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  3. Synchron Series
  4. Timbre adjust

  • Timbre adjust

    M
    M

    I just want to express my enthusiasm about the feature "Timbre adjust".

    Last year I composed a Ballad for violoncello and orchestra.
    I worked very hard on the performance of the cello.
    I just tried "timbre adjust" and I'm really excited about this. I read that it is made for brass, but for a cello it worked also very well!
    So thank you, folks of VSL, for this very useful tool!! It can bring much more musical finesse and reality in the performance.

     

    Edit: with the oboe it works also very well... Much to explore...
  • LucyL
    LucyL

    How does Timbre Adjust differ from the Filter control?
  • stephen limbaughS
    stephen limbaughS

    Definitely.  Timbre Adjust is sort of a smart filter that cuts/boosts certain frequencies based on the notes being played, whereas the CC24 Filter is just a standard HP or LP.
  • M
    M
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    @stephen limbaugh said:

    Definitely. Timbre Adjust is sort of a smart filter that cuts/boosts certain frequencies based on the notes being played, whereas the CC24Filter is just a standard HP or LP.
    ... and it effects the total volume of the tone, as cc11 expression. In my ears it seems to be a kind of expression 2.0. cc11 can have the effect of fading in and fading out ( what it is in fact). I don't think timbre adjust will have that effect easily.
  • MackerM
    MackerM

    Blimey! Hadn't noticed Timbre Adjust is now a feature of the Synchron Player and works with all its libraries.

    Had suspected that VSL used some degree of synthetic timbre adjustment in the BBO mega brass library I bought, and thought it might be a useful thing for other libraries too. Well I should have known VSL was of course already way ahead with that idea. Now it's here!

    I've just tried it out in SyzDimStrings, SyzDimBrass and SyzWoodwinds and it seems to work very well and convincingly everywhere -  it's so very nicely and skilfully done.

    One huge advantage for SyzDimStrings in particular is that voice count is greatly reduced when using Timbre Adjust, compared to Vel XF.

    (Note that Vel XF must be off before Timbre Adjust can have full effect.)

    Very well done and my thanks to all in VSL who brought us this lovely new feature!
  • M
    M
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    @Macker said:

    Note that Vel XF must be switched off before Timbre Adjust can have full effect.

    I used it in the cello solo part in combination with Vel XF. You can use Timbre Adjust to make the transition between vel layers more smoothly. But to have full advantage of it regarding voice count reducing of course it is necessary to switch off Vel. XF.

    In the solo cello (and other string libraries) the vibrato of the high velocity layers is stronger than in the soft layers, So you can make a softer tone with a stronger vibrato with Timbre Adjust.
  • PaoloTP
    PaoloTP

    I've not yet been able to use the new Player, but by reading your notes I understand that we are facing a real paradigm shift. This new Timbre Adjust is really working as dynamic control works in the real world.

    Paolo
  • PaoloTP
    PaoloTP

    While remaking my presets: do you think the Filter control can be totally replaced by Timbre Adjust? Do we still need to use the old Filter in some cases? I would think it is now made entirely obsolete.

    Paolo
  • PaulP
    VSL Team
    PaulP

    Hi everybody, 

    Thanks for all the great feedback!

    A great new way to save resources (voices) AND increase expression indeed, and we're also really happy about it!

    Best, 
    Paul

    Paul Kopf Product Manager VSL
  • M
    M
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    @PaoloT said:

    While remaking my presets: do you think the Filter control can be totally replaced by Timbre Adjust? Do we still need to use the old Filter in some cases? I would think it is now made entirely obsolete. Paolo
    I should keep the filter and expression cc11. At the end of making a performance it can always possible that you can use it in a specific situation. But another can have of course another idea about this.
  • M
    M

    By the way, I really hope that this very good tool shall not replace velocity XF in the future.
    This tool does a lot but not everything. With this tool you can't make for example a perfect pp violin tone from a ff tone.
    The strength of this tool is in my opinion the greatly improved possibility to nuance the tone.

    The more colors on your palette, the better you can approach reality. 
  • BenB
    VSL Team
    BenB
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    @MMKA said:

    By the way, I really hope that this very good tool shall not replace velocity XF in the future.
    This tool does a lot but not everything. With this tool you can't make for example a perfect pp violin tone from a ff tone.
    The strength of this tool is in my opinion the greatly improved possibility to nuance the tone.

    The more colors on your palette, the better you can approach reality. 

    Exactly. It's more like an additional tool to make your work easier. It differs quite significantly from Expression and from Filter, so these will still be valid options if you need these.
    Please keep in mind that timbre adjust is currently only opimized for the Synchron Brass library.
    In my tests it seemed to work just fine with the other brass options in the player (well, I have note tested all yet), but less so with woodwinds and especially not with stings. Of course you are free to use as you like, but for now we can't recommend using it with other libraries than Synchron Brass.

    Best, Ben

    Ben@VSL | IT & Product Specialist
  • M
    M
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    @Ben said:

    Please keep in mind that timbre adjust is currently only opimized for the Synchron Brass library.

    Well, in that case, an additional version for strings and for woodwinds would be welcome of course ðŸ˜Š...

     (Just as with the stretch mode in Vi Pro, one mode for strings, 2 modes for winds and percussion)
  • S
    S
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    @MMKA said:

    By the way, I really hope that this very good tool shall not replace velocity XF in the future.
    This tool does a lot but not everything. With this tool you can't make for example a perfect pp violin tone from a ff tone.
    The strength of this tool is in my opinion the greatly improved possibility to nuance the tone.

    The more colors on your palette, the better you can approach reality. 

    Exactly. It's more like an additional tool to make your work easier. It differs quite significantly from Expression and from Filter, so these will still be valid options if you need these.
    Please keep in mind that timbre adjust is currently only opimized for the Synchron Brass library.
    In my tests it seemed to work just fine with the other brass options in the player (well, I have note tested all yet), but less so with woodwinds and especially not with stings. Of course you are free to use as you like, but for now we can't recommend using it with other libraries than Synchron Brass.

    Best, Ben

    I found the same thing as well, Ben.  It works phenomenally for Synchron Brass, but is pretty indistinguishable from the normal filter control on most other libraries.  (And, yeah, it definitely screws something up with strings when turned down below 63).