strings

This is an audio functional demo of the Roland Jupiter 4 Compuphonic Synthesizer.

via abertronic

This vintage ad, from around 1976, is for the Korg Sigma synthesizer.

According to a Korg Sigma synth review by Gordon Reid:

When Korg released the Sigma its design and a handful of its facilities put older preset monosynths to shame. It was heavily endorsed by Rick Wakeman (who at one time replaced his Minimoogs with four of them) and also used by Keith Emerson. Yet it never caught on, and within a few years had vanished. And that’s a pity because the range of possibilities contained within its weird architecture was huge.

Nowadays, its resale value can be very low, but who knows… if a bit more fuss had been made of the original rather than focusing on its limitations, there might have been a Mark II, and that could have been a very weird and wonderful synthesiser indeed.

via abertronic

The ARP String Ensemble, produced by Solina (a.k.a. Eminent NV) from 1974 to 1981, is a fully polyphonic multi-orchestral synthesizer with a 49-key keyboard.

The sounds it offers are violin, viola, trumpet, horn, cello and contrabass. The keyboard uses ‘organ style’ divide-down technology to make it polyphonic.

A built-in chorus effect gives the instrument its famous sound.

Famous players include Deodato, The Buggles, Elton John, Air and Pink Floyd.

If you’ve used the ARP Solina String Ensemble, leave a comment with your thoughts/ratings!

Resources:

• Wikipedia entry for ARP String Ensemble
• Retrosound’s Solina String Synth page
• Eminent Solina String Ensemble page at dse.nl
• Video via epservice

Garritan has announced that the Gofriller Solo Cello, the latest software instrument using the revolutionary ’sonic morphing’ process, is now shipping.

This Solo Cello software instrument, created by an Italian team in collaboration with Garritan, expands the company’s solo instrument series following the release of the Stradivari Solo Violin.

According to Garritan, the Gofriller Solo Cello represents a major step forward in software musical instrument technology and provides a new level of realism and virtuosic erformance in sample-based instruments. Gofriller Cellos (made nearly three hundred years ago) are among the finest cellos ever made and are known for their rich and beautiful tone. Thanks to the exclusive “harmonic alignment” technology, this sampled Gofriller Cello lets you seamlessly crossfade among dynamics (pp to ff); continuously control the onset, rate and speed of the vibrato; play portamento, trill at any interval and speed, perform harmonics, legato – play almost any articulations in real-time.

The result of these technologies is extraordinary levels of expressiveness and performance capabilities in a way that preserves the natural characteristics of the Gofriller Cello. This solo cello instrument is truly ‘playable’ unlike any other virtual instrument.

This new instrument integrates the Native Instruments Kontakt 2 sample player and can be used as a standalone instrument, as a VST, DXi, RTAS or Audio Units plug-in, and can be used with supported notation programs like Finale 2007. It is also Mac Intel compatible.

Pricing and Availability

The Gofriller is priced at $199 and available now.

2007 Winter NAMM Show: Vienna Symphonic Library introduced three new Collections, including Appassionata Strings, Bösendorfer Imperial, and Vienna Konzerthaus Organ.

Appassionata Strings

As the name suggests, these string ensembles are quite simply, passionate. Their lush, broad and emotive cinematic sound defies expectations for a virtual instrument. The large ensembles of 20 violins, 14 violas, 12 cellos and 10 basses integrate perfectly well into a variety of musical styles, from pop and rock environments to symphonic arrangements, from emotional ballads to films, from pure string beds to complete orchestral scores.

Bösendorfer Imperial

With the support of “Bösendorfer Klavierfabrik” the Vienna Symphonic Library team has developed its first sampled grand piano software instrument, a true recreation of a Bösendorfer 290 Imperial that was tuned and regulated by the piano manufacturer’s best engineers and piano technicians. Its massive and unprecedented 54 GB sample set includes unlooped sustain samples in pedal up and pedal down variations and in 7 velocity layers, tone repetitions, real recorded sustain pedal resonances, multiple release samples, and key noises. The Bösendorfer 290 Imperial is the only concert grand in the world to have nine sub-bass notes, extending downward to low C, and giving it a keyboard range spanning eight octaves.

Vienna Konzerthaus Organ

The Vienna Konzerthaus Organ is the first sampled organ recorded in a concert hall, not in a church, thus blending perfectly with orchestral performances. It was recorded at the venerable Great Hall of the “Wiener Konzerthaus”, where the famous “Rieger Organ” was installed in 1913. The Collection includes 14 GB of stereo samples covering three manuals with 38 single stops and one pedal with 18 single stops. The user can put together his own registrations by combining the stops in the Vienna Instruments’ user interface, retaining the flexibility of this magnificent instrument.