I'm also missing divisi and solo strings, although I don't write solo strings in samples because I think they usually sound bad. As a result, I don't have the computing power to run the Diamond version, so I'm missing out on some of the articulations and mic positions.
![cinematic strings 2 vs 8dio adagio cinematic strings 2 vs 8dio adagio](https://www.arsov.net/SoundBytes/Images/2014-09/8D-Header.jpg)
The play sampler is slow to load and more taxing on memory than Kontakt. There are also a few important disadvantages to what I'm doing. Maybe at some point in the future, if I feel like I'm really comfortable with how the instruments SHOULD sound, I'll be able to mix libraries for realism, but I'm a long way off at this point. So, as I study traditional orchestration and writing, I can be more confident that what I learn will be useful for work in the samples, even if the mockup IS the end product and its never played or recorded live. Because of this, I feel I can expect that music written to sound good live is more likely to work in the samples and vice-versa. HO does that for me- everything is recorded in the same space, by the same people, in position on stage, and I trust the dynamic balance.
![cinematic strings 2 vs 8dio adagio cinematic strings 2 vs 8dio adagio](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/blfPCfofl6k/maxresdefault.jpg)
The advantage for me is that I don't have a strong enough background with a real orchestra to correctly balance multiple libraries into a realistic cohesive whole. I have several libraries, but I'm using Hollywood Orchestra Gold specifically as a solution to the problem of mocking up a realistic orchestra.