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24 HOURS REMAIN: 67% off Palette Symphonic Sketchpad

reutunes

Senior Member
29GB Kontakt Player orchestral library “Palette - Symphonic Sketchpad” on offer for 67% OFF

This is an absolute steal for one of the best all-in-one collections out there. Even if you use it ONLY for the harp, trailer tools and percussion it’s a fab offer - throw in 2 sizes of orchestra, choir, piano & 3 mic positions and you can see why I love it so much.

Now just $99 (save $200) - DETAILS HERE

Blurb here:

THE ENSEMBLES
The core of “Palette – Symphonic Sketchpad” are the strings, brass and woodwinds ensemble patches. With our players in standard seating position across the stage we recorded the full range of each ensemble in unison, from lowest to highest note. Instruments play together when their ranges overlap and drop out when they reach their limits (see graphic below). We’ve dubbed this approach “True Ensemble Recording.” The result is a rich, playable patch that’s natural, unscripted and full of life – instantly gratifying and perfect for quickly laying down ideas without sacrificing realism.

CHOIR, PERCUSSION, PIANO & HARP
Our 24-piece choir features separate Womens & Mens sections performing sustains and staccato articulations in 3 vowels (Ah, Oh and Mm). PSS also offers 21 essential tonal and atonal orchestral percussion instruments, sampled in up to 7 dynamics with 5 round robin for both left and right hand (where applicable). Standard hits, rolls and other unique articulations are included. The drums, cymbals and auxiliary instruments are combined in one simple GM-style patch to minimize your track count. We also added 6-player ensemble trailer drums and hand percussion patches with the v1.1 update. Our piano is a beautiful Steinway B Grand, recorded in the hall with 6 dynamic layers and multiple round robin. The concert harp patch features standard plucks and a unique “glissandi maker” script, which simulates realistic pedaling to produce hundreds of scales you can perform at any length or speed by simply sweeping your controller’s keys up and down.

TRAILER TOOLS
No modern all-in-one cinematic sketching solution would be complete without a set of custom sound design and trailer tools for adding instant impact to your score. “Palette – Symphonic Sketchpad” includes over 250 unique hybrid samples in 7 categories – Impacts, Sub-booms, Reverses, Whooshes & Transitions, Risers, Downers and Braaams – all custom created by our team of sound designers. There’s also a dual-layer subtractive synth patch to add extra grit or low-end to the orchestra.

Videos below...





 
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I am so happy this is ensemble based instead of sections, because that made me sure that i don't need it considering the amount of ensemble stuff i already have. Still this is a fantastic deal!
 
Nice price!

I hope the Runs & Arps will go on sale, because I have much more interest in them.
They did a 3 day flash sale on Runs & Arps for 40% off ($119) a couple of months back. Not sure if anything like that is happening anytime soon.
 
I have Palette-Melodics, and it's nice.
I haven't heard a convincing legato of the strings in the Melodics in all the reviews I've seen so far. Can you say something about that? I somehow don't hear the transitions. Maybe someone can post a legato test?
 
This is very tempting. I don't really need it because I have so much similar stuff. But still very tempting...
 
Would be far more inclined _ with some indication from RRA that 'another' sequential set of notable sales are coming ... a la recent 40% series.
 
I am then positively surprised by it and it is a fine tool. The piano is also absolutely usable and therefore .... I can give a clear buy recommendation.

A lot of content, the quality is right, and I regard this offer as a gift.

I already have quite a few libraries, and this one is now part of it. That's good!
 
It's obvious and out of discussion that for that price it's an instant buy! Maybe that's the best value-for-money price I have ever seen here! I am almost ready to pull the trigger as well, because I was searching for such a library (with recorded full sessions)!

But I think this library is lacking something very important and useful, so I could never call it a "complete all-in-one cinematic sketching solution"! Unless I missed it in the videos / demos / walkthroughs, Palette does not include Mixed Orchestra Patches! This can be a deal-breaker (for me)!

