SFX-friendly virtual instruments?

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Hello,

recently I've found myself quite often trying to understand whether the license of a particular virtual instrument allowed or not the use for sfx production.
For example, Omnisphere does not, same with Sonic Implants sounds included in Cubase, other doesn't mention it (so I'm implying they does). Since these informations are not always easy to get, it could be interesting to populate a list with verified SFX-friendly and SFX-unfriendly virtual instruments.

SFX NOT ALLOWED:
- Omnisphere (http://www.spectrasonics.net/support/kn ... egoryID=78)
- Sonic Reality in Cubase (enclosed pdf)
- Native Instruments samples (http://www.native-instruments.com/en/co ... agreement/)

SFX ALLOWED/NOT SPECIFIED
- Sample Logic (http://www.samplelogic.com/terms-license-agreement - all commercial uses allowed)
- Sonik Synth 2
- Soundiron - specifically allowed: http://soundiron.com/pages/help
- Soniccouture (not specified) http://www.soniccouture.com/en/terms-and-conditions/
- Impact soundwork - allowed only after significant processing http://impactsoundworks.com/license-agreement/



I will populate the list as often as I look at a license
Last edited by gmlion on Thu Aug 28, 2014 3:24 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Gianmarco Leone - Composer / Sound Designer
www.gianmarcoleone.com

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Omnisphere is a Rompler and Sample Logic is a sampler. Making a list of synths that aren't actually synths won't be helpful.

I would suggest you buying a sampler and using free sounds and messing that bitch up til it sounds like aliens smoking a bong.

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For commercial FX production you can use every synth that doesn't use samples... :shrug:

Sonik Synth 2 uses samples, as all IK sample-based plugins do...

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Well, with synths we're safe and we already knew it. I'm talking of virtual instruments here, so to clarify a bit the question:

Which virtual instruments have samples that can be used on sfx production in the context of a multimedia production? (like you would do with sfx sample libraries)
Gianmarco Leone - Composer / Sound Designer
www.gianmarcoleone.com

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gmlion wrote:Which virtual instruments have samples that can be used on sfx production in the context of a multimedia production? (like you would do with sfx sample libraries)
There shouldn't be any problems to use sample-based synths for FX in multimedia productions as long as you don't sell the FX in a commercial sample library... Or imagine, an advertisement agency would use them for TV spots or radio ads, that should be legal...

The Spectrasonic License is pretty strange, BTW... :( So if I make a simple Power Point presentation, I couldn't use the FX? :dog:

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Tricky-Loops wrote:
gmlion wrote:Which virtual instruments have samples that can be used on sfx production in the context of a multimedia production? (like you would do with sfx sample libraries)
There shouldn't be any problems to use sample-based synths for FX in multimedia productions as long as you don't sell the FX in a commercial sample library... Or imagine, an advertisement agency would use them for TV spots or radio ads, that should be legal...
That's actually the point of the thread...it really depends on the license. Omni and Sonic Implants are actually forbidding such use, while others - I suppose - are not. I both compose and create sfx, so I have various VIs and I have to keep an eye on these limitations all day long. I never made a list, but I think it could be useful for others in the same situation as me, or for sound designer interested in buying a particular VI for sfx production.
Gianmarco Leone - Composer / Sound Designer
www.gianmarcoleone.com

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gmlion wrote:
Tricky-Loops wrote:
gmlion wrote:Which virtual instruments have samples that can be used on sfx production in the context of a multimedia production? (like you would do with sfx sample libraries)
There shouldn't be any problems to use sample-based synths for FX in multimedia productions as long as you don't sell the FX in a commercial sample library... Or imagine, an advertisement agency would use them for TV spots or radio ads, that should be legal...
That's actually the point of the thread...it really depends on the license. Omni and Sonic Implants are actually forbidding such use, while others - I suppose - are not. I both compose and create sfx, so I have various VIs and I have to keep an eye on these limitations all day long. I never made a list, but I think it could be useful for others in the same situation as me, or for sound designer interested in buying a particular VI for sfx production.
That's a great idea, I didn't know that the terms of licenses are that complicated! Using sample-based virtual instruments for presentations or ads SHOULD be allowed IMO, otherwise they should write on their sites in huge letters "for musicproduction ONLY"...

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Tricky-Loops wrote:]That's a great idea, I didn't know that the terms of licenses are that complicated! Using sample-based virtual instruments for presentations or ads SHOULD be allowed IMO, otherwise they should write on their sites in huge letters "for musicproduction ONLY"...
That's actually not a well-know limitation, you can see people suggesting Omni for sfx production all over the internet ;)
Gianmarco Leone - Composer / Sound Designer
www.gianmarcoleone.com

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Can we add Soundiron to this list? This is what they say on the page below under Soundiron policies

http://soundiron.com/pages/help
Soundiron allows the licensee to use any of the sounds and samples in the library(s) they have purchased for the creation and production of commercial recordings, music, sound design, post production, or other content creation without paying any additional license fees or providing source attribution to Soundiron.

