# UVI release World Suite 2 with introductory and upgrade offers



## UVI (Aug 26, 2020)

*UVI has released the World Suite 2, delivering 48 new instruments, new vocals, presets, loops and more, available now with special intro and upgrade pricing*.​
*World Suite 2* is a significant update to the world music instrument collection, delivering 369 instruments, 10,000+ loops and phrases, vocals, and more, from every corner of the globe. Version 2 adds 48 new instruments, new Georgian vocals phrases (including male and female voices), and a brand new and exclusive Oriental String Ensemble with dozens of of Arabic, Turkish, and Persian multi-sampled phrases recorded in 12 keys with percussions.

Browsable by both instrument category and geographic region, World Suite 2 represents a massive undertaking. Comprised of over 65,000 samples, World Suite 2 was designed to provide today's musicians with the ultimate ethnic instrument collection, delivering an unmatched selection of professionally recorded instruments in an inspiring and easy to use package.

Instruments in World Suite 2 were carefully recorded to preserve their natural sound, using traditional playing styles and the highest-quality recording equipment and processing available. With custom controls based on instrument type, and built-in keyswitches, World Suite 2 helps you achieve complex voice articulations and dynamic performances with ease. In addition to performance controls, World Suite 2 instruments include a standard selection of sound shaping tools, including velocity envelope, ADSR amplitude envelope, a 3-band EQ with sweepable mid frequency, and a high-quality IR reverb, allowing you to easily and precisely sculpt your mix.

World Suite 2's 10,000+ loops and phrases can be drag-and-dropped into your DAW of choice or played with special 'Traveler' instruments. Provided by region, World Suite Travelers allow for 6 discrete tracks to be populated with your choice of loops and phrases. Each track comes with a suite of customization options including gain, pan, solo, mute, low-pass and high-pass filters, pitch shifting and Sparkverb. Explore preset configurations, design your own, or find inspiration with the one-touch randomizer. In additional to the regional Travelers, two special Vocal Travelers are included, allowing you to easily layer vocal loops and phrases to create rich emotive textures and ambiances.

*World Suite 2 is available immediately at uvi.net for an introductory price of $199 / 199€, with upgrades available for $59 / 59€ for existing owners. Intro and upgrade pricing valid through September 6th, 2020 (regularly $299 / 299€).

World Suite 2* offers native 64-bit standalone operation by way of Falcon or the free UVI Workstation, providing comprehensive support for all modern DAWs and simultaneous authorization on up to 3 computers or iLok keys.

*Watch the World Suite 2 trailer*:


*Listen to World Suite 2:
*​


----------



## Shredoverdrive (Aug 26, 2020)

Nice! I was waiting for it after the survey you made a few months back. Downloading it right now. I see World Suite 1 has been updated too but I can delete it, right? World Suite 2 contains all that was in the first iteration?

Thanks!


----------



## doctoremmet (Aug 26, 2020)

Awesome. Thanks UVI.


----------



## ptram (Aug 26, 2020)

@UVI I too have the same question: can we delete the old version, before installing and authorizing the new one?

And a great MERCI for this update! I'll celebrate with a loud piece for alpenhorn!

Paolo


----------



## NekujaK (Aug 26, 2020)

The old World Suite is no longer listed on their website, so I'm assuming WS2 is an upgrade/replacement. But just in case, I set aside the WS soundbank file if I need to restore it. And the original WS is also still available for downloading/installing thru the UVI Portal app, so it's probably safe to remove it.

But this is merely my unofficial opinion...


----------



## Digivolt (Aug 26, 2020)

Demo & Trailer sound great, will you be adding a walkthrough ? Not that it matters as I can't afford it at the moment but definitely something to go on my wishlist maybe


----------



## AceAudioHQ (Aug 26, 2020)

Instantly upgraded my World Suite 1 to 2, just wish there was a bit more bandwidth at UVI's end, I'm getting only 600k/sec and have 14 hours left even though I have way more bandwidth available :/


----------



## Marsen (Aug 26, 2020)

Also got the update mail.
I would like to hear, what WS 2 Users can say about it.


----------



## bbunker (Aug 26, 2020)

Matt Creamer Audio, are you around? You did the best videos around on World Suite 1 - we need a WS 2!!!!

P.S. if you haven't seen it, it's glorious:


----------



## ptram (Aug 26, 2020)

A question about tuning: do you confirm this library, used with UVI Workstation, can only be tuned in Equal Temperament? Or has a way to use different scales been added?

Paolo


----------



## Marsen (Aug 26, 2020)

Yeah, did saw this too. It is! 1+


----------



## Mark Schmieder (Aug 26, 2020)

I was surprised to just see this over on GS a few minutes ago while I was checking for a different update, as I haven't received an email announcement yet, so came over here to see if there's any talk yet (as I still refuse to create a GS account).

This is a no-brainer at the upgrade price, regardless of how much of it ends up being useful and/or non-redundant, as it is excellent value and a welcome expansion. Funning timing too, as I was just in the process this week of evaluating how much of the previous version I'm still using vs. instrument-specific specialty libraries.

A quick glance at the new instrument list has me thinking that a few of these are Precisionsound libraries (such as the "recorder keyboard" and a few others), just as with the previous release, but of course reprogrammed with more scripting and capabilities.

A few other sound sources look like they might possibly have come from semi-inactive small-time vendors as well, but it'll become clearer once I download the upgrade and do direct comparisons.

A lot of the material looks likely to be directly sourced from UVI themselves though, and any one of these sounds would cost about the same price if bought independently!

Well done!


----------



## NekujaK (Aug 26, 2020)

Bought, downloaded (took forever), installed, and dabbled with it a little today. LOVE the new content, especially the vocal additions. The whole package is basically more of the same goodness we've come to enjoy in the original World Suite, which is a great thing indeed!

I was already getting a surprising amount of use out of the original library, and now the new version only gives me more reasons to use it. The upgrade price is a no-brainer!

Between this, Audio Imperia, Damage 2, the new Elixer, and Arkhis, it's been an incredibly amazing summer for VI libraries!


----------



## Mark Schmieder (Aug 26, 2020)

I'm going through all the new material, instrument by instrument (and mostly ignoring the variants).

For Africa, only one new instrument, which is a more bell-like Kalimba. The Sanza instrument family varies quite a bit so it is always nice to have yet another choice. This one's natural range is 9 Tines, and the image shows it as having a hole and being a box model vs. a flat model.

Asia presents us with several newbies. First up, there is now a second choice for Er Hu. I found the original to be too raspy, but this new one is more like what I hear in the SF Bay Area when a trained classical player is involved. It has five highly useful articulations (the old one had six but they were different): Normal; Vibrato; Spiccato; Pizzicato; Trill.

*The Guqin is a very welcome addition, as I do not have this in any other library, and it is well sampled and gorgeous sounding, sort of a bass or baritone Chinese zither with seven strings. WORTH THE UPGRADE PRICE ALONE!

[Note one copy/paste typo on p.45 of the new user manual, listing it as "Koto Large" ]*

Nothing new for Celtic. For Eastern Europe, there is now a Chonguri, mislabeled on p.97 as "Irish Bouzouki". I am real excited by this one as it is my first and I had been investigating this instrument for some time and had pondered buying a real one. It is a Georgian folk instrument with four strings:



:: Georgian Folk Music Instruments - Chonguri



Also included is a 3-string Panduri, which is sort of an older version of the Chonguri and is also talked about in that dedicated page linked above. Note another typo on p. 110 identifying this as a Flamenco Guitar.



:: Georgian Folk Music Instruments - Duduki



Although there is already an Armenian Duduk, now there is also a Georgian Duduki, which isn't all that different but does have a different timbre (just as does the related Turkish Mey). I love Duduks in general and can never have too many choices, as this allows me to double them without the parts blending together as one. Also, this new one has a true legato mode.

Another surprising addition is the Salamuri, which is another Georgian instrument that is sort of a recorder (a bit closer to that than to a shepherd's flute). This is a beautiful sounding instrument.



:: Georgian Folk Music Instruments - Salamuri








Salamuri - Wikipedia







en.wikipedia.org





This is a beautiful sounding instrument. Note the typo on p. 116 calling it a Georgian Duduk.

The huge Balkan addition to Version 2 of World Suite concludes with an excellent Weltmeister Accordion. A great brand, often better than Hohner and with a storied history and many models and innovations. This one is shown as a keyboard accordion and it looks like it is a 120 Bass model.

