Polaris, the latest sound library from Grammy-nominated composer, electronic music pioneer & technologist Brian Transeau, AKA BT, is a mesmerizing aural innovation.

Polaris tastefully pairs the worlds of synthesis and orchestra to take your scores into 2022 and beyond. This sophisticated yet eclectic sound library offers massive multi-layers of organic string orchestral recordings, performed by London’s top-tier players at AIR Studios resampled using an array of classic and rare synthesizers.

Polaris Review: A Modern String Orchestra Imitating Classic Synth Sounds

Polaris is a modern string orchestra with classic synth sounds. It features a massive multi-layering of complex synth sounds made accessible, as well as endless customization sounds using the eDNA engine. The all-new Granular Engine provides even more sonic possibilities.

There are 129 articulations, including 94 articulations from the original string performances, 35 layered ‘Synergy’ patches for use in the eDNA engine, and 421 presets created by BT himself and the Spitfire Team. The noise sources were recorded by BT himself for an authentic experience.

It may appear strange to simulate a synth using an orchestra, but Polaris is fantastic. There is something special about the sound of a well-played acoustic guitar. It exists in that space where massive pads meet massive strings, gliding electrical signals meet sliding fingers, and the wobble of vintage circuits meets the organic nature of wood and catgut.

I love this. The sound of an acoustic guitar is like no other; it is at once both natural and artificial, familiar and strange. When played well, it can transport me to another place entirely. It is the sound of my favorite memories and the sound of my deepest yearnings. It is the sound of home.

There’s something about certain sounds that just instantly catches your attention. It could be a particularly resonant note in a song or how a particular sound seems to cut through the noise of everything else around you.

Whatever the case may be, there’s no denying that certain sounds have the power to immediately grab your attention and hold it captive. And that’s precisely what Polaris does so well.

Massive multi-layered organic string orchestral recordings, resampled with a wide range of vintage and rare hardware samplers and synthesizers, including Fairlight, EMU E-II, and others.

Hardware Sampler

A hardware sampler is a piece of electronic music equipment that allows users to record and playback digital samples. Unlike software samplers, which are programs that run on computers, hardware samplers are standalone devices.

This means that they can be used without a computer, making them ideal for live performances. Hardware samplers typically have a keyboard and other controls that allow the user to playback the recorded samples.

IF you are interested in resampling I would hight recommend watching the Junkie XL video below:

Effects – Shaping Sound

They may also have onboard effects, such as reverb and echo, that can be applied to the sampled sound. In addition, many hardware samplers allow the user to resample, or record, new sounds from external sources, such as turntables or other instruments. This makes them versatile tools for creative sound design.

Polaris Resampled Content

Polaris exists in that space where massive pads meet massive strings, gliding electrical signals meet sliding fingers, and the wobble of vintage circuits meets the organic nature of wood and catgut.

I love the way that synthesizers can create new sounds while still retaining a sense of musicality, and I love the way that they can be used to create both complex compositions and catchy hooks.

Software Synthesizers like Polaris are truly one of the most versatile instruments out there, capable of producing almost any sound imaginable. From the gentle strains of a simple melody to the pulse-pounding bass of an EDM track, synthesizers have the ability to transport us to another world entirely. Whether you’re a seasoned producer or a bedroom musician, there’s a synthesizer out there that’s perfect for you.

And Polaris is the perfect example of a modern synthesis that retains a sense of musicality.

The result is an ever-evolving, organic soundscape that is at once classic and modern. The use of classic and rare samplers gives the music a timeless quality, while the inclusion of organic and synth samples gives it a contemporary edge.

The result is a sound that is both familiar and new, and which will appeal to fans of all genres. BT, Spitfire, and their team of sound artists have created something truly special with this album, and it is sure to be appreciated by fans of all kinds of music.

There’s no doubt that the topic of synths and guitars sounds epically cinematic and thoroughly engaging. However, I often wonder about the constant reinvention of sample libraries and rompler-based virtual instruments and how they jostle for space in such a crowded market.

