# Olafur Arnalds Composer toolkit



## Ultraxenon (Apr 26, 2017)

I havent seen so much comments about this library on V.I, what do you think about it? and is Arnalds Evo and Albion Tundra a good choice for further exploring of these wonderfull soundscapes. I have seen all the YouTube videos and i think they sound amazing, but how does these librarys work together? I have to say the soundtrack from Broadchurch is fantastic. Arnalds is a genius!


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## Craig Sharmat (Apr 26, 2017)

I like both libraries, work fine together.


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## chillbot (Apr 26, 2017)

The felt piano in olafur arnald's toolkit is by far the best felt piano I've used, I use it in everything.


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## mouse (Apr 26, 2017)

chillbot said:


> The felt piano in olafur arnald's toolkit is by far the best felt piano I've used, I use it in everything.



Same here. Its gorgeous. Not entirely sure that the rest of the stuff is worth the full price as its all so minimal, but that's the beauty of it too. You can get a really quick Olafur sound between the toolkit and the strings (which are beautiful).


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## pfmusic (Apr 26, 2017)

I don't have the toolkit but have the Evolutions and Tundra mix really well together. 

I love the sound of OA Evolutions - so many different haunting sounds can be created and perfect for atmospheric music.

Tundra is just amazing!

Would like to get the OA toolkit but already have Spitfires Felt Piano which is nice too.


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## Fleer (Apr 26, 2017)

Have been watching Broadchurch lately and would love to play accordingly. Which of both Arnalds libraries would be best for this?


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## synthpunk (Apr 26, 2017)

Thats Olafur's Beautiful Walnut Bechstein with felt strip recorded by Stanley.

Most of the synth sounds are Juno 60 through Roland Tape delay and EMT250 if that helps. Diva or Uno-62LX with similiar treatment is very close.

Would love to hear a Olafur PS-3100 library.

I'm a Evo addict but that's just me.



Fleer said:


> Have been watching Broadchurch lately and would love to play accordingly. Which of both Arnalds libraries would be best for this?


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## pfmusic (Apr 26, 2017)

Also meant to add that the Vral Evo in Tundra blends beautifully with OA Evolutions.

Next on my to buy list - Evo #2


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## ruben_vale (Apr 26, 2017)

Hi,

I have the toolkit, the evo and tundra. The toolkit is worth for the felt piano alone it is really really beautiful and I use it in most tracks I'm doing. The evos are a bit hard to use imo - the sounds are very beautiful but i'd rather have more control over it.. I always feel it is almost great but never delivers exactly what I want from it. Tundra is just awesome - I love most features - the strings are stunning, the brass and winds are very good. The brunel loops are very useful for pads for instance.

The sounds do marry well together in all three libraries in my opinion if you mix them properly. I also recommend spitfire's brass library - it's one of my favourite libraries and it connects super well with the felt piano.


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## LamaRose (Apr 26, 2017)

Beautiful felt. Very, very soft dynamics if needed. Using the alternate mics will yield some nice Nils Frahm tones. I'd like to see Olafur and SF come back and record some solo strings, even if it were just the longs with varying articulations.


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## heisenberg (Apr 26, 2017)

synthpunk said:


> Would love to hear a Olafur PS-3100 library.



In the event that you are not aware, UVI put out a few months ago plug of the PS-3200 which can also be further mangled by Falcon. I'm quite taken by it.

https://www.uvi.net/en/vintage-corner/uvs-3200.html

Agreed with the Olafur reference. Strings and EVO are stunning but everyone should start their day with an EVO.


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## Silence-is-Golden (Apr 26, 2017)

heisenberg said:


> In the event that you are not aware, UVI put out a few months ago plug of the PS-3200 which can also be further mangled by Falcon


that would be the day that synth punk would have missed that


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## Ultraxenon (Apr 26, 2017)

Thanks for all the response. I know what to do. First buy the composer kit, i really want that piano and then Evo and Albion Tundra in some weeks (when i have the cash Thanks again for all the answers, it helps a lot.


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## erikradbo (Apr 26, 2017)

+1 for the composers toolkit. Don't have his EVO but have the Tundra, and whenever I want to create something fragile and soft these are my goto libraries to start with.


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## SoNowWhat? (Apr 26, 2017)

synthpunk said:


> Thats Olafur's Beautiful Walnut Bechstein with felt strip recorded by Stanley.
> 
> Most of the synth sounds are Juno 60 through Roland Tape delay and EMT250 if that helps. Diva or Uno-62LX with similiar treatment is very close.
> 
> ...


Mmmmmm Bechstein...


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## synthpunk (Apr 26, 2017)

It is equipped with the Moog Piano bar as well. I'm sure having Coles ribbon mics and Pultec clones does not hurt either.









