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Orchestral Tools Metropolis Ark 4 - Elite Orchestral Forces

So, just wanted to upload an example here of some different legatos from the library so you all can get a basic sense of what's in store... I mentioned hearing some artifacts in the legatos in my last post but realizing they are definitely not artifacts and just the way the power legatos are recorded.

I've taken the same simple melodic phrase with the same changes in dynamics and copied it to some of the different legato types from the library in their range. You'll hear those slight "grace" notes in the way the power legatos were recorded. This may be great for some and not so great for others.

The examples have no outside processing and are all out of the box. I'm not saying they are unusable or bad in any way, just wanted to give an idea of the difference in sound for those who were wondering. The only one that sticks out to not sounding that great legato wise is the Bass Clarinet, Bass Sax & Cimbassi patch :-/

The examples in the demo in order:

Flute, Oboe & Clarinet - Regular Legato
Flute, Oboe & Clarinet - Power Legato
Bass Oboe & Basset Horn - Regular Legato
Bass Oboe & Basset Horn - Power Legato
Trumpets - Regular Legato
Trumpets - Power Legato
Horn, Wagner Tube & Trombone - Regular Legato (Library has no Power Legato)
Bass Clarinet, Bass Sax & Cimbassi - Power Legato (Library has no Regular Legato)
High Strings - Regular Legato
High Strings - Power Legato
Mid Strings - Regular Legato
Mid Strings - Power Legato
Low Strings - Regular Legato
Low Strings - Power Legato


[AUDIOPLUS=https://www.vi-control.net/community/attachments/metark4_legexamples-mp3.17309/][/AUDIOPLUS]

[AUDIOPLUS=https://vi-control.net/community/attachments/metark4_legexamples-mp3.17309/][/AUDIOPLUS]
 

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Thanks for that. Power legato is ironically a bit more subtle in those examples than I expected. Definitely noticeable, though.
 
Yeah, however as nobody is really posting stuff, I did a patch walktrough mainly with the legato and power legato and here and there the martele shorts. However this example is played in all live, no effects, no post programming with all imperfections on my side and brutal honest and unpolished. Its going through all section instrument groups. However I think the library can be useful when you are after very specific sounds and "performance expressions". At the end of the walkthrough is a fanfare done in 15 minutes based on my improvised licks. Dont kill me: This is not mixed, not polished, nothing, just raw. Harp is from Cinesamples, and the piatti is from OTs percussion library.

 
The brass sounds great, and the two close mics are very useful. I'm still in the exploration phase (My only other OT product is Met Ark 3, and well, it's one of my favorites, so 4 was purchased for the versatility. I can't compare to the first two, however).
I've run into some very minor issues, no show-stoppers. Some velocity layers seem to be switched off by default in some multi patches, and I really wish that the winds had even just one more dynamic layer to make dynamic sustains a touch less crossfadey (the strings have three, the winds only have two).
That being said, I'm happy to have more OT Teldex in my studio and I think this will get used a lot, even if just to add bite to other tracks.
 
So, just wanted to upload an example here of some different legatos from the library so you all can get a basic sense of what's in store... I mentioned hearing some artifacts in the legatos in my last post but realizing they are definitely not artifacts and just the way the power legatos are recorded.

These are very nice illustrations. Thanks so much!
 
Yeah, however as nobody is really posting stuff, I did a patch walktrough mainly with the legato and power legato and here and there the martele shorts. However this example is played in all live, no effects, no post programming with all imperfections on my side and brutal honest and unpolished. Its going through all section instrument groups. However I think the library can be useful when you are after very specific sounds and "performance expressions". At the end of the walkthrough is a fanfare done in 15 minutes based on my improvised licks. Dont kill me: This is not mixed, not polished, nothing, just raw. Harp is from Cinesamples, and the piatti is from OTs percussion library.

Thank you! These are very helpful! Your little fanfare at the end was an especially good illustration. Thanks again!
 
Here's my user demo. Would have never made something like this without restricting myself to this library. Love buying a product that actually teaches you something.


I mean this library sounds so original. It actually sounds like something you would hear on a TV/film cue. Most libraries just have this generic epic feel to them and this library has a much more upfront, realistic sound to it. I absolutely love it. I bought it and downloaded it but wont be able to play around with it until after Christmas. Great composition! It made me not regret buying this! lol
 
I'm hearing some most interesting things in these user demos that have recently been posted. It's not that the sounds are completely outside what is possible with other libraries and the other Arks, but I think they come together to form a distinct tone that doesn't exactly derive from the smaller forces of Ark 4—because they generally sound big and not especially intimate—but is related to that in the way it manages to capture something like the struggle with this big sound, or being an individual within it, heroically resisting here, dutifully (or even stoically) contributing there. Still trying to work this out and figure out whether it is a sound I'm interested in incorporating, but I do find it an interesting sound and thanks to everyone for contributing.
 
Yes, Orchestral Tools would really rather that we buy their products without the benefit of reviews or hearing feedback from pesky VI Control members. It's really pretty off-putting.
It's a bonus for being an early adapter, which I think is fine. But for those who had Arks 1-3, the early adapter price point is €50 higher than it has been in the past. For me, that's more problematic, because for a good portion of those who might have been early adapters it was in essence a fairly large price increase, especially in a market where the general price of VIs has been declining and for a library that doesn't fit neatly within the concept that has defined the Arks. It's just a bit of a weird pricing decision. But it is what it is.
 
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