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Orchestral Tools - Metropolis Ark 4 - New Demo online!

biggest disappointment so far in watching the screencasts is that there is no power legato for cellos alone. All the low strings are in 8ves with the bass. This drives me absolutely insane when the cellos are recorded in 8ves with the basses by default in certain ensemble libraries. Yes, cellos very often double the basses but how are you going to provide a killer, anguished, screaming legato for violins and then not provide the same for the cellos. How heart-wrenching it would be to hear the cellos wailing up there like the violins...but no...you can only use them for bass lines. a real mistake, IMO.

oh and also the 3 kick drum ensemble...what?


About the Cello being recorded in 8va with the basses I agree completely. always hate it when they do that. Those octave patches become really limited in use...
 
I just wish OT would put First Chairs on sale now too!! I think I read they did it last May as part of a "completion" sale? Please OT, do your own "wish list" and make this Christmas "Complete"!!


EXP D is a final straggler on my '18 wish list.

I like what i've heard from Ark 4.

excited for Wednesday's release!
 
The choir does sound thin in Battle of the Hordes (and so sounds distinctly unhorde-like), but it also occasionally sounds like a soloist (around 50 seconds). The really forced woodwind articulations sound great in this, and the flute/picc combo is marvelous. The strings sound like chamber strings, which in this piece seems a bit odd given its otherwise epic scale (a bit like the choir in that respect). It's actually a nice effect but I do feel the limitations (and the niceness of the effect derives from those limitations), but there are places in the piece where a full string section would have worked better (imho).
 
biggest disappointment so far in watching the screencasts is that there is no power legato for cellos alone. All the low strings are in 8ves with the bass. This drives me absolutely insane when the cellos are recorded in 8ves with the basses by default in certain ensemble libraries...
They wouldn't want to spoil the pleasure of you buying Berlin Strings for that...
 
The choir does sound thin in Battle of the Hordes (and so sounds distinctly unhorde-like), but it also occasionally sounds like a soloist (around 50 seconds). The really forced woodwind articulations sound great in this, and the flute/picc combo is marvelous. The strings sound like chamber strings, which in this piece seems a bit odd given its otherwise epic scale (a bit like the choir in that respect). It's actually a nice effect but I do feel the limitations (and the niceness of the effect derives from those limitations), but there are places in the piece where a full string section would have worked better (imho).


It’s almost a retro sound - chamber trying to sound epic. A sound, one suspects that may have historical origins of lack of budget, but a nice effect quite regardless of its origin. And something welcome in its difference from the ubiquitous hyper epic sound.

Like Time Macro (which I love) however, I suspect the true strength of the library will likely really show in how it can bring the new nuances and texture of the ‘first row’ patches to contextual compositions.

Look forward to some contextual demos.
 
jeeeeez.. guys, I need some advice, fast, if possible ;)

I've been working like crazy this December (deadline month) and I almost missed the OT Sale at NI..

Now here I am, asking myself if I should jump at Metropolis Ark 1 or pre-order Ark 4.

I do own Albion 1 and several Evos, I got a lot of Soundiron stuff, Sonokinetic, NI, Embertone, Solo Woodwinds, geez, lots of electronics, synths exf, no need there. (is there any need in this world of constant flow of products?)

In my line of work (mostly TV and Theater) many times I need to blend and morph organic sound sources with electronic sound design.

Long story short:

Shall I go for MA 1 or MA 4?

I do love the horns in the MA 4 teaser..

If you can spare a few thoughts while the countdown on the sale is running down, feel free to post some :)

thx!
 
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jeeeeez.. guys, I need some advice, fast, if possible ;)

I've been working like crazy this December (deadline month) and I almost missed the OT Sale at NI..

Now here I am, asking myself if I should jump at Metropolis Ark 1 or pre-order Ark 4.

I do own Albion 1 and several Evos, I got a lot of Soundiron stuff, Sonokinetic, lots of electronics, synths exf, no need there.

In my line of work (mostly TV and Theater) many times I need to blend and morph organic sound sources with electronic sound design.

Long story short:

Shall I go for MA 1 or MA 4?

I do love the horns in the MA 4 teaser..

If you can spare a few thoughts while the countdown on the sale is running down, feel free to post some :)

thx!
Ark 1 is all about epic, big, dark, fff. Ive often heard this library equated with Albion 1, but I don't own Albion one so I could not say for sure.

Ark 1 is probably a little more tried-and-true compared to 4 because no one really knows what they're getting with 4 super well yet. Ark1 doesnt really do subtle, but neither does 4 it sounds like.

