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Audiobro Modern Scoring Brass (MSB)

maybe I'm just looking for a second opinion, but where does everyone rank this library compared to the competition? i don't mean to discredit the hard work of the folks at audiobro, because the effort shows. the engine makes it as appealing as the genesis choir library on the surface. However, there's just something I can't pinpoint from the audio demos right now that leaves me wanting. Something thin about the sound of the brass..something a little too pretty that makes it sound like a light 90s scoring brass sound. It just feels like the lows are lacking a certain bass and rumble. everything sounds so pretty but it lacks power that I really rely on brass to bring. I ended up buying two libraries from 8dio with its current 420 sale for the same price as MSB and I really dont know if im in a rush to get MSB. For those who are really sold, what got you there?
 
I agree, but I think we have to wait for walkthroughs and naked demos to really be able to tell.

Does AudioBro release naked demos? They should.
 
its not too bad as long as you don't EQ the left and right the same. I've got all the reverbs anyone could reasonably want(sans spat)

as far as the JXL library - sounds like the brass in the background of the announcement(I think it was the announcement)

and it's set up like this solo x, 3a x, 6a x, 12a x.

a good argument could be made for 6a ensembles(like SSB) but 12a horns is pushing it -- and 12a bones just sound like noise. every 6a trumpet patch I've heard is unbearable to me.



this doesn't sound like the other OT libraries, but it does sound like 6a/12a patches.

And again, not saying you can't have that opinion - but given where the sample world is right now, there is only 1 real competitor library given what this is - and the tone slants towards berlin personally, but even I understand it's just a matter of taste.

CSB does not have divisi, and is in the league of Cinebrass - and faces a similar comparison(Cinebrass has better tone quality, CSB has better programming) Ironically I passed up CSB because it's not worth 250$ of an upgrade over cinebrass to me.

But thanks for atleast giving the perspective you're coming from, butlike I said, it's kind of apples to oranges.

this is the first true competitor to true divisi brass - and the tone is definitely within a matter of taste. If you like the thinner "Williams" sound - its probably better. I guess the reality is that divisi writing is not important to everyone, so it makes little sense to buy another library for the feature of having 30+ instruments sampled if you just use ensemble patches


Well, until JXL is released we're just speculating. If it's not multiple solo instruments AND ensembles AND amazing sounding, I probably won't bite. I'll just resign my fate to eventually getting Berlin Brass and dealing with its finicky programming. The idea of auto divisi is cool and all but I would much prefer to write for each instrument individually like with BWW Revive.

And yes it's true. For the music I am currently contracted to write I am not in need of full divisi patches. Ensemble and soloists are more than enough for what I'm doing.

But even if I did need individual brass instruments, I am not convinced by the sounds in the demos I have heard. And I know for a fact that this was not some deficiency with the composers chosen. Much like SF studio brass, the sound is "good" but not quite there.

If you absolutely need divisi and you don't mind sounding a bit like old VSL brass, I'm sure this library is the absolute right fit for you.
 
I have to say that I'm nowhere near excited I thought I would be after all the wait. But that's on me for not controlling my expectations.

I watched the walkthough a couple of times and took a good critical listen to all instruments shown (great tuba, by the way). Overall, MSB has that thin quality that bothers me in plenty of other brass libraries. Too polished and polite. I agree it has some of that Williams tone to it but nowhere near the bite of Johnny's players. Cinesamples captured both those qualities successfully, in my opinion. I also think that CSB sounds more usable out of the box at a fraction of the price. MSB misses that wow factor I always get when I hear a real brass ensemble playing. CSB got that covered!

I hope I don't sound too harsh but I was honestly expecting more. We now have the luxury of choosing from many great libraries (even modular OT libraries) so a bit skepticism might help to save some coins. Unless I hear something that blows my mind, I will gladly wait for a sale. And I hope we can purge samples because that memory footprint is just ludicrous.
 
Purely based on the two demos:
Well, it sounds not bad. It's also not top notch either. It's mediocre, which in my book translates to a 6 to 7 on the scale of 10 (ten being flawless, beautiful etc) which is perfectly fine, if you need a, to say it tactless, "filler" lib.

Somehow, i find the sound rather sharp, less roundy (e.g. the horns, can sound majestic and loud while remaining round sounding at the same time.
but the msb horns i heard, where only loud and sharp/thin-ish sounding.)

Maybe when i hear more demo's (naked ones too please!).. i might change my mind.
I am now more more on the fence with Cinematic Studio Brass, CineBrass and Berlin Brass.
Not sure which one to take though.... all three sound better than msb at this point. (not only official demos, but also user demos, which ofcourse aren't available atm for msb, i take than into account in my verdict)

Sorry audiobro... be i need to be fair on my judgement (although, as said: i might change stance, when there are more demos):

current rating: 6 to 7 out of 10. (which is again not bad at all, yet there are better competitors atm sound wise, again based on two demo songs and a trailer video)
 
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I have to say that I'm nowhere near excited I thought I would be after all the wait. But that's on me for not controlling my expectations.

I watched the walkthough a couple of times and took a good critical listen to all instruments shown (great tuba, by the way). Overall, MSB has that thin quality that bothers me in plenty of other brass libraries. Too polished and polite. I agree it has some of that Williams tone to it but nowhere near the bite of Johnny's players. Cinesamples captured both those qualities successfully, in my opinion. I also think that CSB sounds more usable out of the box at a fraction of the price. MSB misses that wow factor I always get when I hear a real brass ensemble playing. CSB got that covered!

