I had to look that one up



Fancy way to say: "you really need to buy them all"! Or maybe: "Nothing else does what the JB does".

(But it also works with the metaphor of 'expressive space' as a higher dimensional space also - and echos some of the underlying mathematics of sound - Fourier Analysis and all that )


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## ism (Dec 4, 2019)

jaketanner said:


> We are talking about the Essential violin though right? Not the full. Can the essential version dynamic be CC controlled?



I would watch some of the JB full videos (or read the manual if you're short on time) and then just see if the version you have does the same thing. I can't imaging them taking this functionality out.


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## jbuhler (Dec 4, 2019)

jaketanner said:


> I don’t like the performance violin. And since they updated both violin and cello, my library seems to act funny now. The vibrato defaults at max and I just don’t like it. Maybe I will pick up the JBE. BTW, so if there is no dynamic crossfades, is it all velocity based then for p to f?


The full vibrato on the total performance patch is not good with Time Machine on. But you can save a version of the patch with Time Machine off and that should solve most of that problem. Unless you just don’t like the sound of the progressive vibrato.


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## Tvliesin (Dec 4, 2019)

Yeah just use PayPal. They once gave me back $2000 that I was frauded on. They stand by their policies.


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## jaketanner (Dec 4, 2019)

jbuhler said:


> The full vibrato on the total performance patch is not good with Time Machine on. But you can save a version of the patch with Time Machine off and that should solve most of that problem. Unless you just don’t like the sound of the progressive vibrato.


oh yeah it's off...just too much for most things


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## jaketanner (Dec 4, 2019)

Embertone said:


> (1) We think the spiccato is the more usable articulation. Crisp and short. In my work I use it more often than not
> (2) The vibrato is not over the top at all -- super usable... Though obviously my opinion will be biased here
> (3) Just to correct you -- you CAN control the amount of vibrato with both versions of the JBV. We combined our scripted vibrato with Mr. Bell's legit vibrato. So you get the best of both worlds there.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the reply Alex. Much appreciated.


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## jaketanner (Dec 4, 2019)

@Embertone ...last question. If I get the Essential at $59, what would the upgrade path be to the full JB after the sale is over? Right now there is an $80 difference...what will it jump to? Thank you.

I see this, thanks to transverb. "We decided to bump the price down on the upgrade as an incentive— $90 to upgrade while swapping licenses, $100 if you want to keep both." But is this DURING the sale, or always if I decide in a year from now to upgrade?


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## transverb (Dec 4, 2019)

jaketanner said:


> @Embertone ...last question. If I get the Essential at $59, what would the upgrade path be to the full JB after the sale is over? Right now there is an $80 difference...what will it jump to? Thank you.


Forgive me if I get this wrong but I'm pretty sure it was stated that there would be $90 difference. It was originally $100 (the difference in price between the two products at full price) but then it was reduced to $90. It is stated earlier in this thread.


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## jaketanner (Dec 4, 2019)

transverb said:


> Forgive me if I get this wrong but I'm pretty sure it was stated that there would be $90 difference. It was originally $100 (the difference in price between the two products at full price) but then it was reduced to $90. It is stated earlier in this thread.


That's awesome...means then the full JB would be no more than $149 at any given time. Seems like a deal if I can't take advantage of it now...I am eagerly awaiting the release of another library any day now.. ha.


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## transverb (Dec 4, 2019)

Haha. I hear you. I'm trying to juggle a few sales and new libraries. I think the JB essential looks really good. I can upgrade, sell, etc. Really appreciate the companies way of doing business. 

Just note that if you want to keep the version of JB Essential it is an extra $10 I believe. So you can upgrade for $90 and lose Essential or $100 and keep them both. 

Is anyone from Embertone going to hire me for customer support?


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## jaketanner (Dec 4, 2019)

transverb said:


> Haha. I hear you. I'm trying to juggle a few sales and new libraries. I think the JB essential looks really good. I can upgrade, sell, etc. Really appreciate the companies way of doing business.
> 
> Just note that if you want to keep the version of JB Essential it is an extra $10 I believe. So you can upgrade for $90 and lose Essential or $100 and keep them both.
> 
> Is anyone from Embertone going to hire me for customer support?


