Epic Orchestra 2.0

Introduction

Welcome to the Vienna Symphonic Library’s series of Synchron Instruments! Epic Orchestra 2.0 gives you an overview of what to expect when you purchase one of our Synchron products. The instruments presented here were either recorded directly at the 540 m2 (5,813 sq.ft.) main hall of our renowned Synchron Stage, or completely remastered and equipped with the hall’s pristine reverb (you’ll recognize the latter by the epithet "Studio" in their name). This document will provide you with the information you need to use the Library with our Vienna Synchron Player.

Walkthrough Video

List of Included Libraries

The Epic Orchestra 2.0 contains light versions of the following libraries:

  • Synchron Strings I
    All patch - Shorts, Lyrical vibrato, Flautando

  • Synchron FX Strings I
    Vertical tremolo pad, harmonic cluster sustains, fast glissando cluster, rise & hits fast detaches

  • Studio Appassionata Violins
    Full legato, slides up

  • Studio Appassionata Strings Ensemble
    Staccatos, sustains, sforzato, tremolo, pizzicato

  • Studio Chamber Violins
    Full legato, half tone trill

  • Studio Dimension Brass II
    Wagner Tubas - Staccatos, portatos, sustains, sustains blared

  • Synchron Percussion I
    Snare, bass drum, tam-tam

  • Synchron Power Drums
    Tama Star (sticks)

  • Vienna Smart Spheres
    Vader Voltage, Canon, Halifax Point, Barrac

  • Studio Woodwinds Ensemble
    Staccatos, sustains

  • Studio Oboe d'amore
    Staccatos, sustains, legato performances

  • Studio Cornet
    Staccatos, sustains, legato performances, portamento performances

  • Studio Epic Horns (8 horns ensemble)
    Staccatos, sustains

  • Studio Fanfare Trumpets (6 trumpets ensemble)
    Staccatos, sustains

  • Studio Drums & Percussion
    Timpani, snare drum, bass drum, tambourine, triangle, piatti, cymbal, tam-tam
    Single hits, rolls (no rolls for piatti)

Included Presets

01 Studio Epic Orchestra

This section contains samples from various Collections, and features strings, woodwinds, oboe d’amore, cornet, trumpet (6 players) and horn (8 players) ensembles, as well as timpani and percussion.

01 Appassionata Strings

A combined ensemble consisting of 20 violins, 14 violas, 14 cellos, and 10 double basses derived from the Appassionata Strings in the first Epic Orchestra Library.
  • Instrument ranges: Violins C4–D7; Violas C3–F4; Cellos C2–F3; Basses B0–F2.
  • Articulations: Staccato, sustained normal and with fast attack, sforzato, tremolo, pizzicato.
  • Play range: B0–F#7 Keyswitches: G7–C8
Vienna Symphonic Epic Orchestra 2.0 software interface showing musical articulation options like Staccato, Sustain, Fast Attack, Sforzato, Tremolo, and Pizzicato.

02 Woodwinds

A woodwind combined ensemble consisting of contrabassoon, bassoon, clarinets, and flutes patches.

  • Instrument ranges: Piccolo A6–C8; Flutes (3) F4–C7; Clarinets (3) C3–C5; Bassoons (3) Bb1–F3; Contrabassoon Bb0–F2.
  • Articulations: Staccato, sustained.
  • Play range: C1–C8 Keyswitches: A0/B0
Vienna Symphonic Library software interface showing articulation options: Staccato and Sustain for orchestral instruments.

03 Oboe d'Amore

  • Articulations: Staccato, sustained, legato.
  • Play range: G3–E6
  • Keyswitches: C1–E1 (white keys)
Screenshot of music software interface showing articulation options for C1 (w): Staccato, Sustain, and Legato.

04 Cornet

  • Articulations: Staccato, sustained, legato, portamento.
  • Play range: E3–D6
  • Keyswitches: C1–F1 (white keys)
Epic Orchestra 2.0 articulation menu showing Staccato, Sustain, Legato, and Portamento options for musical instrument sounds.

05 Fanfare Trumpets a6, 06 Epic Horns a8

Samples from our Vienna Instruments Collections Fanfare Trumpets and Epic Horns, adapted to be played at the Synchron Stage.

  • Play range: trumpets G3–C6, horns B1–E5
  • Keyswitches: C1/D1
Music software interface showing articulation controls, with Staccato and Sustain options selected, for Vienna Symphonic Library's Epic Orchestra 2.0.

07 Timpani

  • Articulations: Single hits, rolls.
  • Play range: B1–C4
  • Keyswitches: A0/B0
Screenshot of Vienna Symphonic Library Epic Orchestra 2.0 interface showing articulation options for musical instruments, including A0(w), Single hits, and Rolls.

