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Buying cheaper libraries vs saving for more expensive ones

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ILmusic

New Member
Hi everyone, I made my first post asking for help with my first library purchase last year but can't seem to login, so I'll have to use this account for now! Thanks to everyone who helped out back then. I decided to buy Jaeger in the end and have had an absolute blast using it and learning to compose. Since then I've bought BBC core and some choir libraries, so I feel like I've got a good base now to build on.

I've decided the next big library I want is Era 2, but I've also been looking at getting a dedicated percussion library. I've seen a lot of people recommending damage 2 as a good percussion library. However as a student who's not studying music, I can't really justify the price at the moment, especially as I'm hoping Era 2 will go on sale soon. I've saved up some money for Black Friday and saw that Apocalypse percussion elements is on sale now for roughly £50. I know that in the world of vsti libraries this is relatively cheap (which is a bit intimidating!).

My question is would getting damage 2 in a year or two make Apocalypse elements obsolete? And in general is it a better practice to save up and buy more expensive libraries less often (like with buying instruments) or can cheaper libraries still usually offer some variety down the line? Cheers
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ILmusic said:
My question is would getting damage 2 in a year or two make Apocalypse elements obsolete? And in general is it a better practice to save up and buy more expensive libraries less often (like with buying instruments) or can cheaper libraries still usually offer some variety down the line? Cheers
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Short answer: yes!
I bought several „cheap“ percussion libraries before buying Damage 2. Since then, I use Damage 2 95% of the time and dont use the „cheap“ ones at all. So in the end, I should‘ve invested in Damage 2 from the beginning.
Spitfire “Hammers“ is another alternative for Damage 2… but not cheaper^^
 
from_theashes said:
Short answer: yes!
I bought several „cheap“ percussion libraries before buying Damage 2. Since then, I use Damage 2 95% of the time and dont use the „cheap“ ones at all. So in the end, I should‘ve invested in Damage 2 from the beginning.
Spitfire “Hammers“ is another alternative for Damage 2… but not cheaperthat's what I'm worried might happen if I start getting smaller lib
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Yeah that's what I'm worried will happen for me too, I don't really want to waste £50 if I won't be using it in a year, thanks for the reply!
 
In my experience, it's much better to get a small number of "great" libraries, rather than a bunch of "good" ones. Of course, finding a great library isn't easy and is subjective. Those that are consistently praised over a long periods of time will clue you in.

It can be painful paying the extra $$ for a top tier library. It' very tempting to jump on these crazy sales. But in the long run, it saves money.

Of course, the exception is sometimes you find something really nice and useful for not a lot of money. For for some reason, the Indiginus Ukulele comes to mind.

I say all this because I'm talking myself into buying Spitfire Chamber Strings. :)
 
Tim_Wells said:
In my experience, it's much better to get a small number of "great" libraries, rather than a bunch of "good" ones. Of course, finding a great library isn't easy and is subjective. Those that are consistently praised over a long periods of time will clue you in.

It can be painful paying the extra $$ for a top tier library. It' very tempting to jump on these crazy sales. But in the long run, it saves money.

Of course, the exception is sometimes you find something really nice and useful for not a lot of money. For for some reason, the Indiginus Ukulele comes to mind.

I say all this because I'm talking myself into buying Spitfire Chamber Strings.
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Haha yeah it is very tempting especially with so many people talking about how great these deals are. I'll have to keep a look out for useful libraries like the ukulele then, I like the idea of buying single instruments that I know would last a really long time
 
I also created a similar thread recently choosing between Damage 2 and LAMP.
And still leaning towards LAMP, but all people seem to prefer Damage 2 and it's probably the best percussion library now, so if everything suits you from the demos, it's worth buying.
It's really better not to waste money on cheap libraries, and get the best ones right away. I bought a lot of cheap libraries, thinking that i can get along with them, and now I regret it.
I would save a lot of money if i bought what i want right away, rather than what is on sale at a higher discount.
 
Thanks I'll check out your thread. To be honest I haven't heard much about LAMP so I'll have to look into it as well, but yeah it seems like most people seem to love Damage 2.
 
I like Damage 2 better, but in the context of what I'm working on now, the LAMP fits the smallest bit more.
But, I made the decision that I will also buy Damage 2 later, because if I had to choose one library it would definitely be Damage 2.
 
