- Storm and Serenity
- Shawshank Redemption: Suds on The Roof
- The Mummy - Imhotep
- The Shadows Unveiled
- Trembling Secrets
- Toccata Twirl (featuring runs)
- Coexisting Opposites - Imagevideo
- Flying Candles
- This is Our Homeland
- A New Prince
- Maleficient - Welcome to the Moors
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Uniting the Best of Both Worlds
What do you do if you want your string ensemble to sound closer, more direct, maybe crispier? You raise the close-mic faders, which features the section leaders more prominently in your mix. But that pulls unwanted focus toward fewer instruments. You actually want the entire ensemble to be closer, without losing its breadth and depth. So you try layering differently recorded sample libraries, but their performances don’t match, and it’s nearly impossible to create a cohesive result. Wouldn’t it be great to have wet and dry, large and smaller recorded ensembles available in the same player, with recordings of two separate string sections performing in perfect sync?
Two Ensembles, One Limitless Experience
Enter Synchron Duality Strings, a brand-new series of string libraries that comprise two string ensembles that were sampled at once, playing in separate rooms at Synchron Stage Vienna. While the larger ensemble played in the famous main hall, Stage A, the smaller ensemble was recorded in the relatively dry Stage B. Both ensembles performed together, with the conductor on the podium in Stage A also directing the ensemble in Stage B via video monitors.
And that’s where the magic happens! With the musicians’ ability to hear each other from different rooms, all musical aspects of every performance are perfectly in sync, such as volume, timbre, vibrato, note length, and phrasing, for every articulation. Thanks to Synchron Stage Vienna’s unique size, flexibility, and technical capabilities in combination with the wealth of experience from countless sampling and film music recordings, Synchron Duality Strings Collections are truly unique virtual instruments.
| Section sizes | ||
|---|---|---|
| Stage A | Stage B | total |
| 14 1st Violins | 8 1st Violins | 22 |
| 12 2nd Violins | 6 2nd Violins | 18 |
| 10 Violas | 5 Violas | 15 |
| 10 Violoncellos | 5 Violoncellos | 15 |
| 6 Basses | 3 Basses | 9 |
| 52 | 27 | 79 |
Multiple Microphone Positions
To capture the spectacular ambience of Stage A and the signals in the dryer sounding Stage B, our engineers employed separate phase-coherent microphone configurations that were recorded simultaneously to provide a broad range of room options. All sections were recorded separately at their designated positions.
The Dark and Bright microphone signals consist of a mix of two pairs of microphones, respectively:
- Dark Mics: Royer SF24 + Sennheiser MKH 8040
- Bright Mics: Neumann M149 + Ehrlund EHR-M
The additional Ribbon L/R microphones that come with each Full Library add an extra warm, low-mid layer to the transparency of the Decca Tree for an even lusher string sound.
The main surround microphone settings may also be used instead of the main stereo room mics in order to achieve a wider and more ambient mix. Blending surround signals with the other microphone signals creates a denser, more lush overall sound, even in stereo applications.
Room Mix Presets feature an excellent mix-down to stereo from the Decca tree and surround mic positions for a CPU and RAM-saving sound that’s perfectly balanced right out-of-the-box. A host of Mixer Presets is available in the categories of “Decca Tree Multi-Mic”, “Surround to Stereo Downmix”, and “Surround”.
Setup Stage A
Setup Stage B
Standard & Full Library
The Standard Library and Full Library of Synchron Duality Strings (regular) both include the same articulations. The difference lies in the number of provided microphone positions.
| STAGE A | Standard Library | Full Library |
| 1. Solo Mic (Mono) | • | • |
| 2. Mid Mic (L/R) | • | • |
| 3. Ribbon Mic (L/R) | • | |
| 4. Main/Room Mic – Decca Tree Stereo (L/R) | • | • |
| 5. Main/Room Mic – Decca Tree Mono (Center) | • | • |
| 6. Main Surround – Stereo (L/R) | • | |
| 7. High Stereo (3D) – Stereo (L/R) | • | |
| 8. High Surround (3D) – Stereo (L/R) | • |
| STAGE B | Standard Library | Full Library |
| 1. Dark Mics (L/R) | • | • |
| 2. Bright Mics (L/R) | • |
Immersive Sound and Auro 3D
Auro 3D is an immersive audio technology that allows for three-dimensional sound perception. The Belgian company Auro Technologies developed this technology based on a special speaker configuration, adding four additional speakers to a 5.1 surround configuration. These speakers (so-called “Heights”) are situated above the front and surround speakers and generate acoustic reflections that are perceived naturally due to the fact that sounds originate from around as well as from above the listener. Thanks to the comprehensive selection of discrete audio channels of Synchron Strings I (Full Library) you may mix your instruments in Auro 3D as well as in Dolby Atmos.