This accordion has a great sound and appears unique to UVI; the Weltmeister from CMusic anyway is a Button Accordion called the Royal Standard model (120-Bass, 8 Registers).

This is also different from the pre-existing Eastern Accordion in World Suite Version 1, which is also by Weltmeister but is a 120-Bass 5-Register Button Accordion.

This is taking quite a long time to catalogue and review, so I will break this off here as it is already getting long, and pick up with the next alphabetical region in a new reply.


----------



## Mark Schmieder (Aug 26, 2020)

I forgot to mention earlier, that it's really easy to find the new instruments, as all are suffixed with "WS2". This allows for a quick review of just what is new to this upgrade.

The India region has a couple of additions, starting with the Dhol, which is one of many two-headed drums from the region but probably the most important one overall. Not many libraries include a Dhol. And this one includes two of different sizes, both recorded extremely well.

The Shahi Baaja is a modified version of a Bubul Tarang, adding a sort of keyharp mechanism that almost puts it in thge Hurdy Gurdy family.






Shahi baaja - Wikipedia







en.wikipedia.org







Shahi Baaja | Ethnic Musical Instruments.com



I do not see this modern instrument showing up in any other libraries so far.

Nothing new for Indonesia, so next up is the Middle East, which first gives us an Electric Saz to accompany the existing Electric Bouzouki, as well as a second choice for Acoustic Saz (this one sounds quite different from the one that was already included in World Suite Version 1).

The Kemence gets added to the existing Turkish Lyra (practically the same instrument, according to musicologists). They sound quite different so it is nice to have two flavours now.

The Kloo Mandolin confuses me, as that's the name/model of a Precisionsound library but I already thought that was used for the original mandolin.

As the sum total of the two patches combined, size-wise and articulation-wise, is a closer match to the PS lib and as the timbre is similar, maybe they split that lib into two parts. The original shows a triangular hole; this one has an oval hole, and the PS lib shows a round hole. All are teardrop shaped and semi-arched vs. flat Irish-style. Whatever the case, it's a nice addition to have the Kloo.

There is a new Oriental Ensembles category that has a few national variants at different tempi.

The Pku is an instrument I cannot find any information on. It looks a bit like an angled (not curved) soprano saxophone, somewhat akin to an alpine horn? It sounds to me like a cross between a Duduk and an Alto Saxophone. I think this might be a Turkish instrument?

There is now a Qanun, which is a Middle Eastern Zither that I am quite fond of, and these differ in timbre quite a bit. Comparing to other libraries, I think this one MIGHT be Persian, but it could also be Turkish.

From my small sample set, the darker sound (like this one) tends to go with Persian models and the brighter sound with Turkish models, but that could be more related to woods and construction than to nationality.

The small Turkish Percussions patch includes a Bongo, Darbuka with Sustain and Mute, Egg Shakers, a Small Hand Drum, and Wooden Spoons. These help flesh out an overall Middle Eastern percussion arrangement, but I do wish they'd document these catch-all patches in more detail.

I have tried to figure out what the Small Hand Drum is (and I guess the small round drum in the picture is the Bongo). It's not a Riq or a Mazhar. Frankly, it sounds like a Darbuka, and the Darbuka sounds like a Doumbek. As the picture shows one of each, perhaps it is just a smaller Darbuka of different material.


----------



## kevinh (Aug 26, 2020)

So I upgraded, went to download, and UVI is down right now (portal and website). Too many people thought this was a no brainer upgrade I guess. What was UVI thinking  Hehe


----------



## Mark Schmieder (Aug 26, 2020)

Nothing new for the Occidental region. That brings us to South America, which has several welcome new additions of instruments that are extremely common in the region (such as Cavaquinho), but for some reason rarely make it into sample libraries.

*PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE INSTRUMENTS ARE MISSING FROM THE MANUAL*

Aside from my earlier corrections, all of the typos (inverted letters and spellings, mostly) from the original user manual are still present as well.

Based on the user manual, Spanish Gypsy, and West Indies, also have no additions.

As the oversight in the user manual is going to slow down my final review of new material, I'll start a new reply that collects the remaining new patches, as well as whatever was added to the Vocal set (though might be strictly in the Traveler category for loops and phrases?).


----------



## Geomir (Aug 26, 2020)

Mark Schmieder said:


> Nothing new for the Occidental region. That brings us to South America, which has several welcome new additions of instruments that are extremely common in the region (such as Cavaquinho), but for some reason rarely make it into sample libraries.
> 
> *PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE INSTRUMENTS ARE MISSING FROM THE MANUAL*
> 
> ...


Thanks for all the detailed info. I knew this was going to happen. The World Music Specialist of the forum should take the time to share all of his thoughts about the new product.

From your experience so far with the new instruments, do the general rule apply here? Are they more "deeply sampled" than the older ones? Do they have true legato transitions?

And now if you wanted to get your first big all-in-one "world/ethnic" library, is Ethno World 6 (Complete) still a strong competitor of the renewed World Suite?


----------



## Mark Schmieder (Aug 26, 2020)

OK, there's a LOT that is missing from the user manual, aside from the glaring copy/paste errors where someone was understandably taking templates from existing entries to quickly add the new material.

Handpan is a variant of a Hang Drum, and is assigned to the West Indies region. I quite like it! Very pure and sweet, with a good attack like a Steel Drum. Maybe it's played with a mallet?

Opsilon is similar to Handpan, and uses the same picture, but is a smaller sample set. Possibly it is the same instrument, treated differently? As with the Handpan, it is convex vs. concave and has indented circles like traditional Steelpans.

Garrahand is in the same category, is quite lovely, and also has the more modern "inverted" shape (convex vs. concave), but has tongues instead of indented circles (like Steelpans and Hang Drums), so should be categorized as a Steel Tongue Drum (aka Tank Drum, Hank Drum, or Hand Pan Drum).

Steel Pan is a new version of standard traditional Steelpans (Steel Drums), but is a bit brighter sounding than the two in the original edition. It has a wider range (it may simply include two drums vs. one).

As this is a modern instrument family, the terminology has been evolving over time. The way I describe things above, uses the latest revisions in categorization, some of which might have been necessitated by trademarks on the Hang Drum name and design.


----------



## Mark Schmieder (Aug 26, 2020)

I'll interrupt my documentation to answer the question above, which is that some of the new material is small in sample size, and sometimes smaller than similar instruments from the first edition (which are of course still present here), but to my ears almost all of the new material sounds far superior and also has even more musical playability options than the oldest patches (from World Suite 1).


----------



## Mark Schmieder (Aug 26, 2020)

As for EW6, I know it's generally considered in poor taste to do product comparisons in new product announcement threads, but I do think it is valid to point out that almost all of the new material in UVI World Suite 2 is rare and often unique to this library, and that there is hardly any overlap with EW6.

I am pleasantly surprised that they charted their own path vs. copying what differentiated the two libraries. One does not lead by following, after all!


----------



## Geomir (Aug 26, 2020)

Mark Schmieder said:


> As for Ethno World Suite 6, I know it's generally considered in poor taste to do product comparisons in new product announcement threads, but I do think it is valid to point out that almost all of the new material in UVI World Suite 2 is rare and often unique to this library, and that there is hardly any overlap with EW6.
> 
> I am pleasantly surprised that they charted their own path vs. copying what differentiated the two libraries. One does not lead by following, after all!


Crap. You are right. This is the official announcement of UVI, it's not some "discussion thread"! Should I better delete my previous post? No problem at all!


----------



## Mark Schmieder (Aug 26, 2020)

I'm documenting the stuff that is missing from the user manual, by instrument type vs. region, as I think more in those terms. My post on the steel drums covered the Bell, Metal and Gong type. Now I will cover the greatly expanded Fretted String category, which meets most of my wish list.

Now that I think about it, I might have contributed to the review period way back, and if so, I probably mentioned a large number of these, but I can't take responsibility for suggesting much of the stuff I have written up so far, as most of it is new to me even from an academic point of view.

Although the Panduri is mentioned in my first note about the new Georgian instruments, the Contrabass Panduri didn't make it to the user manual but showed up once I switched to using the GUI as my guide for new material. It sounds awesome and will make a nice alternative bass instrument.

Bajo Quinto is the original baritone guitar and is what inspired the Fender Bass VI and the Danelectro surf-oriented baritones. Originally the Bajo Sexto, the bottom string never resonated very well and saw less an d less use over time, so most players today use the Quinto, and some even use a Cuatro model.

