Cinematic Studio Woodwinds: A Review

►► Download My Sample Library Buyer's Guide For Free: www.christophersiu.com/best-c...
Hey everyone! In today's sample library review, let's take a look at the long-awaited release from Cinematic Studios: the woodwinds. How does it hold up?
► Looking to start, build, and scale your online business to earn passive income? Check out Podia for free! cutt.ly/FgA2XkU
► Join my new Discord community! / discord
► Looking for an in-depth orchestral mixing course that will take your productions to the next level? Check out Joël Dollié's course here: cutt.ly/ZyMFqv0
► Evenant has some wonderful material on music production, composition, and design: cutt.ly/seXO7rH
For business/music inquiries, contact me @ www.christophersiu.com
Support me on Patreon: / christophersiu
SOCIALS:
Facebook: goo.gl/g5jwen
Twitter: goo.gl/bhrsrz
Instagram: goo.gl/BgBaZK

[@HugoPaulo]

Literally the best sounding Woodwind library I've heard!

[@KerwinYoungComposer]

I'm loving this library, and I've been patiently waiting for you to do a review on it. Glad you've included your comparative experience with the OT Berlin Woodwinds series

[@ChristopherSiu]

Thanks for watching Kerwin!

[@francolupo23]

Thank you, Chris, for this comprehensive and eloquent review. I feel that for an orchestral sound, a combination of the overhead and main mics works best. I demonstrate that in an ensemble composition with CSS (con sordino) on my channel. I also added a tad of Seventh Heaven reverb. That way you get an intimate sound that still conveys the right feeling of space.

[@ChristopherSiu]

My pleasure Frank! Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us.

[@andyhyner7864]

A side-by-side view of your keyboard/midi controller/pedal techniques alongside the articulation you're testing is something to consider going forward but I still found this review extremely helpful. I already have CSW but you provided a number of useful tips to get the best out of it. In so many ways I feel it's very much like learning to play a real instrument. I started using a sustain pedal for the first time with this library and it made a big difference to the overall performance. Perhaps like your orchestrating runs tutorial it warrants a separate video about the different techniques used to get the best out of sample libraries.

[@ChristopherSiu]

Thanks Andy!

[@OasisFirefly]

Been waiting for this!

[@ChristopherSiu]

Awesome!

[@namenaim1560]

Thanks for review.. Worth remembering all musical phrases need to breathe. This enhances the realism of any sample library.

[@ChristopherSiu]

My pleasure! Yes very important.

[@ArchangelIcon]

Another excellent and helpful review.... the email notifications add that extra personal touch. ;-)

[@ChristopherSiu]

Thanks Mike! :)

[@mr_don_key]

you should be more critical on the libs you review. I noticed some very wonky artifacts, e.g. holding down a long note on the solo clarinet has a weird fadeout, you hear mutliple samples being triggered each with a lower dynamic, like the player gets slowly out of air. it's not gradually, but with bumps. (at times you hear a double sample) It might not be a problem though,,, but it's there. (you can test if it's part of the kontakt issues you have in the video... or that it's there when not filming too. (e.g. one kontakt instance with one this lib loaded)

[@DIDCHOI]

Aren't the overheads like the ones above the woodwind section? Kind of like a cross of close mic and tree that is focused on the woodwinds

[@ChristopherSiu]

Yes I believe you’re right!

[@marvinschluckauf6783]

Great video! I really enjoy woodwinds, and the legato is lovely, great playing as well! Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the discount is only applied if you buy multiple products at the same time?

[@ChristopherSiu]

Thanks Marvin! You have access to the discount after owning at least one of their products, which allows you to purchase any or all of their other products at the discounted price.

