Apologies if this has been brought up before in the past, but wouldn't it be nice to have good quality Drum Corps-esque Brass libraries.  Granted GPO marching band sounds are alright and gives you a sense on what it may sound like.  I am just curious if there is any one else out there that might feel the same way...

I think the Garritan MB sound set is about as good as you are going to get...

[quote author=Dave Ratliff link=topic=2343.msg12377#msg12377 date=1204863220]
I think the Garritan MB sound set is about as good as you are going to get...
[/quote]

Really? I'm not really much of a fan...

Garritan CoMB is not too bad...  but it takes a lot of midi controller manipulation to get realistic sounds. This particular library also suffers more from the dreaded organ effect than other Garritan libraries. The only real way around this is to tweak note on & note off events in your DAW  to make sure doubled parts are not lining up exactly (just a couple of ticks here and there is all that is required). Finale 2008 with HP will give a basic indication of how your chart will sound but really, thats about it.

There have been some good demo's posted over on the Garritan forum over the last few months, however no pure drum corps style demos to date.

As a side note, I heard a rumor that there may be a Virtual Hornline library planned out of the Blue Devils camp. I heard this 2nd or 3rd hand so I may be a way off here. I for one am hoping!

[quote author=Mad Kiltie link=topic=2343.msg12379#msg12379 date=1204922343]
As a side note, I heard a rumor that there may be a Virtual Hornline library planned out of the Blue Devils camp. I heard this 2nd or 3rd hand so I may be a way off here. I for one am hoping!
[/quote]

I second that.

And overall, the way I look at it, is personally, my composition quality has  greatly improved since using VDL.  I would think having quality Brass libraries will help do the same.  But IMHO, it just be a blast and fun to work with.

[quote author=dsleath link=topic=2343.msg12382#msg12382 date=1204943672]
[quote author=Mad Kiltie link=topic=2343.msg12379#msg12379 date=1204922343]
my composition quality has  greatly improved since using VDL.  I would think having quality Brass libraries will help do the same.  But IMHO, it just be a blast and fun to work with.
[/quote]

Same here.  I definitely agree that a VHL sound set would rock![/quote]

I use this: http://www.soundsonline.com/EWQL-Symphonic-Orchestra-Gold-Edition-pr-EW-160.html

Listen to the demos, then compare it to others.  GPO is pretty bad in my opinion.  Some are no better than stock MIDI.

I second the EW stuff.  Pretty reasonable price wise, and should be good enough for most of the people on here quality wise.

I also believe that the EASTWEST sounds are really better.  There's more to work with and the quality is excellent.

Those EW sounds do sound pretty darn good. I was surprised by those demos.

[quote author=palosjr link=topic=2343.msg12420#msg12420 date=1205284038]
Those EW sounds do sound pretty darn good. I was surprised by those demos.
[/quote]

I agree with that.  They do sound great.  And you're right, a very reasonable price.  Gold is a little pricey for my wallet at this moment, but the silver edition priced at $175 is making it very tempting to go out and purchase.  Even though its 16 bit quality instead of 24,  to me, it sounds way better than GPO.

The price is pretty decent. For both the Gold and Silver, which is just another nice thing about this library.

I have the Platinum library, and I can tell you that they are, indeed, superb.  I would recommend Silver, knowing they'll give you a deal on Gold if you want to move up.  Snag a copy before they require a dongle!  Silver also has some choir and piano that Gold doesn't.  I don't know why; stupid in my opinion.

Yes, it's 16-bit, but there's not a lot of reason to go 24-bit if you're considering Silver to begin with.  Trust me; there isn't much difference with the bit rates.  If you were doing a lot of effects, then I'd suggest Gold.  Silver is also easier on your system!  You can have a lot more loaded at once.

The different articulations are really more useful for symphonic mock-ups, IMO.

So I liked the demos enough to go ahead and order the silver... once i get it and get things rolling, i will let you guys know how it is.

What do you guys use for saxophone sounds if you use the EastWest sound set(s) . . . and no saxophone jokes . . . serious question :)  I didn't see any sax sounds in there.