Also important to several genres of Mexican and Tejano music is the Mexican Vihuela, which is almost always overlooked by sample developers. In fact I am aware of no existing library for this instrument!

Of course, the Guitarron is as important as the Vihuela, and is included here as well, with two articulations to account for two major playing styles (often the strings are "plucked" in octave doubling, or "thumbed" in single-note fashion).

I love the Bajo Quinto and own one. It is a very versatile instrument that was indeed the inspiration for a lot of what evolved into instruments that ironically are now used a lot in Heavy Metal music. It is like a large Baritone Acoustic Guitar. This one sounds very authentic to me. Slightly dark, which is good in a mix.

The Cavaco is a Brasilian Cavaquinho, which is often referred to in short form as Cavaco. It is semi-related to the 'ukulele family but is a bit more like a small classical guitar. Actually, it's its own thing and hard to categorize, but it's one of the most important instruments in South America and even shows up in some bossa nova songs.

The Charango is a family of instruments that is usually broken into four or five voices (like so many instrument families). This one seems to be the standard model (which is called a Charango; the other voicings have different names). I'll compare the range to my live instrument later on.

Fortunately the Ronroco is also included. There are two variations of this instrument (actually, many more, but two primary ones). The Argentine version is more like a Charangon; whereas the Bolivian version is a full octave down from a standard Charango.

This one is only tuned a whole tone below the Charango, so I need to compare ALL of the normal ranges on my real instruments tomorrow, bearing in mind that each region has its own tuning bu I stick mostly to the most common Bolivian tunings from the Lake Titicaca region.

The Ronroco is a modern instrument invented in the 60's. Many acoustic instruments are recent inventions but derive from the instruments of the past.

There is now an 'ukulele, and also a UBass but the picture is the same as for the Contrabass Panduri (a Georgian instrument mentioned above) vs. a modern Kala U-Bass semi-acoustic Bass 'ukulele. I'm a little confused by this one.

The Tar is a Persian stringed instrument also known as a Tarhu and not to be confused with the Arabic frame drum of the same name.

*The Viola Da Gamba is one of the biggest single additions to the library, at almost 270 MB! It has 18 unique articulations, and three playing styles to combine with those articulations!*

Another fairly large addition is the Portuguese Fado Guitar (56 MB). It is possible that this is sourced from the one-off "Alfamo - Fado Virtual Instrument" but the timbre seems a bit different even if I adjust for different velocity curves. I can't remember whether Adamastor still offers his library, which also includes a Portuguese variant of a Nylon Guitar. I may erase this comment as I find out more.


----------



## Mark Schmieder (Aug 26, 2020)

Geomir said:


> Crap. You are right. This is the official announcement of UVI, it's not some "discussion thread"! Should I better delete my previous post? No problem at all!



I think it's fine. Let's just not compare the sounds or go further with direct lists. I made my statement at a general and abstract level, that this update does NOT duplicate EW6 for the most part, and that should HELP sales and thus is a valid point to make in this thread while also not causing any poor image for a different vendor's product to develop. The world is quite large after all; no library will do it all!


----------



## doctoremmet (Aug 27, 2020)

Mark, thanks for this! I immediately purchased the upgrade (blind) as a fan of the first edition, but this elaborate review of yours has really infused a new enthusiasm to take a look at the new content. Very much appreciated!


----------



## Mark Schmieder (Aug 27, 2020)

I've been at this a long time and am running out of steam as it is past 1230am. I'll wrap it up tomorrow morning, but there's a few I have spotted already that reinforce my notion that a tiny number of the new additions are more libraries from Precisionsound (an excellent vendor).

For example, the Gothenburg Reed Organ and the Suzuki Andes 25F "panpipe-style" melodica (which I owned for a while, but I didn't like the ergonomics and/or the mouthpiece as there wasn't as much air resistance as with a regular melodica -- but it did sound nice).

There was another tiny potentially-defunct vendor that I saw on my hard drive that only had two to four sounds, whose names looked like they might match some additions here. I think it's great that UVI is able to help some of these smaller players stay in business through licensing sounds.

I also see some more "unusual" instruments that are clearly 100% brand new samples from UVI themselves. This suite would have been a bargain even as a fresh buy, but the upgrade price is insane!


----------



## Mark Schmieder (Aug 27, 2020)

And yes, I am excited because this is the first time in ages that a new library has come along that is inspiring me to think of new parts to write based on new sounds vs. simply "upgrading" my choices for existing sounds. Lots of unique stuff in this library!

More than ever, I am glad that I decided a few years ago to move away (mostly) from synthesizers and start rearranging most of that material for mostly acoustic instruments.


----------



## ptram (Aug 27, 2020)

Mark Schmieder said:


> Nothing new for the Occidental region.


The Alphorn! I already have the Sonokinetic one, but this is useful to start an Alphorn ensemble!

Paolo


----------



## Mark Schmieder (Aug 27, 2020)

ptram said:


> The Alphorn! I already have the Sonokinetic one, but this is useful to start an Alphorn ensemble!
> 
> Paolo



Yes, but like I said, I started my survey by comparing the user manuals. Then when I noticed big chunks missing, I switched to going through the GUI one category at a time. But it's VERY time-consuming, as I am trying them out at the same time, and doing musicological research for each new instrument.

I already noticed the Alphorn a bit earlier, but didn't have the energy to start documenting it, as I need to do some research first. I've already come across a few instruments that weren't categorized the way I expected, region-wise, and wanted to compare this Alphorn to that strange Middle Eastern woodwind that I noted earlier, to see if there is some relation.

Even with a fresh start tomorrow, I expect that finishing the job will take me a few hours. I only wish there was an info page for each instrument (or at least in the user manual), as with EW6. That saves me a lot of time and helps disambiguate unexpected terminology or categorization.


----------



## rrichard63 (Aug 27, 2020)

Mark Schmieder said:


> ... to my ears almost all of the new material sounds far superior and also has even more musical playability options than the oldest patches (from Ethno World 1)


I think Mark meant World Suite 1 rather than Ethno World 1.


----------



## Mark Schmieder (Aug 27, 2020)

rrichard63 said:


> I think Mark meant World Suite 1 rather than Ethno World 1.



I have corrected my mistake. It was already quite late by then, and I fixed a lot of other errors that thankfully no one ever saw.  Fewer than in the user manual though.


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Aug 27, 2020)

rrichard63 said:


> I think Mark meant World Suite 1 rather than Ethno World 1.


Before World Suite, UVI had "World Traditions," and that was largely sourced from samples in MOTU's Ethno Instrument. Or so I've heard. I think that's what Mark might have been thinking of.

But World Suite brought in a lot of new material including much from PrecisionSound, as Mark pointed out.

One thing I like about UVI is that they continue to update and upgrade their libraries and instruments.


----------



## Mark Schmieder (Aug 27, 2020)

Nope; it was a simple late-night thinko. I was specifically referring to UVI World Suite I, which was a big step up from UVI World Traditions and added a lot of PrecisionSound material along with newly sourced samples.

World Suite I is where UVI Spirit of Gong was added, as I recall. I think it was already part of MOTU Ethno 2, but not part of UVI World Traditions. It's kind of irrelevant at this point.

The only thing I thought would get pulled in but wasn't, was UVI Percussion Store. But once I go through the rest of UVI World Suite 2, I may find that this material is also now part of the suite.


----------



## doctoremmet (Aug 27, 2020)

TigerTheFrog said:


> Before World Suite, UVI had "World Traditions," and that was largely sourced from samples in MOTU's Ethno Instrument. Or so I've heard. I think that's what Mark might have been thinking of.
> 
> But World Suite brought in a lot of new material including much from PrecisionSound, as Mark pointed out.
> 
> One thing I like about UVI is that they continue to update and upgrade their libraries and instruments.


Yes - I appreciate when that happens. Quite happy going through this version 2. They added a lot of good sounding stuff.


----------



## Mark Schmieder (Aug 27, 2020)

Last night, I documented the new instruments in the Bell, Metal and Gong category, along with the Fretted String category, that got left out of the new user manual by mistake. I will now go through the remaining sound categories.

For the Key category, there are four new instruments, one of which I mentioned already as it is in the new user manual: Weltmeister Accordion.

*There is also a new German Accordion, but it does not load as it is searching for missing Orfeo Accordion samples. I am not noticing problems if I ignore the errors however.*

This is a nice sounding piano accordion with three unique stops (4', 8', 16') and four combinations (all three unique pairs, and the tutti option). The eighth choice is the Bass, and the picture shows 40 buttons but I think that may just a generic picture for the category of piano accordion. Seven octaves total.

