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Embertone Solo Strings Bundle

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Embertone Solo Strings Bundle now for a limited time period for just 199USD here: https://audioplugin.deals/ref/18/ (Affiliate Link)

Embertone Solo Strings Bundle contains Friedlander Violin, Fischer Viola, Blakus Cello, and Leonid Bass. Back in February 2016 Alex and team from Embertone complete soloist library for their Intimate Strings series with the release of Leonid Bass. All four are expressive solo string instruments. The Solo instruments are designed to help you to write for any styles of music.
The four different solo string instruments have been released over a period of time and Embertone has in the same timeframe enhanced their recording and programming skills of the Virtual (Kontakt) Instrument. Currently older solo string instruments are in the progress to be updated or have been updated to get all string instruments on the same level and close to the quality of the Leonid Bass. The Bass is one of the detailed String Bass libraries available on the market.
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The instruments have impressive timbre, bow position and dynamic control. With the color mode you can use the instruments to produce a huge spectrum of tone colors by choosing where their bow goes between the bridge and fingerboard.
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All four instruments have been recorded dry which makes them great instruments to process and mix with other instruments that are delivered with built in reverb.

These are different patches available in terms of CPU/RAM usage. Embertone’s speed responsiveness script, and adjustable portamentos require that the majority of the instrument be loadeddirectly into RAM. And their scripted vibrato has a multitude of background modulators running all at once. All of this combines to create an exceptional instrument. Embertone also provides you with lower ram demanding instruments version to reduce the footprint. Those with less powerful systems should use the included 16-bit samples, for those with a normal setup or a better performing DAW would select the 24-bit samples which are included.

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The included ensemble comes with humanization settings that should help vary the accuracy of your virtual player. You can change the Tightness to make the ensemble less precise with their timing. Similarly, when changing the Intonation the players become less exact with their intonation. There included features allow you to reduce the level or expertise of the simulated player. This comes handy when you would like to show the audience how a rather bad/medium player would become a better player. You can take the same footage and the music played provides the illusion of a medium to great string player. There are also features that help you to increase the perceived realism out of the Ensemble script.

Embertone support alternative midi controller. With the support of TouchOSC your tablet turns into a Modular OSC and MIDI control surface for the four different string instruments. Embertone is providing a TouchOSC template for the different instruments. Touch OSC is an amazing app that will get you advanced control within a very short period of time.

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For Friedlander Violin more than 4000 recorded samples have been recorded, Fischer Viola has nearly 6000 recorded samples, Blakus Cello includes nearly 6000 recorded samples, and Leonid Bass is based on nearly 6000 recorded samples. All four libraries are Kontakt 5 Player Compatible and would support also the full version of Kontakt.

If you’re looking for a full set of solo strings, there are many choices. What speaks for the embertone string bundle is the current price of 199USD (Affiliate Link), however there is a time limit on how long it is available, the impressive timbre/bow position + dynamic control and the quality of the bass, where the other instruments are being enhanced to a similar level. This is not to say that you will not get a wonderful Violin, Viola, and Cello, you will get a wonderful sounding which with the planned updates to those instruments will offer your more additional features. Embertone can be your go to library: not expensive and very flexible. In short, the four instrument sound terrific.

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Embertone

POPELKA BASSOON: Embertone

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If you’re looking for the filet mignon of bassoons, this one isn’t for you. Popelka Bassoon is a raw + organic quinoa stew with no artificial flavoring. Embertone recorded Julie’s natural, intimate tone.

A TON of densely-recorded legato transitions at 2 dynamics – Marcatos and Staccatos at 2 dynamics and mucho round robins. Sampled in the same vein as Chapman Trumpet, but loaded with all the advanced features and improvements that you’ve come to expect from an Embertone release, Popelka Bassoon is sure to dance its way from the forest and into the warm protection of your composing arsenal. It’s one of Embertone’s most endearing instruments to date.

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Popelka Bassoon Features

  • Kontakt 5.5 (Full Retail) is 32/64-bit, MAC/PC compatible (NOT Kontakt Player)
  • Quirky, Expressive, intimate
  • All of our newest programming techniques
  • 2 recorded dynamics (2000+ legato samples)
  • Complete Vibrato Speed+Intensity/Dynamics Control
  • Intuitive Staccatos and Marcatos
  • 2800+ recorded samples
  •  2GB of files on your hard drive, 150MB of RAM required without “adaptive legato”

Pricing

Popelka Bassoon is available now for an Intro Price that expires November, 8th 2019.

