Regarding the SONiVOX Orchestral Companion...

[Terry93D]

I own them all, and while the sound is very rich - absolutely usable, even in professional productions, with smart programming and a spot of layering - the front-end is, as has previously been noted, unusually awful. (Unremarked upon in the original thread: sometimes the staccatos do not play at all at certain dynamics, and there are occasional problems with release samples being louder then the notes themselves in lower dynamics.)

The Orchestral Companion is a rebranded and repackaged version of the old Sonic Implants Complete Symphonic Collection. I've heard nothing but good things about the latter.

Is there any way to acquire it? (Preferably in its Kontakt 2 or 3 versions?) I love the rich, lush sound of the samples, but the front-ends' issues make it nearly unusable.

[Mattias Westlund]

It's very rare for things like that to show up on the used market. I used to scour eBay for old orchestral libs. When I would find something once in a blue moon, prices were so insane I might as well buy a brand new modern library instead. People tend to hold on to these things, either because they still use them or because the developer doesn't allow reselling (which, depending on where you are in the world, might be perfectly safe to ignore).

I have the old M-Audio ProSessions discs which are based on the Complete Symphonic Collection and those do pop up from time to time -- at least they did a few years ago -- and while they're sampler-agnostic, they're stripped-down with only one or two articulations and only two dynamic layers. I wouldn't really recommend them if you already have the Orchestral Companion instruments.

[Chris Spyratos]

Since these are old libraries (Kontakt & GIGASTUDIO versions) the scripting would be very outdated and even then you wouldn't have proper access to the samples if you are interested in writing your own patches.

[Nayrb]

(10-29-2019, 01:04 PM)Chris Spyratos Wrote: Since these are old libraries (Kontakt & GIGASTUDIO versions) the scripting would be very outdated and even then you wouldn't have proper access to the samples if you are interested in writing your own patches.

This is true. And while I would argue that with a full version of Kontakt you still have a good amount of control over editing your own patches, it's a mystery to me as to whether certain features are locked in these old libraries.

[The Darris]

I worked for a composer that had the original Sonic Implants Symphonic Strings library in Giga Format. He hired me to help convert his old samples over to a more usable platform. So, I found a composer who had the Kontakt version and asked them to share the Kontakt Instrument files (not the samples). Because the samples were named the same between the giga and kontakt versions, i was just able to open the kontakt patches and redirect them to the giga samples. Keep in mind, I had to go through each Giga patch and unpack in in Kontakt first and then resave the sample separately but in the end, it worked well and the composer was able to use these older patches, that he loved, again. I don't believe Kontakt 6 has the ability to use Giga format patches anymore but I could be wrong.

Having kept the kontakt patches and samples (by product of this job), I started using them to see what the fuss was about. Yes, the sonic clarity and the way they were recorded is stellar. However, they certainly don't hold up on their own compared to modern libraries (especially if you find a used version to buy because those selling them price them between $500-$1200). The Spiccato samples are arguably the best in the library and probably the only patches capable of holding their own without additional support from other libraries. However, the rest of the library is really well suited for playing a supporting role like layering underneath a more modern and well designed library like Cinematic Studio Strings. Think of it like a sort of glue, meant to help seam our orchestral lines together but not meant to be seen.

I can't speak for the brass or woodwinds but based on what I've heard of those samples, they are very outdated sounding. If you do some internet sleuthing, you might find posts I've made like yours trying to acquire this mythological unicorn of a sample library. It's viewed this way because those who loved this library when it came out will use it as a comparison for new libraries and their praise for it can come off as if we all need it. The truth is that most of those composers have moved on and don't use that library much anymore. So, as I learned more and used those strings more, the more I felt like it was a glimpse into the past at what a real "game changer" looked like back then. So, I would suggest that you not get too caught up into it like I did. Hahaha.

Best,

C

[Mattias Westlund]

(11-02-2019, 05:48 PM)The Darris Wrote: However, they certainly don't hold up on their own compared to modern libraries (especially if you find a used version to buy because those selling them price them between $500-$1200).

This ^^

I love the Sonic Implants samples myself and I think they're excellent if you're into that type of sound, i.e. early/mid 2000's VO's. But I would never ever pay such a sum for a library that old. Sure, if you happen to come across it for a hundred bucks or something -- go for it. But for that retro VO vibe, the Orchestral Companion instruments are actually fine, crude and annoying as the frontend may be.