GarageBand Jam Pack: Symphony Orchestra
Customer Ratings
Based on 32 reviews
-
GarageBand Jam Pack: Symphony Orchestra
I was pleased
Written by JZ from Madison
1-Sep-2008
I was very pleased with the quality of the sounds and the ease of use--I simply installed as directed & everything appeared in Garage Band with no additional fancy footwork. Some of the sounds are really nice--the harp, the harpsichord, and the celesta are among my favorites. The string sounds are rich and easily used for a high sound-quality result. I am not quite as fond of the horns and woodwinds, but they are fine, and I have been able to use them to good effect.
I am giving four instead of five stars in deference to some of the other feedback given here--no solo strings, the misleading box--but overall I have been very pleased by this purchase.72 of 90 people found this useful
Was this useful?
-
GarageBand Jam Pack: Symphony Orchestra
Pretty good for the money
Written by CT from Nashville
21-Apr-2008
As a professional musician I was immediately impressed with Garageband when I got my mac. The sounds were an even more pleasant surprise. I used this Jam Pack with GB's default sounds scoring a film ("Scream Farm", probably won't be in a theater near you) and was very pleased with much of the outcome. Don't get me wrong you can get better sounds, but you'll spend several hundred more dollars to get only slightly better quality. There ARE a couple of areas that are lacking (brass and a lack of solo strings) that others have pointed out, but the woodwinds and the few percussion sounds are really top notch. Highlights for me have been the keyboards, strings (and their various articulations; pizz, arco, staccato, tremolo), and pitched percussion. I consider it a worthy investment for any composer.
149 of 222 people found this useful
Was this useful?
-
GarageBand Jam Pack: Symphony Orchestra
This Pack Doesn't Need Solo Trumpets/Violins
Written by GC from Indio
12-Oct-2007
Why? Because Logic already has them. If you have GarageBand, you might be left in the dark. Logic users should already have solo trumpets, trombones, and violins in it's default software. Other than that, this pack is just fine on an ameture scale if you can use these instruments in the right way.
But I have to agree with the slow attack time with some of the instruments. I'd like to have my french horns a little more pronounced.113 of 221 people found this useful
Was this useful?
-
GarageBand Jam Pack: Symphony Orchestra
For The Musician....
Written by RL from Seattle
18-Aug-2006
I'm a professional composer and to outline a song quickly, Garageband is great. The expansion packs are underrated for the cost. With Symphony, You can create slow or percussive Orchestral pieces but the strings are tricky. Woodwinds rock out on this, Brass is dissapointing (ensemble brass is nice but for solo instruments...not so much).
You have a choice between sad and morose or punchy and crazy but nothing really..lyrical.
No solo violins? What kind of orchestra is this? And no chorus like that similar to the singers in the World Jampack??125 of 171 people found this useful
Was this useful?
-
GarageBand Jam Pack: Symphony Orchestra
Super Value!
Written by BS from Bloomfield
4-Apr-2006
I am so impressed with this Jam Pack. The number and varity of loops added by these DVDs are staggering. Not to mention that you can edit (reverb, tempo, key, ect.) the material that Apple provides to you. Only four stars because I was expecting more real insturment guitar effects. Otherwise 5 stars!!
51 of 92 people found this useful
Was this useful?
-
GarageBand Jam Pack: Symphony Orchestra
Very Nice
Written by EV from Newton
19-Jan-2006
This is an outstanding product. The strings are lush, the brass is powerful, the winds are ultra-realistic, the keyboards are amazing, and the percussion is fantastic. I am using this product for several compositions. What would be nice would be some solo strings...I have to use other libraries to get those sounds, and maybe a huge "Orchestra" Instrument, to create orchestral hits and also to compose for full orchestra - all from one track - but overall, my reaction is "Wow. Finally, Apple released an orchestral sample library. Keep up the good work."
55 of 81 people found this useful
Was this useful?
-
GarageBand Jam Pack: Symphony Orchestra
An Excellent Collection
Written by TM from Ann Arbor
17-Jan-2006
The loops are good for creating subtle ambience to your iMovies, but the Instrument samples really shine. I would've liked to have seen more solo instruments, and perhaps less reverb on them by default as a whole when adding them to tracks, but all in all a very nice set of sounds for GarageBand.
33 of 41 people found this useful
Was this useful?
-
GarageBand Jam Pack: Symphony Orchestra
A classical classic from Apple
Written by NR from Driffield
13-Jan-2006
Forget the loops (I know they like to make a big deal of them) what really shines is the stunning selection of instruments. Choose a preset from the list and you're ready to start playing instruments from any section of the orchestra. There'll be more dynamic and expressive sample libraries out there, but this is solid and useable and, for the price, certainly above average. Only downside is the lack of solo trumpet and violin, though you do get solo and ensemble versions of pretty much everything else (French Horn, Clarinet, Flute etc.). And, if you like that sort of thing, it has to be said that the loops are very good indeed.
508 of 715 people found this useful
Was this useful?
