Project SAM

This is a collection of Mulit sampled instruments including Trombones, trumpets, french horns, Tuba and Cimbasso. The setup is very simple. Just install on your HDD and add the Library through Kontakt 5's "add Library" button. The configuration is very simple due to the fact that if you are using this library, you aren't looking to tweak the crap out of your sounds, it's supposed to be an emulation of real instruments that simply don't have that many "tweakable" parameters. You do however get basic stuff like Reverb, Legato on/off, and EQ as well as an Octaver and Repetition option as well as basic ASDR functions. As for variation, you get all those instruments with a lot of different patches to choose from (long sustain, vibrato, staccato, etc...) and you also get two different main mic positions which are "up close" and "Stage." This allows you to get that normal expected sampled sound of the single instrument but also to get the "feel" and natural reverb sound of the instrument recorded from a "stage performance" perspective. This is wonderful and adds so much to the mix especially if you are going for a truly symphonic, robust track that needs that extra resonance to really sell it as a symphonic performance. I run this on a Macbook Pro i7 with an RME Fireface 800 with Kontakt 5 in Logic 9/Ableton8 and Standlone. As for suited style, if you think you can add some sort of brass instrument to the track, then this will work wonderfully. What I love most about this instrument set is the French Horns. They are hands down the best sounding instrument in this collection. They are extremely warm and smooth (just like the real thing) and with all the various patches and tweaks, you can really pull of a very convincing sound. I also really enjoy the Cimbasso. It adds that lower bass punch that I never knew I was missing until I started using this set. In fact, I don't think I have ever seen a Cimbasso in any other symphony style collection I have used. If I had to pick out one thing I wasn't crazy for it would have to be the trumpets. They aren't as convincing as I had hoped and seem to be a little on the "tinny" side at times. I will have to play with them more but fortunately I have access to a real Trumpet player who loves to record so I usually talk to him when trumpet is needed. This set cost $300 which is not bad at all if you find yourself needing some really solid horns and don't have access to the real deal. I have probably spend twice that in the last 2 years paying musicians to record. The sound quality is truly awesome on almost every instrument in the set. They are very realistic and offer enough variation and "hot keys" (keyboard keys that change parameters in the instrument) so you can actually perform a convincing horn line with these using a basic midi keyboard. I have used many different symphonic sampled instruments (most often IK's Philharmonik) but I find that when it comes to French Horn, cimbasso, Tuba and Trombone, I usually reach for this first. Yes, I highly recommend this to anyone in need of solid, dependable, convincing horns from a computer.

Symphobia is a multi sampled pack which allows a lot of editing in terms of articulation , panning , reverb , effects and other orchestral tricks. The general configuration and setup it quite simple and straight forward , the only thing to mention is the big size of the product itself mainly because all of the instruments were recorded live. SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE The sound quality is amazing , the sounds are well made , well edited , you have your own orchestra on your home pc , the sounds provided are varied , different colors , timbre , textures , tones and articulations which take the orchestral editing to a whole new level. My computer configuration is i5 , 4 gb ra m , 2.2 processor , this product doesn't requires as high cpu resources as east west , but you should without a doubt buy a powerful pc if you want to use this product properly. OVERALL OPINION What I like most about it is the quality of the instruments , the multiple articulation , the different specter of sound , the distance between the instrument itself , this product has a lot of features which it gets a top place in the digital orchestration world. What I also like about it is the fast library of instruments , some instruments that you won't find in other orchestral packs. My opinion about the value of price is strictly related to the quality of it , this product sounds very very good , so the price shouldn't really be a problem , because this is a quite a safe investment. Precision and quality of the sound I would rate 9/10 only because I've tried East West and these two products are competing with each other. I've tried different models and packs , this is without a doubt in top 5 the most powerful and creative packs ever made.