Includes over 800 Multi-Sampled Instruments and Presets (60 GB)
Includes Basses, Drums, Guitars, Keyboards, Misc, and Vocals
Designed for Music, Film, Games, and TV Composers
Includes many "live" presets that can be adjusted by the user in the software
Musicians: Steven Wilson, Marco Minnemann, and Laurence Juber
Recorded in the world famous EASTWEST studios
Includes PLAY 5 64-bit software on both MAC and PC
The software includes many new advanced sound shaping tools, a new EastWest AMP Simulator with 80 Amp Presets, classic Echoplex EP-1 Delay, Solid State Logic EQ & Dynamics Channel, consisting of: Filter, EQ, Compressor and Noise Gate/Expander, Solid State Logic Transient Shaper, the legendary Solid State Logic Stereo Compressor, and EastWest Expanded Convolution Reverb with 726 Additional Reverb Presets.
One of the most eclectic and prolific artists in rock music, Steven Wilson has been writing, recording, and producing music continuously since the early nineties. Album releases and touring as leader of his band Porcupine Tree, and more recently as a solo artist, saw him gain a reputation for his songwriting, experimentation, and sonic excellence, resulting in many invitations to work with other artists. Among many things he has produced several albums for Grammy Award-winning Swedish metal band Opeth and he sung on UK drum and bass band Pendulum's UK number one album "Immersion". He started a solo career in 2009, and his most recent solo album "The Raven that Refused to Sing" was recorded at EASTWEST Studios with legendary recording engineer Alan Parsons at the helm. Wilson has become known for his 5.1 surround sound mixes, starting with his own projects, but more recently for remixing the catalogues of King Crimson, Jethro Tull, Roxy Music, XTC, and Yes, among others. His surround sound mixes have been Grammy nominated on four occasions, and he has twice won "Album of the Year" at the Surround Music Awards. Wilson is seen by many as the predominant progressive rock musician in the world today, and in 2012 he won "Guiding Light" at the "Progressive Music Awards" 2012, following this in 2013 with another win for best album for "The Raven that Refused to Sing".
For the first time ever, this new instrument presents some of Steven's most innovative sounds, as well as a selection of especially created instruments and replications of some instantly recognizable classic sounds originally created by other legendary producers and engineers. These organic and inspirational sounds can be used as part of the fabric of complex music productions, or as the basis for cinematic soundtrack-based music, providing a ready-made selection of sonic building blocks with years of expertise and sonic innovation already embedded in them. In addition some more straightforward and raw instruments are included, which can be manipulated via the powerful Ghostwriter instrument interface to create your own unique sounds.
WHY GHOSTWRITER?
A ghostwriter is a composer who writes music that will be officially credited to another person. The concept of ghostwriting goes back centuries: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a well-known composer paid to ghostwrite music for wealthy patrons. These days the sound design aspect of composing music has become as important as the notes, chords and rhythms, particularly in the creation of film, game, and television soundtracks, so while Ghostwriter won't write the music for you, it has been designed to be a "ghost" collaborator in the compositional process, an invaluable and inspirational tool for creating your music.
Creating authentic modern, interesting cinematic textures in this genre is hard work, as it takes a real knowledge of tone and effects to sound masterful. Given Wilson's experience and credits, I felt there was a lot of skill and integrity sitting next to me as I begin exploring the various textures. When you need dark and otherworldly, Ghostwriter is a beautifully sinister collection of sonic colors. MORE
– KEYBOARD MAGAZINE
Ghostwriter isn’t really a ghostwriter, but it is a fabulous and inspiring range of contemporary but slightly unconventional instruments that any serious media composer or more experimental music producer could benefit from. MORE
– SOUND ON SOUND
Designed with film, television and game soundtrack work in mind, Steven Wilson's Ghostwriter occupies a niche that's different from the typical all-in-one library. However, the edgy and distorted sounds in this collection would also provide a great resource for musicians working in rock, fusion, and funk. What is most remarkable is the attention to the big picture as well as details. These sounds were meant to go together, and in doing so, they provide a go-to progressive songwriter kit with little need to look outside the library.
– ELECTRONIC MUSICIAN
My God, those basses are fat. When I heard the Spector Bass Deep Grunge and Obliterator Bass Fuzz Monster I almost fell off my chair, so nasty, so deep. Like the bass, the guitars also have a unique character. The grunts and rattling are a delight. Everything has a dirty edge, a certain vivacity that'll make you hear the musician behind the samples.
