Baronvonheadless
Senior Member
Thank you! Yeah I've added a little extra of the internal reverb on the ostinatos so they don't cut out so short and man do they really flow/sound real....But mostly I haven't tweaked too too much
Audiobro Modern Scoring Strings
- Thread starter ag75
- Start date
Soundbed
Music for TV
I played with them. But haven't used them "in a project" yet. tbh I wasn't in love with the convolution options. so I went back to standard panning and external reverb.
You know, I have confused myself a bit on this topic ... what I mean:
I thought at first they sounded "too similar".
and then I played them again later and realized, ONCE AGAIN, this is a scoring library and one that has a relatively conservative approach.
So, having "all the options" but without going way out into left field on certain arts is sort of refreshing.
I mean, some of my sul pont from other libraries are fairly brittle and really ... uhm ... annoying. or at least, I'm like, "if I was writing for a scandi drama maybe I'll use these ... someday"
If you're writing for media you want to keep your audience interested without alienating them with annoying sounds.
I mean, for instance ... metal scrapes are great, but there's a craft to making metal scrapes sound "interesting" and "Scary" and "exciting" without being ... "annoying".
~
Similar with sul pont, it can be a little nails on a chalkboard sound, but, AudioBro have presented a sul pont that is near the bridge without falling off a bridge.
So, I understand that they are not as extreme as some might prefer, but, it goes back to having a library that has so many options without having any of them be "unusable" because they are so "out there" and if I keep "using quotes" I'm going to "go crazy" ... it's been a long week.
:D
I realize this is a bit of a "hypothetical" reply about how the extended legatos could be used but I'd encourage people to think of the situations when the sul pont, sordino and sul tasto might be used ...
is it a subtle texture shift from arco that you want?
then they work!
are you going for a different mood or emotion with the same / similar notes or theme but staying in the same aesthetic?
then they work!
are you going for dramatic contrast that sound like a totally different world? ...then, maybe, you want to try MSS first but if they don't work then try a different library.
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Casiquire
Senior Member
I only have the Expanded. It's more limited than the main library since it's legato/port/gliss only, but they sound lovely. The sul pont is far too mild for my liking, but the sordino and tasto sound great to my ears. Audiobro has a good track record with sordinos so these don't disappoint. The tasto is one dynamic but has plenty of movement. I think they're worth the discounted price especially given that they're one of only two options that offer those articulations with divisi
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Duncan Krummel
Just Passing Through
I think with the Expanded Legato library it’s good to take into consideration what these real techniques actually sound like in average use. That is, I’m lead to believe AudioBro gave the performers instructions to play “sul tasto,” not “molto hyper mega sul tasto.” These bow techniques have a gradient, and I agree with what others have hinted at (maybe?) that most libraries actually take them TOO far.
In most libraries I’ve heard, sul ponts, if they even give you a non-trem option, are brittle to the point of being piercing. Sul pont can be gorgeous, but many libraries treat it as some kind of add on for horror. Same with sul tasto, which can be a gentle roll off of upper partials, all the way to a thick, dull muted tone. MSS is the only library I’ve heard that treats these articulations as gently as they do, and I think many have had their impressions of these techniques colored by the extremes that other developers push them.
I’d post an example comparing them, but I’m running into an issue that I can’t pin down with pops between each transition and stuck notes at the ends of phrases. Perhaps the update will fix this.
In most libraries I’ve heard, sul ponts, if they even give you a non-trem option, are brittle to the point of being piercing. Sul pont can be gorgeous, but many libraries treat it as some kind of add on for horror. Same with sul tasto, which can be a gentle roll off of upper partials, all the way to a thick, dull muted tone. MSS is the only library I’ve heard that treats these articulations as gently as they do, and I think many have had their impressions of these techniques colored by the extremes that other developers push them.
I’d post an example comparing them, but I’m running into an issue that I can’t pin down with pops between each transition and stuck notes at the ends of phrases. Perhaps the update will fix this.
Soundbed
Music for TV
Well put.
Baronvonheadless
Senior Member
Ok, expanded my first idea into a fuller piece. Really putting those octave slides and scales to use at the end. Really fun stuff! Maybe a little over the top but you gotta go big before you can dial it back no?
I’ll have to practice more with mixing it in I think but it’s not too bad. (When u guys mention shutting off the kontakt reverbs and eq, you’re referring to the mixer grid within mss right?
Any constructive criticism on how these sounds gel together? Mixing bbc core, abbey road one, mss, junkie xl and I think that’s it. Put it thru my plugin alliance master desk and bettermake plugins on the stereo out. Cheers!
I’ll have to practice more with mixing it in I think but it’s not too bad. (When u guys mention shutting off the kontakt reverbs and eq, you’re referring to the mixer grid within mss right?
Any constructive criticism on how these sounds gel together? Mixing bbc core, abbey road one, mss, junkie xl and I think that’s it. Put it thru my plugin alliance master desk and bettermake plugins on the stereo out. Cheers!
novaburst
Senior Member
Very creative sound you have i would have perhaps liked to to hear a more manual approach with the strings or more dominant strings but that just in view of the library it self I feel the library has a lot to say,Ok, expanded my first idea into a fuller piece. Really putting those octave slides and scales to use at the end. Really fun stuff! Maybe a little over the top but you gotta go big before you can dial it back no?
I’ll have to practice more with mixing it in I think but it’s not too bad. (When u guys mention shutting off the kontakt reverbs and eq, you’re referring to the mixer grid within mss right?
