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Best library for Atmospheric Pedal Tone?

Garry

Garry

Senior Member
Hi,

Any suggestions for libraries that have good evolving, tonal atmospheric effects that I can play over the top of? I typically like to play a soft, muted piano - anything you frequently use for that?

Many thanks.
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To match the piano, I think something acoustic/organic would sound best, so the first thing I think of when you say you're looking for long evolving notes is any of the Spitfire EVO libraries.
 
Many thanks for the helpful suggestions. I'm not sure if I yet know exactly what I'm looking for.

I'm not sure it's Evo (I have other string libraries, and although they don't have the motion of Evo, I think it's not the sound I'm looking for, but I think you're right to say 'acoustic/organic' - that definitely feels on the right lines). As for Omnisphere, I don't have this, but I've been playing around with Evolve and Evolve Mutations 1 and 2 (included in Komplete Ultimate 11). Again, most of these are not what I'm looking for either: too 'synthy' and stabs - from the little I know about Omnisphere and having just watched a little of the walkthroughs online, it sounds like Omnisphere would be along these lines - am I wrong on that?

I think what I'm looking for is somewhere in between that: I'm going for the kind of music you might listen to floating in a warm spa: calm, relaxing, evolving, intimate, atmospheric, soft pad. Evolve doesn't seem to do that very well (with a small number of exceptions which are interesting).
 
Ooh, this is nice: the Steam Pads in 'Stephenson's Steam Band' in Albion One (eg Celestion MW - Stumble) - this is kind of what I was looking for. Anything else along these lines people would recommend?
 
Garry said:
Ooh, this is nice: the Steam Pads in 'Stephenson's Steam Band' in Albion One (eg Celestion MW - Stumble) - this is kind of what I was looking for. Anything else along these lines people would recommend?
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Omni can do that as well as the more synthy stuff. I just picked a few OTB Spectrasonic "Textures/Soundscape" patches at random and most were in the ballpark of the STEAM patch you mentioned. The Omni soundscape presets are usually a little "cleaner" sounding but pretty organic. The most obvious answer is Spitfire eDNA, which is what the Albion Steam stuff uses. You might also try Seurat (there is a thread about it here).

I have a lot of various Kontakt stuff like this, as well as Izotope Iris2, Absynth, etc. but I usually start and end with Omnisphere for this kind of texture. Not the cheapest solution, but the most flexible and multipurpose.

If you are a Logic user, Alchemy is good for that type of thing as well.
 
khollister said:
Omni can do that as well as the more synthy stuff. I just picked a few OTB Spectrasonic "Textures/Soundscape" patches at random and most were in the ballpark of the STEAM patch you mentioned. The Omni soundscape presets are usually a little "cleaner" sounding but pretty organic. The most obvious answer is Spitfire eDNA, which is what the Albion Steam stuff uses. You might also try Seurat (there is a thread about it here).

I have a lot of various Kontakt stuff like this, as well as Izotope Iris2, Absynth, etc. but I usually start and end with Omnisphere for this kind of texture. Not the cheapest solution, but the most flexible and multipurpose.

If you are a Logic user, Alchemy is good for that type of thing as well.
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Perfect!! I can't believe I haven't used Alchemy before! I think I had tried a few sounds previously and hadn't explored further, but this time the Soundscapes section is exactly what I was looking for, thank you! I think with this, combined with Steam, I'm good for a while, and will check out Omnisphere again later - good to know that it can also do the atmospheric stuff.

I guess everyone is different, but I personally didn't like the sounds of Seurat in the demos. I didn't listen to all of them, so I probably got a distorted view, as people on the Seurat thread seem to universally like them. Will have take another listen later given the strong recommendations.
 
I don't own Keyscape from Spectrasonics, but what i have heard of it in the Tube videos is really amazing, specially when they use the non classics sounds but the accompaning pads to piano.





 
Yeah, stuff like eDNA, Sound Dust's series of Cloud strings, or this freebie I made: https://www.karoryfer.com/karoryfer-samples/wydawnictwa/string-cyborgs - basically things that turn strings into a sorta-synth is what I'd use. Same principles also work with brass or woodwinds, but somehow I prefer strings, especially for low pedal tone drones.
 
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