jcrosby
Senior Member
Considering you're still in the early days Nucleus seems like the smarter buy. The CS series will always be there... And it's not like Nucleus is mediocre or limited in quality. It's leaps and bounds better than Albion, and while I have a few dedicated section libraries, as well as all of the Arks, Nucleus is often one of the 1st things I reach for... Even if I just want to flesh out an idea quickly it sounds absolutely good enough on its own for 9 out of 10 situations. (I still layer it with others but that's its own topic... Overall I find it layers nicely with all of my staple libraries...)That's a good question. I would probably lean more towards option A for now as I'm still learning how to orchestrate. I don't currently have any work in this field yet, but I'm hoping it turns into something and I've gotten some decent feedback from people I know who do this professionally. So i'm debating about whether I go with the cheaper all around option until I get better and get some actual work or if I just go balls to the wall now and get the creme.
Basically in a desert island scenario you could totally get away with using just Nucleus and your clients or libraries wouldn't have any complaints.... Sure CSS wins on the finer points but if you're not doing that kind of work yet I personally think Nucleus is a great way to get something that won't break your bank, at the same time giving you room to fit something else in if you feel it's really necessary....
And while CSS is widely used and heavily loved there are the odd folks that don't like its tone... (That's the top gripe I see...) Basically even if you do lean toward the CS series I think the smartest move would be to start with CSS and see how you get on with it 1st vs just outright buying the current lineup...
Last thing... And I'm sure you're aware... You could always buy Nucleus lite as a tester of sorts... (Or Areia Lite, currently on sale for $79) Mind you N.L. is a lot 'liter' than the full version, especially when it comes to percussion, choir, and there's no solos... Don't base your impression of the full version based on the lite version's weaker instruments. I jumped in with Lite 1st and the percussion and choir are especially weak compared to the full version...
And, If strings are where you feel weakest, Areia Lite might be a good starting point where you don't have to feel like you lose your shirt if there were anything you weren't crazy about... (And bear in mind it's a lite version... ((I should mention I only have the full version of Areia... Not sure how the lite version is but can't imagine it's regrettable)) TLDR; either should give you a good idea of how you'd get on with their more expensive, bigger siblings..
Nucleus, Areia, and CSS are all great. IMO none of them are bad choices. Kontakt can become a very expensive obsession (as I'm sure you know), IME it's smarter to buy based on what you need currently vs what you think you might need in a couple years...
Good luck in deciding wherever you land!
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