EastWest – Composer Cloud
from $29.99 per month
EastWest have been in the sample game for a long time. Originally these were provided on audio CD and CD-ROM, but in the intervening years the size requirements of their sample collections – like those of many others – have tracked changes in storage technology. Greater storage has meant scope for larger, and more complex sound libraries that embrace multiple articulations, microphone positions and other sonic enhancements. The internet now allows for all but the largest sample libraries to be available in downloadable form, but it also presents opportunities for revisiting how licensing and payment work, especially in the face of widespread piracy.
EastWest have embraced this new world wholeheartedly, and taken the very bold step of introducing a subscription-based system that provides access to all their products in one go. The entry-level Composer Cloud subscription costs $29.99 per month (currently about £23) and provides pay-as-you-go access to over $10,000 of content (if purchased at full price). So at the current monthly rate it would take you about 30 years to purchase all this outright!
If orchestral, choral or pianobased writing is your thing, and you require more flexibility at the mixing stage, committing to a similarlypriced yearly plan will allow you to access an additional mic position (usually the much drier close-mic version) for those libraries that have it. To get all mic position recordings and the full range of player articulations means stepping up to the $49.99 Composer Cloud Plus package, which does require the use of the EW hard drive delivery system. However, this still represents a very cost-effective way of harnessing top-flight orchestral content.
The complete set of libraries on offer takes in a broad range of styles, with the emphasis on ‘real’ recorded sources that extends mainly, though not exclusively, into Rock and World music territory – many of which
FM have reviewed over the years. I would say that these alone would be worth the monthly fee, before you even get to the Hollywood and Symphonic collections.
Thankfully the need for hardware iLok authorisation has been dropped, so trialling the system is pretty straightforward. Licences and downloads are managed through the Installation Centre software, which also detects previous products you may have purchased.
EastWest use their own Play software to host content. Although a long standing user, I still feel that this could take a lesson from Spectrasonics’ Omnisphere in relation to accessibility and usability. In comparison to Kontakt though, the extra screen real estate is certainly welcome.
All told, Composer Cloud is extremely good value, particularly for students who can access their choice of seven EW products for $14.99 per month. In fact, for anyone looking to permanently expand their sound palette, or even just for a single project, this new way of doing things seems like an utter bargain. The only disclaimer here is that you’ll need a fast broadband connection and a very big (and fast) storage drive to access all the available content. Bruce Aisher www.soundsonline.com VERDICT 9.8