Marshall
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The wonderful world of VST instruments
Over the past year I have invested quite heavily in third party effects - mainly Waves, but others as well, and I feel these have taken my song productions up several notches. Essentially I am an electric guitar/bass player and singer, but I am now interested in getting into a new area - VST instruments. Up until now, I have occasionally added keyboard parts to my songs and this has been almost exclusively through Dim Pro.
I am not however, a keyboard player really, and my interest in instruments has been sparked by MIDI Guitar 2 as an input method - it really is excellent.
I guess I am primarily interested in "real" instruments - e.g., woodwind, brass, strings. I am not really looking to create my own soundscapes - I mean I only use DimPro presets, and I haven't got a clue about editing them.
I've seem various posts about the Full Version of Kontakt and some good third party instruments that need the "full" version - I had a look at the NI site and TBH felt somewhat confused - I don't know where to start.
What would be a good starting point? Kontakt seems great, but if you recommend that, where do I start? Any others I should consider? Perhaps Kontakt is overkill if I am only looking to play real instruments?
Any pointers gratefully received.
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TheMaartian
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Re: The wonderful world of VST instruments
2017/09/03 17:11:59
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The full version of Kontakt is definitely worth having...at some point. When you can find a good price on it. There are a lot of free Kontakt VIs, ALL of which require the full version. Some of the paid Kontakt VIs (most of the expensive ones) pay the NI licensing fee and work great with the free Kontakt Player, so check that. Something else to take a look at is the free UVI Workstation ( https://www.uvi.net/en/so...uvi-workstation.html). It's a terrific piece of software and there are some excellent instruments available for it. For pianos, for example, VI Labs True Keys pianos ( https://www.vilabsaudio.com/truekeyspianos) are outstanding.
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TheMaartian
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Re: The wonderful world of VST instruments
2017/09/03 17:12:04
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Intel i7 3.4GHz, 16 GB RAM, 2 TB HD Win10 Home 64-bit Tascam US-16x08 Studio One 4 Pro Notion 6 Melodyne 4 Studio Acoustica 7 Guitar Pro 7 PreSonus FaderPort Nektar P6 M-Audio BX8 D2 Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro NI K9U XLN AK, AD2 AAS VS-2, GS-2, VA-2, EP-4, CP-2, OD Toontrack SD3, EZK
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eph221
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Re: The wonderful world of VST instruments
2017/09/03 17:35:39
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Marshall just subscribe to composer cloud. Save your hard earned cash
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AllanH
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Re: The wonderful world of VST instruments
2017/09/03 18:33:04
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The East West instrument collection at Composer Cloud is extensive and reasonably priced for what you get.
If you already know you want orchestral instruments, look at EWQL Hollywood Orchestra. The Diamond edition of Hollywood Orchestra is $466 right now, which is silly cheap. Start with that (that's what I did). I consider Hollywood Orchestra one of the best VST collections.
Sonar Platinum, EWHO/D, Spitfire, Miroslav, Pianoteq, ...., Kurzweil.
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Fleer
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Re: The wonderful world of VST instruments
2017/09/03 18:36:43
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"We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl" (Wish You Were Here)
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Marshall
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Re: The wonderful world of VST instruments
2017/09/04 12:34:46
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AllanH
The East West instrument collection at Composer Cloud is extensive and reasonably priced for what you get.
If you already know you want orchestral instruments, look at EWQL Hollywood Orchestra. The Diamond edition of Hollywood Orchestra is $466 right now, which is silly cheap. Start with that (that's what I did). I consider Hollywood Orchestra one of the best VST collections.
I have had a good look at the tutorial videos, and this looks like an amazing package. I am somewhat daunted by what it can do, in that I have almost zero music theory, and I am not trying to write for films or games, let alone write classical music, but I love the sounds I hear and I think I could incorporate these into my relatively simple songwriting. Can someone with no theory background use this more or less out of the box?
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Fleer
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Re: The wonderful world of VST instruments
2017/09/04 13:28:08
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Oh yeah. I did. And I do.
"We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl" (Wish You Were Here)
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AllanH
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Re: The wonderful world of VST instruments
2017/09/04 15:02:57
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☄ Helpfulby Marshall 2017/09/04 17:16:13
Marshall
AllanH
... I consider Hollywood Orchestra one of the best VST collections.
I have had a good look at the tutorial videos, and this looks like an amazing package.
