Talk me into Garritan personal orchestra

[sandswillis]

I've been composing for over 10 years. Mostly been doing a cappella choral works and then stuff with piano, organ accompaniment, but have lately jumped into orchestral and LOVE it.

In your mind, what makes Garritan the optimal choice versus other programs out there?

[Richard N.]

Three things spring to mind...

Usability, Value for Money, and this Community!

Take a listen to the demos on this forum, and on www.garritan.com (http://www.garritan.com)

[sandswillis]

The value appears to be really good compared to softwares twice the price. I'm very impressed with the community too. The sharing, the feedback, etc. is great. How did you make the leap though? You probably heard other pieces on their site, but I want to be able to hear one of my pieces before I buy it to compare it to my current set up through my Techniques keyboard. I don't want to be disappointed. Does that make sense?

Michelle

[SeanHannifin]

Usability, Value for Money, and this Community!
Bingo... :D

I bought GPO almost two years ago knowing nothing about the world of "sampling" and very little about real orchestras. I just loved music. GPO has a great price even the high school student I was at the time could afford it. And it is very easy to use. GPO is not a set of 20 GB of pure samples that you have to piece together to create music... I use the Overture 4 notation program with GPO as a VST plugin, and I can load up the instruments I want to use and everything else can be done in the notation program...

As for the sound quality... you can be the judge... :D

There are many out there who believe the more expensive something is, the more "professional" it must be... :rolleyes: This is not the case.

[Fabio]

The value appears to be really good compared to softwares twice the price. I'm very impressed with the community too. The sharing, the feedback, etc. is great. How did you make the leap though? You probably heard other pieces on their site, but I want to be able to hear one of my pieces before I buy it to compare it to my current set up through my Techniques keyboard. I don't want to be disappointed. Does that make sense?

Michelle

Michelle, beside the price, the true value is the excellent programming that make it easy to make it play real and expressive.

The coherent way of using controllers, you will learn it in fiew moments, and you will enjoy.

[Josh]

talk you into GPO, huh? i gotta better idea...how bout we talk about this in the back room with a few of my favorite uncles...

http://www.dvdjournal.com/reviewimgs/g/goodfellas_se_imgs/goodfellas_se_01.jpg



we might talk you into a coupl'a missin' teeth, eh?

:D :D

[Fabio]

talk you into GPO, huh? i gotta better idea...how bout we talk about this in the back room with a few of my favorite uncles...

http://www.dvdjournal.com/reviewimgs/g/goodfellas_se_imgs/goodfellas_se_01.jpg



we might talk you into a coupl'a missin' teeth, eh?

:D :D

..it seemmse ann offer you cannn't refus'...:cool:

[etLux]

Quite a few people think rather highly of GPO... http://garritan.com/endorsements.html

I do, as well.

For me, the acid test is being able to set down with Finale, and... just score. The results I get with GPO are far superior to anything I would have ever imagined or hoped for even a couple of years ago.

By now, I have absolutely no idea what I'd do without it!

David
www.DavidSosnowski.com
.

[chmara]

Talk? Nah-- you need to be listened in.

Like any instrument GPO does not cure all problems as a library -- but it for price, value, ease of use and community is the best that can be had using the traditional approach rather than compiling sequenced articulations at great expense to ram.

As a composer's tool -- priceless and easy to use.

Now- Go forth and listen to the demos and submissions.

[Cantabile]

The value appears to be really good compared to softwares twice the price. I'm very impressed with the community too. The sharing, the feedback, etc. is great. How did you make the leap though? You probably heard other pieces on their site, but I want to be able to hear one of my pieces before I buy it to compare it to my current set up through my Techniques keyboard. I don't want to be disappointed. Does that make sense?

Michelle

My two cents:)
For me GPO shines for the ability to have actual "individual" players if you want instead of unison ensembles. Meaning if you score for 3 flutes, you can have 3 completely seperate flutes(not the standard method of one patch or unison recorded ensemble). You can build your orchestra from the individual player level and control every nuance of that particular individual from timing/timbre variation/dynamics/articulations/ect.

[dnortana]

-high quality of sound achievable
-ease of use - no endless articulation searching
-range of sound achievable: small and intimate, to large and bombastic
-expressiveness, via mod wheel volume/timbre control
-best service and support on this planet

This combination cannot be had in ANY other library.

It is simply a no brainer. Get this. Get others later, too, if you want. But, get GPO.

