11-12-2020, 09:15 AM
(11-12-2020, 02:42 AM)Samulis Wrote: Good choice! Hollywood Brass is the best of the Hollywood series by far imho! If you are in the position to crossgrade to Diamond at some point, I'd recommend it, and not because of the extra mics really. The default mic in the Gold edition ('Mid') is NOT the default mic in Diamond ('Main'), and the Main position imho sounds better than the Mid position. I bought Hollywood Woodwinds Gold and almost never use them because I really dislike the 'Mid' position, but the 'Main' position with strings and brass is great.
Yeah, really liking it so far; it's big and bold enough for doing more epic stuff, but it can also handle subtle playing remarkably well. Actually, the single mic in Gold is Main, not Mid, and I don't hear a problem with it. I was afraid it was going to be too wet (as EW libraries tend to be) but it has just the right blend of directness and ambience for my needs. Maybe you just got the mic names backwards though
(11-12-2020, 02:42 AM)Samulis Wrote: BTW, word of warning about Hollywood Strings: they cut all the shorts too short but didn't properly fade them, so they cut off before they've faded out. It's really jarring unless you bury it in reverb and are using them as part of a full ensemble (which I guess is the point, and is fine). In all honesty I like the spiccatos in EWQL SO much better despite it literally being 20 years old; they just cut so nice and aggressively the way they processed them.
TBH I have no intention of getting any other EW stuff other than brass. I don't want to become locked into a single developer and a single "sound"; I've always had better results mixing different libraries. But thanks for the warning!
(11-12-2020, 02:42 AM)Samulis Wrote: I would recommend Orchestral Tools for Woodwinds for sure if you ever look for some. I don't have any of their products yet, but I spent a long time listening to solo playthroughs of various libraries a few months back and liked theirs a lot, and they seem to be making some budget stuff now too which is nice for the ecosystem.
I could use some good section woodwinds, actually. I have eyed the OT stuff but nothing appeared to be within my price range, though I'll keep an eye out if their stuff goes on sale later this year. But my main priority right now is getting Kontakt, as it would open up a whole world of possibilities.
(11-12-2020, 02:42 AM)Samulis Wrote: Was really not impressed by Spitfire on the other hand; I used to like their stuff a lot but it doesn't seem to be holding up anymore. I listened to the BBC orchestra playthroughs and I thought their old flagship orchestral line (was British Modular, no idea what it is now) was much better in almost all aspects.
Disclaimer: I have never used any of Spitfire's high-end libraries. I do however have three of their Originals libs (Epic Strings, Epic Brass & WW, Intimate Strings) as well as Discover and a bunch of the LABS instruments. And to be perfectly honest... none of these have managed to convince me that I should invest big bucks in Spitfire products. Quite the contrary, actually, but it might be that their sound just doesn't appeal to me. Roomy and murky isn't what I'm looking for in orchestral samples. Credit where credit is due though: The Originals ensemble winds are excellent for woodwind beds or just roughing out ideas.