Let's say I am using my Hollywood Strings library and I want a full strings ensemble! By adding in the same patch 1st violins + 2nd violins + violas + celli + basses, and select the same options / effects / settings / reverb, it sounds like a real full strings ensembles (well, not a REAL one, but you know what I mean)! Why? Because all these strings have similar volume, similar timbre, and similar style of play (assuming of course that I selected the same articulation for my 5 instruments, i.e. sustains vibrato)! The outcome is really playable and useful!

The REAL DIFFICULTY is to create all those mixed orchestra patches, like:
Strings High + Woodwinds High
Strings Low + Brass Low
Full Strings + Full Brass + Full Woodwinds

Why? Because all those instruments are so different and it's too hard to balance everything, to make is sound like a real orchestra where the players are playing together!

Red Room Audio is very honest, and has a comparison table in the official site of Palette Symphonic Sketchpad, which explains that this library is to be compared with other all-in-one orchestral libraries, like Albions or Symphobias.

Well, most of these libraries, and many similar libraries, including all Albions, all Symphobias, the 2 Orchestral Essentials, Sonuscore The Orchestra, Steinberg Iconica Ensembles, UVI Orchestral Suite, Garritan Instant Orchestra, etc. include ready-to-use Mixed-Full-Orchestra patches! It's one of the most important features (for me, and I suppose for many other not-so-experienced composers)!

Maybe they could add some of them in a future update!

And now after this little complaint, it's time I go and buy Palette! :)
 
It's obvious and out of discussion that for that price it's an instant buy! Maybe that's the best value-for-money price I have ever seen here! I am almost ready to pull the trigger as well, because I was searching for such a library (with recorded full sessions)!

But I think this library is lacking something very important and useful, so I could never call it a "complete all-in-one cinematic sketching solution"! Unless I missed it in the videos / demos / walkthroughs, Palette does not include Mixed Orchestra Patches! This can be a deal-breaker (for me)!

Let's say I am using my Hollywood Strings library and I want a full strings ensemble! By adding in the same patch 1st violins + 2nd violins + violas + celli + basses, and select the same options / effects / settings / reverb, it sounds like a real full strings ensembles (well, not a REAL one, but you know what I mean)! Why? Because all these strings have similar volume, similar timbre, and similar style of play (assuming of course that I selected the same articulation for my 5 instruments, i.e. sustains vibrato)! The outcome is really playable and useful!

The REAL DIFFICULTY is to create all those mixed orchestra patches, like:
Strings High + Woodwinds High
Strings Low + Brass Low
Full Strings + Full Brass + Full Woodwinds

Why? Because all those instruments are so different and it's too hard to balance everything, to make is sound like a real orchestra where the players are playing together!

I personally create multis using the 'Melodics' expansion, which includes a bunch of mixed octaves patches. But indeed, it's a sketching library that doesn't really allow for complicated patching. It's not really meant for it. Also, you may want to use a bus reverb to create cohesion instead, but I may misunderstand what it is you want.
 
I personally create multis using the 'Melodics' expansion, which includes a bunch of mixed octaves patches. But indeed, it's a sketching library that doesn't really allow for complicated patching. It's not really meant for it. Also, you may want to use a bus reverb to create cohesion instead, but I may misunderstand what it is you want.
Thank you for your advice! I do not own the Melodics expansion though!

Also thank you for the tip, it's not so much about cohesion through reverb.

It's mostly that I would really like an "all-in-one sketch library" like Palette, which so honestly compares itself with other similar libraries (like Albions and Symphobias) to offer some mixed full orchestra patches, like the 3 examples in my post!
 
But I think this library is lacking something very important and useful, so I could never call it a "complete all-in-one cinematic sketching solution"! Unless I missed it in the videos / demos / walkthroughs, Palette does not include Mixed Orchestra Patches! This can be a deal-breaker (for me)!
I'm also not quite sure what you mean, but you can still layer 2 patches in kontact.
You load for example strings and woodwinds into the same player instance, and give both the same midi channel. And already you have a string woodwind layer. And so you can do that with all patches.