Perhaps in the same way that we’re never done with making synths or building new guitars, then we’ll never be done with sampling another orchestra. The thing is, at what point do these sample libraries and virtual instruments begin to lose their luster? I’m not sure if anyone has the answer, but it’s something to think about. Regardless, it’s clear that the market for these products is always changing and that there’s always something new on the horizon. So, if you’re looking for a fresh take on the classic sound of an orchestra, Polaris is definitely worth checking out.

AIR Lyndhurst Hall

In today’s film industry, it’s all about creating a unique soundscape that captivates audiences and immerses them in the story. To that end, this library features an eclectic mix of sounds performed by some of London’s top contemporary players.

From the heart-pounding action of a battle scene to the emotional intensity of the sensitive drama, this collection has everything you need to take your score to the next level. Recorded at the renowned AIR Lyndhurst Hall, this library captures the future of blockbuster scoring.

So if you’re looking to create an unforgettable experience for your audience, this is the perfect resource for you.

Transformed & Synthesised Outside Reality

Polaris is a powerful new synth that offers a unique take on sound design. The three parts of the synth – the organic Strings Orchestra, Classic synths, and Vintage Resampling – can be combined to create a wide range of sounds.

The eDNA engine also allows for further experimentation and customization. With its flexible sound design capabilities, Polaris is perfect for a wide range of musical styles.

The eDNA interface is an incredibly powerful tool for music producers and sound designers. With its ability to play and pair two sound sources from the 129 articulations available, it opens up a whole new world of possibilities for creating custom sounds.

The interface also allows you to manipulate, layer, and blend sound with FX, gates, and much more, giving you the freedom to create a truly unique sound that fit your music. Whether you’re looking to add some extra spice to your tracks or completely change the way they sound, the eDNA interface is sure to take your music to the next level.

By tastefully combining the worlds of synthesis and orchestra, Polaris creates sounds that are at once familiar and otherworldly, catchy, and unforgettable.

In short, Polaris is the perfect tool for scoring movies, video games, and TV shows set in the future. So if you’re looking to take your music into the next decade, look no further than Polaris.

Polaris Presets

BT is one of the most prolific and innovative electronic music producers of our time. His new preset included in Polaris pays homage to his signature sound while also pushing it into new territory. The result is a collection of 421 expertly crafted presets that are perfect for any producer looking to create modern, cutting-edge music.

From pulsing basslines to soaring melodies, the BT presets has everything you need to get your next track started on the right foot.

Conclusion

In Polaris, BT has created a unique sound library that pairs the world of synthesis and orchestra in a way that is both fresh and exciting. With its massive multi-layer recordings of an orchestra, Polaris is perfect for creating blockbuster scores that immerse audiences in the story. Additionally, Polaris’ powerful eDNA engine allows for further sound design experimentation, giving producers and sound designers the freedom to create truly unique sounds.

If you’re looking for an orchestral sound library that goes beyond the ordinary, Polaris is definitely worth checking out. This innovative new product from Grammy-nominated composer and electronic music pioneer Brian Transeau (AKA BT) offers a mesmerizing mix of synthesis and orchestra recordings to take your scores into the future. Whether you’re working on film or video game music, Polaris is sure to add sophistication and intrigue to your compositions.

Rating: Five out Of Five

There’s something about certain sounds that just instantly catches your attention. The first time I heard the sound library Polaris, I was immediately seduced by its magnitude and power. Performing with Polaris is an incredibly exhilarating experience. The sheer size and force of the sound waves are truly awe-inspiring.

What’s even more impressive is that Polaris is able to create such a massive sound without any sort of physical interaction. It’s purely electronic, yet it has the ability to move people in a way that few other things can. That’s what makes Polaris so special to me.

If you’re looking for an orchestral sound library that goes beyond the ordinary, Polaris is definitely worth checking out. This innovative new product from Grammy-nominated composer and electronic music pioneer Brian Transeau (AKA BT) offers a mesmerizing mix of synthesis and orchestra recordings to take your scores into the future.

This powerful instrument Polaris features a massive multi-layering of complex synth sounds, making it accessible for musicians of all levels. With the eDNA engine, you can endlessly customize your sound, and with the all-new Granular Engine, you can explore even more sonic possibilities.

