Dimension Pro and GPO side-by-side comparison

I have read in these forums posts that assert that Dimension Pro's subset of Garritan Personal Orchestra includes about half, or most, or a good deal of the instruments available in GPO.

This is misleading and inaccurate.

Caveats:
1. I LOVE Dimension Pro. This is not an anti-DimPro post.
2. I have the greatest respect for the folks who take their time to post on these forums and help people out - this is not aimed at any individual.
3. I'm not associated with Garritan and I don't care if you buy their products. I post this because I've seen the question asked enough that I think it's time for the straight scoop so you can make informed buying choices.
4. If the instuments in Dimension Pro are enough for your purposes, by all means be happy and don't buy excess software.

However, people asking about orchestral sample sets are being told things based on hearsay and are not being well-served by the kinds of statements I summarize in my lead-in sentence.

In the interest of putting this issue to rest, I give you a list of the instruments in GPO followed by a list of the Garritan instruments in Dimension Pro.

Generall speaking, the Dim Pro version is well represented in the strings and percussion, and is quite weak in all other categories, especially brass.

Before we begin:
- Both GPO and Dim Pro offer multis, sets of multiple individual instruments. I have omitted these as not being unique instruments.
- I didn't go through all the percussion sets to see if they have the same instruments on both. GPO lists the individual instruments in the user manual which was my source for the list. I have marked the corresponding instruments in the Dim Pro list with an asterisk.
- Individual instruments within sets such as "Orchestral Percussion Combo" are not included in the tallies - the entire set is counted as one instrument.
- GPO offers Dry and Wet versions of each instrument. Essentially the wet has reverb. I don't know whether there's a sample set with reverb in the samples, or if the reverb is added as an effect in the player. I did not count both wet and dry versions.
- GPO offers some Keyswitching instruments (e.g. the KS violin offers tremolo, pizzicato and trills so you can switch between the styles by hitting a note on your controller that is outside the instrument's sounding range rather than using more instrument slots). These appear in the list but are not included in my tallies since they are not unique instruments.
- All instruments listed as Dimension Pro are from within the Garritan folder. There may be similar non-Garritan instruments in other Dim Pro programs.
- Dimension Pro offers much deeper control and tweaking than the Kompakt player that GPO uses.
- "KS" = Keyswitching, "V" = Vibrato, "NV" = No Vibrato.
- Please pardon any typos. My good keyboard broke so I'm using a POS $2 keyboard temporarily and I'm not used to it.

Overall, Dimension Pro has 78 instruments. GPO offers 202. (I did the math in my head, please forgive any inaccuracy.)

In my opinion, if you want to score orchestral music GPO beats Dimension Pro. If you're doing non-orchestral music an need some strings, winds or percussion here and there then Dimension Pro is fine. Use the right tool for the job.

And now...


GPO BRASS (44 instruments)
Bass Trombone 1 Solo
Bass Trombone 2 Solo
Contratuba Solo
French Horn 1 Solo
French Horn 1 Ens1
French Horn 1 Ens2
French Horn 1 Ens3
French Horn 2 Solo
French Horn 2 Ens1
French Horn 2 Ens2
French Horn 2 Ens3
French Horn Solo Mute
French Horn Mute Ens1
French Horn Mute Ens2
French Horn Mute Ens3
French Horn f Overlay
French Horn ff Overlay
Tenor Trombone Solo
Tenor Trombone Ens1
Tenor Trombone Ens2
Tenor Trombone Ens3
Tenor Trombone Solo
Tenor Trombone Mute Ens1
Tenor Trombone Mute Ens2
Tenor Trombone Mute Ens3
Trombone Overlay
Trumpet 1 Solo
Trumpet 1 Ens1
Trumpet 1 Ens2
Trumpet 1 Ens3
Trumpet 2 Solo
Trumpet 2 Ens1
Trumpet 2 Ens2
Trumpet 2 Ens3
Trumpet Piccolo NV Solo
Trumpet Piccolo V Solo
Trumpet Solo Straight Mute
Trumpet Straight Mute Ens1
Trumpet Straight Mute Ens2
Trumpet Straight Mute Ens3
Trumpet Overlay
Tuba 1 Solo
Tuba 2 Solo
Tuba Overlay

