Know the EastWest Opus Engine - Really Well (Part 1)

Compose Yourself! - The Ultimate Structure for Composers: bit.ly/3JEpIHb
⭐️Consider supporting me on Patreon: / secondtiersound
⭐️or via PayPal: www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_...
🥰👍
0:00 Intro
1:34 Menus/Tabs
3:39 Preferences has upgraded
10:07 Zooming
12:00 Browse Tab
18:10 Play Tab
30:24 Perform Tab
33:06 Mix Tab
37:12 Conclusion
www.samueltornqvist.com
/ samthecomposer
/ secondtiersound
metapop.com/samuel-tornqvist
/ secondtiersound

[@DrDaab]

Absolutely FANTASTIC introduction for anyone new to EW-Opus, and possibly for those who already know it somewhat. Everything is explained with CLARITY and examples. Samuel is a very talented teacher and EW-Opus should pay him for creating this EXCELLENT tutorial video. As a brand new user, I was at a loss trying to figure out how to begin to use this program. After having watched this video, I now understand where and why I got so lost and frustrated. A heartfelt THANKS to you for taking the time to make this GREAT TUTORIAL. It's First Rate ! ! ! ! !

[@SecondTierSound]

Thank you very much for saying this! 😊

[@samwamper9393]

Lifesaver, indeed. Much appreciated!

[@SteveWatsonMusic]

Thank you for doing all the heavy lifting, Sam - very comprehensive and helpful!

[@SecondTierSound]

Thank you Steve

[@Markrspooner]

fantastic walkthrough of the new EastWest Opus Engine, really showed how much effort the team at EastWest put into this

[@SecondTierSound]

Thank you. I think you're right. They're still working on it in fact

[@donpreuninger7449]

Thank you so much for doing a proper tutorial for this product. I hope the company rewards you appropriately because you've done them a great service.

[@SecondTierSound]

Thank you Don. Tell them🙂

[@kbnimmo]

Have just bought this and your introduction was fantastic being a beginner, best i have seen so far.mant thanks to you.

[@SecondTierSound]

Oh, thank you. You're very welcome

[@wjniemi]

Thank you for this terrific video. The comparisons with Play are great, and I'm glad I crossgraded yesterday, there are fantastic improvements.

[@SecondTierSound]

You're welcome. ☺️

[@allenmuirhead]

Wow Sam this is the most comprehensive review of opus by far. I’ll be keeping this handy for several viewings. I love the way you can zoom in on the controls. It’s great to have an expert who can try out the engine and give us a qualified opinion of the features.

[@SecondTierSound]

Thank you very much. Most kind. I'm glad it is helpful. Take care.

[@williamgeorge719]

Ture

[@MusicforFilmsandGames]

Great in-depth video. Everything I need to know before switching from Play to Opus

[@SecondTierSound]

Great!

[@NiallC]

Absolute legend for doing this. Thank you so much. Very informative indeedy ... :)

[@SecondTierSound]

Thank you very much Niall. I'm glad it helped

[@daverogersjams318]

Thank you, sir. This hit all the key things I was confused about.

[@kichulkim5372]

Thank you for the detailed explanation!

[@indiefilmcomposer]

Really enjoy your content, and analysis, I stay with libraries for years and try my best to resist churn and burn but at this point the opus update on sale for owners of at least one Hollywood orch is a great deal to go with the new engine and some of the new features, 299, subbed 🎸

[@SecondTierSound]

It still holds up for sure

[@RunarLundvall]

Really thorough and clear, concise presentation - great work!

[@SecondTierSound]

It means a lot. Thank you!

[@patrickwalters7836]

Awesome work!!! Thanks Sam.

[@SecondTierSound]

Thank you Patrick

[@jwarco]

Subscribed today! I was really considering splurging out on the Spitfire Symphony but I decided to learn EWHO a little more

[@FerfraCalixto]

¡Thanks ! This is great. I'm sure we are all here grateful for your work on this video. I've recently got EW and this video helped me a lot.

[@SecondTierSound]

Great! Thanks for letting be know. Much appreciated

[@iamfrankbiesta]

Very comprehensive and useful. Thanks!

