# Berlin Woodwinds Exp. B & C: Soloists (A Review)



## ChrisSiuMusic

Hi friends, today I wanted to explore my 2 favourite solo woodwind libraries on the market. Equipped with a pure and clean tone, as well as supreme playability, I think you'll really grow to love these libraries. Enjoy!


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## tonaliszt

I agree these are excellent libraries and I think you did a great good showing them off. The capsule engine improves them a lot since the OT video demos they made several years ago (I think particularly in the legatos). I always wish we got a piccolo and contrabassoon of similar quality, although it might be difficult to record those instruments in a small space.


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## ChrisSiuMusic

tonaliszt said:


> I agree these are excellent libraries and I think you did a great good showing them off. The capsule engine improves them a lot since the OT video demos they made several years ago (I think particularly in the legatos). I always wish we got a piccolo and contrabassoon of similar quality, although it might be difficult to record those instruments in a small space.


Yes, those two instruments would be a nice bonus to round off the extreme ranges. Thanks for watching!


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## Land of Missing Parts

I'm hoping Orchestral Tools does another Completion Days sale.


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## zimm83

Land of Missing Parts said:


> I'm hoping Orchestral Tools does another Completion Days sale.


I hope they continue making kontakt libraries....


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## Parsifal666

A grail for me, I so want this library (NEXT!) and am _psyched_ to blend it with my Arks!


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## ism

Trying to figure out why I don't own these yet ... your video makes it pretty clear there's no rational reason not to.


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## ChrisSiuMusic

Parsifal666 said:


> A grail for me, I so love this typically wet OT library and am _psyched_ to blend it with my Arks!


So refreshing to have it recorded dry, and the impulse sounds so good.


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## ChrisSiuMusic

ism said:


> Trying to figure out why I don't own these yet ... your video makes it pretty clear there's no rational reason not to.


What can I say? I think they're the best :D


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## goalie composer

ChrisSiuMusic said:


> Hi friends, today I wanted to explore my 2 favourite solo woodwind libraries on the market. Equipped with a pure and clean tone, as well as supreme playability, I think you'll really grow to love these libraries. Enjoy!



Thanks for sharing Chris! Always enjoy your videos.


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## ChrisSiuMusic

goalie composer said:


> Thanks for sharing Chris! Always enjoy your videos.


Appreciate it, thank you!


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## Maiestic9

ChrisSiuMusic said:


> Appreciate it, thank you!


Awesome job. Thanks for doing these reviews . How would you compare these to Fluffy Audios solo flutes ? Thanks in advance.


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## cadenzajon

I like the Fluffy flute for its versatility and variety of articulations in a solo instrument, but its sound signature is a little too clean & pristine to my ears (more airy and Mozartian) compared to the full-bodied, melancholy tones of the OT solo flute. BWW Exp B is the most "emotional" flute VI to my taste.


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## Maiestic9

cadenzajon said:


> I like the Fluffy flute for its versatility and variety of articulations in a solo instrument, but its sound signature is a little too clean & pristine to my ears (more airy and Mozartian) compared to the full-bodied, melancholy tones of the OT solo flute. BWW Exp B is the most "emotional" flute VI to my taste.


Great info. Thanks. Definitely more interested in the full bodied melancholy tones


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## Land of Missing Parts

@ChrisSiuMusic --

I'm re-watching your video because of the Completion Days Sale. You mention that the velocity triggers different attacks, I'm guess that it is toggling between crescendo and decrescendo. Is that correct?

In the multi articulation patch, I see SusA and SusR:





So it looks like the multi has crescendo and decrescendo broken into two articulations triggered by keyswitches. If that is correct, that would mean that your demonstration of most of the instruments (the ones played on multis) are only triggering the decrescendos. (But they still sound good.)

Another couple of things that I am curious about are the retongued legatos and the modwheel function. I'm guessing the modwheel just controls volume. At first I thought retonguing is just for repeating long notes, but in https://youtu.be/bwtALWwleHs?t=152 (OT's video), they show the retongued legato being used by the clarinet as a different way to shape an entire phrase.

I went to check out the details on http://www.orchestraltools.com/libraries/bww_exp_b.php (Orchestral Tool's website), but the PDF with details currently links to the http://www.orchestraltools.com/resources/documents/Berlin_Strings_Exp_B.pdf (wrong library). Hopefully OT will fix that.

---

EDIT: Through OT's help desk, I found documentation. One interesting thing I noticed is that the solo clarinet includes both vibrato and non-vibrato longs. (As do all of the double reeds.)





I have to say, Orchestral Tool's way of presenting this makes it all extremely confusing, particularly the way they laid out the multi articulation patches.

My main question is how to trigger the three legato types (expressive, agile, retongued) when using the single articulation patch, as well as how to trigger each of the legatos using the multi articulation patch.


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## ChrisSiuMusic

Maiestic9 said:


> Awesome job. Thanks for doing these reviews . How would you compare these to Fluffy Audios solo flutes ? Thanks in advance.


I prefer the raw emotion and recording quality of OT's library. Thanks for watching!


