Brass

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• Cinematic Studio Brass – Alex Wallbank – Kontakt Player Library
$400 / More info

STRENGTHS: Has a great tone and fantastic dynamic range. Boasts incredibly fluid legato at multiple speeds. Most articulations that you would ask for are covered. Muted patches included. Extremely competitive pricing.

WEAKNESSES: Some larger section sizes not included (e.g. 6 horns).

• Berlin Brass – Orchestral Tools – Kontakt Player Library
Main €800 / Additional Instruments €200 / Muted Brass €250 / SFX French Horns €170

STRENGTHS: Includes an unprecedented amount of divisi options with sampled solo players. Covers a wide variety of articulations. Fantastic sound and legato scripting.

WEAKNESSES: Very expensive. Requires more tweaking and micromanaging to make the most out of its features.

• Century Brass – 8Dio – *Requires full Kontakt
Ensemble Brass $400 / Solo Brass $400 / Bundle $600 / Freebie $0

STRENGTHS: Boasts realistic legato scripting and fluid transitions between articulations. Great dynamic range with an impressive variety of instruments and articulations. You can try out the legato with their Freebie.

WEAKNESSES: To do standard brass writing, you will need both the solo and ensemble products. Highest dynamics on some patches have an interesting timbre.

• Spitfire Symphonic Brass – Spitfire Audio – Kontakt Player Library
$690 / More info

STRENGTHS: Gorgeous sound, includes a huge variety of articulations, instruments, and section sizes.

WEAKNESSES: Sound isn’t particularly aggressive.

OTHER: The expansion pack to this library can be purchased only after buying the main library and includes additional mic positions.

• CineBrass – Cinesamples – Kontakt Player Library
CORE $400 / PRO $400/ Descant Horn $150 / Full Bundle $830

STRENGTHS: It’s intuitive and playable. There are also a lot of mic positions available for you to experiment with. PRO packs a punch with options such as 12 Horns and Monster Low Brass.

WEAKNESSES: There is no trombone ensemble legato included in CORE (but it’s on the way), and some have commented on the lesser quality of legato transitions on certain patches.

• Hollywood Brass – EastWest – PLAY engine
Silver $130 / Gold $265 / Diamond $400
(EastWest products are often on sale)

STRENGTHS: Great sound, playability, and value for your money. This library set the standard for modern brass sampling.

WEAKNESSES: It has a few bugs and inconsistencies throughout, and is quite the resource hog. If you want to use it without inconvenience, use an SSD.

DETAILS: If you are considering this library and looking for a full orchestral package, Hollywood Orchestra is an incredible-value collection including Hollywood Strings, Hollywood Brass, Hollywood Orchestral Woodwinds, and Hollywood Orchestral Percussion.

• Adventure Brass – Musical Sampling – *Requires full Kontakt
$300 / More info

STRENGTHS: A great-sounding collection with amazing agility and playability. Can craft very believable performances. Perfectly suited to orchestral adventure music, as the title suggests.

WEAKNESSES: The library is somewhat niche and not very comprehensive in terms of articulations and instrumentation.