Sample Libraries for DP

[absolute_music]

Hi! Can anyone recommend a good sample library for use with DP 8. 07? I'm looking for both orchestral and industrial sounds. Thanks so much! : )

[Morpheo]

How much can you spend?

[cuttime]

Hesitant to say this, but I'd probably go for the full edition of Kontakt. The included library is serviceable, but nothing to write home about. It can be had on sale for about $100. Why I recommend it is because it will allow you to expand with your budget and needs. There are some very good free libraries out there for Kontakt Player (free), but they time out in "Demo" mode after 15 minutes. The full version of Kontakt doesn't time out, unless the demos are expressly from NI. Other than that, I'd not venture any further, because anything else is in that rarefied area of taste and budget.

That being said, even inexpensive libraries can be made to sound good, or even great, if one is willing to spend the time and energy to get results. The higher end libraries tend to sound better out of the box.

[stubbsonic]

Now that Cuttime has said it out loud, I have to agree. You would be hard-pressed with any library to get as much as you will get from just getting Kontakt. It covers LOTS of territory, and is highly configurable.

To me, the biggest weakness of Kontakt is that it's bundled orchestral sounds are kind of mixed. Some of the sounds are fantastic and some are unusable in most contexts. Still, you hit the ground with a crap ton of sounds. Then you can go and find cheap and free stuff to fill in.

I have a very limited budget but VERY expensive tastes. So I use Kontakt for many things. I've considered other libraries that are within my budget but the demos put me off. So now I wait until I can afford a really good library.

Yea, knowing what your budget is would be helpful.

[absolute_music]

Thanks, everyone! So, if $100 would get me Kontakt, just for grins, what would $500 buy?

[HCMarkus]

Thanks, everyone! So, if $100 would get me Kontakt, just for grins, what would $500 buy?

KOMPLETE. KOMPLETE ULTIMATE if you get it just before a new version is coming out.

[zuul-studios]

Yep. . . Kontakt is one option, and a good one at that. Another option are the Garritan libraries. For $500.00, you can get MOST of them, which includes a large number of instruments.

https://www.garritan.com/?_ga=1.1823245 ... 1438729012

[bayswater]

I agree with what has been said about Kontakt, but only so far. Get the free version and decide whether you like working with it. I've had one version or another of Kontakt since the free preview version went out a very long time ago, and I've never liked it. Millions seem to be fine with it, but I find the workflow and user interface awkward, cluttered and unintuitive. It has a zillion options and they all seem to be there in front of you all the time. For me, having Kontakt in a project is like a traffic jam on an otherwise clear highway. I only use it when there is no alternative.

Another thing: it is not likely you'll find anything that does all you want, even if your requirements are fairly modest. Sometime a piano that works well in one track doesn't feel right in another, while an arguably worse sample from another library sounds OK. So, have a look at Falcon (get the free UVI player to get a sense of how it works). There may be demo versions around of the Garritan libraries using the Aria player. I find both of these a lot easier to work with. Also look at the free/demo version of Sampletank from IKM.

If you want to go to the trouble of linking up standalone apps to DP, have a look Mainstage which comes with the entire Apple sound library which has some gems amid the rubbish.

Now and then a single instrument VI comes along that is so good, you have to have that too. The IKM modelled bass is a recent example.

[mikehalloran]

Thanks, everyone! So, if $100 would get me Kontakt, just for grins, what would $500 buy?

KOMPLETE. KOMPLETE ULTIMATE if you get it just before a new version is coming out.

If I could have found Kontakt for $100 or even double, I never would have bought Komplete for $599. Kontakt 5 by itself is currently $399. You get so much more for the extra $200, it made sense for me to do so.
https://www.native-instruments.com/en/p ... -platform/

There's a version called Komplete 11 Select for $199 but it has the free Kontakt Player. Still, you might find the bundled libraries useful.
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/manufa ... nstruments



MainStage is $29.99 from the App Store.

Garritan Personal Orchestra 5 is pretty useful for $149.95
https://www.garritan.com/products/personal-orchestra-5/

Sometimes some real bargains show up. We post them here—
viewtopic.php?f=26&t=59916

—as I did when I found an incredible deal on a SampleTank Max and Miroslav Philharmonik 2 bundle last year.

[mikehalloran]

Sometime a piano that works well in one track doesn't feel right in another, while an arguably worse sample from another library sounds OK...

True that.

The piano included with the free version of SampleTank was my go-to when I need a nice, monophonic piano in a mix. I have many other keyboard VIs nowadays plus a great instrument at home but sometimes, that freebie is still the one I like best on a project.

[mhschmieder]

I wanted to wait for other responses to see where this was heading, but feel it is time now to offer the suggestion of looking at UVI's products, even though most of their sales just ended (for now).

You can cheaply cover your piano, orchestra, and electronic needs without spending money on the sampler itself. Some of the best libraries are made for UVI Workstation (which MachFive is based on).

The True Keys pianos from VI Labs were just on sale for $99, and may have a few days left in that sale. Some of the best pianos available, and a good starting point.

Some very good electronic libraries as well, and easier/quicker to sift through that the gazillion Kontakt choices. Cheaper as well.

I need Kontakt, but not everyone does. Most of my primary sound sources are NOT Kontakt-based, but that's because I spend most of my time inside Vienna Instruments Pro. I use UVI a lot also.

Of course, Kontakt Player libraries build the cost of that license into the product, but even so, many of those are cheap as well, and some were on sale recently, such as the excellent Galaxy Pianos.

[mikehalloran]

True Keys is on sale through Feb. 8.

I have quite a few UVI libraries as well. It's easy to go nuts when they have a sale.