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  4. What exactly is Brass 1 and how does it compare to special editions?

  • What exactly is Brass 1 and how does it compare to special editions?

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    I've noticed that there are three core brass libraries at VSL. There's Special Edition, Normal (brass 1 and 2), and dimension. I currently have kontakt and I was originally looking to buy Special Edition brass as an upgrade, but I heard that they are the same samples used in komplete? If that's the case then I would probably go for either the Normal series or the Dimension series. I can't seem to find any information about Brass 1 or 2 online. I see no reviews, videos, or articles outside of the VSL website. Is this an upgrade from Special Edition? Is it somewhere between SE and Dimension? I'm not looking to spend the money needed for Dimension. I'm just looking for an upgrade from what comes with Komplete. Would Brass 1 suit me then?

     

    Edit: I'd like to extend this question to the VSL woodwind libraries as well.
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    @paranini said:

    I've noticed that there are three core brass libraries at VSL. There's Special Edition, Normal (brass 1 and 2), and dimension. I currently have kontakt and I was originally looking to buy Special Edition brass as an upgrade, but I heard that they are the same samples used in komplete? If that's the case then I would probably go for either the Normal series or the Dimension series. I can't seem to find any information about Brass 1 or 2 online. I see no reviews, videos, or articles outside of the VSL website. Is this an upgrade from Special Edition? Is it somewhere between SE and Dimension? I'm not looking to spend the money needed for Dimension. I'm just looking for an upgrade from what comes with Komplete. Would Brass 1 suit me then?

     

    Edit: I'd like to extend this question to the VSL woodwind libraries as well.

     

    Technically, I guess Brass 1 would be an upgrade from the SE Brass.  Basically, the SE collections are like an entry level library for people who are new to both VSL and MIDI-stration as a whole and/or on a tight budget.  They are sampled at whole tone and then transposed to fill in the blanks so to speak.  Also, you generally don't get as many articulations as you would with the big collections.

     

    Brass 1 and 2 are sampled at half tone and contain many more samples and articualtions.  If you can afford the full library as opposed to the standard then get it.  IMHO even the free Vienna player that comes with any library product is far more intuitive and user friendly then Komplete or Kontakt; the Vienna player was designed for VSL libraries.

     

    I don't own the Dimension series but I believe they were designed to create more detailed ensemble performances between players.  For me, the Dimension series are overkill for what I want to do.

     

    Which brings me to my next point.  What is you wnat to do?  Your needs and your budget should dictate your next step.  If you don't want a steep learning curve then go with the SE Brass but it may not be enough for what you want to do.  In which case, request a demo license for Brass 1 or 2 and play around with it.   And if that's not enough to quinch your Brass thirst then move up to the Dimension but remember the higher up you go the steeper the learning curve.
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    Thanks for the quick response!

    When you refer to the full library, are you talking about buying a larger bundle as opposed to just Brass 1, like one including extra articulations and instruments? As for what I do, at the moment, I'm going to be using these sounds to write a concert band piece. I just usually work in a DAW instead of notation software so I was looking for better sounds. However, the majority of my work uses midi instruments as the final product, such as stock music, film, or game music. Something like Dimension Brass does seem attractive to me, but I'm not sure how it compares to Cinebrass and Hollywood Brass.

     

    I'll try out the demo. Thanks again for the info!
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    @paranini said:

    Thanks for the quick response!

    When you refer to the full library, are you talking about buying a larger bundle as opposed to just Brass 1, like one including extra articulations and instruments?

     

    There's Brass 1 standard library and Brass 1 extended library.  The same goes for Brass 2.  When I purchase I think in terms of single libraries not bundles but that's just me.  The purpose of the bundles is to save money when you buy in bulk of say the brass family of instruments for example.  I think Dimension is just one library. 

    Be sure to look at the sample content of each library.  When you buy Brass 1, whether standard or extended, the entire library is installed on your computer (both standard and extended files)  If you buy Brass 1 Standard, you are just buying a license to access the samples in the standard library.  If and when you upgrade to the extended library you are buying the license that enables you to access the extended library files.

    Clear as mud???😊