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Solo Woodwinds - Divisi And Balancing Issue vs a2/a3

M

MOEast

New Member
Hi, I’m in the journey of studying orchestration for winds and I’m now faced with some questions. I have Berlin Soloists and love them very much, but is currently unsure if it’s necessary to buy the whole BWW or other libraries just to get a2/a3 instruments. I’ve been using the soloists for 2 or 3 voice polyphonic writing already and they seem to do a great job standing in an orchestral mix in that regard; but for single lines I have to boost their level and they still sound, well, soloistic (could be problem with my mixing too). I don’t have any woodwind section library right now so I can’t do a side to side comparison.
I know that real orchestral works call for a2/a3 woodwinds because the real instruments don’t get loud enough alone; but for virtual orchestras, my question for VIC is:
1. Can you tell the difference between a solo woodwind mixed to the same level as a2/a3 winds playing the same line at the same dynamic in a moderately busy mix? Does it sound “unrealistic” to you in that way?
2. Do you ever write polyphony with a2/a3 unison winds? For example will a triad for an a3 oboe come out sounding like 9 oboes even after level adjustment?
You have my thanks if you can share any experience in this topic.
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I don't have experience using unison patches (I use multiple different solo patches in unison, which I'm sure other people here would say misses some kind of nuance related to blending, but I've been happy with it). What I can tell you is that the point of writing for woodwinds in unison is not exclusively about making them louder. In fact, the boost in volume from adding more players is more modest than you might expect. The other thing it does is add chorusing to the sound, which may or may not be desirable on a given line for the way it changes the character of it.

Now, in a "moderately busy mix" like you ask about? This difference is subtle enough that you might be able to get away with using solo patches, especially if the woodwind lines are also doubling something else, like strings or another kind of woodwind. On the other hand, in a passage like this, where only one kind of woodwind is on the line and the line is exposed, just using a solo patch would differ markedly from how it would really sound, and boosting its volume might stand out as unnatural.
 
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If you want to learn more about the practical realities of doubling woodwinds (including live examples of what doubling sounds like), I'd recommend watching this lecture here:

For a trained listener it'll be pretty obvious when you have just a soloist playing a single melodic line instead of having multiple players, because of slight tuning and timing differences, but for full orchestral writing it might not be as obvious. For your second question, I think you'd get the result of 9 oboes, though it probably won't sound as intense as nine real players. For mockups it's probably better to use a solo patch for harmonies that wouldn't be doubled in reality.
 
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