Hello Dorico users
I see that Iconica is being offered half price. Can anyone (who is not a Steinberg employee) tell me if it’s any good?
I gather there are issues with it having no expression maps. Does this concern only Dorico? Or will it impact Cubase use too?
Is it being offered cheap because it is about to be replaced by something else?
Does it require annual updates, or is it a one-off purchase?
How does its ease of use compare with HSSO?
How does its sound compare with HSSO?
I can’t find any review of it on the Sound on Sound site. In fact, reliable reviews seem far and few between.
Thanks for any pointers
I suggest you wait until John’s Discover Dorico session on YouTube tomorrow to find out more about using Iconica with Dorico.
worth watching while waiting 
Behind the Scenes of a Demo Track for Iconica Opus | Orchestra Library for HALion - YouTube
…and there is still a free 30 day trial… pretty unusual in the sampling world… : Try Iconica now for 30 days | Steinberg
I would have saved myself a lot of money if I was able to try out some of the libraries I’ve bought! 
Yes, but if I try the 30-day trial version, don’t I miss the 50% off offer?
The offer runs until the 7th of December. As long as you make up your mind in the next 14 days you can still take advantage of the 50% discount.
You can demo it in Dorico with the Halion SE player (same procedure as HSSO).
If memory serves me it’s a bit inconsistent from instrument to instrument when it comes to articulations (E.g. violin I has legato runs, while the violas does not. etc)
This also makes the creation of Expression maps a bit more time consuming, but maybe someone has made those by now…
EDIT: Indeed: Expression Maps for Dorico 3.5+ - Dorico - Steinberg Forums
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OK. This is helpful. But
Does Iconica really sound better than HSSO. I know the demo sounds better. But what do users think?
Is there any advantage in getting Iconica Opus so as to get Iconica Ensembles. After all, Iconica Sections & Players has pretty good sections within it?
Only you can decide… There are more opinions on sound than there are grains of sand on the planet… And there are people around who can make even the cheapest sound library sound like gold, because they have both the musical experience and the technical facilities to realize their imagination. Check out vi-control.net where you will find quite a few opinions …
Is there any advantage in getting Iconica Opus so as to get Iconica Ensembles. After all, Iconica Sections & Players has pretty good sections within it?
Sections and Ensembles are different things… I read about it earlier today, so it must be explained (somewhere) on their web site …
You mean some human viola players can actually play legato?
Of course: the famous 1-finger legato. The trick is to lick your finger first, then you can slide around at will on one bow. (I used to play viola…)
Cue the viola jokes…
Why? Can’t they count the rests?
I guess we shouldn’t prolong this, since everyone knows the award for “Longest Viola Joke” goes to Harold in Italy.
its mostly quite nice. i had been on the trial version a few months back, and pulled the trigger on the 50% offer.
here my frustration though:
i love using the expression maps for the orchestral noises. but it seems to me some of the libraries are broken? and the expression maps dont have any effect? it works fine for many, but a few just dont react to them. somewhat frustrated about this right now… not sure if im missing something, but why did i think paying $500 would fix the problems i had observed during the trial 
In Wednesday’s Discover Dorico, John Barron said he wanted to do a few further tweaks on the Expression Maps.
kashmish, are you talking about the Dorico expression maps or the Cubase ones? If you’re talking about the Cubase ones you’d be better off directing your question in the appropriate Cubase forum.
Hello,
do you will probably post here or where else if the expression maps mentioned in the video
and the playback templates for Dorico with Iconia are available? The 50% offer is about to expire.
Greeting
Bertram
The 50% offer runs until the 7th, derBertram.
Yes, I know, only 7 days left …