As long as you're working as support.. LOL. Is this price valid to after the sale too? That's the only thing I am confused about...$90 for the swap any time, or just until the 6th? And worth the extra $10, have both then sell the Essentials


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## unclecheeks (Dec 4, 2019)

jaketanner said:


> And worth the extra $10, have both then sell the Essentials



My guess is that this isn't allowed - just like you can't buy Komplete 12, upgrade to K12U, then sell your K12 license. The upgrade license requires the "base" license.

OTOH, if that's the case, I'm not sure I actually see any benefit to having the option to keep both licenses.


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## jaketanner (Dec 4, 2019)

unclecheeks said:


> My guess is that this isn't allowed - just like you can't buy Komplete 12, upgrade to K12U, then sell your K12 license. The upgrade license requires the "base" license.


ok, makes sense.


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## transverb (Dec 4, 2019)

Embertone said:


> the upgrade can happen at any time, email us!
> 
> The upgrade will be the difference in MSRP, clean and simple (regardless of how much you bought it for). So for now it’ll be $100!
> 
> ...



Anytime. The post for $90 appears later.


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## transverb (Dec 4, 2019)

Embertone said:


> We decided to bump the price down on the upgrade as an incentive— $90 to upgrade while swapping licenses, $100 if you want to keep both.
> 
> We’re not trying to screw anyone. We didn’t expect people would want to upgrade so quickly after buying the Essential.
> 
> Alex


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## jaketanner (Dec 4, 2019)

transverb said:


> Anytime. The post for $90 appears late.


That's awesome, thank you!! Gonna grab it then.


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## transverb (Dec 4, 2019)

Is there anything else I can help with today here at Embertone? 

And you are very welcomed.


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## jaketanner (Dec 4, 2019)

transverb said:


> Is there anything else I can help with today here at Embertone?
> 
> And you are very welcomed.


Thank you...your C.S. is exceptional! LOL.


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## Embertone (Dec 4, 2019)

Transverb, we bestow upon you honorary sales team status (waves Embertone wand above your head)



-Alex


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## ism (Dec 4, 2019)

Speaking of spectacular, does anyone know of an actual recording of the Rachmaninoff prelude arranged for violin?



I can only find a recording for cello (and of course piano).

This really is a stunning demo.


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## Sopranos (Dec 4, 2019)

jaketanner said:


> That's awesome, thank you!! Gonna grab it then.


That's the most expensive $59 I've ever seen someone spend. I spent at least $500 of time keeping up with your questions about this cheap library lol. 

You've literally exhausted every avenue of this library yeah? Haha. Damn.


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## jaketanner (Dec 4, 2019)

Sopranos said:


> That's the most expensive $59 I've ever seen someone spend. I spent at least $500 of time keeping up with your questions about this cheap library lol.
> 
> You've literally exhausted every avenue of this library yeah? Haha. Damn.


Ha...I've bought cheap before and never used it because it wasn't what I expected...but there were a few unanswered questions about this that weren't clear, especially since I do intend on upgrading down the line, I wanted to be thorough.. LOL ...and wanted to make sure this was useable for now. Also because once Friday comes and goes, it's back to $99, and at that point I'd just go for the full version.


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## Embertone (Dec 4, 2019)

ism said:


> Speaking of spectacular, does anyone know of an actual recording of the Rachmaninoff prelude arranged for violin?
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Thanks for saying that! I love the Rach preludes, and this one screamed to be arranged for violin. I didn't realize (but not surprised) that it has been done for cello already!

-Alex


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## ism (Dec 4, 2019)

Embertone said:


> Thanks for saying that! I love the Rach preludes, and this one screamed to be arranged for violin. I didn't realize (but not surprised) that it has been done for cello already!
> 
> -Alex



Well, it was a brilliant idea to orchestrate it for the violin, and it would also have instantly sold me on the JB Essential (if I hadn’t instantly bought the full version within minutes of its release). I’m really quite enthralled with the piece, and whole musical space it suggests.

