Best Orchestral Sample Libraries for BEGINNERS: My Experience in 2023

[@michaelwagner5927]

I think the East West composer cloud is worth mentioning. There’s about 2.5TB of samples for $10-$20 a month. The Hollywood orchestra series is especially good with all the sections, including choir with a word builder, covered, rivalling and even bettering the best samples on the market. In addition there are synths, loop packs, a fantasy orchestra, ethnic instruments etc. The drawback is how long it takes to download. But if you’re starting out and want to see if composing is for you it’s a cheap barrier to entry.

[@story_arc]

Hollywood Orchestra alone is worth the price. And if you don't like subscriptions, it regularly goes on sale for $400 USD. Easily the best value of any lib. HO is what beginners are looking for.

[@TrashPandaMusicYT]

Started with Nucleus as well, but mainly for symphonic metal purposes. No other library cuts through a dense mix as well as the modern mic mix does.

[@KevinKuschel]

awesome! yes I imagine nucleus bring great for that.

[@BenBerkenboschMusic]

Great video!!! This is a very good video for beginners, puts things on a row, and I like that even though this is your personal opinion, you still keep things clear and objective to understand. If you want to learn more about music production, this channel is one of the most valuable ones that's out there. Unlike anyone else, you take us into your journey and for that reason, this information sticks unlike any other channel!

[@KevinKuschel]

Thank you so much for your support, Ben! I really appreciate it and it's absolutely amazing to see my content being so well received.

[@CALIGULA198X]

It truly is.

[@KnapfordMaster98]

The value you get with Cinematic Studio Strings cannot be understated. I have it and CSW and I love them. The winds in particular have this certain fantastical quality that really stands out. It’s hard to explain, there’s almost this sensation that they’re a little out of tune even though they’re not, and in a way that sounds other worldly. I just love it. I have Cinebrass, and if I could I would buy CSB right now. But I’m smack in the middle of a project and can’t afford the time needed to update the template.

[@richardcassing]

I started with Nucleus too! It's fantastic, offers a lot for the money, and has a great sound. The solo oboe is fantastic too! I also really enjoy and use Areia, Damage 2, Wotan, and Freyja a lot as well.

[@KevinKuschel]

love the woods in nucleus!

[@92keys524]

BBC Discover was my first and only full library for over a year and was a wonderful place to start, especially since I just an amateur and not making a living. It’s a wonderful library and so much fun to use, even on weak machines.

[@KevinKuschel]

Yes great offering that’s accessible to everyone!

[@petterrong1590]

Having gone through quite a few libraries, both all-in-ones and individual, Nucleus is the best beginning offer on the market by far. Even the choir sounds better and larger than 8Dio Lacrimosa and Orchestral Tools MA1 in my opinion. And one of the only few in that market that does section-based. Great library

[@arnaspanic]

Instant sub! Amazing story telling

[@KevinKuschel]

thank you :)

[@jayneubauer3401]

when I was first getting into trailers, but wasn't too sure this is the direction I wanted to go so didn't want to spend a lot, I got Nucleus Lite and BBSCO Discover. I have since upgraded to BBCSO Core. Great video! I like the evolution you show.

[@KevinKuschel]

Thanks! Good luck on your composer journey!

[@CraigRodmellMusic]

I got BBCSO Core, too, but for a slightly different reason. I'm purely a hobbyist composer, and BBCSO Core has given me my own private orchestra, whose sole job is playing my music, or whatever else I tell them to. Not even Beethoven had that luxury! Kudos to Spitfire in recognising the significant market that exists in people like myself, and producing a suitable product.

[@MBynum]

I started with Discover and Nucleus Lite before I went with the other big libraries like CSS. I'm also in the same boat with no dedicated woodwinds library. But I think I'll end up getting Big Bang Orchestra Orion from VSL later this year for that.

[@KevinKuschel]

Good luck with your music! :)

[@envrie9423]

Excellent video, great input. I bought Albion One & The BBBSO both of a big discount. So I essentially got two for the price of one. I really interested in that CSS library you mentioned with the legato. It looks like there’s more control over the expression of the legato, something that is lacking in BBCSO.

