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East West Symphonic Libraries


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With the recent East West sale I've been able to buy some of the vst's i've been putting off getting for years. I just bought Ministry of Rock and friggin' love it. (i've only been using cakewalk products so this is a huge step up for me).

One collection I would like to get before the sale is over is a Symphonic Orchestra collection (gold or silver). Problem is I can't find much of anything as far as samples go. Has anyone used this in a remix or other piece of work?

-Gar

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The articulations in Gold make it worth the difference. I'm trying to think of projects where I used Eastwest almost exclusively...

I believe the whole Shopper Rush soundtrack from 2007 was completely EWQLSO Gold XP (the play version which is just called Gold is extensively updated with play features such as scripted legato/portamento):

Shopper Rush Title Screen

Shopper Rush Level Music

And here's an excerpt of an old WIP I never finished:

Sketch

I have to dig deep for all EW Gold samples since I generally blend libraries together and I started updating my libraries pretty early on, but until I got LA Scoring Strings just last month, I was using EWQL Gold Strings for the last 3 years.

It's a great starting point and the articulations you get in Gold will just give you the freedom to do a lot more than with just Silver.

Here's one of the first mock-ups I did when I first got Gold:

Concerning Hobbits

It's where I started out, and I can't recommend it more--especially at the INSANE PRICING they have now-a-days.

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Thanks for the help. You just sold me on the Gold Edition. It sounds good enough to use for accompaniment to practice some concertos. Maybe I'll even use it live and say "Screw the orchestra! you've been replaced by technology!"

Nervous laughter all around. :<

-Gar

Good choice - I've been using this library for a while now (with a very long and slow learning curve too, I might add), and it's definitely not even worth it to get Silver. You pay only a little more to get Gold which has a LOT more articulations, and it's really all about your articulations. Get Gold Complete really if you can, and soon you can get the additional mic positions too (which is a nice addition). You don't need Platinum to get all the recordings, but you'll be limited to 16bit - anyway, it's not a bad route to go.

You can do this: http://music.jwmusic.org/track/kyrie-immanis (:

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apparently there was a free version, and ive been searching for it, since i heard its a good program, but apparently there isn't anymore, anyone know a free software that i can use thats like it? right now im severely limited to programs, as i just got my computer wiped...

either that or find some way to get me the program...PLEASE

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apparently there was a free version, and ive been searching for it, since i heard its a good program, but apparently there isn't anymore, anyone know a free software that i can use thats like it? right now im severely limited to programs, as i just got my computer wiped...

either that or find some way to get me the program...PLEASE

I think the closest you can get (for free anyways) is with Soundfonts. That's what I've been using. Check out Squidfont.

http://soundfonts.darkesword.com/

You'll need a Soundfont player too. I personally use the Fruity Soundfont Player Plugin: http://flstudio.image-line.com/documents/soundfontplayer.html

but I think there are plenty of free ones out there.

Apparently this is a pretty good free player.

http://www.kvraudio.com/get/769.html

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apparently there was a free version, and ive been searching for it, since i heard its a good program, but apparently there isn't anymore, anyone know a free software that i can use thats like it? right now im severely limited to programs, as i just got my computer wiped...

either that or find some way to get me the program...PLEASE

Yeah there was a free version that had about 11 instruments in it. Is it okay to post links? I might still have the original files but I only have the Mac version.

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I have a question. I'm considering buying the complete composers pack since everything is half off right now. I'm probably going to go with the Basic pack just because I'm trying not to spend TOO much money. I was wondering if theres anything not in the basic pack that is just too good to not get. And is there anything in the basic pack that just isn't really worth it that would be much better supplemented with something else? I'm sort of fighting between buying the pack for 749$ or just buying Symphonic Orchestral Gold for 240$

The basic pack is:

Symphonic Orchestra Gold Complete

Quantum Leap Pianos

Symphonic Choirs

Goliath

Stormdrum 2

Voices of Passion

RA

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I have a question. I'm considering buying the complete composers pack since everything is half off right now. I'm probably going to go with the Basic pack just because I'm trying not to spend TOO much money. I was wondering if theres anything not in the basic pack that is just too good to not get. And is there anything in the basic pack that just isn't really worth it that would be much better supplemented with something else? I'm sort of fighting between buying the pack for 749$ or just buying Symphonic Orchestral Gold for 240$

The basic pack is:

Symphonic Orchestra Gold Complete

Quantum Leap Pianos

Symphonic Choirs

Goliath

Stormdrum 2

Voices of Passion

RA

Voices of Passion is IMO largely worthless. It's more of a glorified vocal sample library than a playable instrument. I have no experience with QL Pianos, but personally I'd probably opt for something else just because piano plugins are a dime a dozen, and they all claim to be awesome, but really there's just not enough difference in most to make much difference. And unless you're writing stuff specifically for solo piano performance/realism, it's unlikely that anybody is really going to notice.

Just my $0.02US.

