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Which, if any, of these Kontakt libraries should I buy, given my requirements?

Nope. It's a "Apple's EXS24 factory library is still disappointing after 8 years; I want the good stuff" thread. I haven't even bought Kontakt yet. It'd be a little dumb seeing as my production machine is currently in the middle of a battery replacement job and I wouldn't be able to run Kontakt if I did buy it.

Alchemy got brought up because I already use it, albeit rarely. I made a snark to the effect that I might not be able to afford 64GB RAM without abandoning Mac, and referenced Alchemy and Sculpture as reasons I don't want to do that. Since then, I've dug around in my budget some more and it's no longer relevant.
Ah, I was going by the title. Usually the first thing you do when buying Kontakt is to get a bunch of free or inexpensive libraries. :)

Having bought Computer Music magazine for years, I do have Alchemy CM for PC, but I never use it.
 
So far, it sounds like I need to listen to the CSSeries and BBCSO stuff and figure which one I like. Assuming I can figure out how.

The current plan is to think about libraries first, and upgrade hardware if it can't handle whatever I get. The only snag I can see is Apple's impending transition to ARM. If I get an Intel Mac, it's going to be obsolete sooner than I'd like. If I get an ARM Mac... I think there's going to be a compat layer for running x86-64 software, but I doubt that's going to have native performance.

A lot of people in this thread have been talking about controlling mics and other recording stuff. That's all over my head, so the only really important bit there is that the default is okay.
As a Mac user, you are lucky to have core audio. You can get away with not having an external audio device for a while. Eventually, you will want one to plug monitor/speakers into, as well as mics and maybe external instruments. The PC audio drivers suck, and generally, you need an external device to process the sound in your DAW.
 
I haven’t read the entire thread, but what caught my eye is your fear of putting your trust and money in any other sampler / sample player than Kontakt.

While I understand you 100% you should know that you’re cutting yourself off from getting many of the great libraries out there (OT, SF, EW and more).

I'm not superglued to Kontakt — BBCSO is on the table if SF's sampler is sufficiently future-proof — but it is a factor. Whatever I buy, I want to be able to run it on whatever is the newest MacOS at least 5 years from now.

Regarding the other non-Kontakt greats you mentioned:

While my budget is bigger than I thought it was a couple weeks ago, OT stuff would still overflow it. So that's not really on the table anyway.

On the EW side, I don't really like subscription models and I hate interfaces that try to mimic metal textures or specular reflection. They completely destroy my ability to separate figure from ground; I have to determine the salience of each pixel cluster consciously. Grainy wood is the same. From where I'm standing, flattened design isn't a matter of fashion; it's a matter of accessibility. Sensory processing is a b****.
I'd be theoretically open to EW stuff (even with subscription) but it'd take a lot to deal with that chrome monstrosity.
 
I'm not superglued to Kontakt — BBCSO is on the table if SF's sampler is sufficiently future-proof — but it is a factor. Whatever I buy, I want to be able to run it on whatever is the newest MacOS at least 5 years from now.

Regarding the other non-Kontakt greats you mentioned:

While my budget is bigger than I thought it was a couple weeks ago, OT stuff would still overflow it. So that's not really on the table anyway.

On the EW side, I don't really like subscription models and I hate interfaces that try to mimic metal textures or specular reflection. They completely destroy my ability to separate figure from ground; I have to determine the salience of each pixel cluster consciously. Grainy wood is the same. From where I'm standing, flattened design isn't a matter of fashion; it's a matter of accessibility. Sensory processing is a b****.
I'd be theoretically open to EW stuff (even with subscription) but it'd take a lot to deal with that chrome monstrosity.
EW has great sales pretty much all the time. What is great about the subscription is you can get it for a month, try everything out, and, if you like it, buy what you like. You don't have to sign up for a year.

If you do buy EW, get it from a reseller who gives discounts on top of the sales price.
 
A lot of people in this thread have been talking about controlling mics and other recording stuff. That's all over my head, so the only really important bit there is that the default is okay.

Mic positions for orchestral libraries are pretty straight forward. You usually have between 3 and 5 sliders, one for a "mixed mics" mix where you get a memory efficient "pre-mixed" version of the available microphone positions (this is what you were asking for and what also needs the least RAM), and others for positions like "close", "tree", or "ambient/far". Close sounds like the recorded instruments are close to you because the mics are close to them. Tree is referring to a so called "decca tree" setup of microphones, which is the closest to what you're used to hearing on soundtracks, and ambient or far mic positions are further away and capture more of the reverberation of the room and sound rather blurred on their own. If you don't want to use the pre-mixed version of a library, you simply load the other mic positions and tweak the sliders till you like the sound. It's that simple. I often just use the tree mic and then use the free plugin "panagement" to play with distance and width of the sound.
 
Please be aware lots of developers now add in lots of mic positions, however with that comes serious RAM implications, let alone the additional space need on your HD. Then with that potential load times. Also BBC SO Pro has additional articulations and instruments too, with additional impact. So that might something to think about on choosing libraries.

I always find if you're not in a desperate hurry, as has been stated already wait for any offers or sales. Sometimes you can even purchase a bundle at discounts too. But not ever library is equal so you're likely to find a short coming here or there, which means you'll end up reaching for your wallet sooner rather than later.
 
I've been on the VI Discord a lot, I've watched reviews, and I'm so glad you all talked me out of duct-taping myself to Kontakt.

My gut is screaming at me to wait for the Spitfire summer sale and buy BBCSO Pro. It's mostly a one-stop shop, I like the SF player interface, and even thoguh people go gaga over AIR, I'm pretty in love with the Maida Vale sound. BBCSO Core is good, but I want section leaders and Cor Anglais is as important to me as the rest of the woodwind section combined, so, Pro. I may need a beefier Mac to run it comfortably, but I can cope. And if BBCSO is included in the SF summer sale, all the better. I might buy CSS+CSSS at some point for colder, more mechanical strings, but one thing at a time.

Thanks everyone for your help and patience! There are some big wrinkly brains here!
 
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