Notion Expands Percussion Support

Nov 10, 2006 12:27 PM

             

This week at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) in Austin, Texas, Notion Music announced new percussion features and two new sound kits for Notion notation software: Sessions: Rhythm Section and Expanded Mallets 1.

Additions to Notion's scoring tools include the ability to notate for drum set (multiple instruments on one staff), alternate note heads (x, triangle, and slash), a "stir" feature for realistic sounding jazz brush techniques on snare drum, ghost note notation and performance, and cross-stick and rim-shot notation and performance for snare drum.

Sessions: Rhythm Section supplements Notion's traditional orchestral library with the sounds of a contemporary rhythm section, featuring bass and drum set samples performed by Victor and Roy Wooten at Dark Horse Studios in Nashville, Tennessee and electric guitar samples performed by Vernon Reid at Electric Lady Studios in New York City. The drum set includes various techniques for six-piece drum set and cymbals, all of which can be written as individual instruments as well as in a drum set staff. A broad variety of techniques and dynamics are included for electric bass and electric guitar, including slap techniques on bass and muted sounds on both. Upright bass, Fender Rhodes electric piano, and Hohner Clavinet are also included.

Expanded Mallets 1 adds marimba, vibraphone, crotales and chimes to the Notion sound library. Included techniques are strikes and rolls from a five-octave marimba, strikes on chimes, and strikes on crotales. Vibraphone has strikes and rolls with motor off, slow motor speed, fast motor speed, and pedal up.

Also available is Expanded Percussion 1 featuring castanets, cowbells, cuckoo, drumsticks, maracas, power toms, ratchet, roto-toms, shakers, sleigh bells, temple blocks and woodblock.

Notion combines a full-featured music notation system with interpretive algorithms linked to a proprietary playback engine, offering samples of thousands of individual notes and articulations played by the London Symphony Orchestra and recorded at Abbey Road Studios. For more information about Notion and sound kits for Notion, please visit www.notionmusic.com.