The Gothenburg Organ is almost definitely the Gothenburg Reed Organ from Precisionsound, which is very good. Not sure how they got the original sample size of over 400 MB down to 27 MB though; no feature seems to be missing. There are six stops on this reed organ, and it has long been my favourite of the more typical ones available.

SC's Estey Reed Organ is quite different somehow and caused confusion for many years as to whether there are one, two, or even three different categories of Reed/Pump Organ. The related Wiki pages kept getting updated as well, as academicians were also confused. The ultimate conclusion is that there is too much overlap to cleanly separate a Reed Organ from a Pump Organ from a Melodeon.

The shared mechanism is suction or vacuum based, with free reeds and foot pumps. My mother had to play one in a small mission church that we joined in my youth. For many people, especially in the Scandinavian countries, the Reed Organ is often the one they most associate with liturgical music and holidays/festivities vs. the grand pipe organ.

Back to whether this is the "same" as the PS library, it might not be, as the PS version for Kontakt allows individual levels and tuning for each stop. I don't think that's available here, but it may simply not be exposed on the front page. Another difference is that the six registers in the PS library are split in two trios for lower and upper ranges and do not play across the entire keyboard.

It might be that this addition to UVI World Suite 2 is an original sample set that simply uses the same organ model as the PS library. I don't think I'll delete my PS library quite yet, until I know for sure.

The final newbie in this category is the Cabinet Organ, which also appears to derive from PrecisionSound using their Baby Cabinet Organ library. This has long been my next-favourite reed organ and is a Mason & Hamlin model from 1875 made in Boston MA. Here the sample size is also significantly smaller, and possibly one less feature as there is a Solo vs. Duo switch on the PS version. Otherwise, it seems the same, with just a slight difference in terminology: Open vs. Close (UVI) or Open vs. Mute (PS).

The Duo switch gives a double-reed sound on the PS version. That one also has some control over the Pump (Up/Down -- not assigned to a CC, Depth, Rate, and Volume), but some or all of this might correspond to the Release and Velocity Controls in the UVI version. I won't delete the PS version quite yet.

Please note that the PS library comparisons are simply to help people decide whether to delete their copies as redundant, as the only one added to UVI World Suite Version 1 that I had to keep was the Dan Moi (Vietnamese Jaw Harp) as there was one effect that I couldn't get in UVI Workstation that appeared tethered to a Kontakt-specific feature. But I learned last night that I might have missed a lower-range keyboard control so will check that soon.

The PS libs are still sold on their site, so I don't think UVI is absorbing those libraries (which require full Kontakt and thus are probably not doing as well as they should, now that so many vendors are rushing towards Kontakt Player only libraries as their business model). It was likely just a win-win for both vendors, to share the sample sets. NI does this a lot too, and sometimes (but not always) lists the vendor.


----------



## Mark Schmieder (Aug 27, 2020)

The three new Percussion sounds were all documented last night as they are all listed in the new user manual: Dhol, Kalimba, and Turkish Percussions.

That brings us to the Stringed category. Missing from the user manual are the German Psalter and the Triple String Zither, as well as something labeled a Dulcimer that n either looks nor sounds like a Hammered Dulcimer and certainly isn't an Appalachian Dulcimer either, but does look semi-familiar to me from some historical photos of much older ancestral instruments that may have led to those.

The German Psalter is almost definitely the Precisionsound Streich Psalter library, and is an exact feature match with three articulations (though labeled differently). Although my PS files are all dated 2017, I think this must be an older library as there is no scripting whatsoever; just a bog standard interface with volume control. So in this case the UVI version is way easier to use and to automate with CC's without having to resort to Multis either. I'll delete my PS version now.

The Triple String Zither corresponds to PrecisionSound's Praktik Cittra No. 6 library, which has a lot of scripting and thus a lot of features to compare. Both allow playing with a mallet or even an eBow (listed simple as Bow in the PS version), as well as an Ensemble Mode (referred to as "3 Strings" in the UVI version). 

The PS version also lists a Sound Effects Mode, and seems to have a unique Tremolo Arpeggio feature that might be missing from the UVI version (its Arp section is a bit different and I think is generic across all UVI libraries). So I think I'll retain my PS version vs. deleting it for now.

Finally, the Dulcimer seems a revision of the existing Alpine Concert Zither? Same picture and the sound is very much alike, except a bit damped, and the sample set much smaller. This one's a mystery.


----------



## Marsen (Aug 27, 2020)

@Mark Schmieder 

I appreciate your effort on telling us the instruments in detail for this upgrade.
You seem to be a real admirer of world instruments.
I get a lot of knowledge from your expertise.

Thanks a lot!


----------



## Mark Schmieder (Aug 27, 2020)

Finally we come to the Woodwind category, which has lots of new additions, but many were properly added to the user manual already and thus were documented last night.

The Alphorn is quite well done and includes four articulations (but not sforzato). This is now my favourite Alphorn in terms of timbre and playability. There's one other that has sforzato but I otherwise don't like it as well as this one.

A second Didgeridoo has been added, and this instrument clearly gets a lot of love from UVI as the original one was almost 500 MB in size and this new one is almost 1.5 GB! Possibly the largest instrument in the entire library. A darker timbre and lower pitch, so probably a larger physical instrument as well (they come in all sizes and pitches).

The Keyboard Recorder was mentioned earlier as it is a repackaging of PrecisionSound's Andes 25F library, which is a recording of that unique olive-coloured near-triangular shaped Suzuki Andes 25F Melodica that uses pipes instead of reeds as the mechanism.

I discussed the actual instrument last night as I owned one for a while but didn't like the resistance when playing its mouthpiece. The sample library seems more musical than the actual instrument somehow. I'm not deleting the PS library yet, as it has a Solo vs. Duo detuning choice that I haven't yet found in the UVI version.

The South American flutes have always been confusing as each vendor uses different terminology, often the naming is just simply incorrect altogether, and the accompanying pictures can obfuscate the situation. For instance, the existing Ande Flute, which comes from Ethno World 2 (if not older), shows a Cherokee Flute from North America. But after a half hour of comparisons, I have finally determined that it is a Pinkillu, which is an end-blown flute. The Ethno 2 manual showed panpipes though!

The original Latin Panpipe corresponds to the common Malta voicing covering G2 to G5. This new Peru Flute's key mapping is an octave lower for the same notes, and covers C1 to C6 -- a wider range that could be like an extended Zanka model, which is my guess vs. an extended-range traditional Antara (Zampoña) single-row model (whether curved or straight). The picture shows a Cherokee Flute though!

I like that the new patches in this library upgrade colour-code the keys to show the notes that are natural to the instrument, as most of these are not chromatic.

There are two new Recorders in this update. The one called Recorders has a range of Bass through Sopranino voicings (sizes), as does the Folk Recorders set. The latter is clearly derived from PrecisionSound's Dream Whistles library and even includes its Glissando feature, but as separate patches vs. an automated Gliss whose level can be set between 0dB (off) and +13 dB in the PS version. The former library also has some variations of articulations for the Soprano and Sopranino voicings.

The pictures are once again confusing, as Folk Recorders shows baroque recorders and Recorders shows penny whistles. The original Dream Whistles manual has a photo showing that they sampled the Zamir brand, which is an Israeli owned but Japanese made student brand that is out of business. Yet Mollenhauer has an actual series called the Dream Recorder! The ones pictured in the PrecisionSound manual appear to be hybrid models that are mostly Rennaisance style with some elements of Baroque.

I frankly can't tell what type of recorders were used for the Recorders set. They don't sound nearly as good to me as the other ones so I don't frankly care, but the extra articulations might come in handy.


----------



## Mark Schmieder (Aug 27, 2020)

All right, that's all for now; I'm exhausted as this took half a day altogether. It would have gone extremely quickly if the documentation was more thorough. Some UVI libraries have an info page that tells more about the instruments sampled; maybe I simply haven't found that feature yet in this library. At any rate, I was able to figure out most of it, with only a few remaining "mystery instruments" that may not be quite what they're labeled as.


----------



## Stevie (Aug 27, 2020)

Thanks so much for doing this Mark!

Do you by chance know if we can delete the old UVI container and old projects will still load correctly?


----------



## Mark Schmieder (Aug 27, 2020)

Stevie said:


> Thanks so much for doing this Mark!
> 
> Do you by chance know if we can delete the old UVI container and old projects will still load correctly?



