Users have asked for this somewhat clunky routine to be streamlined: EastWest's Doug Rogers' response is that although that would be easy to do, 'we didn't want Platinum to 'default' to a lower quality so we insist on both being loaded”. Surprisingly, it's not possible to directly load a 16‑bit instrument - you have to first load the 24‑bit version, then alter the bit‑depth setting on the interface and wait while the replacement samples load in. The top‑of‑the‑range Platinum Plus provides 24‑bit and 16‑bit samples, offering buyers the convenience of working with the more CPU‑friendly 16‑bit samples when programming an arrangement, then switching to 24‑bit when it's time to record it. The Silver version includes release trails and full sample mapping, but it has no keyswitches and contains far fewer articulations than the other versions. The Play version of EastWest's flagship orchestra ships in a choice of four precious‑metal varieties (see box elsewhere in this article), catering for buyers ranging from the impecunious amateur to the top professional. In this review we'll concentrate on the new features implemented in the EWQLSO Play Edition. However, the 32‑bit Play engine will also run all of EastWest's Play‑formatted libraries with no diminution in sound quality or functionality - the only difference between the 32‑bit and 64‑bit versions (which are both supplied with every Play library) is their RAM usage.ĮWQLSO's instruments and articulations were described in detail in the June 2004 and June 2006 issues of SOS, while the Play sound engine was reviewed along with EastWest's Fab Four and Ministry of Rock libraries in the March 2008 edition. With its ability to access unprecedented amounts of RAM, the 64‑bit version of Play is particularly well equipped to handle the large numbers of instruments required for orchestral arrangements. The American company kept faith in their grand project and have now re‑formatted the entire library (which was formerly available only in the Native Instruments Kompakt/Kontakt format) to run on their custom Play sound engine. With a cast size and budget rivalling that of Ben Hur, this mammoth undertaking represented a huge commitment by its makers, and that commitment was duly rewarded when EWQLSO became the orchestral collection of choice for many film, television and game composers. The whole shebang had been recorded in a large concert hall from three microphone positions, making it 5.1 surround‑compatible.

Three years later, the Professional Expansion (XP) upgrade doubled the size of the library to a stonking 138GB. In 2003, after a protracted period of anticipation, the cumbersomely‑named EastWest Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra was released to much critical acclaim. A star Hollywood orchestral library gets an extreme make-over.

Ewql