Sample Libraries
Sample libraries are great, but I’m a big proponent of recording live instrumentation. There are so many overqualified musicians at any instrument imaginable, who are eager to work.
Especially in the case of sustained instruments like violin, woodwinds, etc. sample libraries keep adding more and more controls, but it’s not even nearly as close to the amount of variables that a live musician offers and can adust by the fraction of a second as they play: not only is there which violin they’re playing on, what strings they use, the bow they use, how much rosin, do they play close to the bridge or closer to the fingerboard or in between or vary it throughout, do they bow closer to the frog or middle or tip of the bow for certain passages, bow pressure, vibrato speed, vibrato width, do they have a constant vibtrato or do they adjust speed and or width throughout, or no vibrato, what room are you recording in, which microphones, how many mics, how close to the instruments are the mics, what preamps are you using – those factors being just a fraction of the possibilities. I used to collect different recordings of certain classical pieces, and love how different each musician would play it, same notes, same instructions from the composer but vastly different outcomes in terms of how the performer hears and interprets it, which makes it part of the beauty and why the pieces are performed and recorded over and over again by each generation.
This is not to say that you don’t need sample libraries or shouldn’t use them. I am just not a proponent of them replacing live recording, One use of sample libraries is demoing. When you work on a film you can use sample libraries to compose a piece of music, getting it to sound as best as possible to show the filmmakers, getting them to sign off on cues before going in to record.
I have to admit, I’m actually a little unusual in that I tend to do some live recording even on demos. For me it’s often so much about how something is performed and recorded that I need at least some live instrumentation in demos to be able to show the director what I’m going for. I wouldn’t want an idea that would actually be great to get trashed because they can’t hear through the sample demos. For me, unused tracks that I record are not a waste, I end up putting them on my licensing library (see section on licensing library) or reusing them for other projects. Recording on demos is not something I’m necessarily advising though, that’s up to you to decide, it’s just how I like to work for the most part.
When it comes to Sample Libraries there’s a few I’d recommend:
Spifire Audio
As a starting library their Albion libarary is great because it includes strings, woodwinds, brass, some perc and more. Other libraries of theirs specialize in specific instruments as well as creative approaches to sampling which I appreciate (for example they have a library of samples recorded to cassette tape, or they have libraries where they collaborate with musicians and composers).
Eastwest
Eastwest has a subscription program, can be annoying to have it as a monthly subscription but therefore you get access to all their samples. I don’t love all their sample libraries but there are a few that I use a lot, for example their brass, their strings and their pianos. I’ve also tapped into some of their specialty libraries over the years.
Sample Library Hard Drive
Sample libraries should be set up on their own dedicated external hard drive. I use this Samsung 2TB SSD
CREATING YOUR OWN SAMPLE LIBRARIES
Creating your own sample libraries is a great way to add to your unique sound that sets you apart. I’ve started creating my own sample libraries in Kontakt which I now use all the time in my compositions. It can take a bit to learn how to create sample libraries in Kontakt, especially when they go beyond the basics — such as rhythmic loops, round robins, adding buttons, etc. — but it’s definitely doable and in my case was well worth it.
You can check out some of the sample libraries I created myself:
