Master Class: Virtual Orchestra Virtuosity

Jun 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Rob Shrock

           
 

USING FOUR OF THE TOP LIBRARIES IN A REAL-WORLD SITUATION

FIG. 3: Sonivox Sonic Implants Complete Symphonic Collection.

SONIVOX SONIC IMPLANTS COMPLETE SYMPHONIC COLLECTION

I really love the overall character of Sonivox's Sonic Implants Complete Symphonic Collection ($2,995; sonivoxmi.com), and the room where the samples were recorded is a defining part of the sound. To my ears, there is just enough room sound to make the samples come alive, yet you can easily douse them in more reverb without the results turning to mush. Sonivox really got it right on the recording end. In my final mix, I didn't add any additional ambience, as it sounded great already.

Originally designed exclusively for Tas-cam GigaStudio 3, CSC requires 80 GB of storage and has recently been scripted for Kontakt, providing sophisticated performance control of the samples (see Fig. 3). The hallmark of CSC is the near-perfect blend between the close mics and the ambience of the hall where the samples were recorded and the in-place location of the samples. Release samples are also available to maintain the proper sense of space. This is a very detailed and musical library with a well-thought-out collection of useful articulations, and the con sordino string samples are among the best anywhere. CSC is a great combination of affordability, musicality, versatility, and ease of use.

The Kontakt programming is consistent and well executed. Liberal use of programs with Mod Wheel crossfading for dynamics, vibrato, alternate bowing, and timbre changes makes it easy to breathe life into a score. There is a lot of animation to the samples themselves, so I found it easy to get the score sounding good quickly with this library. I particularly liked the space surrounding the glockenspiel and the timpani rolls, which you can swell with the Mod Wheel.

Again, when it came to the brass and woodwinds, I faced the same challenge. Using the single solo French horn for four separate parts sounded unnatural. Sections for two, four, and six players are provided, so I opted to go for the 2-player sections as a compromise. Oddly, there is no solo tenor trombone, only sections of two and three players. There is a solo bass trombone, which is included in the score, but the range doesn't go high enough to cover all the tenor notes. So again I compromised and used the 2-player ensemble against the solo bass trombone. That resulted in five players rather than three, but that's not easily discernible in the ensemble mix.

The library includes both a solo Bb clarinet and a solo Eb clarinet, which can easily cover the two clarinets written in Bb, so I had no problem there. In addition to the 2-Flutes programs, there is a single solo C flute and a solo alto flute. The alto flute range is high enough to cover the second flute part, so I used it just to add variety between the two players.

The harp is from a separate product, Symphonic Collection Harp. Although it is sold as an add-on ($259), it is very much a part of the CSC library and is an excellent instrument in its own right and capable of solo work.

A good, but sparse, collection of sordino strings gives the first eight measures the color I was looking for. The liveliness in the samples sounds very realistic; I just wish there were more variations to the muted strings as there are in the regular ensembles.

The attention to bowing makes it easier to create realistic-sounding lines, as in measures 24 through 29. Because CSC employs separate sets for both first and second violins (sampled in performance position), and the naming structure is consistent between all programs, getting a good section together initially takes less time than with some of the other libraries.

However, I wish Sonivox had different sizes of string ensembles to choose from. As it stands, each string section is offered in only one size (eight first violins, six second violins, six violas, five cellos, and four basses). I love to layer smaller sections of four to six players with some solo instruments on top of the string sections. Unfortunately, no small configurations or solo string instruments are included in CSC. The variety in the performance you would naturally get by layering tracks is missing when using this library exclusively, which results in having to edit the timings, note lengths, and Velocities of the strings in greater detail, as they must stand completely on their own. This is most noticeable in the opening four measures, where the strings play unaccompanied.

CSC's strength lies in its basic sound. If Sonivox decides to add more to this collection using the same development team, it would be a very welcome addition.