What are your thoughts about this new edition: Spitfire BBC Symphony Orchestra Core?
I have to say I was impressed by walkthrough of it, and more so when I checked the specifications. From what I understand, the only thing we miss out on compared to the Pro edition, is all the extra mics, and also the solo strings. Is that correct?
Anyone knows if this version is any different at all when it comes to the amount of dynamic layers on each preset/articulation, round robins, or any compromises at all compared to the PRO version?
I took the plunge and bought āCoreā and so far Iām delighted. I got a template from someone on āVirtual Orchestrationā which speeded me into it. The entire library loads in a few minutes (Cubase 10.5 on PC) and takes 28.5 Gig memory. Thatās with all available articulations. I currently have 64GB so itās no problem at all. You donāt get solo strings and there are a few other instruments you donāt get contra bass stuff mostly so Iām not bothered. It doesnāt have a cor anglais which is a shame. 
The sound is fabulous - especially the strings. Iām only working on my 1st piece with it - so I need more time to get in deeper. As far as Iām aware it is identicl to the pro version - apart from the fewer instruments and only the mix mics.
Well worth it at the intro price - and even afterwards. Big saving versus the pro version - also in disk space 26Gb v 650Gb !! I couldnāt have downloaded 650 so that would also increase the price getting it on the HD.
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Ah, I am very close to taking the plunge too. The only thing I am worried about is the difference between 650GB and 26GB. I want to know exactly where the compromises have been made to get it down to a factor of 25X smaller. If the only difference is 1 mix instead of all microphone options, and some less instruments available, i would be totally cool with that. The quality of the sound, dynamics, vibrato, legato etc. is what I want most.
Iām pretty sure the main size difference is down to losing 25 mic positions - which I thought was a bit ridiculous anyway. Maybe check with Spitfire support who are very good and reply quickly.
What!? They have 25 mic positions in the PRO version? I agree on that being pretty ridiculous indeed! Iāve never needed more than 3: close, mid, far.
I actually found a comparison chart: https://www.spitfireaudio.com/bbcso/#compare
And it seems you are correct, itās only the mic signals and a few less instruments. All āqualityā aspects are equal between Core and Pro.
sorry - should have read your post before I posted that! 20 mics in pro + 2 mixes.
Yes, and to me the only real downside is the missed instruments (especially the solo strings). But other than that I feel I get way more value for my money on the Core version, and disc space on SSD is expensive too! 
I have Spitfire solo strings and I think just using the close mics they should match up pretty well.
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This 1 mix in the core versionā¦I canāt find anywhere what that mix is in technical terms. How big/long is the reverb of these sounds in your opinion after trying it out for a while now?
short reverb - fairly dry but a nice warm sound - easy to add reverb of choice.
Same as mix one in the pro version.
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If you have made any examples yet, please share. I would especially love to hear how they blend with other ānon-Spitfireā libraries. 
Hmmā¦ Well, Iām probably not the target audience for any of these.
Discover is really impressive for the size and money, but I already have several ābig ones,ā and some all-in-one ones for sketching/quick scoring, so the only use case I see is for smooth collaboration.
Core seemsā¦ reasonable, though Iād really like to have all instruments. Only one mic position seems acceptable if itās dry enough, but might call for extra work in the mix.
I guess Professional is what Iām supposed to go for, since I donāt really need another orchestral library, unless it really adds something, and/or pretty much makes all āoldā libraries obsolete. Well, does it? Iām particularly worried about the āup to 3ā dynamic layers bit, and Iāve been rather unimpressed with some dynamic playing examples in reviews.
Soā¦ Iām probably not buying anything right now. Iāve added the Infinite Brass and Woodwinds to my collection, and want to see how that turns out before making any further decisions.
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But you have the Spitfire Studio range and more already, I have nothing from Spitfire Audio right now. I feel this is perfect for me to get into their product range.
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And I assume there is an upgrade path from Core to Pro in case I feel the need later on.
there is an upgrade path, yes.
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Well, I have all their Symhonic libs, Chamber and Solo Strings, and (so far) Studio Woodwinds Pro, and indeed; a bunch of others - so I donāt exactly feel that Iām missing something. (Well, apart from avoiding the ācanned expressionā thing altogether, which is why Iāve started exploring modeled instruments.)
For me, the main attractions of BBCSO would be the different sound and character, and maybe workflow improvements, but itās a pretty steep price if thatās all I get out of it.
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Yes, my point exactly. Whereas I feel that this can be a perfect introduction path for me into the Spitfire Products.
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I Aux like to chime in on the mic positions. Yes itās totally ridiculousā¦ though In Theory itās absolutely wonderful for an orchestral mixer.
Iāve done a few recording sessions with live string players. One in particular stands out to me. We had 1 player play all 4 instruments. We set out the chairs and mics and they performed each piece at the chair they would be in if we had all the instruments. When recording we kept all the mics recording so there was spill from the performer. Then we blended that in. 3 takes per section with all that ambience proved for the best strings recording Iāve done to date.
I think I remember Paul Thompson saying this was the reason for the huge file size?
If they have managed to pull it off then at least the strings should sound fantastic. Iām not sure Iāll make the plunge just yet as I recently bought the rest of studio series so Iām still learning itās quirksā¦ I also prefer dryer libraries so itās ideal for me atm, along with my other wet libraries. Itās very tempting though.
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