Nick Batzdorf/Virtual Instruments Magazine
Kirk Hunter Diamond Orchestra Library, $699 (comes on a bus-powered USB drive)
Format: Native Instruments Kontakt 2.3+; Apple EXS24 version under development.
Kirk Hunter Diamond Orchestra Library
This orchestra is designed to provide a good “out of box” experience with very little fuss. It succeeds.
by Nick Batzdorf
Kirk Hunter Diamond is the top-of the-line library in a series of orchestras. At $699 list Diamond is priced in the lower midrange of massive orchestral libraries, but Hunter has versions going all the way down to $99. We’ll look at that one in the near future.
Diamond takes up roughly 66GB on a hard drive, and it comes on a bus-powered USB hard drive so you don’t have to swap DVDs for hours—just plug it in and copy. As far as we know, that’s a first: a sample library that comes on a hard drive.
Details
Bucking the trend toward embedding copy-protected libraries in OEM players, Diamond is a Native Instruments Kontakt 2 or 3-format library—you need Kontakt 2.2.3 or later to use it. An EXS24 version is in the works too, which means anyone who has Apple Logic Pro will run the library as well, although the EXS24 doesn’t have the same scripting features this library puts to such interesting use.
The library covers all the standard orchestral instruments, with very large “Concert” string sections (36 tutti vns, 18 1sts, 8 2nds,10 vas, 9 vcs, 6 bss), large "Symphonic" Strings (24 tutti vns, 10 1sts, 10 2nds, 16 vas, 12 vcs, 6 bss), (smaller “Studio” string sections (9-9-6-5-3), and both chamber (4-4-3-2) and solo strings. Similarly, the brass is available in Concert ensembles of four trumpets, horns, and trombones; three bass trombones; and two tubas; Symphonic ensembles of 6 Trumpets, 6 French Horns, 5 Trombones, 3 Bass Trombones, 2 Tubas (the bass bones and tubas being the same as in "Concert" brass); and also Studio brass; two each trumpets, horns, and tenor trombones, and tuba; and solo instruments. Both muted and unmuted versions of the strings and brass are included.
The winds—including alto flute and contrabassoon—are available in solos and/or duets. Finally, there’s orchestral percussion, celesta, harpsichord, and a piano.
The library uses a consistent set of keyswitches across all the instrument families, and it relies extensively on programming. If you load the full-on Concert cello section, for example, you’ll find keyswitches for velocity-sensitive marcato, marcato, legato, adagio, detaché, sforzando, pizz, trills, tremolo, and more. If you load the full violin 1 section, you’ll find the same keyswitched articulations available as for the cellos. A similar scheme is available across the whole library.
As far as computer impact, Diamond is equivalent to any modern streaming sample library. The full solo viola program, for example, uses about 96MB of memory at the default Kontakt streaming settings.
You can also load lighter versions of all the instruments, and individual articulations are available. Finally, there are ensemble programs—all the strings on one keyboard, for example. Rather than having you load up all the instruments and use up lots of polyphony for these programs, there are sets of “Bonus” programs made up of combined sections that have been merged into one set of samples.
Diamond has an interesting programming feature called IntervaLive® that’s used for connected notes. Raising or lowering the pitch wheel triggers manufactured release samples that bend up or down to lead into the target note. This takes a little practice, but it’s not too difficult. Used full-bore, the effect is almost portmento; used more subtly it just adds a realistic transition between two notes. The farther you move the pitch wheel, the louder the transition effect. You can also dial the amount of bend up or down using onscreen controls.
Another programming feature in Diamond is the gradual pitch correction known as Human Pitch Correction or "HPC". The notes start a little out and then gradually adjust, simulating what real players do. You can control the amount of this effect—a good thing, because the default setting can be a little too much in some cases (solo violin for example); turning it down adds a lot of realism.
Playing it
Kirk Hunter touts the out-of-the-box playability of his libraries, and indeed that’s definitely their strength. You don’t have to learn a lot of articulations and figure out which ones to load—at the top of the list under every category is a big enchilada program with all of the articulations.
Then the keyswitches are all labeled very clearly on the Kontakt 2 (or 3) interface; if you want to tweak the attacks, basic controls are provided. The mod wheel always controls volume, unless it’s set up to control vibrato; between that, velocity, and the pitch wheel-controlled transitions, this is a very playable orchestra. It auto-alternates between samples without user intervention.
Obviously, this kind of (relative) simplicity means that you don’t have the same kinds of specialized articulation choices as in the mega orchestral libraries, but then Diamond isn’t priced at the same level either. However, you do have a lot of string section choices, and the included articulations can do pretty much everything you’d need them to, in fact the articulations tend to cover a lot of ground; I found myself keyswitching less than I’m accustomed to doing in other libraries.
Sound
Now we get to the subjective part of this review. In general I like that this library doesn’t sound artificially clean—an effect that Hunter has cultivated very carefully. Even the included custom convolution impulses add an intangible and really nice “grit” to the sound.
Frankly, I was very pleasantly surprised by Diamond’s overall sound. The transitions between sample layers are smooth, and it’s been programmed and mapped to the keyboard very well.
If I had to pick highlights, I’d start with the solo strings. That takes nothing away from the ensemble strings, which don’t sound synthy even at the top of the violins, but I found the violin and cello especially highly addictive.
The brass and woodwinds are just fine, recorded in a way that makes them work well for ensemble writing. I’d have to say that the percussion and harp aren’t consistently sampled at the same level of detail as the strings, but they’re okay for basic parts. However, there are some standouts here too. The muted glock program is excellent, for example, and it’s not an easy instrument to record well at all.
Thus
This is an easy, good-sounding orchestra that would work very well as an only orchestra library or as an additional one to layer with others. It has some effective programming features, it’s—especially when you factor in the USB drive it comes on—priced fairly…and it has solo violin and cello programs to die for. Check out the demos.
Sound On Sound Magazine
This complete orchestral library is the jewel in its maker's crown,..." (download full review - pdf...)