– INTERFACE
Ghostwriter delivers a beautiful collection of instrumentation in an excellent interface.
– COMPUTER MUSIC
Anyone looking for dark to shrill and intense sounds cannot go wrong with EastWest Ghostwriter. The Library can accompany or handle even entire compositions. The sample player is clearly laid out and you quickly get to the desired result. The sounds are well-produced and coordinated. You can tell that Steven Wilson and Doug Rogers put in a lot of effort to make sure everything sounds rich and intimate.
– DELAMAR.de
They literally raise the bar, and I truly think that this is a library people will be talking about for years, as one of those ‘go-to’ libraries.
– ASKAUDIO
5/5 - The sound quality is outstanding. If you own suitable speakers, you’ll be nothing short of amazed.
One of the most eclectic and prolific artists in rock music, Steven Wilson has been writing, recording, and producing music continuously since the early nineties. Album releases and touring as leader of his band Porcupine Tree, and more recently as a solo artist, saw him gain a reputation for his songwriting, experimentation, and sonic excellence, resulting in many invitations to work with other artists. Among many things he has produced several albums for Grammy Award-winning Swedish metal band Opeth and he sung on UK drum and bass band Pendulum's UK number one album "Immersion".
He started a solo career in 2009, and his most recent solo album "The Raven that Refused to Sing" was recorded at EASTWEST Studios with legendary recording engineer Alan Parsons at the helm. Wilson has become known for his 5.1 surround sound mixes, starting with his own projects, but more recently for remixing the catalogues of King Crimson, Jethro Tull, Roxy Music, XTC, and Yes, among others. His surround sound mixes have been Grammy nominated on four occasions, and he has twice won "Album of the Year" at the Surround Music Awards. Wilson is seen by many as the predominant progressive rock musician in the world today, and in 2012 he won "Guiding Light" at the "Progressive Music Awards" 2012, following this in 2013 with another win for best album for "The Raven that Refused to Sing".
The multi-track tape machine his father built him in the 80's.
Steven Wilson (photo)
DOUG ROGERS
With over 30 years experience in the audio industry, producer DOUG ROGERS is the recipient of many industry awards including "Recording Engineer of the Year". "The Art of Digital Music" named him one of "56 Visionary Artists & Insiders" in the book of the same name.
In 1988 he founded EASTWEST, the most critically acclaimed virtual (software) instrument developer in the world. Since then, EASTWEST has been the recipient of over 100 international industry awards. Rogers uncompromising approach to quality, and innovative ideas has enabled EASTWEST to lead the industry for more than 30 years.
Rogers most recent productions include Hollywood Orchestra Opus Edition, co-produced with Nick Phoenix and Thomas Bergersen; Hollywood Backup Singers, co-produced with Nick Phoenix; Hollywood Pop Brass co-produced with Nick Phoenix; Voices Of Opera featuring Larisa Martinez (Andrea Bocelli's soprano) and Carlton Moe (Phantom of the Opera tenor), co-produced with Nick Phoenix; Voices Of Soul featuring C.C. White, co-produced with Nick Phoenix; Hollywood Choirs, co-produced with Nick Phoenix; Spaces II Reverb, co-produced with Nick Phoenix; Voices Of The Empire featuring Uyanga Bold, co-produced with Nick Phoenix; EastWest MIDI Guitar Series, co-produced with Nick Phoenix; ProDrummer 1, co-produced with Mark "Spike" Stent; ProDrummer 2, co-produced with Joe Chiccarelli; Ghostwriter, co-produced with Steven Wilson; Hollywood Solo Violin, Hollywood Solo Cello, and Hollywood Harp, co-produced with Nick Phoenix; Hollywood Strings, Hollywood Brass, Hollywood Orchestral Woodwinds, and Hollywood Orchestral Percussion, co-produced with Nick Phoenix and Thomas Bergersen. The Hollywood Orchestra series was engineered by 2019 Grammy winner (Best Engineered Album, Classical) Shawn Murphy (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: A Musical Journey, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: Rise Of Skywalker, Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park The Lost World, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Titanic, Minority Report, Saving Private Ryan, Munich, The Passion Of The Christ, X-Men: The Last Stand, Memoirs of a Geisha and Ice Age, etc.); The Dark Side, co-produced with David Fridmann; and Fab Four with Beatle's engineer Ken Scott, inspired by the sounds of the Beatles. Both Fab Four and The Dark Side won M.I.P.A Awards, judged by over 100 international music magazines.
