ProjectSAM The Free Orchestra 1 version 2.0 (Fully Updated)

[Tone Team]

great.

Edited August 8, 2022 by Tone Team

[Reid Rosefelt]

I love ProjectSAM.  Rather than make a new player that makes it harder to use their instruments, they make it easier.   The changes are so dramatic it's like getting new libraries in free updates.  I liked what they did with the Symphobias so much that I bought TrueStrike. 

 The big improvement is in making multis.  Whenever adding an instrument, you can either replace the previous instrument or add it.   So you can see ten of these instrumements on your screen at the same time.  You can solo, change the volume.

But here is the big thing. In the settings you can quickly move the instruments around on your keyboard into keyboard splits.  Do you want two to play when you are on some keys?  Do you want to be able to play one instrument solo on a different part of the keyboard. 

You can give each one a color which you can see.  The thing I love is that it changes the colors on my NI Keyboard light guides.

I am praying that they will do new interfaces for the Swing! Series.  If they did Animator, it would totally change it.   Animator has a lot of different kinds of sounds in each patch.  For example, one patch might be a lot of funny cartoon percussion sounds.  With this new interface you could just select the ones you wanted and then pair them with any sounds you like from the other patches.  Just like you can with drums in True Strike.  Very easy. 

It seems like I have bought a lot of ProjectSAM.  I guess that's because I like each one so much,, it paves the way for more purchasess.

If you aren't familiar with the Symphobias, one of the things they are known for is orchestral special effects.  They have tons of things in the Symphobias that you can't really get with other libraries.  Putting those kinds of things in makes an orchestration sound much more real. This is why a lot of composers may move to other orchestral libraries (the Symphobias are old libraries after all), but they continue to use the Symphobias.  And you can see a lot of this kind of thing in The Free Orchestra.  Also, they come with preset multis that are kind of ready-made soundtracks. 

ProjectSAM always plots their own course, which is why you can't compare the Swing! series to other jazz libraries.  No matter what other library you choose, the Swing! libraries will give you a ton of stuff that is not in them.  For them, a jazz library means it has drum grooves, Django Manouche, a lap steel, ukelele grooves, a harmonica, etc.  But mainly all these different kinds of ensembles.  It's not just trumpets and saxes. 

I did a video on the Symphobias vs Albion One some time ago.  Apologies for the awful sound on my narration.  This was the video that made me so mad that my wife, who had been listening to me rage against Vegas for so long,  told me to shut up and get another editing program.  This video switched me to Premiere, and I'm so glad. 

And of course, not long after I made this video, ProjectSAM changed the interface!