What's new

Which is your goto library for symphonic percussion?

Jonas Hallstrom

Active Member
My EW CC sub is running out and I don't want to renew it. Some of the instrumnets in EW perc gold is good, some aren't. Which perc library do you use the most for symphonic, traditional orchestral use?

I guess there isn't a CSS (library that everyone loves) of percussion libraries?
 
Hi Jonas! I'm currently mixing&matching libs for orch percussion using Berlin Percussion EXP A's Timpani along with EastWest Hollywood Orchestral Percussion Gold (for Snares, Piatti, Bass Drum, and close mic'd timpani-using ComposerCloudX) and Rhapsody Orchestral Percussion (Snares, Bass Drum, Suspended Cymbal- all using custom mic setups (don't like the Piatti and Timpani in Rhapsody). Also using True Strike for the concert snare drum, glockenspiel (custom mic setup) and marimba sometimes along with VSL's Xylophone and the old London Orchestral Percussion glockenspiels in Kontakt. In addition, I've used the old EastWest Symphonic Percussion for bass drum, tubular bells and suspended cymbals at times as well.
 
Stormdrum 2 and 3 are staples for me, but I also use Evolution Taiko, Superior Drummer, Damage, the Taiko in Iceni. Sometimes I'll use Zebra HZ in my orchestral compositions as percussion.
 
Hmm, I've been wondering what to get for percussion as well. It'd have to mix well with SSO. I wonder if that limits me to Spitfire's products. I do like LADD.
 
Spitfire Orchestral Joby Burgess is great. It does have its limits, but the instruments sound fantastic in that hall. It's especially good if you use SSO, or Albions. I use this library the most, although the interface can be a bit difficult to work out sometimes. For cinematic their HZ percussion mix well too, although I've used that less.

I also like to use EWSO sometimes still, as it is recorded in an ambient space also. The harp in that library is fantastic, and a fair bit of the percussion still stands the test of time. Lots of cymbals and drums, good timpani, reasonable mallets. Not the best out there, but still good.

Maybe a left field suggestion, but I like some of the percussion in NI Symphony Series, like the snares and timpani. I'm just learning that library though. The timpani is very nice, if you want something more mellow that will blend better than some timpani (often not what you want in timpani, but useful as a less dominant alternative when you don't need the full dynamics). The Celeste is very bad, and other instruments are very basic, so its not my recommended starter percussion library, there's just some stuff there I really liked.
 
Last edited:
I researched this a couple of months ago with the three parameters in mind: price, sound, footprint.

On all of these Rhapsody was the only one who was good on all three points. Lacks celesta but I supplement with the old EWQL actually.
 
Top Bottom