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Embertone

1955 Walker Concert D Embertone’s Flagship Piano Updated to Version 1.1

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1955 Walker Concert D Update 1.1

1955 Walker Concert D 1.1

For more on the excellent 1955 Walker Concert D see our Walker 1955 Steinway D by Embertone Review “is a piano library that delivers the kind of next-gen sampling and scripting finesse to secure a spot in the “deepest sampled pianos” list while challenging the high price that libraries like this usually charge. It’s a fireball that may just change up the way future piano libraries are sampled, presented and priced – in other words. Walker 1955 Steinway D is a game-changer. (Rating: Five out of five stars)”

1955 Walker Concert D Update 1.1

According to Embertone you need to prepare an original installation folder for updating and then follow the detailed instructions provided. After fully updating the library in the steps above, upon loading a new instance of Kontakt you may notice that your Walker 1955 Concert D library is either gone or displaying an error message in the Libraries section of the Browser: Library content not found. Click Locate to set the content. This happens when the access path to your Kontakt Library has been changed.

See the full update Instructions here: https://www.embertone.com/instruments/ConcertDFullUpdate.html

Prepare original installation folder for updating
Apply the v1.1 Update

1955 Walker Concert D 1.1 New Features

  • Half Pedaling: You can now perform half-pedaling using a compatible sustain pedal or other CC.
  • Silent Key Strikes: Enables non-hammered silent notes on the lowest velocity.
  • Sustain-Damper Sympathetic Resonance: A new sympathetic resonance engine to model the behavior of notes vibrating during the release of dampers on held notes, for realistically transitioning between Dry+Sustain articulations. 3 modes for selecting the quality of this feature are located within the Details page and share association with the Half-Pedaling engine.

1955 Walker Concert D 1.1 Updates

  • Switched the Sostenuto Pedal to CC66
  • Made a slight change to the DFD settings for performance gains
  • Modified all Kontakt/NKS Snapshots to reflect the new features
  • Included Legacy patches for users with Kontakt 5.3.1+
  • Snapshots have been updated to include the new Half-Pedaling mechanism

1955 Walker Concert D 1.1 Bugs

  • Fixed Bad Samples
  • Smoothed inconsistent velocities, particularly the lowest velocity layer
  • Fixed an issue where a glitch occurred when simultaneously activating the sustain pedal and a note
  • Fixed an issue where reverb was not active when loading the instrument, despite the UI showing as such
  • Fixed an issue where Legacy patches would not respond correctly to Dynamic and Velocity Curve adjustments
  • Fixed some graphical/text errors
  • Fixed the Multis from functioning improperly at times

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Walker 1955 Steinway D by Embertone Review

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Walker 1955 Steinway D by Embertone Review

Walker 1955 Steinway D by Embertone

Yet another piano library has landed, and it’s again another Steinway D – possibly the most sampled grand piano of all time alongside the Yamaha C7 – but this time it’s from the folks at Embertone, and it weighs in at a hefty 200G for the full library, so today we’ll be seeing just how Walker 1955 Steinway D holds up when compared to other modern offerings.

Embertone has been around for some time, designing highly specialized libraries with advanced playability and scripting. Examples include the Intimate Strings soloist libraries, Crystal Flute and Chapman Trumpet among others.

They’ve gathered a reputation for being perfectionists, so the Walker 1955 Steinway library has big expectations to live up to. The library provides pedal up and down sustains with and without the soft pedal (una corda), staccatos, and a variety of release samples for different playing styles. This is all delivered for six different mic perspectives, with a robust 36 velocity layers for each note.

Installation

The library is downloaded using the Connect application, which downloads and installs the library automatically to your chosen folder. Then you can register the library with Native Access (which can be downloaded from Native Instruments) by using the registration number provided after purchasing the library. The standard library is around 30G, while the full library (with the extra mic perspectives) will require a 200G installation.

As a note – I encourage users (especially those with older computers) to batch re-save the patches before loading them. The initial unsaved load time is quite hefty, and attempting to re-save the patch after loading can stop your DAW dead in its tracks. Batch re-save before using, and you won’t have any problems.

Sound

The Walker 1955 Steinway is, by all means, a treat to play and listen to. It has a very controlled and balanced tone with a subtle woody flavor and an incredible lilting resonance in the high notes. The lower notes are bold and aren’t bloated or bottom-heavy, so the clarity of this instrument overall is outstanding.

It doesn’t sound clinical like some piano libraries do, but it doesn’t sound too characterful to the point where it only suits specific genres. To put it just, it’s a rare balance of great all-round tone with just enough color – and it should be, considering the library has been in the works for years. The hard work shows here.

The main mics (a pair of AKG C414s) are delivered in the standard version of the library, and I’m pleased to say that the best overall mic perspective was chosen for this standard version. Some developers hide their more premium mic perspectives behind a paywall, but the main mics genuinely shine here with a tasteful warmth and intimacy that will fit most applications, and they sound great.

The other close mics deliver a slightly more precise tone, with a brighter and thinner overall sound. These are great for pop and rock tracks.

