Best strings (the one that the pro's use)?

A combination of all 3 plus more. Some are better suited for different material & user needs. I prefer VSL for more symphonic works.

  A guy who I know, gets lots of TV cuts uses Komplete as well, saying it is one of the best all around packages with decent sounds. 

All the ones you listed are very popular in the active writers & composers circles.

Okay, I can tell you who the dev is. It's Kirk Hunter Studios. The deals are going to be huge, better than any high end strings or brass library I've ever seen. 

If you're looking for pro users of Kirk Hunter String libraries, I'll cut and paste the copy for a press release I'm putting together for the Group Buy. 

ABOUT KIRK HUNTER STUDIOS SAMPLE LIBRARIES:
Kirk Hunter Studios strings and brass libraries are used by customers such as Kerry Livgren (Kansas), Jeff Bova (Eric Clapton, Billy Joel, Kelly Clarkson, David Archileta, Celine Dion, Michael Jackson, Joe Cocker, etc.), Bruce Miller (Josh Stone, Rod Stewart, Gladys Knight, shows such as Frasier, Designing Women, etc.), Jeff Beal (4 time Emmy winner; Medium, Ugly Betty, etc.), Alan Silvestri (The Mummy Returns, Lilo & Stitch, Polar Express, Night at the Museum, etc.). Our libraries are used on numerous popular TV shows, such as American Idol.  See the website for endorsements:
http://kirkhunterstudios.com/testimonials.html

carl


Are these the same KHSO samples that were re-packaged & released with a group buy about a year ago using the same KHSO samples used in Yellow Tools/ Independence orchestral Strings library?

That information is incorrect, Carl. 

I worked on that Group Buy you mentioned, and it was exclusively for the newly released Pop/Rock Strings KONTAKT library (including KONTAKT Player). I approached Kirk with the idea for that product. It was not a "re-packaging" of the Kirk Hunter Studios samples used in Independence. Pop / Rock Strings, but is basically a lighter version of Concert Strings II (the same sections, but less samples; I think Pop / Rock Strings is around 8GB, whereas Concert String II is around 25G), which is a very recently recorded/produced and very high end library with sophisticated KONTAKT scripting. 

As I recall, the Kirk Hunter Studios library used for Yellow Tools Independence was based on an older KONTAKT library, not visa versa (to be clear, I am posting here as a user and not a representative for Kirk Hunter Studios; I'm a marketing professional that does consult to Kirk Hunter Studios; but I'm also a former working musician and avid user of sample libraries).  But like most third-party libraries for Independence, those libraries don't feature the sophisticated programming you'll find in the KONTAKT libraries. 

Just my perspective, but for me, usability-wise, there's no comparison between using a sample library without sophisticated KONTAKT scripting and an old school sample library, which is primarily what the vast majority of the Independence libraries are (granted, I think they have a new version which allows for scripting, but a lot of the third-party libraries for Independence don't take advantage of scripting capabilities). Old school sample libraries were all about size and tons of different patches. Newer libraries are more extensive and playable due to sophisticated programming/scripting. I'd never go back to using libraries without these capabilities. 

carl


Great, I have those. Looking forward to the sale. I may pick up a few new titles.
Post it here when the sale goes online.

Sure thing, Carl!

+1 for Kirk Hunter. I only have the pop and rock package but it's excellent and a big step up from the KHSO strings in Independence.

I have Komplete 7/ full 4 player, is there any difference with the way these libraries function or any added features using Komplete 8/ 5 player?

thanks

@hellogoodbye If you want to check out videos of the various Kirk Hunter Studios libraries in action, there are more than two dozen videos on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MuzkGuy

 There's a new set out called "Albion" designed by two pros,Paul Thomson and Christian Henson of  Spitfire Audio who wanted something taylor made for movie work.

 Made in the UK,top players from the English Session Orchestra were hired. These are some of the very best string players in the world.


http://www.gearslutz.com/board/new-product-alert/637115-spitfire-albion-orchestral-sample-library-now-released.html

 

You really should be comparing apples to apples. You are comparing LASS flagship $1,399 library against the economical $249 Pop/Rock Strings library. A more fair comparison would be Concert Strings II to LASS. However, listening to the Pop / Rock MP3 of Eleanor Rigby, the Kirk Hunter Pop/Rock Strings MP3 file itself sounds pretty low quality to me. I originally asked Kirk to make a demo of Eleanor Rigby and he sent me a WAV file, which sounds excellent. I'll ask Kirk about putting up a high quality WAV file. But I can't help but wonder if your referring to the LASS demo as more "clear and real" is related to both (1) the MP3 file quality and (2) the EQ, effects, mix/mastering of each demo (i.e., the YouTube audio has a very strong high end, whereas the Pop/Rock Strings audio demo does not). Now, of course, you may still find you prefer one library over the other (LASS vs Concert Strings II), after all, it is very subjective and beauty is in the ear of the beholder. But my experience is that a lot of sample buyers fall in love with the EQ, effects, performance, mix and/or mastering of a demo and are distracted from the actual samples themselves (this, of course, relates to sample buyers who are disappointed after they purchase a library, finding that it doesn't "sound just like the demo"). Consequently, there's nothing better than getting a product demo of a library before buying it (either from the dev or even trying them out at a local music store or a friend's house).