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## ChrisSiuMusic

Land of Missing Parts said:


> @ChrisSiuMusic --
> 
> I'm re-watching your video because of the Completion Days Sale. You mention that the velocity triggers different attacks, I'm guess that it is toggling between crescendo and decrescendo. Is that correct?
> 
> In the multi articulation patch, I see SusA and SusR:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So it looks like the multi has crescendo and decrescendo broken into two articulations triggered by keyswitches. If that is correct, that would mean that your demonstration of most of the instruments (the ones played on multis) are only triggering the decrescendos. (But they still sound good.)
> 
> Another couple of things that I am curious about are the retongued legatos and the modwheel function. I'm guessing the modwheel just controls volume. At first I thought retonguing is just for repeating long notes, but in https://youtu.be/bwtALWwleHs?t=152 (OT's video), they show the retongued legato being used by the clarinet as a different way to shape an entire phrase.
> 
> I went to check out the details on http://www.orchestraltools.com/libraries/bww_exp_b.php (Orchestral Tool's website), but the PDF with details currently links to the http://www.orchestraltools.com/resources/documents/Berlin_Strings_Exp_B.pdf (wrong library). Hopefully OT will fix that.
> 
> ---
> 
> EDIT: Through OT's help desk, I found documentation. One interesting thing I noticed is that the solo clarinet includes both vibrato and non-vibrato longs. (As do all of the double reeds.)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I have to say, Orchestral Tool's way of presenting this makes it all extremely confusing, particularly the way they laid out the multi articulation patches.
> 
> My main question is how to trigger the three legato types (expressive, agile, retongued) when using the single articulation patch, as well as how to trigger each of the legatos using the multi articulation patch.


In the single patch, your playing speed determines the legato speed (expressive/agile), while you can control the retounged legato in the GUI, and possibly map it to a CC. I'd contact OT just to confirm that :D 

Yes, I am toggling between cresc/decresc when I'm playing a phrase  The engine handles all the legato transitions, so when I'm playing a phrase it doesn't sound like decrescendos being activated, but obviously they're evident with a long held note.


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## Land of Missing Parts

ChrisSiuMusic said:


> In the single patch, your playing speed determines the legato speed (expressive/agile), while you can control the retounged legato in the GUI, and possibly map it to a CC. I'd contact OT just to confirm that :D
> 
> Yes, I am toggling between cresc/decresc when I'm playing a phrase  The engine handles all the legato transitions, so when I'm playing a phrase it doesn't sound like decrescendos being activated, but obviously they're evident with a long held note.


Thanks Chris. When using the multi articulation patch




is SusA decresc and SusR cresc? And do you manually keyswitch between them?


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## rudi

Great review and playing Chris! Thank you for the walkthrough.


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## ChrisSiuMusic

rudi said:


> Great review and playing Chris! Thank you for the walkthrough.


The pleasure’s mine! Thanks for watching


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## ism

ChrisSiuMusic said:


> I prefer the raw emotion and recording quality of OT's library. Thanks for watching!



Another way to put this is that Fluffy is more general purpose. The clarinet, for instance has 3 dynamic layers, and vib and non vib. Designed to let you craft your own dynamics arcs, as opposed to the recorded de/crescnedos of exp b.

In the recorded arcs of the single layer of exp B, you have a quality of baked in lyricism that you're not quite going to get from fluffy.

On the other hand, fluffy has 3 dynamic layers, and there is, for instance, a type of lyrical intensity that hinges on crafting the dynamics that I don't think you're to ever quite going to get from the exp B instruments.

But of course the overarching principle here is: that its just not possible to own too many clarinets.


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## rudi

Land of Missing Parts said:


> I went to check out the details on http://www.orchestraltools.com/libraries/bww_exp_b.php (Orchestral Tool's website), but the PDF with details currently links to the http://www.orchestraltools.com/resources/documents/Berlin_Strings_Exp_B.pdf (wrong library). Hopefully OT will fix that.



If anyone else would like to take a look at the correct PDF for Berlin Woodwinds Exp B, it can be found at:

http://orchestraltools.com/resources/documents/Berlin_Woodwinds_Exp_B.pdf


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## TonyManfredonia

I’m debating between this and their Soloists 1 - Solo Woodwinds series.

what’s the difference? I have the Main BWW revive...and the patches there aren’t conducive to expressive lines.

Would this Expansion B or the “Soloists 1” library be the better choice? Thank you for this review, by the way!


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## mgaewsj

TonyManfredonia said:


> I’m debating between this and their Soloists 1 - Solo Woodwinds series.
> 
> what’s the difference? I have the Main BWW revive...and the patches there aren’t conducive to expressive lines.
> 
> Would this Expansion B or the “Soloists 1” library be the better choice? Thank you for this review, by the way!


btw it looks Exp B is not available anymore at the Orchestral Tools website


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## ism

The expansions B & C have been renamed soloists 1 & 2, and ported to Sine, but are otherwise the same.


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## mgaewsj

ism said:


> The expansions B & C have been renamed soloists 1 & 2, and ported to Sine, but are otherwise the same.


thnx!


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