In an ever faster proliferation of new orchestral libraries, recorded with ever more accurate techniques to the limit of perfection, what sense does it have to fish out an "outdated" library like that of Peter Siedlaczek which dates back to 1993, with an addition in 1997 and reprogrammed, adapted and optimized in 2005 for use with Halion and EXS24? Can an orchestral library of this “experience” be competitive in light of the most recent releases such as East West Quantum Leap, Vsl and similar?
Advanced Orchestra Extended
The product is presented in a green DVD container (Fig. 1 - the Advanced Orchestra Extended DVD) with an introduction booklet to the instrument with relative illustration of the new programming and organization functions introduced (Fig. 2 - the elegant Green booklet). The library requires, to run, a version of Steinberg Halion software (version 2.0.3 PB2 or higher) or Emagic EXS24 (II or higher) with a preference for environments of "host " with the function "freeze”, Such as Cubase, Logic and Cakewalk. There are no operating system requirements other than those related to the player you are using. The optimal hardware is reported: 1 GB of RAM or higher. The minimum indicated to use the library without major problems is 500 Mbytes of RAM. It must be said that one of the positive notes of the Advanced Orchestra lies precisely in the ability to concentrate a very high number of "performances"With a decidedly low overall consumption of resources, especially when used with many current" cousins "hungry for resources. The library, transferred to hard disk occupies a space of 6Gbytes, divided between Halion and Exs24 “patches”. The enclosed booklet introduces the user to the innovations introduced in this version and illustrates the technical nomenclatures used for the sounds. The amount of samples is truly impressive! At first listen, it could be said that, after the Vsl Pro Editon set, the Advanced Orchestra remains the most gifted for richness of content. The software was tested on a PC and initially Vsampler (www.vsampler.com) was used as a player, in order to test the library also with a sampler other than those indicated, while later we used the foreseen ones. Halion 3.0 e EXS 24. Vsampler it seemed able to translate the complex articulations of the Advanced Orchestra extended, even if some refinements were necessary for a complete use. The test is carried out on an Intel Pentium IV 3.0 Ghz, 1 Giga Ram, 2 HD 7200 RPM with 8 mega cache and RME Fireface 800 sound card. I preferred to use the same computer and sound card used in both the Miroslav Philharmonik and Halion Strings 2 library tests, in order to also have a comparison both in sound and in terms of system performance. As monitor speakers I combined the excellent Genelec 1032 with a pair of PMC model TB2S-A. The Advanced Orchestra could be defined as an orchestra "semi dry”: The sounds, in fact, are not recorded by capturing the ambience of a concert hall, but by placing the microphones at a distance of about 10cm. This is one of the strengths of the library, as it allows the user to mix sounds more easily with other libraries, even typically "environmentd”Such as EWQLSO Gold. In fact, this operation is extremely difficult with fully recorded orchestras "dry"Such as VSL, or with bookcases that have a totally different environment, such as the American wood bookshop" Westgate Woodwinds "(http://www.westgatestudios.com).
Programming: new patches
For each section and instrument there are basically four types of patches all in keyswitching (articulation change at the pressure of a keyboard key): the most recent are the "key Veil"And the"key crossfade". In the "Velo”The sounds have been reprogrammed in order to offer a variation in timbre and volume linked to a greater or lesser pressure on the key of the master keyboard. The innovation of the extended compared to previous versions lies in the presence of "multilayer”(Multiple tone levels), previously absent due to the limited memory and CPU equipment of the time. New upgrade '97 tones have also been added. The "crossfade" patches, on the other hand, entrust the "modulation wheel"The task of"mix”The different tone levels, for example for the creation of realistic“ crescendo ”or“ diminuendo ”. There are also so-called “N” patches, which have keyswitches on the left in order to play the instrument in its actual register.
Thongs
For the strings we have three different types available: ensemble, "chamber" he is alone. Very simple to use all ensemble tones. The violins are made more dynamic by the integration with the '97 update, which added two more levels to the sustain, as well as new straps, tremolo and sordino. The latter, in the opinion of the writer, qualify as one of the most interesting and usable on the market, perfectly placed in a mix of comedy / romantic songs thanks to a delicate yet characterful timbre. The other joints are also good. We take this opportunity to point out what is the real strength of the Advanced Orchestra and which makes it, even more than ten years after its first recording, one of the most useful products on the entire market of orchestral samples: the "phrases" . Peter Siedlaczek had, in fact, the excellent idea of recording orchestral performances other than single notes. So here is that by loading the patches "performance”(Fig.3 - Loading patches of strings with Halion) you are able to insert in your own mordant compositions, acciaccature, scales, glissandi and crescendi. It is truly singular how some articulations in the Advanced Orchestra weren't recorded by other developers later on. The low trend of "software house”In the sector to create alliances and collaborations, in fact, has led to the proliferation of competing libraries composed of the same sounds (basic articulations), but with different origins and productions, preventing the formation of adequate budgets for recording alternative performances. Peter Siedlaczek, on the other hand, managed to record a very large "samples pool", From which titles dedicated to executive sentences such as"Smart violins" or "Orchestral Colors". As favorite sounds of the whole section we point out the mute in general and some of the new detached ones.
