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Hello, hive mind! I am a bit overwhelmed trying to decide what direction to head with sample libraries. I like the subscription model that East-West has, but Spitfire seems more approachable and has a bunch of cool cheap/free otpions.

I would love your insight!

JaredHallock wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 27, 2022 5:22 pm

Hello, hive mind! I am a bit overwhelmed trying to decide what direction to head with sample libraries. I like the subscription model that East-West has, but Spitfire seems more approachable and has a bunch of cool cheap/free otpions.

I would love your insight!

Of course it depends on genre what you're writing for.

I enjoy writing Dramedy, Orch Tension, anything orchestral and doable with my limited technical composing skills.
I use both right now. Had Composer Cloud first, then I started zeroing in on Spitfire, and they way they communicate through how-to videos was really cool.
I'll start a project with BBCSO Pro (first Spitfire I bought) and then add if needed East-West cymbals, other inst. articulations I don't own, East-West piano, maybe a pad from LABS.

(Now that I think about it, I actually started with free LABS and loved the strings there, so looked to own something "Spitfire")

I will say the first orchestral things I got signed were when I started using Spitfire.

They say though it's not about what you have, but how you learn to use what you already have.

I'd like to not have to use subscription in the future, but that's where I'm at now.

Hi Jared.. I have East West Composer Cloud and when I got it some people suggested it was not the best choice for a "serious composer", but for those of us who don't have thousands to spend on buying orchestral elements it seemed a good choice. I always liked their brass. Then one day I was watching a video with Guy Michaelmoore (Thinkspace) and he used some EW in the track he was composing-while-we-watched, and he mentioned that their sounds were good quality and I felt vindicated lol. The most complaints I ever heard about EW was about the Play engine, but that's all been fixed with Opus.

That being said I've added over the past while, various Spitfire; I also have CineSamples, Noir, Westwood, Native Instruments, and a few others that I picked up during sales. These days, to avoid gear lust, I look at what I have and ask what I need to augment. The last thing I bought was a trailer percussion kit.

I agree with Steve, it's how you use the VSTs.... not just picking articulations but understanding the mic positions & hall placement; and understanding what instruments are typically in the orchestra; and then of course mixing it all together.

You could always start with Composer Cloud, download Spitfire Labs and a few other free or low cost instruments from fantastic makers, and have a great deal of fun.

HTH

Thanks peeps for the insight,

It is good to know that, at the end of the day, you both landed with elements of both...which makes me feel like it is impossible to have buyer's remorse:). Thanks for sharing the concise and clear insight. If I am gonna end up with both, might as well start with both! That actually seems like a more cost-effective path too.

I am curious how you store all of your libraries and tools? I would like a method to work on the road and am trying to figure out a reliable, condensed approach that doesn't hinder artistic inspiration?

Thanks!