What's new

Give Spitfire a chance? Or not?... Samplecast review now LIVE

This is all so Northern Sounds-or at least it will be if Mike G. shuts it down (which I’d guess he’s too smart to do, though I could see him asking for a bit of calm.)
 
I feel like John has an idea of who I am in his head that doesn't quite match the reality. He is mostly just angry whenever I speak xD Its all good though he did have some decent talking points in there. I am used to being mischaracterised, thats why I respond so much, to make sure people don't infer I am saying something I'm not. In reference to the bit you quoted about my being Johnny One note, I get the feeling he watched that one little 2 miniute clip someone made of my 5 hour first look and is basing everything on that one moment which was over the top for comedic effect. Context matters.

-DJ

And now you know how I’m feeling. I am a “Johnny one note”. Well, ok, two...If you listened...



It’s strings...But they are really, really quiet.
 
DJ - I have to say...

I am sure you're immensely talented and a lovely guy in person. However, considering the ridiculous amount of time you've spent on this issue, it does rather come across as:

1) You've got a bit of an 'agenda' maybe. The 'sticking the boot in / but I'm just being honest and they're all lovely and I just wanna be mates' approach isn't fooling everyone.

2) You're somewhat obsessed. You remind me of Chief Inspector Dreyfus in the Pink Panther films. He was a tad fixated too.

Maybe I'm wrong but that's how you come across. Imagine how many trailers you could have knocked out in this time.

It's all getting rather silly I think. Move on dude. It's not life or death.

It's some software.

Version 1.0

You might read DJ coming across that way. I don't at all. His "agenda" is honesty as a paying customer.

I personally feel like "reviews" these days (even in Sound on Sound) just avoid the negatives or pussy foot around them to keep good relations and standings with the developers. They might mention a con or two in brief but like the saying "if you've got nothing positive to say, say nothing" is an ATTEMPT at being honest and leaving information out. Not everyone can just lay down £550+ for a niche string library. It's good to know the sound is of HZ's most recent, not his most classic. I got great clarification on this through DJ's efforts, more so than the demo's and walk-throughs. Developer demo's only EVER show strengths.

As a quote from the stream video on the flautando's or whatever: there is quiet, and there is taking the piss.

There is a reason these threads get heated, not just someone attempting to cause a stir.
 
Last edited:
Listen Daniel has earned his position which I know for a fact holds more esteem and in higher regard than sf tbh I will always consider Daniel’s opinion above any developer period so those attacking Daniel keep digging a hole for yourselves! Btw I have spent thousands on sf libraries but I don’t think I will bother with them in the future!
 
Imagine how many trailers you could have knocked out in this time. It's all getting rather silly I think. Move on dude. It's not life or death. It's some software.
Ouch. But not for DJ, for me.
That hits home. For the amount of time I've spent enjoying these threads, I could have earned the money to pay for the damn library in the first place.

Point noted. Laters guys.
 
ITT: People shitting on Daniel James without having watched his video. 5 hours might be long but if you want to throw criticism, make sure you know what you're talking about.

You guys are reviewing a movie without watching it first. Watch the damn video.
 
Well, Daniel James makes very critical and honest reviews (yeah I know, first looks !) without taking 15min to "read the fucking manual" so I guess people have the right to take part in this discussion without "watching the fucking 5 hours video" :)

Just kidding, but still.... *runs fast*
 
You might read DJ coming across that way. I don't at all. His "agenda" is honesty as a paying customer.

Yes, I do get that. But he goes on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on...

Saying the same thing. I am not sure what he said in his 50th post on the subject that he didn't say in the vid or in the first few posts. Yes DJ, we understand your issues!

To keep posting thousands of words, on the same subject, saying the same thing, agreeing with the people that agree with you...

...well, I mean, that's just - imo - a little strange. Does he do this with every product he reviews? Is he OCD with other developers?

If he writes this much regarding other developers' products then I will concede I am speaking out of turn.
 
I have only question to say: Spitfire makes his products with peace and love. If any product has a bug, they will fix. Spitfire is a great great company that offer us his contact, his knowdlege, his passion for the art. I have their libraries and I have the sound. I wait now the choir and much, much. The dedication of Mr. THomson for making samples, the concept and the philosophy of Mr. Henson, all the team, Oliver, Homay, etc.

And the price of the products, the royalties for the musicians, the Air Studios, the mastering engineers, the videos of youtube, the channel of Mr. Henson.

LOVE, PEACE AND MUSIC.

This is my opinion. I am a little a loyal customer. Thanks!
 
Remarkable as it may seem, I never look at or read sample library reviews or indeed waste days on end watching twitch streams or You Tuber's pontifications. :) I haven't posted on here for a few years now, but thought I'd swing by and see what all the fuss was about while printing interminable stems and having a coffee or two ...

