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Inexpensive Woodwind libraries

DivingInSpace

Senior Member
Hi everyone,

I am finally getting close to having dedicated sections for all parts of the orchestra with enough articulations, good/great legato, solo instruments, different ensemble sizes and all that jazz. A few holes remain though, the typical orchestral percussion (here i will probably grab Rhapsody from Impact Soundworks when it eventually goes on sale) and Woodwinds.

And holy crap woodwinds seems to be the hardest to find if your funds are limited. Hollywood WW isn't too well liked, the NI Woodwinds neither, Berlin and Spitfire Symphonic Woodwinds is expensive, i really don't wanna commit to the VSL dongle system, and the Spitfire Studio woodwinds haven't been too well received either as far as i've understood.

I have absolutely no idea where this leaves me. I would like to keep my budget under $200 and hopefully closer to 150 than 200. I have no problem with waiting on sales though. Any recommendations? Maybe 8Dio's intimate Woodwinds?
 
I had the same situation
Solved with Amadeus Symphonic Orchestra where the Woods are probably the best of the entire set

Max
 
I was in the same spot, and got spitfire studio woodwinds. It's definitely better than EW Hollywood winds.
Did you get pro or core? I heard that core only includes the deca mic.
I had the same situation
Solved with Amadeus Symphonic Orchestra where the Woods are probably the best of the entire set

Max
Hmmm... I am not sure if it is deeply sampled enough for my needs (though i do like the sound of them) i would be very wary about getting a 10GB library with all sections + solo instruments for the woodwinds alone. How are the legatos?

I know you said you don't want dongles but VSL SE Woodwinds are the best value for money by far. If you are okey with limited instruments, Auddict woodwinds sound good and are pretty cheap when on sale.
It does seem like the best option (though i for some reason can't find them on their side anymore?) but i am really against copy protection being put onto the costumer like that, and the fact that if the dongle break or you lose it, you have to rebuy the libraries. I think that is crazy.
 
Hmmm... I am not sure if it is deeply sampled enough for my needs (though i do like the sound of them) i would be very wary about getting a 10GB library with all sections + solo instruments for the woodwinds alone. How are the legatos?
There are no true recorded legatos! You are right to be worried about the tiny size for all this content. You better stay away from Amadeus Symphonic Orchestra if you are searching for quality sounding woodwinds with realistic legato transitions.
 
If you truly hate the idea of dongles, a library that you should check is the following:

There are some good reviews, some mixed ones, it's compatible with the free Kontakt Player, it does not exceed your budget, and has true recorded legato for all the available wind instruments. I think the price is honest for the content.
 
I can second the Hein recommendation for your budget, and depending on your needs, don't underestimate the ones in the Kontakt factory library (old vsl, very limited scripting, but not bad sounding).
 
I can second the Hein recommendation for your budget, and depending on your needs, don't underestimate the ones in the Kontakt factory library (old vsl, very limited scripting, but not bad sounding).
They might be a better alternative to the Sonuscore "The orchestra" ones i am currently using actually. I'll have to redownload the library though, as i think i deleted it to make space for others.

If you truly hate the idea of dongles, a library that you should check is the following:

There are some good reviews, some mixed ones, it's compatible with the free Kontakt Player, it does not exceed your budget, and has true recorded legato for all the available wind instruments. I think the price is honest for the content.
They actually seem nice, though i've heard that Chris Heins takes a lot of programming? A bit limited in articulations, but it is a compact version of the full product after all. Am i the only one who can't find the SE VSL Woodwinds on their website? I can only find the full package.
 
You are right, the programming options are almost overwhelming. It's a very deep Instrument. But there are two patches (called short and long expression if I remember correctly) that allow you to play rather expressive lines without any keyswitching. YouTube some Hein demos, all the Instruments are very similar in function. There is one demo using only these expression patches, and it's rather stunning.

(That said, I am trying to get rid of the complicated programming / keyswitching and maybe will move on from the Hein instruments)

good luck!
 
Hmmm... I am not sure if it is deeply sampled enough for my needs (though i do like the sound of them) i would be very wary about getting a 10GB library with all sections + solo instruments for the woodwinds alone. How are the legatos?


I don't care about the size of a certain library, I care about how it sounds and for me Amadeus is good on Woods
 
There are no true recorded legatos! You are right to be worried about the tiny size for all this content. You better stay away from Amadeus Symphonic Orchestra if you are searching for quality sounding woodwinds with realistic legato transitions.


of course, but the question was on a "Inexpensive" woods library, and for me at that price you can't go wrong with Amadeus
 
I was blown away by Cory Pelizzari's review on Amadeus, especially the winds, and bought it immediately, but after struggling for weeks, I could not make them sound like this, because - obviously - I am not Cory! :)

Especially when I was interested in more slow, lyrical, legato-style flute or oboe passages, I was not happy with my purchase! Also, when I tried to decrease the default reverb, the dry sample sounded bad in my ears, and when I tried to increase it, it sounded fake. It just never clicked on me.

I suppose for someone that starts and wants a basic all-in-one library, including even solo instruments, but without true recorded legato, the price is really low, you get huge amount of content for the price.

Anyway, all my previous woodwinds problems were instantly solved when I bought VSL Synchronized Special Edition (which of course include many woodwinds, among other instruments).
 
Am i the only one who can't find the SE VSL Woodwinds on their website? I can only find the full package.
I suppose this would be your best buy right now, it's on big sale, but it's a little higher than your budget (if of course you decide to buy a dongle):
 
I was blown away by Cory Pelizzari's review on Amadeus, especially the winds, and bought it immediately, but after struggling for weeks, I could not make them sound like this, because - obviously - I am not Cory! :)

Especially when I was interested in more slow, lyrical, legato-style flute or oboe passages, I was not happy with my purchase! Also, when I tried to decrease the default reverb, the dry sample sounded bad in my ears, and when I tried to increase it, it sounded fake. It just never clicked on me.

I suppose for someone that starts and wants a basic all-in-one library, including even solo instruments, but without true recorded legato, the price is really low, you get huge amount of content for the price.

Anyway, all my previous woodwinds problems were instantly solved when I bought VSL Synchronized Special Edition (which of course include many woodwinds, among other instruments).

I know what you mean
I always zero the reverb on the GUI of Amadeus, roll off the bass with the included filter and maybe also a bit of a low shelf with EQ and then I'm always done; after I apply my external reverb

Anyway I'm waiting for the new release of Infinite Woods that should be very very soon...
 
Spitfire Studio WW are pretty great value. I have the Pro version, and I think the standard version is probably pretty affordable. VSL has a sale right now too, and although I don't always love their stuff, their WW are great.
 
I know what you mean
I always zero the reverb on the GUI of Amadeus, roll off the bass with the included filter and maybe also a bit of a low shelf with EQ and then I'm always done; after I apply my external reverb

Anyway I'm waiting for the new release of Infinite Woods that should be very very soon...
Thanks for the tips about Amadeus! And of course you can't go wrong with Infinite Woodwinds, it's just a little expensive for the OP.
 
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