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POLL: Do Cory's YouTube reviews help your purchasing decisions?

Does Cory Pelizzari's YouTube reviews influence your purchasing decisions?

  • Yes

  • No


Results are only viewable after voting.
I find this whole thing about "getting a free review copy" highly problematic. To me, it becomes a type of viral marketing. It pretends to be unbiased but who really knows, especially if it isn't made clear that a free copy was provided in return for a review.

EDIT: this was written in response to @GingerMaestro comment previously, not directed at Cory's efforts.
 
I find this whole thing about "getting a free review copy" highly problematic. To me, it becomes a type of viral marketing. It pretends to be unbiased but who really knows, especially if it isn't made clear that a free copy was provided in return for a review.

EDIT: this was written in response to @GingerMaestro comment previously, not directed at Cory's efforts.

I believe current ethics around these things are, people normally insert a disclaimer when they receive an official copy. Most reviewers still are very honest in their reviews after that.
 
This site is an interesting place. This isn't directed solely at Cory as it seems to be a problem overall here but it seems like people who do the reviews don't have the ears to be doing them. There's obvious problems with libraries that they miss or seem oblivious to. Chops are all over the place. As someone who's primarily a player, I often want to know about the playability of libraries which really isn't represented well in these reviews.

I couldn't figure out why so many people here start review channels and make review videos until I realized people get free libraries for doing reviews. Now it makes sense why there's so many unqualified reviewers, reviewing.

Lol last thing I need is someone trying to tell me to drop hundreds of dollars on a library with problems because they're unable to hear phase issues.

I don't even watch any of the review channels anymore. I just watch the walkthroughs from the manufacturers and try to piece it together from those.
 
I've always found Cory's reviews quite helpful.

One way in which they stand out is that he is fully prepared and has clearly spent some time with the library beforehand. There are prepared phrases to demonstrate patches in his DAW, and he has often created a set of Multi's which are given away - a very nice and useful gesture. They are also not overlong, which for someone like myself who is quite time poor, is very welcome.

I bought Studio Strings Core on a bit of a whim after watching his walkthrough, and in the recent wish list bought the Brass & Woodwinds core. Without his initial Studio Strings Core video, I may well have passed on these. So he has certainly had a positive effect on Spitfire sales from me.

I'm pretty much sorted for sample libraries, so anything that I buy now is more for giggles than anything I 'need'. I suspect many here are the same.
 
This site is an interesting place. This isn't directed solely at Cory as it seems to be a problem overall here but it seems like people who do the reviews don't have the ears to be doing them. There's obvious problems with libraries that they miss or seem oblivious to. Chops are all over the place. As someone who's primarily a player, I often want to know about the playability of libraries which really isn't represented well in these reviews.

I couldn't figure out why so many people here start review channels and make review videos until I realized people get free libraries for doing reviews. Now it makes sense why there's so many unqualified reviewers, reviewing.

Lol last thing I need is someone trying to tell me to drop hundreds of dollars on a library with problems because they're unable to hear phase issues.

I don't even watch any of the review channels anymore. I just watch the walkthroughs from the manufacturers and try to piece it together from those.
Corey states that he does not get free libraries for reviews. (Not saying you said that) I'd like to know if you are just kind of pulling this out of thin air or can you list some specific reviewers you are talking about.
 
I answered yes...however, with regards to the SF orchestra...reviewing only the core version does not due this library diligence. I mean yes, if he was reviewing libraries for their economical value I'd say possibly...but with regards to the winds (since that's what I have), you definitely need the additional mics in order to get the most from the library's sound...the playability and articulations are the same...but as far as the sound...not really close. There is a numerous amount of mic combinations you can have, including adding the stereo mixes, along with a close mic instance...very flexible. I think it's a bit misleading to those on the fence about the core versus pro versions. Granted, the strings only have additional mics for the pro...but the woodwinds gives you 4 additional instruments, and say if you get the core strings, but then you buy the pro winds...you will eventually want the pro strings as well...same for the brass (like 5 additional instruments). So may as well go pro from the start (for some). Especially during their sales...40% off is a great deal.
I like his videos too, but I have to agree with you here. I think Cory neglected some important differences between core and pro. It's like he brushed them off because they weren't important to "him" but I think he should still recognize that they may be important to others and worth mentioning. He mentions that the only difference are the Mic positions but that's just part of it. Regarding the strings from Spitfire's own website here is what they say:

The Core version of Studio Strings features a standard (8, 6, 6, 6, 4) player setup, with access to the default Tree microphone position. With Professional, you have access to 7 extra unique microphone positions, a large band section (16, 12, 12, 12, 4) and 2 divisi sections (4, 3, 3, 3), on top of what is offered in the Core version. You can use these divisi options to create a chamber section, or even layer them with larger sections.