(Are you sure this is op 32 no 5 though?)


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## Embertone (Dec 4, 2019)

Yep, it’s No. 5... but I somehow labeled it as No. 4. Correcting


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## Zero&One (Dec 5, 2019)

Sopranos said:


> You've literally exhausted every avenue of this library yeah? Haha. Damn.



I fully expected Embertone to release Joshua Bell "The Senior Years" before this purchase went down.


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## Silence-is-Golden (Dec 5, 2019)

Embertone said:


> Yep, it’s No. 5... but I somehow labeled it as No. 4. Correcting



Just to be clear; are the jb demo’s with the essential version done with this or do they originate from the full version?


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## Embertone (Dec 5, 2019)

Silence-is-Golden said:


> Just to be clear; are the jb demo’s with the essential version done with this or do they originate from the full version?



Essential - the demos that were reused were re-rendered with JBVEss!


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## Silence-is-Golden (Dec 5, 2019)

Embertone said:


> Essential - the demos that were reused were re-rendered with JBVEss!


Brilliant! Because I already purchased it but havent tried it yet I was especially interested on the dynamic swell at the end of the Rachmaninov demo


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## dzilizzi (Dec 5, 2019)

unclecheeks said:


> My guess is that this isn't allowed - just like you can't buy Komplete 12, upgrade to K12U, then sell your K12 license. The upgrade license requires the "base" license.
> 
> OTOH, if that's the case, I'm not sure I actually see any benefit to having the option to keep both licenses.


I'm guessing the Essentials takes less RAM in a project which can be great if you have limited RAM and don't need the extra articulations on a project.


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## Sarah Mancuso (Dec 5, 2019)

dzilizzi said:


> I'm guessing the Essentials takes less RAM in a project which can be great if you have limited RAM and don't need the extra articulations on a project.


You do have the option to unload unused articulations manually, though I suppose the lite version has the advantage of also taking up less disk space.


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## dzilizzi (Dec 5, 2019)

Sarah Mancuso said:


> You do have the option to unload unused articulations manually, though I suppose the lite version has the advantage of also taking up less disk space.


It's one of those programs where I'd like the Essentials for my laptop and the full version for my desktop. 

Just wish I bought Essentials first rather than the full at $139. Only because for about $20 more I could have had both.


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## unclecheeks (Dec 5, 2019)

Sarah Mancuso said:


> You do have the option to unload unused articulations manually, though I suppose the lite version has the advantage of also taking up less disk space.



Does the full also come with any “lite” or individual patches or is it just one massive patch? If one mondo patch, what’s the RAM footprint when initially loaded?


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## Mornats (Dec 5, 2019)

unclecheeks said:


> Does the full also come with any “lite” or individual patches or is it just one massive patch? If one mondo patch, what’s the RAM footprint when initially loaded?



1.5GB RAM for me with the full version.


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## josephspirits (Dec 6, 2019)

Embertone said:


> We decided to bump the price down on the upgrade as an incentive— $90 to upgrade while swapping licenses, $100 if you want to keep both.
> 
> We’re not trying to screw anyone. We didn’t expect people would want to upgrade so quickly after buying the Essential.
> 
> Alex



@Embertone would this $90 upgrade price be possible any time of year, or just this week?


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## Embertone (Dec 6, 2019)

josephspirits said:


> @Embertone would this $90 upgrade price be possible any time of year, or just this week?



Just this week - it will resume normal pricing after the sale. We may extend by just a few days, but beyond that, our intention is to keep the upgrade from Essential --> Full the simple difference between MSRPs. Otherwise, users could buy the Essential without the intention of using it, and immediately upgrade to Full. And it's more "paperwork" for everyone!

Thanks!