The woods
The choice of sounds for the wood section is really wide. There are both solo instruments and "sets”, And here too there are numerous articulations and phrases, a distinctive element of the library. Overall the sound may appear “raw”, but it represents one of the most striking examples of successful simplicity in the realization of orchestral patches. The flutes are good, the phrases and glissandi are excellent, the only drawback is the “sustain small flute” (Fig.4 - Piccolo flute) not present in the original version, which shows an artificial character. The oboe and English horn are also very convincing, especially in the strong register. The "solo clarinet" has a certain nasality in the timbre, but in the mix it offers a good result. The glissandi and the additional articulations are very beautiful. The performances of bassoon, contrabassoon and bass clarinet are also good. The '97 update also added new recordings on flutes and clarinets. The new programming allows you to use the crossfade to simulate crescendos and other effects. We assign our prize for the best section sound to the flutes, in particular in the part dedicated to phrases and scales, which are very effective.
The brass
The brass equipment is as rich as in the other sections. The quality (or it would be better to define the "modernity") of the sounds varies from instrument to instrument and is the only case in which the age of the library is clearly felt. In fact, brass recording has undergone radical changes over time, thanks to new recording technologies and the experience that orchestral sampling developers have acquired over time. The horns, for example, are affected by these criteria and provide a very dark and inevitably artificial performance, both for the solo and for the section. However the sentences, the "rips " and the others "performances”Are of great help when you need to add more natural and“ played ”elements to your compositions. The performance of the trombones, including the "flutter"; the quality of the trumpets is very good, the strong point of the entire brass section. The latter, in fact, sound surprisingly crystal clear and integrate very well even in modern mixes, side by side with the latest generation products. Also in this case the phrases and effects (bites, shakes, repetitions) are really useful. Also present glissandi with different durations, with a very interesting sound. Good tuba even if a bit dark like the rest of the brass. As mentioned above, the brass section is the one that convinced us the least and it is the trumpets that occupy a favored place in the wind section.
Percussion, harp and effects
This section is, together with the strings, the one that most benefited from the incorporation of the original library and the '97 update, which, among other things, introduced many new percussions and harp tones (in the original version only glissandi and chords). Let's try to list some of the percussive instruments (pitched and not) present: Crotals, Piatti18 ″ & 24 ″, Marimba, Glockenspiel, Thai Gongs, Timpani, Tubular bells, Vibraphone, Xylophone, Gong, Grand Bass drum, Snare drums, Triangles, complete orchestral kit … And the list would still be very long. We are surprised by the strange absence of the Celeste, introduced by the '97 update and apparently abandoned later, for not very clear reasons. The overall quality is good and on the whole the percussion closely resembles the other Teutonic par excellence, the Vienna Symphonic Library, with which the Advanced Orchestra shows many (and often surprising) "similarities", especially in the type of performances captured. .
Conclusions
Advanced Orchestra is a library very suitable for those composers / orchestrators able to effectively manipulate reverbs and equalizers and also have discrete instrument placement capabilities (panning). I really think they will be surprised by what a library like Advanced Orchestra can express, if properly used. The philosophy is opposed to that of libraries like EWQLSO, born to be simple to use, which include the recording environment through the "release trails”And do not need positioning in the stereo spectrum, as the instruments are positioned at the start. However, placing the Advanced Orchestra in space is not that complex. The balance and simplicity of the timbres allow, in fact, the Best Service library not to occupy much space in the stereo field, avoiding frequency overloads. A special mention goes to the orchestral effects, a real little gem in the whole of a more than satisfactory library. Actual performances of strings, winds, woods, harp and percussion were recorded.
As previously mentioned, the first positive note of the Advanced Orchestra lies in the ability to concentrate a very high number of performances with a decidedly low overall consumption of resources, a feature that is now very rare and, in the opinion of the writer, “precious”. Even libraries with a total weight of less than 2 Gb such as the Garritan Personal Orchestra (Fig. 5 - Garritan Personal Orchestra) end up requiring numerous system resources, also in terms of CPU consumption. The sounds offered in terms of timbre are comparable to other “European” products, such as Miroslav Philharmonik and Vienna Symphonic Library. Compared to the Vitous library, the Advanced Orchestra has less expression and passion, although it clearly predominates in terms of the number of articulations proposed. The relationship with the VSL is interesting, as the Advanced Orchestra appears to all intents and purposes as a sort of "progenitor" of the VSL, that is to say we find that concept of completeness in the articulations that Herb Tuchmandi's team then excellently elevated to power and developed in the now impressive portfolio of samples and performances that make up the Symphonic Cube. (Fig. 6 - the performance tool developed by the VSL team). Compared to the most recent creations it is a bit penalizing not to use a player combined with the library as in the case of the East West Quantum Leap. In fact, users of sampler players other than Steinberg's Halion or Logic's EXS 24 may experience “translation” errors in the control assignments and notable tonal variations. On the other hand, the numerous Halion functions allow to use external VSTs and numerous customization parameters, normally not available on Native Instruments players (Fig. 7 - the Steinberg sampler - Halion), in particular the use of external effects it allows a treatment and a reverberation / equalization personalized by section or tone. At this point our answer to the initial question: is there still room in the current market for this bookshop and its "wealth of experience?" is, in our opinion, absolutely yes. We were, in fact, pleasantly surprised to see how "modern" this product can be, thanks above all to linear production and registration criteria and to a reduced use of "filter processing"and "noise reduction". Advanced Orchestra is also excellent as a “complementary library”, to be combined, for example, with the EWQLSO Gold or the Miroslav Philharmonik. On the basis of the tests carried out, Peter Siedlaczek's library was found to be perfectly compatible with both, although very different. An example? The chameleonic qualities allow to add to the not very complete set of woods of the Gold, an important arsenal for any orchestral arranger worthy of the name, adding "runs”And additional performances.
