Hi fellows Inspired by the OT discount gift from Alex, I was thinking of getting the Ark bundle from OT. I already have Ark 1, but what do you think of the others - are they worth it for trailer/epic? (2-5 & 0) I have lots of various libraries for epic/hybrid trailers, so I am not currently missing any particular spot of my toolkit to give ant further background or needs for the bundle. I think that with the bundle discount and with Alex’s extra 15%, it would be a good deal 🤓 Thanks for any thoughts around this. /Aleksi

Hey dear rockers! Orchestral Tools has an exclusive gift for you guys that I am pretty happy about! I have a list here with 15% OFF coupons. They are limited to 250 and everyone gets ONE discount. Here is what you have to do if you want one: - Write a comment in this post 👇 - I will then send you a DM with your code - Don't be greedy, only if you feel like you want to purchase something from their store - Please do not pass your code around, it can only be used once. I have to do this manually, so please have mercy and consider time zones when it's late 😅 PS: It would be very kind and respectful towards everyone if you introduced yourself or participated in the community before asking to get a discount as a first message, thanks! I am sure you understand! ♥️

Hi everyone, This has been a really great group to hear all of the wonderful music being created all over the world, & since we're all here to help one another & lift each other up, I'm just wondering what sample libraries everyone's using to create their music.

Hi everyone, I wanted to open a discussion specifically around achieving more realism in string sections when working with orchestral or hybrid productions, particularly in contexts outside of the typical trailer music approach, where string writing often leans towards massive, generalized ensemble sounds. One thing I've always noticed, both when producing myself and when receiving tracks for mixing, is that sampled string libraries, no matter how good they are, often sound too perfect, too in tune. No matter how good the library is, there's always that subtle lack of natural imperfection we get from real players such as slight tuning discrepancies, micro pitch drifts, and the overall organic instability that gives life to an ensemble. For quite some time now, whenever I have access to the MIDI, I’ve been adding a second layer of the same articulation, detuning it slightly (via MIDI pitch or fine-tune adjustments) to emulate those subtle imperfections. If I get only audio, I use other tools with processing blended in parallel quite carefully. Sometimes it’s just a few cents up or down, and the result feels noticeably more organic, less sterile. So I'm curious: - Do any of you have a similar workflow or protocol for this? - Are you layering detuned duplicates, or maybe combining different libraries for natural tuning discrepancies? - Have you found better results manipulating pitch at the MIDI level versus post-processing (via micro pitch-shifting plugins or modulation)? - And how far do you push it before it starts sounding chorused or phasey? - Are you using that approach for other tonal instruments different than strings? (I often layer sounds on the percussions, but that's a completely different concern and approach) For context, I’m a big fan of the Spitfire libraries, I own quite a lot of them, especially Chamber Strings, which I often blend with Symphony Orchestra or BBC Symphony by using solo desks or layering to shape the sound. However, I’m totally open to exploring other approaches or suggestions, including investing in additional new libraries for this only purpose if needed.

Hey everyone, so I rarely ever recommend libraries or plugins as I believe the industry has a way of making you feel like you absolutely must always buy whatever it is they made. Of course this is merely marketing and that's ok. But I do think there are things that are good looking into. I just bought Spitfire's "Essentials" version of the AIR Studios reverb and everything I heard in the walkthrough sounded like a real changer in terms of space and lushness, and it's available at only $69 with 67,000 impulse responses. Now bear in mind, disclaimer here, I have not even installed this thing, but generally Spitfire puts out some really incredible stuff out, and for $69 only, a reverb which you can use on ALL of your cinematic projects does sound like a good deal, so, I thought I'd let you all know. It sounds beautiful, it's reasonably priced and is very applicable to all your projects. Dropping link here: https://www.spitfireaudio.com/air-studios-reverb-essentials