Doug Rogers (photo)
System Requirements
60 GB Free Hard Disc Space
MAC MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Intel Core 2 Duo Processor 2.1GHz or higher (PPC not supported)
8GB RAM
Mac OSX 10.7 or later
7200 RPM or faster (non energy saving) hard drive for sample streaming
PC MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Intel Core 2 Duo, or AMD Dual Core 2.1GHz or higher
8GB RAM
Windows 7 or later
Sound card with ASIO drivers
7200 RPM or faster (non energy saving) hard drive for sample streaming
MAC RECOMMENDED SYSTEM
Mac Pro Late 2013 edition (current model with round enclosure) or above
16GB RAM or more
Mac OSX 10.7 or later
SSD (Solid State Drive) for sample streaming
PC RECOMMENDED SYSTEM
Intel Core 2 Quad, or AMD Quad Core 2.66GHz or higher
16GB RAM or more
Windows 7 or later (64-bit Windows/Host Sequencer)
Sound card with ASIO drivers
SSD (Solid State Drive) for sample streaming
All Systems
iLok account required for machine (electronic) license placed on your computer or use optional iLok Key; internet connection required for one-time product activation
Included for both PC and Mac:
64-bit standalone and plug-in versions included (for 32-bit compatibility please use PLAY 4.3.5).
Check the compatibility chart for supported hosts.
EASTWEST PLAY Host/Sequencer Compatibility Matrix
Supported Host
Mac OS
10.9 - 10.12.3
WIN
XP
(32-bit)
WIN
XP
(64-bit)
WIN 10,
8, 7, Vista
(32-bit)
WIN 10
8, 7, Vista
(64-bit)
Required Version
Standalone
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
Ableton Live
YES
YES
YES
YES1
6.07 or higher
Cubase/Nuendo
YES2
YES
YES3
YES
YES3
6 or higher
FL Studio
YES
YES
YES
YES
7 or higher
GarageBand
YES
3 or higher
Logic
YES4
7.2 or higher
Digital Performer
YES4
YES
YES
6.02 or higher
Pro Tools5
YES
YES
YES
7.4 to 10
Pro Tools 11 or higher5
YES
YES
YES6
11 or higher
Sibelius
YES7
YES
YES
6 or higher8
Sonar
YES
YES
YES
YES
6.2 or higher
VE Pro
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
4.0.54 or higher
Studio One
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
2 or higher
Reaper
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
3 or higher
1: Play 5 (and above) is compatible with all 64-bit hosts that use VST, AU, or AAX plugins. Use Play 4 for 32-bit hosts.
2: Mac OS 10.7 or newer is required.
3: Cubase/Nuendo 4.1 or later are required as 64-bit hosts.
4: WordBuilder is not supported in Logic 7 or lower, and DAE (RTAS in Digital Performer and Logic) is not supported at this time.
5: Ethernet control surfaces are not officially supported (ex: C24).
6: Windows 7 or 8 Home Premium Supported. Pro Tools HD 11 does not support Windows 8.
7: Sibelius 6.0.3 or higher is required to run in Mac OS 7.
8: Sibelius 6.2 is required to run in Mac OS 10.9 (Mavericks).
Reviews
Creating authentic modern, interesting cinematic textures in this genre is hard work, as it takes a real knowledge of tone and effects to sound masterful. Given Wilson's experience and credits, I felt there was a lot of skill and integrity sitting next to me as I begin exploring the various textures. When you need dark and otherworldly, Ghostwriter is a beautifully sinister collection of sonic colors.
Ghostwriter isn’t really a ghostwriter, but it is a fabulous and inspiring range of contemporary but slightly unconventional instruments that any serious media composer or more experimental music producer could benefit from.
Designed with film, television and game soundtrack work in mind, Steven Wilson's Ghostwriter occupies a niche that's different from the typical all-in-one library. However, the edgy and distorted sounds in this collection would also provide a great resource for musicians working in rock, fusion, and funk. What is most remarkable is the attention to the big picture as well as details. These sounds were meant to go together, and in doing so, they provide a go-to progressive songwriter kit with little need to look outside the library.
