$3K budget for orchestral samples - any recommendations?

[wonder]

no need to be so angry!!!
relax, take a breath, have a beer ... you'll enjoy your life a little more.

[amplidood]

Not angry. Just disappointed. End of conversation.

[tunaman68]

I would love to know how in LA with union rules and fixed prices at the "best studio" Todd AO or Sony is assume, you scored a film with a full string section for $3,000!?!?! If you can really pull that off, email me so I can use you for my contractor on an indie film I'm set to score next month. I've gone to the Prague at a virtual session several times and it costs $4,500 for a six hour session!!

Thanks and I look forward to some info!

[erockerboy]

Hey wonder - if you're still out there, drop me an email at erik@reelworld.com - I've got a jingle thing coming up that I would LOVE to use real strings on if poss, and it would be great to get some more specifics on how to get live players on that kind of budget.

Thanks!

[wonder]

if this isnt a joke, i'll do it. my email is on here, you can contact me.

if its an attempt at humor, you're a few weeks late.

[swiftness]

You can't even get my crappy 5 peice cover band to play your wedding for less than $1500.

Yay for Sample libraries! You can use them again on other projects.

[spirit]

Also, if you've never written for live strings the way you transcribe their parts may sound rather different than the realization on whatever sample libraries you use. For better OR worse.
Frequently live recorded strings will sound better than a sampler, but NOT always. If your string section leader pulls in his cousin whose pitch isn't that great, one less than great player can ruin the work of several other players if they are playing as a section. Sample libraries usually represent an epitomy of quality of players, recorded quality and instruments (will your live players be bringing their "good" instruments which can be so valuable that taking them out of the house for a budget session may be too big a risk).
Even the best studios won't sound always as good as their best work, and a studio that doesn't do strings regularly is less certain.
The idea of overdubbing a couple of first violins to give some sublteties of phrasing and versimilitude may be an approach to consider (as late in the process as possible).
Maybe one good violin player doubling up parts in your home studio would be the most ecomonical- especially if you find a good college student who you have the chance to hear them first (or can cancel the session after an hour if their playing is not satisfactory). Keeping each live violin part on it's own track could help with any revisions that might still subsequently become neccessary (for video relase if everybody is lucky?). Probably there are some college students out their that will do something like $50 hr. if they are not snooty and don't have lot's of friends making more. Some pros might do "demo scale" if it isn't a major release and they get paid cash- they may even be lenient in time if they don't have something else planned and they think you might have more higher paying work in the future.

<small>[ July 19, 2005, 02:07 PM: Message edited by: spirit ]</small>

[jimjacobsen]

Start with EWQLSO Gold. IMHO: don't waste money on Platinum unless you're likely to be working in surround sound a lot.
Woodwinds are the weakest part of EWQLSO as noted elsewhere.
Know that EWQLSO is recorded VERY ambient and it can be a bit tricky to blend with other libraries, but overall, it rocks. VSL= overpriced.
GOOD LUCK.
Forget live, bad idea.

<small>[ July 19, 2005, 02:02 PM: Message edited by: jimj ]</small>

[jimjacobsen]

Also, live strings do not always sound better than samples strings. Some kinds of passages are almost impossible to do sampled though.

[wonder]

I LOVE the eastwest stuff. I have silver and Gold (dont ask me why i have both).
Its SOOO much easier to work with sampled stuff but for some things, i just cant bring myself to program when i could track a real cello and/or a quartet and/or a small section.

Good luck to you, man...oh, and, when one person has an opinion, just because you dont agree with it doesnt make the feat impossible.

[jimjacobsen]

It's certainly true that IF you can get the players you need within your budget, and you know going into the session that the cues are approved, it's a beautiful thing. I just personally wouldn't try to do a film project that way for 3k. But this is my profession and often the need to clear a profit outweighs artistic concerns and that's a shame, but there it is.

[dtobocman]

EWQLSO... pretty astounding. I've been at this sampled orchestra for a long time now...

You still have to know how to write for orchestra. That doesn't come with the software. At least with samples you can use trila and error...

Using live strings requires some pretty specialized knowledge in bowing, phrasing, doubling... etc. Ig you use live strings, think about hiring a real orchestrator/conductor or at least hire one as an advisor. You'll be very unhappy if your results suck...

[rikp]

I agree. That $3000 is not going to buy too much. In fact, you will be cutting corners to do it right for $3000. Just my 2 cents. Buy a library and then when the director changes his/her mind for the 100th time, you will still have an orchestra to write for!

Peace

Rik