Deep-sampled high-quality VST instruments from 8Dio

[Master Mi]

These VST instruments might be some of the most extensively sampled instruments I've ever experienced:
https://8dio.com/

8Dio - with its free instrument technology called "Soundpaint" - also provides some completely free VSTis as full version, such as a 1928 Vintage Grand Steinway (around 8 GB and over 4800 samples) or an old music box (nearly 2 GB and over 260 samples):
https://soundpaint.com/collections/free-instruments

I would describe the the VSTis from 8Dio with the following words:
- extremely high sample quality (also many GB of content with lots of articulations and samples per instrument)
- some highly affordable VSTis (check out the 2 VSTis below)
- lots of VSTis that still work with earlier Kontakt versions (like Kontakt 5) supported by Windows 7
(damn, I just saw that it seems to support only the full version of Kontakt - guess that was the reason why I didn't go for it earlier)

...

I recently came across 8Dio again because I've been really keen on a steel drum VSTi for quite some time now, and I'd like to briefly introduce it here along with another VSTi.


1) 8Dio - Studio Steel Drums
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These are really high-quality sounding steel drums (probably the most elaborately sampled ones I've ever found in VSTis) for more exotic music:
https://8dio.com/products/steel-drum-for-kontakt-vst-au-aax-samples?variant=41309986717896

It's a whopping 12 GB of content, but it's extremely high-quality with over 55,000 samples (lots of different velocities and playing techniques possible) for particularly realistic playing.
The VSTi sounds something like this:
 

 

Really might sound, huh?
And all that for just $17, which would be extremely cheap even without the price reduction from $28.

It's perfect for exotic Caribbean sounds, which would not only be great for future Star Tropics remixes, but which I had always wanted to use for my own composition “Paradise,” which I had already started working on.
As a reminder, this is what the first short version of the composition sounded like a good seven years ago:
 

And I really wanted to turn it into a truly dreamlike, feel-good holiday and relaxation composition, not only to make a name for myself as a remixer, but also as a composer in my own right in the near future, and to be able to present at least one major composition of my own.


2) 8Dio - Misfits Harmonica
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This is a similarly high-quality sampled harmonica, a VST instrument that I don't yet have in my VSTi collection and which apparently enables all conceivable playing techniques of a real harmonica:
https://8dio.com/products/misfit-harmonica-vst-au-aax?variant=41309893918920

The VSTi has just under 2 GB, over 8000 samples with all possible playing techniques and a pretty convincing, realistic sound:
 

When it comes to music genres, a harmonica may be somewhat limited (it's usually only suitable for certain soundtracks, such as Western music or perhaps ambient music), but for a reduced price of $11 (originally $18), you really can't go wrong.

Unfortunately, it's a shame that the VSTis are apparently only fully compatible with the full version of Kontakt, and you can't buy Kontakt 5 anymore to use it with Windows 7.
I guess I'll have to get a new operating system in the future (and with it, new computer hardware for Windows 11 and the like), which really annoys me and, especially with Windows, is always a bit of a journey into the unknown.
Or I could just use the VSTis in demo mode with a time limit of 15 minutes (Is that the maximum project length for any number of music projects, or will the VSTi stop producing sound in new music projects once the 15 minutes of total usage time have elapsed - and can the VSTi be used to its full extent in Kontakt Player?).

...

What do you think of 8Dio's VSTis?

And what is your experience with VSTis that only run in demo mode in the free Kontakt Player?
Is it worth it if you want to compose properly?

Edited yesterday at 05:59 PM by Master Mi

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Oh shit I'll have to check these out

[Master Mi]

17 hours ago, Geoffrey Taucer said:

Oh shit I'll have to check these out

Yes, there are some really extensively sampled VST instruments that you can't tell apart from their original instrument models.

And some of them, such as the 8Dio Steel Drums or the Misfit Harmonica, are also incredibly cheap, although the developers may be able to offer the VSTis at lower prices because they obviously develop their VSTis exclusively for the full version of Kontakt (which is probably why the VSTis in the free Kontakt Player “only” run in demo mode) and therefore don't have to pay any additional fees to Native Instruments.

I guess that you already have a full version of Kontakt that isn't too old.

...

I, on the other hand, really have to figure out how to achieve my desired goal.
Because I'm actually reluctant to upgrade my still reliable and fast system with a really powerful computer running the still excellent Windows 7 Pro 64-bit operating system (especially since I dread having to reinstall all the DAW-related stuff, third-party VSTis, and other programs - because there was always a lot to keep in mind, which I probably should have made a note of at the time).

And I didn't want to upgrade to Windows 11 Pro yet, because I would probably have to upgrade a few rather expensive hardware components and then probably have to get one of those giant PC cases that wouldn't even fit in the PC niche of my desk, and I would have to buy a new desk and build a new desk attachment for the monitor, studio monitor speakers, audio interface, and headphone amplifier - it would be a never-ending chain of events if I went down that route.

I really racked my brains over this, but in the end I came up with a reasonably satisfactory solution to gain access to more up-to-date VSTis by taking the following steps:


1) Purchase of a 4 TB SSD (currently 2 TB HDD) or a 4 TB (or larger) HDD
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Does anyone have extensive experience with how reliably SSDs work on newer Windows systems?
I once read that Windows 11 or certain Windows updates have occasionally caused SSDs from certain manufacturers to crash or the SSDs were even destroyed.


2) Purchase of Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
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The system will then be considered “insecure” for the next few years.
But hey, I'm just coming out of the Windows 7 era and, apart from reliable external security programs, I would at least have the option of purchasing the latest VSTis if I like one (including the full version of Kontakt 8).

No more annoying Windows updates (as I was already used to with the late Windows 7) and, in theory, Windows 10 Pro 64-bit should be able to utilize hardware resources such as my 32 GB DDR4 RAM even more efficiently than my good ol' Windows 7 Pro 64-bit.


3) Purchase of Kontakt 8
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... so that I can finally make full use of excellent VSTis such as those from 8Dio.

Maybe I should take advantage of any Black Friday special deals in November before the next version of Kontakt is released, which may only support Windows 11.

...

But overall, the investment will definitely cost another 700 to 800 euros if I consider the 4 TB SSD version.

Music production can be a really expensive hobby if you want to keep up with the times (I hope I won't have to worry about annoying hardware upgrades for the next 10 years).
But that's still cheaper and much more enjoyable than having a maintenance-intensive piece of car in the city.


If you have any other good tips, please let me know. ))