By re-watching at the Dorado walkthrough, I think to understand that round robins have been distributed between the 1 and 2 variations. This, together with the alternance between ringing and secco, tight and loose, is what gives authenticity to the sound.

So, it would be better to arrange things, in the maps/sets, so that the available patches alternate.

Paolo

Hi,

Percussive libraries include hits labeled 1 and 2. I've not been able to understand if these use the same identical samples, and the two different keys are there only for playing rhythms with two fingers; or if they are separate samples, one from the left and the other front the right beater; or they are timbral variations based on different samples.

The answer to this question would be useful when building a percussion map/articulations set for the likes of Dorico or Logic, because if they are identical maybe the map can be made simpler, by avoiding any redundancy.

Paolo

MIRx is inexpensive, but keep in mind that it will not offer a discount if upgrading to the full MIR. Also consider how the full MIR can also effectively be used for other sound sources, blending different sources (including live recordings) in the same space.

It is expensive (carefully choose your preferred room pack!), but at the time I spent the same for one of those old "inexpensive" hardware reverbs!

Paolo

MIR makes positioning sounds in a space extremely easy. You can however use a traditional reverb, even if this will require much more work for positioning.

Logic has some excellent reverbs, including Chromeverb and Space Designer. You can add it to a bus, and then route all the individual strings to that bus. Panning will position them on the stage.

Unless you want the sound of traditional reverbs, I would suggest MIR for a natural sound and a faster setup. MIR PRO 24 can be a good way to save money, and still have the full power of MIR with a limited number of channels. You will later be able to upgrade to the full version, if needed.

Please note that VSL has a special offer each month. This month it has not yet been announced.

Paolo

Hi,

In my quest for the perfect sketching orchestra, I’ve recently started to like Epic Orchestra 2 very much. It is a patchwork of several different and sometimes odd instruments, but it covers all fields, and - more important - it sounds very well.

I wonder if the instruments, in particular in the old but Synchronized collection, are reduced versions (with less sampled keys, less velocity layers), or just a selection of fully sampled patches from the original, full instruments.

Paolo

Congratulation to both for such a collaborative relationship!

Paolo

It would be great, for a lot of contemporary styles!

Paolo

As a comparison, this is the version for Synchronized SE Vol. 1/+.

Piccolo and Harps are missing, for a better comparison with the BBO version. Strings have been distributed to the classic quintet.

Prokofiev, Third Symphony, beginning, SY-SE

Paolo

I can guess that the Balance slider strengthens/selects one of the channels, and the PowerPan knob works on the resulting signal. I can't yet understand from my tests.

Paolo

Macker, thank you for your answer, but I think my question was not clear. I know the difference between balance and pan, but Synchron Player has a balance control also when in Pan mode.

The Pan/Balance control can work either in PowerPan or Balance mode. When in Balance mode all is clear: you get a knob letting you balance between the left an right channel, changing the level of each one separately.

When in PowerPan mode, you get the complex pan knob, but you also get a balance slider under it. Is this one working as a standard balance control? How does it interact with the pan control?

Paolo

Each volume includes a different set of instruments. Vol. 1 is the most basic, and the others add instruments.

Paolo

The Smart Orchestra is an ensemble library. There are also some solo instruments, and others can be purchased as an extension pack.

However, if you plan to work with solo instruments, and want an entry-level library, I would suggest you the Synchronized Special Edition Vol.1 (better with the addition of Vol.1 Plus, but you can eventually get it later).

If I’m not wrong, you can ask a refund for your purchase. But before the deadline, you can play a bit more with it to see if it can be of use.

Paolo

After a few tests, I would say that violas can't be isolated. They are used as a reinforcement for the violins, and they are blended together.

So, as the claim says, it's High Strings and Low Strings. They have to be used this way. That's their scope. If you want violas, you have to recall a dedicated patch adding detail to the Lyra+Musca ensemble.

Paolo

Hi,

I like to choose one channel only in a mic pair, to isolate one side of the pair.

There are two Balance controls in the Synchron Player mixer: the slider under the Power Pan, and the knob when choosing Balance mode for that control.

Are they equivalent, or do they work in a different way? If they are equivalent, I will probably prefer the one combine with the Power Pan, to exploit both controls.

Paolo

I'm doing some tests on the violas (audio examples later).