Dirty, warped and fuzzy. My God, those basses are fat. When I heard the Spector Bass Deep Grunge and Obliterator Bass Fuzz Monster I almost fell off my chair, so nasty, so deep. Like the bass, the guitars also have a unique character. The grunts and rattling are a delight. Everything has a dirty edge, a certain vivacity that'll make you hear the musician behind the samples. This also applies to the drums. Of course, Ghostwriter contains processed drum sounds, with huge rumble and other tasteful effects but the drydrum set with a wonderful dynamic sound contains the necessary imperfections making it sound like a real drummer.
Conclusion: For producers of film music, Ghostwriter can be a huge source of inspiration. And musicians with a preference for the more obscure can indulge themselves with this library. Writers of nice, airy songs, however, will see their good mood disappear like snow in the sun after fifteen minutes on the Evil Piano. The dark side of Ghostwriter will not appeal to everyone. I think the sheer depth and uniqueness of the sounds surpass what is currently on offer when it comes to virtual instruments. Ghostwriter sounds great and very distinctive.
Producer, solo artist and Porcupine Tree main man Steven Wilson has teamed up with EastWest producer and industry veteran Doug Rogers to produce this 63GB instrumental (plus a few vocals) library for the multitimbral Play engine (included), available on a pile of DVDs or a pocket USB 3 hard drive.
Comprising over 800 multisampled instrument patches, Ghostwriter is aimed at the "cinematic" composer, be they working in movies, games, TV or music. It's intended to be a source of high-quality 'alternative' bread and butter sounds, so we're talking guitars, basses, drums, keys, etc, rather than crazy synths and electronic tones.
The vibe throughout is epic, organic and big; Wilson has true insight into the tasteful use of ambience and distortion, and both are used extensively – and quite brilliantly – in most of the recordings and patches.
The latest version of the Play engine helps here, with its vast roster of convolution reverbs and a superb new amp simulation effect with 80 presets – not to mention the SSL channel strip and EP-1 Delay.
Guitars are by far the best represented category, taking in a staggering array of acoustics and electrics with plenty of keyswitched articulations to aid in creating realistic performances.
The diversity of patches in the Bass section belies the fact that only three instruments were used to make them all.
Of the drums, the Mono Amp Kits are the grimy highlight, while the Keys folder is full of splendidly twisted and gutsy pianos, clavs, celestas and more. And although we wouldn't call it a headline, the folder of male and female 'Oohs' and 'Aahs' is sure to be useful for those panoramic movie moments.
Ghostwriter delivers a beautiful collection of instrumentation in an excellent interface. It's not really one for the dance music producer seeking fuel for their latest banger, but if deep, fascinating sounds, capturing all the energy and soul of the electric and acoustic instruments from which they were elicited, appeal, then this is a must-hear.
Successful producer and musician Steven Wilson has created this library together with Doug Rogers in the East West Studios. Our review will reveal if Ghostwriter keeps its promise and let you create music, film, game and television compositions at the highest level.
Short test. What can you expect? In East West Studios in sunny California, Madonna, Elton John, Johnny Cash and other global stars have recorded many super hits. This is also where producer and solo artist Steven Wilson and studio owner Doug Rogers produced the sample library tested here today. It comes with a variety of different sounds, with a focus on sound for music, film, game or TV compositions. The 60-gigabyte library includes 8 DVDs with 800 multi-sampled instruments. Each instrument comes with several presets.
To install you need an iLok, which is not included. In the Sample Browser, you can choose between bass, drums, guitars, keyboards, vocals, and other sounds; for my taste there could be more vocals.
Each category has several sub-sections that are easy to navigate. In my opinion, the content of this library allows you to handle complete productions. There are many different instruments, including modulated chimes and similar options, to give your sound design a special touch. The editing options are also abundant.
PLAY 5 includes an impressive array of professional audio processing tools: The SSL/EW FX Global Suite, a $99 value, is now included for free to all PLAY 5 users. This collection of authentic SSL tools includes a filter, EQ, compressor, gate/expander, transient shaper and stereo bus compressor. EastWest has also included 726 new reverb impulses for the EastWest Convolution Reverb.
In the mixer section you can mix the sounds, and find common functions such as pan, mute and solo. The player is available for the plug-in interfaces VST, AU, AAX; if necessary, it can also operate as a standalone software. Via the routing settings it can easily be integrated into your DAW. Each channel can be assigned a separate MIDI or audio channel. Thanks to the MIDI Learn function you can assign each regulator a control element.