08 Percussion

A percussion Preset featuring bass drum, snare drum, piatti, tambourine, triangle, tam-tam, and suspended cymbals.

  • Play range: C5–C8

Mapping

  • Bass drum
    • C5/D5: single hits l/r
    • C#5/D#5: single hits secco l/r
    • E5: tremolo
  • Snare drum
    • F5/G5: single hits l/r
    • A5: tremolo
  • Piatti
    • C6/C#6: single hits normal/damped
    • D6/D#6: single hits slow, normal/damped
  • Tambourine
    • F6/G6: single hits middle 1/2
    • F#6/G#6: single hits rim 1/2
    • A6: tremolo
  • Triangle
    • C7/D7: single hits 1/2
    • C#7/D#7: single hits damped 1/2
    • E5: tremolo
  • Tam-tam
    • F7/G7: single hits l/r
    • G#5: tremolo
  • Suspended cymbal
    • A7/B7: single hits mallet 1/2
    • C8: tremolo
Screenshot of the Vienna Symphonic Library Epic Orchestra 2.0 interface showing a list of percussion articulation patches like suspended cymbal, tam-tam, triangle, tambourine, piatti, snare drum, and bass drum, mapped to a virtual keyboard.

11 Synchron Strings I

11 Synchron Strings I (All) Light

A combined ensemble consisting of 14 1st violins, 10 2nd violins, 8 violas, 8 cellos, and 6 double basses. This is an excerpt from our Synchron Strings I Collection.

  • Instrument ranges:
    • 1st Violins C5–G7
    • 2nd Violins C4–B5
    • Violas C3–B4
    • Cellos C2–B3
    • Basses B0–B2
  • Articulations: Short notes, soft lyrical vibrato, flautando.
  • Play range: B0–G7
  • Keyswitches: A7–C8 (white keys)
Digital interface showing Articulation menu with A7 (w) selected and options A Short, B Soft lyrical vib, and C Flautando for music software.

12 Synchron FX Strings I

12 Synchron FX Strings I Light

This Preset offers four settings from our Collection Synchron FX Strings I which – true to its name – provides a wealth of orchestral effect sounds.

  • Articulations: Vertical tremolo, harmonics cluster, cluster glissando, rise & hit détaché
  • Keyswitches: C1–D#1
Vienna Symphonic Library Epic Orchestra 2.0 Articulation menu showing C1, Vertical Trem, Harmonic Cluster, Cluster Glissando, and Rise & Hit Deta options for musical instrument control.

Mapping

  • Vertical tremolo
    • low strings A#2–D4,
    • high strings D#4–F6
  • Harmonics cluster
    • low strings G#3–A4
    • high strings A#4–C6
  • Cluster glissando
    • low strings A#–D
    • high strings D#–G
    • up: A#3–G4
    • down: A#4–G5
    • cross: A#5–G6
  • Rise & hit détaché
    • low strings G#3–G4
    • high strings G#4–G5

13 Studio Appassionata Strings

This is an excerpt from Studio Appassionata Strings, here featuring the ensemble of first violins with 20 players.

13 Studio Appassionata Violins 1 Light

  • Articulations: Legato with strong vibrato, upward whole tone slides up (the note played is the target note).
  • Play range: Legato G3–G7, slides A3–G7
  • Keyswitches: C1/C#1
Epic Orchestra 2.0 digital interface showing articulation options: C1, C Legato strg vib, and C# Slides up.

14 Studio Chamber Strings

An excerpt from Studio Chamber Strings, here featuring the ensemble of first violins with 6 players.

14 Studio Chamber Violins 1 Light

  • Articulations: Legato with vibrato, half tone trills.
  • Play range: Legato G3–G7, trills G3–F7
  • Keyswitches: C1/C#1
Vienna Symphonic Library software interface displaying music articulation options.

21 Studio Dimension Brass II

Again, an excerpt from a remastered Collection, Studio Dimension Brass. This features the 4 Wagner tubas in combined and solo Presets.

20 Wagner Tubas All Players Light

The All Players Preset offers the same arrangement of articulations for various player combinations, as well as individual players.

  • Articulations: Staccato, portato, sustained, blared, and marcato.
  • Play range: F1–C5
  • Keyswitches: Players F5–B5, Articulations C6–E6
Screenshot of the Epic Orchestra 2.0 interface showing Players, Articulation, and Player selection menus for Vienna Symphonic Library Synchron Instruments.
The Marcato articulation can be crossfaded between normal sustains and marcato with Dim.Ctrl A/CC1. The respective Velocity X-Fade Presets use CC1 for velocity crossfading and CC3 for marcato crossfading.
Vienna Symphonic Library Epic Orchestra 2.0 interface showing player selection, articulation types like staccato and marcato, attack options including sustain, and individual player assignments, with CC1 controller setting.