Any constructive criticism on how these sounds gel together? Mixing bbc core, abbey road one, mss, junkie xl and I think that’s it. Put it thru my plugin alliance master desk and bettermake plugins on the stereo out. Cheers!
Baronvonheadless
Senior Member
Thank u very much! Yeah def especially the second half I was just experimenting with the ostinatos/scale runs/rhythm sequencer haha. Generally I’ve been so used to playing everything out one at a time with bbc core so I was practicing with the MSS automated stuff more here. I’m sure in the future I’d use them more sparingly or creatively and not so robotically. It’s hard not to throw big horns over all my stuff I love that power, I’ll try to experiment with the MSS legatos now I think and more sweeping string lines! Thanks for your words and feedback
Zedcars
Klaatu barada nikto
If you have time, please could you give me a rough idea of how you are using Soothe2 with MMS? Do you apply a preset and tweak it? Is it on all the sections together, or different settings per section or patch? I’m not too great with mixing and sometimes end up making things worse. Even just a screenshot would help point me in the right direction.
Baronvonheadless
Senior Member
Alright was up all night, couldn't sleep.
Here I paired the Violin ensemble and the Cello ensemble, bass strings on one brief part. Layering a few variety of the shorts. All strings here are MSS mixed with BBC core timpani and flute/piccolos, sonore French horn and I think that's it...not sure, haven't slept.
Once again played with the Ostinato and Scales briefly this time!
I think the strings are sounding good, they definitely need to be tweaked and I have to be careful how I master them compared to my other string libraries...I noticed they can be awfully hot/sharp if I'm not careful....
Here I paired the Violin ensemble and the Cello ensemble, bass strings on one brief part. Layering a few variety of the shorts. All strings here are MSS mixed with BBC core timpani and flute/piccolos, sonore French horn and I think that's it...not sure, haven't slept.
Once again played with the Ostinato and Scales briefly this time!
I think the strings are sounding good, they definitely need to be tweaked and I have to be careful how I master them compared to my other string libraries...I noticed they can be awfully hot/sharp if I'm not careful....
Evans
Senior Member
I feel like this same caution could be also expressed for Modern Scoring Brass, once you start piling up the tracks.
Baronvonheadless
Senior Member
^^How do those sound above to you? I'm getting serious ear fatigue haha
Baronvonheadless
Senior Member
Any MSS users have trouble with Learn CC function? I'm trying to change some stuff around and make some custom switches. For Instance I'm trying to route the up/down slider to a specific knob but for some reason it just keeps assigning it to my mod wheel/dynamic controller regardless of which knob I turn when I select learn CC...
I'm using Logic
Any help would be great!
I'm using Logic
Any help would be great!
Dopplereffect
Member
I'm not at my music PC right now and I'm also not using logic, but sometimes I assign CC's as following (even when I don't have a keyboard at hand or a keyboard without modwheel).:
- I manually write a complete up and down curve (0 to 127 and back to 0) on the CC lane I wish to assign something to.
- I put the cursor right in front of this curve
- I go to the GUI, assign the controller lane, push MIDI learn and then just play (the cursor then goes over the CC curve and the learning is being done)
Not sure if this helps you, though...
Baronvonheadless
Senior Member
I'm still pretty new to midi, haha I'm not quite sure I follow that. (teaching myself)
However, I just used latch automation and moved the bloom/normal/bow slider with my mouse and it reads that, so that's one way to do it. However the bloom amount knob does not seem to read by using latch automation in the same way. weird!
Dopplereffect
Member
Yeah, I'm also not a native English speaker so I'm probably not saying it right neither... (Sorry!)
Is there a specific reason why you want the Bloom (or the up/down) function to be assigned to something else than CC4 (which is the default - if I remember that correctly)?
EDIT: And I'm defenitely no MIDI wizard neither
Baronvonheadless
Senior Member
Oh no worries! Well I use an m audio keystation for my main controller but its limited with knobs so I also use an Akai mpk225 and also touchosc app thru my iPhone for sliders...so I really just can't seem to find them on my controller and wanted to have it somewhere I'd remember. Maybe there's another way to go about this that I'm not sure of yet?Yeah, I'm also not a native English speaker so I'm probably not saying it right neither... (Sorry!)
Is there a specific reason why you want the Bloom (or the up/down) function to be assigned to something else than CC4 (which is the default - if I remember that correctly)?
EDIT: And I'm defenitely no MIDI wizard neither
Dopplereffect
Member
I have no decent experience with external controllers/sliders etc... but my guess is that the knobs/sliders in question should be made to send out data to the specific CC that you want them to.
Baronvonheadless
Senior Member
So this is very bizarre but now it's working just fine with TouchOSC? Weird haha
donnyluvd2bowl
Member
respectfully, no, my impression of this technique is colored by writing sul pont on a piece of paper and handing it to live players to record. generally-- at least in hollywood-- when you write sul pont, they're gonna play it audibly by default unless given a note/context not to do so.
i hear what you're saying, and subtlety can be nice, but in the context of scoring/underscore (the name of the library) a pretty good rule of thumb is, if you can't really hear it don't write it. recording is expensive and trying to nail something subtle that won't be hear is a waste of time (with bowings or mutes or anything like that). So in this context where it's a subtle difference in the sound of the two patches, it's nice to have since you don't have to stop and say "no no just a little sul pont", but kind of not what I would consider useful for an effect that will be mixed down under dialog in most cases. This is probably why most libraries aimed at scoring may "take it too far" as you put it.