[@marvinschluckauf6783]

@@ChristopherSiu how do you apply it? I have bought CSB and I see no signs of having access to a discount anywhere. :D

[@Tremendouz]

@@marvinschluckauf6783 I think the discount code should arrive in your email soon

[@vespertinist]

@@marvinschluckauf6783 you can always ask the team. They are super friendly and will email you a discount code :) I’ve bought all their products, & at different times. No need to buy all at once. :)

[@SecondTierSound]

This is probably the better wind library out there right now. But it is not good enough. Hear me out - I was just hoping for a library with no phasing between legato and dynamic layers. I understand it is very difficult to get rid of, perhaps impossible, but I was hoping cinematic studio would be the ones to finally make this possible. Sadly, not really. So, it is great, it is in fact very great and worth the price, but it is not miles better than other libraries. I even say, if you own for example OrchestraTools, Spitfire, Fluffy Audio, then this library isn't really worth it yet. It is better, but not better enough. Perhaps there will be an update? If you own no winds library, this is the one to go for. Just know it isn't perfect, and I think you point that out too Chris. Thank you for a good review.

[@ChristopherSiu]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us!

[@MUSICBOT-le9ty]

I agree. The dynamic crossfade phasing is actually quite bad in this library from what I am hearing. I hope an update gives us the ability to disable dynamic layers.

[@JulianPackardMusic]

While I own 0 products from the Cinematic Studio Series... I will one day buy the Strings, Brass, and Woodwinds... 110%. I believe that these 3 products are a MUST have, for composers.

[@ChristopherSiu]

Awesome Julian!

[@joepverheijen45]

The solo strings are also awesome

[@sunmazu3470]

Ho it's going for you Julian? :D

[@producewithjt]

What will you use this one for versus Berlin? Will it mostly replace it, thanks to stronger consistency?

[@ChristopherSiu]

I'll use them in combination! Some instruments I like better in BWW, some in CSW.

[@producewithjt]

@@ChristopherSiu Roger that, thanks a lot Chris!

[@ertzi8963]

Hi! Thanks for the great and helpful review. Do you know can you play polyphonic legatos with these?

[@ChristopherSiu]

You’re welcome! Not within a single patch, no.

[@ertzi8963]

@@ChristopherSiu Thanks for your reply! Just for clarification, so you can't play two notes simultaneosly within the sustain patch?

[@ChristopherSiu]

You can if you turn off the legato switch, then you can play them as sustains.

[@ertzi8963]

@@ChristopherSiu Right, thanks. Do you know any other woodwind sample libraries that are capable of polyphonic legatos?

[@AnmolShelke]

Thank for valuable review, What is the size of the library ?

[@ChristopherSiu]

About 40ish gb I believe!

[@cachelesssociety5187]

I would like to get a comparison between Orchestral Tools Woodwinds vs Cinematic Studio Woodwinds. Anyone?

[@eylam9690]

I hate the piccolo. It's like a very tiny yet super shrill-and hence-annoying guy. If it was a person I'd punch him in the face. Lovely review, by the way! Incidentally, is there an option for repeating the same long note, that is effectively performing a retounging (without using the repeated notes, in case I need to just repeat it once as opposed to doing it for rhythmic purposes)?

[@dafingaz]

Yo

[@ChristopherSiu]

Hey

[@rubenmolino1480]

for the price it's fine ... but next to orchestral tool .... this is a toy recorded with a resonance seller in the room .... it's not real it's plastic ... for those who know a real quintet ....

[@MUSICBOT-le9ty]

No, this library is about the same as orchestral tools, or VSL woodwinds. They are good samples. No samples sound like a "real" quintet. If you think orchestral tools sounds more like a "real" quintet, I suggest you get a hearing test immediately.

[@rubenmolino1480]

@@MUSICBOT-le9ty 30 years ago I played in wind quintets, and I know perfectly how each one sounds, timbre modification and articulation ... I am an instrumentalist friend ... not a sampler keyboardist

[@MUSICBOT-le9ty]

@@rubenmolino1480 That's great. I'm an instrumentalist too (clarinet). Yes, of course sample libraries don't sound like live players. I agree with you on that. But you claimed orchestral tools sounds closer to a real quintet than CSW, which is just wrong. I have both libraries and they both have strengths and weaknesses.

[@VFXCommander]

@@MUSICBOT-le9ty Wow I'm pretty sure he didn't expect you to be a ww player looool xD

[@scrump9145]

it's been 6 months since ruben got destroyed a moment of silence for our fallen brethren