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Spitfire orchestra Libraries - which ones?

Levon

Levon

Active Member
I’m looking to add some Spitfire Libraries ahead of their Wishlist deadline tomorrow. I’ll be writing hybrid/ambient music with maybe the occasional trailer style track here and there. Been watching the various Spitfire videos on repeat but still can’t decide :)

I think i’ve decided to go with the Eric Whitacre Choir library and the Swarms collection. But I’m undecided which way to go in terms of their orchestra libs.

I already have Albion One. I’ve been thinking about adding Iceni (very impressed with Homay’s In Depth video) and Tundra but I’m wondering if I should instead go with the Symphony Orchestra collection or the Chamber Orchestra collection rather than Iceni and Tundra. Any words of wisdom with this dilemma?

Also where does HZ Strings fit in? Would you advise going with Iceni/Tundra or Symphony/Chamber collection before even considering HZ Strings?

Cheers,
Levon
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Levon,

Go with the Albions if you like using ensemble patches. If however you like writing each individual instrument by itself then get SSS or SCS. They both include an ensemble patch which is great for sketching ideas. Also consider Studio strings. If that's in your wish list, it's a great deal.

I wouldn't consider HZS until you have SSS, SCS or SStS.
 
I own several Spitfire libraries (and love them all) but Spitfire Chamber Strings gets used almost always, in some way or another. If there was one library I would recommend for almost anything it would be that one.

It’s very adaptable. Sounds good in nearly any context and has just about any articulation you would need. It’s my #1.
 
I also have to second Spitfire Studio Strings as being a great value. Just picked that up and couldn’t be more impressed. I cannot believe how much you get for $150 (current promo). Absolutely an absurd value.

If you want to save some money, check it out for sure. If you have the cash, SCS.
 
Thanks for all the advice so far. Much appreciated.

Dogdad, would you value SCS and SStS above SSS?
 
Levon said:
Thanks for all the advice so far. Much appreciated.

Dogdad, would you value SCS and SStS above SSS?
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I don’t yet own Symphonic Strings (yet!), but I doubt I’d use anything over SCS currently. It’s the Goldilocks library for me. It’s not to small (where it sounds like soloists) but still sounds intimate and it can also sound really lush and full, deceivingly larger than it should. It’s also really great for ambient sounds, especially when paired with reverb and other processing. You can also use the transpose trick to layer patches to get a fuller sound or to simulate sudo divsi. It also layers really nicely with other Spitfire libraries such as Albion One.

Studio Strings is honestly the deal of the year for sure. At the current price it’s a no brainer and if I was starting out I’d probably by more than happy with just that. There’s also the professional version wich adds divsi sections and more microphones. All in all a very good value. Great sound, drier (bring your own verb) and lots of articulations.

I just lean more towards SCS. I used to use Sable before it and it was always my goto and now with SCS that still hasn’t changed. I love the sound of big room at Air. And when you combine libraries recorded there, it just works and it can not be overstated just how helpful that is.
 
dogdad said:
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I just lean more towards SCS. I used to use Sable before it and it was always my goto and now with SCS that still hasn’t changed. I love the sound of big room at Air. And when you combine libraries recorded there, it just works and it can not be overstated just how helpful that is.
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Aarrgghh !! ! There goes my planned BHCT WL purchase. :crying:
No surprise, as SCS has such a superb following.
 
jbuhler said:
Honestly, if you decide to buy SCS, you can do without the pro version for a long while.
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Well …. screwed up and have Studio Strings Core & Pro on WL, but only 'standard' SCS.

Blows my other SF choices away, but WL _ SSO CS Edition is down to $1,014.30. _ and pick up SSB /SSW for peanuts.
Maybe strongest option for 2018 WL.
 
sostenuto said:
Well …. screwed up and have Studio Strings Core & Pro on WL, but only 'standard' SCS.
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Standard is fine. On the Symphony line and Chamber Strings, pro only gets you more mics. Which are sometimes helpful, especially the outriggers and stereo mixes, but you can do excellent work without them. I only rarely use anything other than the tree and the close unless I'm working without external reverb. JJ's stereo mics are nice for working quickly and having things more or less balanced across the orchestra out of the box, but are not really necessary.

The decision tree for Studio Strings is quite different. The Studio Strings core is a great deal, but it does come with only the tree and it doesn't have all the articulations, divisi, etc. So there is more value, I think, in buying the Pro version of the Studio Strings than buying the pro version of SCS.
 
SCS for two years in my wish list and my first goal, unlucky me still cannot aford it even though get discount 40%:-(
 
Daniel said:
SCS for two years in my wish list and my first goal, unlucky me still cannot aford it even though get discount 40%:-(
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I hear you. I waited for a few years to get SSB and finally got it this year. Hang in there, you’ll get it!
 
If you want to check out which SF library members of this forum are most happy with, this thread could possibly be a good place to start:
https://vi-control.net/community/th...rite-non-solo-string-libraries-and-why.60460/
But note that some of the libraries have been around for a much longer time than the others/some of them were added to the poll after the poll started etc.

And, btw, their chamber strings are more useful than it may seem like, since it’s easy to to make it sound larger by layering SCS with itself.
 
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blougui said:
May because it's not such a workhouse - more niche, specialized, not 4 wheels drive - as the others ?
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I'm not sure though. HZS does a lot of the core things you need a string library to do, as much (and maybe more) than SSS does. Anyways, my only point is one could definitely get this lib without SSS, SCS or SStS. They're all good general libs with different sounds.
 
Well after going back and forth I’ve finally decided to skip the Wishlist sales (including the Choir and Swarms collection)

Instead I’m going to spend more time getting better at making use of Albion One (which I already own) before spending any more money. Hopefully more time getting a deeper understanding of Albion One will help me make a more informed choice next time there are any Spitfire sales.

Thanks again for everyone’s advice.

Cheers,
Levon
 
Levon said:
Well after going back and forth I’ve finally decided to skip the Wishlist sales (including the Choir and Swarms collection)

Instead I’m going to spend more time getting better at making use of Albion One (which I already own) before spending any more money.
Click to expand...

Hat's off to you sir. I wish I hade an ounce of your clear sightedness and restraint!
 
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