Orchestral Library under 500$

You should look at East West Symphonic Orchestra Gold Complete for $495. While it is a few years old it still holds up great against newer stuff. I personally use it almost everyday and used it to do a soundtrack for a film last year.

http://www.soundsonline.com/Symphonic-Orchestra

The only downside is you have to have an ilok to run EWSO. Some people do not like ilok's and that will cost you another $50 if you don't already have one.

You should look at Kirk Hunter Studios which has several string libraries that are first rate, and they also have a full orchestra called Diamond.  This past Holiday/Christmas there was a big group buy and these were very very affordable.  They are of exceptionally high quality.  The Pop/Rock strings currently is $249 and the Diamond Orchestra is a little over your price at $549.  You can get their Concert Strings II sections like the Whole Divisions or Half Divisions or Quarter Divisions or Solo for $249 each.  The Complete Concert Strings II is $749 which is more than you want to spend, but it was much less than that with that group sale six months ago.  Here is his website: http://www.kirkhunterstudios.com/index.html  I also would check over at KVR forums as there are sections/threads on Kirk Hunter Studios http://www.kvraudio.com/f...ic.php?p=4920740 

SAM EO is outstanding but wouldn't suggest it unless I already had a bread & butter type orchestra.
Cinematic in style, great for layering & also my fav for creating  & developing ideas.
Again, it depends on what you're going to use for, it sounds great as all SAM products do.

->Also here's a link to try-sound.com,  never tried it myself but you may like to check it out to demo SAM OE..

http://www.try-sound.com/index.asp/en

Kreative

carl


SAM EO is outstanding but wouldn't suggest it unless I already had a bread & butter type orchestra already.
Cinematic in style, great for layering & also my fav for creating  & developing ideas.
Again, it depends on what you're going to use for, it sounds great as all SAM products do.

Also here's a link to try-sound.com,  never tried it myself but you may like to check it out to demo SAM OE..

http://www.try-sound.com/index.asp/en

When you say "bread and butter" you mean non cinematic? I take it that you believe the cinematic sound is limited in application because it has a larger presence in a mix, versus something dry  and scaled down, like a Kirk Hunter Pop/Strings?

Again, it all depends on you needs or what you'll be using them for. If you compose mostly string quartets 'in the style of' then you probably won't get same amount of use out of SAM OE as opposed to a more standard library or one that's better suited for that style.

From all the comments I read about OE, I can't lose by buying it. I have also got CineOrch and Vivace,[ Evolve] and London Strings to get me started for my first film scoring project, among other elements already bought, and yet to come, perhaps.

I'll need a new PC to advance towards these other libraries. Mine just won't cut it w/some of them.

You know, I get a lot of mileage out of the VSL Special Edition orchestral library. It covers a lot of instruments, has sampled legato intervals, cross-fading dynamics, and a decent array of basic articulation types. VSL SE makes a nice bread & butter orchestral library also because it's recorded pretty dry, so you have a lot of flexibility for whether you're going for a close, intimate tone or a large epic sound.

Bristol_Jonesey


It'll pain you to know this, but I recently picked up EWQLSO Platinum Plus for the princely sum of £339.60 from Digital Village

Yeah, but do you have a DAW to use it on?

Bristol_Jonesey


It'll pain you to know this, but I recently picked up EWQLSO Platinum Plus for the princely sum of £339.60 from Digital Village

And that is why you always wait for EW to have a sale. They have good ones and often for us poor folks.

Someone usually does..., including myself. 

And as per "Eyes",

"Eyes"
East West always has sales on, so if you don't mind holding off for a we while you may will be able to get a good deal.

Bristol_Jonesey

bapu

Bristol_Jonesey


It'll pain you to know this, but I recently picked up EWQLSO Platinum Plus for the princely sum of £339.60 from Digital Village

Yeah, but do you have a DAW to use it on?

2morrow Ed, 2morrow

Brilliant.

There's also always MOTU Symphonic Instrument. It's fairly cheap and at least their Ethno Instrument is really usable.


But I'd give my vote to VSL Special Edition and Spitfire Albion. Then again the VSL orchestra patches that come with Kontakt are very good as well.