I am somewhat daunted by what it can do, in that I have almost zero music theory, and I am not trying to write for films or games, let alone write classical music, but I love the sounds I hear and I think I could incorporate these into my relatively simple songwriting. Can someone with no theory background use this more or less out of the box?
Hollywood Orchestra is not simple, but it is one of the best. I'm not sure you can get top-of-the-line product, with the associated flexibility, without it having a learning curve. Certainly not at EWQL HO's price. If all you want is ensemble strings, brass, and woods, I'd look at something like Spitfires Albion One. However, the price is about the same (right now), and you give up endless flexibility for a one-click good sound. You'll regret that later (imo). AlbionOne is excellent in a different way, and I have it. Sonar does come with a simple section strings, Rapture etc, so you already have "simple". Only you can decide if you are ready for pro-class instrument.
Sonar Platinum, EWHO/D, Spitfire, Miroslav, Pianoteq, ...., Kurzweil.
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bitflipper
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Re: The wonderful world of VST instruments
2017/09/04 17:00:21
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☄ Helpfulby Marshall 2017/09/04 17:15:57
Totally agree that Kontakt is a good investment. A fair chunk of change up front, but it'll actually save you money in the long run as it allows you to take advantage of all the inexpensive libraries that don't run on the free player. The reason they're cheaper is they don't have to include the surcharge they have to pay to Native Instruments in exchange for making their products compatible with the free player.
My advice would be to buy Kontakt and satisfy yourself with the bundled factory content for awhile. There's a lot in there to keep you busy for months to come. After you've used it for awhile, you'll identify specific instruments that are missing, could sound better, or be more versatile. You're then in a better position to start looking around for specific products to augment your collection. I would not start with a full orchestral package, especially if that's not your focus.
It's easy to get sucked into the world of sampled instruments and become a collector. As a recovering addict myself, I can attest that you can end up with terabytes of stuff you rarely if ever actually use. That glass harmonium sounded so cool in the demos!
Try to stay rooted and think in terms of what you'd like to add to your music instead of assuming exotic libraries will fire your creativity. You'll find that most truly useful stuff is pretty mundane: hand percussion, basic strings and brass, vocal oohs, electric and acoustic pianos. And don't lose sight of the fact that synthesizers are often viable and cheaper alternatives to sampled instruments, with no compromises as far as credibility in a recording (e.g. Hammond organs and Wulitzer EPs).
 All else is in doubt, so this is the truth I cling to. My Stuff
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KHARMA
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Re: The wonderful world of VST instruments
2017/09/04 19:05:25
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Hi Marshall,
Since I seem to be in a similar place as the one you describe, I'll add some of my thoughts. I was a guitar player for many years but am now very limited in what I can play due to a medical condition. I never played keyboards. In composing music now I've been using MIDI Guitar to play in the very simple (and rough) motifs I come up with, then heavily editing the MIDI before finding VST instruments to play them. Since DimPro and many free or low priced soft synths offer lots of electronic sounds for this, I've been getting into the sample libraries for the realistic instruments I want like saxes, basses, and also guitars, which I need because my playing is so weak.
I've not taken the Kontact plunge yet but have looked at many sample libraries and recently purchased a couple of Ample libraries and also Real Guitar instruments. Here are some issues I've run into, some of which may have answers that I've not yet found:
1. When I use MIDI Guitar, I'm still trying to figure how to successfully and reproducibility record guitar articulations like pitch bend, slide, hammer on. There are lots of settings that I'm working thru and I'm still learning. But without these, my MIDI guitar parts don't sound real. (Even tho much of the MIDI guitar info claims it does this, I'm still not there somehow.)
2. Once I figure out 1, I'm still not sure the recorded part will correctly fire the corresponding Ample articulations, since Ample produces its articulations with proprietary keyswitches. So coding these into the MIDI manually or playing them in afterwards with my keyboard controller (I can do 1 or 2 fingers) seems like my only choices so far. I'd like this to be more seamless but fear it won't be.
3. Every other sample library, Kontact stuff included, seems like it is going to have the same issue. If you buy a sax VST, the needed articulations are sax specific and the key switches are proprietary to that VST. A skilled keyboard player with both hands can play these in using the VST instrument's split keyboard layout, key switches in one area, parts in another. But I don't understand how MIDI Guitar can be used to full advantage if you want to play them in that way.
