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Spitfire kepler. . .

Spitfire Audio - Kepler Orchestra :
01 - High strings Grid : Septuplet Time [Double Croche],
02 - Celli Grid : Septuplet Time [Double Croche],
03 - High Brass Grid : Septuplet Time [Noire],
04 - Basses - Momentum Grid : Duplet Time [Blanche],
05 - Woodwinds - Momentum Grid : Duplet Time [Noire].



There a minimalist beauty in this one I really like, probably closer to what I would buy this library for that some of the crazier (though also great) demos.

01 - SA - Kepler Orchestra - Ganymede - Short Fizzer +_Ambient Guitars - Oscy Angel
02 - SA - Eric Whitacre Choir - Tutti All In One - Epidodic OOH NAH



And something kind of weird and wonderful to this one that I really like also.
 
Well Cubase 10 crashed on me while working on this with 3 tracks-- file wouldn't even open, but a backup did.

Another Kepler test-- all tracks are Kepler with some effects. I'm not doing any modwheel volume here yet, mostly just getting a sense of what to do with multiple sections working together.

 
Spitfire Audio - Kepler Orchestra :
01 - High strings Grid : Septuplet Time [Double Croche],
02 - Celli Grid : Septuplet Time [Double Croche],
03 - High Brass Grid : Septuplet Time [Noire],
04 - Basses - Momentum Grid : Duplet Time [Blanche],
05 - Woodwinds - Momentum Grid : Duplet Time [Noire].



To me, this sounds like pieces of a puzzle being forced together. No offense to you idematoa, it's more the nature of this kind of library. It feels like loops. The ostinato feels flat. I think you could program something with way more feel and dynamics with a standard library. Yes, it's convenient to have everything trigger in sync, but at the end of the day if it sounds static or flat, what's the point. I was impressed with some of the odder articulations like the pulsing trems, shards and a few others, but I'm not convinced with the standard rhythmic stuff.

I own Evo 3 Strings in Motion and while it has some nice sounds, it was kind of a let down. My favorite stuff is the warped patches. I find the grid itself to be quite cumbersome in all of the Evo grid products. This new one at least you don't have to scroll to see all articulations. That is a real buzzkill with Strings in Motion and OA Evolutions. On top of that everything is so small and cumbersome. I'm really surprised at their choices for the grid. No way to easily identify the name of an articulation. No dedicated grid page so you don't have to scroll. I also think the articulations should get laid out across the keyboard in a visually repetitive way so you can play with more assurance of what your triggering. Like if the first articulation goes from C0 to C#O, the next would be E0 to G0, then G#0 TO B0 and then repeat the next octave.

Sorry to run off topic - Kepler does have some intriguing sounds for sure, just not convinced yet, and the cpu issues people are reporting have me in a total hold zone for now...
 
I'm suprised at people being a little underwhelmed by this. I'm no fanboy by any means, but I find the sounds beautiful and really useful. I gues it just works really well for me. I mean it cost 180 euros for me (no VAT) which seems absolutely bonkers for the amount of content.
 
Well Cubase 10 crashed on me while working on this with 3 tracks-- file wouldn't even open, but a backup did.

Another Kepler test-- all tracks are Kepler with some effects. I'm not doing any modwheel volume here yet, mostly just getting a sense of what to do with multiple sections working together.



For the sound nothing to report, I appreciate
5 Grids in parallel, it's ok for KO
No crash with my Studio One.
Not yet
 
The more I hear, the less I want to get it.
But there are some parts of the library that I really like (enough to be still on the fence)
As inspiring as it sounds - I can see myself buying it, getting all excited to use it and finding very little real world use.
Maybe to start an idea, but I'd rather play all those rhythmic patterns than have this dictate the feel.
Everything sounds a little stiff and unnatural when put together
As @jtnyc pointed out - this sounds like pieces of a puzzle being forced together.

Pity we can't crossfade these rhythmic elements in and out with mod wheel...
 
