# Chris Hein - Harmonica > OUT NOW!



## Chris Hein (Nov 14, 2013)

You asked for it, here it is:





The library was released today and VI controllers are the first who hear about it.






With almost 7.000 samples, 14 articulations, up to 8 dynamic-layers and a full range of 4 octaves, 
CH-Harmonica is definitely the most detailed sampled Chromatic Harmonica on the planet.
To achieve the feeling of a live performance, the user interface offers four "Dynamic Modes",
„Key-Vibrato“, „Hot-Keys“ and a revolutionary new concept of articulation presets.

One of the most unique features in CH-Harmonica are the Phase-Aligned samples.
After six months of research, I found a solution to phase-synchronize the samples.
This enables an absolutely perfect blending between six dynamic layers.

During the development of CH-Harmonica most attention was spent on how to work with dynamic expression.
Instead of using the X-Fade to blend between the sustain samples, there are three Expressive sustain articulations.
These articulation have six layers of real played dynamic bows. And you can still use the X-Fade to blend between them.

*Here are some of the first demos:*
[mp3]https://s3.amazonaws.com/ch-extras/Rio+Lullaby.mp3[/mp3] "Rio Lullaby" by Craig Sharmat
[mp3]https://s3.amazonaws.com/ch-extras/Deadshot+-+by+Przemyslaw+Kopczyk.mp3[/mp3] "Dead Shot" by Przemyslaw Kopczyck
[mp3]https://s3.amazonaws.com/ch-extras/Smokey+Joe+-+by+Przemyslaw+Kopczyk.mp3[/mp3] "Smokey Joe" by Przemyslaw Kopczyck
[mp3]https://s3.amazonaws.com/ch-extras/Ein+kleiner+Waltzer+-+by+Przemyslaw+Kopczyk.mp3[/mp3] "A Little Walz" by Przemyslaw Kopczyck
[mp3]https://s3.amazonaws.com/ch-extras/Sustained+Hope+-+by+Przemyslaw+Kopczyk.mp3[/mp3] "Sustained Hope" by Przemyslaw Kopczyck

Click here for mores info and demos
Place your order here

I hope you like my my new baby, it was much more work than expected.

Chris Hein


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## JE Martinsen (Nov 14, 2013)

What?? I just fell off my chair! :lol: 

Chris Hein, you just made my day! I've been dreaming about this for such a long time!

Thank you. THANK YOU! o-[][]-o 


I promise I'll stop nagging about a harmonica library now, fellas.... :lol:


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## JE Martinsen (Nov 14, 2013)

After passing out a couple of times I finally got a chance to listen to the demos.. Yep, that's pretty much exactly the sound I was looking for. Absolutely mindblowing!


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## germancomponist (Nov 14, 2013)

Absolutely great!


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## MacQ (Nov 14, 2013)

Sounds great Chris!

Are you going to keep your phase-alignment method proprietary? I'm super curious about this, as I spent a good amount of time researching and tinkering, and never really getting what I wanted. The closest I came was using additive resynthesis plots which I then synthesized using phase-aligned sine waves. But the results were, as expected, synth-sounding. It's elusive. I know you mentioned ages ago that you might explain this technique ... I'll sign an NDA and non-compete if you'll spill your secrets in a PM. Just sayin'.


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## d.healey (Nov 14, 2013)

Sounds great!!

What does it mean to 'phase synchronise' samples?


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## KingIdiot (Nov 14, 2013)

phase syncronization/alignment is required to crossfade between multiple dynamics of a solo instrument. If you don't fundamnetals as well as overtones will oscillate or even cancel out, sounding like multiiple instruments, or making it sound thinner.

There are ways to go about it that some have implemented into libraries. The tools available now allow for this in a multiple different ways than before. results. It all depends on the instrument and the process, whether it's needed. In something like a harmonica it's gonna be really useful.


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## feck (Nov 14, 2013)

Man, this sounds awesome! It's great to see this attention to detail lately with instruments which, until now, weren't possible via samples/keyboards. Buying now.


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## Viango (Nov 14, 2013)

I have also been asking for a nice sounding harmonica Library and today it arrived.
It sounds very good with much attention to detail, the sound and the expression.
So Chris Hein: Thank you very much! (yet another reason to upgrade from Kontakt 4 to Kontakt 5......)


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## feck (Nov 14, 2013)

Quick question - this being a chromatic harmonica, are there presets to make it specific to a particular key so that it functions non-chromatically?


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## quantum7 (Nov 14, 2013)

I'm a little disappointed- no EPIC harmonica?  Sounds great! I'm sure I'll eventually be picking this one up.


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## chimuelo (Nov 16, 2013)

This is excellent news. Sounds great too.
I was just commenting on how the best Harmonica I heard was still the PhysMod Yamaha made for the VLZ years ago.
This is my Christmas gift to myself.


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## Patrick de Caumette (Nov 16, 2013)

Congrats Chris: great idea!


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## Kejero (Nov 19, 2013)

There aren't a lot of sampled harmonicas out there and none of them sound half-decent. This one sounds absolutely great! Congrats!


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## Craig Sharmat (Nov 19, 2013)

I have not come out in support of products much recently because the users cover most things I would say anyway.

In this case my family thanks Chris for coming out with the harmonica. For years I tried samples and synths for harmonica and hired players (I have used harmonica on my jazz albums) but never got a decent sounding sampled harmonica so I went out and bought one a few years back much to the dismay of my wife and dogs (especially the dogs). 

