BBC SO Core vs Pro

cyril

I recently bought the BBC SO Core, but to me, the sound is a bit muddy (Sorry Paul and Christian !). I really would like to ear audio examples of the different instruments, with sound out of the box (no mix), with the main Mics (close, Tree, Ambiant and Outrigger). I can ear wonderfull examples fully orchestrated, but when I play it... I'm not convinced.

I must say that I also use the Studio Orchestra which has much dryer sound. That's probably why I'm not that in love with the BBC SO...

Grant

I think the Core library has an amazing sound to it. My next purchase will be the Pro upgrade to get the mic positions. I think the mic positions in the Spitfire libraries make them the best samples I have ever worked with in my 35 years of scoring with midi. Having the ability to match the various libraries by using the mic positions provides a cohesiveness you can't match by throwing everything through sends and slapping on reverbs. I have been able to get Abbey Road ONE and Albion ONE instruments to sit beautifully with the CORE library just by using the mic positions, and the balance becomes very realistic. Never had so much fun composing music. I think If you get the PRO version of the BBCSO you can use the close mics, and they would match up with your Studio Orchestra pretty well.

cyril

You're probably right... But I'll have to listen to that before I go that way...

Jase Ess

I started with BBC Core and purchased Pro during one of the Spitfire sales.

I have to tell you, it was the best purchase, I am absolutely in love with it. The additional flexibility with mic positions and having leaders is something that I knew Id be using and Pro has now become my go-to library for most work.

While its a huge library (600 something GB), Ive put mine on an SSD and it works perfectly! The only thing I would advise with Pro as well is making sure you have a lot of RAM. I have 64GB on my Mac and with some compositions, Pro can chew up a lot of that space.

Angus

It's always worth diving into the nitty gritty of the plugins you own- for example, what might be of help with BBC SO Core is the Release and Tightness FX available on some of the Techniques, that may help you tighten up your sound. Click on the FX button or the centre circle on the O.

cyril

Well, I recently found that the CC 11 has a massive influence on the muddy horns a4 sound. By dramatically reducing its value, I bring back a lot of tightness and briliance in the sound. It's definitly better. and usable A small reverb then can add a bit of space and then they sound really nice.

But I still find the Studio Brass Horns more ... punchy.

Hjschmerer

I recently purchased BBC SO and I had a hard time deciding between core and pro. I was not too convinced about the mic positions. It is a nice feature but is it worth 500 Euro? However, I had the feeling that the leader patches may be a game changer. Luckily, I spent the extra money. The leaders are exceptional good in my mind. I am not a pro but I have some years of experience with East West and Nucleus libraries and compared to BBC SO, these plugins sound so terribly bad. All instruments in BBC SO sound good but the leaders have something extra. I don't know if I am biased but to me the leader patches sound much more realistic and unique compared to the other patches. And I am also happy about the mic positions, they are very useful and I am using them a lot.

I am still using a lot of EQ on all instruments to let them sound more punchy. I think it is good to have sounds that are not heavily processed.