[@SecondTierSound]

Great! Thank you!

[@maxtofone]

Thanks a lot for this very nicely done tutorial about the Opus engine, it will become very handy indeed when I can finally upgrade from Play to Opus without having to purchase a new library... Best regards and many blessings, Max

[@SecondTierSound]

Ha ha. Looking forward to that then. :)

[@maxtofone]

@@SecondTierSound In the end I have decided to take advantage of the current EW sale and purchased SD3 that will also give me an Opus license... Your Opus intro video served me nicely to quickly learn the Opus interface... thanks a lot again for that and many blessings, Max

[@SecondTierSound]

Great to hear that max. Thanks for letting me know

[@PreacherAtArrakeen]

Very useful, thanks. I'm just dowloading Opus now.

[@bamlfm5571]

Hi Sam, you review was just so Great!! Thank you so much!!! 🤗

[@SecondTierSound]

Thank you! I'm happy you enjoyed it!

[@Harregarre]

This video is worth it just for the explanation of the harddrive preferences and quick load. Can't believe I used Opus without it.

[@SecondTierSound]

Glad it helped 🙂

[@musictomotion]

Your tutorials are very detailed! Keep up the great work :) This has been one of the best on Opus that I've seen thus far.

[@SecondTierSound]

Thank you. Soon I will do other libraries in the composer cloud. Stay tuned!

[@DUSKOsound]

Thanks for making detailed tutorials on this tool

[@SecondTierSound]

You're welcome.

[@vladimirmylnikov8259]

Great review! Thank you!!!

[@SecondTierSound]

Thank you for watching!

[@Reactor10k]

This was excellent, thankyou! You're a great teacher.

[@SecondTierSound]

Appreciated!

[@nikvolt8298]

Using opus for the first time. Thank you for the video

[@SecondTierSound]

You're welcome! Glad it helped! 🙂

[@RValenciaGuitar]

Thank you! I needed this~

[@SecondTierSound]

You're welcome!

[@juancarloscoronadocurrea1606]

Thanks for sharing your talent and your time, huge thing.

[@SecondTierSound]

Thank you for letting be know!

[@simongross3122]

Thank you, really nice explanations

[@SecondTierSound]

Thank you! I am happy it is helpful.

[@SolsticeBeatsComposer]

Yeah baby!

[@jamesrossmusic6013]

Very GOOD THANKS!!!

[@SecondTierSound]

Thank you James!

[@eds5709]

Hi Sam, thanks for your extended overview of the "EastWest Hollywood Orchestra Opus Edition". I'm considering buying it but I'm realizing it requires an adequate SSD (or better an M.2 slot) to be able to use it's full potential. So, thanks to point out the 'limitations' and 'solutions' to use this Library at full capacity. Compliments for your detailed review ;-)

[@SecondTierSound]

You're elcome Ed!

[@Deivitty123]

Seus videos são excelentes, parabéns pelo seu trabalho.

[@SecondTierSound]

Obrigado

[@pitbullsweet]

Would love to see more detail on controlling OPUS from a DAW. I've been struggling with the idea of keyswtiches and assigning different instruments in one Opus instance to different MIDI channels. Nearly no documentation I can find that makes sense to me.

[@SecondTierSound]

Have you checked out my videos on opus?

[@tommyflowers7098]

This is truly an amazing series on EW Opus. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and expertise! My only quip is that using your keyboard as an arm rest is painful to watch. Otherwise, fantastic video!

[@SecondTierSound]

He he. I bought a new one. Well, look out for more instrument reviews in this series soon on this channel

[@Zaleskee]

Wow! this is the best East West Opus tutorial!, thank You Sam!. do you have it set with VEPro7 as VST3?.

[@SecondTierSound]

I used to. I like it, but at the moment i don't, it is the way I have my template set up, hard to explain.

[@erekhronmusic]

Instant subscribe.

[@SecondTierSound]

Cheers!

