The Sound Board

With $25 code SAINTPATRICKS-25 on top of the sale prices - not sure how long it lasts.

https://www.soundsonline.com/orchestral ... -orchestra

As a potted reminder, the unusual Hollywood Strings line up is:

3 Dulcimers
3 Hardanger fiddles
3 Lutes
3 Voila de Gamba
6 Celli and 4 Basses
8 Violins and 6 Voila
Hurdy Gurdy 1 & 2

The $25 discount works on anything on sale btw. I dunno if you can just by all the sections individually with a $25 for each or if they bust you for that.

https://www.soundsonline.com/st-patricks-day

Thanks for posting, Guy. Would have missed it. Going to investigate.

The fantasy orchestra is really quite good. Incredible pricing. I'm astonished that they can make ends meet with prices so low. Apparently it's possible for EastWest.

At £25 (current exchange rate) it seemed ridiculous to not get this, given it is covering some unusual territory.

I bought Fantasy strings in the hope that my hollywood woodwinds gold would open in Opus. Unfortunately no, but my EWQLSO does (just the stage mics) and Opus proves to be a super player, with all the possibilities it offers to assign controllers filters etc. The seasoned ewqlso feels like a new instrument now.

Opus is a really good player, I agree Rob. Very efficient and slick. Although their default CC assignments are still infuriating, there is a page to modify things to something sane now.

I think the old Hollywood series is about the only thing that doesn't open in it, but of course they do silly crazy cheap deals to upgrade to HOOPUS if you ever want to.

One other little known thing - you can request an extra free license now from EW for HOOPUS if you already own it so you can put it on a 2nd machine. They told me they plan to roll this out to other libs too.

nice to know that, I'm pondering the Opus Hollywood Orchestra now, today is around 220€ with the coupon

RobS wrote: ↑Mar 11, 2025 2:11 pm nice to know that, I'm pondering the Opus Hollywood Orchestra now, today is around 220€ with the coupon

I still believe it is the single best sounding and most complete, if you want a big orchestra rather than a chamber orchestra.

And Opus is vastly improved over Play, much easier (for me, at least), to work quickly with than Kontakt.

Ashermusic wrote: ↑Mar 13, 2025 11:55 am

RobS wrote: ↑Mar 11, 2025 2:11 pm nice to know that, I'm pondering the Opus Hollywood Orchestra now, today is around 220€ with the coupon

I still believe it is the single best sounding and most complete, if you want a big orchestra rather than a chamber orchestra.

And Opus is vastly improved over Play, much easier (for me, at least), to work quickly with than Kontakt.

agreed, easier and more powerful. The way I have always worked, with a breath controller, is now feasible with Opus,
Jay, would you say the Hollywood Opus Orchestra is a step up compared to EWQLSO?

Well they are very different. EWQLSO was recorded in a concert hall by a Classical music engineer while the HO was recorded in a studio by a film engineer.

The biggest difference otherwise is that HO has “true legato” while EWQLSO doesn’t. But EWQLSO has a lot more patches, some of which are really good that HO, for all its completeness, does not.

If I could only choose one, it would be HO.

Ashermusic wrote: ↑Mar 13, 2025 1:34 pm Well they are very different. EWQLSO was recorded in a concert hall by a Classical music engineer while the HO was recorded in a studio by a film engineer.

The biggest difference otherwise is that HO has “true legato” while EWQLSO doesn’t. But EWQLSO has a lot more patches, some of which are really good that HO, for all its completeness, does not.

If I could only choose one, it would be HO.

Thank you, still I like the tone of the old one. Yesterday just for fun I tried to mock up the beginning of the 6th Beethoven Symphony (I know) and the general tone was there, though the absence of legato is evident but it was fun

Thanks for the heads up! Finally a cheaper way to get Opus! Bought Opus and got the Fantasy Voices for free

Now let's dust off RA and Gypsy...

Thomas Mavian wrote: ↑Mar 13, 2025 5:21 pm Fantasy Voices

Dagnammit there goes another £25.

Guy Rowland wrote: ↑Mar 13, 2025 5:48 pm

Thomas Mavian wrote: ↑Mar 13, 2025 5:21 pm Fantasy Voices

Dagnammit there goes another £25.

Hehe, but worth it only for the Men and Women choirs methinks...

Thomas Mavian wrote: ↑Mar 13, 2025 7:18 pm Hehe, but worth it only for the Men and Women choirs methinks...

Yes, gorgeous tone there.

And agreed, in terms of useability there are big problems elsewhere. The sustains elsewhere don't loop FFS. And the words and phrases don't have the ability to change note mid-phrase. It's pretty crude stuff.

But for 25 quid, those gorgeous men and women's choirs are lovely.

I must say I was pleasantly surprised that Opus populates the keyswitches to Studio Ones Sound Variations just like VSL does, really nice!

@Guy, how do you like the Fantasy Strings? Worth it?

Thomas Mavian wrote: ↑Mar 14, 2025 3:37 am@Guy, how do you like the Fantasy Strings? Worth it?

I've not used in anger, but it seems pretty good and playable. The fiddles and viola de gamba are perhaps the most useful, nicely done and distinct tones. rather like the sound of the dulcimer and lute trios too.

Guy Rowland wrote: ↑Mar 14, 2025 4:39 am

Thomas Mavian wrote: ↑Mar 14, 2025 3:37 am@Guy, how do you like the Fantasy Strings? Worth it?

I've not used in anger, but it seems pretty good and playable. The fiddles and viola de gamba are perhaps the most useful, nicely done and distinct tones. rather like the sound of the dulcimer and lute trios too.

Thanks, it was the lutes and dulcimer that got my attention. Guess I'll bite then.

Bought the Strings. Have somewhat high expectations of the high and low strings in particular. Then there are those Viola da Gamba spiccati... mamma mia, how wonderfully brash they sound. Can't really give it a spin for a few days though.

Also interested in the Voices, but am given pause by Guy's comment about some faults. We'll see.