What's new

JOSHUA BELL VIOLIN by Embertone, good or bad?

Eirich

New Member
Hello
There is a sale on Joshua Bell Violin by embertone.com that I am very interested in. Does someone know how well it work with Cubase and if it got some stability or usability problems. Do I need a usb key for it and how does it install compared to NI Komplete. And for those of you that uses it, how do you like it? I am super interested to hear.

Best regards Eirich
 
It’s great, it runs in Kontakt and is authorized the same way as other Kontakt libraries, I haven’t had or heard about any stability issues.
 
Hello
There is a sale on Joshua Bell Violin by embertone.com that I am very interested in. Does someone know how well it work with Cubase and if it got some stability or usability problems. Do I need a usb key for it and how does it install compared to NI Komplete. And for those of you that uses it, how do you like it? I am super interested to hear.

Best regards Eirich
No, it doesn't require a licensing key, but you have to authorize it through Native Access.
 
Some passages, from 0.15 or 0.40 for example could be questioned. But you do really hear its potential. The sound, articulations and how you can bridge notes is utterly amazing, can it really be this good?
If you buy it, how do you download and install it. Do you get an account and acess installer like with Native instruments? I guess its not a one time install right, I really hope not?
 
Some passages, from 0.15 or 0.40 for example could be questioned. But you do really hear its potential. The sound, articulations and how you can bridge notes is utterly amazing, can it really be this good?
If you buy it, how do you download and install it. Do you get an account and acess installer like with Native instruments? I guess its not a one time install right, I really hope not?
I'm not sure what you are asking. It runs in the Kontakt Player, so you need to download that from Native Instruments if you don't already have it. You have to download the library and it's best if it lives on an SSD and that SSD is not your system drive. Yes, you will need an account with Native Instruments to manage your Kontakt Player libraries. You can also move the library from computer to computer, but you will be limited in the number of installs at any one time (most companies allow at least two installs, some three). I don't recall what Embertone allows, since at this point I only use it on one computer.

No, it's not perfect. Yes, it's that good. But it also takes work and practice.
 
So if you listen to, for instance the 8dio demos of their solo strings, they sound really good - and they're just not (I maintain that the most productive thing to do with the 8dio Anthology/ Adagio solo strings is to delete them from your disk and never think of them again.). So you're right to be sceptical of demos.

The JB though - it does exactly what it says on the tin. It really is that good.

To really see this - check out Alex's live stream that he did on release - where he plays it live, and answers questions for I think a couple of hours. That will give you a very clear sense.

It does have it's limitations of course. It doesn't have dynamics crossfade like, for instance, the Spitfire solo strings, which restricts your ability to craft arcs. Similarly, it doesn't give you the kind of extensive idiomatic content that you get in the Emotional Violin. And so on.
And the JS demos are of course chosen to fit in the sweet spot of the instrument - so you can find lines that the JB isn't design to play well.

(If you're interested in the comparison - I go on about it at some length on this thread:

https://vi-control.net/community/th...-joshua-bell-and-spitfire-solo-strings.87635/

)

But within the expressive space it is deigned to reach - yes the JB really is that good. Especially the pristinely smooth legatos. There's something like 13 sampled legatos here, and there is nothing comparable to the smoothness and range and versatility of the legatos in the sampling world. Except that, kind of hilariously, during the live cast, Alex seemed to periodically remembering more types of legato that he had sampled, so who knows.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for you fantastic answer ism. When I heard JB Violin it sounded to good to be true but in this case it actually is something special. There is a lot of possibilites in how to phrase your melody. From a soft, close to the fingerboard, pianissimo to a strong, closer to the violin bridge, fortefortissimo, its all there.

What I wonder Jbuhler is if you get like a code sent to your email that you register in Native Acess and that it thereafter shows upp in your Native Acess downloable library (and stays there) with all your other samples.

When buying, it asks me for my VAT which I guess should be my birth number and country code. Can VAT be a problem if I do not live in an english speaking country and can I be forced to pay more at a later date? Native Instruments never asked me for my VAT for example.

Sorry for all my strange and dumb questions and thanks once again for all your help. I'm sorry for my not so great english. Best regards Eirich
 
What I wonder Jbuhler is if you get like a code sent to your email that you register in Native Acess and that it thereafter shows upp in your Native Acess downloable library (and stays there) with all your other samples.
You will download the library separately. Embertone will send you a code in an email that, if I remember correctly, you use both for the download and then again with Native Access to validate the library. The library will show up in your Kontakt Player Library browser pane along the left. It will also show up in your Native Instrument account if you access that through the web.
 
I just got the Joshua Bell Essentials the other day, and finally had a chance to sit down and have a play with it today, it has that 'fiddle' sound/style of playing that I can't find in most other solo violin sample libraries (apart from bohemian violin). You can hear what I mean in this short little piece I wrote here
 

Attachments

  • joshua bell.mp3
    1.3 MB · Views: 354
It’s great, it runs in Kontakt and is authorized the same way as other Kontakt libraries, I haven’t had or heard about any stability issues.

Good. Nothing but good. :)

I think this demo alone says it all:



-................
No, it's not perfect. Yes, it's that good. But it also takes work and practice.

It's the best sampled violin I have heard so far.

I just got the Joshua Bell Essentials the other day, and finally had a chance to sit down and have a play with it today, it has that 'fiddle' sound/style of playing that I can't find in most other solo violin sample libraries (apart from bohemian violin). You can hear what I mean in this short little piece I wrote here

Good or bad? Simply wonderful.

Based on the above review, I bought it.
 
I have Emotional Violin and I love it. Of course I have heard many great things about the Joshua Bell violin too and I have often been tempted to buy it. Does anybody own both Emotional Violin and Joshua Bell? How do they compare with regards to sound and available articulations? How does the lite version of the Joshua Bell violin compare to the full product? Is it the same sound with less articulations?
 
It is, but with the full version on sale over at Audio Plugin Deals there really is no need to consider it - given the price
It's not currently up at Audio Plugin Deals though?

It was before, however, I got it for a really sweet price of like $85 when they had that leap day flash sale at the end of February.
 
And just to echo what most others were saying, its really, really great. Super playable, you can just play anything and it sounds wonderful. I wasn't expecting too much when I got it, it was on that flash sale and I needed a good solo violin for a project that would work in an exposed context, and it just bowled me over.
 
Top Bottom