DIMENSION PRO BRASS (4 instruments)
French Horn Legato
Trombone Legato
Trumpet Legato
Tuba Legato


GPO KEYBOARDS & HARPS (13 instruments)
Chromatic Harp 1
Chromatic Harp 2
Glissando Harp 1
Glissando Harp 2
Harp Harmonics 1
Harp Harmonics 2
Celesta
Karpsichord KS (3 stops)
Steinway Piano
Steinway Piano Lite
Steinway Piano Duo 1
Steinway Piano Duo 2
Pipe Organ (3 manuals each w/7-11 stops)

DIMENSION PRO KEYBOARDS & HARPS (3 instruments)
Harp Solo
Harp
Harpsichord


GPO PERCUSSION (16 instruments)
Basic Orchestral Percussion Combo (25 instruments, including some of the other ones listed here)
Bass Drum
Crotales
Cymbals (16 types)
Glass Harmonica
Glockenspiel
Grand Symphonic Marimba
Marimba
Handbells
Percussion Toys (18 instruments)
Snares (6 types)
Timpani
Tubular Bells
Vibraphone
Wind Machine
Xylophone

DIMENSION PRO PERCUSSION (9 instruments)
Bass Drum
Cymbals*
Glockenspiel
Gongs, Tamtam*
Marimba
Orchestral Percussion Combo*
Snares*
Timpani*
Xylophone


GPO SECTION STRINGS (43 instruments)
Violin 1 Lush
Violin 1 Lush Mutes
Violins 1 Pizzicato
Violins 1 Short
Violins 1 Sustain+Short
Violins 1 Sustain+Short Mutes
Violins 1 Tremolo
Violins 1 Trills Half-step
Violins 1 Trills Whole-step
Violins 1 KS Combo (Trem, Trill, Pizz)
Violin 2 Lush
Violin 2 Lush Mutes
Violins 2 Pizzicato
Violins 2 Short
Violins 2 Sustain+Short
Violins 2 Sustain+Short Mutes
Violins 2 Tremolo
Violins 2 Trills Half-step
Violins 2 Trills Whole-step
Violins 2 KS Combo (Trem, Trill, Pizz)
Violas Lush
Violas Lush Mutes
Violas Pizzicato
Violas Short
Violas Sustain+Short
Violas Sustain+Short Mutes
Violas Tremolo
Violas Trills Half-step
Violas Trills Whole-step
Violas KS Combo (Trem, Trill, Pizz)
Cellos Lush
Cellos Lush Mutes
Cellos Pizzicato
Cellos Short
Cellos Sustain+Short
Cellos Sustain+Short Mutes
Cellos Tremolo
Cellos Trills Half-step
Cellos Trills Whole-step
Cellos KS Combo (Trem, Trill, Pizz)
Basses Lush
Basses Lush Mutes
Basses Pizzicato
Basses Short
Basses Sustain+Short
Basses Sustain+Short Mutes
Basses KS Combo (Trem, Pizz)
Basses Tremolo

DIMENSION PRO SECTION STRINGS (21 instruments)
Violins Long Bows
Violins Short Bows
Violins Tremolo
Violins Pizzicato
Violas Long Bows
Violas Short Bows
Violas Tremolo
Violas Pizzicato
Cellos Long Bows
Cellos Short Bows
Cellos Tremolo
Cellos Pizzicato
Basses Long Bows
Basses Short Bows
Basses Tremolo
Basses Pizzicato
Full Strings Long & Short Bows
Full Strings Long Bows
Full Strings Short Bows
Full Strings Tremolo
Full Strings Pizzicato