You can do the same in Play! Instead of replace while loading an instrument you can choose add.
Set all Instruments in the mixer to the same midi channel and viola, you have a multiensenble patch. :thumbsup:

Ok, it might be necessary to balance the different instruments in the mixer. Its no rocketscience.
 
I'm also not quite sure what you mean, but you can still layer 2 patches in kontact.
You load for example strings and woodwinds into the same player instance, and give both the same midi channel. And already you have a string woodwind layer. And so you can do that with all patches.

You can do the same in Play! Instead of replace while loading an instrument you can choose add.
Set all Instruments in the mixer to the same midi channel and viola, you have a multiensenble patch. :thumbsup:

Ok, it might be necessary to balance the different instruments in the mixer. Its no rocketscience.
Of course I am doing all these things with every player I have ever used! I have created many ensembles in ARIA Player, Kontakt Player, and Play 6.

I am just saying that it's easier to mix i.e. strings-only, than mix completely different instruments.

Of course it's not rocket science, still for some reason most other libraries that call themselves all-in-one-complete sketch libraries offer many such prepared mixed orchestra patches! You own Symphobias and The orchestra, you have tried Iconica Ensembles, so you know what I mean. The musicians sit in place and they record brass playing together with strings, or woodwinds playing together with strings, recorded like that!

It would be nice if Palette follows the example of other such libraries! Of course all these things I say, I am saying them mostly "criticizing" the product in its full price! Right now, costing only $99, it's a steal, an insane value for money!

"Ok, it might be necessary to balance the different instruments in the mixer. Its no rocketscience."

So according to your "logic", all sketch libraries have no purpose of existence! Because you can always add the instruments you want, and balance them in the mixer. Something is terrible wrong with your logic here...
 
Of course I am doing all these things with every player I have ever used! I have created many ensembles in ARIA Player, Kontakt Player, and Play 6.

I am just saying that it's easier to mix i.e. strings-only, than mix completely different instruments.

Of course it's not rocket science, still for some reason most other libraries that call themselves all-in-one-complete sketch libraries offer many such prepared mixed orchestra patches! You own Symphobias and The orchestra, you have tried Iconica Ensembles, so you know what I mean. The musicians sit in place and they record brass playing together with strings, or woodwinds playing together with strings, recorded like that!

It would be nice if Palette follows the example of other such libraries! Of course all these things I say, I am saying them mostly "criticizing" the product in its full price! Right now, costing only $99, it's a steal, an insane value for money!

"Ok, it might be necessary to balance the different instruments in the mixer. Its no rocketscience."

So according to your "logic", all sketch libraries have no purpose of existence! Because you can always add the instruments you want, and balance them in the mixer. Something is terrible wrong with your logic here...

I think I see what you mean here. However, I do think the definition of 'Sketching Library' is slightly mishandled here.

To me (no, I'm in no way affiliated with RRA, I just really like Palette) Palette is the definition of a sketching library. Simple, easy to handle, very exhaustive in usable sounds and meant to function as the skeleton for whatever you want to throw on top of it. It thrives on being layered by design.

Iconica is not a sketching library to me. In fact, I think Iconica was meant as a complete solution (in its totality). Its design suggests this. Symphobia is also not a sketching library to me. It's very much suited for full soundtrack productions and often is, though it has the advantage of being pretty layarable.

Only The Orchestra seems like a true sketching libary and I feel as if its complete seperation of instruments (which is what it is, as opposed to many different combinations in recording although they were of course recorded in the same room) is neccesitated by its orchestra engine.

I may be wrong, but it sounds like what you want from a 'sketching orchestra' isn't really something you'd usually find in a sketching orchestra (in the way of patches).

I'm still confused about the "The musicians sit in place and they record brass playing together with strings, or woodwinds playing together with strings, recorded like that!" as I do believe that's how Palette and basically every other orchestral library in the history of ever, is recorded. Unless you mean in octaves or at the same time in the same range, of which the last sounds useless as you can do this with the basic patches ;).
 
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