4. Basses can be an exception if you don't need slapping or stylized articulations. Straight MIDI can work and many of the non-sample soft synths, even DimPro, can produce decent sounding bass sounds in many contexts. An orchestral bass part might be different tho.
Sorry this raises more questions rather than answering them. But maybe others with more experience and similar circumstances will be able to offer input on the above.
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dmbaer
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Re: The wonderful world of VST instruments
2017/09/04 20:07:34
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If I'm not mistaken, Kontakt retails for $400 USD. Native Instruments have 50% off sales now and then. I don't recall what their Black Friday MO is, but I suspect that's a regular, predictable sale time. If you can wait for eleven (or so) weeks, you can probably save significant bucks.
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Fleer
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Re: The wonderful world of VST instruments
2017/09/04 20:35:49
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☄ Helpfulby pentimentosound 2017/09/16 13:46:43
Mmmm, that sweet glass harmonium
"We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl" (Wish You Were Here)
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JohnKenn
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Re: The wonderful world of VST instruments
2017/09/04 21:35:38
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Marshall, +1 to Kontakt. Coin of the realm, and to the other excellent advices already given. For cheap thrills (as in free), one underused and under the radar bunch of gems is with the DSK instruments. Doesn't have the range of expressions or the programming features of Kontakt, but excellent quality sounds to play with if you are learning keyboard. Properly mixed into a song, will pass for some hi end package. Check this out for the downloads: http://www.dskmusic.com/ Happy hunting, John
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bigcatt
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Re: The wonderful world of VST instruments
2017/09/05 05:22:46
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☄ Helpfulby pentimentosound 2017/09/16 13:47:13
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bigcatt
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Re: The wonderful world of VST instruments
2017/09/05 05:22:52
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☄ Helpfulby pentimentosound 2017/09/16 13:47:15
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Marshall
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Re: The wonderful world of VST instruments
2017/09/05 13:20:24
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bitflipper
Totally agree that Kontakt is a good investment. A fair chunk of change up front, but it'll actually save you money in the long run as it allows you to take advantage of all the inexpensive libraries that don't run on the free player. The reason they're cheaper is they don't have to include the surcharge they have to pay to Native Instruments in exchange for making their products compatible with the free player.
My advice would be to buy Kontakt and satisfy yourself with the bundled factory content for awhile. There's a lot in there to keep you busy for months to come. After you've used it for awhile, you'll identify specific instruments that are missing, could sound better, or be more versatile. You're then in a better position to start looking around for specific products to augment your collection. I would not start with a full orchestral package, especially if that's not your focus.
It's easy to get sucked into the world of sampled instruments and become a collector. As a recovering addict myself, I can attest that you can end up with terabytes of stuff you rarely if ever actually use. That glass harmonium sounded so cool in the demos!
Try to stay rooted and think in terms of what you'd like to add to your music instead of assuming exotic libraries will fire your creativity. You'll find that most truly useful stuff is pretty mundane: hand percussion, basic strings and brass, vocal oohs, electric and acoustic pianos. And don't lose sight of the fact that synthesizers are often viable and cheaper alternatives to sampled instruments, with no compromises as far as credibility in a recording (e.g. Hammond organs and Wulitzer EPs).
Dave Your advice is welcome and makes a lot of sense. I hope I have enough sense to follow it :-) I am definitely prone to GAS. Of course, if you throw enough mud at the wall, some of it sticks, but one of the best investments I have made in recent years has been in an all-access Groove 3 pass. I also hear what you say about the more run of the mill stuff being the most useful. Getting good quality mainstream orchestral instruments is most definitely something that I am after. And synthesizers - yep, I have used VB3 extensively in my recordings in the past year or so. Definitely erring toward Kontakt. Bill
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BassDaddy
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Re: The wonderful world of VST instruments
2017/09/05 13:57:06
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☄ Helpfulby pentimentosound 2017/09/16 13:47:42
My only added thought would be that Getting Komplete can be no more than Kontakt depending on sales and promos. Almost VSTi's NI has come out with in the last few years goes in Kontakt or Reaktor so you are not really getting off track with Komplete. You would get Absynth, Massive and FM8 as stand alones. Those 3 are a good foundation for anyone. Since Kontakt and Komplete can be had for about the same price...just sayin'.