SoNowWhat? said:


> Mmmmmm Bechstein...


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## synthpunk (Apr 26, 2017)

I tried the demo it just didn't rock my world. Always open to be proven wrong though.



Silence-is-Golden said:


> that would be the day that synth punk would have missed that


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## SoNowWhat? (Apr 26, 2017)

synthpunk said:


> It is equipped with the Moog Piano bar as well. I'm sure having Coles ribbon mics and Pultec clones does not hurt either.


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## Hat_Tricky (Apr 26, 2017)

synthpunk said:


> I tried the demo it just didn't rock my world. Always open to be proven wrong though.



There's a demo!? Have I been living under a rock?


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## synthpunk (Apr 26, 2017)

sorry, meant demo songs



Hat_Tricky said:


> There's a demo!? Have I been living under a rock?


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## MillsMixx (Apr 26, 2017)

Ultraxenon said:


> Thanks for all the response. I know what to do. First buy the composer kit, i really want that piano and then Evo and Albion Tundra in some weeks (when i have the cash Thanks again for all the answers, it helps a lot.



Nice thing about Spitfire it is you can get the SCANDI bundle savings when you add all 3 of them to your palette. I have Scandi and love everything it has to offer. You'll fall in love with Tundra when you eventually add that, but ya, the Toolkit is great...all of it


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## jmvideo (Apr 26, 2017)

I disagree about the felt piano. The mid to upper keys sound ok, but the lower octaves suck.

The synth sounds are *meh* , very muted with no dynamics, which is what you can expect from sampled synths.


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## Ultraxenon (Apr 26, 2017)

MillsMixx said:


> Nice thing about Spitfire it is you can get the SCANDI bundle savings when you add all 3 of them to your palette. I have Scandi and love everything it has to offer. You'll fall in love with Tundra when you eventually add that, but ya, the Toolkit is great...all of it


Thanks for the tip, i should buy them as bundle, just have to wait a bit longer.


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## n9n9n9 (Apr 27, 2017)

The Scandi bundle is really wonderful. My best purchase. You get a whole ton of great stuff for the money... it will take you months before you have dug into all of it. I wouldn't have got all the pieces separately, probably, but the savings was significant. I'm very glad I have them and use them constantly.


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## Ultraxenon (Apr 27, 2017)

jmvideo said:


> I disagree about the felt piano. The mid to upper keys sound ok, but the lower octaves suck.
> 
> The synth sounds are *meh* , very muted with no dynamics, which is what you can expect from sampled synths.


Is there another Felt piano you would recomend?


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## sostenuto (Apr 28, 2017)

Not experienced with these specific type pianos, yet wonder if NI Una Corda fits in the category.


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## thesteelydane (Apr 28, 2017)

Ultraxenon said:


> Is there another Felt piano you would recomend?



You could always start with the practically free Spitfire soft piano, formerly known as felt piano. It's still one of my favorite sampled instruments.


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## sostenuto (Apr 28, 2017)

thesteelydane said:


> You could always start with the practically free Spitfire soft piano, formerly known as felt piano. It's still one of my favorite sampled instruments.



Hey! Made Paul's & Christian's weekend ....thanks to your Post. Downloading Soft Piano and Groove Piano as I write.
Another $6. in their Charities' banks ! 

Many thanks @ thesteelydane


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## n9n9n9 (Apr 28, 2017)

I have the Gwilyn Simcock felt piano from Spitfire, Una Corda from NI and the Ulafur Arnalds... and Pianoteq. I grew up with a cheap console piano that had a pretty awesome celeste pedal that I was obsessed with. Since then I've generally found myself trying to play piano as quietly as I can.

Of the options that I have I think that the Olufar piano is the easiest to fly into a production that has a lot of space. The reverb channel that is included is pretty neat... you can get a good feel for it in the Spitfire overview video for the library. It is very simple. The Gwilyn Simcock is a more thoroughly sampled library with multiple mics and two configs for dynamics. I like playing it immensely but I have not yet figured out a mic setup that I love, but I have only spent a couple of hours with it.

The Una Corda instrument is a good friend of mine. That said I dislike and never ever use the cotton and felt versions. They sound too much like a tack piano for me... having spent a lot of time with Nils Frahm records I didn't expect the balance of percussive attack and tone that they present. The "pure" setup, though, is very very nice. I've found the presets to be unusable except maybe as starting points. Once I mapped a few of the important controls to my midi controller and dove in I was quickly able to come up with very useful sounds that worked in a mix.

Pianoteqs celeste pedal requires some doing to keep engaged to make it a felt piano. i think it also sounds quite fine but i have a hard time getting it into a mix but i'm sure that's my failing. it is very expressive.