FWIW, I've been very happily using HZ strings on a TV series for the past 4 days or so. Not noticed many issues at all and certainly none that are show stoppers or have prevented me from working at full speed. So far I'm mightily impressed with the library: it has some absolutely stellar sounds and sublime textures; it seems extremely flexible (not quite as much bite low down in the celli and basses as the bespoke symphonic strings do), but then it has far more subtlety, warmth and weight where it really counts. As such it fits really nicely into my template and I'm looking forward to delving deeper into it as time progresses. The new software engine (they surely have to call it Merlin!) is seriously easy to use (love the resizing and patch selection). With sensible mic counts (as John G mentions above) it seems pretty light on resources - with all the Spitfire stuff I tend to use 'tree' and a little bit of 'close' if I need more focus, and maybe a touch of 'amb' too on shorts. With my game developer hat on for a moment, and knowing how software is developed, I'm really impressed they managed to get the new engine out of the gates and in such a good working state (remember PLAY anyone?).

£599 or whatever the price was is IMHO great value for what is going to be a mightily fine weapon in the palette in the years to come. Back in 2011, like a fair few chaps and chapesses, I paid a *hell* of a lot more for the Bespoke Strings and still use them every single day, so the ROI has been excellent. I don't doubt HZS will be similar in that regard.

It looks like my post has turned into a sample library review, it wasn't meant to but I just wanted to call it as I see it. For the record, the only thing I've received free of charge from Spitfire has been a case of beer when apparently I was the first to order the Percussion library however long ago that was now.

Anyway, back to the bloody stems. Oh and who is this Hans Zimmer geezer anyway? Never heard of him.
 
Actually, smoke testing would be the most accurate term. Smoke tests can be performed quickly and cover overall basic functionality while regression testing is more detailed and time consuming for the QA team. I'd say a legato test would fall under basic functionality while batteries of regression tests, being more focused on specific aspects of a program, website, etc could easily miss basic functionality in other areas...
Curse you for making me wonder whether I agree how you'd classify this sort of testing and how one would do it!

I was leaning towards it being Regression, especially if there was a way to apply some sort of fancy automated testing scripts to it. You could argue it either way though.

(For instance regression test software could play a certain file with (musical) automation and evaluate if the waveform is identical to the last version of the code, assuming the sound wasn't expected to change.)

It's not trivial to set up this sort of thing though.

Also regression testing doesn't address the issue of the multiplicity of possible Windows computer configurations out there.
 
This is going out of proportion imho...Spitfire is a for profit company full of great hard working talents that has often produced very high quality products. As in any company, some products are better than others.

And yes, their marketing is way, way, way more “advanced” than what’s typical for “professional softwares” companies, who often have very basic / none marketing skills. Just look at the 1990s websites of many competitors.
But they’re not lying or doing anything morally questioning: they’re just legitimately trying to sell as many as possible of their products, and we consumers are legitimately deciding whether to buy them or not. Information is pretty fluid these days, it’s not like we have to blindly trust to letter whatever anybody claims.

By the way, I think it’s pretty telling someone like HZ choose to partner with them. I highly, highly, doubt it’s a money decision, I would imagine is something more like a hobby/passion for him, and I don’t think the man would be willing to work with anybody less than top talented hard working guys.
 
Remarkable as it may seem, I never look at or read sample library reviews or indeed waste days on end watching twitch streams or You Tuber's pontifications. :)

[...]

Thanks for chiming in. I'm curious, if you don't read/view library reviews, how do you decide whether or not to buy a certain library?
 
Thanks for chiming in. I'm curious, if you don't read/view library reviews, how do you decide whether or not to buy a certain library?

I don't tend to buy as many libraries these days as I did (I have far too many already!) and I'm very much into hardware (synths/outboard and recording as much live as I can), but it's either word of mouth or company's email about what's just about to be released, or the specific requirements of a project. I'll then think, do I need it, will it fit in with my template, have I got the time to muck around with it, or can I do without it. That sort of thing.
 
[...] By the way, I think it’s pretty telling someone like HZ choose to partner with them. I highly, highly, doubt it’s a money decision, I would imagine is something more like a hobby/passion for him [...]

I would agree it's not about money with Hans. If I had to guess, it would be about hobby/passion as you say, creating tools he feels would be useful to him and others, and getting his musicians more work.
 
I don't think HZ using SF has anything to do with hobbies. As HZ has said these are tools for his own professional use and he collaborates with SF to make them for him. And selling them also publicly reduces his costs.

When you add up the costs of the musicians, studio, editing, etc that's too expensive to pay for by himself.
 
To quote from a nice article: https://bokardo.com/principles-of-user-interface-design/

"Clarity is job #1
Clarity is the first and most important job of any interface. To be effective using an interface you've designed, people must be able to recognize what it is, care about why they would use it, understand what the interface is helping them interact with, predict what will happen when they use it, and then successfully interact with it. While there is room for mystery and delayed gratification in interfaces, there is no room for confusion. Clarity inspires confidence and leads to further use. One hundred clear screens is preferable to a single cluttered one."

