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Metal musician looking for orchestral libs recommendations

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Dormant

New Member
Hello, I am a metal musician and I mainly do metal stuff (both modern and not-so-modern) but I do really like to mix some orchestral elements into my works. Now, I'm digging into orchestral stuff more and more recently and trying to do some epic trailer-ish things and not-so-epic game themes.

Currently I own Audio Imperia Nucleous, I like it as all-in-one library with strings, woodwinds, brass and even choirs, it has ensembles and legato patches - good for me as I'm using everything from this, some more and some less. I find it very good for background stuff and for slow and emotional passages. It's easy to control with modwheel. I do really like the option to control vibrato amount.

I do also have Trailer Strings, Soaring Strings and Trailer Brass from Musical Sampling. They have completely different tone, Trailer Strings is also far more aggressive compared to Nucleous. It's harder to tweak (mod wheel has too much dynamic range changes, no way to affect vibrato) but really easy to program - throw Adventure path on a track, set track delay to -125 and start to compose ideas.

It may seem like I'm packed for my needs but as I upgraded my workplace recently and want to dig deeper into orchestral stuff, I want to extend my tools with different tones, additional articulations, etc. May be even replace my current tools with something better.

I have read many topics about string libraries on this forum and just got overwhelmed with options.

It looks like Cinematic Studio Strings, Spitfire Chamber Strings and Berlin Strings are mainstream libraries what can do almost anything. But then also there are...

- Audiobro Modern Scoring Strings
- Performance Samples Pacific Ensemble Strings
- Cinestrings (my mate has Cineharp, I was really pleased when I tried it as I remember)
- Tokyo Scoring Strings (looks like it got reputation of an anime and jrpg strings with dry sound but I dunno)
- PrijectSAM Symphobia (4 different libraries! Also curious about Fantasy one - what makes it more "fantasy" than other libraries?)
- Auddict Angel Strings (this one has really interesting sounds)
- Heavyocity libraries (looks like it does more sound design stuff rather than actual orchestral which I am not really into, but hybrid orchestral sounds may be useful for my music)
- 8Dio (have not heard much about their libraries)

... and so on. I just feel myself lost in options.

I doubt I will ever dive into ultra-reallistic classical music, so may be I do not need ultra-detailed string libraries.

I planned to upgrade my Nucleous to Jaeger, but now I don't know if this would be enough. So I'm looking for some recommendations and opinions. Mainly for strings, but choir libraries would be useful too. For woodwinds and brass I feel fine with Nucleous as I use them way less.

My preferences:
Budget - any. I don't mind to get several libraries which can compliment each other.
Disk drive space required - any. I have enough.
Playability - doesn't matter, I program VI's via midi entirely.
Easy of programming - the easier, the better.
Flexibility - the more, the better.
Processing - I prefer more processed and mix-ready sound out of the box.
Prepared midi patterns/loops - doesn't matter, I don't use them.
Sampler - preferably Kontakt.
Click to read more...
 
Last edited:
Dormant said:
Hello, I am a metal musician and I mainly do metal stuff (both modern and not-so-modern) but I do really like to mix some orchestral elements into my works. Now, I'm digging into orchestral stuff more and more recently and trying to do some epic trailer-ish things and not-so-epic game themes.

Currently I own Audio Imperia Nucleous, I like it as all-in-one library with strings, woodwinds, brass and even choirs, it has ensembles and legato patches - good for me as I'm using everything from this, some more and some less. I find it very good for background stuff and for slow and emotional passages. It's easy to control with modwheel. I do really like the option to control vibrato amount.

I do also have Trailer Strings, Soaring Strings and Trailer Brass from Musical Sampling. They have completely different tone, Trailer Strings is also far more aggressive compared to Nucleous. It's harder to tweak (mod wheel has too much dynamic range changes, no way to affect vibrato) but really easy to program - throw Adventure path on a track, set track delay to -125 and start to compose ideas.

It may seem like I'm packed for my needs but as I upgraded my workplace recently and want to dig deeper into orchestral stuff, I want to extend my tools with different tones, additional articulations, etc. May be even replace my current tools with something better.

I have read many topics about string libraries on this forum and just got overwhelmed with options.

It looks like Cinematic Studio Strings, Spitfire Chamber Strings and Berlin Strings are mainstream libraries what can do almost anything. But then also there are...