21 Wagner Tubas Player 1–4 Light

The Presets for players 1–4 have the same structure as the All Players Preset, but only have a quarter of its RAM requirements.

  • Articulations: Staccato, portato, sustained, blared, and marcato.
  • Play range: F1–C5 Keyswitches: C6–E6
A software interface showing musical articulations like Staccato, Portato, Sustain, Blare, and Marcato, relevant to Vienna Symphonic Library Synchron Instruments.
Vienna Symphonic Library Synchron Instruments interface showing Articulation (Staccato, Portato, Sustain, Blare, Marcato) and Attack (Sustain, Marcato) settings for Epic Orchestra 2.0.

31 Synchron Percussion I

These samples from our Synchron Percussion Collection present a Kolberg snare drum played with sticks, a Kolberg 36 bass drum played with a medium hard beater, and a 100cm tam-tam played with a soft beater.

31 Snare Drum – Kolberg Light

  • Play range: C3-A#6
Keyboard layout showing various percussion samples and articulations for Vienna Symphonic Library's Epic Orchestra 2.0, including rolls, upbeats, rimshots, and stick effects.

32 Bass Drum – Kolberg 36 Light

  • Play range: A3-A#6
Piano roll mapping for Vienna Symphonic Library's Epic Orchestra 2.0, displaying key-switched articulations including diminuendo and crescendo rolls, muted and long release rolls, and upbeats.

33 Tam-tam – 100cm Light

  • Play range: A4-A#6
Detail of piano roll key assignments for Vienna Symphonic Library Synchron Instruments, showing mappings for crescendo and diminuendo rolls, velocity crossfade rolls, and various stroke articulations in Epic Orchestra 2.0.

Synchron Power Drums

This Tama Star drumkit has been Tama’s flagship line since 2013. For the recordings of the Synchron Power Drums Collection, it was arranged in the middle of two other eminent drumkits, a Tama Superstar and a Sonor Acryl Champion Vintage.

35 Power Drums Tama Star Demo

  • Play range: A#1–B3
  • Drums
    • 20''/14'' Kick drum
    • 10'' Tom
    • 12'' Tom
    • 16'' Tom
    • 14''/6,5'' Snare
  • Cymbals
    • 14'' Meinl Byzance Medium HH
    • 17'' Meinl MB 20 crash (left)
    • 21'' Meinl Byzance Transition Ride
    • 18'' Meinl Byzance Dual Crash (right)

Tip

Try out the Synchron Player’s play button in the options bar over the Preset window! It contains MIDI rhythm loops created especially for this Library.

Keyboard mapping display for percussion sounds in Vienna Symphonic Library Synchron Instruments.

41 Vienna Smart Spheres

Here’s a few examples from the Vienna Smart Spheres collection, which was created to provide you with a versatile collection of pad and ambience sounds at an affordable price.

41 Vader Voltage

Carving into darkness, revolving and floundering through space. A breathing, distorted bass.

  • Play range: C2–C4
  • Patches: Distorted Bass, Distorted Bass FX Attack
  • CC1: Tuning, Return 1 (FX)
  • CC3: Send 2 (FX)
Vader Voltage audio control panel showing selected Distorted Bass and D. B. FX Attack sound effects for Vienna Symphonic Library's Epic Orchestra 2.0.

42 Canon

A true gate-opener, this sound comes alive with wide intervals and controlled distortion. A heavily distorted, earth-shattering bass.

  • Play range: C2–C4
  • Patches: Pad Bass Fat, Pad Bass, Tremolo Pad
  • CC1: Filter, Send (Reverb, Auto Gain)
Screenshot of the dropdown menu for Canon sound settings in Vienna Symphonic Library's Epic Orchestra 2.0, showing options like Low Left, Low Right, Mid, High Left, and High Right.

43 Halifax Point

A glistening, warm pad with a warm filter control.

  • Play range: C4–C7
  • Patches: High Anxiety, Tremolo Pad, High Anxiety Mellow
  • CC1: Filter
Screenshot of the Halifax Point instrument interface in the Vienna Symphonic Library's Epic Orchestra 2.0, showing sound preset options including High Anxiety and Tremolo Pad.

44 Barrax

Multi-rhythmic pulsating pad with growl control, good for building up tension.

  • Play range: C2–C4
  • Patches: Pad Bass, Pad Bass Fat, Distorted Bass
  • CC1: Send 2 (FX)
Barrax instrument menu in Vienna Symphonic Library Epic Orchestra 2.0 software showing sound options like Distorted Bass and D.B. FX Attack.
Digital audio interface showing Distorted Bass and LR sound presets, likely from Vienna Symphonic Library's Epic Orchestra 2.0.