pop & jazz brass VST / what is the best

[musicsound-2]

I am looking for an (easy to use if possible) sample library / VST instrument for pop & jazz brass, big band sound, etc....

For classic brass there are some options but for pop music I can´t find a lot.
I´ve looked into Chris Hein Horns and KickAssBrass. Are those the best ?
Any other good options ?
Earlier I noticed also Quantum Leap Brass. Is this still available to buy ?

[Ziggy!!]

http://www.garritan.com/jazz.html

[musicsound-2]

Originally Posted by Ziggy!!

http://www.garritan.com/jazz.html

Thanks !
Did you have the opportunity to compare it ?
Anybody else here with KAB or Chris Hein experience ?

[vanity]

I've used Kick-Ass Brass in a few house tunes that use pop brass sounds, and I think it works pretty good. Sections sound good and with some work you'll even get some good solo lines.

I haven't tried any other (multisampled) pop / big band brass libraries though.

/V

[mogWai]

I have QL Brass - its very good. I like it a lot.

Best to build up all your ensemble instruments from different libraries though. The QL sounds are quite 'raspy' with the trumpets, so I find it useful to have some orchestral brass as well to tame the sound - I use Dan Dean Solo Brass which is just brilliant.

I tried First Call Horns.. didnt care for the sound of that - sounds very 'sampled'.

[musicsound-2]

Originally Posted by mogWai

I have QL Brass - its very good. I like it a lot.

Best to build up all your ensemble instruments from different libraries though. The QL sounds are quite 'raspy' with the trumpets, so I find it useful to have some orchestral brass as well to tame the sound - I use Dan Dean Solo Brass which is just brilliant.

I tried First Call Horns.. didnt care for the sound of that - sounds very 'sampled'.

I have thought also about QL Brass also, sine I remember that I liked the samples quite much. However I am afraid it´s not possible to buy it anymore.
At least I can´t find it at "soundsonline".

[Dr.Wu]

i have both KAB and the Hein Horns.
The Hein stuff is incredibly detailed with tons of different articulations etc.
The downside is that you need to invest a lot of time learning all those variations and how to switch between them using the lower octaves of the keyboard.
Plus they eat a LOT of RAM or tax your CPU with streaming.
While the recordings sound great there are some flaws.
f.e. the sforzando swells between the instruments dont line up. That means if you arrange them to play a chord the trumpet will finish the swell faster than the trombone.
Just like most real sections!


The KAB stuff sounds cool but doesnt come with any keyswitches which means you have to create extratracks for every little variation which leads to a cluttered arrangewindow in no time.
On the bright side they dont need much RAM.
In the end they both still sound pretty fake unless you are willing to invest a lot of time tweaking or double them with at least one real player

[musicsound-2]

Originally Posted by Dr.Wu

i have both KAB and the Hein Horns.
The Hein stuff is incredibly detailed with tons of different articulations etc.
The downside is that you need to invest a lot of time learning all those variations and how to switch between them using the lower octaves of the keyboard.
Plus they eat a LOT of RAM or tax your CPU with streaming.
While the recordings sound great there are some flaws.
f.e. the sforzando swells between the instruments dont line up. That means if you arrange them to play a chord the trumpet will finish the swell faster than the trombone.
Just like most real sections!


The KAB stuff sounds cool but doesnt come with any keyswitches which means you have to create extratracks for every little variation which leads to a cluttered arrangewindow in no time.
On the bright side they dont need much RAM.
In the end they both still sound pretty fake unless you are willing to invest a lot of time tweaking or double them with at least one real player

thanks for letting me know pros and cons.
If you could have only one - which one would you take ?
Which one do you use more often than the other ?

[Dr.Wu]

definetly the Hein Horns.
For a very similar price they have a lot more to offer.
i bought the KAB in the EXS format at a lower price but that has been discontinued in favour for a more expensive plug in version but since that version doesnt offer any substantial advantages over the EXS version i wasnt tempted to "upgrade".
If you are willing to spend some quality time learning how to use the Hein Horns you can get some cool results out of it.
Just dont try to use them as solo instruments.
That simply doesnt work with samples IMHO.

[Windshore]

This may be a bit out of line, but a lot of us "Brass" players (I'm woodwinds) have nice recording setups at home and do quick overdubs for composers all the time via the internet. I understand that workflow doesn't always allow for overdubs but at this time the sample libraries have a long way to go for contemporary and jazz styles ESPECIALLY big-band. I'm sure they'll get there eventually...

I keep checking out libraries myself to see if they're good enough for me to use sampled brass and overdub live saxes etc., but so far I haven't found anything convincing. Of course I'm hyper-critical and there are a lot of applications where it may not be real important. (As was suggested earlier the best bet is to have 2-3 libraries and mix.)

I apologize for slightly hijacking, but my best answer for these styles has been to demo with my cheezy brass samples and add at least 1 live trumpet if nothing else. I've co-produced a lot of commercial show recordings, and in these styles, even the good samples always sound like samples. ... I'll shut-up now!

[musicsound-2]

Originally Posted by Dr.Wu

definetly the Hein Horns.
For a very similar price they have a lot more to offer.
i bought the KAB in the EXS format at a lower price but that has been discontinued in favour for a more expensive plug in version but since that version doesnt offer any substantial advantages over the EXS version i wasnt tempted to "upgrade".
If you are willing to spend some quality time learning how to use the Hein Horns you can get some cool results out of it.
Just dont try to use them as solo instruments.
That simply doesnt work with samples IMHO.

I now ordered already the KAB - I should have asked a bit earlier this question.
However, maybe I will add the Hein Horns later

[manning1]

just reaching out here...
i sometimes write songs that need flutes/woodwinds/brass/trumpets solos and other orchestral sounds...but have to often make do with some synth patch.
so if anyone who plays the above would like to do a track or two for fun
(persons contribution will be acknowledged of course on the track....i never hide folks talent !!...))....
please pm me. i'm kinda still this way n that bout sampled libs tho i know many band in a box and powertracks users seem to talk well of garritan etc.