There a minimalist beauty in this one I really like, probably closer to what I would buy this library for that some of the crazier (though also great) demos.



And something kind of weird and wonderful to this one that I really like also.

Thx
About "Dark Stream" I deleted another EWC track to keep one in the final version. I used an Ambient Guitars preset.
 
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01 - SA - EWC - Tutti - All In One - Dynamic Swell EH
02 - Spitfire Audio - Kepler Orchestra - Woodwinds - Shards Grid Time Machine_ Albion 2 - String Lo - Short
03 - NI - Noire Pure _Emotional
 
I find the grid itself to be quite cumbersome in all of the Evo grid products. This new one at least you don't have to scroll to see all articulations. That is a real buzzkill with Strings in Motion and OA Evolutions. On top of that everything is so small and cumbersome. I'm really surprised at their choices for the grid. No way to easily identify the name of an articulation. No dedicated grid page so you don't have to scroll. I also think the articulations should get laid out across the keyboard in a visually repetitive way so you can play with more assurance of what your triggering. Like if the first articulation goes from C0 to C#O, the next would be E0 to G0, then G#0 TO B0 and then repeat the next octave.
You definitely pushed my visually impaired response trigger here.

I wish Spitfire would rethink the skeuomorphic and size aspects of the Grid GUI, opting instead for a bolder, flat graphics approach which is easier on the eyes - and - befitting of the modern systems concept itself.

Conceptually, there is no purpose/function to little bubble shadings and faux reflective knobs, except where all this is still compensating for design elements ported over from EVOs, including how the critical functional foreground elements are competing with static backgrounds and concept art.

I could make the same argument for aspects of other SA GUIs I routinely use.

I had such hopes with the bolder simplicity of the free Kepler teaser patch GUI, prior to the release, even as I suspect it was a quick graphics job. And yet, it was profoundly clean and promising in its intent.

None of that came to fruition in the actual release. As with the synth engine, there is just too much tension between form and function (background art and functional foreground elements) that simply does not need to be.

With a grid like this, simplicity of contrast is even more paramount. It could be designed so much more intuitively, and laid out more accessibly, rather than being beholden to superfluous constraints.

And yes, I’ve discussed these feelings directly with SA, on occasion.
 
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You definitely pushed my visually impaired response trigger here.

I wish Spitfire would rethink the skeuomorphic and size aspects of the Grid GUI, opting instead for a bolder, flat graphics approach which is easier on the eyes - and - befitting of the modern systems concept itself.

Conceptually, there is no purpose/function to little bubble shadings and faux reflective knobs, except where all this is still compensating for design elements ported over from EVOs, including how the critical functional foreground elements are competing with static backgrounds and concept art.

I could make the same argument for aspects of other SA GUIs I routinely use.

I had such hopes with the bolder simplicity of the free Kepler teaser patch GUI, prior to the release, even as I suspect it was a quick graphics job. And yet, it was profoundly clean and promising in its intent.

None of that came to fruition in the actual release. As with the synth engine, there is just too much tension between form and function (background art and functional foreground elements) that simply does not need to be.

With a grid like this, simplicity of contrast is even more paramount. It could be designed so much more intuitively, and laid out more accessibly, rather than being beholden to superfluous constraints.

And yes, I’ve discussed these feelings directly with SA, on occasion.

Yes, and the mic mixer for the Kontakt instruments is a total pain in the ass IMO, especially if there are a lot of mics. No solo button so you have constantly turn off 2,3 or 4 mics in order to solo one to get an idea of what's contributing what. What mixer doesn't have a solo button? And tiny. The ostinato builder is another laugh. It's so small and cumbersome. Besides the tiny visuals, the functionality of the UI components are lightyears behind the times. No fun to use at all.
 
No solo button so you have constantly turn off 2,3 or 4 mics in order to solo one to get an idea of what's contributing what.