Trond

[rpearl]

How much can you spend for a sample library? How much do you want to spend? For the price, I can't think of a program that comes close - particularly when you consider how versatile it is - it is easily integrated into a number of the leading scoring programs, and sequencers. I know that I held off for a while, mostly because I didn't have the computer horsepower to run it as I would like. The day I got the new computer was the day I ordered GPO. Haven't looked back.


Listen to the works in the Listening Room - take your time. For the price, and ease of use, this is the way to go.

(Hey Gary, do I get a discount on my next purchase?:D )


R. Pearl

[qccowboy]

I wish I had a place to host my music, I could have you listen to what I do using GPO and Finale 2006, with absolutely no subsequent tweaking in any sequencer program. The result is more than phenomenal.
Up until now, I'd been using external MIDI devices, preparing my scores in a great little DOS program, then recopying everything into Finale note by note. Now I'm actually composing directly in Finale, using the score "as is" for playback. It's like writing with pencil and paper and having a live orchestra to play it back as you compose it.
Obviously, to get the best sound using Finale and GPO, you need to be VERY detailed with slurs and articulations and tempo markings. And every once in a while it won't play back quite as you would like and have to tweak the way it's written (like adding a few extra little tempo markings, or boosting some of the dynamics in certain passages), but the end result is amazing. And as so many before me have said.. the price is right!

[etLux]

Per gccowboy, above... on www.DavidSosnowski.com I generally post pdf's of the exact Finale score with the pieces -- might give you an idea of how well it behaves with notation if that's of interest.

David.
.

[Styxx]

Let me put it another way. The more tools you have in your tool box the better you can achieve your goals. Garritan Personal Orchestra will be one of those tools you'll find as a favorite and perfect for any application. I don't have to repeat what the others are stating about this product. And I need not make comparisons. GPO speaks for itself through the countless number of demos submitted every day.
If you're as serious about your music as you say you are, you need to add GPO to your arsenal. ;)

[DPDAN]

Just do it! :D
dpDan

[thesoundsmith]

What you will come to appreciate, and as you get other orchestral libraries in the future, come to appreciate even more, is the playability. Consistency of approach, naturalness of timbre shift, all in a product that is one of the least expensive on the market. Yet the quality of support is unequalled in orchestral libraries of any price. I own several of the orchestral libraries at this price point and this is the one I automatically reach for.

[Karl Garrett]

What they all said...

When I ordered GPO over 2 years ago, it hadn't been released yet. I ordered it on the strength of Gary's reputation, the quality of Garritan Orchestral Strings, and the handful of demos that were done by beta testers. On the one hand I was skeptical, but on the other, it seemed like a dream come true. When it finally arrived, I don't think I slept for two weeks. All I did was play with it. It's use was so intuitive that I just wrote and wrote and wrote. Since then, things have only got better.

And you will find that this forum is the most marvelous place to visit. We are blessed with wonderful musician/composers that will help you through any rough spots you might have.

And did I mention that if you love orchestral music, this is the biggest bang for you buck you will ever find.

Karl

[Bob De Celle]

I've orchestrated a few things with GPO and would like to get some critique or advice on what I've done, but I have no idea how to send an mp3 or even how to create an mp3. How does one send anything to the forum.

[etLux]

I've orchestrated a few things with GPO and would like to get some critique or advice on what I've done, but I have no idea how to send an mp3 or even how to create an mp3. How does one send anything to the forum.
Not to worry, some one of us'll get you going in the right direction, I'm sure.

One step at a time.

1)
What platform are you on (Windows? Mac?) on your machine?

2)
What format is the file in (that is, .WAV, for instance)?

Best,

David
www.DavidSosnowski.com
.

[Bob De Celle]

My platform is windows and the files are.wav. I convert them in Finale by going to the "save as special". I'm assuming that it's a wave file because I can open it in Sound Forge. I recently upgraded to DSL so that shouldn't be a problem, as far as uploading it goes, but how it's done is beyond me. The pieces are not my compositions. I only orchestrated them.

[etLux]

My platform is windows and the files are.wav. I convert them in Finale by going to the "save as special". I'm assuming that it's a wave file because I can open it in Sound Forge. I recently upgraded to DSL so that shouldn't be a problem, as far as uploading it goes, but how it's done is beyond me. The pieces are not my compositions. I only orchestrated them.
Okay, next step is to convert the .WAV to .MP3

You don't usually want to send a .wav up -- the file will be, relatively, enormous... meaning unacceptable download times for people who want to listen.

I'm not familiar enough with SoundForge to tell you exactly how to do it -- but according to their site it does have the capability to save the file in MP3 format.

See if you can find your way through that. If you have options when saving, usually you will want to save to MP3 at 192 k/bps for decent audio quality.