This license expressly forbids the use of any Soundiron library in the production of any other sample library or virtual instrument without our express written consent.
Just like Soundiron, Soniccouture also doesn't give you permission to compile or create a sample library with their products. As for sound design, the license doesn't say anything specific.

http://www.soniccouture.com/en/terms-and-conditions/
Soniccouture Ltd grants the Owner of a Soniccouture product the right to create finished musical works and performances using the sounds and software that comprise the Soniccouture product.

The making of sample libraries in any form, commercial or otherwise, using Soniccouture audio or software (be they single hits, loops, fully mixed audio clips, or scripts) is STRICTLY FORBIDDEN without express written agreement of Soniccouture Ltd, and violations will be prosecuted to the full extent of international and local copyright law.
Here is a part from Impact Soundworks' license agreement page below.

http://impactsoundworks.com/license-agreement/
The licensee is entitled to the use and unlimited editing of the product within the scope of music production and composition. The product may be installed on as many computer systems used by the licensee as desired, but in no case does a single license allow multiple individuals to use the product.

The licensee may not use the product in the creation of other sample, sound effect, or loop libraries.

The licensee may not use sound recordings contained in the product as individual sound effects for sound design work, unless the sounds are significantly processed, layered, and otherwise altered beyond recognition.

The licensee may use the product in the creation of music for production libraries.
Camel Audio doesn't allow anything aside from music production from what I have understood

http://www.camelaudio.com/End-User-Lice ... eement.php
1. The license to use Camel Audio sounds is granted to a single user only. You cannot transfer ownership of Camel Audio sounds, without first obtaining a Registration Service from Camel Audio.

2. You may not distribute (commercially or otherwise) or re-package in whole or part (as audio samples, sound libraries or sound effects) individual sound samples, sound sets or audio loops. Reproduction or duplication of these collections, or any of the sound recordings contained therein, either as they exist on the discs, or by any means of processing, reformatting, mixing, re-synthesizing, or otherwise editing for use in another product or for resale, is strictly prohibited without the express written consent of Camel Audio.

3. You cannot electronically transfer samples from Camel Audio to another person or group of people over the Internet, or place them in a computer network to be accessed by multiple people.

4. You may not use the these collections or any of the recordings contained therein for the creation of a sound library or as a sound library for any kind of synthesizer, virtual instrument, sample library, sample-based product or other musical instrument.

5. All unauthorized copying, trading, giving, lending, renting, redistributing or reselling of Camel Audio sounds, is expressly prohibited.
Finally Best Service. It seems to be similar to what Spectrasonics has.

http://www.bestservice.de/en/license_agreement.html
The samples and programs contained in any software/library produced by Best Service are licensed to the buyer of the product only.
Only the purchaser of the media or download is authorized to use the sounds for his music-, multimedia-, film-, TV-, radio-, games-, webcast- or similar production in musical context, and only as long as no isolated samples, loops or phrases become available for a third party as a similar kind of sound file.

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Thank you very much for sharing your findings! I've updated the list. I didn't know about Soundiron, but it looks like it offers some very good products.

I'm still unsure about Camel Audio and Best Service, tough. Camel Audio license looks similar to others forbidding the repackaging of individual samples, but I don't see an explicit prohibition of using the sounds as a part of a sound design work - that is, edited, layered and processed.

Concering Best Service, I see it more like a "distributor" so I suppose individual licenses apply to the single product (if I recall correctly, I bought a sfx library through them in the past). I think they put the most restrictive license on the website just in case another license is not attached to the sold product.
Gianmarco Leone - Composer / Sound Designer
www.gianmarcoleone.com

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gmlion wrote:Thank you very much for sharing your findings! I've updated the list. I didn't know about Soundiron, but it looks like it offers some very good products.
My pleasure! I was looking for a resource like this as well. Soundiron libraries are ace by the way.
gmlion wrote:I'm still unsure about Camel Audio and Best Service, tough. Camel Audio license looks similar to others forbidding the repackaging of individual samples, but I don't see an explicit prohibition of using the sounds as a part of a sound design work - that is, edited, layered and processed.
I don't know. I guess we can just ask them to clarify at the Camel Audio forum here at KVR.
gmlion wrote:Concering Best Service, I see it more like a "distributor" so I suppose individual licenses apply to the single product (if I recall correctly, I bought a sfx library through them in the past). I think they put the most restrictive license on the website just in case another license is not attached to the sold product.
That makes sense. They even published the new "Foley Stage" library for this particular purpose.

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This is what I found on DCAM Synth Squad license:
The making of sample libraries in any form, commercial or otherwise, is STRICTLY FORBIDDEN without express written agreement of FXpansion and its audio partners, and violations will be prosecuted to the full extent of international and local copyright law.
I'm not sure this applies to sfx for a website or a multimedia project (since it involves sampling, I think it does), but I would definitely contact FXpansion if I were in need to use Synt Squad (and their other products too, if I remember correctly they all have a statement like that in their license) for this kind of task.

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