Spitfire Audio just released a new mini/light version of their BBC Orchestra library, and you can apparently get it for free if you fill in a form! 
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Thank you Mike for sharing this with us.
I filled the form, and i am a bit sad, that this wasnât released earlier. so i bought their epic stuff which is great, but 60⏠for 3 instruments compared to 49 Euros with 33 instruments, is very expensive.
But i see 2 game changing things, which i mentioned already before:
- they use an propriete player - NOT Kontakt.
- they sell stuff for small bucks, so a lot people can buy.
I donât understand why almost every library is around 500$. Only 1000 People around the whole world, are able to by this becouse they could or will make money with it. What is with all other enthusiasts?
Its the same with Software. The amount of open source will grow extremly in the future. See OpenOffice and LibreOffice. Nobody needs to buy an orginal Office.
Spitfire is on the right way!
I Forgot to mention that the link is sent within 14 days, but i think it is worth to wait.
Cheers
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I believe this might be a new trend actually. Several developers have been releasing âlighterâ versions for way less money that can work well for many composers, especially as you say âenthusiastsâ that donât need the latest cutting edge. Nucleus Core is another example, also Red Room Audio - Primary Colors is only 5 dollars.
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âCOREâ seems far from a light version - and it will be good for me. 24Gb v 600Gb. 600Gb really put me off.
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Michael @Seven_Tears, mmmhâŠI donât agree to 100% with you aboutâŠ
There are far more than 1000 professionals who buy libraries every single year for thousands of dollars, so the big developers donât actually need the people who canât or donât want to buy. (Remember the 80/20 rule? The same goes for business â meaning that 20% of all customers do 80% of the companyâs revenue.)
However, I totally agree with you to 100% that too many developers try to see their products as only âhigh-priceâ items. There are so many great libraries that cost a fraction of the price and have sometimes even more value, as the bigger ones.
I think that bigger companies should definitely spread their products, so even not professionals could easily buy the products without risking their bank account. Look at Apple. They have computers for $5000+ and for $1000+ dollars, and the company is doing great. Not everyone needs a library that is $500.
On the other hand, I could see the risk for smaller developers to shrink their revenues, or at least become less known (and important) over time, as the bigger ones will overtake them in the low-price register tooâŠweâll seeâŠ
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Well, I have plenty of $500 libs, and Iâm still basically just an enthusiast! I appreciate tools that deliver great results with minimal frustration, and âsavingâ money is pointless if I donât get what I actually want. Pretty sure Iâm not alone.
Related to that, this whole âright priceâ thing is pretty complicated⊠At this point, Iâm basically only interested in two categories myself:
- Professional libraries that cover every aspect of their intended purpose really well. (As in, REALLY well, as Iâm already pretty well covered.) I donât want to have to resort to using hacks or other instruments due to scripting issues or bad samples. Even the best libs have their issues, but you tend to get what you pay for.
- Interesting oddballs that really add something to my toolbox, or that are just fun and inspiring. This may include âbigâ libraries that are too uneven, limited, or specialized to serve as go-to libs, but have some gems that may be worth having at a steep discount.
So, if I see a full orchestra for less than $2k or so (strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion), Iâm just going to assume it has various issues and/or limitations, because thatâs been my experience so far. Whether or not they actually have to cost that much to cover the development cost is pretty much irrelevant! This is the expected price point currently, and a lower price just suggests itâs a more limited or lower quality product that canât really compete with the âbig ones.â This would just have the intended target audience look elsewhere.
Not just that, but selling a high end professional product at a âhobbyistâ price point may even get a developer in trouble. These libraries tend to have extreme hardware requirements, and they usually have enough options and features to terrify anyone at first. In short, you may get yourself a bad reputation for selling advanced tools to people who canât use them.
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I agree Andrew, CORE is definitely not a light version. Itâs the PRO that is âover the topâ with all those extra mics. I think CORE is perfect for most composers, even professionals.
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Yeah Iâve applied for it just as I wasnât prepared to pay for it being so small and light. I may get the core version though. From listening to it o could hear that thereâs not many velocity layers, maybe 2? Good for people starting out though.
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200MB, I bet itâs not even dynamic layers. Just some clever âfilteringâ to create the illusion of dynamics. Like in the Omnisphere string patches.
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You can definitely hear 2 dynamic layers but usually you have 4. Itâs like it literally just turns up the last dynamic layer. Nice quality sound though!
I just read about the 200MB, seems quite small, as i know, LABS has around 500MB for each instrument. Epic Strings and Brass are 1.6GB each. So 49⏠is a lot for this small amount of data. I will see it in 2 weeks⊠
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Yes I wasnât prepared to pay for it at that low of a sara package. However, the samples that they have included sounded lovely. So Iâm thinking it will at least be useful as a longs layer. To Bergen up my other libraries⊠or it may even be useful for the things Christian Henderson pointed out, collaboration a and still sharing. I can see it being hugely useful for that. One day Iâm going to get The pro version but right now I honestly can see much use for it as itâs completely different Stylistically.
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I think itâs a smart move. They probably count on that many will upgrade in one way or another in the future instead of looking at another brand. And, the people who doesnât upgrade wouldnât buy it anyway.
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I think so too, honestly itâs a bit surprising that the industry taken this far to implement the "levels/step"model in versions of products. Going from free to 500+ dollar product is quite a big ask for most people.
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I know a lot of music producers who are not orchestral composers, who I believe this is very appealing to as well (the cheaper less featured versions). Izotope is all over this model of having introductory products which sometimes go free or near free, to usher people into their larger library of products. Itâs a good way to âdemoâ a company in some cases.
For a lot of music producers starting out who donât focus on orchestral composition, these spitfire labs and cheaper libraries are all they need for a long time!
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Yes I agree Peter, and Iâm glad to see this model becoming more and more popular, as I believe it benefits everyone in the long run.
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14 days over, no link yet 
Just got my email! Will try it tonight!
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Great Jonathan, please share your impression and your thoughts in this thread when you tested it a bit.
I finally got my mail too,
TBH you donât need anything else if you want to start with orchestral music.
The sounds and the amount of articulations (for free ! ) are way enough.
Combined with valhalla massive, you can create breathtaking sounds.
An there is still LABS of courseâŠ
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