With 129 articulations, including 94 original string performances and 35 layered ‘Synergy’ patches, this instrument is capable of creating a wide range of sounds. In addition, there are 421 presets created by BT himself and the Spitfire team, ensuring that you’ll always have something new to explore. For those who want to add an extra layer of texture to their music, Polaris also comes with a library of FX and gates.

Polaris is the perfect tool for scoring movies, video games, and TV shows set in the future. So if you’re looking to take your music into the next decade, look no further than Polaris.

I give Polaris five out of five stars.

You might want to divide and deconstruct any sound, rearrange and transform the pieces if you’re looking to create completely new sounds, or just want to experiment with remixing existing ones.

Arturia’s new Efx FRAGMENTS is a unique audio tool that allows you to divide and deconstruct any sound, rearrange and transform the pieces, and reassemble it to your own design. This makes it an ideal tool for the intrepid sound explorer.

Whether you’re looking to create completely new sounds, or just want to experiment with remixing existing ones, Efx FRAGMENTS is up for the challenge!

Create shimmering reverb clouds, reality-shattering glitches and stutters, rhythm-enhancing layers of texture, and more in incredible detail; crank up the intensity to manifest incredibly complex sounds.

Efx FRAGMENTS breaks down the granular synthesis procedure into simple-to-use components that naturally collaborate with one another. You can modify each component of the granular process separately to investigate and experiment with your sound with complete control and detail; here’s how it works.

Efx FRAGMENTS: A Flexible, Accessible, and Musical Tool for Sound Exploration

Efx FRAGMENTS is a creative effect plugin based on granular processing. It features three distinct granular modes: Classic, Texture, and Rhythmic. You can also quantize pitch with 15 different scales, grain quantization with transient detection or snap-to-grid modes, and spatialize sound with nine different trajectories presets.

There are also two FX slots with sophisticated routing for unique sound design possibilities. The modulation section features an envelope follower, three function generators, and a step sequencer.

Finally, there’s a curated 60-preset library for instant access to inspiring tones. The plugin is compatible with Apple M1 instruments.

The Arturia Efx FRAGMENTS software offers you the option of breaking any sound down into numerous tiny pieces, utilizing a variety of granular technology.

After that, you may alter it in the next stage. Through granular processing, the new effect is supposed to be able to break, reverse, and rebuild any sound.

A single plugin should contain the fundamental features of granular editing. This is to ensure that an extensive variety of sounds are accessible. The plugin should be able to give this regardless of whether it’s in the form of stereo ambiance, metallic structures, versatile rhythms, or heights.

Efx FRAGMENTS Granular Synthesis

Efx FRAGMENTS is based on Granular synthesis, in its most basic form, which entails breaking down a sound into “grains,” which are then used in surprising ways. The grains of dirt in Efx FRAGMENTS are extremely customizable. You can adjust their size, spacing, pitch, and playback behavior—among other things.

The sound produced is both unmistakable and unique to granular. Smooth, transparent, and sharp timbres are transformed into crisp and brittle ones.

Delays in the sound fall to a minimum thanks to the wet and dense sound texture produced by this device, which washes over any mix and leaves behind dense clouds of reverberating sonic texture.

Tapping into a combination of natural and synthetic sound sources, Efx FRAGMENTS is capable of generating a “chorus” effect that transforms a short tone into an endless stream.

After you’ve experienced Efx FRAGMENTS’ unusual approach to granular processing, you’ll never go back.

Efx FRAGMENTS is a powerful, yet flexible tool that allows you to divide and deconstruct any sound. You can then rearrange and transform the pieces for your own purposes.

Whether it’s creating new sounds or experimenting with remixing existing ones, this software has all of the necessary tools in one place! For more information on how to work with Efx FRAGMENTS, check out the video below.

Efx FRAGMENTS is a granular processing software effect that allows you to divide, modify, and reconstruct any sound. Introduce an attention-grabbing cinematic feel to any video, film, or project by adding glitchy stutters, grainy stereo ambiance, daring textures, and more.