Ctrl/Cmd+click on the chip buttons below volume sliders to solo.

the functionality of the UI components are lightyears behind the times.

What exactly do you mean by this? There's advanced articulation handling built right in, which is definitely not behind the times (Ctrl/Cmd+click the articulation button in the stanza). There's the Cog functionality where you can tweak per note stuff (including tweaking individual RRs). I don't know of other orchestral library that does this (somebody correct me if I'm wrong).

There's a bunch of useful info about Spitfire's Sandbox engine on the blog of the man who created it: https://www.syntheticorchestra.com/blog/

(Yes, Spitfire would do well to collate all this info and make them a part of their manuals, or at least link to it.)
 
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Ctrl/Cmd+click on the chip buttons below volume sliders to solo.



What exactly do you mean by this? There's advanced articulation handling built right in, which is definitely not behind the times (Ctrl/Cmd+click the articulation button in the stanza). There's the Cog functionality where you can tweak per note stuff (including tweaking individual RRs). I don't know of other orchestral library that does this (somebody correct me if I'm wrong).

There's a bunch of useful info about Spitfire's Sandbox engine on the blog of the man who created it: https://www.syntheticorchestra.com/blog/

(Yes, Spitfire would do well to collate all this info and make them a part of their manuals, or at least link to it.)

Good to know about the solo thing. thanks!. It's option command here on my Mac BTW.

My remarks about the functionality being behind were referring to the ostinato builder. Besides being so tiny and cumbersome to use, once you add lets say 16 8th notes and now you want to change the 9th note to something else, you have to erase/backtrack 16 through 10 in order to get to 9 (unless I'm missing something?). Setting velocities requires me to hunch forward and stare at these tiny tiny sliders. It just makes no sense to me that the ostinato builder is relegated to less than one half of the UI. These things make it feel old and way more work than it should be to use.

So yeah in general I wouldn't describe SF UI's as behind the times functionality wise (except the ostinato builder), but they do use small fonts/elements in general and some (EDNA) feel utterly cluttered. I do not like that UI at all. It feels like a dashboard (a tiny dashboard) on a video game spaceship, and most of the fonts are tiny.....
 
I've warned idematoa about the pictures before. He did cease in that specific thread, which was much appreciated. But @idematoa , please stop inserting the pictures into your posts. You can leave them as attached thumbnails so users can click on them and see the bigger picture if they want to.
Otherwise moderators might start to edit your posts to remove them.
It appears that there have been more threads complaining about his demos that his actual demos. I enjoyed his demos and appreciated his postings. Pictures and all. It takes but a second to scroll past.
 
It appears that there have been more threads complaining about his demos that his actual demos. I enjoyed his demos and appreciated his postings. Pictures and all. It takes but a second to scroll past.
My thoughts exactly. I found the complaints against his style of posting bizarre. Was the reason really because it took longer to scroll past? There will always be posts that person A doesn’t care for, that’s the nature of free speech and an open internet. There are countless stupid and childish comments on here that add absolutely nothing to the discourse, except maybe mild amusement for some. Yet I don’t hear any complaints against those types of posts. I came here specifically to hear user demos, and thought the UI settings screenshots were a good way to succinctly and precisely explain how the sound was achieved.
 
What I still don't understand: is the dynamic controller really controlling the dynamic (= velocity)? Can I go from quiet rhythms to loud ones only by moving the dynamic slider? I never saw someone using this in all the Kepler preview videos.
 
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Oh no, I have just searched Straylight when you said that :/
I am thinking that Omnisphere 2 will do all this though...
Hi, I'm the creator of Straylight. Omnisphere and Straylight certainly have overlapping feature sets and sound palette from a technical perspective. But, Straylight has the dedicated sample content for granular synthesis and controller assignments per preset, which allow manipulation of the sounds into very different territories and is focused on cinematic sounds.
Here is a demo with no external effects showing the liveliness of the Straylight presets.
 
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