Also I think you misunderstand what an echo chamber is. Thats when lots of people who all have the same opinion talk about that subject then just agree with each other without a dissenting voice. What you are referencing is my tenacity to make sure what I am saying is not being misrepresented by responding to any post or comment that didn't get what I was saying or implying I said something other than I did. I am just debating the point, I have conseeded on some things (if you care to read) and am trying to find middle ground with everyone involved.

And to your other point no I am not spiteful towards companies that don't send me NFR's, there are many companies who don't want to deal with my honesty but I still talk about their libraries and we have good honest discourse. Something I am all for!

If you really want to have the conversation about brands again send me a PM or go read the pages where I explain all about brands, public perception of them and how they can be interpreted. For example because it was called Hans Zimmer Strings I thought that was going to somehow sound like Hans Zimmer...or at least the Hans Zimmer I know. But I admitted that was my misunderstanding nd going forward I know that Hans Zimmer on Spitfire product doesnt mean it will sound like Hans Zimmer. You see we moved forward on a subject though civil discourse.

Haha haven't you seen me debating here???, haven't you seen me countless times call people and companies out for things I disagree with??? how can that be considered 'retiring to my safe space' ....It sounds like you may have been spending too much time indulging yourself in 'Facebook Political Debates' its all name calling and anger with you isnt it XD

And mate...for this kind of product I am the average Joe....no one who doesnt work in the audio field is impulse buying Hans Zimmer Strings out of the blue. So I am their audience, a composer. There are no composers out there who know every single aspect of every single product they own for their work so to say I am any less professional because I happen to not get every aspect of every library ever delivered to me is a bit of a stretch.

I do know my libraries pretty well, I work without a template and I know what does what. I have done in depth overviews of quite a few libraries by this point so you can see the level to which I dig into them. I also make them so I have a fair idea how they work too. I have spent time looking into and discussing things like UI design, human psychology and the ways people interact with things both visually and sonically...its something of a hobby for me. So knowing how deep I dive into libraries and the things I have learned about the way customers interact with UI's from both a developer and customer side.... I genuinely do believe that if I missed something in one of the many overviews I have done it is more the fault of the UI for not making it clear what I should do to make something work than it is me just being amateur.

Your whole post seems like its coming from pure anger rather than actually wanting to have a rational chat about any of this. There is a thread which is over 20 pages and I have a video of over 5 hours. If you don't get my position by now thats on you mate. If you don't like what I say or the way I do them, don't keep watching me. You really don't have to if it causes you so much angst. Like I say, I am free to do these things how I want to, and I present them as fair open and honest as I can. If you disagree with a point thats fine, but I don't have to agree with your disagreement.

I feel I am doing my bit to help the community! I jump in and help out where its relevant, I do composition livestreams an hours and hours of sample library reviews/vlogs/interviews on Youtube. What are you contributing? because if you are implying I don't care about helping the community you are very wrong mate. Life would be much more relaxing if I didn't care about composing and composers so much xD (I'd definitely sleep more)

Also don't get all aggressive and then scream mob mentality. There are plenty of people on both sides of these healthy debates. Don't start crying victim just to stop people talking.

-DJ

No, an echo chamber is exactly what I meant. What you are referring to is called a hug box.

So for the sake of transparency:

You spamming the forum and spreading FUD for weeks = the hero this community needs.
Me pointing out your questionable behavior = angry and irrational.
Paul pointing out your questionable behavior = passive aggressive.
John pointing out your questionable behavior = misjudging you as a person.

Curious how you are ok with putting others under the microscope but can't take a little critique yourself. No one is angry at you. Come on Daniel, lose the argument, not the person.

There's a big difference between not getting every aspect of a library and overlooking some basic features, then blaming the developer. My "bottle" argument, that you chose to ignore, is the perfect example of your lack of commitment and biased approach. Even with your casual "first look" format, I think you should show some professional courtesy and put a little effort in it, otherwise you will be just another kid on Youtube banging keys and making fart jokes. This goes beyond your expectations and the instant gratification aspect of a new library. It's about being fair to your peers. Yes, even those who don't give you NFRs. ;)

Bugs are an unfortunate aspect of every software development. One should judge a company on how they handle such issues. That's common sense. I bet you had your share of bug reports with HybridTwo, so you should know better. During the weeks prior to release, you were very vocal about your concerns regarding the new player and subtly tried to draw a connection between HZS and EastWest's Play initial state, lacking any sort of evidence or basis for critical thinking. FUD 101 right there.

You talk about accountability but you should also be accountable for what you spread around the web. It only takes a few misinformations repeated dozens of times (!!!) to create the illusion of truth. And that could seriously hurt Spitfire in the long run. The Eric Whitacre choir is just around the corner. Again, those guys are not corporate assholes deliberately trying to screw us, they are one of us, hard working composers. Yes we give our money to them and yes they should deliver, but you are blowing things way out of proportion to fit your agenda. I hope you are enjoying the free traffic. :)

To sum it up, here's a video of someone who chose to create something out of nothing, released one day after your "first look" went live. Same tools, same time frame. I'll let the video do the talking:

 
Top Bottom