Efx FRAGMENTS is the most flexible and musical granular synthesis solution yet. It takes the complicated notion of granular synthesis and makes it more adaptable, accessible, and melodic than ever before. Dynamically panned pans and tremolo effects, as well as psychedelia-inspired glitches and stutters.

Efx FRAGMENTS Glitch & Stutter

Polyrhythms, polymeters, and other time-signature fusions can add tension and variance to your rhythms, compositions, and soundscapes by using dramatic stop-start stutters, pitch-shifted variations, and reality-shattering faults. For genuine sonic mayhem, slice sounds rhythmical or go off the grid entirely.

Efx FRAGMENTS Rhythmic Variations

Efx FRAGMENTS reacts to the beat of your song in a variety of innovative ways. For glitchy beats, fractured rhythmic textures, flowing percussive sequences, and more, make every grain of sound react to your tempo.

Efx FRAGMENTS Textural Enhancement

Whether you want to add sparkling character, or just make something ‘feel’ better in a mix, immediately excite and accentuate any instrument stem, loop, or vocal part with the ethereal sound of granular processing, complete with built-in mix-ready FX.

Efx FRAGMENTS Beauty or Chaos

Efx FRAGMENTS can turn any sound into an exciting, evocative, and entirely unique experience. Explore and modulate granular processing with ease, and you’ll be rewarded with fantastic sound effects guaranteed.

Efx FRAGMENTS Redefining Ambient

Immerse your mixes in the material ambiance by going beyond typical reverb and delay. Any sound source produces vast shimmering clouds of sound particles, delicate cave-echo trickles, or fast-flowing spatial movement.

Efx FRAGMENTS Forge New Timbres

Turn the tiniest fleeting, crunchiest sample, or most unsung stem into a bowed string, a gritty drum sound, or a mix-enveloping pad by using EFX FRAGMENTS. By closely intertwining grains, EFX FRAGMENTS generates texture and density in ways that would be surprising.

Conclusion

Efx FRAGMENTS is a creative effect plugin based on granular processing. It features three distinct granular modes: classic, texture, and rhythmic. You can also quantize the pitch with 15 different scales, or quantize the grain size with transient detection or snap-to to grid modes.

The spatializer section has nine different trajectory presets, and you can route the sound in two FX slots with sophisticated routing for unique sound design possibilities.

The advanced modulation section includes an envelope follower, three function generators, and a step sequencer. There’s also a curated 60-preset library for instant access to inspiring tones. And if that’s not enough, Efx FRAGMENTS is also compatible with Apple M1 sounds!

Efx FRAGMENTS is a software effect for granular synthesis that allows you to divide, modify, and reconstruct any sound. With its flexible and accessible interface, it’s easy to create intriguing sounds that add interest and excitement to your music, video, or other projects.

Efx FRAGMENTS is capable of generating a “chorus” effect that transforms a short tone into an endless stream. After you’ve experienced its unusual approach to granular processing, you’ll never go back. Explore the possibilities of granular processing today with Efx FRAGMENTS.

Granular Processing FAQ

Qu-Bit Nebulae V2

NOTE: This is a first patch video and there’s a lot to figure out by trial on error because the manual doesn’t provide a typical workflow for certain scenarios. So I will definitely revisit this module and try to help you understand it.

There are many granular solutions for Eurorack, where Arbhar, Clouds, Beads and Morphagene are probably the most used. Qu-Bit also provides the Nebulae V2 granular looper which is often overlooked as a contender.

Arbhar, Clouds, and Beads have true polyphonic grain generation, allowing you to create huge textures with randomly picked sound fragments from a buffer.

They work similarly but provide tons of different features. I’d say Arbhar is the most powerful of the three. Then there’s the granular looper/microsound camp, where you can find Morphagene and the Nebulae. Again, both share a lot of similar features.

Morphagene has an alien interface and sounds a bit raw where Nebulae sounds smooth because of its elastic audio engine – which I think is totally amazing for continuous tones. Finally, Nebulae is the only module that supports different firmware as a DSP platform.