I should know shortly. I haven't opened any projects yet, and already deleted WS1 on my computer so will find out shortly. I always annotate my custom settings in project notes, so I rarely worry about lost settings if I have to start from scratch with a new VI instance or library re-load.


----------



## Stevie (Aug 27, 2020)

That’s a very clever thing to do! Should do the same 😊


----------



## Mark Schmieder (Aug 27, 2020)

The answer is that the samples won't load, unless maybe you rename the UFS file to "World Suite" from "World Suite 2". It does try to load the patch, but expects the samples in the old file path.

I'm afraid to rename the UFS file, and don't have many instances of World Suite in projects at the moment due to switching so many tracks to dedicated single-instrument libraries and to live miked instruments. It's one of those products I can't live without, but like most catch-all large-collection libraries, doesn't get as much use as it used to (though that will likely change with this update!).

Anyway, the point is that there's not a huge time impact on me personally, to reload all of my World Suite patches from scratch using the new version.

I had a big time sink right beforehand that was a lot scarier: the brand-new Kontakt update from yesterday doesn't pass the Audio Units test in Digital Performer. I forced it anyway, as I haven't time to reload all of my Kontakt patches by switching to the VST version from Audio Units. A MUCH bigger impact overall than re-loading World Suite patches. For me, at least.


----------



## Simeon (Aug 27, 2020)

@Mark Schmieder , wow, this is so much to take in. I might be looking at this soon and having this extra information is so valuable. This is another prime example of what makes this community so special and it is so much appreciated.

I am hoping to punch my ticket to see the world through the eyes of @UVI soon 🤓


----------



## Mark Schmieder (Aug 27, 2020)

That didn't take too long; I only have about 30 active album projects at the moment, with about 60+ instances of World Suite spread between them, and as Digital Performer allows multiple songs per project, it really speeds up manual editing that is of the same nature (if I keep my flow by blocking interruptions). Some album projects have 20+ songs/chunks, but that's still only 600+ active songs.

I mostly just had to reload my patches, turn off Reverb like I always do (very few exceptions, such as VSL Synchron Player), turn off EQ in a few places, adjust Volume on the ones that are too hot, map CC11 to Tremolo or Vibrato in a few cases, and set the Buzz amount on the Sanza family of instruments. So, not too much customization of patches overall.

I'm not bothering to re-track anything as I don't think anything was tweaked from World Suite 1.


----------



## c t (Aug 27, 2020)

Thanks for going through these. Here's snapshot of new stuff:


*New instruments:*


Africa: 
- Kalimba 

Asia: 
- Erhu, GuQin 

Australia: 
- Didgeridoo 

Eastern Europe: 
- Chonguri, Contrabass Panduri, Duduk, Panduri, Salamuri, Weltmeister Accordion 

India: 
- Dhol, Shaji Baaja 

Middle East Mediterranean: 
- Electric Saz, Kemence, Kloo Mandolin, Oriental Ensemble, Pku, Qanun, Saz, Tar, Turkish

Percussions (5) 

Occidental: 
- Alphorn, Cabinet Organ, Cavaco, Dulcimer, Folk Recorders (5), German Accordion, German Psalter, Gothenburg Organ, Portuguese Fado Guitar, Recorders (5), Triple String Zither, Viola Da Gamba 

South America: 
- Bajo Quinto, Charango, Guitarron, Keyboard Recorder, Mexican Vihuela, Peru Flute, Ronroco, UBass 

West Indies: 
- Garrahand, Handpan Ayasa, Handpan Bells (2), Handpan BPSH, Opsilon, Steel Pan, Ukulele 

*New Loops and Phrases:* 


Eastern Europe: 
- Chonguri, Georgian Male, Georgian Female, Panduri, Georgian Traveler 

India: 
- Dhol 

Middle East: 
- Middle East Strings, Tar, Turkish and Arabic Percussions, Middle Eastern 2 Traveler 

Occidental: 
- Cavaco 

South America: 
- Bajo Quinto, Mexican Vihuela, Ronroco, South-American Traveler


----------



## Mark Schmieder (Aug 27, 2020)

I just finished my first recording project with World Suite 2. As hinted at earlier, I was looking forward to seeing how well the Charango and Ronroco react to chordal playing when each note is fingered vs. when applying the auto-chord mode (which doesn't use the inversions I prefer).

Wow, such a difference vs. my one and only alternatives (which shall remain unnamed out of politeness). Much crisper, and better handling of note-off and coming back for the up-swing.

Additionally, even though the specific Ronroco model that was chosen seems to be one of the higher-tuned models, it has a dark enough timbre and difference in spread (after all, the string doublings are usually also done differently) that it provides a superior balance with the Charango and helps keep the two parts discernible from each other (my preference).

That was worth the $59 upgrade price alone.


----------



## Mark Schmieder (Aug 27, 2020)

I just now noticed that Georgian Vocals (Male and Female) were added as well. I can't figure out how to use them, or any of the vocals for that matter, and visiting the manual didn't help much nor did loading the patch called Vocal Traveler.

These seem to be unmapped samples that are stretched beyond the sung note? I don't quite get it. Perhaps these are only meant for loop-based music, which I don't do (I compose almost everything in advance). I didn't spot little phrases either. These seems to work completely differently from any other vocal product, whether single-hit samples or vocal phrases.

I seem to recall that I had figured some of this out back in Ethno and Ethno 2 days, but didn't find any use for it in my own music as I generally don't allow myself to write from an instrument as I feel it's more likely to lead to something generic or otherwise unoriginal. Writing from my head means matching to what I wrote vs. using some pre-recorded phrase for inspiration.

I'll sometimes use a recorded mini-phrase when it is a typical articulation of a hard-to-play instrument, but I already have it in my head at that point and am just trying to find the mapping of the trill, turnaround, etc. Usually those sound more natural when pre-recorded than when individually notated.

So maybe my main stumbling block is that I don't know how to investigate the Traveler functionality (which seems to be the only way the Vocals are presented) as I don't understand what the design goal was. Loop music? Convenience of accurate pre-recorded phrases and articulations? Combining individual voices into a choir?


----------



## Stevie (Aug 28, 2020)

Mark Schmieder said:


> The answer is that the samples won't load, unless maybe you rename the UFS file to "World Suite" from "World Suite 2". It does try to load the patch, but expects the samples in the old file path.
> 
> I'm afraid to rename the UFS file, and don't have many instances of World Suite in projects at the moment due to switching so many tracks to dedicated single-instrument libraries and to live miked instruments. It's one of those products I can't live without, but like most catch-all large-collection libraries, doesn't get as much use as it used to (though that will likely change with this update!).
> 
> ...



I see, are we able to re-link the missing samples via a dialog box, though?


----------



## Mark Schmieder (Aug 28, 2020)

My recollection is that I tried that and it didn't work. Feel free to try it at your end though; it might be OS-dependent. I think there were other files that were still not resolved. But I can't really re-try it now as all of my projects are now up-to-date with WS2 patches.


----------



## Stevie (Aug 28, 2020)

Thanks, will try that, when I’m the DAW, again!


----------



## Marsen (Aug 28, 2020)

Here is a new, short video:


----------



## Simeon (Aug 28, 2020)

OK,
Just have only spent just a few moments going through some of the sounds, and having a wonderful time. Here is just a brief sample of one of the first patches I pulled up. My passport is going to be getting a lot of stamps, my journey has just begun. Thanks @UVI!!!


----------



## Marsen (Aug 28, 2020)

That's wonderful Simeon.


----------



## AceAudioHQ (Aug 28, 2020)

Mark Schmieder said:


> There is also a new German Accordion, but it does not load as it is searching for missing Orfeo Accordion samples. I am not noticing problems if I ignore the errors however.



I’m getting the same error, I think it’s not so noticeable since the missing samples are release samples


----------



## Simeon (Aug 28, 2020)

Marsen said:


> That's wonderful Simeon.



Thanks so much.
I had to capture something as once I started going through all the countries, it was easy to get lost as I sometimes do 🤓
I plan on doing a full video or livestream soon, to share more on my journey.

There is so much to like about this library. I will have to catch up with @Mark Schmieder posts to get some more background on things.


----------



## woafmann (Aug 29, 2020)

I just wanted to say a BIG thank you to everyone who contributed to this thread. It seems to be a "no brainer" upgrade and can't wait for it to finish downloading!

Also, I know there was some discussion on the download speed from the UVI servers. Seems that it's a non issue now since I'm pulling between 2.5 and 9 mb/s from Costa Rica on a Saturday.


