I use Soundiron Elysium Harp. I haven’t even tested anything else since it’s quite adequate
1 Like
That is a point to be made, and understandable. And my response is not meant to discourage the point. But the reason so many composers don’t have much money for these is because there are so many people who want to be composers, and will do things for very little or no money, and don’t want to organize.
It’s not that the libraries are too expensive for what they are - it’s that they are too expensive for some. I hear people complaining about libraries that are $50US - and there is no sin or shame in not having that money (I have been there), but that’s not the same thing as these libraries being too expensive for what they are.
In fact, it’s my feeling that the trend in libraries is that they are decreasing in quality and flexibility because the developers are obliged to make things for less and less. So instead of getting more thoroughly programmed libraries or libraries that have fewer issues with the recordings, we get “character” libraries that sound “human”. Which is spin at its finest. I would include the Spitfire BBC as one of those - believe it or not - because you are paying largely for mic positions. The content of the library isn’t that big or deep if you simply divide its size by the number of mic perspectives, and the issues people have with it are the same issues we have with any library trying to do too much at a certain price point - incompleteness, some elements that just don’t work so well (horns), and so on. I get that they would be able to do far bigger things if they make money from the more mass-market offerings - making really meticulously sampled and deep libraries because they could afford to with the profits from the former - but they never seem to do that.
(I’m sure plenty of people will disagree - I’m saying that in my experience there are always details about their libraries that make me choose other things. Studio woodwinds - there’s money I will never get back, all because of the way they insist on using ambience that makes their legato clumsy and bumpy. And their microphone technique. And their musicians’ moving around too much. But I digress.)
I remember reading a story about an art dealer who also sold junk antiques - he referred to that stuff as “my merde” - and said that when he saw a piece of value that he wanted to acquire that he would have to sell “very much merde”. I get this entirely. It’s like taking just plain work so you can afford to do passion projects. But the people who are able to buy library that isn’t riddled with flaws are still out here, and I think would like to see a bit less “merde”.
2 Likes
It’s good but very expensive
1 Like