Virtual multi-instruments/bundles

No incompatibilities with xp and cubase SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE It doesn't use much memory, we can add tracks and instances without problems OVERALL OPINION I've used it for several years now. Its main strength is that we can always find an easily editable sound, pad, choir or synth when we lack inspiration. Its weakest point are acoustic and real sounds, so forget about guitars, pianos, strings, they don't sound very authentic. In a few words: a complementary vsti with unlimited sounds to incorporate into a mix, to find ideas.

+ Good quality choir sounds for the price. I bought Symphonic Choirs as a download. - Very difficult to get to work. Since 1990 I have used a lot of different music software over the years, this software feels like doing combat and after one weekend of trying, I gave up and cancelled my purchase. Random issues seem make it not work. EastWest, loads of people work offline with computers and with SDDs where software libraries are stored. Your competitors like IK Multimedia and Spitfire so not suffer the issues I have had with your software. Logic Pro X has more basic sounds but hey, it works.

I am composing New Age, minimal and ambient kind of music but not exclusively. I work in a PC i7, with 64MBRam, 2Xssd disks, 3Xhard disks, Akai EIE Pro sound card, NI Komplete Kontrol s-61, 2XE-mu precision monitors, Steinberg Cubase 8Pro (64bit), Wavelab 8. I had the V3 collection and now I bought the V4 update, in an excellent (and smart) promo price of 100euros. If I had to pay for all these instruments the full amount I would have done. Arturia managed to make a product better from the former version just to give us the “excuse” to buy it. When they first issued the V4 I was thinking that I have not yet “drained” the possibilities of V3 so there is no reason to proceed to another purchase. When they gave me the opportunity to give 100euros, they spread my reluctant thoughts away. The Arturia V4, and the latest updates of V3, do not need an e-licenser or i-lock key anymore. This is more practical since you do not need to have to keep the e-licenser in mind. They do not overload the processor of the PC and they have the small window which tell us the PC load and the Panic button. Installation and midi programming are very easy and even a less experienced user can finish the job without any problems. I believe that the number and the variety of the presets is bigger (larger?) than the V3. Additionally there are 14 instruments instead of 9.The sound quality is excellent as usual with Arturia. All the arpegiators are grate and easy to control. They work excellent through my Cubase 8. Moreover the CS-80 v2 co-operates outstandingly with the Komplete Kontrol s61 who has the two “touch mod wheels” and so you can move your finger across the mod wheel and the synth follows you. The idea of the Arturia Sotware center is very clever and practical. Minor changes in some fonts and small details are also welcome. As you can understand I am very happy with my purchase. PROS: • Value for money (in any way – upgrade or not) = Excellent! • Very good quality of sound. • Ease of use. • Good “collaboration” with DAW • Larger variety. CONS: • I cannot find any so far.

IK Multimedia has always come out with stable programs, that was one of the reasons it was a no brainer for me to purchase this Total Workstation. I knew right up front what I was going to get from this company. This package comes with Sample Tank, Sonic Synth 2, Philharmonic, Sample Tron and Sample Moog. SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE Miroslav Philharmonic is absolutely amazing, I have used it before purchasing this and it was also one of the reasons that persuaded me to purchase the IK Multimedia Total Workstation XL. Sonik Synth 2 comes loaded with a great amount of synths that you can use right way, the presets are some of the best out and they don’t need much tweaking (if you don’t want to tweak). Now Sample Moog is suppose to be “moog like” but I was not a fan of it because to me nothing is like a real Moog except a real Moog. OVERALL OPINION There are over 5 thousand sounds with this Workstation, you will get some vintage sounds and even some up to date synths. It does come with some drums/percussion but I was not a fan of it because I felt like most of the drums felt really thin and not rich enough for my music. All of these plug-ins have been very stable on my PC. I have not had a crash or a freeze, some of them mainly the presets in Sonik Synth 2 can get a little heavy on your CPU at times especially if it is a preset that has a lot of effects on it. This workstation also comes with an extra 15 gigs of Xpansion Tank Instruments. My favorite parts of this package are Miroslav Philharmonic for the strings and Sonik Synth 2 for everything else. These two plug-ins alone are worth the whole price of this package from IK Multimedia.