I hope I don't sound too harsh but I was honestly expecting more. We now have the luxury of choosing from many great libraries (even modular OT libraries) so a bit skepticism might help to save some coins. Unless I hear something that blows my mind, I will gladly wait for a sale. And I hope we can purge samples because that memory footprint is just ludicrous.
I really think that was more of a mixing and programming choice by the makers of those demos. It was all really brassy and loud. It also had a thin metallic sound which again could be completely due to whatever reverb they used. They didn't even show what kind of mic mix they used or show what the mics sounded like. When you look in the video, the midi curves on all the tracks were practically black rectangles under the notes. We really didn't see much range from the demos but the walkthrough made it seem like there was a lot more depth to it than what they showed. The trombones in the demos were practically white noise and the trumpets were way louder than anything else. At first I had similar thoughts to you but I have decided I'd rather be patient because to me it seems like its pros outweigh the cons as far as what I need in a library right now. I hope they release some more demos, and I bet I can get the sort of results I want out of it with all the available tools.
 
As Simones contemplating another brass library, this is certainly tempting. At Forzo currently half this intro price, curious how the two compare. Currently have Arks 1&2 and NI Symphony Series brass
 
I'm probably gonna stick with CSB for a few months just because it's not wise to mess with VEP in the middle of a project. By the time I’m ready to redo my template again, both MSB and JXLB could be out. But if MSB’s intro price of 600 is in context of a final price like 1200 or 1500, it’ll be worth thinking about very seriously…

I do hear the bright/thin quality that everyone is talking about. "90s brass" is a spot on description.

A few things in the demo video made me slightly skeptical. Like when they were demonstrating the auto-divisi, all of a sudden they started playing very fast legato lines. I wonder if that's because the engine has trouble differentiating a human playing slow overlapping notes from 2-note divisi chords... and when he played divisi he played the easiest case, one held note against a moving melody. If the divisi really does work in complex & real life situations it's going to be a game changer.

The GUI is absolutely fantastic and the level of control over things like envelopes, legato transition volumes, etc.... really impressive.
 
I really think that was more of a mixing and programming choice by the makers of those demos. It was all really brassy and loud. It also had a thin metallic sound which again could be completely due to whatever reverb they used. They didn't even show what kind of mic mix they used or show what the mics sounded like. When you look in the video, the midi curves on all the tracks were practically black rectangles under the notes. We really didn't see much range from the demos but the walkthrough made it seem like there was a lot more depth to it than what they showed. The trombones in the demos were practically white noise and the trumpets were way louder than anything else. At first I had similar thoughts to you but I have decided I'd rather be patient because to me it seems like its pros outweigh the cons as far as what I need in a library right now. I hope they release some more demos, and I bet I can get the sort of results I want out of it with all the available tools.

Since Daniel Beijbom tends to do impeccable work, I am less likely to to point the finger at him with issues regarding the demo.
 
I really like the tone, but the demos do sound a bit thin in the low-end. I wonder if this is a production issue, as even the percussion in the demos lack the very low end.

Having a mix of trumpets in Bb and C is unusual and gives the ensemble a slightly crisper sound. Audiobro repeatedly makes a point out of noting that the players were recorded individually. I've always thought of large brass ensembles as "resonating with the room", so it will be interesting to hear more demos. I'm definitely interested.

The GUI/player seems like a major leap forward.
 
With HWB, Forzo and CSB (if it ever finishes downloading - 3 days and still going strong) on my drive, this does not tempt me.
Although I'd appreciate that autodivisi option but...meh.
 
I'd like them to show more the options how to change the sound, e.g. sizzle knob wasn't featured in the video. It wasn't dialed all the way to growl in the demos in the video.

From their page: “Sizzle” control dials in bell-shaking, window-rattling power. Or pull out the edge and get sonorous, dark, and mellow.

So I think there are options for changing the default sound, which they didn't show much, like the sizzle, different mics.
 
I would be very surprised if Daniel Beijbom or Ed Watkins completely transformed the tone of Modern Scoring Brass for their demos. The library probably sounds 95% like this ;)
Well this isn't even 95% of the library though, all the midi tracks in the demo at the end were at 127 on CC1 for the whole duration of the demo. This is a great example of its max FFFF volume but I don't think it's fair to say the library is too thin and tinny when it could be completely different at the other end of the dynamics and with different mic combos.
 
I’m sure there are many more videos to come, like what they did for Genesis Children’s Choir. In the forum they promised to at least post one video on Friday to tide everyone over. I think that’s what they did, instead of just punting again to Tuesday and have a digital riot on their hands.

I’m cautiously optimistic. Delighted that it’ll be available $100 cheaper than I projected. Love the ability to adjust starting samples. Like how most of the solo instruments that were presented sound but i’m still reserving judgment on the ensemble (pre-mixed?) sounds. A lot of my hope springs from how playable Genesis choir is using the same (more or less) engine.
 
well the first impression is what matters most from a business perspective.
And doing two demos of the same exact type: FF FFF style.. is not a good balanced impression people get.
They should have done two completely different styles (loud (ff to fff) and soft (p to mf) e.g.) so we can hear the tone differences more clearly.

But, i'm sure there are more demo songs to come.. and tutorial vids.
However, as an initial demo it's quite lacking in marketing terms, resulting in taking away (completely) the hype for quite a few people/potential customers here.
This brings audiobro in an unwanted marketing situation from the get go:
it needs to really convince those unhyped people that the product does provide the expectations (and these people are now very much paying attention to faulties/problem areas and are less tolerant, mind you), before they will jump back on the hype wagon (resulting in purchases in the end for many).
 
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As far as I'm concerned, marketing is a virtually moot point. Have patience, do your research, trust your ears, and you will be rewarded.

Best,

Geoff
Yes, i find that I often get wildly different results out of libraries, for good and for bad. Makes it hard to fully gauge how "good" it is... I think the depth of features in the player and the individual instruments will make it worth having for my style of writing anyways.
 
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