[@johnnysteele4656]

Thank you, really gamazing tutorial. I'm new at this, and have noticed some libraries seem to have dynamic layers as one CC, and a separate 'expression' CC which acts as a volume control. Is expression/dynamic the same CC in this library? I noticed you mentioned expression 'moved through the dynamic layers' which was why I came to that conclusion! Thanks again for the help.

[@SecondTierSound]

Hello. It's a little confusing because expression was intended from the beginning to be used with dynamic layers. But because of synths using the wheel for modulation, and the modwheel being the controller that was the easiest to use, many libraries started to use the modwheel as the dynamic layer instead of modulation. Even though this is "wrong" it has become the new standard in most cases, and most people are used to this. One of the libraries that don't do this, is the Hollywood orchestra, where the modwheel is modulating the sound, for example vibrato or timbre, and the expression is for the dynamic layer. The problem is most people don't have a controller for the expression, they only have a modwheel. So you have to either change the CC, so that the modwheel controls the dynamics, or you need a keyboard with more faders, or a separate controller. Short answer: modwheel is for vibrato or timbre. Expression is for dynamics.

[@revup67]

Thanks for this. Regarding the tutorial and using the Play application, for anyone that has the Opus edition, EastWest wrote back 8-5-22 regarding the Play application. I will share this email for anyone who doesn't have Play installed: "Essentially we never updated Play to work with the updated Hollywood Orchestra Opus edition library, so that's why the key file doesn't work even though the license is in place. You would need the Play edition licenses that predated Opus. There is no plan to update Play any further, so I don't think that support will ever be added to Play. I would definitely suggest using Opus instead.

[@revup67]

PS this tutorial is about as good as it gets. This opened a whole new world (in fact several new worlds:) with OPUS. In reviewing the KS (key switches), the added Articulation button option with KS in this tutorial became so helpful. Additionally the Macro usage and why the MIDI Tools screen is "blank". A thorough, no nonsense, no panache..clearly spoken, articulate and to the point. Many thanks for this well done tutorial. One other mention is the Setup Audio and MIDI. Opus defaulted to 1920 for the Audio Buffer size (of course its guessing) when I had chose 96000Hz as the sample rate. I noted a repeated effect when playing notes. After some troubleshooting with all of the options in Opus, I found by dropping the Audio Buffer Size to 384 samples reduced the repeat effect and the issue was resolved. Users: this is PC dependent and hardware dependent.

[@CarlosSanchezcsbphoto]

Good videos; a pity they don't have the subtitles activated because I miss some details in the explanation as my English is not very fluent.

[@SecondTierSound]

Preguntame si tiene una duda. 😊

[@Gladicuss]

What mic are you talking into, Cause it sounds amazing, clean, clear, crisp. Can you tell me which model you have please, thank you! Great video!

[@SecondTierSound]

Thank you. To be completely honest, I think it could be a lot better, and my challenge is that my room isn't that great for recording voices. I do however have quite a bit of experience mixing the voice in post. Anyway, I'm using a cheap mic that is quite alright, called Audio Technica ATR2100. It can also be hooked up with USB, but I use XLR. A good mix is important, but mic technique, room, and mixing is more important. An expensive mic wont save a bad recording/room. Cheers

[@MsBruno00000]

obrigado pelo video, ajudou demais!

[@SecondTierSound]

Obrigado!

[@omarsowan4780]

One thing you probably missed. Pitch bend range is changeable in PLAY but not in OPUS.

[@CarlosGherrera]

this one might be a stupid question, but how do you manage to show your already installed play libraries into opus? I haven't been able to use my strings, other than the new 18 violin instruments

[@SecondTierSound]

That is strange. Start your EW installation Center and make sure all libraries show up there, and that they are activated AND located correctly. Otherwise I would contact EastWest

[@RobertWildling]

Update 2023-02: "MIDI Learn" now seems to be available everywhere. (@27:43)

[@SecondTierSound]

Great!

[@rahim4411]

thanks for the vid. there's sale at EW for Opus $595 right now. 😳

[@SecondTierSound]

I haven't checked, but that's a good deal.