It's Bass, not Bass. i7 2700K, 16GB DDR3, 2 SSD sample drives and OS drive, HDD SATAIII for projects, 2 24" monitors Focusrite Saffire Pro 24, Focusrite VRM Box, LAVA Lamp, SONAR Platinum 64 bit, Mackie MCU and 1 MCU XT, Akai Advance 49, Windows 10, Komplete 9 Ultimate, Cakewalk, Toontrack, IK, AAS, XLN, UVI, Air Music Tech, Waves Factory, Sample Tek and Sonivox VSTi's. Overloud, T-Racks, Audio Damage, D16, Nomad Factory, Waves Gold FX
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abacab
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Re: The wonderful world of VST instruments
2017/09/06 22:46:38
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DAW: CbB; Sonar Platinum, and others ...
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Marshall
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Re: The wonderful world of VST instruments
2017/09/07 07:26:39
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abacab
SampleTank 3. $199
http://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/sampletank3/
Interesting - I hadn't thought of Sampletank. Sound on Sound describe it as a jack of all trades, but master of none. Is that fair? I do want top quality sounds, which provide a significant upgrade from Dim Pro, which is my go to at the moment.I also see that instruments can't be edited at sample level - I have never done this before anyway, but it might be fun. So I am still leaning toward Kontakt. Opinions welcomed!
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MGC59
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Re: The wonderful world of VST instruments
2017/09/07 12:19:18
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☄ Helpfulby Marshall 2017/09/07 14:14:44
As a devoted vst instrument user....(most of my tunes fall into the rock category). I own many different collections. I used Toontrack Superior Drummer 2 for drums, Kontakt for basses, organs, and acoustic/electric pianos, Dimension Pro for strings and assorted synth sounds and Music Lab's Real Guitars.
I use a lot of other libraries like Sampletank, Orangetree, Indiginus, ect....
That being said, many of the instruments included in Cakewalk Platinum could replace all of these with the exception of the virtual guitars.
Kontakt, long ago, replaced Sampletank as my go to swiss army knife of sounds. Kontakt's libraries including many 3rd parties, just make mixing a lot easier. The sounds sit in the mix better than most imho.
It's great to be able to have so many choices and options....it's a good time to be making music.
Mark Sonar Platinum by Bandlab Version: 2018.05 Build 19 (64-bit), Roland Octa-Capture Intel i7 CPU 930 @ 2.80GHz 2.83 GHz 12 GB RAM Windows 7 SP1 64-bit OS, A-800Pro Controller, Acronis True Image Home 2011,
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abacab
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Re: The wonderful world of VST instruments
2017/09/07 14:22:05
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Marshall
abacab
SampleTank 3. $199
http://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/sampletank3/
Interesting - I hadn't thought of Sampletank. Sound on Sound describe it as a jack of all trades, but master of none. Is that fair? I do want top quality sounds, which provide a significant upgrade from Dim Pro, which is my go to at the moment.I also see that instruments can't be edited at sample level - I have never done this before anyway, but it might be fun. So I am still leaning toward Kontakt. Opinions welcomed!
I think that SampleTank 3 has very good acoustic and electric bass and guitar samples. Also the brass and woodwinds sound very good, and each come in two categories, Classical and Jazz-Pop. Solo and ensemble are available as well. ST3 meets my needs for real instruments, but if you want serious orchestral libraries, you may want to look at the IK Miroslav Philharmonik collection. Or choose from one of the previously suggested 3rd party orchestral libraries for this purpose. The ST3 string samples supplied are good quality, but if you get serious, you may want more articulation control for playing. So I feel that ST3 goes way beyond Dimension Pro as far as sampling goes. And it is multitimbral, like Kontakt, so you can assign multiple instruments slots to MIDI channels 1-16 in one instance of the VST. I love Dim Pro, but it will always be a synthesizer that play samples first, not really a sampler. It has it's place, but there are better options if you want to add real instrument sounds to your arrangements. Recommend you download and play around with both the free SampleTank CS and the free Kontakt Player. They both provide a free factory library of included instruments. Worth having, and you can get a feel for how these work. The free, expandable, full featured SampleTank 3:http://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/sampletankcs/ Free sample player based on KONTAKT 5:https://www.native-instruments.com/en/products/komplete/samplers/kontakt-5-player/
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bitflipper
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Re: The wonderful world of VST instruments
2017/09/07 15:42:36
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...Sound on Sound describe it [Sampletank 3] as a jack of all trades, but master of none. Is that fair? I believe that is a fair assessment. Sorry, abacab. If you're getting some use out of it I'm happy for you, but my experience has not been positive at all. SampleTank 2 was a staple for me for years, not because it had great samples (they were mediocre) but because it had an incredible breadth of instrument choices. Coupled with Miroslav and add-on libraries, it was a treasure trove of sounds. We were all very excited when ST3 was announced, and IKM seemed to be serious about enhancing the product to compete with more sophisticated offerings. With no demo available, I bought it on faith. I was terribly disappointed. There are definitely usable instruments in there, but none of them meet the standards of quality we've come to expect from sample libraries of recent years. I tried hard to find uses for it, but never could. I still haven't re-installed it on my new (now over 1 year old) computer, and not just because I was indignant that they wanted to charge me 10 bucks to re-download it. It just wasn't worth the bother.