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I have a question. I'm considering buying the complete composers pack since everything is half off right now. I'm probably going to go with the Basic pack just because I'm trying not to spend TOO much money. I was wondering if theres anything not in the basic pack that is just too good to not get. And is there anything in the basic pack that just isn't really worth it that would be much better supplemented with something else? I'm sort of fighting between buying the pack for 749$ or just buying Symphonic Orchestral Gold for 240$

The basic pack is:

Symphonic Orchestra Gold Complete

Quantum Leap Pianos

Symphonic Choirs

Goliath

Stormdrum 2

Voices of Passion

RA

I'm in agreement with Jimmy about Voices of Passion. It's a cool sample library to have, but you won't use it much I'm afraid. QL pianos is one of the best piano libraries out there, and if you don't have a decent piano sample already, I'd go ahead and get it. However, if you do have a good piano patch, just stick with it. There's actually a Steinway grand piano patch in the Orchestra gold package that has a great sound to it.

If it were me, I would replace VoP with Gypsy. It's not that Gypsy is the best sample package out there, but it definitely gives you some cool celtic samples that go REALLY well with orchestral stuff. If you're looking for a replacement for QL Pianos as well, I would recommend Ministry of Rock. The guitar sounds a pretty bland and not the easiest to program with, but the drum patches are friggin' awesome! If you have a little extra money, you might go for Silk instead of MoR. I've been using Silk for about 6 months and it's a very cool Asian instrument library.

However, all of that said, if you don't want to spend extra money to add other products in there, you will still have a GREAT new library of sounds to use. I guess what I'm saying is don't fret over not being able to swap out those packages. Even if you can't, you will still have PLENTY to work with :).

Good luck mate.

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I agree with Jimmy, I refuse to buy VOP based on the fact that I feel like I can recognize it whever it's used. It's very opaque and that's not a good thing for my purposes. I think it sticks out to a distracting degree.

The only PLAY library proper I have is Ministry of Rock--I like it, but I also like having a couple of rock oriented stuff in my library.

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  • 3 months later...

So, EastWest has a 'Rocktober' sale right now, which is Ministry of Rock, Golliath, and Fab 4 for $595, and unlike the standard Composer's Collection prices, they allow substitutions at the same discounted rate. I want to get Orchestra Gold or Platinum, Stormdrum, and Symphonic Choir, and I'm not in so much of a rush that I'm going to jump on the first thing that comes along and not wait for a good sale. If possible, I wouldn't mind getting Ra, Silk, and Minstry of Rock as well.

Using the Rocktober deal for those three products comes to $747 (including the expansions for Stormdrum and Choir) with Orchestra Gold or $932 with Platinum (regular; I wouldn't want the 16-bit AND 24-bit samples if I'm going with Platinum). For people who have bought EWQL products before and might know their sales a bit better, is this a good deal? Am I likely to see a better deal anytime soon, in particular around Christmas?

Also, do the alternate mic positions and 24-bit samples make it worth it for Platinum?

Basically, I can do one of the following on a budget of about $1,000:

1) Buy the Rocktober deal and that's all I get. Maybe pick up RA on its own the next time it goes on sale with the remaining money if I just get Orchestra Gold, but I wouldn't have money for anything else.

2) Buy the Composer's Collection when it goes on sale and/or lets you customize things at the same discount rate and get Orchestra Platinum and the Stormdrum and Choir expansions which aren't in the bundle; I'd assume the sale price would be low enough that this would sit around $1,000.

3) Buy the Composer's Collection on sale and keep Gold but swap out Voices of Passion and either Goliath (I have NI Kontakt so there's a fair bit of overlap) or Pianos Gold to get Silk and Ministry of Rock, the other two EastWest products I'm interested in.

Advice please?

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Did some research into past sales, and basically, I'm not going to get a significantly better deal on the exact three products I want unless they do a 3-for-1 sale or reduce the 'standard' prices of each further and then put them on sale from there (and even then, I'm not saving much over this sale if I go for platinum).

So, it comes down to this: is Platinum worth the extra money, or should I go with Gold instead and save the extra money for something else?

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Did some research into past sales, and basically, I'm not going to get a significantly better deal on the exact three products I want unless they do a 3-for-1 sale or reduce the 'standard' prices of each further and then put them on sale from there (and even then, I'm not saving much over this sale if I go for platinum).

So, it comes down to this: is Platinum worth the extra money, or should I go with Gold instead and save the extra money for something else?

So, Gold is good enough for folks looking to start out with something that sounds good out-of-the-box. It's pre-mixed for you, so a lot of the hard work is already done.

It's been about 3+ years since I got Gold and I've moved on to what I believe are better and more expensive/expressive samples. But, looking at my templates now, I think that I would be using Gold more OFTEN and it would integrate more easily into my template if I had the CLOSE mic position samples.

This was something they were talking about doing for a long time, a close mic'd version of Gold, but it didn't happen until just recently. Before then, you had to get Platinum to get the close mics.

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So basically, gold is good but platinum is better, and I might get better mileage out of gold plus the close mic upgrade? Is there a big difference in quality between 16 and 24-bit samples?