@hellogoodbye You know, a few years back, I remember Kirk posting somewhere about having a time limited user demo. I'll ask him if he still does anything like that. IMO, nothing compares to having even part of the library so you can hear for yourself how the raw samples sound and the scripting works. Of course, in your case, you would need to pair that with the KONTAKT Player, which would mean that you could only try the strings out for 15 minutes (it used to be 30 minutes in past versions, but NI shortened the time) before it stops you from using them; you will need to restart the Player. But, if Kirk has a product demo, I still think, even with KONTAKT Player's 15 minute limitation on 3rd party libraries, you would still appreciate being able to hear the samples for yourself. I know you posted that you were using GPO (I also own GPO as well as several other developers string libraries) and I think you would be very impressed with the quality difference of even Pop / Rock Strings as compared to GPO. When I worked with Kirk on the last Group Buy around a year ago, a fair amount of people had owned GPO and were blown away by the quality difference of Pop / Rock Strings. You can check out the feedback from people who bought Pop / Rock Strings here: http://www.kvraudio.com/f...ad4521bc435502c025455c I should note that since then, Pop / Rock Strings, as well as other Kirk Hunter Studios libraries, have been significantly enhanced by the recently released TVEC 3. (For more info: http://www.kirkhunterstudios.com/tvec3_prs.html) - Peter

@digitalboy That's a great comparison between ezDrummer and Pop / Rock Strings (I'm a ToonTrack fan/customer, so it especially rings true for me). That is consistent with what Kirk and I had in mind with that product. Kirk went far beyond the specs I had originally suggested (I mainly wanted solo stings and a little more) . I think, for most musicians who write in the rock/hip hop/singer/ songrwiter/ R&B/funk/country and other contemporary pop genres that library is a great choice. There's nothing else like it for anywhere near the price on the market (a KONTAKT Player library with lots of layers, scripting, round robin, auto legato, etc.) at  it's list price of $249 USD. With this Group Buy, it is potentially going to go A LOT lower than that if it gets to the same number as the last Group Buy. But this time there are going to be more of Kirk Hunter Studios libraries included. I think I can share this. In addition to Pop / Rock Strings, Concert Strings II is almost certainly going to be included. 

Another option, if price is a consideration, might be LASS lite. Still about $500 but you get all the benefits of the full LASS (including A.R.T and auto-arranger) minus the divisi. I usually have to throw in a little Symphobia (mixed low) to give it a little more of that Hollywood sound, but I still think it's the best thing out there. Having said that, there are times that I'll use the high violins in VSL Special Edition over LASS, or the cellos from GPO. They all have their own sounds and I need a little bit of all of them from time to time!

 I just informed Spitfire that their demos link isn't working. .....

Update... Does not work on some Firefox browsers.

Hi Carl, The Group Buy didn't launch just yet. But some folks over at KVR found some pages on kirkhunterstudios.com proclaiming a Group Buy with up to 75% discounts -- I'm not confirming nor denying this rumor! ;) I'll definitely post here right away, as I am a regular visitor to this site, KVR, VI-Control and V-Drums.com (I've been using Sonar since the first version and the early versions of Twelve Tone Software, I forgot the old name of the original name of the flagship product -- was it Cakewalk Pro Audio? -- before they called it Sonar!). 

Not every Kirk Hunter Studios product is in the Group Buy (although, I bet if you lobby Kirk in the GB thread at KVR and can get others to back your cause, he'll consider it), but it looks very likely to be Pop / Rock Strings, Concert Strings II, Concert Brass II and Diamond and that will include the TVEC 3 update -- which has been getting some great user reviews over at KVR. The Group Buy is likely to launch today. I'll post here immediately following the KVR thread and form up on kirkhunterstudios.com. In a nutshell, Kirk is testing brining pro level libraries to a wider market. 

Again, I'm not confirming or denying the 75% discount deal someone claimed on KVR, but consider how such a discount would make KHS pro libraries like Concert Strings II, which have been used in all sorts of TV, movies and pop productions, accessible to working musicians, home hobbyists, etc. Basically the same folks who may have otherwise been using GPO (which was one of my early string libraries). Concert Strings II, Concert Brass II or Diamond or even Pop / Rock Strings are an enormous step up. Consider the libraries comparable to Concert Strings and they don't sell for under $700 even when heavily discounted (LASS lists at $1299 USD and the lowest sale price I've seen is $999 USD); if the 75% rumor were true, that would mean Concert Strings II could go as low as around $200 USD. I can say that this Group Buy is about to change the price to value relationship in orchestral libraries -- potentially in a big way -- I'm most excited about that aspect. Making high end libraries that historically are aimed at the pro audience and the serious amateurs (with lots of money; far beyond my own humble budget) accessible to the average working musician on a tight budget and home hobbyists is, imo, a pretty good thing. 

 - Peter