GPO SOLO STRINGS (38 instruments)
Violin 1 Gagliano Solo
Violin 1 Gagliano Ens1
Violin 1 Gagliano Ens2
Violin 1 Gagliano Ens2
Violin 1 Gagliano Pizz Solo
Violin 2 Stradivari Solo
Violin 2 Stradivari Ens1
Violin 2 Stradivari Ens2
Violin 2 Stradivari Ens3
Violin 2 Stradivari Pizz Solo
Violin 3 Guarneri Solo
Violin 3 Guarneri Ens1
Violin 3 Guarneri Ens2
Violin 3 Guarneri Ens3
Violin 3 Guarneri Pizz Solo
Viola Solo
Viola Ens1
Viola Ens2
Viola Ens3
Viola Pizz Solo
Cello 1 Solo
Cello 1 Ens1
Cello 1 Ens2
Cello 1 Ens3
Cello 2 Solo
Cello 2 Ens1
Cello 2 Ens2
Cello 2 Ens3
Cello 3 Solo
Cello 3 Ens1
Cello 3 Ens2
Cello 3 Ens3
Cello Pizz Solo
Double Bass Solo
Double Bass Ens1
Double Bass Ens2
Double Bass Ens3
Double Bass Pizz Solo

DIMENSION PRO SOLO STRINGS (24 instruments)
Violin Legato
Violin Solo Tremolo
Violin Solo Pizzicato
Violin Ens1
Violin Ens2
Violin Ens3
Viola Legato
Viola Solo Tremolo
Viola Solo Pizzicato
Viola Ens1
Viola Ens2
Viola Ens3
Cello Legato
Cello Solo Tremolo
Cello Solo Pizzicato
Cello Ens1
Cello Ens2
Cello Ens3
Double Bass Legato
Double Bass Solo Tremolo
Double Bass Solo Pizzicato
Double Bass Ens1
Double Bass Ens2
Double Bass Ens3


GPO WOODWINDS (48 instruments)
Alto Flute Solo
Alto Flute Ens1
Alto Flute Ens2
Alto Flute Ens3
Bass Clarinet Solo
Bass Clarinet Ens1
Bass Clarinet Ens2
Bass Clarinet Ens3
Bass Flute V Solo
Bass Flute NV Solo
Bass Flute Ens1
Bass Flute Ens2
Bass Flute Ens3
Bassoon 1 Solo
Bassoon 2 Solo
Bassoon Ens1
Bassoon Ens2
Bassoon Ens3
Bb Clarinet Solo
Bb Clarinet Ens1
Bb Clarinet Ens2
Bb Clarinet Ens3
Contrabass Clarinet Solo
Contrabassoon 1 Solo
Contrabassoon 2 Solo
Eb Clarinet Solo
English Horn 1 Solo
English Horn 2 Solo
English Horn Ens1
English Horn Ens2
English Horn Ens3
Flute V Solo
Flute NV Solo
Flute Solo Flutter
Flute Ens1
Flute Ens2
Flute Ens3
Oboe 1 Modern Solo
Oboe 2 Modern Solo
Oboe 3 Modern Solo
Oboe 1 Modern Ens1
Oboe 1 Modern Ens2
Oboe 1 Modern Ens3
Oboe Classical Solo
Oboe D'Amore
Piccolo V Solo
Piccolo NV Solo
Piccolo Flutter

DIMENSION PRO WOODWINDS (17 instruments)
Bass Clarinet Legato
Bassoon Legato
Bb Clarinet Legato
Clarinet Ens1
Clarinet Ens2
Clarinet Ens3
Contrabassoon Legato
Flute NV Legato
Flute V Legato
Flute Ens1
Flute Ens2
Flute Ens3
Oboe Legato
Oboe 1 Modern Ens1
Oboe 1 Modern Ens2
Oboe 1 Modern Ens3
Piccolo Legato

René,

That's interesting about the samples. From a user perspective though, it's obvious within GPO that you can get a different sounding instrument just by loading it up in the player. Also, the Kompakt player (or is in Kontakt? I kan't remember now) makes section-building a little easier with it's 8 instrument slots with independently assignable audio outs. It's not so obvious that you can create other instrument variations easily in Dimension Pro by tweaking certain... tweakables. Speaking for myself, I love poking around and twiddling every knob I can get my hands on (it's my substitute for playing video games, which is completely useless), but I suspect there are many users who want to load and go without spending a lot of time tweaking to get a variation. Tweaking can be very time consuming and frustrating when you have something in mind but can't dial it in, or would rather spend time composing and arranging instead of sound-designing.

I guess we agree that GPO has an advantage for users who want to load and play and leave the tweaking to the pros. I personally would prefer to use Dimension Pro for everything.