I think that a decent isolations can be achieved by moving each mic balance towards the right, using the channel EQ to dampen the middle-high frequencies and slightly boosting the middle-low ones, and giving more weight to the Decca Mid microphone, compared to all the others.

Violins are still strongly there, but much more veiled, and leaving the lower octave, with the violas, more in evidence.

However, replacing the Viola part with another violoncello section could be a better idea.

Paolo

Greg, thank you for listening!

Doubling seems to make the sound thicker, most of the time, more than sounding like two separate lines. I have to try these libraries in more situations, but at the moment I'm surprised at how octave doubling seems not to be an issue while sketching.

There is a problem if you want to write a separate Viola line: you have to write it one octave higher. And then, violins tend to sound stronger than violas. But this is expected.

Experimenting with the mics, and maybe with the balance knob, may be useful to empower some sections over the others.

Paolo

Hi,

While fixing some mistakes in the full orchestration, I also exported the strings alone (Lyra and Musca). Maybe they are interesting to understand how well these behave in traditional writing.

Prokofiev, Third Symphony, beginning - strings only

While I just purchased Jupiter, this mockup only uses Andromeda for horns. All considered, they are the right size for this piece.

Paolo

Hi,

Something that I've been missing in the current BBO libraries is the soft side of the orchestra. Andromeda's woodwinds are quite reedy, and I would like a bit more of the clarinets side. Strings are strong and clear, but some sordino and sul tasto articulations would be a welcome addition.

Yes, this series is dedicated to the Big Bang, but don't forget the Cosmic Microwave Background!

Paolo

Hi,

I don't know if I should have put this thread in the composition area, but this is more a test of the BBO orchestra than a serious effort of composing or making a mockup.

I was testing the BBO volumes I own (Basic, Andromeda, Black Eye, Dorado, Hercules, Izar, Lyra, Musca) to make a sketch. To be sure I was not being driven by the sounds while composing, I tried a work of someone else on which to try tem.

What ended up was that working with the BBOs is pure fun, since they sound immediately great, lively, real. And they sound real, not like a generic ensemble, but more a group of players sounding together. So, sketching with an ensemble library easily translates to the final arrangement for individual instruments, since they are not different entites.

I used Dorico, also on test. I liked it immensely, despite still being, in my view, a work in progress. Entering notes and symbols in a score is how I was trained to do music. Selecting techniques is a matter of using traditional symbols, or writing what I want over the notes (what appear as bare text being a trigger to select an articulation).

And the DAW functions may be limited and still lacking, but they are clearly dedicated to composing in score. You are proposed with the right parameters, as a complement to the score. Nothing too generic, but a selection of the right tools. It's a very musical act.

Most of this sketch is simply notes entered in the score, with the occasional dynamics drawing for some melodies. I removed most of the length changes Dorico would do in case of staccato. Not the deep massaging one usually do to a mock-up, just some refinements. The sound libraries are very expressive, and this contributes to they working even in the rigid grid of a notated score.

Dear madams and gentlemen: my messy Prokofiev. Just a sketch, but already sounding "big" – and not for my merits.

Prokofiev, Third Symphony, beginning

Paolo

It seems the old version no longer works. This is the log of the crash I have when trying to do maintenance to the key.

EDIT: After restarting the Mac, the eLicenser CC started working again. I could do maintenance.

Paolo

Hi Paul,

Since with the current eLicenser Control software version I've a lot of issues, I'll try again with the old, 32-bit one you suggested. Maybe it was a bit less problematic.

Is there a reason why the older one should work more reliably?

Paolo

Originally Posted by: marnix

,p

Please click on the double-arrow next to the virtual keyboard in Synchron Player to allow adjusting the keyboard range of the currently selected slot.

Hi Marnix, but can the Violins and Viola ranges be set separately? I don't have the library yet, but can see that there is no way to separate the one from the other. If so, is the lower Viola range (C3-B3) accessible? Or did sampling start from C4?

Since Violins and Viola play on octave, does this mean that playing a C4 plays C4 on the Violins, and C3 on the Viola?

Paolo

Originally Posted by: LAJ

 SSD-friendly data

These libraries are very light. Very little impact on the CPU, as well.

Paolo

Ben, I'm sorry for the false alarm. I simply didn't see the Instruments tab…

Paolo

Hi,

As the subject says: I can no longer find manuals from the MyDownloads area. And not all of them have been moved to the Manuals section. Where are they?

Paolo