- Audiobro Modern Scoring Strings
- Performance Samples Pacific Ensemble Strings
- Cinestrings (my mate has Cineharp, I was really pleased when I tried it as I remember)
- Tokyo Scoring Strings (looks like it got reputation of an anime and jrpg strings with dry sound but I dunno)
- PrijectSAM Symphobia (4 different libraries! Also curious about Fantasy one - what makes it more "fantasy" than other libraries?)
- Auddict Angel Strings (this one has really interesting sounds)
- Heavyocity libraries (looks like it does more sound design stuff rather than actual orchestral which I am not really into, but hybrid orchestral sounds may be useful for my music)
- 8Dio (have not heard much about their libraries)

... and so on. I just feel myself lost in options.

I doubt I will ever dive into ultra-reallistic classical music, so may be I do not need ultra-detailed string libraries.

I planned to upgrade my Nucleous to Jaeger, but now I don't know if this would be enough. So I'm looking for some recommendations and opinions. Mainly for strings, but choir libraries would be useful too. For woodwinds and brass I feel fine with Nucleous as I use them way less.

My preferences:
Budget - any. I don't mind to get several libraries which can compliment each other.
Disk drive space required - any. I have enough.
Playability - doesn't matter, I program VI's via midi entirely.
Easy of programming - the easier, the better.
Flexibility - the more, the better.
Processing - I prefer more processed and mix-ready sound out of the box.
Prepared midi patterns/loops - doesn't matter, I don't use them.
Sampler - preferably Kontakt.
Click to expand...
I would highly recommend avoiding the individual section path if you don't see yourself writing orchestral heavy scores. Not only will it work out a bit more on the expensive side, also that you may not be able to use those libraries to their full potential if you're new to orchestration and arranging.

When I think of Orchestra and Metal, I immediately think of Nightwish. So in that regard, I would highly recommend the Metropolis Ark series. Metropolis Ark 1 is really really good for Heavy and Loud orchestras to compliment metal music. Also the whole series is just such a nice package and it sounds epic without it having to sound artificial. It all sounds so natural, also because of the lovely space it was recorded in, Teldex Studios. If you're looking for mainly heavy hitting stuff, then Metropolis Ark 1 would be my suggestion. If you're looking for softer stuff for slower passages, then maybe Metropolis Ark isn't your best bet. I would actually recommend Spitfire Symphonic Orchestra for that when it's on sale.. Actually, even getting something like Albion Legacy will really suffice in my opinion. Let me know if you need any more suggestions.
 
Dormant said:
Processing - I prefer more processed and mix-ready sound out of the box.
Click to expand...
That's ruling out many libraries, like e.g. Pacific which is maybe the worst one to think of blending with metal. Besides processed sound, you also want nible and agile stuff recorded in a smaller room in general so Audiobro, Heavyocity and some of the Project Sam (like Pandora) would fit nicely to the description.
 
Ahh, a kindred spirit.

You really can't go wrong with @audioimperia libraries for incorporating with metal tracks. They have a nice, bright sound that's cuts through the mix very well. If you like the string sound of Nucleus and just want more of than specifically, Areia is the fully fleshed out version of that, complete with recently revamped legatos of three types (rebow, fingered, portamento) and is excellent. Jaeger would only really be needed if you want to expand the brass capabilities a bit and add in some additional trailer/sound design patches. Click here for Audio Imperia examples.

Tokyo Scoring Strings is far and away the easiest to use strings library I have ever touched, and I am a draw-it-in on the piano roll person. Yes, it is billed as anime/JRPG strings, but it is extremely versatile across genres. I've used it for orchestral, pop, disco, symphonic metal and more. Just an incredibly consistent library that just does what you ask it to do and provides plenty of built-in tools to give you all the flexibility you could want. It's also getting an update sometime this year to make it even better. Click here for TSS examples.

If you want your strings to get really aggressive, Berlin Strings is still the king in my book. Only library that could handle something like The Hunter from Bloodborne. Just beware that once you start down the OT/Teldex rabbit hole, your wallet is going to scream from the burden you place on it. It's a satisfying and fun money sink though! Click here for Berlin Series examples.
 
SamTheAudiocrat said:
I would highly recommend avoiding the individual section path if you don't see yourself writing orchestral heavy scores. Not only will it work out a bit more on the expensive side, also that you may not be able to use those libraries to their full potential if you're new to orchestration and arranging.