Personally, I only feel like I hear the difference in the richness of the hall/space--which is important, but not something you can't away with not having.

There is a kind of... shimmer or special richness in the 24-bit samples, at least to my ears, but it's a fairly undefinable quality, so I never felt like I missed out on that one.

When given the option between 24-bit and 16-bit samples, I tend to go for the 16-bit so I can squeeze maximum performance out of my rig.

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Yeah, sounds like the other mic positions, at very least the close mic (I can always add my own reverb so the hall mic isn't as necessary), are well worth it. The only catch with this sale is that upgrades aren't included, so it works out to within $20 to get the 24-bit-only Platinum vs. the Gold with both mics. I may just go Platinum with the 16-bit samples too; I like what Dannthr said about using the lower-quality samples. I mean, I can always work with the 16-bit samples while I'm working on a song and switch to 24-bit to render the tracks one at a time, right?

At any rate, you guys have helped me narrow this down, so thanks :)

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Hey guys, so I'm in the market for upgrading my instrument library. I use Logic Studio on my Mac Pro [2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon, 2GB 800MHz DDR2 RAM - I plan on upgrading the RAM soon]. It has done me well for the past two years, but I think it's time I expanded my library. I'm considering purchasing the complete pack. Taking your advice, would you advice getting the following pack?

- Symphonic Orchestra Platinum Plus

- EastWest/Quantum Leap Pianos*

- Symphonic Choirs

- Ministry of Rock

- Stormdrum 2

- Quantum Leap Gypsy

- Quantum Leap SILK

*Do you need to purchase the Gold version for this to work?

I noticed the previous poster included RA in his pack. Would you consider replacing one of the packs with RA?

I'm guessing there aren't any educational discounts on this offer. No matter, 67%, free hard drive, and free shipping is a freaking steal as it is.

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Hey guys, so I'm in the market for upgrading my instrument library. I use Logic Studio on my Mac Pro [2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon, 2GB 800MHz DDR2 RAM - I plan on upgrading the RAM soon]. It has done me well for the past two years, but I think it's time I expanded my library. I'm considering purchasing the complete pack. Taking your advice, would you advice getting the following pack?

- Symphonic Orchestra Platinum Plus

- EastWest/Quantum Leap Pianos*

- Symphonic Choirs

- Ministry of Rock

- Stormdrum 2

- Quantum Leap Gypsy

- Quantum Leap SILK

*Do you need to purchase the Gold version for this to work?

I noticed the previous poster included RA in his pack. Would you consider replacing one of the packs with RA?

I'm guessing there aren't any educational discounts on this offer. No matter, 67%, free hard drive, and free shipping is a freaking steal as it is.

RA is a survey library, more instruments, less depth. Silk, on the other hand, only focuses on a few select instruments and moreover was developed with the PLAY engine in mind rather than adapted.

I think you put together a great package, that's what I would get if I was starting over again and didn't already own half of those.

I would like to suggest the SD2 PRO bundle if available, the Pro expansion covers some of the really hot cinematic/trailer drums.

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I wouldn't recommend getting EWQLSO Gold without the close mics. I used Gold and Gold XP forever - and they were pretty disappointing. Not that they sound bad, but the concert hall is so damned ingrained in the recordings that they're not versatile at all. I've since gotten VSL and am *far* more happy with it (soundstage recordings - very, very dry sound).

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Hey guys, so I'm in the market for upgrading my instrument library. I use Logic Studio on my Mac Pro [2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon, 2GB 800MHz DDR2 RAM - I plan on upgrading the RAM soon]. It has done me well for the past two years, but I think it's time I expanded my library. I'm considering purchasing the complete pack. Taking your advice, would you advice getting the following pack?

- Symphonic Orchestra Platinum Plus

- EastWest/Quantum Leap Pianos*

- Symphonic Choirs

- Ministry of Rock

- Stormdrum 2

- Quantum Leap Gypsy

- Quantum Leap SILK

*Do you need to purchase the Gold version for this to work?

I noticed the previous poster included RA in his pack. Would you consider replacing one of the packs with RA?

I'm guessing there aren't any educational discounts on this offer. No matter, 67%, free hard drive, and free shipping is a freaking steal as it is.

I should mention that PLAY is going to press your mac pro to its limits. But that's growth, all growth requires new clothes.

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@Dannthr: Would you suggest purchasing RA or SILK? I'm going to guess SILK, and if I'm missing certain instruments, I should simply purchase another pack that has what I require?

Also, for Stormdrum, that's a mistake on my behalf: It will be the Pro version I'm getting. If I have a total of 10GB 800MHz DDR2 RAM, would my Mac be able to handle Play? And will any of this be compatible with Logic Studio?

@IBBIAZ: Does the Platinum version of EWQLSO not include the close microphones? I don't think I can purchase the Vienna Symphony Library in this package. I will purchase it separately if you suggest it. Are there any packs in particular you suggest?

Thanks again guys.

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