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Musical Sampling last Sale of the Year

The email indicates it is the last sale of the year, ends Nov 12th. Adventure Strings is a great deal at 50% off (got it last year). But wondering if people have the brass and use it regularly. I have Caspian Brass from Perf Samples and Cinebrass, just wondering if Adventure Brass or Trailer Brass will bring anything new to the table.
 
I picked up Caspian in the recent sale and it's, so far, replaced Adventure Brass because it sounds great out of the box. If AB dynamics go (p to f+) I'd say CB goes (p to ff) with CB's p a bit softer. (Credit to NoamL for his horn dynamics chart.)

On the plus side, AB comes with a tuba (which CB lacks), is recorded very direct and very dry. It's fatter and muddier and doesn't have as much bite as CB. You might say it's just a rawer and less processed sound than CB, so that could be an advantage or disadvantage depending on how you look at it since you could probably eq and saturate to get AB to sound close to CB.

From a usability standpoint, AB and CB are equally responsive and easy to control and both are simply a joy to play. No keyswitches, no balancing levels of different articulations, no routing multiple tracks to VE Pro or long load times. Load a patch, play anything you want, that's it.

I can't wait until a developer starts using this style of sampling for winds.

EDIT:

I plunked out a few notes to compare them.
It goes:
Caspian Brass -- Horns, Trumpets, Bass Trombones
then Adventure Brass -- Horns, Trumpets, Trombones

Caspian Brass is unprocessed, default settings.
Adventure Brass is run through VSS2, ~10 db gain boost, ~-14 DB reverb send to Chromaverb (Concert Hall).

 
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The email indicates it is the last sale of the year, ends Nov 12th. Adventure Strings is a great deal at 50% off (got it last year). But wondering if people have the brass and use it regularly. I have Caspian Brass from Perf Samples and Cinebrass, just wondering if Adventure Brass or Trailer Brass will bring anything new to the table.

I've had Adventure Brass for a year or so now and have found myself regularly using it for horns and trumpets. it's quite dry which gives it a wider range of uses than some of my other brass libs which have baked in ambience.

for me, adventure brass has proven useful in two main areas - firstly for sketching (it is highly playable). secondly for layering (it adds a nice 'bite' to a mix) which I personally find pleasing.

I also picked up trailer brass earlier in the year in the last sale. I haven't used it as much but again, it's a great tool for layering with other brass libraries when you need to give the section a bit more 'ummpphh'


HTH Dave.
 
I picked up Caspian in the recent sale and it's, so far, replaced Adventure Brass because it sounds great out of the box. If AB dynamics go (p to f+) I'd say CB goes (p to ff) with CB's p a bit softer.

On the plus side, AB comes with a tuba (which CB lacks), is recorded very direct and very dry. It's fatter and muddier and doesn't have as much bite as CB. You might say it's just a rawer and less processed sound than CB, so that could be an advantage or disadvantage depending on how you look at it since you could probably eq and saturate to get AB to sound close to CB.

From a usability standpoint, AB and CB are equally responsive and easy to control and both are simply a joy to play. No keyswitches, no balancing levels of different articulations, no routing multiple tracks to VE Pro or long load times. Load a patch, play anything you want, that's it.

I can't wait until a developer starts using this style of sampling for winds.

EDIT:

I plunked out a few notes to compare them.
It goes:
Caspian Brass -- Horns, Trumpets, Bass Trombones
then Adventure Brass -- Horns, Trumpets, Trombones

Caspian Brass is unprocessed, default settings.
Adventure Brass is run through VSS2, ~10 db gain boost, ~-14 DB reverb send to Chromaverb (Concert Hall).



Thanks for this! You're reminding me why I like my Caspian Brass from Performance Samples. AB has some bite which can help in a dense mix, but I still think the brass would get to thick for the style of music I like to do. But I may eventually get it to have options. I'm sure layering with CineBrass or Caspian would give you some cool playable patches.

My other question is CPU. Adventure Strings has been difficult to layer in because of the CPU it sucks from the system. And I have a substancial CPU. I play a lot of libraries layered, but music sampling libraries (even with the latest update) seem to hit the hardest (harder the Performance Samples). Is this the same for Adventure and Trailer Brass?
 
Thanks for this! You're reminding me why I like my Caspian Brass from Performance Samples. AB has some bite which can help in a dense mix, but I still think the brass would get to thick for the style of music I like to do. But I may eventually get it to have options. I'm sure layering with CineBrass or Caspian would give you some cool playable patches.

My other question is CPU. Adventure Strings has been difficult to layer in because of the CPU it sucks from the system. And I have a substancial CPU. I play a lot of libraries layered, but music sampling libraries (even with the latest update) seem to hit the hardest (harder the Performance Samples). Is this the same for Adventure and Trailer Brass?
I'm in Logic, running with Kontakt 5 and get CPU spikes with AB. I suspect it's similar with CB, but I started using Vienna Ensemble Pro at the same time I started using CB, which handles the CPU load better.

