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Thoughts on NI/SoundIron Symphony Series Woodwinds?

I like the sound,the interface and the arpeggiator, planniing to buy the ensembles crossgrade later this summer. $199 crossgrade is neat, full price not so much.
 
I just received this and so far, 20 minutes or so in, I am really, really loving it. If I turn of the reverb and stereo mic and load the close mic, and pan properly, I think I may have my new "go to' woodwinds.

The sound and flexibility is great and I find the legato really playable. I will be reviewing this for macProVideo.com and I can already predict it will be very positive.
 
I just received this and so far, 20 minutes or so in, I am really, really loving it. If I turn of the reverb and stereo mic and load the close mic, and pan properly, I think I may have my new "go to' woodwinds.

The sound and flexibility is great and I find the legato really playable. I will be reviewing this for macProVideo.com and I can already predict it will be very positive.

Looking forward to this review! can you let us know when it's available?
 
I just received this and so far, 20 minutes or so in, I am really, really loving it. If I turn of the reverb and stereo mic and load the close mic, and pan properly, I think I may have my new "go to' woodwinds.

The sound and flexibility is great and I find the legato really playable. I will be reviewing this for macProVideo.com and I can already predict it will be very positive.

Really? That's a pleasant surprise. Maybe I ought to go back and look at this package a little more closely.
 
I can't believe that the mic positions were showed and exposed SO SHORTLY (at 0:48) and never again, specially the dry position.... o_O ...and no others instruments more than the flute...

 
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After hearing Sonokinetic woodwinds released videos i have a positive word for NI Woodwinds in comparison: this ensemble and instruments have sound character. what i didn't find pleasant through the demos and videos was the church ambient mics. I think this space isn't a neutral space for blending them in the mix with other libraries. After hearing Sonokinetic demos i recognize the good quality of NI Woodwinds, BUT
If I turn of the reverb and stereo mic and load the close mic, and pan properly, I think I may have my new "go to' woodwinds.
Why should one has to turn off mics that are supposed to fit standards? Also that means that something is missing to work appropriately out of the box within spaces (halls) or is it a matter of taste...? And not every woodwind ensemble is supposed to play in a church. ..OT BWW, and new released Sonokinetics WW have a very decent room mics that doesn't color heavily the original sound of the instruments. IMHO
 
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Why should one has to turn off mics that are supposed to fit standards? Also that means that something is missing to work appropriately out of the box within spaces (halls) or is it a matter of taste...? And not every woodwind ensemble is supposed to play in a church. ..OT BWW, and new released Sonokinetics WW have a very decent room mics that doesn't color heavily the original sound of the instruments. IMHO

Taste. I like my libraries a little drier to blend with other libraries I use. I don't own either of those but if i did I probably would be looking for the drier mic combos.
 
The Symphony Series Woodwind bundle looks very appealing to me with the Komplete crossgrade price. I'm just a hobbyist getting started and trying to cover the basics. There are so many options for woodwinds today that I don't know which route to take. The SS Woodwinds have that church reverb, which is the same as the SS Brass (but different than the SS Strings, both of which I own). I usually do as Jay suggested by mainly using close mics. In addition, I shorten the Release setting to cut off a bit of the sample tail especially when using staccatos on horns, trumpets, etc. So I'd imagine I could pull off the same thing on woodwinds.

Another option would be going with Berlin Woodwinds, but my concern would be how to get the Teldex sound and the rest to mesh together. The only dedicated convolution reverb I have is Logic Space Designer. I don't mind tweaking and taking the time to get it sounding good IF it's possible. A different approach would be to add a few solo instruments (8DIO Claire Piccolo and English Horn) to round out and supplement the Symphony Series Woodwind collection. I might be better off just sticking with the NI/Soundiron stuff.

My current orchestral lineup:

strings: NI Symphony Series String Ensemble
brass: NI Symphony Series Brass Collection (both solo and ensemble)
choir: Soundiron Olympus Elements and Mercury Elements
percussion: Soundiron Apocalypse, Impact Soundworks Juggernaut, Heavyocity Damage

Planning to add:

8DIO Agitato
Musical Sampling Soaring Strings
8DIO Sopranos
one more brass library for variety (Bravura, Berlin Brass, Century Brass, Sample Modeling... waiting for more options)
some traditional percussion! Impact Soundworks Rhapsody might be enough.

If you've read this far, sorry for the long-winded post.
Time to decide whether to go the piecemeal route and possibly invest in a convolution reverb, or stick with one brand for easier blending of libraries. Since my current library is still relatively small, what approach is best?
 
If you've read this far, sorry for the long-winded post.
Time to decide whether to go the piecemeal route and possibly invest in a convolution reverb, or stick with one brand for easier blending of libraries. Since my current library is still relatively small, what approach is best?

I personally think Berlin Woodwinds one of the best complete woodwind library on the market (VSL ranks high as well, though I don't have it to compare). You really can't go wrong with it. It's definitely possible to get it to blend; in fact BWW is one of the easiest libraries to blend with things IMO. Teldex is not too wet but not too dry, and the variety of mics makes it easy to push them out or pull them back in. Space Designer is good enough to just add a little bit of extra wetness to blend with your brass, but since you said you use close mics, you may not actually need any verb at all to get it fitting.

I don't think it's a good idea to stick with one brand for easier blending of libraries, as I'm of the opinion of "if it sounds good, fit it in!". That being said, I am eagerly awaiting Berlin Brass so I can finally have all four orchestra sections in the same room from the same developer. :grin:

[Note: I have received free products from Orchestral Tools]
 
Comparing some wood instruments, including Bass, ContraBassoons, Bassoons, Clarinets, Oboe, different Flutes. Solo and in an Ensemble from SoundIron, 8Dio, Orchestra Tools, Spitfire Audio, Fluffy, Cinesamples, and Project SAM.

This small comparison may help in finding the right tune when you compose and wonder if the gras is greener in that other library.

The whole session starts with one Piano and ends with a Piano (both from 8Dio)

 
Comparing some wood instruments, including Bass, ContraBassoons, Bassoons, Clarinets, Oboe, different Flutes. Solo and in an Ensemble from SoundIron, 8Dio, Orchestra Tools, Spitfire Audio, Fluffy, Cinesamples, and Project SAM.

This small comparison may help in finding the right tune when you compose and wonder if the gras is greener in that other library.

The whole session starts with one Piano and ends with a Piano (both from 8Dio)


With all do respect, my friend, and thank you for taking the time to demo your woodwind libraries, perhaps a comparison of single legato lines with some added short articulations would be better suited when comparing Woodwinds rather than a part featuring the idiomatic writing of the piano?
 
With all do respect, my friend, and thank you for taking the time to demo your woodwind libraries, perhaps a comparison of single legato lines with some added short articulations would be better suited when comparing Woodwinds rather than a part featuring the idiomatic writing of the piano?
Rodney, you are the man, let me see what I do tomorrow)
 
Rodney, you are the man, let me see what I do tomorrow)
+1 for Rodney's comment. Chords don't really come into play much for these kind of libraries. Thanks for the efforts with the demo though.

If you wanted to go a bit further in any redo, try to match the volume levels, and send the samples which are dry through a reverb.
 
For each library one short articulation and one long articulation.

Comparing woodwind instruments, including Bass, ContraBassoons, Bassoons, Oboe, Flutes. Solo and in an Ensemble. Instruments are made by SoundIron, 8Dio, Orchestra Tools, Spitfire Audio, Cinesamples, Kirk Hunter Studios, and Project SAM.
 
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