Ok that's great to hear, I think I'll hold off on getting anything for now then and start saving up for damage 2, thanks for the help!
 
I tried buying cheap, to optimize my spending, but at the end I had to buy stuff that is good (enough).
There’s a saying: “I’m not rich enough to buy cheap”.
Find a sweet spot between product quality and your purchasing power. However, don’t buy mediocre stuff as it’s still wasted money.
Save money in the long run by buying only a few good products that will serve you well for a long time. It will require a lot of research.
 
Ivan M. said:
I tried buying cheap, to optimize my spending, but at the end I had to buy stuff that is good (enough).
There’s a saying: “I’m not rich enough to buy cheap”.
Find a sweet spot between product quality and your purchasing power. However, don’t buy mediocre stuff as it’s still wasted money.
Save money in the long run by buying only a few good products that will serve you well for a long time. It will require a lot of research.
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Yeah that sounds like great advice. I've tried making a list of libraries that should last me for years if I got them, so far I'm thinking of getting Era 2, damage 2 and omnisphere 2. From what I've heard they're all well respected and with omnisphere specifically, even though I have zero experience with synths, I've heard that there's enough sounds that even if I don't enjoy the sound creating aspects of it I'll still get my money's worth.

I'll try to hold off on anything except those :)
 
Although I have to agree with what others posted above, I still think that APE is very good and I use it regularly (although I have several other more comprehensive options). I think Cory Pelizzari said something like "It just cuts through the mix".

I don't have Damage 2 though, but I do have Hammers. Eventually, I guess with BBCSO, Jaeger and APE you wouldn't really need another Percussion library except for maybe a few special instruments here and there. So in particular, I wouldn't see the need for Damage 2.

But if you are set on getting Damage 2 anyways, then it's probably wiser to skip APE.

Some other nice options that I can recommend: Spitfire Originals Epic Percussion (it's a steal!), Action Strikes (usually sells cheap here in the forum once people upgrade to Komplete Ultimate or something like that).
 
mussnig said:
Although I have to agree with what others posted above, I still think that APE is very good and I use it regularly (although I have several other more comprehensive options). I think Cory Pelizzari said something like "It just cuts through the mix".

I don't have Damage 2 though, but I do have Hammers. Eventually, I guess with BBCSO, Jaeger and APE you wouldn't really need another Percussion library except for maybe a few special instruments here and there. So in particular, I wouldn't see the need for Damage 2.

But if you are set on getting Damage 2 anyways, then it's probably wiser to skip APE.

Some other nice options that I can recommend: Spitfire Originals Epic Percussion (it's a steal!), Action Strikes (usually sells cheap here in the forum once people upgrade to Komplete Ultimate or something like that).
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Ok thanks, it's good to see someone see a different opinion. I'd seen a lot of people say that it was a good library so I think I'll still look into it. But I think either way I'll hold off for now and keep my options open
 
Seymour Caiman said:
I don't think the dividing line being 'cheaper' vs 'more expensive' is quite right for me. I try to buy things I want and have a plan to use or explore, rather than trying to make an arbitrary decision based on a perception of financial value.
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Yeah sorry if that didn't come across well. I meant more in terms of high quality (but expensive) libraries vs lower quality (but cheaper) libraries that do the same thing.

I'm not experienced enough yet to know if that's the case in this scenario, but essentially for me £50 is a bit too much for me to be spending at the moment if I won't be using it down the line due to purchasing other percussion libraries. But as Mussnig pointed out, that might not be the case for apocalypse.
 
Ivan M. said:
don’t buy mediocre stuff as it’s still wasted money.
Save money in the long run by buying only a few good products that will serve you well for a long time. It will require a lot of research.
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...and even then it's still a roll of the dice. Don't buy the mediocre stuff sounds like great advice, except there is no way to know what is or isn't great vs mediocre vs suck until you try it. God knows cost won't tell you that. I've tried expensive stuff I thought was terribly overrated and overpriced if not flat out sucked and cheap even free stuff I thought was awesome. And I've tried expensive stuff that was great and cheap stuff that sucked as well. :) It all varies.

If there's one piece of advice I suggest every newcomer take to heart and remind themselves of again and again, it's that there is no consistent correlation between cost and quality. Don't fall for that trap or you will literally pay for it and for Godssake esp if one is starting out and doesn't have a lot of money to blow, TRY THE FREE STUFF. There is so much great stuff out there.
 
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