Soft Choir Shootout featuring Dominus Pro, 8dio Silka, and Eric Whitacre Choir!

[@bfree45]

@1:55 back to back comparison @4:42 Silka choir sustains/arcs- pros, cons, and how to use it properly @6:52 playing Silka in real time @7:52 further thoughts on the shortcomings and quirks of Silka arcs @9:00 Dominus Pro polyphonic legato- Pros, cons, and how to use it properly @10:34 playing Dominus Pro in real time @12:32 further thoughts, exploring more of the features and versatility of Dominus Pro @14:00 Eric Whitacre Choir - features, pros, cons, and how to use it properly @15:52 playing Eric Whitacre Choir in real time @19:35 further thoughts on shortcomings of Eric Whitacre choir and what it is meant to do @20:16 Silka Choir monophonic legato @21:30 Dominus Pro monophonic legato @22:40 Eric Whitacre Choir monophonic legato @24:40 Dominus Pro SHORTS @25:37 Eric Whitacre Choir SHORTS @27:27 Silka Choir SHORTS @29:32 FINAL THOUGHTS!

[@thomaseddie9450]

Looking for my first choir, you have just nailed it for me. I appreciate your honesty, thank You.Tom.

[@nickscottcomposer1]

Thank you for taking the time to make examples to demonstrate each library properly!

[@forster123]

I remember also having the impression that Eric Whitacre Choir sounded synthy, when I first heard it. Paradoxically, I think maybe it's because they are so technically proficient as a choir, with impressive intonation and little to no vibrato, that's it's just too perfect and it almost doesn't sound human at times. If you listen to actual Eric Whitacre music, the sound is pretty much just like in the library, except it sounds more human because they are singing words, not just long vowels.

[@zaharishtonov]

Thanks, Brian for the extended review you've made! This info will come real handy one day when I decide it is time for me to get more serious choir library!

[@dinoschachten]

Considering Eric Whitacre's monophonic legato I'm starting to believe it just has a (much) more detail-oriented philosophy: One voice per track, for which monophonic legato is all you need - and one voice per track lines up with the number or different patches out of which the probably assume you choose per voice.

[@jonathanpotts5466]

very very helpful! Thank you for taking the time to show us some of the pros and cons of these libraries!

[@KaninManeepairoj]

amazing playing skill

[@DougHowellMusic]

Wonderful walkthrough! Thank you!

[@vaiman7777]

Nice review. I agree. I feel EWC compliments any other library very well. Couple it with Dominus or my personal favourites Freyja & Wotan and you can't go far wrong.

[@Kolinu2]

Great video Brian, thank you. Dominus Pro sounds amazing and would be my first choice out of these 3 and is on my wish list. However, if Audiobro's Genesis was in the mix for creating soft, angelic-type tones it would be my go to.

[@bfree45]

I love Genesis, it’s my favorite choir honestly, and did think about including it. Wanted to keep it all in the same range (male/female or SATB)

[@jonathancollins3785]

Excellent, informative and very professional presentation :)

[@efs797]

Thanks so much for posting this review. So helpful!

[@schneider-martin]

strezov-sampling choirs are very good and the audio imperia stuff. I like the 8dio/sound_iron choirs and all the other ones, from projectSAM to the rest, but EWC? Hm, not sure.

[@bfree45]

@@schneider-martin my favorite for soft stuff now is Eternity Choir by Audiobro. I uninstalled all the others, honestly.

[@JanWilliams-Denmark]

Thanks, nice review ... very helpfull

[@Markrspooner]

Great comparison, found it very useful as was considering Silka at $149

[@bfree45]

Silka is very good for that price, just a bit limited compared to others, but for $150 bucks I’d jump on it

[@DrSlightlyEvil]

Good review ! And if you can spend a thousand bucks on 8dio you can get it for $75 with the 50% bundler which means 10 or so libraries in my basket for $500. Think I can live with the inflexibility : )

[@stevesacks9791]

I've never used Silka, but for those who have--is it possible to counteract the problem of the baked-in crescendos & decrescendos with volume automation? Specifically, to start the notes loud, decrescendo to the middle, then crescendo to the end? It's a wonderful-sounding library, and at the current price of $98 looks like a steal IMHO.

[@bfree45]

I’ve tried to do volume automation but the dynamic shift/arc is always there and noticeable. It’s absolutely worth it at that price either way. It’s a beautiful sounding library when it fits the style/track

[@valiumdupeuple]

thx man!

[@ronnyb5890]

hey Bian,didnt know it was you who was the "B Free Productions",like you say here,the 8DIO one is very good,but the price is also out there,just looked it up,almost 600$,then i find the EWHC a better choice,as you can create more accurate sentences with the wordbuilder,i hope that their deal is still standing in two months,by then my budget will be replenished to buy the library,i already have enough libraries that can sing oohs and aahs,even in legato,anyway,i like your demo videos Brian,they are very educational in what you can do with the instruments

[@DanielNicuCretu-ys9vq]

Hola .Quero comprar un coro simphonico que suena mejor con votox en latino.8Dio lo tiene ??