-Alex


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## Nemoy (Dec 6, 2019)

Embertone said:


> Just this week - it will resume normal pricing after the sale. We may extend by just a few days, but beyond that, our intention is to keep the upgrade from Essential --> Full the simple difference between MSRPs. Otherwise, users could buy the Essential without the intention of using it, and immediately upgrade to Full. And it's more "paperwork" for everyone!
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> -Alex



Embertone, wonderful you have essential versions for some of your libraries. For me, I just go right in and buy your full edition libraries because they are quality. Please continue with your solo woodwind instruments. I hope you continue focus on the winds and that we may see Flute, English Horn, and Piccolo. Also hope you have some nice updates soon for your Intimate Strings series. Fantastic!


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## josephspirits (Dec 7, 2019)

Embertone said:


> Just this week - it will resume normal pricing after the sale. We may extend by just a few days, but beyond that, our intention is to keep the upgrade from Essential --> Full the simple difference between MSRPs. Otherwise, users could buy the Essential without the intention of using it, and immediately upgrade to Full. And it's more "paperwork" for everyone!
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> -Alex



Thank you for following up? So does that mean Sunday December 8 or a few days after that?


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## Embertone (Dec 7, 2019)

josephspirits said:


> Thank you for following up? So does that mean Sunday December 8 or a few days after that?



Email us by Sunday or Monday! Thank you


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## Cinebient (Dec 11, 2019)

Is there an upgrade path to buy now? I do not see any option to upgrade to the full version.


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## Tvliesin (Dec 12, 2019)

Super Simple Josh Bell Essential track I just laid down. Tina Guo Cello on the lower register. Olafur piano. 2 ambient pads, that's it. Criticism/questions welcomed.


----------



## Craig Allen (Dec 3, 2022)

Can any of you speak to the controller keyboard(s) you are using for expressive playability? 

The reason I'm asking is because I'm getting radically different results (on Essential) with my semi-weighted Novation SL MkII and my hammer-weighted MAudio KeyStation Pro 88. Both are older keyboards. But on this library, it seems they are 2 completely different instruments. On the semi-weighted Novation, it is hard to avoid portamento. Smooth legatos are far easier on the fully weighted keyboard. Also, dynamic control is easier on the heavier keys. I have to POUND the semi-weighted keyboard to get louder dynamic responses. While every keyboard responds differently, I am noticing a larger difference than expected for this library. I'm feeling deficits with both, but finding my standard smaller keyboard (usually preferable) largely unusable on this library. 

I am unable to achieve the smooth playing of the videos. (And I am a keyboardist who can usually coax what I desire). Maybe this library simply requires more keyboard practice than most.


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## jcrosby (Dec 3, 2022)

Craig Allen said:


> Can any of you speak to the controller keyboard(s) you are using for expressive playability?
> 
> The reason I'm asking is because I'm getting radically different results (on Essential) with my semi-weighted Novation SL MkII and my hammer-weighted MAudio KeyStation Pro 88. Both are older keyboards. But on this library, it seems they are 2 completely different instruments. On the semi-weighted Novation, it is hard to avoid portamento. Smooth legatos are far easier on the fully weighted keyboard. Also, dynamic control is easier on the heavier keys. I have to POUND the semi-weighted keyboard to get louder dynamic responses. While every keyboard responds differently, I am noticing a larger difference than expected for this library. I'm feeling deficits with both, but finding my standard smaller keyboard (usually preferable) largely unusable on this library.
> 
> I am unable to achieve the smooth playing of the videos. (And I am a keyboardist who can usually coax what I desire). Maybe this library simply requires more keyboard practice than most.


Most keyboards allow you to adjust the velocity curve in some way. A search suggests like the Novation offers a few different curves. (I don't have a novation, but pretty much every keyboard offers this). Go to Novaiton's site, find the manual and search for velocity, you should be able to find the instructions on how to change the curve easily.


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## dzilizzi (Dec 3, 2022)

jcrosby said:


> Most keyboards allow you to adjust the velocity curve in some way. A search suggests like the Novation offers a few different curves. (I don't have a novation, but pretty much every keyboard offers this). Go to Novaiton's site, find the manual and search for velocity, you should be able to find the instructions on how to change the curve easily.


