Strezov Sampling AFFLATUS Chapter II: Brass - Demo & Review

[@weltenraunen]

Wonderful library! I pre-ordered it and got the Strings too - for a bundled price right after release. I really like the tone and the power of these instruments. Thanks for this great and comprehensive review!

[@MarkusJunnikkala]

I think it’s a great deal all things considered. They are the best thing out there to my taste. Thanks for watching!

[@EchoScape74]

Thank you for this helpful video. Bought the bundle with the strings via your link. I hope it worked.

[@MarkusJunnikkala]

My pleasure. Thanks for watching, and happy writing! 💪🏻

[@ObsessiveCostumingDude]

Thank you for this comprehensive walkthrough! :)

[@MarkusJunnikkala]

Thanks for watching!

[@Icefrysa]

I'm testing this library now a week. yea, it's not the 100% best brass library ever but it's on of the best in my opinion and can hit the junkie xl brass & hollywood brass in soft ppp to loudest PPP and in the filling of articulations. I think not in the mic tree's but of all what it can. I hope some of good updates and some more improvement:)

[@MarkusJunnikkala]

It will be very interesting to see the upcoming updates! Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts.

[@addd21323]

Cool library! Definitely liked a lot of the sounds. Space horror was really cool. I just didn't feel like it offered anything I couldn't already do with my other brass libraries, so I decided to pass on the preorder.

[@MarkusJunnikkala]

With brass especially I think much of the value is in the details. Especially how they blend with everything else. And the dynamics. But it’s always good only to buy when you need something and there’s a clear positive improvement to you.

[@AntonioDzekoofficial]

Hey Markus! I would like for it to have a little bit more "bite" on those shorts, especially higher instruments. Also, it is hard to evaluate the legato. Can you share your experienced opinion how it stacks in those regards against the old champions, like CSB? Anyway, thank you very much for a comprehensive playthrough.

[@MarkusJunnikkala]

Can't comment against CSB as I actually haven't played it. I will be covering CSS in the future, so I'll let them know you've asked about CSB as well. Then I'd be able to share my thoughts. Any other ones you'd like to compare this to? I don't exactly know what count as old champs 😁 Thanks for watching!

[@AntonioDzekoofficial]

@@MarkusJunnikkala Nice! CSB is very consistent and with smooth legatos which makes it easier to work with. But the sound is nowhere near Afflatus Brass (at least to my ears). Haha "old champions" is actually "all dedicated brass libraries to date". Actually I don't know what competes with it, since it has more dynamics than most, has great tone and balance and it is comprehensive and seems consistent aswell. CSS is very good library. Cheers :)

[@5ammy13]

I think a lot of the community feel let down by this library because it wasn't like Afflatus Strings, instead tried to be more bread and butter, something you could use as your main library. Afflatus Strings wasn't this way. They had Lush Strings, Scene d'Amour, Minimalist Strings... etc.. That way Afflatus Strings had a lot of character and a very nice palette to add to your collection without being your main library. This is what is missing in Afflatus Brass as of now. But George Strezov has promised us that this library is going to be huge and we are going to see a lot more of the sound design stuff by Lyubomir... So I'm hoping that it delivers there, where one half of the library is a standard Brass library, and the other half is the sound designed, combined, colourful brass palettes akin to Afflatus Strings.

[@MarkusJunnikkala]

If they continue to expand on the content, that will be very cool. That would make this an absolutely bonkers offering, more than it already is. There was definitely less 'curated' stuff than in Strings. Personally, while I love this aspect in Strings, I'd prefer more depth in the form of tweakability in fewer sounds over width in terms of how many there are. They are a nice and fun extra, but for me have limited utility. But the different legatos and spiccatos are fantastic. I wonder if it's harder to create varying colours and textures for brass vs for strings. I'd estimate it is. Overall I'd say this is a clear improvement and maturation from Afflatus Strings in terms of how it's put together and how thought out the Ensembles and Solos are, barring the lack of more specialized content. I'm happy seeing any library do the standard stuff, if it does it better than anyone else, which is the case for me with Afflatus Brass. The dynamic and texture range with the imaging is so rich and expressive that this can explore a vast range of musical ideas. It's also superbly produced and mixed. It will respond fantastically to further treatment if you want to colour and tweak things. Of course having this out-of-the-box would be better, and done by a pro. What a main library is for all of us is different, and dependant on the type of music we write and the sound we're after. Even when libraries attempt to be middle of the road in some way, they all sound different depending on the vision, sampling, taste, and technical execution. For example, I'd consider Afflatus Strings to be my main string library for most orchestral cases. Thanks for watching sharing your thoughts!

[@electedmusic7685]

Puff, no like it this library. Synthy

[@MarkusJunnikkala]

I recommend checking out the Ensembles and Solos sounds. They’re super realistic, very much beyond of most that’s out there. Much of the realism of orchestral sounds comes from the programming, so playing stuff too flat will always come across as more synthetic. Also individual lines will always impress less as opposed to listening to a full section or an orchestra.