All else is in doubt, so this is the truth I cling to. My Stuff
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abacab
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Re: The wonderful world of VST instruments
2017/09/07 17:50:31
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bitflipper
...Sound on Sound describe it [Sampletank 3] as a jack of all trades, but master of none. Is that fair?
I believe that is a fair assessment. Sorry, abacab. If you're getting some use out of it I'm happy for you, but my experience has not been positive at all.
SampleTank 2 was a staple for me for years, not because it had great samples (they were mediocre) but because it had an incredible breadth of instrument choices. Coupled with Miroslav and add-on libraries, it was a treasure trove of sounds. We were all very excited when ST3 was announced, and IKM seemed to be serious about enhancing the product to compete with more sophisticated offerings. With no demo available, I bought it on faith. I was terribly disappointed. There are definitely usable instruments in there, but none of them meet the standards of quality we've come to expect from sample libraries of recent years. I tried hard to find uses for it, but never could. I still haven't re-installed it on my new (now over 1 year old) computer, and not just because I was indignant that they wanted to charge me 10 bucks to re-download it. It just wasn't worth the bother.
ST3 is still an affordable upgrade if all you have is Dimension Pro, which the OP mentioned is his goal to upgrade from Dim Pro, to acquire some real instrument sounds. And I got it for free with an iRig keys controller.  Sure it doesn't hold a candle to $1000 sample libraries that film score composers need, but there are many users out there who are not necessarily ever going to need all that. With all due respect, the only people who seem to trash SampleTank are those who were originally SampleTank 2 users, who feel they got burned on the upgrade. If you were, you have my sympathies... But be honest, that it is the company you have a grudge against, and not the product. ST3 delivers what it claims to just fine!
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thepianist65
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Re: The wonderful world of VST instruments
2017/09/07 19:23:41
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My vote also for Kontakt, and the many fine libraries that you can use. Many of the Komplete collection is good (although I own, but don't use ,many pieces of the collection). I am another one of the ST 2 users that has stopped using it over the years. Thanksgiving is almost always a 50% off sale for NI, and that's when I got the full version years ago; I have never regretted it, and now use multiple instances of Kontakt in all of my projects.
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MGC59
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Re: The wonderful world of VST instruments
2017/09/08 02:53:24
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I too was a Sampletank user... I begrudgingly bought ST3 (after waiting for many years) and was very disappointed. While there are some decent sounds I noticed that most of my favorite ST2 sounds didn't port over...(we're talking individual patches not entire banks)....I actually still use ST2 way more often than I do ST3 so that I can access my favorite presets.
I also forgot to mention that I love and use Wavestation by Korg. It was very inexpensive and comes with lots of useful sounds in a wide variety of instruments. It is highly programmable too.
I will always be grateful to Sampletank for lagging on the release of ST3. To fill the void I bought Kontakt Komplete and rarely looked back....