If you are a Logic and K5 user, there's this encouraging post:
https://vi-control.net/community/th...les-_-con-moto-cellos-now.75598/#post-4289193
Saxer says (about Performance Samples Con Moto Cellos) "CPU killer in Kontakt 5 at the active channel in Logic but runs really fine in Kontakt 6!"
 
Thanks for this! You're reminding me why I like my Caspian Brass from Performance Samples. AB has some bite which can help in a dense mix, but I still think the brass would get to thick for the style of music I like to do. But I may eventually get it to have options. I'm sure layering with CineBrass or Caspian would give you some cool playable patches.

My other question is CPU. Adventure Strings has been difficult to layer in because of the CPU it sucks from the system. And I have a substancial CPU. I play a lot of libraries layered, but music sampling libraries (even with the latest update) seem to hit the hardest (harder the Performance Samples). Is this the same for Adventure and Trailer Brass?

re: CPU hit - Adventure Brass chews up CPU on my MBP2015 ... I invariably end up freezing tracks as part of the production workflow. It's not ideal ...
 
Thanks for this! You're reminding me why I like my Caspian Brass from Performance Samples. AB has some bite which can help in a dense mix, but I still think the brass would get to thick for the style of music I like to do. But I may eventually get it to have options. I'm sure layering with CineBrass or Caspian would give you some cool playable patches.

My other question is CPU. Adventure Strings has been difficult to layer in because of the CPU it sucks from the system. And I have a substancial CPU. I play a lot of libraries layered, but music sampling libraries (even with the latest update) seem to hit the hardest (harder the Performance Samples). Is this the same for Adventure and Trailer Brass?
Screen Shot 2018-11-05 at 1.54.32 PM.png
Hey, you used to play bass in X?! :emoji_stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:
 
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Have Adventure Brass and Soaring Strings. Happy with both and 'no clue' which of remaining choices will enhance these best.
I kno, I kno … up to me and what I'm doing, but future needs change so fast …. :roflmao:
Anyone with AB & SS who can add helpful comment ? :sneaky:
 
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The email indicates it is the last sale of the year, ends Nov 12th. Adventure Strings is a great deal at 50% off (got it last year). But wondering if people have the brass and use it regularly. I have Caspian Brass from Perf Samples and Cinebrass, just wondering if Adventure Brass or Trailer Brass will bring anything new to the table.
If I may add my two cents:

I like Caspian and Adventure Brass for completely different reasons and don’t look at them as mutually exclusive at all.

Caspian can cover more sonic territory, I would argue, and is of course a joy to play.

However, if you are going for the, er, “adventure” sound and writing à la Silvestri, Williams, Goldsmith, then I think AB delivers in spades. The trumpets really cover their end very well and are quite agile. The repetitions patch is fantastic for those quick repeating, typical trumpet figures to fill space, same for the other members of the ensemble.

It’s a focused library with a very standard/classic complement of players, recorded dry. As such, I would not use it in a bombastic trailer. It’s not meant for that. But for the style mentioned above, it does wonders and pushes you to write more ‘adventurously’.
 
I'm in Logic, running with Kontakt 5 and get CPU spikes with AB. I suspect it's similar with CB, but I started using Vienna Ensemble Pro at the same time I started using CB, which handles the CPU load better.

If you are a Logic and K5 user, there's this encouraging post:
https://vi-control.net/community/th...les-_-con-moto-cellos-now.75598/#post-4289193
Saxer says (about Performance Samples Con Moto Cellos) "CPU killer in Kontakt 5 at the active channel in Logic but runs really fine in Kontakt 6!"

That's interesting. I have kontakt 5 full but only kontakt 6 player. I did a real quick and dirty test just now in logic X on my mbp comparing CPU utilisation of AB in K5 full Vs K6 player. (please note AB needs kontakt full, the test was done quickly enough not to hit the kontakt player demo time limits).

The test was real basic - 3 tracks of trumpets, horns and trombones playing random chords. I duplicated the midi over tracks using K5 full and K6 player and eye-balled the logic CPU graph whilst enabling and disabling tracks. It did appear that CPU utilisation was less when adventure brass was hosted in K6 player.

if nothing else this has made me consider upgrading to K6 full sooner rather than later...
 
That's interesting. I have kontakt 5 full but only kontakt 6 player. I did a real quick and dirty test just now in logic X on my mbp comparing CPU utilisation of AB in K5 full Vs K6 player. (please note AB needs kontakt full, the test was done quickly enough not to hit the kontakt player demo time limits).

The test was real basic - 3 tracks of trumpets, horns and trombones playing random chords. I duplicated the midi over tracks using K5 full and K6 player and eye-balled the logic CPU graph whilst enabling and disabling tracks. It did appear that CPU utilisation was less when adventure brass was hosted in K6 player.

if nothing else this has made me consider upgrading to K6 full sooner rather than later...