----------



## Utkarsh (Aug 29, 2020)

Simeon said:


> OK,
> Just have only spent just a few moments going through some of the sounds, and having a wonderful time. Here is just a brief sample of one of the first patches I pulled up. My passport is going to be getting a lot of stamps, my journey has just begun. Thanks @UVI!!!



Loved it! And just want to say Simeon that I'm a huge admirer. Always look forward to your YouTube videos and it's awesome to actually interact with you here.


----------



## Simeon (Aug 29, 2020)

Utkarsh said:


> Loved it! And just want to say Simeon that I'm a huge admirer. Always look forward to your YouTube videos and it's awesome to actually interact with you here.



Thanks so much, that is so encouraging!
Well make sure you are a subscriber as I am thinking about a livestream of World Suite 2 in the next few days.

I of course have done other reviews of companies who use the UVI engine but the first library I have used directly from @UVI, and by the looks of things we are just getting started! 😎

Thanks again!
All the best.


----------



## doctoremmet (Aug 30, 2020)

Utkarsh said:


> Loved it! And just want to say Simeon that I'm a huge admirer. Always look forward to your YouTube videos and it's awesome to actually interact with you here.


Same here. You know it, but I feel it does not hurt to show one’s gratitude every once in a while. Keep doing what you’re doing... it inspires me and somehow brings piece of mind watching you just play from your heart. Very cool indeed. The minute UVI mailed me their upgrade offer I got it and Mark’s excellent and elaborate review has really helped identify all the new stuff. This is such a cool sample library, a true journey indeed!


----------



## doctoremmet (Aug 30, 2020)

Simeon said:


> Thanks so much, that is so encouraging!
> Well make sure you are a subscriber as I am thinking about a livestream of World Suite 2 in the next few days.
> 
> I of course have done other reviews of companies who use the UVI engine but the first library I have used directly from @UVI, and by the looks of things we are just getting started! 😎
> ...


Their Falcon2 synth engine is something else Simeon. I am not sure, but I guess you already did a video on @DanMcKinney ‘s excellent 1954 Parlor Baldwin yeah? It is a gorgeous piano on the UVI platform. His second one (1988 Chapel Baldwin) seems to be delayed somewhat, but I trust he will make sure to send you an NFR as soon as it sees a release. The Vintage Vault is also an excellent package (a bit like IKM Syntronik). Did you ever watch Doctor Mix play the actual Yamaha DX1 they sampled? Legendary. Oh! And that UVI showcase of their Augmented Piano Pleyel! With Louis Couka... that rendition of that Debussy piece and the Vangelis bit... also a piano I’d love to hear you play. UVI has a lot in store for you I guess haha!


----------



## Marsen (Aug 30, 2020)

Simeon said:


> Well make sure you are a subscriber ...



subscribed ✅


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Aug 30, 2020)

Simeon said:


> OK,
> Just have only spent just a few moments going through some of the sounds, and having a wonderful time. Here is just a brief sample of one of the first patches I pulled up. My passport is going to be getting a lot of stamps, my journey has just begun. Thanks @UVI!!!




Beautifully played. 

I just want to quietly say that the Gypsy Jazz Guitar is great, but it was in the original World Suite. It's not one of the new instruments from World Suite 2.


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Aug 30, 2020)

I had nothing but trouble with World Suite 2 until I upgraded to the latest version of Falcon, which apparently came out not too long ago. Maybe the Falcon update was to make the new features of W2 possible? As it didn't work properly without it, it sure seems so.

With the latest Falcon it has played flawlessly.

I'm pretty familiar with all the instruments in the original World Suite, because it was my very first world library. I became obsessed with it and it has led to a deep immersion in world music and vast amounts of extravagant spendage.

Now that I have so many other world libraries I think I have some perspective. In my opinion, the original World Suite has some really great stuff, but quite a bit of not so great stuff. I was putting an Asian template together recently and I went to put in their Er Hu, and oh man...it's still there, so you can judge for yourself. 

I think UVI agrees with me, and that's why so many of the WS2 instruments are versions of instruments they already had, like the Erhu. EDIT: IMHO the new one is right up at the top with JEO. 

Playing these new instruments, all I can say is "wow." They are all as good or better than the very best in World Suite. I like that they have gone for quality over quantity.

Well done, UVI!


----------



## sostenuto (Aug 30, 2020)

Good to read and have as reference ! OTH ...... with current heavy commitment to Spectrasonics, NI, several notable others ..... cost of Falcon + WS2 __ then major time and effort to learn fully __ is beyond personal resources. Good luck UVI (and Users). Who knows what lies ahead ?


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Aug 30, 2020)

sostenuto said:


> Good to read and have as reference ! OTH ...... with current heavy commitment to Spectrasonics, NI, several notable others ..... cost of Falcon + WS2 __ then major time and effort to learn fully __ is beyond personal resources. Good luck UVI (and Users). Who knows what lies ahead ?


I appreciate that $$ is always in short supply. UVI often has 30% off store-wide sales, and sometimes the original WS was discounted more. So... maybe someday.

And of course you don't need Falcon. WS2 plays in the free player like all the other UVI stuff. 

But more importantly, there's no real learning curve on this. It's just a lot of instruments that load up with basically the same simple GUI. Each page is very similar. They are cataloged by type of instrument and by area. It's not hard to find anything.


----------



## sostenuto (Aug 30, 2020)

TigerTheFrog said:


> I appreciate that $$ is always in short supply. UVI often has 30% off store-wide sales, and sometimes the original WS was discounted more. So... maybe someday.
> 
> And of course you don't need Falcon. WS2 plays in the free player like all the other UVI stuff.
> 
> But more importantly, there's no real learning curve on this. It's just a lot of instruments that load up with basically the same simple GUI. Each page is very similar. They are cataloged by type of instrument and by area. It's not hard to find anything.





I surely misunderstood comment re. WS2 & Falcon Upgrade. So much good content out there and lotsa $$ on the table; some with tight deadlines ..... 

WS2 standalone seems very cool addition ...


----------



## csullivan (Aug 30, 2020)

Very much looking forward to it Simeon! I always love your reviews.


----------



## csullivan (Aug 30, 2020)

Hey guys. I'm looking at this and using it in UVI Workstation. I don't have Falcon and likely would not for some time. Are there any caveats or anything lacking in UVI Workstation as far as WS2 is concerned?


----------



## Simeon (Aug 30, 2020)

So this is happening Monday 🤓
UVI World Suite 2 | Exploring Instruments From Around The Globe


@TigerTheFrog, this was my first UVI official library, and I have only used the player for the VI Labs and Acoustic Sampleslibraries. I made sure I did upgrade to the latest player.

Not having the original World Suite, all of these sounds were new to me and very wonderful to see so many different takes on some of them. I will have to refresh myself with some of the notes in this thread as it is overflowing with great information. I wish there were a way to differentiate what is new and what was from WS1 in the Browser, there might be but I could be missing it.

My passport is ready!
See you there.


----------



## Technostica (Aug 30, 2020)

Simeon said:


> Not having the original World Suite, all of these sounds were new to me and very wonderful to see so many different takes on some of them. I will have to refresh myself with some of the notes in this thread as it is overflowing with great information. I wish there were a way to differentiate what is new and what was from WS1 in the Browser, there might be but I could be missing it.


Not sure if they are highlighted in the app but here's the list:

*New instruments:*
Africa:- Kalimba
Asia:- Erhu, GuQin
Australia:- Didgeridoo
Eastern Europe:- Chonguri, Contrabass Panduri, Duduk, Panduri, Salamuri, Weltmeister Accordion
India:- Dhol, Shaji Baaja
Middle East Mediterranean:- Electric Saz, Kemence, Kloo Mandolin, Oriental Ensemble, Pku, Qanun, Saz, Tar, Turkish Percussions (5)
Occidental:- Alphorn, Cabinet Organ, Cavaco, Dulcimer, Folk Recorders (5), German Accordion, German Psalter, Gothenburg Organ, Portuguese Fado Guitar, Recorders (5), Triple String Zither, Viola Da Gamba
South America:- Bajo Quinto, Charango, Guitarron, Keyboard Recorder, Mexican Vihuela, Peru Flute, Ronroco, UBass
West Indies:- Garrahand, Handpan Ayasa, Handpan Bells (2), Handpan BPSH, Opsilon, Steel Pan, Ukulele

*New Loops and Phrases:*
Eastern Europe:- Chonguri, Georgian Male, Georgian Female, Panduri, Georgian Traveler
India:- Dhol
Middle East:- Middle East Strings, Tar, Turkish and Arabic Percussions, Middle Eastern 2 Traveler
Occidental:- Cavaco
South America:- Bajo Quinto, Mexican Vihuela, Ronroco, South-American Traveler


----------



## Wes Antczak (Aug 30, 2020)

Just as an fyi, the system requirements for World Suit 2 are listed as:

Runs in UVI Workstation version 3.0.14+, and Falcon version 2.0.9+


----------



## Simeon (Aug 30, 2020)

Technostica said:


> Not sure if they are highlighted in the app but here's the list:
> 
> *New instruments:*
> Africa:- Kalimba
> ...