[@KevinKuschel]

Thanks! Yes, CSS has 3 legato speeds, overall more control than an all-in-one orchestra like Albion One or BBCSO :)

[@CraigRodmellMusic]

During my own research for a suitable All-In-One Orchestral library, somehow Nucleus slipped under the radar. I'd never heard of it until yesterday (when I watched another of your videos). I ended up with BBCSO Core.

[@thedolorpolar]

I started with Amadeus Symphony Orchestra because of budget reasons, but Nucleus would have been my choice if I could afford it for sure

[@CraigRodmellMusic]

I can appreciate that. I did give Amadeus serious consideration, mainly because of a non-existent budget for what is essentially an expensive hobby. I was a bit worried about the lack of true legato, but the deal-breaker was a demo I heard which featured the violins in the high range, and it was not good. My composition for which I wanted an orchestra library featured both legato and high strings extensively, so it got scratched off the list, even though it had instruments that another contender, BBCSO Core, lacked. In the end, I got BBCSO Core when it was on sale last year. A choice I haven't regretted, even if I have to use my hardware synths for such things as the Cor Anglais.

[@maxlenzofficial]

very informative video 👌

[@arielyznardocomposer]

This is super helpful! Thank you so much. I'm actually thinking about going for a choir library soon and now, I'm extremely interested in Choir Essentials as I think it will cover most ground I will need it for. Was thinking of getting Oceania II but I hear it might be a bit limited to the strong epic side of things. Also, I'm a Hans Zimmer Pro Percussion user and it's a really great library and I can testify that it does have a powerful sound but at times it can sound too wet, acousticky and colorful because of the ethnic nature of many of it's samples. That's not bad at all but sometimes you just want more "gray" drums, so to speak, that will have this huge impactful sound, so I'm hoping to add Damage 2 to my arsenal sometime in the near future. Your video just triggered that urge even more xD Thanks Kevin! Amazing content. I can't imagine the amount of work you're putting into making these, but it shows. It really does. Danke herr!

[@KevinKuschel]

Thank you :) Oceania does one thing and it does it well. it's a bit of an epic one trick pony and I'm glad I bought it. Choir essentials is a capable allrounder for many scenarios that Oceania doesn't cover

[@KevinKuschel]

btw I'm actually looking for more of this "grey percussion" for my trailer tracks. heard good things about box factory (was it called like that?)

[@arielyznardocomposer]

@@KevinKuschel Ahh good to know about Oceania. And yes! I actually have Box Factory as well. It has a very neutral, punchy sound and yet it has a very organic quality which is rare for trailer percussion. It is slightly opaquer in terms of resonance and relies mostly on reverb for tails, but it can definitely add a lot of punch especially when layered with other types of percussion and can get blasting for sure. It comes with some handy booms, wooshes and risers which add a lot of flexibility. I think it can do especially well at brightening low hits and cutting through a mix. Alex Pfeiffer actually made a video with a short demo showing how bright and punchy it can get. Comes with four different mixes: agressive, natural, gritty and snappy. I guess the best way to describe it in my opinion is: It's like cooking with vodka. It can enhance the flavor of your dish without adding a lot of it's own flavor. 😀

[@KevinKuschel]

@@arielyznardocomposer Thanks! Excited to taste your meals LOL

[@arielyznardocomposer]

@@KevinKuschel Haha, come to Costa Rica and I'll make cook you some really great pasta!

[@toddfrombethesda6963]

Could choice on not grabbing Albion one (excluding the fact you missed out on some of the best percs for modern soundtracks). It’s more meant for general media scoring then composing.

[@robertx1603]

Recently rage-deleted all traces of Kontakt from my system, due to the maddeningly un-intuitive 90s-era UI, plus NI's penchant for cancelling support of their products. So most of these choices are a non-starter (for me personally). Happy to limit my choices in order to avoid NI.

[@JD-ls6ex]

I know it wasn't out when you made this video, but the best starting point now imo is Kontakt 7/Komplete 14. You won't get legato, but the new factory content is plenty to get you started and you will probably buy Kontakt anyway :D

[@KevinKuschel]

Yeah, the newly done orchestral part in the Kontakt Factory Library 2 is pretty decent! I listed it as A-tier in my Best All-in-one orchestral libraries video 👍

[@jmmm2703]

Nucleus is really coool!

[@KevinKuschel]

Super cool!

