Processing power v/s instances

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SamIam89

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I'm considering MOTU Symphonic Instrument for my orchestra sounds. The problem is, with the current version, each instance only allows the stereo outut for all 16 instruments to be sent to a stereo hardware output with the sequencer. My solution was to only put 2 instruments in each instance and pan each one hard eft or hard right - then panning in the sequencer. So my questions are:

1) How much more processing power is used in opening 8 instances with two instruments in each versus 1 instance of 16 instruments?

2) How do you know how many instances can be opened? (or is it unlimited)


Thanks,
/rob/
 
SamIam89 said:
1) How much more processing power is used in opening 8 instances with two instruments in each versus 1 instance of 16 instruments?
Click to expand...
It would take a VERY fast computer with tons of memory to open 8 instances of a plugin like this. The convolution reverb alone has got to be a vicious CPU hog and the 'stream from disk' process that I'm sure they use to access the 8GB library is probably limited to only one or two instances on any PC or Mac.

My advice would be to audition it before you buy it - but if you've got to do it over the web here's a LINK to the Symphonic Instrument page on the MOTU site. They don't have a demo version, but they do have plenty of other stuff there that may help you make up your mind.
 
Thanks for the reply.

So I think what you are saying is that open slots take up just as much power as if an instrument were in there?

If this is so, I'll settle n a more efficient library such as GPO.
 
SamIam89 said:
So I think what you are saying is that open slots take up just as much power as if an instrument were in there?
Click to expand...
Within a single instance of the plugin I'm sure that the CPU power it takes IS dependent on the number of instruments you're using. You asked about trying to run 8 instances at a time and that's where I was saying you would almost certainly run out of processing power very quickly.

Unless you've got the MOTU shell that they refer to in the description of the Symphonic Instrument as being necessary for fulll editing of the sounds, I would go with the Garritan product instead simply because it's been around for a while and the Symphonic Instrument seem like MOTU's effort to bite off a piece of that segment of the market for themselves.
 
I am not too familiar with this stuff, however I found something that pretty much blew me away:

http://www.synful.com/

Listen to the samples, particularly the Beethoven String Quartet. Most people would never know the difference. The winds on Rite of Spring sound great too, the brass on the Copland sound a little synthy but are still impressive.

There is a lengthy discussion on it:

synful discussion

A friend told me that it is CPU-friendly, I have no clue. I imagine that it took a lot of time to do the Beethoven quartet, but the articulations, slides and legato are awesome.
 
I'm demoing the Synful Orchestra, and it is awesome. Not 100% real, but really expressive. It takes time to learn how play the patches, and some messing around if you want to create a section, but it's got huge potential. Some of that potential has already been realized. I find it a bit expensive, but for someone thinking of sinking a thousand bucks into sampled solo instruments, this will probably do a better job for less money and less hassle.
 
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