Advice on Good Samples for Cubase/Kontakt

To help me with my problem, it is important to understand my situation.

I am an amateur composer with a limited budget. I love composing music, but have been doing so on a relatively low profile program, and using nothing but the standard wavetable synth or whatever came with my soundcard. Soon I yearned for better sounding instruments, and in my quest for this, have upgraded to Cubase and acquired Kontakt 2. Sadly, I haven't had the time to master either of these; the comfort of a familiar composing environment has kept me confined to my substandard program, and while Kontakt 2's vast sample library is indeed impressive, there are several instruments missing that I require.

What I am looking for is help in choosing additional sample libraries to purchase. I have never done this before, and thus am not only unfamiliar with what's available, but also completely clueless as to what is compatible with Kontakt and what isn't. In fact, I'm not even sure what format samples like these are usually sold in. I realize that quality samples alone do not make a beautiful piece of music and that knowledge of how to manipulate them can make a single instrument even more diverse, but please understand that I already have my hands full with learning music theory and am therefore looking for something that sounds as good as possible and requires as little skill as possible to use.

What package(s) would you recommend to someone looking for a wide variety of easy-to-use samples?

I am looking for as wide a variety of samples as possible, meaning not only orchestral instruments like strings, flutes, horns and trumpets, but also things like guitars (including electric/distorted) and choirs and more exotic instruments like the harmonica, fiddle, irish flute, bagpipes, koto and shamisen.

You're looking for too wide range of instruments to get GOOD quality. Not that a sample library of 40 GB will be bad quality...

Here are a few choices for you:

1. Upgrade to Kontakt 3 for a few $. (around $200? not sure). Along with K3 you also get some 40-50 GB of samples, from all rounds of instruments. Problem solved!

2. Go for the EW Colossus, which is exactly what you're looking for. A little bit of everything without amazing stuff on anything. Newer version (not sure if out yet), is Goliath. Same thing, newer engine (not Kontakt based). Another option would be Muse from Sonivox. Same thing all round.

3. Get a few cheap-ish packages to get going.

You can get Silver for $300, or GPO for $200 if not mistaken. You can also get Kirk hunter for around $400 which is very very good (for Kontakt 2, the other 2 are using their own player). So you get orchestral covered.

Then get EZ drummer 1, or something less expensive, drums covered. Then get a few instruments from kong audio for example (for chinesse INexpensive samples), or get EWQL RA (for more expensive and more all round), or get Bela D Media ethnic stuff (don't remember the name now), and you get your self covered 95%...

4. Start low. In all reality if you buy something cheap and move further you WILL need something else later on, so it's more money, and more for something you won't use in the end (the small-ish product). Save and start buying something to last you years. Don't get GPO or Silver, go for Gold (EWQL I mean). I'm still using that. DON'T get some cheap drums. Wait 6 months and get EZ Drummer 2 (woah! Amazing). Don't get 1 insturment from somewhere, get all the bundles from Bela D. Media winds, or EWQL RA.

etc...

You don't get to build your studio all at once, all at the same time, with limited budget. You could potentially spend... $2000 (an example) a year and get a brilliant studio in 3 years or so! ;)

Some ideas to get you going. Google for the names I provided. :)

Thank you so much for the advice.

I actually think upgrading to Kontakt 3 might be the best option for me right now, especially since I have already invested in Kontakt 2. Kontakt 3 does seem to have a much broader range of instruments, so perhaps I should start from there. If I find it lacking certain sounds still, I might consider going for option 4 later and expand my arsenal through separate packages...

Admittedly, I am still quite intimidated by the many big names out there, especially considering I have hardly touched Cubase and Kontakt since originally purchasing them. What I really need now is something I can run midi through that has roughly the same range of instruments but sounds better than my Microsoft GS Wavetable SW Synth.

I've upgraded to Kontakt 3 and am quite impressed with its range of instruments. I'm currently arranging my first piece using it through Cubase, and I've successfully "created" my own Orchestra Hit instrument using wave files (this is a great feat for me).

One thing I'm still missing, though, is a range of choir samples. Kontakt's only choir samples sound very synthetic and are all pad instruments. So here I am again seeking advice on expanding my collection. I would be overjoyed if someone could answer the following questions.

1. Are there supplementary libraries available specifically for Kontakt and should I be looking among these for more choir samples?
   
2. The independent choir sample packages I have seen are all huge and expensive. I'm looking for sounds rather than another sampler. Are there any smaller packages available that you can recommend?
   
3. Should I be looking into VSTs instead of samples for my choir needs?

Thank you very much. And this here is a great forum!