Orchestral Tools Metropolis Ark 4 - Elite Orchestral Forces

[Brian Nowak]

I think they want us to consider these new instruments, rather than combos. Obviously, we'll need to hear them first to be sold on that, since the articulation lists PDF can't really convey a new sound.

Ironically, they stopped giving the ensembles goofy names like they did in Arks 1 & 2 (e.g. PFARRACKER STRINGS) but it would make the most sense to use those invented names for blends if they really want them to come across as new instruments. Rather than a cocktail of, say, Contrabassoon + Euphonium + Tuba, call it OZYMANDIAS LOWS or somesuch.

Well, the problem with putting contrasting pairs of instruments together, beyond simply forcing me into instrumentation options, is that it also makes it very difficult to stem projects correctly.

I am mostly writing library music, where these things can become very problematic if a potential client wants just the brass or woodwinds...

 

[Land of Missing Parts]

Well, the problem with putting contrasting pairs of instruments together, beyond simply forcing me into instrumentation options, is that it also makes it very difficult to stem projects correctly.

From their marketing: "All performed and mixed in such a way that the listener perceives them as a single sound."

See what I'm saying? My understanding is that they want us to see "green" instead of "yellow+blue".

 

[Brian Nowak]

From their marketing: "All performed and mixed in such a way that the listener perceives them as a single sound."

See what I'm saying? My understanding is that they want us to see "green" instead of "yellow+blue".

Well... I'm not certain a prospective client wanting to license my track will feel the same way if I tell them "Oh it's not a mix of bassoon and horn... it's a... BASSOONANDHORN. You see I put them together so it's different!"

LOL

 

[SimonCharlesHanna]

Yeah I personally am not a fan of forced orchestration. Even the 8ves shit me off quite a bit.

 

[Brian Nowak]

Yeah I personally am not a fan of forced orchestration. Even the 8ves shit me off quite a bit.

I can get on with octave strings since they are so ubiquitous with powerful string writing. In fact, I only wish they made all the Ark 1 high string articulations were available in octaves, as the string range doesn't go high enough to double octaves on the unison patches.

It becomes a bit different when you start talking about instruments within different families altogether, though.

 

[synergy543]

I may be interested in this library, but I wonder if this scattering of resources in so many places for similar instruments really complicates the process of composing. I may already have a template with Berlin series instruments loaded, but if I want to go louder, I need to rummage around in file folders and locate these louder samplers. I kind of thinking of it like having a socket wrench set in the basement, but then when I'm working on a project, I realize that the size I need is out in the garage, and I have to go search for that.

Great point Lee! You've articulated exactly how I feel about all of these "designer" libraries.

The solution? Color-code your socket wrenches. Works great. But for libraries, I'm a bit less sure of an answer.

 

[ChazC]

...I end up asking myself what the company doesn't want us to see and hopes we spend the money before we see it...

I wrote a pretty long post about this very thought process yesterday but deleted it as it turned into quite a bit of a rant! Not putting up detailed info from the outset immediately makes me think "what are they trying to hide?".

We're not talking small change with these libraries and having only a day or so to decide will 9 times out of 10 result in me giving it a miss.

I fancied Glory Days - not because I would necessarily get my money back for it (it took me two years of owning Swing! before it paid for itself) but it was a "want" library rather than "need". Because of the lack of a walkthrough up front I lost total interest in it & didn't buy it.

Now, had a walkthrough with a really good example of it being used in context been shown more or less straightaway then I very probably would have dropped for it there and then. I'm in pretty much the same boat with MA4 now.

I like all my OT stuff but the way they go about marketing new stuff really hacks me off - it's not just OT either, a lot of developers seem to think it's the way to do things. Personally, I disagree but they obviously make their money so who am I to argue?

 

[lumcas]

8Dio's Wrenchenspeil is still available at $8. It should have all the wrenches you need without going to the garage :D

Thanks for the heads up on the Wrenchenspiel, will just be noodling with it tomorrow. It might help me to decide which new OT libraries will I get during the sale. The Wrenchespiel is an ideal library, works well for my needs... decisions, decisions

 

[dzilizzi]

Thanks for the heads up on the Wrenchenspiel, will just be noodling with it tomorrow. It might help me to decide which new OT libraries will I get during the sale. The Wrenchespiel is an ideal library, works well for my needs... decisions, decisions

It is much easier to decide to buy an $8 library than a 350 euro one. No matter how good.

 

[Naro]

Please forgive me if I'm off track in logic here; it’s late and I should’ve taken my brain to bed hours ago. I have, as yet, no OT libraries, and are only just now beginning to seriously look into them since becoming aware of the current sale at NI (and now the ARK 4 pre-order special). As such, I’m barely familiar with the OT philosophy, or method to their products' production. But I've read through this thread thus far and have noticed recurrent expressions of curiosity and/or occasional bemusement at the terms “Power Legato,” and “Power Sustains.” At first thought I’m assuming that they refer to something in principle akin to what is commonly referred to in guitar music as power chords.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_chord#Analysis

“. . . in a power chord, the ratio between the frequencies of the root and fifth are very close to the just interval 3:2. When played through distortion, the intermodulation leads to the production of partials closely related in frequency to the harmonics of the original two notes, producing a more coherent sound. The intermodulation makes the spectrum of the sound expand in both directions, and with enough distortion, a new fundamental frequency component appears an octave lower than the root note of the chord played without distortion, giving a richer, more bassy and more subjectively 'powerful' sound than the undistorted signal. Even when played without distortion, the simple ratios between the harmonics in the notes of a power chord can give a stark and powerful sound, owing to the resultant tone effect."

 

[whiskers]

For those that were curious, part 1 of 2 is here:

 

[whiskers]

well we found out what Power Legato is - rough and loud sounding transitions. How anticlimactic

 

[whiskers]

sounds nice but not seeing anything here that's really grabbing me (personally).

The choirs are interesting, though.

 

[jbuhler]

sounds nice but not seeing anything here that's really grabbing me (personally).

The choirs are interesting, though.

A lot more detail in the strings than the other Ark libraries. I haven't got a good sense of the range of expression in the strings yet and whether it can help fix the issues I have with other Ark string patches or blend usefully with other string libraries.

 

[whiskers]

A lot more detail in the strings than the other Ark libraries. I haven't got a good sense of the range of expression in the strings yet and whether it can help fix the issues I have with other Ark string patches or blend usefully with other string libraries.

I noticed that too. It does sound nice, I'm just not sure if that texture and expression is worth 400$...IDK yet.

 

[jbuhler]

I noticed that too. It does sound nice, I'm just not sure if that texture and expression is worth 400$...IDK yet.

Some of the choir was a bit odd with individual voices, especially one of the men, popping out. Not sure how I feel about that.

 

[whiskers]

Some of the choir was a bit odd with individual voices, especially one of the men, popping out. Not sure how I feel about that.

my thoughts exactly, would really have to be going for a really specific mood for that to work well in a mix IMHO

 

[N.Caffrey]

those strings sound incredible

 

[Raphioli]

The strings sound really nice.
I like the horn slurs too. (not sure why they couldn't sample that for their main brass library)

 

[dzilizzi]

The ricochets are kind of cool. The rest is good, but nothing that says "BUY ME! BUY ME NOW!" for me. I have too much stuff and no planned use for this, so if it doesn't spark an "I feel inspired just listening to this!" moment, it goes on the maybe later pile.