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## mc_deli (Apr 29, 2017)

sostenuto said:


> Another $6. in their bank !


...or in the charities' banks


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## sostenuto (Apr 29, 2017)

mc_deli said:


> ...or in the charities' banks


Oops !! ... fixed it !


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## sostenuto (Apr 29, 2017)

n9n9n9 said:


> (edit por favor) ...........
> The Una Corda instrument is a good friend of mine. That said I dislike and never ever use the cotton and felt versions. They sound too much like a tack piano for me... having spent a lot of time with Nils Frahm records I didn't expect the balance of percussive attack and tone that they present. The "pure" setup, though, is very very nice. I've found the presets to be unusable except maybe as starting points. Once I mapped a few of the important controls to my midi controller and dove in I was quickly able to come up with very useful sounds that worked in a mix. ....



Appreciate this specific impression! Currently use IvoryII Italian, OTS Rosewood Grand, NI, AD Keys. Any additions need to well defined and purposeful. 
Olafur Arnalds' may qualify ...


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## Michael Antrum (Apr 29, 2017)

I love the Ivory II Italian grand. One of my favourites. A touch of QL Spaces and I get all Rachmaninoff, if you know what I mean.

There's a strong chance that the Scandi Collection will be on my radar very soon - but I'll have to wait in hope for a sale as I've spent a little too much on music bits of late.....


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## SillyMidOn (Apr 29, 2017)

Looks like Olafur is doing a new library with Spitfire:

https://www.facebook.com/SpitfireAudio/

see "Ólafur Arnalds had a quick message to all of the people at our Spitfire Evening event yesterday.
Here's what he had to say..."


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## Ultraxenon (May 1, 2017)

thesteelydane said:


> You could always start with the practically free Spitfire soft piano, formerly known as felt piano. It's still one of my favorite sampled instruments.


Just downloaded Soft piano and it is great! thanks for letting me know. Im still buying Olafur also because of the other sounds in the package, but i agree, this piano is beautiful


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## higgs (May 1, 2017)

Olaf's and Simcock are my go to pianos. Olafur's has gobs of magical Elvis dust all over it.


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## sostenuto (May 1, 2017)

higgs said:


> Olaf's and Simcock are my go to pianos. Olafur's has gobs of magical Elvis dust all over it.



Hmmmmmm ... Toughie as BOTH is stretch right now. Listened carefully to Walkthrough of Simcock and seems quite nice. Good size $$ jump to Olaf's, and sound is unique, intriguing. 

@ jmvideo Post #23, from last Wed, has had its _effect_ ...


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## Ultraxenon (May 11, 2017)

Just bought Olafur's Composer toolkit. I know i should have bought the bundle, but Olafur's toolkit was what i could afford right now. 
I really love the felt piano, it is really beautiful. All the pads and other sounds are great to. I agree with Spitfire when they saying that the sounds are easy to fit in the mix cause they dont take up every frequenze in a track like some other instruments do. 
I love the sound and the way you could tweak it. My next library is Albion Tundra, looking forward to that investment.


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## MillsMixx (May 11, 2017)

Congrats on the purchase! One of my favorite libraries. 
Some of those toolkit patches and synth embellishments are really nice and blend well with other instruments. I made a couple of multis with it today. Tundra is definitely a worthy follow up. You'll absolutely love it.
Enjoy getting your Scandi on :--)


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## Hat_Tricky (May 11, 2017)

Ultraxenon said:


> Just bought Olafur's Composer toolkit. I know i should have bought the bundle, but Olafur's toolkit was what i could afford right now.
> I really love the felt piano, it is really beautiful. All the pads and other sounds are great to. I agree with Spitfire when they saying that the sounds are easy to fit in the mix cause they dont take up every frequenze in a track like some other instruments do.
> I love the sound and the way you could tweak it. My next library is Albion Tundra, looking forward to that investment.



Bundle? Is there a savings if you buy it with something else? Grats on the purchase!


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## Ultraxenon (May 12, 2017)

MillsMixx said:


> Congrats on the purchase! One of my favorite libraries.
> Some of those toolkit patches and synth embellishments are really nice and blend well with other instruments. I made a couple of multis with it today. Tundra is definitely a worthy follow up. You'll absolutely love it.
> Enjoy getting your Scandi on :--)


Thanks i am really happy with it and it gives me a creative boost. Looking forward to use this in a shortfilm i been involed with.


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## Ultraxenon (May 12, 2017)

Hat_Tricky said:


> Bundle? Is there a savings if you buy it with something else? Grats on the purchase!


Thanks, Yes you could by Tundra, Evo and Olafur's in a bundle with a discount at 16% i think it was. .


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