Walker 1955 Steinway D by Embertone Review Detail
Walker 1955 Steinway D by Embertone Review Detail

The hammer mics give an even closer sound with a tighter transient and would also suit modern applications. The full mics deliver a warmer, intimate tone suited to cinematic or solo applications. The binaural mics provide a true-to-life sound of sitting at the piano as you play, and have an excellent clarity and air that sounds great in any kind of track.

The room mics have more presence and bloom, but they still sound close enough to work on their own in a lot of different styles – these definitely aren’t the kind of washy room mics you’re used to hearing – they have the same kind of clear transient detail as the close mics, which is lovely.

The sustains themselves have the expected dryness with the pedal up and a rich resonance with the pedal down.  It’s a clear resonance rather than a frequency-heavy washy resonance, so playing with the pedal down never gets hazy or too dream-like.  The staccatos are short and bouncy and have just the right amount of length to perform accents or fast repetitive passages, so that’s a plus for players who love slamming their chords in 8th or 16th notes.

The real star for me though are the una corda samples.  If you like the sound of the piano but wish it had a more soft and cushiony touch, you can just flick a switch to activate the una corda samples and drift off to a world of caressing keys.  The una corda tone for each of the mic positions is slightly different, but each one gives a velvety (but not too velvety) response with a disciplined sound. 

For me, this kicks the library into high gear, because the piano will perform wonderfully in an upbeat orchestral track, but then can downshift into a carefully smooth tone for the more intimate moments.  The obsessive sampling has paid off in this regard, and not many piano libraries offer both standard and correct una corda samples.

The sound is lovely – but it’s also backed up by a flexible and straightforward GUI that allows the user to purge up or down pedal samples (so you can use just the pedal down samples if you want), the staccatos, the adaptive releases and the una corda samples.  You can also purge velocity layers to simplify the sound and save heaps of RAM – a must have for a library of this size, especially if you plan to use more than one mic position patch (each mic position is its patch).

Walker 1955 Steinway D by Embertone Review Snapshots
Walker 1955 Steinway D by Embertone Review Snapshots

You can shape the velocity response as well as the volume response for each velocity – so you can have only the softest layers playing at a higher volume if you’d like.  You can also change the sample start time (useful for tightening the staccatos further), the volume for the pedal and release noises, and even a handy ‘sweetening’ section is provided that thins out the tone, adds some compression, or adds some subtle saturation at the flick of a switch. 

You can even choose which MIDI CC controls the pedal down samples, the una corda samples or sostenuto playing – which allows you to hold down a set of keys, hit a pedal to sustain those keys, and then openly play nonsustained notes while the held keys ring out.  It really has been well thought out to give the user enough flexibility without getting complex. 

Of particular note though are these two features – the adaptive releases and the pedal catch.  Different release notes have been captured for hard playing, soft playing, quickly released notes, and held notes.

These samples are then activated when you release the keys quickly or slowly for lower and higher velocities, which means you get a life-like response from the piano – this is quite a rare feature in a piano library, and it allows the player to get very real-sounding staccatos and soft note-offs by just playing.  A top feature. 

The other element of note is the pedal catch – if you hit some keys, release them, then engage the pedal quickly after releasing, the notes will re-engage at a lower volume, just like a piano would in real life.  Brilliant.

Walker 1955 Steinway D by Embertone Review
Walker 1955 Steinway D by Embertone Review

The only feature not offered in the library as of writing this article is a transition between pedal up samples to pedal down samples when engaging the pedal while holding the keys down.

After getting in touch with Jonathan Churchill of Embertone, he revealed that there were and still are plans to implement this feature in the library, but they were compelled to release the library sooner rather than later.  So anyone noticing the lack of this feature in the library can rest assured that it is being worked on and will be added at a later date.

User interface & Usability

Overall, Walker 1955 Steinway is a behemoth of a piano library that offers almost everything a piano player could want in a library, deeply sampled, and provided in 6 different perspectives that each stand on their own rather than being fragments of a studio setup – which is a feat that Imperfect Samples, Synthogy and even Spectrasonics haven’t risen to.

Walker 1955 Steinway D by Embertone Review Color
Walker 1955 Steinway D by Embertone Review Color

Sure, if you want to take advantage of all the velocity layers and sample sets, you have to wait a while for them to load into RAM, and re-saving the patches can get ugly (just save a snapshot instead), but that’s the price you pay for having it all at your fingertips.

The Walker library as an instrument is top of its class and sounds phenomenal, and as a heavyweight 200G package it also sits alongside notorious instruments like HZ Piano from Spitfire – but Walker can be purchased in smaller chunks and at less than half the price.

Rating:  Five out of five stars

What we mainly have here with Walker 1955 Steinway D, is a piano library that delivers the kind of next-gen sampling and scripting finesse to secure a spot in the “deepest sampled pianos” list while challenging the high price that libraries like this usually charge. It’s a fireball that may just change up the way future piano libraries are sampled, presented and priced – in other words. Walker 1955 Steinway D is a game changer.

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