Mark Sonar Platinum by Bandlab Version: 2018.05 Build 19 (64-bit), Roland Octa-Capture Intel i7 CPU 930 @ 2.80GHz 2.83 GHz 12 GB RAM Windows 7 SP1 64-bit OS, A-800Pro Controller, Acronis True Image Home 2011,
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Vastman
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Re: The wonderful world of VST instruments
2017/09/08 07:12:51
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A lot of good thoughts above... but id be very careful...after spending well over $25K on sample libraries and synths I wasted loads of bucks on stuff I don't use anymore... EW sucks but composer cloud is a cheap way to see that for yourself... Sample Tank is 2nd tier also. Even the UVI player has mostly 2nd tier crap..except for Bohemian Violin & Cello, which are truly breathtaking! Wait for the sale on Kontakt! However MOST content packaged with it is also second tier... I use NONE OF IT! If you want a full orchestra, easy to use, from the top developer (Orchestral Tools) get their brand new "Inspire" http://www.orchestraltool...orchestra_inspire.php. It craps on dozens of high end libraries, the capsule GUI is super powerful and easy and all the top orchestrators around are flipping out about it! Then again, head on over to https://sonuscore.com/shop/the-orchestra/ And take a look at The Orchestra, a revolutionary smart sophisticated yet slam dunk simple system to add amazing orchestral elements to your compositions. This a breathtaking creation... nothing like it on earth and it just came out! It too runs on the FREE Kontakt player...Do yourself a favor and watch all the vids...it would take DECADES to learn what you can do and add quickly to your songwriting adventures with TO! Nothing else compares, from a non orchestrator/songwriter perspective And, beyond this i can't emphasize this enough...Save urself a LOT of money and buy OMNISPHERE! The quality and breadth of content across the entire musical spectrum blow all thats been talked about away by MILES! Add a bunch of Pluginguru libraries for cheap [Skippy has oodles of sales and endless hours of super free education vids on his site]. Then, take your time thinking about very good libraries...mostly the new stuff like The Orchestra, OT's Inspire ( which run just fine on Kontakt free player) and wait for amazing sales for top notch stuff like Heavyocity, which just had an amazing sale on just exquisitely sampled stuff...once you decide to plung into full kontakt (if u do!) black Fri is coming up and DO HOMEWORK before u buy! Ultimately u can avoid a costly journey buying all sorts of crap (like I have)...Actually, thats a bit unfair but the fact is things have progressed rapidly in the sampling field and stuff like EW's Orchestrals are cumbersome and hard to use compared to beautifully crafed new stuff like OT's Inspire...so take your time and spend some of it on VIControl, where loads of some of the best composers/songwriters/vendors hang out and discuss such things in detail... Now, back to your first smart purchase... Omnisphere alone blows Kontakt's included libraries and rhythmic multis that'll blow ur mind...it should be EVERYONE'S FIRST PURCHASE... PERIOD! Best all around library on Eaarth! Unbelievably pristine samples wrapped in the most elegant & powerful synth/modulation platform ever created... Get it... Note... for whatever reason hot links are not working at the moment so just Google the guru and omnisphere
Dana We make the future... Climate Change MusicVastMaschine:SP4L/W10/i74930K/32GB/RME/CAD E100s; The Orchestra! NOVO!/Inspire/BohemianViolin&Cello, ARK1&2,/MinimalCapriccioMaximoSoto/OE1&2, Action&Emotive/Omni2/Tril/RMX/All OrangeTree/Falcon/APE Jugs/Alpha&Bravo/BFD3 & SD3Gravity/DM307/AEON/DM/Damage/Diva/HZebra/Hive/Diversion/VC4/Serum/Alchemy/blablablaSpitfire/8DIO/SL/KH/EW/NI; Shred1&2/AGF,G,M&T Torch&Res&Ren/GD-6; Ibanez SR1200&SR505NOVAX FanFret Tele&Strat
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Vastman
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Re: The wonderful world of VST instruments
2017/09/08 19:09:17
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In two words, BUY OMNISPHERE.... It is the single most powerful platform on the planet... and will give you amazing stuff... you might not need more for a long time. A lot of good thoughts already shared above... but id be very careful...after spending well over $25K on sample libraries and synths I spent loads of bucks on stuff I don't use anymore... Given the current products that have come out over the past few years I feel EastWest stuff sucks (I have most of it) but composer cloud is a cheap way to see that for yourself... Sample Tank is 2nd tier also. Even the UVI player has mostly 2nd tier crap..except for Bohemian Violin & Cello, which are truly breathtaking! I concur with others to wait for the sale on Kontakt! However, I feel MOST content packaged with it is also second tier... I use NONE OF IT! There IS some GREAT content that works just fine in the free Kontakt player and given what you've said, I urge you to try this first as you'll learn Kontakt/routings and get playing with amazing tools for less money immediately. If you want a full orchestra, easy