FORUM:
Anybody wanna jump in here? I don't know SoundForge well enough to be specific...

Best,

David
www.DavidSosnowski.com
.

[newmewzikboy]

I've been composing for over 10 years. Mostly been doing a cappella choral works and then stuff with piano, organ accompaniment, but have lately jumped into orchestral and LOVE it.

In your mind, what makes Garritan the optimal choice versus other programs out there?

Because you can run the whole thing on a 2 gig laptop and make large and small ensembles easily...it integrates well with 3rd party tools...the sounds are good, and you dont need an external drive...and its better than EWQLSO Silver which I also have along with EWQLSO Gold.

My core setup: Fujitsu laptop; headphones; backpack; O2 mini keyboard; external firewire drive (for EWQLSO GOLD), FINALE. Thats it!!

[RichR]

My platform is windows and the files are.wav. I convert them in Finale by going to the "save as special". I'm assuming that it's a wave file because I can open it in Sound Forge. I recently upgraded to DSL so that shouldn't be a problem, as far as uploading it goes, but how it's done is beyond me. The pieces are not my compositions. I only orchestrated them.


If you can get the file into Sound Forge, it is a wav file. I use Sound Forge 7.0 and changing a .wav to an MP3 is easy. Open the wave file in Sound forge and then "save as". You will get a menu. Where it says "Save as type" choose "MP# audio (*.mp3)". Below that section of the menu is a section called "Template". There you have a drop down list of many ways to save the mp3. The best for size and quality (IMHO) is 160 Kbps Transparent CD Quality. Choose that and save it and you will have an MP3 file.

I hope this helps. I know this type of menu has been around in Sound Forge since Sound Forge 5.0. I'm not familiar with Sound Forge 8.0, but assume it's very similar. The earlier Sound Forges, though I have used and upgraded from, I don't remember if it was the same proceedure or not.

Good Luck

[Bob De Celle]

Thanks you so much, etlux and RichR:
I knew there was a way but I completely forgot where I'd seen it in some one of my programs. Now I clearly see it in Sound Forge.
I don't to waste at lot of your time, but now, how do I submit it, or them, to the forum, and which forum.
Thanks you again. It was so easy I'm a little embarrassed. I actually did see that specific process some time ago in Sound Forge and even looked all over the menus for it, which was obviously not the place to look.
I too am having a whale of a time with GPO and I know pretty near nothing of it's capabilities. (192 or 160)

[etLux]

Thanks you so much, etlux and RichR:
I knew there was a way but I completely forgot where I'd seen it in some one of my programs. Now I clearly see it in Sound Forge.
I don't to waste at lot of your time, but now, how do I submit it, or them, to the forum, and which forum.
Thanks you again. It was so easy I'm a little embarrassed. I actually did see that specific process some time ago in Sound Forge and even looked all over the menus for it, which was obviously not the place to look.
I too am having a whale of a time with GPO and I know pretty near nothing of it's capabilities. (192 or 160)
Generally, you first need someplace to host them, Bob.

On your DSL account, you probably have a "personal web space"... you can use that, if you do.

Or -- if you have your own regular website, you can host your files there.

Or -- there are a number of sites that will host your songs for you, like www.SoundClick.com

FORUM:
There's a list of sites that host songs here somewhere, but I keep losing it. Anyone remember where it is?

Or -- you can probably email Gary, and he'll put the first one somewhere to get you started, I think.

David
www.DavidSosnowski.com
.

[Bob De Celle]

That is great David. I will look into this hosting right now. I did send an email to Gary. I thought he should know about it too. Thanks again for your generosity.

Bob De Celle

[etLux]

That is great David. I will look into this hosting right now. I did send an email to Gary. I thought he should know about it too. Thanks again for your generosity.

Bob De Celle

Welcome, of course, Bob! Gary mentioned he'd gotten your email. Not to worry, one way or another somebody'll get you going.

My best,

David
www.DavidSosnowski.com
.

[Garritan]

That is great David. I will look into this hosting right now. I did send an email to Gary. I thought he should know about it too. Thanks again for your generosity.

Bob De CelleBob,
Another option is that the Northern Sounds forum also can host your mp3s and any other files too if you participate in the Power Users Profile section.
http://www.northernsounds.com/forum/showthread.php?t=42912

[Bob De Celle]

Thanks for the tip Gary. It looks like a fabulous idea, especially for the young people trying to crack the music business. I'm going to give that a shot too, not that I want the music business anymore---I had enough of that, but it might be fun to join anyway.
Bob De Celle