Gforce M Tron Pro is a virtual instrument that comes loaded with 3.5 GB of sound and you can use it on PC or Mac computers. On PC it will work with Windows 98, Windows XP, Windows 2000, and on Mac’s you need to have OS 10.4 or higher to run it as well as 256MB of RAM. You can run Gforce M Tron Pro as a stand alone or as a VST, if you use it as a VST be careful with how many times you are running it simultaneously because I have had some issues when running it more than 3 times on my PC. It does not happen often but from time to time I will experience some glitch stuff and slow playback, even when ASIO drivers. SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE M Tron Pro is easy to install and only takes a few minutes, when you load it up it opens right up. It has over 500 presets and each individual preset can be altered with editing the parameters which is pretty easy to do right on screen. OVERALL OPINION Some of the sounds are really good, I was shocked. But others are just ok, and I feel like some of the presets I have heard in other VST’s that came out around the same time as the M Tron Pro. For the price, you are getting a really good VST at 149 dollars. I have been using this VST as a Standalone as well for almost a year. The price and the quality of some of the presets are more than enough to make you purchase this VST. I have used other Gforce products before and all of them are of quality and worth the buy. I am happy with my choice to use Gforce M Tron Pro. I have recently really utilized the MIDI learn function with all of the knobs and sliders on the VST. I know have them all synced up to the knobs on my MIDI keyboard for more of a realistic feeling synth.

IK Multimedia has released an orchestral synth called IK Multimedia Miroslav Philharmonik Classik Edition. It's based off of the Miroslav Orchestral and Choir. The plugin itself is just like any other plugin in that it loads in your favorite DAW either stand-alone or using some sort of wrapper. The program itself is very easy to use, and there are some pretty nice orchestral pieces to choose from. I had no issues creating a very power metal-esque style of music. Think of something like Rhapsody of Fire, and you'll know what I'm referring to. The samples themselves sound fairly solid, and I'd rate them higher than the built-in Logic stuff that I normally use. That said, there are other programs out there that are better, in my opinion. SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE IK Multimedia is pretty well known for being a good company when it comes to performance and stability. While I have experienced some crashes with other programs of theirs, this one seemed to be rock solid. There was no major lag when loading certain presets, and even when I started adding about six or so of these VSTs in the application, it didn't hiccup one bit. It doesn't take up a ton of RAM, and that's a good thing. In a world where RAM and performance mean everything, IK Multimedia delivered. I have never read the manual, so I can't comment on anything regarding how nicely their stuff is written, but I can say that this really doesn't need a manual. OVERALL OPINION If you're looking for a fairly solid orchestral synth, this is a good choice. It doesn't cost too much, and it delivers in terms of overall product. There are some better applications out there, but they're a bit more expensive. One thing I always try to push is that you don't steal or pirate these plugins. These guys work very hard for their money, so it's not really fair to just download their product and not buy it. If you download it to test it out and like it, throw them some money.

It's a very simple plugin. Authorizing it and all that is as simple as every plugin and you can get started really quickly. All the functions are easily found and organized well. You can search for sounds, or browse through the categories. It also comes with effects that may not be the best, as I choose to use my own reverb or compression but they definatly aren't bad. It's also easy to use the plugin as a multi out. SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE I've been using this for over a year and it's one of my most stable plugins. I can run a lot of instruments from it at the same time even when my project is full of tracks. I use it on almost every project. It's not a CPU hog at all even though it delivers quality sound. My computer is nothing special either, it's just a dual core gateway that isn't even for music with only 2GB of RAM. OVERALL OPINION The price is great, espcially when IK Multimedia does those "Group Buy" sales. You can literally get 5 of their plugins for the price of one. It's also cool that you can run the philharmonik instruments in any of the other plugins offered by IK Multimedia. It's definatly one of my "Go To" instruments since it has very realistic sounds, even the choirs are in a league of their own. They don't just sound like airy pads, they sound like real people singing. The strings and brass are just as good as well. Your not going to find your southern trap music brass in this, but if you want something realistic than look no further. I'd definatly make the same choice now that I've heard and used the plugin extensively. I would recommend it!

