One all-inclusive library or not?

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One all-inclusive library or not?

Postby shiek927 » 30 Sep 2013 16:32

Don't blow my head off if I'm posting this in the wrong place >_<

I feel like I'm very close to being able to actually start composing music and beginning the life-long haul of growing as a musician. I started thinking on VST's last night and organizing all the synths, sample libraries, and so on that I am aware of so I can point which is better for me, the sort of music I want to me and won't blow my mind when I try to use it.

And as I was organizing, I got to thinking about different libraries: on one hand, you have something like Kontakt which is apparently "the" sampler with sounds of just about anything, but on the flip side, you can start organizing and collecting numerous libraries of specific instrument (ex. Addictive Drums for Drums, Amplitude 3 for Guitar, Tonehammer for Piano etc).

To me, this seems a bit unnecessary in comparison to getting just one massive sample library like Kontakt, but trying to watch comparison videos, I can maybe see the advantage in that a specific library of sounds gives you more flexibility in what you can do with the instruments. Also, the sounds themselves tend to sound generally better from a specific instrument library though this obviously depends greatly on the musician and what they do.

It's still early in the game for me and this stuff takes up a lot of memory: I don't want to overburden myself with 10,000 VSTs that I never actually use nor know how to use. To me, creativity is subtraction and I want to limit myself as much as possible to incentivize using what I have to their full potential instead of having a ton of sounds and instruments I barely know how to use (which does nothing for me, my budget or my harddrive space). Thinking it through, that sort of all-inclusive library (like Kontakt) where I get everything from a single source is honestly what I'm looking for and perhaps would be better for someone of my very limited skills anyway: I can practice using one giant library to it's full potential and not have to spend more time/money on numerous other libraries. Then again, maybe it IS better to get numerous libraries after all.

What do you guys think? which is better for someone starting out?
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Re: One all-inclusive library or not?

Postby Callenby » 30 Sep 2013 16:56

Hi,

First, let me say that I don't think an "all-inclusive" library really exists. Each musician will have different needs so what's complete to one might be scarce to another. Besides, if you're an artist who wants to grow then you'll likely always be looking for something new to add to your collection. In fact, even if you have a guitar VST that you love, you might hear another that you also want. For example, I have quite a few different piano VSTs because I like having options.

Since you're just starting out, I think Kontakt would be a good choice for you because it comes with so much stuff (in fact, see if you can't get Komplete for a little bit more). More importantly, however, you will need Kontakt in order to even operate a lot of VSTs. They're scripted specifically for Kontakt, making it pretty much essential.

There's also the matter of the quality of Kontakt's library. In my opinion, it's hit or miss. Some things I've found useful and others were lackluster. Here's a thread on this very subforum about it. It's good that you want to make the most use out of your sounds, but there's a limit to how much you can fiddle around with it. For instance, the strings in Kontakt do not come with every technique that strings are actually capable of. If you want to be professional then you will probably need to purchase professional VSTs, but there's time for that later.

10,000 is a huge exaggeration. Yes, it can get a little overwhelming thinking about not only how many VSTs there are but keeping track of the ones you already own, but if you are smart about what you buy and make use of what you already have then it shouldn't really be a problem.

In short, it's about understanding what your own needs for VSTs are and then knowing how to fulfill them. It will take time (because there's no one single way to do it) but that's okay. Don't stress yourself out. If you plan on making music a part of your life then allow yourself the time to acclimate to these kinds of things. There's absolutely no rush.
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Re: One all-inclusive library or not?

Postby Conduit » 30 Sep 2013 17:07

First off I would like to point out a few things about how music software works, that is a lot different then most other software. Most of this you probably already know, so Im just going to make a simple flowchart, if you want clarification ask here, or add me on skype and I can talk you through my process when it comes to composing. (Check my sig for both skype, and a demo of my work).

DAW -> VST (Such as kontakt) -> Sample Library (Such as tonehammer emotional piano)

If you ever want to run sample libraries you pretty much need kontakt, because since its industry standard its what people code for. The default library is workable, and I used it for pretty much my first year and a bit of composing before buying anything else. There really is no "all in one", but the kontakt default library will at least last you long enough for you to figure out exactly what other sounds you want to invest in. If you get Komplete Ultimate you get a ton of great libraries too, and I can definitely say its worth the extra money.
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DAW: Logic 9
Vst's: Absynth, Battery, FM8, Guitar Rig, Kontakt, Massive, Maschine
Real Instruments: Acoustic/Electric Guitar, Cello, Piano

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Re: One all-inclusive library or not?

Postby shiek927 » 30 Sep 2013 17:39

Well maybe the words "all-inclusive" was a stretch, but hopefully you get the gist: a general purpose library that has a solid set of sounds that I can fiddle with for a good long while, grow, before running up against what they can do and collecting more later that's tailored more for the music that I want to make.

Which is exactly my point. I know for a fact, as I learn and grow, that I'll end up collecting more because I'll simply have too...but it'll be with the sort of sound judgment and experience I'll have after producing for a good long while and already making the most of what I have before getting something else.

10,000 was just a throwaway number, you get the idea :p.

I know you're right about not rushing :), and I'm definitely slowly learning. Frustrating at times when it seems I'm not learning as quickly as I'd like, but I'm taking it one step at a time.


======

...There definitely was a glitch with what I wrote (mixing up VSTs and sample libraries), but you seem to pick up on what I meant and your own experience is basically what I want to go through as well: working with a good default library and making songs worth listening to with it for a good long while before upping my collection and getting more professional libraries instead of relying on just one for everything.

The main point of my question though was whether or not that approach was worth it or if I should just skip ahead to amass those numerous libraries in the first place, but it seems you both agree with me on just sticking with a default sample library and learning the ropes with that before moving on to something more.
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Re: One all-inclusive library or not?

Postby Conduit » 30 Sep 2013 17:53

Definitely go with just the kontakt library for now. I'll link some of my earlier work that was made entirely with it lower down. If you knew 100% that you would be sticking with music for life then I would say go ahead, buy good libraries now, but theres no way to know that until you actually spend time producing. For example my string library costs $1000 and thats not something you would want to waste on what your not going to use. I bought it because I'm seriously considering scoring films or games as a career, and to me the investment was worth it.

This and this were both made with the kontakt default library. Keep in mind that I could have made them sound a lot better, I just wasn't very good at the time. Good libraries won't make you sound good if your rubbish at composing, and I could probably do a lot more with the default libraries now then I could then.

Anyway, glad to see someone starting out, if you ever need any help send me a message.
https://soundcloud.com/flatflish/a-warm-past

DAW: Logic 9
Vst's: Absynth, Battery, FM8, Guitar Rig, Kontakt, Massive, Maschine
Real Instruments: Acoustic/Electric Guitar, Cello, Piano

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