[@ClicStudio]

This looks like my journey of traveling through libraries to make my music grow stronger only difference is that I got SO MANY THINGS before getting css series xd I also started with something much harder to start with spitfire studio orchestra what a mistake ahah, I still use it tho because it's dry and can be used with so many cool effects (delay, phaser, chorus and stuff) but now that TSS is out I'd get that over studio strings because they're basically the same tone-wise except the legato is terrible on studio strings and there aren't much dynamics layers which make the shorts not aggressive at all :(

[@KevinKuschel]

Thanks for sharing your experience! No experience with Spitfire strings on my end. I use CSS as main generalist and then things like afflatus, vista, TSS and sunset strings as colorful specialists. expansions.

[@GoOKuSj33]

Nucleus sounds really good, but it's not complete, it misses a lot of BASIC articulations, like staccato and trills for the solo instruments.

[@KevinKuschel]

off the top of my head I’m not aware of any all in one orchestral library that has these articulations for solo instruments

[@GoOKuSj33]

​​​​@@KevinKuschelSpitfire BBCSO Core, I heard some annyonances about the brass power and string legatos, but articulation whise, not only does it have those, but also flutter tongue and multitongue for a Solo flute. Also OT Berlin Orchestra, but it's expensive. No library is perfect of course.

[@thewolf6988]

Thank you very much for the great video, btw what do you think of "Miroslav Philharmonik 2" ?

[@KevinKuschel]

You're welcome! :) I don't have Miroslav Philharmonik 2 and I don't know anyone that uses it.

[@PinkCrocodile]

What I exactly need

[@lyskmusic]

Well, I have the exact same libraries you picked ! Now begging for your opinion - disclaimer: I will assume my own decision ;) - CHORUS by Audio Imperia OR DOMINUS PRO by FluffyAudio ?? Please..... Thank you so much for you input (and you've just got a new subscriber).

[@KevinKuschel]

Sorry I've never tried Dominus Pro. If you already have a lot of audio Imperia products, the consistent workflow can be a plus.

[@lyskmusic]

@@KevinKuschel Thank you very much.

[@christoph5071]

What’s the difference between the full version and lite version

[@KevinKuschel]

Sorry for the late response. Are you talking about Nucleus? Lite only has the ensemble patch, no soloists, no individual instrument patches, less articulations, no legato compared to full.

[@rojoxx1000]

Do you think elements from zero g is a good investment for beginner? It is not expensive and seem really full of quality sounds

[@KevinKuschel]

It's great for adding colors and choices to your palette. Wonderful for adding atmosphere and a cinematic feel to your compositions. If you already have a set of basic libraries (strings, brass, percussion etc, depending on the type of music you write), then I'd say yes. It's probably not the best choice for THE FIRST sample library you buy, if you're looking for orchestral music, because you'd want to have your basic instruments covered first imo. Considering Elements' price, you can't do much wrong as long as you have Kontakt Full.

[@landonp629]

Metropolis Ark series. Options for sections, groups, full orchestra, choirs, etc. As an owner of Nucleus, I'm really less than impressed. It basically does the large trailer sound really well, but struggles in the quiet stuff. The Ark series is more comparable to Albion and Nucleus than Inspire is.

[@KevinKuschel]

Thanks for spending the time to leave some feedback! The Ark series is over 1k USD and still doesn't contain full control of the instruments in the individual sections. For these two reasons, I don't consider it to be an all-in-one orcestra perfect for beginners. However, it's a great and massive orchestra and I showcase that in my video on the Metropolis Ark series. For Nucleus, have you tried the classic mix? I think you can get some pretty awesome results with that one even outside of trailer music. Chcek out Tom Hawk's composition "Magic Tower Escape": kzbin.info/www/bejne/anasfGlvr9x7e5Y If the classic mix is still too direct for you, perhaps check out BBCSO core.

