IYO Just how good are the SN Acoustic Instruments?

I've used a bunch of SN acoustic sounds from the Integra on various videogame productions over the last couple of years. Some thoughts:

- think the acoustic guitars and similar "world"-type plucked string instruments are the best there are on a rompler right now. Very playable with some nice add-ons that really enhance the realism. I did an entire soundtrack based around the ukelele patch.

- strings are very nice, although I typically use those to supplement/enhance orchestrations I've done mostly with bigger Kontakt sample libraries. Have used the solo violin from the Integra as a featured instrument in more than one production, though. Again, the playability is the main factor for me, as the pitch bender makes for convincing glissando and a button press switches articulations to pizzicato. Very nice.

- I am generally less enthusiastic about the woodwinds and brass, which I think are ok. I prefer the EXs3 clarinets and brass on my Oasys over the Integra, and the Integra trumpet still sounds thin and plays very "synthy" to me. Doesn't (for me) have the depth of the Oasys samples, although I do like the way that the SN sounds have integrated performance techniques like falls via pitchbend and selectable staccato articulations, etc. (On the Oasys, these require using separate patches altogether.)

- Saxophones are also pretty good, and very realistic-sounding when played sparingly in specific ranges (of course!) These must be one of the hardest instruments to sample or emulate, because between Kontakt, the Oasys, and the Integra, I've still not found a saxophone I am completely in love with, and none I would ever use in a solo setting. As part of a mix though, or layered with other SN (or PCM) brass/winds, they are pretty good.

Again, just one guy's opinion, and the usual qualifier of YMMV applies!

TagPass wrote:

- I am generally less enthusiastic about the woodwinds and brass, which I think are ok. I prefer the EXs3 clarinets and brass on my Oasys over the Integra, and the Integra trumpet still sounds thin and plays very "synthy" to me. Doesn't (for me) have the depth of the Oasys samples, although I do like the way that the SN sounds have integrated performance techniques like falls via pitchbend and selectable staccato articulations, etc. (On the Oasys, these require using separate patches altogether.)
!

i made exactly the same experience, only I didn't try the Oasys, but the brass/woodwinds expansions of the Korg M3 XP, which were actually taken from the Oasys. These expansionss contained the best trumpets I've had so far, especially 'tongue trumpet'. The Integra SN-A trumpet has the behavior modeling feature, but in the samle itself it is not on a par. I sold the M3 module because it was too much additionally to an Integra and MoXF for me, but I still miss these special brass/woodwind sounds.

This is a recording I made with one of the M3 expansion trumpets:
http://youtu.be/CeCrTS0hVKk
The same piece with the Integra trumpet (doesn't sound bad here either):
http://youtu.be/Lat7HWL5mRQ

Thanks for the great replies so far! I thought the the classical renditions, specialplant were quite nice. And it sounds like the saxes will work OK in a mix as Tagpass mentions. I'm intrigued by the keyboard control over expression as opposed to the typical key-switching methods in software.

Does anyone of experience using these sounds in a jazz setting - or know of such demos? I ask because that would be a good test for a range of expressiveness.

I have to echo the remarks I left on the YT vids. While the M3 and MOXF are nice, specialplant's version done with the Integra sounded distinctly better to my ears. I was half paying attention since it was the same piece, but all it took was one second for my ears to perk up and notice something tangibly better about the Integra performance. And I doubt it was because of YouTube messing with one version's quality.

synthguy99 wrote:

While the M3 and MOXF are nice, specialplant's version done with the Integra sounded distinctly better to my ears. I was half paying attention since it was the same piece, but all it took was one second for my ears to perk up and notice something tangibly better about the Integra performance. And I doubt it was because of YouTube messing with one version's quality.

I think it's mainly the strings which are clearly better in the Integra. The trumpet - ok, in this Handel composition, it's very nice to use the Integra SN-A behavior modeling especially for the trills. Otherwise, the trumpet timbre itself, especially the attack, is fantastic in the M3 expansion. The harpsichord is ok in both instruments. But it's hard to beat the SRX 04 strings.