This is a plugin for Logic, Cubase, or other sequencers. This is a really cool plugin for creating Indian instrument sounds within your DAW. I didn't have any compatibility issues with the Logic setup at our studio, and it didn't give me any problems once it started working. The setup was pretty easy to use at that point. My MIDI sequencers and controllers worked fine with it. The functions were very easily accessible. SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE The plugin software worked very well for me in general. I had no latency issues or anything of the sort considering how powerful our computer is. It's definitely a fast performance and I've been using it for a short time but I am already pretty satisfied with it. OVERALL OPINION I like this program because it has a ton of Indian instruments that aren't usually available in standard instrument voice packages for these types of DAWs or sequencers. This is 100% midi but it has much better sitar, esraj, tamboura sounds than most plugins or instrument banks will, and it has some other Indian instruments that typically get ignored in Western music. This will definitely help you out if you study or perform Indian music and want to compose with it. It can even help you play in the pitches that aren't used in western music, such as microtones and stuff like that, which most people don't even really pick up on (at least in the West they don't!), but such functionality makes this a really cool plugin. I didn't even see it or use it until we had an Indian client come in and use it but afterwards it really piqued my curiosity. I personally am not trained in playing Indian music but I do think it's really interesting, and I like the option of including the instruments If you love Indian music and want to get MIDI Indian instruments, or you just want a wider palette for your own compositions, you can't go wrong with this. It's pretty expensive for a plug-in, either, so I would only recommend it if you knew you were going to use it a lot, but its certainly great for what it is.

This is a pretty high-quality sample bank. I think that it's a pretty easy thing to set up with Logic or another DAW. The setup didn't take me very long, and once I got started, the interface in Logic made it all pretty easy to control. It also, beyond being a sample bank, has an actual sampler, called Play. SOUND QUALITY The sounds in this sampler are pretty varied, and actually do a great job of covering all the basics. There's a ton of different sounds for piano, synthesizers, orchestral sounds, percussion, and drum kit. The only concern I have with these sounds is that once you pick them, you cannot manipulate too far within the interface of Goliath itself. You'd have to rely on some outboard gear or EQing to really mess with them. This is sort of limiting, as there are other sample banks that allow you to really manipulate the sounds within the banks themselves. My style of music doesn't really call for sample banks as much, since I really would almost always prefer to use live instruments. However, this is rarely possible at home, so I would have to say that this is pretty satisfying as far as sample banks go. The actual quality of the given samples is pretty robust and full for the most part, and none of them sound very artificial, which is what I am always worried about. OVERALL OPINION The main problem I had with this was that I had to really be careful about not pushing my computer too hard. This is unfortunate, especially since I have about 4 GB of RAM on my hard drive. Logic would be the only program I could run and get the performance I wanted out of it. I'm not too familiar at this point with a whole lot of other sample libraries, only a few far cheaper banks that were far inferior. They ran more smoothly on my computer, but they didn't sound nearly as good. The only critique sound-wise was again, the lack of editing possible within the program itself, it gets tricky to get really creative with these sounds when you have to send signals back to outboard gear or mix them very strangely. I would say to anyone, check it out before you buy it. Its worth checking out to say the least.