When I think of Orchestra and Metal, I immediately think of Nightwish. So in that regard, I would highly recommend the Metropolis Ark series. Metropolis Ark 1 is really really good for Heavy and Loud orchestras to compliment metal music. Also the whole series is just such a nice package and it sounds epic without it having to sound artificial. It all sounds so natural, also because of the lovely space it was recorded in, Teldex Studios. If you're looking for mainly heavy hitting stuff, then Metropolis Ark 1 would be my suggestion. If you're looking for softer stuff for slower passages, then maybe Metropolis Ark isn't your best bet. I would actually recommend Spitfire Symphonic Orchestra for that when it's on sale.. Actually, even getting something like Albion Legacy will really suffice in my opinion. Let me know if you need any more suggestions.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestions! Now I have even more options to choose from, haha.

Nightwish is legends for sure, but I gravitate towards heavier stuff.

Something like this, this piece has some orchestral elements on intro part, then at 2:47 and 3:43:



In this composition orchestrals used quite sparingly and overall it's mixed poorly, but you should get the idea how I'm planning to use it in metal music.

And here are some sharp solo strings playing instead of a lead guitars, at 1:01:



So yeah, it's nice to have something that can cut through the mix. But also it would be nice to have an option for soft and lyrical parts, as I do really want to learn more score-like composing.

Henu said:
That's ruling out many libraries, like e.g. Pacific which is maybe the worst one to think of blending with metal. Besides processed sound, you also want nible and agile stuff recorded in a smaller room in general so Audiobro, Heavyocity and some of the Project Sam (like Pandora) would fit nicely to the description.
Click to expand...
Thanks for pointing this out! I do really need to check Audiobro and ProjectSAM libraries.
 
Trash Panda said:
Ahh, a kindred spirit.

You really can't go wrong with @audioimperia libraries for incorporating with metal tracks. They have a nice, bright sound that's cuts through the mix very well. If you like the string sound of Nucleus and just want more of than specifically, Areia is the fully fleshed out version of that, complete with recently revamped legatos of three types (rebow, fingered, portamento) and is excellent. Jaeger would only really be needed if you want to expand the brass capabilities a bit and add in some additional trailer/sound design patches. Click here for Audio Imperia examples.

Tokyo Scoring Strings is far and away the easiest to use strings library I have ever touched, and I am a draw-it-in on the piano roll person. Yes, it is billed as anime/JRPG strings, but it is extremely versatile across genres. I've used it for orchestral, pop, disco, symphonic metal and more. Just an incredibly consistent library that just does what you ask it to do and provides plenty of built-in tools to give you all the flexibility you could want. It's also getting an update sometime this year to make it even better. Click here for TSS examples.

If you want your strings to get really aggressive, Berlin Strings is still the king in my book. Only library that could handle something like The Hunter from Bloodborne. Just beware that once you start down the OT/Teldex rabbit hole, your wallet is going to scream from the burden you place on it. It's a satisfying and fun money sink though! Click here for Berlin Series examples.
Click to expand...
Thanks for suggestions and special thanks for audio examples! Looks like Areia might be really good all-in-one choice. Also it's really good to hear about versatility and easiness of use of TSS, this alone makes me want to try it. And for The Hunter theme, oh man, this tension...
 
Trash Panda said:
Ahh, a kindred spirit.

You really can't go wrong with @audioimperia libraries for incorporating with metal tracks. They have a nice, bright sound that's cuts through the mix very well. If you like the string sound of Nucleus and just want more of than specifically, Areia is the fully fleshed out version of that, complete with recently revamped legatos of three types (rebow, fingered, portamento) and is excellent. Jaeger would only really be needed if you want to expand the brass capabilities a bit and add in some additional trailer/sound design patches. Click here for Audio Imperia examples.

Tokyo Scoring Strings is far and away the easiest to use strings library I have ever touched, and I am a draw-it-in on the piano roll person. Yes, it is billed as anime/JRPG strings, but it is extremely versatile across genres. I've used it for orchestral, pop, disco, symphonic metal and more. Just an incredibly consistent library that just does what you ask it to do and provides plenty of built-in tools to give you all the flexibility you could want. It's also getting an update sometime this year to make it even better. Click here for TSS examples.

If you want your strings to get really aggressive, Berlin Strings is still the king in my book. Only library that could handle something like The Hunter from Bloodborne. Just beware that once you start down the OT/Teldex rabbit hole, your wallet is going to scream from the burden you place on it. It's a satisfying and fun money sink though! Click here for Berlin Series examples.
Click to expand...
I agree with @Trash Panda and having a look at @audioimperia Nucleus + Areia (even Areia Lite gives more string legatos and articulations to add to Nucleus)

Ola approved 👇

 
Dormant said:
Thanks for the suggestions! Now I have even more options to choose from, haha.

