Recording - December 2015 - 46

Reviews by Mike Metlay

For the final section of our Buyer's Guide, we're
focusing on content for virtual instruments that you
may already own or are thinking about purchasing.
This is just scratching the surface of what's out
there... in 2016 we will do our best to bring you a
full review of at least one worthwhile virtual instrument every month.
For now, here's a selection of cool content that will
inspire your creativity an d help you put together
tracks that are second to none. To save space, we're
eliminating the usual box of specs that accompanies
Soundware Showcase reviews; if you want to learn
more about these products and their compatibility
with your DAW, please refer to the manufacturers'
websites. Once more, with feeling....-MM

Best Service ERA II and TITAN 2 for
ENGINE
$259 and $199; www.bestservice.de/en

Best Service is a German firm that not only distributes
soundware and software from many other countries,
but creates its own content as well. Many times over the
past few years, we've featured amazing sample
libraries and virtual instruments from Best Service, some
using the industry-standard Native Instruments Kontakt
platform but most relying on Best Service's own
ENGINE platform. I'd like to remind you a bit about
ENGINE and tell you about two of the latest libraries to
come to our offices.
ENGINE is a sample playback instrument platform that runs on Windows and Mac OS X as a VST
or Audio Unit plug-in, or as a standalone application. It's been under development for a long time
and has evolved into a very impressive player. Now
at version 2.3, it's a long leap in stability and features from the early versions that I played with years




ago. Under the hood,
you'll find many, if not all,
of the features that a really powerful sample player
requires: mapping, multisample management, filters, DSP effects, articulation control, and more.
You really have the power
to go in deep and work
with the sample libraries
sold by Best Service if you
wish.
Really hardcore sample
users would note the few
places where Kontakt can
do things ENGINE can't-
Best Service's Altus and Cantus rely on Kontakt because they're vocal libraries that
need Kontakt's engine to build words and phrases, for example. But for most users,
especially those who are either beginners at sample playback work or who simply
want something playable that sounds great with no fuss, ENGINE does the job
beautifully. You can try ENGINE for yourself with a download from the Best Service
website; it's free, and there are small selections of content from most of the ENGINE
libraries available for free download to play with.
So much good material comes out for ENGINE every year that it's nearly impossible for us to keep up; both of today's libraries under review are actually Version 2
upgrades to libraries we couldn't get to when they first came out!
ERA II: Medieval Legends is the latest library from famed sound designer Eduardo
Tarilonte. Longtime readers will remember that I adore this gentleman's work; he is
one of the world's true luminaries at capturing rare, obscure, or simply bizarre instruments, and assembling them into libraries that are fun to use, easy to navigate, and
beautifully expressive. Over the years, his previous libraries Epic World, Desert
Winds, and Forest Kingdom (now also on Version II!) have been mainstays in my
composing work. With the newest update to the acclaimed ERA library, Mr.
Tarilonte has done it again.
ERA II is available as an upgrade to ERA or as a full purchase, in boxed DVD or
download format. It features a whopping 25 GB of samples, roughly divided into
two categories: Instruments and Sound Design.
The Instruments are the real heart of ERA II. There are over 70 to choose from, all
from the Middle Ages or even earlier, all multisampled throughout their full playable
range and many with multiple articulations (selected with non-sounding keys at the
bass end of the keyboard, shown in yellow on the screenshot). The original ERA
reeds, woodwinds, and horns have been supplemented with new offerings like the


http://www.bestservice.de/en

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - December 2015

Contents
Recording - December 2015 - Intro
Recording - December 2015 - Cover1
Recording - December 2015 - Cover2
Recording - December 2015 - 1
Recording - December 2015 - 2
Recording - December 2015 - 3
Recording - December 2015 - 4
Recording - December 2015 - 5
Recording - December 2015 - Contents
Recording - December 2015 - 7
Recording - December 2015 - 8
Recording - December 2015 - 9
Recording - December 2015 - 10
Recording - December 2015 - 11
Recording - December 2015 - 12
Recording - December 2015 - 13
Recording - December 2015 - 14
Recording - December 2015 - 15
Recording - December 2015 - 16
Recording - December 2015 - 17
Recording - December 2015 - 18
Recording - December 2015 - 19
Recording - December 2015 - 20
Recording - December 2015 - 21
Recording - December 2015 - 22
Recording - December 2015 - 23
Recording - December 2015 - 24
Recording - December 2015 - 25
Recording - December 2015 - 26
Recording - December 2015 - 27
Recording - December 2015 - 28
Recording - December 2015 - 29
Recording - December 2015 - 30
Recording - December 2015 - 31
Recording - December 2015 - 32
Recording - December 2015 - 33
Recording - December 2015 - 34
Recording - December 2015 - 35
Recording - December 2015 - 36
Recording - December 2015 - 37
Recording - December 2015 - 38
Recording - December 2015 - 39
Recording - December 2015 - 40
Recording - December 2015 - 41
Recording - December 2015 - 42
Recording - December 2015 - 43
Recording - December 2015 - 44
Recording - December 2015 - 45
Recording - December 2015 - 46
Recording - December 2015 - 47
Recording - December 2015 - 48
Recording - December 2015 - 49
Recording - December 2015 - 50
Recording - December 2015 - 51
Recording - December 2015 - 52
Recording - December 2015 - 53
Recording - December 2015 - 54
Recording - December 2015 - 55
Recording - December 2015 - 56
Recording - December 2015 - 57
Recording - December 2015 - 58
Recording - December 2015 - 59
Recording - December 2015 - 60
Recording - December 2015 - 61
Recording - December 2015 - 62
Recording - December 2015 - 63
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Recording - December 2015 - 65
Recording - December 2015 - 66
Recording - December 2015 - 67
Recording - December 2015 - 68
Recording - December 2015 - 69
Recording - December 2015 - 70
Recording - December 2015 - 71
Recording - December 2015 - 72
Recording - December 2015 - Cover3
Recording - December 2015 - Cover4
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