Are you looking for a complete package with a nice collection of orchestral instruments, basically covering the full range of the orchestra. While “Best” is of course always subjective, here is a complete top list (based on input from fellow composers):
I do own Albion One, and in my opinion, it was / is the best investment I did for my sound-palette. You won’t get solo-instruments, but you will get a super nice sound from ensemble patches, or group-sections. The library is like 60GB or so, of course because of the mic-positions etc. Close, Near, Far. really amazing “English” sound. The opposite is Jaeger. More Hollywood sounding. More processed. Albion provides you everything to get started and from the first note you hit, you are sounding professional. Enough basic articulations and RR. You don’t have a choir there, but you have a great synth-patch, where you can sound-design versatile fx-patches, movements, etc. you have great sounding percussions as well. Albion just sounds warm and believable. I think it’s one of their strongest libraries at all.
I think if you combine Albion and Jaeger, you almost won!
I don’t own any Spitfire Products, so if you were me, would you go for the new BBC SO…or a range of libraries from them? I mean BBCSO is basically covering everything including solo instruments.
It depends on your needs. You can really work super fast with Albion. But if you have left a couple of $ in your pocket, I might go with BBC, because it offers basically everything. To be honest, I am not a fan of this new BBC, because it’s like 8Dio. They have so many libraries in their portfolio, you just getting lost. Strings here and there, Brass here and there…what should I buy???
I am a big fan of: “What do I really need, to be more complete?”, that’s my approach.
I was you-tubing lately one composers from LA. who has the money, to have it all, but he said, “Guys, even if I can, I don’t want to have it more than I really need! If I need something badly, I buy it. If it’s just another strings library, I don’t buy it. I already have great libraries to work with!”
EastWest is actually still good, and many composers use it. Orchestral essential, and yes forgot about that one, perhaps a good budget alternative but I’m not sure I would put it in this top list. The orchestra is amazing for rhythmic and animated performances!
what do you think of the vienna symphonic library ?
i know that it is very expensive if you want all instrument but what about vienna ensemble pro there is a orchestral library given with VEP
Well Vienna symphonic library is of course high end, but not really 1 single product with an “all-in-one” solution for orchestra like this top list is indended of covering. Hmm…unless they have a bundle I guess that is not ridiculously high priced?
10K, what in the world! I can not imagine they are that much better than every other product to justify a price point that high, or am I missing something?
I heard a story from one guy who was there when they made recordings. He told one story, which is quite incredible: so they were recording an ensemble for more than a week. Days later one of the editors of the samples realized that there was a „fly“ flying around. He told the production team about that and they said, „delete all the files, we will do another recording.“
For each recording they have a super long list of which Mics they’ve used for which instrument, how far away it is, literally in cm,(ground, wall, ceiling…). So they know instantly what a session looked like 5 years ago. Every detail is written down. They even have an in-house cook, so the musician don’t eat whatever they want and later fart during a session. This is not a joke. And the musicians are sitting almost naked, so the Mics don’t pic up unnecessary noises, which other library’s do on purpose.
during a session. This is not a joke. And the musicians are sitting almost naked, so the Mics don’t pic up unnecessary noises, which other library’s do on purpose.