The older Novations don't. I have a first gen launchkey. You can't change the velocity. However, I believe Kontakt may have some ability to change things.


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## Craig Allen (Dec 3, 2022)

Thank you both. Will pursue options.


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## Craig Allen (Dec 3, 2022)

jcrosby said:


> Most keyboards allow you to adjust the velocity curve in some way. A search suggests like the Novation offers a few different curves. (I don't have a novation, but pretty much every keyboard offers this). Go to Novaiton's site, find the manual and search for velocity, you should be able to find the instructions on how to change the curve easily.


Thanks so much!
2 Adjustments on the Novation and 1 adjustment on the M-Audio, and they are much more in-line with each other now.


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## HardyP (Dec 4, 2022)

Craig Allen said:


> 2 Adjustments on the Novation


Can you please give some hints what exactly...? I have also the mkII and am not very happy up to now...


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## Craig Allen (Dec 4, 2022)

I bumped up 2 velocity layers from the Default MED-2 to LOUD-2. (With Loud 1 as the highest). Mainly, I was trying to match the M-Audio for being able to play softly and loudly, with similar playing styles (which is a challenge as the keyboards are so completely different in feel). But, the 2nd loudest on the unweighted Novation seems to pair with the 2nd softest on the weighted M-Audio 88. Go figure.

For semi-weighted keyboards in general, I've been pretty happy over the years with the SL mkii. Of a dozen or more keybeds I've tried over a couple decades, I'd place it 3rd: just behind the NI S-Mk 2 keybeds and (both) quite a bit behind the Kurzweil PC3 (which has 1/2" longer keys, so they balance so much better than shorter keys). But the Novation SL mkii and NI S Mk2 keys are a good 1/4" longer than most short keyboards, making them superior to most. The short key lengths are simply a very real problem -- particularly for black notes.

I'm still having significant portamento issues on the Novation. Mind you, I'm new to the Joshua Bell library. I can imagine I will need to learn to play it like a real instrument and learn how to coax the keys to get what I'm wanting. But, it's definitely easier for me to get standard legato transitions (instead of portamento on nearly every non-fast note) on the weighted keyboard. I have 2 other keyboards I will try it on. It's usually not an issue. This library has such sensitivity and responsiveness that it seems to be highlighting the limits of my keyboards and the rust in my playing technique.

I'd still love to hear from anyone who feels like their keyboard keybed is working well for this particular library.

At the moment, I'm staying with Essential.


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## unclecheeks (Dec 4, 2022)

Craig Allen said:


> I bumped up 2 velocity layers from the Default MED-2 to LOUD-2. (With Loud 1 as the highest). Mainly, I was trying to match the M-Audio for being able to play softly and loudly, with similar playing styles (which is a challenge as the keyboards are so completely different in feel). But, the 2nd loudest on the unweighted Novation seems to pair with the 2nd softest on the weighted M-Audio 88. Go figure.
> 
> For semi-weighted keyboards in general, I've been pretty happy over the years with the SL mkii. Of a dozen or more keybeds I've tried over a couple decades, I'd place it 3rd: just behind the NI S-Mk 2 keybeds and (both) quite a bit behind the Kurzweil PC3 (which has 1/2" longer keys, so they balance so much better than shorter keys). But the Novation SL mkii and NI S Mk2 keys are a good 1/4" longer than most short keyboards, making them superior to most. The short key lengths are simply a very real problem -- particularly for black notes.
> 
> ...



This might be helpful. Transform / MultiCh Change Velocity can be found in the Factory ksp library. You can adjust min/max/curve, or draw your own. One advantage is that this scaling is 
on the software side, so you don't have to adjust your hardware if it plays fine for other libraries, can save as a multi with JB when you like the response.


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## Craig Allen (Dec 5, 2022)

Thanks so much!
I haven't gone under the hood much in Kontakt yet. This is helpful to know!


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