8.5Great
EastWest Hollywood Orchestra Opus Edition by EastWest Sounds. Flagship cinematic orchestra in the Opus player—blockbuster scoring bread and butter for many media composers.
Plugin comparison
EastWest Hollywood Orchestra Opus Edition vs Kontakt 8
Specs, price and the Dubspot Score, side by side — with our verdict on which sampler to buy.
Independent score / workflow fit / buying signal
Contenders
The side-by-side
8.7Great
Kontakt 8 is Native Instruments' software sampler platform for hosting and building virtual instruments, available as a plugin or standalone app.
Score verdict
Which should you buy?
On the Dubspot Score, Kontakt 8 comes out ahead (8.7). That said, the right pick depends on your workflow and budget — read both reviews before deciding.
Technical matrix
Specs compared
| Signal | EastWest Hollywood Orchestra Opus Edition | Kontakt 8 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $499+ | $299 |
| Dubspot Score | 8.5 | 8.7 |
| Formats | VST3, AU, AAX | Standalone, VST3, AU (macOS), AAX |
| Type | Cinematic orchestral library | — |
| Player | EastWest Opus | — |
| Developer | EastWest / Soundsonline | — |
| macOS formats (64-bit) | — | Standalone, VST3, AU, AAX |
| Windows formats (64-bit) | — | Standalone, VST3, AAX |
| Factory Library 2 | — | 40 GB ready-to-use instrument toolset included |
| CPU / RAM | — | Intel Core i5 or equivalent / Apple Silicon; 4 GB RAM (6 GB recommended) |
| Disk space | — | 2 GB free; 52 GB for complete installation |
| Free Player version | — | Kontakt 8 Player hosts NI and third-party Kontakt instruments at no cost |
See the full plugin database for more comparisons.