Same here. Just to be able to use Adventure strings more would be worth it, even though I expect an update someday (as with capsule) that will be more efficent and not spike the CPU as hard.

Also worth noting NI usually does a half price sale on updates (including Kontakt) around Christmas or just after, so keep an eye out for that. ;)
 
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If I may add my two cents:

I like Caspian and Adventure Brass for completely different reasons and don’t look at them as mutually exclusive at all.

Caspian can cover more sonic territory, I would argue, and is of course a joy to play.

However, if you are going for the, er, “adventure” sound and writing à la Silvestri, Williams, Goldsmith, then I think AB delivers in spades. The trumpets really cover their end very well and are quite agile. The repetitions patch is fantastic for those quick repeating, typical trumpet figures to fill space, same for the other members of the ensemble.

It’s a focused library with a very standard/classic complement of players, recorded dry. As such, I would not use it in a bombastic trailer. It’s not meant for that. But for the style mentioned above, it does wonders and pushes you to write more ‘adventurously’.

Thanks for this. I get what you mean. I was also thinking about Cinesamples 90’s trumpets for this same thing. But hopefully there will be a bigger discount when it’s companion 90’s horns is released, which is already in the works.
https://cinesamples.com/product/90s-retro-trumpets
 
Screen Shot 2018-11-05 at 1.54.32 PM.png
Hey, you used to play bass in X?! :emoji_stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Funny,.... but no. More of a comment on the many bands I played bass for in the past and was able to save my fingers by using virtual bass nowadays.

Trilian convinced me to leave my basses in the closet, MODO bass convinced me samples are unnecessary (and crude). Being able to customize any bass to 5 or 6 strings and go beyond “vanilla” is exciting.

Except for Standup bass. Still like samples best for that (Premier Sound Factory or Trilian). But enjoy not having to pull out and mic an upright just for a quick tune! ;)
 
Have Adventure Brass and Soaring Strings. Happy with both and 'no clue' which of remaining choices will enhance these best.
I kno, I kno … up to me and what I'm doing, but future needs change so fast …. :roflmao:
Anyone with AB & SS who can add helpful comment ? :sneaky:

I really like adventure strings, they seem a little more playable than soaring strings (which was their first library). But the CPU hit of both together would probably crush most computers, perhaps Kontakt 6 would help (I should check the player version). Also it has some very nice pizz.

I also have Trailer Strings, which is great for a big trailer sound. I mostly use it for the extra beefy low end, it can add gravitas to any scene. But it also has a soft layer that works well too. Almost made for the two extremes. But again, CPU hit is not ideal. And for me the goal is to not have to freeze tracks, since I’m constantly re-editing midi.
 
I'm in Logic, running with Kontakt 5 and get CPU spikes with AB. I suspect it's similar with CB, but I started using Vienna Ensemble Pro at the same time I started using CB, which handles the CPU load better.

If you are a Logic and K5 user, there's this encouraging post:
https://vi-control.net/community/th...les-_-con-moto-cellos-now.75598/#post-4289193
Saxer says (about Performance Samples Con Moto Cellos) "CPU killer in Kontakt 5 at the active channel in Logic but runs really fine in Kontakt 6!"

Actually Evil Dragon gave me some tips in Kontakt that help another library run smoother (setting multicore halfway in Kontakt). I should try Adventure strings again and test it with K6 player...
 
Actually Evil Dragon gave me some tips in Kontakt that help another library run smoother (setting multicore halfway in Kontakt). I should try Adventure strings again and test it with K6 player...
I use VE Pro on the same computer and not separate slave, btw, and I think it's a viable solution to Logic CPU problems, though it adds a layer of complexity to the setup (i.e. routing).
 
I use VE Pro on the same computer and not separate slave, btw, and I think it's a viable solution to Logic CPU problems, though it adds a layer of complexity to the setup (i.e. routing).

I also use VE Pro 6 (within Pro Tools) on one machine. It's better at handling many instruments over multiple cores (my performance improves greatly) but music sampling is usually still an issue (but this is Kontakt 5.8.1). I'll need to test K6.
 
Well if that don't beat all. Evil Dragon should be called Evil Genius, he seems to have greatly helped my Adventure String problem, as I can play all sections at once (4 instances) with just a 20-30% CPU hit. Which is about a quarter to a fifth of what it was.

He suggested I go into Kontakt, select the settings (settings wheel icon at top), under "Engine" the "Multiprocessor support" select HALF my cores (in my case "6 cores", since there are 12 available). It will warn you that using multicore in both Kontakt and your DAW may lead to audio issues... as with many things Kontakt, ignore that, and say yes. For me this greatly improved performance.

Now I just need to start a "poor musician" fund for the MS brass. ;)
 
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