Wow!
Thanks so much, excellent, even color-coded!!!!
This will help a lot.

So it looks like Jordan's Around The World in 8 Minutes seems to be using some sort of multi. I am wondering if WS2 has anything like this in the library or is it something Jordan probably put together? I loved how the keyboard was split into several areas to play some of the demos live and more free-flowing.


----------



## Simeon (Aug 30, 2020)

doctoremmet said:


> Their Falcon2 synth engine is something else, Simeon. I am not sure, but I guess you already did a video on @DanMcKinney ‘s excellent 1954 Parlor Baldwin yeah? It is a gorgeous piano on the UVI platform. His second one (1988 Chapel Baldwin) seems to be delayed somewhat, but I trust he will make sure to send you an NFR as soon as it sees a release. The Vintage Vault is also an excellent package (a bit like IKM Syntronik). Did you ever watch Doctor Mix play the actual Yamaha DX1 they sampled? Legendary. Oh! And that UVI showcase of their Augmented Piano Pleyel! With Louis Couka... that rendition of that Debussy piece and the Vangelis bit... also a piano I’d love to hear you play. UVI has a lot in store for you I guess haha!



Ahhh Yes! So many amazing things happening right now.
I am still working on putting a video together of @DanMcKinney 's library as it has a really unusual and wonderful character about it, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for his pianos.

Looking forward to many @UVI adventures ahead, that's for sure.


----------



## Simeon (Aug 30, 2020)

@TigerTheFrog , while browsing through the WS2 library again I noticed that the new content has a WS2 designation which is helpful to distinguish the new content from what was originally included in WS1.
That is very helpful. I would some tagging or even favorites included in the browser, anything to make managing libraries and sound searching more convenient.


----------



## mikrokosmiko (Aug 30, 2020)

TigerTheFrog said:


> Now that I have so many other world libraries I think I have some perspective. In my opinion, the original World Suite has some really great stuff, but quite a bit of not so great stuff. I was putting an Asian template together recently and I went to put in their Er Hu, and oh man...it's still there, so you can judge for yourself.
> 
> I think UVI agrees with me, and that's why so many of the WS2 instruments are versions of instruments they already had, like the Erhu.
> 
> ...



I've just bought it and downloading it. What would you say are the best instruments in WS?*

(*also curious for the worst ones )


----------



## InLight-Tone (Aug 30, 2020)

Mark Schmieder said:


> That didn't take too long; I only have about 30 active album projects at the moment,



WOW! How are able to keep track of and manage 30 albums? I assume they are production music? You are doing these all be yourself?


----------



## Mark Schmieder (Aug 30, 2020)

The confusion regarding Falcon is because some people use Falcon for everything, and don't realize that the UVI Workstation updates often precede the ones for Falcon. I sold Falcon once I realized that its extra features weren't going to get used for acoustic libraries, as I no longer do much synth stuff.

I recommend that people only use Falcon to host Falcon-dependent libraries. I had gone all-Falcon and had to go back, once I realized that the compatibility paths aren't always in sync. This reminds me a bit of how things were earlier with MOTU MachFive. The high-end version is more of a sound designer's tool.

I can't remember if I finished all of my UVI World Suite 2 reviews now, as I have been focused on orchestral percussion final decisions. One of my passions, like world instruments, and I am determined that this time the workflows, templates, and decisions will be permanent. As with the world instruments, I am buying the "real things" and looking forward to miking them in place of the MIDI mockup stuff.


----------



## csullivan (Aug 30, 2020)

Mark Schmieder said:


> The confusion regarding Falcon is because some people use Falcon for everything, and don't realize that the UVI Workstation updates often precede the ones for Falcon. I sold Falcon once I realized that its extra features weren't going to get used for acoustic libraries, as I no longer do much synth stuff.
> 
> I recommend that people only use Falcon to host Falcon-dependent libraries. I had gone all-Falcon and had to go back, once I realized that the compatibility paths aren't always in sync. This reminds me a bit of how things were earlier with MOTU MachFive. The high-end version is more of a sound designer's tool.



Thanks Mark. That's helpful to me. I have no experience with UVI stuff, except for the few times I've used Workstation to play a free piano library I picked up. I have no idea for sure if I'll ever venture into Falcon territory.


----------



## doctoremmet (Aug 31, 2020)

csullivan said:


> Thanks Mark. That's helpful to me. I have no experience with UVI stuff, except for the few times I've used Workstation to play a free piano library I picked up. I have no idea for sure if I'll ever venture into Falcon territory.


Their player is excellent and more than enough for use with dedicated UVI sample libraries. Falcon2 brings a LOT, but I guess it’s more geared towards synth heads and developers.


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Aug 31, 2020)

Simeon said:


> So this is happening Monday 🤓
> 
> 
> @TigerTheFrog, this was my first UVI official library, and I have only used the player for the VI Labs and Acoustic Sampleslibraries. I made sure I did upgrade to the latest player.
> ...



Bon Voyage, Simeon! When I got the original World Suite I didn't care about what was in earlier versions. I just explored it and had fun. Which obviously you already are,


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Aug 31, 2020)

Simeon said:


> Wow!
> Thanks so much, excellent, even color-coded!!!!
> This will help a lot.
> 
> So it looks like Jordan's Around The World in 8 Minutes seems to be using some sort of multi. I am wondering if WS2 has anything like this in the library or is it something Jordan probably put together? I loved how the keyboard was split into several areas to play some of the demos live and more free-flowing.


If you click the Multis button in the Workstation, you'll see that you can load as many UVI libraries in at the same time (including your VI Labs and AcousticSamples stuff), and adjust volume, panning, etc. in the mixer. Even the option to set up two Aux busses so you can add effects.

Then... if you click "Settings," you can assign note ranges to each instrument. So you can set up as many splits as you want. There is also the option to put in a keyswitch, by clicking a key. I just noticed it now, but I assume it will change the instrument every time you hit the switch. 

Don't forget to save your multi when you're done!


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Aug 31, 2020)

mikrokosmiko said:


> I've just bought it and downloading it. What would you say are the best instruments in WS?*
> 
> (*also curious for the worst ones )


Hmmmm... I know I made those blanket judgments but I don't like to get into the kind of specifics that you are asking in this question, because I want to encourage you to explore as much as possible. That is the whole idea of this. Find out what YOU like. 

I'll critique the Er Hu because UVI replaced it. As I said, I have always enjoyed playing the accordions, and still do, even though I now own fancy-pants accordions by Ilya Efimov, Tarilonte and others. The WS accordions stand up. There is a snobbish kneejerk attitude that a lot of people have against this and EthnoWorld which I find often comes from ignorance. There are real gems in these collections, good enough to use anywhere. You just have to find them. 

Since I got WS2 I have been particularly enjoying playing the Viola da Gamba. Lots of articulations. I like the new Travellers too. But this thing is going to keep me busy for a long time.


----------



## Mark Schmieder (Aug 31, 2020)

Yeah, it's funny how good the new accordions are, as they are tiny in sample size compared to the older ones! The new Er Hu is a big improvement as well, and is also way smaller in sample size.

As for Falcon, just so people don't draw the wrong conclusions, it's an excellent product, but not necessary for playback-based sample libraries.

If you want to edit and resave the sounds, it might be useful, as my recollection is that Falcon has more powerful "traditional sampler" features than Kontakt does, at the level of sample editing and the like. But that may have only been true in the early days of MachFive (which morphed into Falcon) and Kontakt versions 1 through 3 or 4.

Falcon is also important for emulating more synth-like features so that you are closer to what excellent ROMplers like Yamaha's MOTIF/MONTAGE series can do towards getting sample-based synthesis closer to true subtractive synthesis. Note how many of the newer synth-oriented libraries require Falcon.