to use, from the top developer (Orchestral Tools) get their brand new "Inspire" which runs on the free Kontakt player http://www.orchestraltool...orchestra_inspire.php. It craps on dozens of high end libraries, the capsule GUI is super powerful and easy and all the top orchestrators around are flipping out about it! Then again, you should also head on over to https://sonuscore.com/shop/the-orchestra/ And take a look at The Orchestra, a revolutionary smart sophisticated yet slam dunk simple system to add amazing orchestral elements to your compositions. This a breathtaking creation... nothing like it on earth and it just came out! It too runs on the FREE Kontakt player...Do yourself a favor and watch all the vids...it would take DECADES to learn what you can do and add quickly to your songwriting adventures with TO! Nothing else compares, from a non orchestrator/songwriter perspective And, beyond this i can't emphasize this enough...Save urself a LOT of money and buy OMNISPHERE! The quality and breadth of content across the entire musical spectrum blow all thats been talked about away by MILES! Add a bunch of Pluginguru libraries for cheap [Skippy has oodles of sales and endless hours of super free education vids on his site]. Then, take your time thinking about very good libraries...mostly the new stuff like The Orchestra, OT's Inspire ( which run just fine on Kontakt free player) and wait for amazing sales for top notch stuff like Heavyocity, which just had an amazing sale on just exquisitely sampled stuff...once you decide to plung into full kontakt (if u do!) black Fri is coming up and DO HOMEWORK before u buy! Ultimately u can avoid a costly journey buying all sorts of crap (like I have)...Actually, thats a bit unfair but the fact is things have progressed rapidly in the sampling field and stuff like EW's Orchestrals are cumbersome and hard to use compared to beautifully crafed new stuff like OT's Inspire...so take your time and spend some of it on VIControl, where loads of some of the best composers/songwriters/vendors hang out and discuss such things in detail... Now, back to your first smart purchase... Omnisphere alone blows Kontakt's included libraries and rhythmic multis that'll blow ur mind...it should be EVERYONE'S FIRST PURCHASE... PERIOD! Best all around library on Eaarth! Unbelievably pristine samples wrapped in the most elegant & powerful synth/modulation platform ever created... Get it... Note... for whatever reason hot links are not working at the moment so just Google the guru and omnisphere
Dana We make the future... Climate Change MusicVastMaschine:SP4L/W10/i74930K/32GB/RME/CAD E100s; The Orchestra! NOVO!/Inspire/BohemianViolin&Cello, ARK1&2,/MinimalCapriccioMaximoSoto/OE1&2, Action&Emotive/Omni2/Tril/RMX/All OrangeTree/Falcon/APE Jugs/Alpha&Bravo/BFD3 & SD3Gravity/DM307/AEON/DM/Damage/Diva/HZebra/Hive/Diversion/VC4/Serum/Alchemy/blablablaSpitfire/8DIO/SL/KH/EW/NI; Shred1&2/AGF,G,M&T Torch&Res&Ren/GD-6; Ibanez SR1200&SR505NOVAX FanFret Tele&Strat
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dmbaer
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Re: The wonderful world of VST instruments
2017/09/08 20:19:12
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Vastman
In two words, BUY OMNISPHERE.... It is the single most powerful platform on the planet... and will give you amazing stuff... you might not need more for a long time.
I must disagree - but not that I don't think Omnispere is pretty amazing. The OP said his interest was primarily in real instruments. This really isn't Omnisphere's forte. Try to find a cello, for example. Furthermore, although version 2 of Omnisphere opened things up a bit with user importable sounds, those capabilities there are extremely limited. For a decent starting collection of real instrument sounds, but with deep programmability (like Omnisphere), HALion 6 might be worth consideration. It provides both real and synth sounds. However, if the synth sounds are of little interest, Kontakt is still probably the best option. Who knows, one of these days we might even get Kontakt 6 with a much-improved UI and improved ease of programming.
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bitflipper
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Re: The wonderful world of VST instruments
2017/09/09 00:36:02
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abacab
But be honest, that it is the company you have a grudge against, and not the product. ST3 delivers what it claims to just fine!
I have no grudge against IKM. It is the product, not the company. Maybe you've got me confused with cclarry? OK, I'll admit I was put off when they wanted to charge me to re-download ST3. But that criticism was entirely justified, I think, given that no other vendor has ever even thought of doing such a thing. To get back on topic, I agree with Mr. Baer above. Omnisphere is far and away my favorite synthesizer, but if I had to choose just one thing to take to a hypothetical desert island (that somehow had electricity), it wouldn't be Omnisphere. It would be Kontakt.
All else is in doubt, so this is the truth I cling to. My Stuff
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