This harmonica gives me exactly what I have been missing and has relegated my chromatic harmonica useless as I prefer to spend my time learning other things. One quick note is there is a room setting which the harmonica comes with and some may like it but I prefer it off, it is but one of many things you can customize but in reality outside of that and changing a vibrato setting to the speed of my liking the harmonica just works great after download.


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## EastWest Lurker (Nov 26, 2013)

+1 big time! As some of you know, I have been begging for a great chromatic harmonica library for a while. I even suggested to Doug Rogers that EW do one but he wasn't interested.

Well, Chris took on the challenge, I bought it yesterday, and wow! I will be doing a review of it forMacProVideo next month but for now I will just say it sounds great and is so deep that it will cover a wide range of styles.

Fantastic job, Mr. Hein.


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## Chris Hein (Dec 7, 2013)

Hey, thanks all for your kind comments.

I have uploaded a little CH-Harmonica phase align comparison.
Its a simple Kontakt patch with no GUI but two octaves of sustains with and without phase align.
Use key-switch C0 and the modwheel to hear the original samples crossfading
and use C#0 to hear the processed phase aligned samples crossfading.
The difference is amazing.
However, in the full CH-Harmonica the original samples are still used for the velocity dynamic mode.

You can download the comparison patch here:
http://www.chrishein.net/web/CH-Harmonica_Details.html

Chris Hein


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## Udo (Dec 7, 2013)

A major oversight; no Bluesette demo ... :wink:


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## NYC Composer (Dec 7, 2013)

Udo @ Sat Dec 07 said:


> A major oversight; no Bluesette demo ... :wink:



No need-it was playing in my head... :wink:


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## playz123 (Dec 7, 2013)

NYC Composer @ Sat Dec 07 said:


> Udo @ Sat Dec 07 said:
> 
> 
> > A major oversight; no Bluesette demo ... :wink:
> ...



Larry, why don't you reopen that great tune you did featuring Mike's banjo, and add in some of this harmonica?  Would love to hear that. My own plan is to go back 8 years to a song that was badly in need of a non-existent harmonica library, and redo the lead instrument track using Chris' harmonica. There simply wasn't a 'good' harmonica library at the time....but sometimes good things come to those who wait I guess!


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## NYC Composer (Dec 7, 2013)

playz123 @ Sat Dec 07 said:


> NYC Composer @ Sat Dec 07 said:
> 
> 
> > Udo @ Sat Dec 07 said:
> ...



Frank- nice of you to say! I would, but haven't bought the harmonica yet because I was a little surprised at the price. Gotta have it though, so I will soonish and throw it into that piece and send it to ya.


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## Ah_dziz (Dec 7, 2013)

Damn I could have used the hell out of this for a show I finished last month. I'll still be getting it sinch this is something I've been wanting for ages. I half assedly taught myself to play some blues so I could drop in a little bit of harmonica when needed but this changes things.


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## EastWest Lurker (Dec 7, 2013)

There is a huge difference in the skill required to play chromatic harmonica than a blues harmonica. Back in the 60's I played a llittle of the latter and it was easy, but realized that the former required more practice time than I was willing to put in.


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## Udo (Dec 7, 2013)

Just to be clear, for "the young ones" (or others who didn't know), Bluesette is not some bluesharp tune, but "a tune" on chromatic harmonica by Belgian Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Isidor, Baron Thieleman, aka Toots Thielemans.

He's also an accomplished guitarist and puccalo player, i.e. whistler (pucker-piccolo). 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toots_Thielemans


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## Ah_dziz (Dec 8, 2013)

EastWest Lurker @ Sat Dec 07 said:


> There is a huge difference in the skill required to play chromatic harmonica than a blues harmonica. Back in the 60's I played a llittle of the latter and it was easy, but realized that the former required more practice time than I was willing to put in.



Well my skills are such that the latter was a struggle even just to add some licks for flavor on some americana type cues I was working on. Far short of playing a lead I was having to do some serious editing to just get a usable rhythm part. This would have saved me tons of time and given me a far better end product. 

I haven't attempted playing a chromatic harmonica, but I have stuck with my practice after that project finished. I'm almost to the point where I can play a successful take from start to finish. Either way I searched for something just like this while working on that show and way sad I couldn't find anything satisfactory. I'll be buying this on general principal. I'm sure I'll be adding some unnecessary harmonica into some upcoming projects just because. :D


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## EastWest Lurker (Dec 8, 2013)

Ah_dziz @ Sun Dec 08 said:


> EastWest Lurker @ Sat Dec 07 said:
> 
> 
> > There is a huge difference in the skill required to play chromatic harmonica than a blues harmonica. Back in the 60's I played a llittle of the latter and it was easy, but realized that the former required more practice time than I was willing to put in.
> ...



You won't regret it. Chris did a fantastic job with it.


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## EastWest Lurker (Jan 19, 2014)

My review of this for MacProVido's Hub is up.

www.askaudiomag.com/articles/review-chr ... -harmonica


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## doubleattack (Jan 19, 2014)

Jay, maybe you should add a third "w" to the link, make it more easy to copy and paste or the line is switching directly in a blue colored link.

Anyway, thanks for the review.

Kind regards

Frank


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## EastWest Lurker (Jan 19, 2014)

doubleattack @ Sun Jan 19 said:


> Jay, maybe you should add a third "w" to the link, make it more easy to copy and paste or the line is switching directly in a blue colored link.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for the review.
> 
> ...



Oops, thanks.


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## lucky909091 (Jan 20, 2014)

Very nice instrument. Where can I download the demo-songs? They are really imressive.


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