I am composing New Age, minimal and ambient kind of music but not exclusively. I work in a Windows 10 PC, i7, with 64MBRam, 2Xssd disks, 3Xhard disks, Audient id22 sound card, NI Komplete Kontrol s-61, 2XE-mu precision monitors, Steinberg Cubase 8,5Pro (64bit), Wavelab 8. I had the V3 collection and then I bought the V4 update. Now I updated again to V5. They have a new interface, very easy to use - user friendly. I love the work they did due to the fact that they issued (again!) a product that I love to use without any problems. Everything is easy to use, sound quality is excellent and not at all CPU consuming. The interface of Analog Lab works like a central station where you can choose and upload your sounds. It is a similar functionality with NI's Kontrol Center. They work with Native Instruments S keyboard controllers so I am happy. In this edition there are more instruments and sounds to choose: B-e V, a new version of CS-80 (my endless love...;)), Farfisa, new Jupiter, new ARP 2600, new Matrix 12, new Mini, new Modular V3, the Piano, new Prophet, the SEM, new Solina, the Stage - 73, new Vox continental AND the SYNCLAVIER. All the instruments are similar to use and they issued also videos on Youtube with how to... As I told in another review the guys of Arturia are making me happy to use their products. Last but not least the support section. Every ticket I created, I 've got an answer AND solution in 24 hours.

I was about to start a project that required orchestral samples and I got advice to use Quantum Leap: it turns out that this was great, because it spared me from going through hundreds of mediocre plugins. The installing process is as simple as any other plugin of the sort: install it and load it from your DAW. I never had any compatibility issues, and the software is clear enough that it does not require a manual for basic use: all the modelling tools are visible from start. I only did resort to the manual when I came to use Keyswitch samples and other advanced options, and not only the instructions were clear but also it provided me with means of making my music more realistic and full of subtleties. SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE I run this in an I5 and I usually don't experience any performances issues or crashes. That is, when I don't overload my DAW. Running two or three instances of this particular sofware may hinder your performance significantly, especially if you are using keyswitched patches. I've used this software for at least 3 years now and to be fair I'd be totally lost without it, as it has turned out to be the most versatile tool you may be able to find in the market. OVERALL OPINION As I said before, the best thing about this piece of software is its awesome versatility. The sheer number of articulations and dynamics you can get from every instrument (together with subtle timbre changes based on dynamic), combined with the possibility of loading more than one sample on a single instance, modelling timbre, and effect variables (chorus, delay, reverb) make for a must-have tool in the modern musician's arsenal. To be totally fair, the sounds are a bit dated now (specially some strings sections and brasses), you can bet much better particular samples if you resort to 8DIO tools, but those take up a great deal of space, while Quantum Leap offers a whole orchestral library, full with percussions and effects for a moderate amount of memory. I think this is an indispensable tool for any aspiring orchestral composer or arranger, as it makes for excellent mockups or even professional work (as long as the orchestra isn't the main dish on the music).

There were no conflicts nor compatibility issues under WIndows XP and 7. The manual is really clear and easy to read, giving you extensive examples and detailed explanation on the program functions and usage. Really easy setup and configuration straight forward, also very well explained on the manual. Great interface and all the program's instruments are available on the go, as well as their filters and effects, as something that i gaven't seen often on many other virtual instrument programs. SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE Program stability is not an issue at all and it works perfectly as long as you have a decent amount of RAM memory, as well as a good processor (Core 2 Duo or higher). I've been using it for a couple of years now, but just after 3 months of constante usage, it became a vital part of my work, due to the (so far) unmatched quality of the instruments. OVERALL OPINION If you are looking to emulate a real orchestra, then this is probably the best available option. Due to it's outstanding sound quality, worths it's price by far. I haven't seen any other sound bank or program that has as much quality as this one on what regards the classic orchestral instrumentation. Strings, brass, woodwinds, keyboards, choirs... Everything you need to bring that orchestral composition that you've made to life. And it's plugin compatibility with programs like Cubase or Sonar makes of GPO 4 a MUST HAVE for every composer and music producer. If you have the chance to lay your hands on it, don't let it go!