[@gerardlanphear9185]

Regarding expression CC11, I have tried loading several instruments into OPUS and using CC11 to do a sort of cross fade between them. Adding the events to the respective Midi channels I hear no difference at all in the sound. When I separated the instruments into two different instances of OPUS they sounded perfect. Does this make sense? Does OPUS ignore those events when there is more than one instrument in the instance? I tried this in both Studio One 5 and in Cakewalk by Bandlab.

[@SecondTierSound]

Double check the midi channels, both in your DAW and Opus

[@Atezian]

Quick load isn't saving on any instances of OPUS with my Reaper project template! I'll have to message the support team and see what they think.

[@Ravez77]

hi, have you any idea what the world icon does in the automation panel on each controller? couldn’t find it in the manual and turning it on or off doesn’t seem to do anything 😅

[@SecondTierSound]

I forgot about that one. No, I don't know. It might be a feature they are working on. My guess is that it is an Omni function rather than a specific cc/channel, but I don't see the purpose of that though. My best guess

[@SteveWatsonMusic]

@@SecondTierSound @stefanoDiNoia - is it a global function so if you modify a control for one instrument and select the globe, all instruments will default to that?

[@SecondTierSound]

Could be, have to check

[@kendevries3212]

I would like to get your recommendations on string, choir, brass and percussion libraries. I will be using a brand new Protools Ultimate on a Macintosh. I have spared no expense on the hardware and want to have good sound libraries to go with it. What are your thoughts?

[@kendevries3212]

P.S. I have been watching your videos for the above, but would like just an off-the-cuff recommendation.

[@SecondTierSound]

All libraries require experience to sound good. They will only shine with dedication and skill. Knowing this, it gets a little less important what library you choose, and it comes down to preference of sound and workflow. But there is still a higher tier of sounds. The better libraries out there, in my mind, are made by cinematic studio, orchestratools, and cinesamples, in that order. But they are all excellent and you won't miss out choosing one over the other. After that, Eastwest Hollywood Opus Orchestra, and Spitfire BBC pro, which I find equal, considering all the pros and cons. The first category gets quite expensive if you want the full orchestra, in particular orchestratools. The second is still pricey, but not as bad, and Eastwest has a subscription, and pretty decent sales. If I had to pick one, it would be Cinematic studio, but they still don't have a percussion library, and they need lots of work to sound really great. When you master it, it sounds amazing.

[@kendevries3212]

@@SecondTierSound Thank you. My Sweetwater cart has the EastWest Opus Edition Hollywood Orchestra. I have been watching Anna Dern's videos also and she apparently favors the CineSamples libraries (yeah, she used to work there.) Right now, I am asking some folks what they like, then checking out the features and prices. Your videos are fantastic, BTW.

[@gurumajuindonesia]

Can you kindly turn on the pop up toolbar section in the preference, and check whether it's showing disk too slow on certain patches or not? i have replaced my SSD twice but still seeing the warning :( it is 550mb/s SSD ... thanks in advance

[@SecondTierSound]

I don't have that problem. But the connection to it matters, and if it is external/internal, and there are definitely a lot faster SSD drives.

[@RockBoBsteRMusic]

I think I've finally figured it all out. Now it's just a matter of getting faster with inputting all the information. Learning how to play and use the mod wheel right cause it's not easy. And normally I'm very good at organizing.... Stuff, anything. But I'm trying to figure out mapping all the knobs, faders and buttons on my controller. I know how, but what to what for an organized layout. Tooooo much, and I don't even know all you can do. I need to know everything before or else down the road you'll always end up having to go back and add that one variable in. Whether it's moving everything over from one point, or moving one point within every section over two spaces... Whatever, it depends on what you're organizing. But, yeah organizing the knobs and faders is crazy. My original intent was to ask Do you know if there is a way to automate switching between mood settings?

[@SecondTierSound]

I don't think there is a way. In any case it isn't very practical since it reloads the samples, which would cause a pause or a hiccup in the performance. Maybe two separate tracks? You can on the other hand automate the sordino which is CC15

[@RockBoBsteRMusic]

@@SecondTierSound Actually, yeah you're right about reloading the samples. I didn't think about that. I know it doesn't add a lot, but any detail is more detail. The sordino was my original option. The moods were just that extra little detail. Because you're right it doesn't add too much, but I wasn't thinking about using it for switching a lot. More like if a piece was 12 minutes long moving through all the dynamic ranges I could switch the settings depending on the overall mood of the movement you might say.