The software is not included. During the installation of the library you can download the 32 - or 64-bit version for Windows or Mac via a link.
Effects: The software includes various options for sound design. New on board are the amp simulator with 80 presets, the tape delay Echoplex EP-1 and a convolution reverb with 726 impulse responses of different rooms. As a special feature, there is a Channel Strip by Solid State Logic. This includes filters, EQ, compressor and noise gate / expander. In addition, you can find a Transient Shaper and the popular EastWest bus compressor.
The 80 presets on the amp simulator consist of different amps and boxes that were recorded with known microphones such as the Shure SM57 or the EV RE-20. The 726 presets of the convolution reverb are admirable. They sound good with the sounds of the library and there is enough choice for every taste.
The sound: The sounds are generally in the genres of action, crime, thriller and horror. There is a lot on offer for both game and film music design. It is perfect for those who like to use gloomy atmospheres in their productions. The sounds are intense and you’ll easily manage to turn your listeners’ blood cold. You’re not going to find sounds to design a score for a chocolate bar ad.
The bass sounds nasty and convincing. The clean and distorted guitar sounds create a mystical atmosphere. The guitars are my favorites in this library, and you will have rarely heard such quality. Despite the clear sentiment, the sounds are very diverse with lots of different facets. Even longer compositions will stay exciting.
Those who like it a little harder will have a lot of fun with the amp effect. The 80 presets offer plenty of variety. The well-tuned drum sounds bring additional excitement and action. The convolution reverb and tape delay provide the necessary depth.
Conclusion: Anyone looking for dark to shrill and intense sounds cannot go wrong with EastWest Ghostwriter. The Library can accompany or handle even entire compositions. The sample player is clearly laid out and you quickly get to the desired result. The sounds are well-produced and coordinated. You can tell that Steven Wilson and Doug Rogers put in a lot of effort to make sure everything sounds rich and intimate.
You won’t find happy, funny sounds but fans of the genres horror, thriller and crime will get their money’s worth. The included instruments complement each other perfectly. Thanks to the many editing options and effects along with the presets, it’s fun to compose with the sounds and experiment.
Overall, we give EastWest Ghostwriter four and a half out of five points, a very good rating. For productions in the genres mentioned before, this is a highly recommended product.
— DELAMAR.de
A beautiful stage of instruments that are as terrifying as they are lovely, while still being sonically rich and expressive. The bass guitar patches are straight up bad ass. And the guitars are otherworldly and highly experimental, without being silly.
5/5 - The sound quality is outstanding. If you own suitable speakers, you’ll be nothing short of amazed.
— KEYS
Purchase
Ghostwriter Download
Available for immediate download
56.1GB download
Ghostwriter Full License (Sound Data Required)
Ghostwriter DVD Format
Ghostwriter Mac Hard Drive
Comes on a Touro S 1TB USB3 external hard drive (with USB2 compatibility).
If your computer does not have a USB3 connection, you can use the USB2 connection supplied with the hard drive to copy the data to another (non energy saving) internal hard drive of at least 7200rpm, or external drive of at least 7200rpm that has a Firewire 800 (not 400) connection or preferably faster, and use the supplied hard drive for backup. USB2 is too slow to stream these ultra detailed virtual instruments, and may result in poor performance (pops/clicks/dropouts etc.).
Ghostwriter Win Hard Drive
Comes on a Touro S 1TB USB3 external hard drive (with USB2 compatibility).
If your computer does not have a USB3 connection, you can use the USB2 connection supplied with the hard drive to copy the data to another (non energy saving) internal hard drive of at least 7200rpm, or external drive of at least 7200rpm that has a Firewire 800 (not 400) connection or preferably faster, and use the supplied hard drive for backup. USB2 is too slow to stream these ultra detailed virtual instruments, and may result in poor performance (pops/clicks/dropouts etc.).
Additional licenses are for customers who already have a full, valid license to the product and want to run the product on multiple systems simultaneously.
Additional licenses are limited to one per customer, and placed in the same iLok account as the original license.
Enter your iLok account username here. Then click "Add to Cart". If you are purchasing an additional license at the same time as the original product, leave this blank.
Ghostwriter Additional License
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