Now I wonder if there's anyone who could tell us if "...we aim to expand our cooperation in the future" translates into "GPO for Dim Pro is coming soon!" (hint hint) I would like to take this opportunity to lobby for string samples with user-controllable vibrato. I don't like having it built into the samples. BTW, if expanding your cooperation with Garritan provides you an opportunity to go visit Gary up in Washington you should do it - he's based on Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands, one of the most scenically beautiful spots anywhere. The weather's pretty reliably good after July 5th around those parts.

As for doing a sample by sample comparison, I might be tempted if GPO had a non-monolithic structure, but even just thinking about sitting down and doing that is causing my brain to overheat. I better go take a nap.

I don't think there's any point on which we disagree. My motivation in posting this was that when people post asking for an Orchestral sample set reccomendation they are often told by well-meaning people that Dimension Pro WILL serve as a 1:1 substitute for most of GPO which I think is misleading. Not deliberately so, but misleading nonetheless.

One of the considerable values that Dimension Pro provides is the tweakability. One of the major values that something like GPO provides is the lack of tweakability, that is, the tweaking is already done by the folks at the development company. Clearly both of these very useful products serve different needs, and I dont think potential consumers are served by posters who imply or outright state that Dim Pro is essentially most of GPO and a whole lot more regardless of how good their intentions are, based on some pervasive idea that most of GPO is included in Dim Pro.

The marketing team may have been very careful in their wording in, as you say, "the claim isn't about the number of Instruments, but about the number/size of Samples". The fact is that such distinctions don't survive very long in the world of word-of-mouth and hearsay and as such contribute to confusion rather than alleviating it. I'm not reacting to any published statements by Cakewalk regarding this, I'm reacting to posts on the forum who imply or state things that are not true with respect to the intent of people who ask questions about it.

I think it's worth mentioning that I have the greatest respect for the work you do and the synths you've brought into the world. I'm not implying in any way that I think YOU are misleading anyone. I just don't think some people are getting the answers they need when someone chimes in with "I've heard that Dim Pro includes most of GPO." Such posters are not making the valid and useful distinctions you've made in this thread.

Thanks for a helpful discussion- could I, as a newbie to DP and GPO, make sure I am understanding what is being said here:

-The number is samples from GPO in DP represents over half the samples available in the stand alone GPO
-The possiblity exists for you to take a GPO sample in DP, modify it and have a sound similar to another instrument in GPO, expanding the number of GPO instruments in DP
-Because of the ability to tweak the instruments in DP, purchasing the stand alone GPO would be redundant (or close to it)

One question I have- if you were to purchase GPO, could you use those samples not included in DP to further expand the number of instruments in DP?

thanks again for your very helpful insights and expertise!

GPO KEYBOARDS & HARPS (13 instruments)
Chromatic Harp 1
Chromatic Harp 2
Glissando Harp 1
Glissando Harp 2
Harp Harmonics 1
Harp Harmonics 2
Celesta
Karpsichord KS (3 stops)
Steinway Piano
Steinway Piano Lite
Steinway Piano Duo 1
Steinway Piano Duo 2
Pipe Organ (3 manuals each w/7-11 stops)

DIMENSION PRO KEYBOARDS & HARPS (3 instruments)
Harp Solo
Harp
Harpsichord

I thought Dim Pro had grand piano. I've been considering getting it and the sound samples on Cakewalk website have several piano examples. Can anyone confirm whether or not Dim Pro has grand piano?

9 Different entries, yep. Thanks for the comparison, Mycranium - very complete...

Can anyone confirm whether or not Dim Pro has grand piano?

ORIGINAL: AT
Dimesion pro has many pianos - grand, upright, ambient (or is it alien? in the Dimension folder). There are about 1/2 a dozen different grand pianos under pianos. Obviously, Cake didn't need the Garritan pianos. While some people extoll the new piano sampler that is out (I forget the name) most of us can do quite nicely with DimPro. Even nekkid it sounds pretty good.

ORIGINAL: Roflcopter
9 Different entries, yep.

ORIGINAL: lawapa
But DP is the berrys at my computer.

I put in my order for DP this morning. Thanks!