What´s a good orchestral addition to GPO

[Raindog]

I haven´t received my copy of GPO yet so my question may be a bit premature....Nevertheless,
what would the experienced GPO users think to be a good library addition to complement the orchestral spectrum? Kirk Hunter´s solo strings? SAM Brass library? Any opinions?

[nexus]

Get the SAM brass...all of them!! The only possible weak area of GPO (and I\'ve not received mine yet, just going by the demos) is unison brass. Still, if you can afford it do what I\'ve done and get EAST-WEST Silver edition AND the GPO.

Gary himself agrees it would make a terrific combination. Doug Rogers even agreed on another thread here. I have moved my SAM brass over to Kontakt and it took a bit of programing to do it. The Giga was great (and very stable!)but the Kontakt can do more with less. I have Kontakt 1.2.1 and can\'t afford to upgrade for a while to 1.5.1

I also use the Edirol HQ Orchestra and though it can\'t compare with GPO it DOES make a nice adjunct to it again, particularily in the brass unisons of the Edirol. The solo brass are nice to and you can layer them with GPO.

The only problem I see in using a different sample library along with GPO in a single composition is the difference in the programming of controllers. GPO has a unique and VERY clever method it employs using Kontakt. It is VERY different than either Giga instruments or the Edirol. One nice thing programmed into the Edirol is that you can execute an easy brass dimenuendo just by moving controller 11 (expression) up; this causes the volume to go DOWN along with the filter for a realistic change in tone too.

[JonFairhurst]

Raindog,

It depends on your goals. If you want to do film music, SAM is a great choice. If you\'re writing a violin concerto, KHSS is great. If you want to do pop/jazz on the side, there\'s a great sale on QL Brass right now. Going ambient? how about Atmosphere? The client asked for a Van Halen piece? Go with Overdrive.

There are lots of great libraries out there. And many different musical goals.

[Houston Haynes]

Actually, for $250 (the price of GPO itself) you could also get into analog emulation with Arturia\'s CS-80V (\"http://www.arturia.com\") and cut some tracks that would make Vangelis jealous. images/icons/wink.gif

[Raindog]

Thanks for the comments. Unfortunately the CS-80V putss too much demand on my poor Mac so I´ll have to wait for a G5.

What would be the advantages of having both (GPO AND the EAST-WEST Silver edition ? They seem to be both very good \"bread and butter\" libraries and not really complementary?? I have the QL Brass library (excellent for pop) so the SAM Brass might be a good choice. I might have another go with the demos.

[Tarkio Road]

Silver would add some VOTA samples, another very nice Steinway, and Silver has some unison brass samples that are reminiscent of SAM brass. Plus all of the articulations in both libraries will not sound the same, offering you much more variety to choose from.

And soon, I hope, you will be able to stream Silver allowing you to open up more RAM for GPO.

The Silver/GPO combo is a great solution for getting the most out of one computer.

[yannitch]

Doesn\'t anyone find that the different acoustic environment of all these seperate libraries very difficult to mix together? I mean, isn\'t it all very noticable?

[dpasdernick]

Raindog,

IMHO I would compliment GPO with the SAM stuff if you are looking to enhance your orchestral palette. I would not buy Silver if I already owned GPO just like I won\'t be buying GPO because I already own Silver. The idea of buying two budget libraries does not make sense to me. Yes, they have their individual merrits but I think you\'ll find you\'re pretty much buying the same product over again. Listen to the Project Sam stuff. Again, IMHO, for the money this is getting very very close to the best sampled brass around. Platinum or VSLO may have an edge (?) but they cost a lot more. GPO, like Silver, will mock up a pretty darn convincing demo but products like SAM, VOTA, KHSS, Platinum, VSLO, etc are really the ones that will stay with you and sound the most convincing!

My humble 2 cents,

Darren

[nexus]

\"Doesn\'t anyone find that the different acoustic environment of all these seperate libraries very difficult to mix together? I mean, isn\'t it all very noticable? \"

This is a very good point. I often have had to struggle in the past to get sounds from differing sets to sit together in the mix. I have found that, for instance the SAM brass work better for me if I choose the \'far\' samples for horns and the eq\'d trombones together. You ultimately can only trust your ears and use your mixing chops to match.

I used to lather everything in a big hall \'verb using the dryest samples--the approach taken by VSL--but this actually can work against you.

It\'s a problem that has not really been solved yet, so I suppose it\'s just one more reason people will continue to shell out much money on those \'big\' libraries so they have continuity.

[JonFairhurst]

I don\'t own Silver yet, but I agree with Mr. Road\'s premise. You may find you prefer the sound of the strings in one and the oboe of the other. And sometimes a given library\'s articulations don\'t give the result you want on a given melody. Having more samples to choose from just might fill the gap. And for sections, layering the two may give a better result than either alone.

[FV]

Hi,

I would say that you are correct in suggesting that your question is a little bit premature. Here\'s my take and where I\'d be if I were in your shoes.

Wait until you get GPO and dig into the library to see where the strengths are and where the deficiencies are. I don\'t own GPO myself but I know that it (just like Silver) will have some corners cut in order to be able to deliver at this price point. That doesn\'t mean that it won\'t be great. From what I\'ve heard from both of these libraries they are phenomenal, especially at the price.

When you are comparing a few gig for an entire orchestra to that same few gig just for French Horns or Trumpets, you will be missing something.

Wait until you get GPO and then add on as your requirements dictate. While Silver may be great also and certainly will give you different sounding ensembles and solo instruments, it probably won\'t go as far as a KH Solo Strings or SAM Brass to deliver to your needs.

My opinion is that you\'ll have a great start with GPO and you should fill in the gaps with high-quality dedicated instruments or sections rather than add on with another inexpensive library which may have the same gaps or holes that you currently have.

HTH,
FV

[Houston Haynes]

I don\'t really see the logic of spending money on one orchestra and then buying another - I\'d rather have a different type of softsynth to spread out my pallete into totally new directions.

Then again, I already have BiggaGigga\'s Orchestral Brass (\"http://www.biggagiggas.com/About%20BOB.htm\"), which adds two more solo instruments with a ton of articulations. I also have GOS (\"http://www.garritan.com/articulations.html\"), so I\'m set for strings - but I\'m still enjoying GPO\'s solo strings and the ensembles are pretty immediate, so I\'m still looking for a place to bring them in. images/icons/wink.gif