[@randyzeroth4098]

I bought the Dominus Choir and the 8dio Insolidus choir (which is the precursor to Silka). I deeply regret getting the 8dio Insolidus choir. It is very limited and can be very expensive. Please realize the 8dio has a very strict NO-REFUND policy as well. Once again, it can be very expensive and once you have it, you keep it. If you don't like it, there's no way to get your money back. I hope this helps to prevent someone from spending a lot of money and getting stuck with something they don't like... The Dominus choir is incredibly versatile compared to 8dio. If you get the Dominus Choir Pro, you will be even more amazed. With the Dominus Choir you have the ability to choose what you want. I consider it the best phrase building choir software out there. Nothing comes close. (Edited 4/18/2024): After working with Insolidus and now also having Silka, Lacrimosa, and Liberis choirs; I can say that they do sound beautiful, but are limited to each phrase builder built in. Some are more restrictive than others. I will get the Requiem choir later on as well. I no longer regret getting the Insolidus choir. I do mainly use it for uh's and ah's. For that, it is very good quality. Please wait for their special sales. I don't consider them to be worth the full individual price, sounds harsh, but I want to be honest. Concerning Dominus Choir & Pro, I still believe nothing else is out there that can compete with it at the moment. I consider it the industry's best at the moment. It's incredible in so many aspects and quality. I look forward to any updates or upgrades.

[@bfree45]

Yes, I definitely agree with Dominus being so much more versatile and usable as a soft choir library over Insolidus and Silka. Silka can really nail it when it works, but it’s just fickle to work with and is way overpriced. To be fair, I do want to point out the no-refund policy however is standard across the board with Kontakt libraries and any sample library with very few exceptions (VSL, realitone, these are the only companies I’ve seen offer a 14 or 30 day refund period for sample libraries).

[@dicktempelaar]

Insolidus expensive ? i bought it this week for € 95 , i also own Dominius Choir , i agree Dominius Pro is from another level but cost € 649

[@randyzeroth4098]

@@dicktempelaar You're right. I didn't realize they normally have sales. It's normally $495 USD, but I guess they occasionally go down on the price significantly. Thank you for the input. I appreciate it. (Insolidus Choir)

[@bowdagger]

Love the sound of Dominus but I'm also intrigued by Audio Imperia Chorus (obviously released after this video). Any preference on Dominus vs Chorus for the soft choir sound?

[@bfree45]

I’ll say this… I no longer have dominus, Silka, or Eric whitacre installed on any of my computers after buying Chorus last year :)

[@bowdagger]

@@bfree45 thanks for the reply! I ended up picking it up after seeing so many glowing reviews, really great sound. one question though, how do I control the vibrato? I would have expected it to change with the mod wheel but even at low mod the vibrato is still pretty heavy

[@kwameryan]

@@bfree45I just picked it up and it‘s a great compliment to Genesis if you want to create a UK cathedral-style all male choir.

[@bfree45]

I am not sure if there is a dedicated vibrato slider, I know their strings have it in the advanced tab on the GUI. I can't remember if Chorus has this as well.@@bowdagger

[@danielnicucretu1647]

Tiene votox en latino???

[@tigerbalm3752]

Can any of these choirs sing some modern songs?

[@bfree45]

What kind of modern songs, like pop music? I would not recommend it. Maybe something like Realivox Blue, Realivox Ladies, Hollywood Backup Singers from East West, something like that would be much, much better.

[@dinoschachten]

Hehe, Dominus Bro. :D

[@fayezindi]

hey man, any thoughts on requiem professional, Insolidus, requiem light, Dominus Choir non professional edition and Genesis children choir?

[@bfree45]

Insolidus is almost identical to Silka, they used the same singers in the same hall, just slightly different articulations (Insolidus has standard sustains with “ahh”, “oo”, etc. while Silka does not, which makes Insolidus the better choice for versatility if you had to pick between the two.) I never owned the non pro version of Dominus nor have I tried requiem. Genesis is my favorite choir library of all time. It’s honestly perfect to me and the engine is brilliant, I use it all the time! :) one of my biggest wishes is for Audiobro to release male and female choirs with this same engine. For now, I believe Dominus is the closest male/female choir to the sound and playability of genesis

[@fayezindi]

@@bfree45 alright thx

[@kwameryan]

@@bfree45You probably know that you got your wish with the release of Eternity by Audiobro. Rather disappointing from what I‘ve heard so far in the forums. Would love to hear your thoughts on it!

[@bfree45]

I have been keeping my eye on that one for sure, kind of blew my budget with BF deals though, including Afflatus Brass and others. I haven't done any reviews or library walkthrus on my channel in forever, just got burnt out doing it. Might come back and take a look at Abbey Road Violins and Cellos, Afflatus Brass, Berlin Orchestra vs Spitfire, etc...@@kwameryan

[@LucasPosoli]

Love the Eric Whitacre Choir, but as a brazilian it`s too expensive to get!

[@lattetown]

I love the smoke detector hanging in the background ='D

[@bfree45]

You're not supposed to notice that! LOL Since I replaced it, the new one doesn't mount the same way so it just ... hangs there XD

[@visualmatrix]

SILKA is an expansion of 8DIO INSOLIDUS Choir so I think you express unfair criticism on the basis that it lacks articulations( which are provided in INSOLIDUS). To compare apples with apples you should have reviewed INSOLIDUS not SILKA in this comparison. That's like comparing CineWinds PRO (an extension of Core) with Cinematic Studio Woodwinds and complaining that it does not include the regular orchestral woodwind instruments. SILKA is an extension, not a core choir library! If you like the sonic quality of SILKA buy INSOLIDUS first for your core articulations.

[@bfree45]

Not true, please keep in mind... it was NEVER once marketed as an expansion, or an extension, or anything like that. It was marketed as a brand new, standalone library simply featuring the same singers as Insolidus.

[@oddfellow8366]

@@bfree45 True they definitely didn't market it as an expansion, but their KZbin channel does constantly mention it in some of their walk-troughs and even in the comment section when answering comparison questions, they claimed they "Completed each other" or something along those lines. 8dio in a way says that to own both is ideal in order to complete the package, but of course they would say that, right?

[@anticomunistadoms]

your voice is too loud, and what interests, the vst, is too low

[@bfree45]

They’re all matched to the same db level lol