Garritan Personal Orchestra Review

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(More customer reviews)I am surprised that this is the first review for GPO on Amazon, considering the growing following this collection has.
This is one impressive product - a comprehensive list of sounds, that work very well together. Obviously the samples in more expensive packages are more impressive in their basic sound, but if used with skill it is truly astonishing what can be achieved with this set - one has only to listen to the numerous user demos on their web site to see for yourself. The situation here is that the sum is in fact greater than its parts.
In this price range, there really isn't anything that can compare to it. The quality of the results achievable are good enough for professional use, and in fact it is getting considerable professional application in many different areas.
Anyone looking for orchestral sounds, but unwilling (or more likely unable) to the spend the thousands necessary for the big libraries should take a look at what is being offered here.
Really, bravo to the Garritan team for creating such an impressive library at a price point accessible to almost anyone.

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Whether you're a professional film composer who needs to produce orchestral mockups at a moment's notice, a hobbyist who wants to create great sounding orchestral music, or a student who is studying the art and craft of orchestration, Personal Orchestra will simplify creative work at a price that won't break the bank. In the studio, at home or on the road, Personal Orchestra is for every musician.Personal Orchestra contains samples of all the major instruments in a symphony orchestra-strings, brass, woodwinds, and percussion-as well as instruments not found in other orchestral libraries-a Steinway® concert grand piano, a Stradivarius violin, Guarneri Violin, Gagliano Violin, Wurlitzer and Venus concert harps, Haynes flutes, Heckel bassoons, a Mustel celeste, a Rudolf von Beckerath concert pipe organ, a harpsichord, and many other exquisite instruments. There is everything one needs to create orchestrations of any size! In fact, as a whole, Personal Orchestra has the most expensive collection and highest caliber of orchestral instruments of any orchestral sample library ever recorded!Build ensembles one instrument at a time from individual solo instruments. This allows the user to construct ensembles or sections of any size - solo instruments, duos, trios, quartets, chamber ensembles, small orchestras, or a full symphonic orchestra.Personal Orchestra allows you to create realistic sounding orchestral music quickly and easily, right "out of the box." No confusin...

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Apple Garageband Jam Pack: Symphony Orchestra Review

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(More customer reviews)The day before I ordered this Jam Pack, I had received an M-Audio 88es USB velocity sensitive keyboard from amazon (reviewed separately) Keystation 88es 88 Key USB MIDI Controller and sustain pedal M-Audio SP-2 US65010 Sustain Pedal Piano Style Sustain Pedal for Keyboards
The standard Garage Band 'Grand Piano' sounded just "OK", and there was no harpsichord. Those were my prime reasons for ordering this Jam Pack... and to have fun with the other sounds, of course.
The Steinway Piano in this pack is substantially better than the standard Garage Band piano. Neither is perfect - but this Steinway is great for the price. The difference is more than the soft hammer sound of a Steinway vs a hardened hammer sound of the standard piano. The velocity response and the behavior of sustained notes is much more realistic. The default settings have a fair amount of reverb - to simulate a concert hall. Adjusting that and other sliders can give a sound more appropriate to other settings.
It still does not sound like a real grand piano of course - there are no induced harmonics when the sustain pedal is depressed, for example. But, not bad at all.
The harpsichord is pretty disappointing in comparison. The lower register is amplified way louder than the upper - roughly everything below middle C as I recall. I haven't tried adjusting bass reduction effects etc to make it sound more 'correct'. Also, considerable reverb in the default 'Orchestra Harpsichord' to reflect a large hall. Lower that to get a chamber sound.
The variety of attack modes that are adjustable by keyboard control are pretty nice for instruments such as the strings and brass.
The huge quantity of loops (over 3 GB) will be of less use to me, but can be handy for making some quick transitions or tracks for videos - since Garage Band is basically THE sound editor for iMovie and Final Cut Express now. I had expected that the loops would be performances on real instruments, but many (most?) sound like sampled digital instruments to my ear.
If you want a better piano, a harpsichord and/or symphonic instruments, this pack is a great deal.
PS Not in the product description, so I just noticed: The Jam Pack comes with a selection of 'demo songs' reached from the File > Open Demos menu. (If shared, these reside on disk at Users > Shared > Symphony Orchestra Demo Songs.) Five symphonic themes as an orchestra of MIDI instruments and 8 loop (wave) compositions. Fun to mess with and good for learning purposes.

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With a symphony orchestra in tow, you just may have to spring for bigger quarters. But if you're planning to conduct your own orchestra, you'll want better acoustics anyway. Using Symphony Orchestra and GarageBand (or Logic Express 7, Logic Pro 7, or Soundtrack Pro), there are virtually no limits to the types of sophisticated music you can create. Taking advantage of the prerecorded Apple Loops (more than 2,000 in Symphony Orchestra), you can compose everything from classical music to movie soundtracks. Or you may want to lend some symphonic power to your pop, rock, or hip-hop arrangements.

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Molinari Romanian 1/2 Size Student Violin Outfit (Nitro Finish, Wood Bow, Thermoplastic Case) Review

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(More customer reviews)It looks wonderful. However the bridges needed to be recut and the nut was so off that the D string plays sour. I contacted seller, and they told me to 'get it looked at by a music store' and not send it back.

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A teachers delight! Teachers prefer a Europeaninstrument above all others for their beginning students because of playability and quality of sound.Purchase this instrument and you won't have to purchase another until you go professional. This Molinari TUSCANY SERIES violin is hand-crafted in RomaniaIt features a NITRO finish, hand-carved solid spruce top, solid maple back & sides, ebony fingerboard, pegs, chinrest, endpin, & tailpiece.The 4 fine tuners make it easier for beginners to tune the strings.Includes an octagonal Brazil wood horsehair wood bow and a hard shell thermoplastic case.Available in 4 sizes, for small children up to adults:1/4, 2/4, 3/4, 4/4

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Resonans 4/4 Violin Shoulder Rest: Low Profile Review

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(More customer reviews)This is one of the worst violin shoulder rests ever. My students who come in with this shoulder rest hate it. It always falls off the violin and we spend half the lesson picking it up off the floor. Sure it's cheap, but you will either hate your practice time and put up with it, or you will immediately purchase a more expensive and higher quality shoulder rest. Save yourself the step and buy a Kun, Wolf, or Bon Musica shoulder rest instead. It's best to try it in a store so you can see how it feels with your unique body shape and then shop around online for the best price.

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Resonans shoulder rests have a cushioned pad area, covered with velvet to provide a comfortable, secure contact surface. The feet are covered with surgical tubing to help protect the instrument's finish. The bar and legs can be bent for a better fit.This is the low profile model fitting 4/4 Violins.

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