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What Samples have you regretted buying?

Spitfire Symphonic Orchestra. It's not bad, but have not found it at the level of VSL or OT and it was too expensive.

Iconica Opus. Despite being a joint Steinberg-OT project, I just haven't found this very playable. The Halion player is likely part of the reason.

Cinematic Studio Solo Strings. So much vibrato, huge footprint, and not nearly as playable as I'd like.

SWAM Violin and Cello. I'd like to think this was just operator error, but I have not been able to get the tone (versus the technique) anywhere near as realistic as good sample based libraries.

(Disclaimer: I like to play VIs as actual instruments. Carefully programmed sound possibilities are less significant to me than what it "feels" like as a player.)
 
Spitfire Symphonic Orchestra. It's not bad, but have not found it at the level of VSL or OT and it was too expensive.

Iconica Opus. Despite being a joint Steinberg-OT project, I just haven't found this very playable. The Halion player is likely part of the reason.

Cinematic Studio Solo Strings. So much vibrato, huge footprint, and not nearly as playable as I'd like.

SWAM Violin and Cello. I'd like to think this was just operator error, but I have not been able to get the tone (versus the technique) anywhere near as realistic as good sample based libraries.

(Disclaimer: I like to play VIs as actual instruments. Carefully programmed sound possibilities are less significant to me than what it "feels" like as a player.)

I hear you about CSSS sometimes - I watched some comparison videos and it actually sounded to me like Berlin Strings First Chairs fit CSS as a better layering companion, for the reason of too much vibrato in CSSS. I’m wary of using it without CSS; the vib feel untamed without it.
 
I hear you about CSSS sometimes - I watched some comparison videos and it actually sounded to me like Berlin Strings First Chairs fit CSS as a better layering companion, for the reason of too much vibrato in CSSS. I’m wary of using it without CSS; the vib feel untamed without it.
I actually much prefer First Chairs, especially for its legato. I don't have the Nocturne instruments, but those might be even better to get that standout sound.
 
Nothing really. Even though I have SFA,OT, and others, I am playing around with the Symphobias to see what these libraries could do for me in the future.
 
I bought "The Dark Side" from Eastwest a long time ago and it was just plain boring. It felt like they had taken samples they already had, put on some distorition and maximum one other effect and suddenly that's a new sound we can sell! I don't think I ever used it in anything I produced.
 
Spitfire Symphonic Orchestra. It's not bad, but have not found it at the level of VSL or OT and it was too expensive.

Iconica Opus. Despite being a joint Steinberg-OT project, I just haven't found this very playable. The Halion player is likely part of the reason.

Cinematic Studio Solo Strings. So much vibrato, huge footprint, and not nearly as playable as I'd like.

SWAM Violin and Cello. I'd like to think this was just operator error, but I have not been able to get the tone (versus the technique) anywhere near as realistic as good sample based libraries.

(Disclaimer: I like to play VIs as actual instruments. Carefully programmed sound possibilities are less significant to me than what it "feels" like as a player.)
I was kind of partial to the iconica woodwinds, but I'm not made of money and I have BWW
 
Before I've stepped in the world of Komplete, I've purchased several sample libraries from IK Multimedia. This was some time after I've started with Pro Tools 8 LE - I've wanted better libraries than those shipped with the DAW, but getting Komplete was a too costly option for me back then. So, I went with IK Multimedia products as an alternative. But now I must say that I regret going this way since I didn't even touch those libraries any more after getting my first versions of Kontakt and Komplete.

Speaking of Kontakt libraries, I often have a somewhat limited budget so I tend to be quite pragmatic when buying them. But I've still made quite a few errors in the process, maybe due to this very reason. For instance, in the past, I've purchased "London Symphonic Strings" as an alternative to the more expensive strings libraries available back then (Adagietto, Cinematic Strings 2). Although this was a VSTBuzz deal, I still feel sorry for accepting it.
 
Anything by Aria Sounds. Didn't learn from buying their ethnic winds but did learn from buying the London Symphonic Strings.... Thankfully didn't buy them at their asking price.
 
Komplete package - lots of stuff, but for me only a fraction was interesting or usable. Others may have different opinion.

Cinestrings - I actually like the sound, but still have problems with clicks and pops at the start of some samples, don't know why.
 
Sampletank 4 Max.

I loved using Sampletank 2, there were some great sounds and Miroslav 1 was one of my first VI orchestra libraries.

There are definitely some nice and useful sounds in it. But also a lot of things that are not useful for me, or I have in better quality elsewhere. Lots of loop and EDM stuff.
The orchestral and cinematic percussion that are included are useless for me, strange loops, weak and out of shape sounds. If then only a few RRs, dynamic level. Mass instead of quality. I still like the Brandenburg Piano best.

Unfortunately, I have bought without dealing with it before more intensively. I think it was also in pre-sale for a significantly reduced price.

The Miroslav 2 update disappointed me as well. The instruments that got keyswitches are so inconsistent. The basic sound is quite nice, but except for a few percussion and ensemble instruments I don't use it. Basically it is a pity, because Miro 2 has a nice basic sound.

They advertise legato, but I don't think they know what it is.
 
Majestica
Liberis
Symphonic Shadows

LASS (not because it's a bad library, but because i never use it)

Fortunately, most of what I've purchased I can find good use for.
 
I forgot one. The only Soniccouture disappointment, Xtended Piano. True GAS as I've not been able to find any use for it. Very uninspiring considering how much I like everything else I have from them.
 
I have a few things that I just don't use, either because I bought too quickly without really considering how it would fit into my music, or because I have something newer that's made it redundant. Fortunately, the only VI's I've regretted buying because I actually found them bad were able to be re-sold/refunded.
 
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