These extra Divisi sections alone can be a big deal for some. I love having them in LASS 2. I don't own any of these series from Spitfire but they are on future wish lists, unless I end up with LASS 3 whenever it comes out. I still appreciate the time Cory puts into his videos and I'm sure it's hard to think of everything worth mentioning so he does his best to give us some of the best reviews you can find online.
 
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Perhaps it's just me, but the reviews of the Studio Core series, were actually a review of the Studio Core Series, not the Pro Libraries.

Have you stopped to consider that he may only have the core libraries, and not the pro versions ? It would be pretty ridiculous to attempt to review a product he doesn't have, wouldn't it ?
 
I like his videos too, but I have to agree with you here. I think Cory neglected some important differences between core and pro. It's like he brushed them off because they weren't important to "him" but I think he should still recognize that they may be important to others and worth mentioning. He mentions that the only difference are the Mic positions but that's just part of it. Regarding the strings from Spitfire's own website here is what they say:

The Core version of Studio Strings features a standard (8, 6, 6, 6, 4) player setup, with access to the default Tree microphone position. With Professional, you have access to 7 extra unique microphone positions, a large band section (16, 12, 12, 12, 4) and 2 divisi sections (4, 3, 3, 3), on top of what is offered in the Core version. You can use these divisi options to create a chamber section, or even layer them with larger sections.

These extra Divisi sections alone can be a big deal for some. I love having them in LASS 2. I don't own any of these series from Spitfire but they are on future wish lists, unless I end up with LASS 3 whenever it comes out. I still appreciate the time Cori puts into his videos and I'm sure it's hard to think of everything worth mentioning so he does his best to give us some of the best reviews you can find online.
The fact that he doesn't have the money to review the pro versions (and make multi's for them too) was what sparked this idea (of SF sending him review copies) by me. I was not implying he should get everything for free, but should get the pro in response to his high quality reviews of the core's.
 
I enjoy Cory's videos, but usually more for the excellent writing he does within the limitation of the one library he's reviewing. I find his playthroughs are well constructed and considered and a decent supplement to other sources.

I personally don't give a toss about whether the reviewer got the library for free or not; you're listening to the sounds since you will be paying for it. I care more about how the library has been set up by the reviewer (microphone positions, reverb etc.). Maybe I'm missing a point here.

The more video content I see for a library, the more options I have to evaluate it. Often libraries I'm interested in have a hefty price tag and it seems no one has made a video of it outside of the manufacturer.

All this because as a consumer I can't get a demo for myself, like I can with many excellent VST plugins. Perhaps with Spitfire and Orchestral Tools' new samplers, we'll maybe see that in the future. One can dream...
 
Cory is news to me too, but he sounds like he's doing a terrific job. There is clearly a need for these kinds of videos, and having a strict NFR policy is very attractive.

The issue of NFR copies is important. My overall policy is I don't review anything - NFR or not - if I can't have 100% complete control over the contents, and am free to say it exactly as I find it. And I've always figured that people would quickly tell if I'm BSing so have no motivation to ever do it. But perhaps this has all been a little naive on my part, and I am aware that the mere fact of getting an NFR could automatically bias me to some degree. I always put a thanks to a developer in the information if it is NFR, and often (and increasingly) make a specific non-scripted verbal reference, but I wonder if I need to be much bolder and clearer about it, or stop NFRs altogether. I don't want to just put a standard disclaimer on, those tend to be pretty meaningless, such as the Amazon reviews which start with a disingenuous disclaimer "I received a free copy for my unbiased view".
 
Chops are all over the place. As someone who's primarily a player, I often want to know about the playability of libraries which really isn't represented well in these reviews.

Possibly because a lot of the libraries that pop up here aren't for playing as such? Even with something like Albion One or Symphobia, which have patches that are playable live, a lot of the time these are for composing where you might play something in and then nudge a lot of stuff around to make it fit what you wanted in the first place because the legato transitions aren't in the right place. And until Kontakt develops psychic abilities that's likely to remain the case.
 