Have you considered Ark2 as well? May provide more versatility
 
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jeeeeez.. guys, I need some advice, fast, if possible ;)

I've been working like crazy this December (deadline month) and I almost missed the OT Sale at NI..

Now here I am, asking myself if I should jump at Metropolis Ark 1 or pre-order Ark 4.

I do own Albion 1 and several Evos, I got a lot of Soundiron stuff, Sonokinetic, lots of electronics, synths exf, no need there.

In my line of work (mostly TV and Theater) many times I need to blend and morph organic sound sources with electronic sound design.

Long story short:

Shall I go for MA 1 or MA 4?

I do love the horns in the MA 4 teaser..

If you can spare a few thoughts while the countdown on the sale is running down, feel free to post some :)

thx!
The Ark 1 and 2 sale is very good and will give you the big orchestra sound and a good dynamic range (not just loud). I think you'll find it replaces the orchestra in Albion 1 except the upper winds and some of the strings. MA4 is more a chamber sound but it goes very loud. (Listen to Battle of the Hordes above in this thread to get a good idea of how this loud chamber sound works.) If you were drawn to the horn sound in the MA4 teaser, I think you'll find the horns in MA1 and the Wagner tubas in MA2 will get you close to the sound here. (That was either the horn-bassoon patch or horn-Wagner tuba-trombone patch in MA4.) You get a lot more content in MA1 & 2. Personally, I'm drawn to the strings in MA4, some of the extreme dynamic articulations of the woodwinds, and the chorale shouts. I'm not yet sure how MA4 will fare as a standalone library or as a library to supplement libraries other than MA1,2&3. That's an excellent question.
 
The Ark 1 and 2 sale is very good and will give you the big orchestra sound and a good dynamic range (not just loud). I think you'll find it replaces the orchestra in Albion 1 except the upper winds and some of the strings. MA4 is more a chamber sound but it goes very loud. (Listen to Battle of the Hordes above in this thread to get a good idea of how this loud chamber sound works.) If you were drawn to the horn sound in the MA4 teaser, I think you'll find the horns in MA1 and the Wagner tubas in MA2 will get you close to the sound here. (That was either the horn-bassoon patch or horn-Wagner tuba-trombone patch in MA4.) You get a lot more content in MA1 & 2. Personally, I'm drawn to the strings in MA4, some of the extreme dynamic articulations of the woodwinds, and the chorale shouts. I'm not yet sure how MA4 will fare as a standalone library or as a library to supplement libraries other than MA1,2&3. That's an excellent question.

yes, that's the thing! The damn strings, especially the legato patches really turn me on in MA 4 :)

I don't need a stand alone library, I got a bunch of libraries and with the constant new releases I can barely keep up with everything. It's just MA 4 seems like a good middle of the arks, while of course with the sale MA1 is a crazy good bargain..
 
yes, that's the thing! The damn strings, especially the legato patches really turn me on in MA 4 :)
Going just on the walkthroughs and the two demos now available, I'd say the strings are the standout of MA4. They are not the strongest element of the MA1&2, though those in MA2 are very good for what they were designed to do, I just find them a bit limited. (@Parsifal666 is very fond of them.) Although I very much like what I've heard of the strings in MA4 so far, I'm not certain they will add appreciably to what I already have for strings, though they might make some things much easier to accomplish. So I'm still up in the air about MA4, and hopeful for more demos before the prerelease price ends. As I recall, it was one of the last demos that dropped for Time Macro that convinced me that this was going to be a most useful library for me, and that turned out to be very much the case. In any event, if that doesn't happen this time, I'll wait to see what those who purchased the library post.
 
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Going just on the walkthroughs and the two demos now available, I'd say the strings are the standout of MA4. They are not the strongest element of the MA1&2, though those in MA2 are very good for what they were designed to do, I just find them a bit limited. (@Parsifal666 is very fond of them.) Although I very much like what I've heard of the strings in MA4 so far, I'm not certain they will add appreciably to what I already have for strings, though they might make some things much easier to accomplish. So I'm still up in the air about MA4, and hopeful for more demos before the prerelease price ends. As I recall, it was one of the last demos that dropped for Time Macro that convinced me that this was going to be a most useful library for me, and that turned out to be very much the case. I any event, if that doesn't happen this time, I'll wait to see what those who purchased the library post.

thank you for taking the time and letting me know your thoughts.

I might be ending up with both ..
 
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Any guesses how close BHCT could get to MA4, ignoring the Choirs? Redundant or complimentary? I have. EWSO Gold and will be pairing these with rock guitar and B3. Thanks!
 
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