[@landonp629]

@@KevinKuschel One of my primary issues with Nucleus us how fractured its offerings are. Yes, it does have some solo instruments - but they very sporadic and basic in articulation options. Only a flute - no piccolo, no alto, no bass flutes - just a flute. And what, maybe 2 or 3 other woodwinds solo instruments? Yes, you can compose with that - but its going to sound very basic. Frankly, I'd rather have Amadeus Symphony for $150 - I have that and still use it in almost every composition - and that includes solo and ensemble patches for pretty much every woodwind, brass, and string option. Even includes solo strings and ensemble small and large options. If I had to pick a product to use as a beginner with a budget, it would be Amadeus over Nucleus any day of the week, just for the sheer amount of available instruments and articulations. I basically own the entire Ark series, the entire Berlin series, inspires, all of the Albions and the entire symphonic line from Spitfire - in addition to staples like Amadeus and TOC2 - they all have their goals, but I'd say the real choice will depend on what you want to do. AS fun as having every instrument and every articulation is - its also a time slog and chore to compose that way in many cases - one reason why I don't own the likes of BBCSO. I'm almost 100% a media composer, and as such rely almost solely on ensemble patches.

[@nchangcute2539]

You left Cinesymphony LITE by cinesamples

[@carators3611]

Thanks for this video! With Nucleus, could I use individual instruments besides the ones called "solo" on the website? Could I have a single double bass instead of using the whole string group?

[@KevinKuschel]

No, you can't use solo versions of each non-solo patch. Only those instruments in the solo folder. These are separate recordings. It's not possible to extract a solo performance from an ensemble recording.

[@carators3611]

@@KevinKuschel Thanks for your reply! Could you recommend any orchestral library (for beginners) that also has solo instruments? Cinematic Studio Solo Strings doesn't have a double bass, and I'd like all parts in the instrument family if possible.

[@teja7217]

What libraries are required for epic and fantasy music? Help please!

[@KevinKuschel]

What do you already have?

[@teja7217]

@@KevinKuschel Albion & world percussion creator

[@gurumajuindonesia]

how about East West Hollywood Orchestra?

[@KevinKuschel]

never used it.

[@emanuel_soundtrack]

so good as nucleus, but a lot of details and bugy. You have all sounds there

[@AverFlow]

What about some guitars pack's? (Or vst)

[@KevinKuschel]

Thanks for your feedback! I don't have a lot of experience with guitar VSTs as I focus on orchestral and hybrid orchestral, so I mainly use guitar patches within other libraries I own (e.g. the guitar in GROTH or Diamond Jazz Orchestra), but they don't replace standalone guitar vst's in detail and quality. For ambient guitars, I use trailer guitars 2, but they are more textural, and not a full guitar VST. Hope you understand :)

[@AverFlow]

@@KevinKuschel Thanks for the answer! And do you think orchestral music can be suitable for a pixel game? I have a few ideas about this. But I don't know if I can contact you. I would really like to show something of my own to someone experienced. (I translated it through a translator because I don't know enough English yet, hello from Ukraine!)

[@JD-ls6ex]

I'd say Komplete standard/ultimate is a good option for that considering how much else you get. You get plenty of guitars, basses and drums.

[@lucifervalentine275]

Dude you speak in C major. You sound like a German daily nas. This is not an insult, check the guy out you just sound similar

[@KevinKuschel]

Lol interesting. I can't help it. Trying to find a good balance between expressing the excitement I feel for all of this, avoiding to sound boring, and not annoying peopple with my vocal inflections.

[@KevinKuschel]

"I speak in C Major" is definitely an original thing to write on a tinder bio.

[@lucifervalentine275]

@@KevinKuschel Bro if you are in a position where you are so excited you have to bring it DOWN you are winning life. What an amazing person. I sometimes artificially tried to sound *more* alive or excited. It also comes across very visibly that you love doing music and are proud of your efforts to get better at everything.

[@mr_don_key]

good video! however... little critic note: too much emphasis on the cinematic studio series (as follow-up library from nucleus)... Not very balanced imho. You should have included more alternatives, and speak less like an advertisement on cinematic studio series (for one the sound is quite dry, not that easy to work with (sample delay). ;-) )

[@KevinKuschel]

Hey Rogier, thank you. I know Cinematic series is overrepresented, but that's what I bought and I mentioned in the beginning that this is a list of what helped me the most when starting out. It takes some time to understand how the delay works, yet I didnt come across a better library that ticks off all the boxes for me. What are your best alternatives that helped you out the most?

[@JoseOliveira-tl8jv]

TÚ SÓ APRENDEUA FALAR FOI? NÃO SABE TOCAR NADA?

[@GoOKuSj33]

KKKKK mano, você não entendeu que tipo de vídeo está assistindo?