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Spitfire SSB Expansion Pack

windyweekend

Active Member
Can anyone out there with the expansion pack (and I guess the original BML libraries) care to share their thoughts on the library? Is it worth expanding?

I've been considering this for a while but it's quite a massive leap without knowing what's really in it (esp as I'll likely need a hardware expansion to boot).

What are people's impressions of these extra mics and mixes?
 
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Extra mics and stereo mixes. I haven't bothered to pick it up yet and likely will not unless some compelling reason shows itself.
 
I don't have the library but from watching walkthroughs the biggest draw of the expansion is the outrigger mics. They give a very nice wide soundstage and seem a bit more clearer than the standard tree mics.

But it's rather expensive for one or two extra mic positions (that you would actually use).

If you still want to pick it up it's best to wait for a sale (black friday).
 
:confused: Damn, I thought it was mainly EastWest products that had issues like these. (Hollywood Woodwinds is a nightmare in this regard.)
 
Apart from the extra outrigger, which was incl. in the BML Range back then, there are the stereo mixes plus the alternate micings like the ribbon mic, or the balcony mic. They give you different mixing options. Like someone said: If you want that extra wide thing, then that outrigger is a good starting point. If you want even more ambience than the balcony is quite nice. But honestly: Those added micings as much as I like the general idea behind it, I don´t feel that I used them that much on my side. The most I used was the outrigger for trumpets and bones.

Simon adresses that he is not happy with the small amount of articulations and inconsistencies. I have to disagree: The brass has imo a good amount of articulations* available to cover more then most people even write here. But where I have to agree is that the brass is at points a bit inconsistent with some patches and not very deep sampled on some instruments either you have a quite dynamic layer and then it jumps to a forte layer which in some cases makes it not that easy to use. But it depends also on how your writing for brass and such things are.

I still like the idea of the extra micings but wouldn´t get them nowadays.

*
https://www.spitfireaudio.com/shop/a-z/spitfire-symphonic-brass/

scroll down to see the list of articulations.
 
I believe Andy Blaney uses the extra mics for his demos. Check out his demos to hear what they sound like.
 
IMO, Extra mic is useful .....
Extra mic is useful for those who want to make use of it :whistling: Although I disagree with Spitfire's decision not to include the Outriggers in the main library, as to push the customers to buy the expansion just for those — which were included in the main BML libraries back then.
 
I'd actually be more interested in additional mic positions if there was an option for drier and more close-up mics. Even the "close" mic in SF libraries is still quite ambient and sounds pretty far in the back, which makes it difficult to use the libraries in some contexts. The outriggers are nice, but it's even more stereo and even less localized than Decca, so to me it's more just an interesting alternative to that. The trend currently obviously is having things sound very ambient, very stereo, very diffuse, but I don't fully subscribe to this trend. It's often too much and is all about space, but lacks the detail and charme of the instruments themselves.
 
I'd actually be more interested in additional mic positions if there was an option for drier and more close-up mics. Even the "close" mic in SF libraries is still quite ambient and sounds pretty far in the back, which makes it difficult to use the libraries in some contexts. The outriggers are nice, but it's even more stereo and even less localized than Decca, so to me it's more just an interesting alternative to that. The trend currently obviously is having things sound very ambient, very stereo, very diffuse, but I don't fully subscribe to this trend. It's often too much and is all about space, but lacks the detail and charme of the instruments themselves.
Actually, the close are pretty dry compared to Orchestral tools Strings. Not VSL Silent stage of course, but dryer than those. Well, close enough for me! ;)
 
For East West and Spitfire, the additional mic positions are one of the main appeals. Trees are ok but they are often closer than I like.
 
Weirdly I considered this just so I could have a mix mic (like CSS, or Century Brass) and have less in RAM.
 
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