[@tysonhawk5437]

Do the MIDI Tools Arpeggiator, etc. functions work for all CC subscribers? It's not working for me.

[@SecondTierSound]

As far as I know, yes. If you can see them, they should work. Talk to support. They only work if you have an instrument loaded

[@tysonhawk5437]

@@SecondTierSound Ok. Yes, when I have an instrument loaded, there is no sound. But when I turn off the arpeggiator, the sound comes back...

[@sayanchik]

Too bad Quick Load enabled setting can't be saved as a part of a Track Preset in Cubase. I save a track with Opus instance on it, Quick Load enabled, as a Track Preset, then I load it and Quick Load is off. I'd like it to be enabled by default.

[@SecondTierSound]

You can purge the track, and save it that way

[@francoisbeauvais4323]

Has anyone fixed the save time issue? I'm talking about loading just a few KS Master patches in an empty session. Let's say V1-V2-Viola-Cellos-Basses on 5 tracks, each using their KS Master patch and then try saving your session. See how long it hangs. Now imagine adding a brass and woodwind section. Now imagine having auto-saves each 5 minutes. From day 1, the Opus Engine has been a big fail because of this issue. I've wrote to EW several times and they are well aware of this issue but it's still not fixed in v1.4 and by this point, it probably never will so I'm turning to fellow users who might have solved this or figured out work arounds besides VEPro.

[@SecondTierSound]

If on pc, make sure your virus protection excludes the folders where the opus samples are located.

[@francoisbeauvais4323]

It's worth a shot but I'd be willing to bet you're having the same issue but you don't know it. Have you tried loading 5 or more KS Master patches and then try and save your session? See how long it hangs. I've tried on multiple DAW and different very high end computers. The guys at EW support have also confirmed this issue.

[@Deivitty123]

Pode ativar as legendas? Obrigado.

[@SecondTierSound]

Marque "cc". É automático e baseado em inglês. Pode ser que não funcione muito bem às vezes. Obrigado.

[@Deivitty123]

@@SecondTierSound o "CC" está desativado. Acho que você precisa desativar.

[@samuelfranco.musica]

Can I run it with 16gb of ram?

[@SecondTierSound]

Yes, it all depends on how many instruments you run at the same time

[@kbnimmo]

Many(correction)

[@SecondTierSound]

no worries :)

[@alainthiry3965]

useful, thank you. (just a bit less of 'so so good' and 'so marvelous' would be nice)

[@royalmusicparis]

in trustpilot EastWest Sounds got a lot of bad reviews and i understand why, the download is a nightmare... don t sounds so great and there is a lot of bug...

[@SecondTierSound]

Yes, they have, it has mostly to do with marketing and customer support. They are not perfect, but they are also one of the bigger ones out there with and also one of the older ones. I am not defending them, but it isn't true they are worse that other ones. It is more important to focus on if the sound, stability and ease of use is what one wants.

[@royalmusicparis]

yes focus on the sound and i prefer Spitfire sounds great, this is my comclusion now after try a lot of strings@@SecondTierSound

[@WilliamCamilleri]

plonker

[@SecondTierSound]

Care to explain?

[@WilliamCamilleri]

@@SecondTierSound plonker

[@SecondTierSound]

@@WilliamCamilleri Ah, it is you. I didn't realize you were introducing yourself. Well, a good day to you too. My name is Sam. :)

[@scent_from_another_realm]

hi there, can external sounds say from kontakt be routed to ewqlso opus player to match reverb and panning so that they blend in with ewqlso?

[@SecondTierSound]

Not that I know, but eastwest has its own convolution reverb called Spaces. I also wouldn't worry too much about the reverbs being identical. And eastwest sounds are quite dry when you remove the reverb so you can add another reverb if that makes it easier to match with the other library.