Nightwish is legends for sure, but I gravitate towards heavier stuff.

Something like this, this piece has some orchestral elements on intro part, then at 2:47 and 3:43:



In this composition orchestrals used quite sparingly and overall it's mixed poorly, but you should get the idea how I'm planning to use it in metal music.

And here are some sharp solo strings playing instead of a lead guitars, at 1:01:



So yeah, it's nice to have something that can cut through the mix. But also it would be nice to have an option for soft and lyrical parts, as I do really want to learn more score-like composing.


Thanks for pointing this out! I do really need to check Audiobro and ProjectSAM libraries.
Click to expand...

I'm absolutely sure Metropolis Ark 1 will be the best to emulate the music that you shared. With Metal there's a lot going on sonically, so yes you'll need something to stick out so Metropolis Ark 1 will certainly give you that. In fact Metropolis Ark 1 also comes with Guitars and Basses, albeit they make up the weaker parts of the library, but you have something to layer. If you need only certain instruments, Orchestral Tools also allows you to get the stuff a La carte.. So you can pick up just the high strings, low strings, the bass trombones and Horns if you like? But the full library is chalk full of incredible sounds. I would look at a walk through and see if it works for you.

For emotional slow pieces I would take a look at Albion Legacy from Spitfire Audio. Really love the lushness of it. You already have Nucleus to help add detail to ensemble patches so you should be good to go. As someone suggested, getting Areia from Audio Imperia will help with the strings bit for sure.
 
If you aren't planning to dive into purely orchestral music, especially realistic orchestral music, a lot of the libraries you listed are going to be way too in depth for what you are going for and you will end up overspending for a lot of features you don't necessarily really need for your purposes. Those are all excellent libraries but probably a bit overkill if you aren't looking to go deep into the world of orchestral writing and just want something to add production value and that "epic" sound.

That being said, you already have a pretty solid arsenal to work with. Nucleus especially is a great all around library that I recommend often to producers that just want to add orchestral elements to their music that sounds good without the focus being entirely on writing orchestral music.

I think if you wanted a library to enhance what you already have, the Metropolis Arks are the way to go. Metropolis Ark I would probably best suit your needs. It has that big, epic sound that will cut through a metal mix nicely. Great sounding choir too. Covers most bases.

I also really love Metropolis Ark 4. It is a bit of a one trick pony for huge, FFF, full orchestra hits, but it sounds simply massive. I would get Ark 1 over this if you can only get one library, but I do really love the sound of 4. The entire Ark range in general is great but 1 covers the most bases imo.
 
Thanks everyone!

It looks like Areia is the way to go for me as I like Nucleus. Am I getting right that Nucleus, Jaeger and Areia share same samples, and I can get rid of Nucleus from my disk drive once I get Areia?

I was pleasantly surprised by Metropolis Arks. I've heard about it before but I always thought it just string ensembles while in fact even just Ark 1 is all-in-one package like Audio Imperia stuff. And Ark 1 sounds gorgeous indeed! I might get it after Areia as well.

TSS has only strings but so much different tone. Looks and sounds really versatile and lovely! This will be my next purchase after Ark(s) most likely!

Also, I rechecked Symphobia libs, 3 and 4. From the vids I've got strong impression that at least half of this kits is self-playing patches which I'm not interested in. So pass for me.
 
Dormant said:
Thanks everyone!

It looks like Areia is the way to go for me as I like Nucleus. Am I getting right that Nucleus, Jaeger and Areia share same samples, and I can get rid of Nucleus from my disk drive once I get Areia?

I was pleasantly surprised by Metropolis Arks. I've heard about it before but I always thought it just string ensembles while in fact even just Ark 1 is all-in-one package like Audio Imperia stuff. And Ark 1 sounds gorgeous indeed! I might get it after Areia as well.

TSS has only strings but so much different tone. Looks and sounds really versatile and lovely! This will be my next purchase after Ark(s) most likely!

Also, I rechecked Symphobia libs, 3 and 4. From the vids I've got strong impression that at least half of this kits is self-playing patches which I'm not interested in. So pass for me.
Click to expand...
On the first question. No. They are all different libraries with different samples. Areia is only strings but more detailed than with Nucleus. If you really like Nucleus, I would suggest you look at the Areia for strings and Talos for brass. That will give you more articulations and different sounds to compliment Nucleus.
 
Dormant said:
Thanks everyone!

