EastWest Hollywood Strings Recommended Specs

[mikasuraisu]

The recommended is Quad-Core Intel Xeon 2.66GHz. Optimum is Eight-Core Intel Xeon 2.26GHz. The max for MacBook Pro is 2.4GHz quad-core
Intel Core i7. I should just save up for a Mac Pro if I want to run it reliably and buy a MacBook Air for non-virtual instrument intensive recording, yeah?

Thanks in advance for advice.

 

[Mac Composer]

Even a fully loaded MacPro isn't enough to run Hollywood Strings reliably. You'll waste your time and money trying to run it on a MBP.

HW strings sound fantastic, but the Play engine is a dog on a Mac. Depending on your usage, even with a MacPro you'll be freezing and bouncing tracks to save cpu resources. If you want to run HW strings, get a PC to host it on. Run VE Pro as a LAN connecting to your Mac which will run your DAW.

 

[khollister]

Agree that a PC slave is the only real option for HS Diamond. HS Gold might be doable on a Mac, but if you are doing a slave specifically for EWQL, just go for a PC and save some money - you'll be happier in the long run.

 

[mikasuraisu]

How about LA Scoring Strings and Symphobia? Do they compare favorably to Hollywood Strings? Would I be able to run those on a MacBook Pro?

I want to get a new laptop (have a Toshiba from 2009 I'm still using). I also want to get a workstation to compose. I guess there's not enough power in a MacBook Pro to satisfy both requirements and save money from having to get both...well, I guess I won't get any real composing done without a keyboard, so having a laptop for composing isn't practical...

So the most cost-efficient way is to completely forego a Mac + Slave altogether? I could just both host the samples and have the DAW on a PC-grade server.

Also, I need to consider if my composing skills even call for anything like EWHS. I might just learn how to compose pencil and paper, and by the time I'm good enough at composing all the tech I need to make EWHS run without my system breaking a sweat will be affordable haha.

 

[nick1981]

Fast PC

I have a Mac Pro Quad Core with 16 gigs of ram. I have decided to utilize Hollywood Strings by acquiring a second machine on which it will serve as a host.

For those of you who have actually used Hollywood Strings (and Hollywood Brass) what are the minimal specs that begin to be considered within the "ideal" range? I may not want to go through the trouble of building a pc. So, I will most likely buy one. Where is best to customize this PC? Dell/Alienware? HP? Something else? I don't know as much about the PC world as I once did.


thanks

 

[fastlanephil]

Also, I need to consider if my composing skills even call for anything like EWHS. I might just learn how to compose pencil and paper, and by the time I'm good enough at composing all the tech I need to make EWHS run without my system breaking a sweat will be affordable haha.

Maybe start out with Garritan Personal Orchestra or IK Multimedia Miroslav Philharmonic(includes choir). Much cheaper and easier on computer resources. You can pick up GPO 4 for $130 street price and Miroslav for the same price and it's ocassionally on sale for $50 to $60.

GPO 4 does take some work to get good results using the mod wheel and a nice verb like EW Spaces but it's player does have a good built-in convolution reverb. Miroslav already has recorded ambience and stage positioning. EW Spaces has a front and rear stage position option for more realism.

 

[spoonie1972]

LASS, symphobia and 8dio's offerings are amazing.

While I generally enjoy EW's libraries, that play engine is ... annoying. in VEP5 I have to have several instances of it to use my libraries, instead of simply placing a bunch of patches like in kontakt.

Wish someone would bring back Gigasampler but with this years' tech and routing options.