----------



## doctoremmet (Aug 31, 2020)

Mark Schmieder said:


> Yeah, it's funny how good the new accordions are, as they are tiny in sample size compared to the older ones! The new Er Hu is a big improvement as well, and is also way smaller in sample size.
> 
> As for Falcon, just so people don't draw the wrong conclusions, it's an excellent product, but not necessary for playback-based sample libraries.
> 
> ...


Falcon2 is a full blown “modular” synthesizer AND a sampler. It comes with a lot of oscillator / synthesis models. 4 operator FM, extremely detailed granular options, wavetables, additive synthesis, subtractive synthesis, even Hammond organ drawbars; they’re there - next to lots of filters, VCAs, arpeggiators and very extreme modulation options. Pretty much “limitless”.


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Aug 31, 2020)

Mark Schmieder said:


> As for Falcon, just so people don't draw the wrong conclusions, it's an excellent product, but not necessary for playback-based sample libraries.



Falcon provides massive increased capabilities for any instrument made to work in the UVI engine. Whether it is a synth instrument or an "acoustic" instrument is of no relevance at all. It will supercharge what you can do beyond the workstation. Do you "need" that? Of course not. It's just if you are the type of person who wants what it can do. 

The Doctor didn't mention all the effects that come with it or the drum machines. There is so much stuff in there that is unique to Falcon and can't be found anywhere else. Also, do you need chord recognition. a harmonizer or a unison effectz? 12-voice chords, a Euclidean Drum and Tonal Sequencers? You definitely do not. But they are still as fun with sampled sounds as they are with synthesized sounds.

Even if you are intrigued by it, I totally get that a lot of you would rather spend your time playing music than spend time learning about a beast like Falcon. Or maybe you have enough instruments to keep you busy already or don't want to spend the money? I didn't buy Falcon myself until a year ago.


----------



## doctoremmet (Aug 31, 2020)

TigerTheFrog said:


> Even if you are intrigued by it, I totally get that a lot of you would rather spend your time playing music than spend time learning about a beast like Falcon.


Absolutely! But once you do, you are lost


----------



## Technostica (Aug 31, 2020)

I asked UVI about the possibility of using MPE with World Suite from within Falcon and here’s their response:

‘UVI soundbanks like World Suite have not been formerly developed for MPE, and since the library script is "steeling" MIDI information internally, this may cause trouble using other MIDI interactions like MPE.
However, you can use the MPE script in Falcon to include it on your custom sounds.’

So I wonder what you will lose when trying to incorporate World Suite Instruments/samples within Falcon?
Seems an intriguing combination so if anyone here has both I’d be curious to hear how well they work together!


----------



## Simeon (Aug 31, 2020)

Wow! Just finished the livestream, what an experience, turbulence, and all. I think we made a really interesting journey of discovery. There is still so much to learn about these amazing instruments, their culture, history, and most importantly how to interpret them from a keyboardist perspective to be authentic.

Thanks to everyone who joined and hopefully will be able to edit and post the replay soon.


----------



## Markrs (Aug 31, 2020)

Simeon said:


> Wow! Just finished the livestream, what an experience, turbulence, and all. I think we made a really interesting journey of discovery. There is still so much to learn about these amazing instruments, their culture, history, and most importantly how to interpret them from a keyboardist perspective to be authentic.
> 
> Thanks to everyone who joined and hopefully will be able to edit and post the replay soon.


Couldn't stay for all of it (will try to watch more later on), but after watching some of it, I think this seems like a sound purchase. I currently don't have that many world libraries, so this could be a very welcome edition! Thanks for another great walkthrough and sample library exploration video @Simeon


----------



## doctoremmet (Aug 31, 2020)

Simeon said:


> Wow! Just finished the livestream, what an experience, turbulence, and all. I think we made a really interesting journey of discovery. There is still so much to learn about these amazing instruments, their culture, history, and most importantly how to interpret them from a keyboardist perspective to be authentic.
> 
> Thanks to everyone who joined and hopefully will be able to edit and post the replay soon.


Watched parts of the stream and as usual was enamoured by your playing and your reflections. Great job Simeon. I immediately got Volume 2 as soon as UVI announced it and have had fhe pleasure of playing these instruments for a while and I can assure you they will keep you busy for quite some time.

Now...It may be cool to watch you play that augmented Pleyel... OR... flex your gospel muscles on some Rhodes and Clavinet in the Keysuite Electric


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Aug 31, 2020)

Technostica said:


> I asked UVI about the possibility of using MPE with World Suite from within Falcon and here’s their response:
> 
> ‘UVI soundbanks like World Suite have not been formerly developed for MPE, and since the library script is "steeling" MIDI information internally, this may cause trouble using other MIDI interactions like MPE.
> However, you can use the MPE script in Falcon to include it on your custom sounds.’
> ...


First, there are very few MPE patches that come with Falcon, although you can create them there. But most Falcon patches are not MPE.

I don't know what you mean by "what you will lose." You will only gain by putting World Suite in Falcon. However, World Suite 2 is not a Falcon expansion. It has its own fixed interface, unlike the more malleable ones in an expansion. With the expansions, with one click you can add knobs at will with your parameters in Falcon. You can drag in a photo and save that as your preset cover.

The World Suite instruments have a set interface. But using WS2 with Falcon, you can go under the hood with all the effects and modulation and do a lot more than you can if you are using it in Workstation. For example, you can MIDI learn various EQ bands. It can make a big difference when you are fine-tuning a sound to your liking. Of course you can do that outside of Falcon too, but you can save your new settings as a preset and then it is always ready for you.


----------



## Technostica (Sep 1, 2020)

TigerTheFrog said:


> First, there are very few MPE patches that come with Falcon, although you can create them there. But most Falcon patches are not MPE.
> 
> I don't know what you mean by "what you will lose." You will only gain by putting World Suite in Falcon. However, World Suite 2 is not a Falcon expansion. It has its own fixed interface, unlike the more malleable ones in an expansion. With the expansions, with one click you can add knobs at will with your parameters in Falcon. You can drag in a photo and save that as your preset cover.
> 
> The World Suite instruments have a set interface. But using WS2 with Falcon, you can go under the hood with all the effects and modulation and do a lot more than you can if you are using it in Workstation. For example, you can MIDI learn various EQ bands. It can make a big difference when you are fine-tuning a sound to your liking. Of course you can do that outside of Falcon too, but you can save your new settings as a preset and then it is always ready for you.


What UVI were alluding to is that when you use World Suite or other non-Falcon Expansions from within Falcon you may lose certain Falcon functionality.


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Sep 1, 2020)

Technostica said:


> What UVI were alluding to is that when you use World Suite or other non-Falcon Expansions from within Falcon you may lose certain Falcon functionality.


I think that's true. 

If you get any Kontakt instrument, even a free one, you can use all the features of Kontakt. There are some features you can only get with a Player instrument, but that's not a big deal.

If you buy a HALion instrument, you can use all the features of HALion.

That's not true of Falcon. All UVI products are not necessarily Falcon expansions. They are not Falcon instruments, if you will.

However, after I got Falcon I stopped using the Workstation. I load everything in Falcon and take advantage of everything that Falcon has to offer. 

It depends on how you look at it. If you get Falcon, all your UVI products can do more stuff. 
And you get access to the onboard Falcon presets, all the expansions you want to buy, and everything you can make within it. 

Have you lost Falcon functionality with World Suite 2? Or... do you have increased features with it if you have Falcon? 

But you are right, World Suite 2 is not a Falcon Expansion.


----------



## Mucusman (Sep 1, 2020)

At my request, UDi Audio kindly produced this video of a quick sampling of the Georgian vocal samples new to version 2 for me. it's up now, for those who happen to be interested in this:


----------



## danwool (Sep 11, 2020)

Btw, can someone please tell me, what do the colored keys mean? The manual for WS1 and 2 says red keys are keyswitches and colored keys are the original sampled note, but in some patches the keys are all white, or all colored. Whats the deal? Thx


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Sep 11, 2020)

FYI, there have been two updates on WS2 already. 
1.01 fixed the German Accordion
1.02 fixed the Travelers. The new ones never worked right for me, but now they are among my favorite things about WS2. The Georgian Vocals do add a lot. 

You have to download an entirely new file to get 1.02. I recommend downloading directly from the site and not through their downloader.


----------



## Mark Schmieder (Sep 11, 2020)

Thanks; I didn't get an email alert!


----------



## boxed (Sep 16, 2021)

This back on sale again for 40% off 

https://www.uvi.net/world-suite-2


----------