It looks like Areia is the way to go for me as I like Nucleus. Am I getting right that Nucleus, Jaeger and Areia share same samples, and I can get rid of Nucleus from my disk drive once I get Areia?

I was pleasantly surprised by Metropolis Arks. I've heard about it before but I always thought it just string ensembles while in fact even just Ark 1 is all-in-one package like Audio Imperia stuff. And Ark 1 sounds gorgeous indeed! I might get it after Areia as well.

TSS has only strings but so much different tone. Looks and sounds really versatile and lovely! This will be my next purchase after Ark(s) most likely!

Also, I rechecked Symphobia libs, 3 and 4. From the vids I've got strong impression that at least half of this kits is self-playing patches which I'm not interested in. So pass for me.
Click to expand...
Yes, there is some sample overlap on shared articulations in the strings, brass and percussion (for example, the Spiccato in Nucleus and Jaeger are the Slow Spiccato samples in Areia).

Here's a graphical breakout.

 
Trash Panda said:
Yes, there is some sample overlap on shared articulations in the strings, brass and percussion (for example, the Spiccato in Nucleus and Jaeger are the Slow Spiccato samples in Areia).

Here's a graphical breakout.

Click to expand...

Oh, I didn't know they share samples like that. But I guess you can't delete the other and it still works?
 
Hanu_H said:
Oh, I didn't know they share samples like that. But I guess you can't delete the other and it still works?
Click to expand...
You can really only delete samples if you know what numbered file in the sample folder corresponds to those patches. I guess you could trial and error it out.
 
Uvi augmented orchestra is on sale for a couple of days at 50% off!
Could work well for this and yes metropolis ark 1 is a no brainer!
 
Why hello there, fellow metal musician!

Contrary to most posts here, I’ve made good experience with VSL but their older libraries (VI and now Synchronized) are really dry, so it takes some reverb plugins and mixing skills.

If I may share a track, done a few years ago:



Currently, I’m writing our next album and am exclusively using VSLs Big Bang Orchestra series. The tight and not too wet Synchron Stage it was recorded in sounds great and is very controllable, which I love for mixing with a metal band.

BBO Zodiac is my go-to, as well as Jupiter, Kopernikus and the woodwind libraries. Also check out the complete sections like Andromeda. Take the Full Mix mic Channel, put some parallel compression and additional reverb on top to glue with the rest and be happy. ☺️

EDIT:
This guy shows how it may sound:

 
Metropolis Ark 1 is probably the best compliment for metal that I’ve found

Misha Mansoor loves MA1, LASS, and various Spitfire libraries, when it comes to metal I trust him more than anyone else
 
Dormant said:
Nightwish is legends for sure, but I gravitate towards heavier stuff.
Click to expand...
Nightwish made me want to write music, and yeah I agree with Metropolis ARK1, that's the library I use because I also aim for symphonic metal and it's absolutely perfect, you got awesome strings, a choir that is sublime (especially the female choir) although if you want a darker operatic voice similar to Tarja's the Oceania Choir is a bit closer to that, Victoria choir from ARK1 is brighter but still awesome. Also you got brass that is punchy and you do not have to do many layers to get a full sound that way it saves you CPU and RAM usage. This library unfortunately lacks woodwinds (as do all ARK libraries) and I use CineWinds (because I can't afford to pay a fortune to get Berlin Woodwinds, it's less than half the price). And the icing on the cake is the band section. It's got probably the best guitar in the VST library section, it's far better than Shreddage in my opinion, it got that full sound that an electric guitar should have, not that robotic synthesized sound. Also the bass is good and very realistic, and the drum kit is cool but it's kind of weak so you want to aim for something else with that. And I saw you mention you want something heavier, you could definitely make something like Arch Enemy with ARK1, for example my favorite tracks from them are Dreams of Retribution and Handshake with Hell which are heavily orchestrated but you could do similar tracks with this library. Also if you want something darker I would recommend Metropolis ARK2, it would be great for breakdowns and this library got some nice woodwinds (alto flute, bass flute, clarinet) which are interesting, but as I said it lacks the bright woodwinds that soar above an orchestra and guitars like piccolo and flutes. But you only need that if you aim for Nightwish like orchestration. It also got some bowed metal effects which can be used to create cinematic tension like the part before the 3rd movement in The Greatest Show on Earth, you can go wild with your imagination as these libraries are very versatile and over the top, great to complement guitars.
 
nucleus and ark 1 hands down. maybe you should consider chroma or klavier to have a decent piano sound. you dont need more for starting out with orchestral metal imho.
 
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