My answer would be no the question in the poll, but I'd never buy a library only based on a review anyway. I've only read one of Cory's reviews, where he wrote about Strezov Afflatus that five out of five stars wouldn't be enough". Afflatus is a good library, but it also has it's limitations -like lack of round robins when repeating long notes, no vibrato control and no portamento. Also, the fake con sords aren't IMO as convincing as I've heard them in the libraries. So - if I would have bought a library after an as positive review as that and later found out about what I consider limitations in a library in that price range, I wouldn't exactly have been disappointed by his review - he is of course free to make them exactly the way he wants to make them, but I happen to prefer reviews which even for very good libraries mention what their limitations are.
Having said that, it's great that we have different reviews/reviewers to choose from.
 
Good videos by Cory. I like when people have musical examples and an opinion instead of just playing one patch after the other. On the other hand each review is always a single opinion. So I wouldn't rely on a single review, no matter who made it. But I mostly share a good part of Cory's opinions.
 
Perhaps it's just me, but the reviews of the Studio Core series, were actually a review of the Studio Core Series, not the Pro Libraries.

Have you stopped to consider that he may only have the core libraries, and not the pro versions ? It would be pretty ridiculous to attempt to review a product he doesn't have, wouldn't it ?
Of course it is a review of just the core and not pro, however he says in his review of studio strings "the only thing that version" (referring to the extended version) "offers is more microphone positions which is nowhere near the value for money you get when just purchasing the regular library"
So there is an assertion made here about the value of one over the other and in that assertion the only thing mentioned as the difference between the two is more mic positions, which isn't the case. Still, I'm a fan of his videos and I'm glad he takes the time to make them.
 
Of course it is a review of just the core and not pro, however he says in his review of studio strings "the only thing that version" (referring to the extended version) "offers is more microphone positions which is nowhere near the value for money you get when just purchasing the regular library"
So there is an assertion made here about the value of one over the other and in that assertion the only thing mentioned as the difference between the two is more mic positions, which isn't the case. Still, I'm a fan of his videos and I'm glad he takes the time to make them.

To be fair he’s not the only one to have said that. A lot of people basically came to the conclusion that extra mic positions were the only reason to upgrade to pro. If budget was a major concern I can see why so many people have echoed that.

Still, if you are pro, go pro I figure.
 
Corey states that he does not get free libraries for reviews. (Not saying you said that) I'd like to know if you are just kind of pulling this out of thin air or can you list some specific reviewers you are talking about.
He did get an NFR copy of Afflatus but was transparent and open about that right at the start.
 
So, over 100 votes in, Cory has around 80% approval, which is a nice response, and a great endorsement of Cory's efforts (particularly amongst such a discerning audience as VI-C!!), and hopefully this can support him in conversations with developers in future. Thanks everyone for the support in replying - I hope this was helpful to Cory, including both the positive and negative feedback.

Just on a few points that came up:

- yes, he didn't review pro versions of Spitfire Studio, but as far as I'm aware, he's not a full time professional reviewer with access to all versions of all libraries - I think it's a bit harsh to judge him by these standards, for a guy with <2000 YouTube subscribers. Indeed, the point of this poll was to increase his exposure to help him gain access to more libraries (core and pro), so his view can be more broadly informed, and thereby more useful to us all.
- on that point, my objective in starting the poll was to give some exposure to someone who is not as well known as others. That's not at all to overlook others (Daniel James, Guy Rowland and Reuben Cornell for example), but these guys already have much larger audiences (all deservedly), and likely didn't need this support (all of which I personally have certainly depended on for purchasing decisions)
- is Cory the ONLY source of information I use to make decisions? No, of course not, and neither are any of the other reviewers - they all provide a perspective.
- do I need to agree with everything he says to find it useful? Nope, it's his perspective, which I find to be fair and balanced, but I don't need to agree 100% of the time to find it useful.
- I think it's worth noting that one of the things that he brings that is unique, was the use of interesting combinations and tweaking to provide multis to get more from the libraries, which he makes freely available. I haven't seen anyone else do that, and thought that too was a reason to appreciatively highlight his efforts.

Thanks all - hope this was helpful to you Cory.
 
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