Composer Cloud Student - which products to chose and adding some later possible?

[Tyll]

Hello,

I have a fair amount of VIs for a beginner in film scoring, but want to fill the gaps with products from the composer cloud. As a student the smallest version is available to be. However, the selection of 7 products made me think about two things: a) which should I chose and b) can i add some later.
The pop-up when clicking "next" says:

Your 7 products selection can only be changed at the end of the first subscription year, we suggest you select the Complete plan if you want flexibility or to access the entire collection.

Does anyone know if you can only select say 3 or 4 products and add the other products as you go once you need them? Especially the announcement of the Hollywood Choir got me thinking about this, since I'm not sure I can add it to my subscription when it comes out of if I have to wait till it's out and subscribe then.

Also, I'd love to hear some advice from more experienced composers: For scoring film/tv and for most possible variety, which products should I add to my collection of:

• VSL Special Edition 1 & 1 Plus (Solo Strings, Orchestral Strings, Harp, Solo Woodwinds, Solo and Ensemble Brass, Percussion and Keyboards)
• Komplete Ultimate 11 (Including the Kontakt VSL basics, Symphony Essentials (very basic articulations and super wet), Session Horns and Strings ( Damage, Action Strikes, Kinetic Metal, Evolve, etc)
• Waves Gold, IR1 (my general use convolution reverb)

I think some favorites are:

• Hollywood Winds (I don't have wind ensembles other than those from NI Symphony Essentials)
• Hollywood Strings (I do have the VSL SE, Session Strings Pro, NI SE, Action Strings and Emotive Strings, but many of those NI products are not very usable/fitting and the I think blending with VSL would be a nice idea)
• Hollywood Brass (Pretty much the same as strings)
  
• Symphonic Choir ( I only have used free choir VSTs for now)
• Silk (I have some world instruments that are included in KU11, but Silk has a good reputation and there is no NI:Discovery Series Asia yet)
• Ministry of Rock 2 (I'm missing any playable guitar VST other than Strummed Accoustics)
• Hollywood Percussion (Not sure if this is a good addition to the VSL SE 1 Percussion or if either will be obsolete)
• Stormdrum 2
• Stormdrum 3
• Spaces (Is it that much better than Waves IR-1?)

I know this is a lot of text, but maybe someone has had a good day and is willing to write a few lines of help.

Any tips are appreciated.

Thanks a lot and happy music making

Click to read more...

 

[Ruffian Price]

Hollywood Brass is a keeper and worth the entire subscription alone. Definitely don't bother with Ministry of Rock 1/2, Voices of Passion, Ghostwriter or The Dark Side. Silk is pretty good, but many of its instruments have since been sampled better. Spaces has a kickass IR library, that's also one to lock down. You should be good to go with Hollywood Strings, Brass, Winds, SD2 and 3, Symphonic Choirs and Spaces.

Does anyone know if you can only select say 3 or 4 products and add the other products as you go once you need them?

Uh, the text you quoted explicitly says you can't. I don't think it'll even let you start the subscription without seven selections.

 

[Fleer]

Hollywood Strings and Brass, Symphonic Orchestra, Spaces and Ghostwriter.

 

[JonSolo]

Seven I would pick if I had what you already have:

1. Symphonic Choirs
2. Symphonic Orchestra
3. Hollywood Brass
4. Hollywood Strings
5. Stormdrum 3
6. Silk
7. RA

This will give you choir and orchestra, with an extra good set of percussion as well as some organic and ethnic sounds for those special need projects.

Considering that Play 5 now has Spaces built in, the only struggle you would have is if you were REALLY intent on reverb matching, but you could always run Play 5 dry and go through your Waves stuff.

There is a little cross bleed with RA and Silk but only with the listed instruments, not the samples. Then again, you will have stacks of strings, brass, and woodwinds, so at least you have options.