Yohanes, my perspective is a little different.
I was production manager of a radio station in the mid-1980s. We had no production library at the time; one I had bought in the late 1970s (I left the station for about a year and a half and came back) was unusable as the discs had all cracked.
I decided on getting the Network library because a) I had heard it elsewhere, b) it fit our production budget and c) it used real instruments, not some synthesizers like virtually everything new that was available then.
Yes, even then, it was heard on radio and TV (KING-5 used one of Palmer's cues as its news open/close). It didn't quite suit the needs for all our spots, but it sounded professional and classy, and was a few steps up from what we had been using before I returned (mainly instrumental LPs someone had bought during my hiatus).
If you want to talk about an overused library, that was Capitol Hi-Q in the late '50s. It shows up on countless industrial films in addition, of course, at Hanna-Barbera, Sam Singer (Pow Wow the Indian Boy) and Clokey Productions, as well as those Warners cartoons. I'm still a big fan of Hi-Q and hope some of the rare discs still in hiding somewhere surface.
Yowp
https://yowpyowp.blogspot.com
Ah. I get your point, my man. I agree with you. But, albeit claimed "it used real instruments, not some synthesizers like virtually everything new that was available then", not all tracks using real instruments. From my mind, some tracks from later-released albums are also made with synthesizers as well (along with sampled instruments, and even synthesizers/sampled instruments combined with real instruments), for example, the list follows below:
- Freeze Frame (Archer/Eldridge)
- Jet Set (Archer/Ashford)
- Telegraph U.S.A. (Craig Palmer)
- The Rockman Files (Dwight Mikkelson / Dwight Mikkelsen)
- Hollywood (Dwight Mikkelson / Dwight Mikkelsen)
- Aerobic Android (Archer/Mikkelson [Archer/Mikkelsen])
- Blue Denim (Brian Bliss)
- Suspicion (Archer/Eldridge)
- etc. (too many things to list)
If you want to talk about an overused library, that was Capitol Hi-Q in the late '50s. It shows up on countless industrial films in addition, of course, at Hanna-Barbera, Sam Singer (Pow Wow the Indian Boy) and Clokey Productions, as well as those Warners cartoons. I'm still a big fan of Hi-Q and hope some of the rare discs still in hiding somewhere surface.
Oh yeah. About the overused library, there are lots of great music libraries i have available. For instance, Valentino has a great sound, but that was before Network Music takes place. Also, Valentino uses real instruments, and later also uses synthesizer, as well as sampled instruments (and even synthesizers/sampled instruments combined with real instruments). Same can be said with Hollywood Film Music Library (and also FirstCom), and some music libraries.
UPDATE (November 12, 2024):
Oh yeah! About the word you said "it used real instruments, not some synthesizers like virtually everything new that was available then", i just heard that on JAM Productions demo, particularly The Answer for the 90s and QFX Production Music Library. I can confirm that both The Answer (for the 90s) and Network Music used real instruments played by real life musicians,
not just synthesizers and sampled machines as you claimed. But i think both The Answer (for the 90s) and QFX Production Music Library from JAM Productions sounded better than the one on Network Music, but i think Network Music is part of my childhood. So, i think both Network Music, The Answer (for the 90s) and QFX Production Music Library from JAM Productions sounded well balanced for me.
