Welcome back to my series on Orchestral Sample libraries and software associated with creating Sampled orchestral music.
Having worked our way through all of the samples that have made it into my favourites list, this week we will look at associated software which I use to help me in my production of sampled orchestral music.
If you haven’t read my article How To Choose Orchestral Sample Libraries - An Introduction, and the other articles in this series - then use might want to bookmark this page, go read them and come back to this page.
Here’s a list of what we’ll be covering, broken down by category:
Reverbs and Spaces
Vienna M.I.R
Virtual Soundstage
Audio Ease Altiverb
LiquidSonics Seventh Heaven
EQ
FabFilter Pro-Q 3
Mastering / Finalising
iZotope Ozone 9
Audio / Sample Restoration (eg Noise + Click removal)
iZotope RX7
Other Useful Stuff
Avid Control App
Logic iPad Remote
Keymand
Just to reiterate, this is not a tutorial article. I won’t be giving detailed descriptions of how everything works, just what I use and what I particularly like (or dislike about it).
First up let's talk about Reverbs and spaces.
Why do we use reverb in the first place? Well, it may seem obvious but it’s worth considering.
In terms of real-sounding reverbs (as opposed to creative FX like gated sounds) It’s an attempt to fool the listener into believing the sound was recorded in a different environment from the original one. This is usually done in one of three ways:
In terms of orchestral samples, you can change the microphone balance being used within the GUI to add more or less of the room it was originally recorded in. This gives the effect of making the sample dryer (which can make it seem nearer) or “wetter” which can make it seem further away.
Add a reverb tail to the resulting sample to give the effect that the sample is in a larger environment than is actually the case, or to help standardise the sounds from different sample libraries by adding more or less of the reverb to each sound source.
Use a multi impulse response engine (like MIR or Virtual Soundstage) to make the sound appear further away rather than just adding a reverb tail. This has the effect of adding a virtual “tree” mic to close-mic recordings and allow disparate sample libraries to sound like they are recorded in the same space.
Let's look at my favourites in each of these areas and start the ball rolling by listening to a short passage using each of these to add space.
Thanks to my assistant Mark Fabian for creating these audio examples for me.
Vienna M.I.R Pro
Vienna MIR Pro i(Multi Impulse Response) is a remarkable product. It’s a spatial mixing and reverb engine and basically it allows you to create the sound of a Tree mic which you can then mix in with the original source. It runs (like Vienna Ensemble) as a separate program which opens when you launch the plugin in your DAW.
You can choose the hall, the type of mic used, wherein the room the instrument is placed and even which direction it is facing. There are LOTS of other configurable options (too numerous to mention) but really all you need to know is that you can take a close-miked source (if you read last week’s article on big band, this is tailor-made for the Sample Modeling Trumpet) and make it feel like it’s inside a space - as opposed to just sounding like an instrument next to my face with a longer tail slapped on. Different hall packs (room packs) can be purchased individually directly from VSL.
In MIR you choose (per instrument) not only the hall and the distance from the mic but the panning of the instrument (and the width of the sound source). So you can place orchestral sounds in their traditional positions really convincingly, both left and right, and nearer / further away.
All in all, once you get used to the concept, Vienna MIR gives the user one of the most convincing methods available to meld disparate samples and/or live audio together to sound as if they were all recorded in the same space. It is important however to remember that this type of product affects the body of the sound, and you’ll still need to use a reverb (like Altiverb or Seventh Heaven) to give a realistic tail to the sound.
It’s available in Pro form or as MIR 24 (limited to 24 instruments or sounds).
Personally I’ve found this a valuable tool during the lockdown whilst working on remotely recorded projects. Here’s an article about a project I worked on recently, which relied on M.I.R:
PROS:
Used appropriately and sparingly, this can make disparate sources sound glued together
Completely flexible choices of rooms, where the instrument sits in the room as well as a choice of Mics used to record the impulse response.
Easy to understand GUI
Easy to add to both samples and real audio
CONS:
It’s very very easy to overdo it with this. if you do it sounds like you recorded your instrument in a tunnel or a toilet.
So much flexibility and choice, it takes a bit of time to understand the best way to use it
Full version is fairly expensive
Parallax Audio - Virtual Soundstage
Virtual Soundstage (VSS) by Parallax Audio is another plugin for use in any DAW which attempts to do the same job as Vienna MIR Pro. It was originally developed in 2011 as part of a University Project and is still run as a one-man company.
In VSS, each instrument in your mix would need a different instance of Virtual Soundstage and the idea is that the algorithm replicates the sound of a source in different parts of a room including the different early reflections you get depending on where in the room the sound was played. Much like M.I.R, you can choose from a variety of modelled rooms. You also choose from a variety of microphone types and setups. Each gives a noticeably different sound and it’s important to play with them to understand how each interacts with your sound source.
It’s perhaps not quite as sleek or “finished'' as much as MIR and there are certain things which aren’t always as I’d like - some controls are global and some are per-instrument without a clear indication always which is which. It’s not always clear which instrument in the vertical list relates to the graphical representation. So if two instruments are called “untitled” and you want to move one around the room, it’s not clear which is which. These niggles aside it sounds superb and it’s not difficult to use.
PROS:
Works with the same type of theory as Vienna M.I.R (although it’s algorithmic and not based on Impulse Responses).
Good choice of rooms from Studio to Cathedral
Choice of Mics
Very affordable
CONS:
Not as much flexibility as M.I.R - for example when an instrument is added it can be tricky to identify it visually from the other instruments already added.
Some of the controls are global and some are per-instrument, but it’s not immediately clear which are which.
Some of the promised preset libraries are not available
Audio Ease Altiverb
Altiverb is a plugin that can be added to any sound source in your DAW.
Just in case you’re late to the party there are two basic types of reverb:
Convolution Reverb (where a recording of a real room is captured and you place your sound source “in” that room.
Algorithmic Reverb (where a computer algorithm is used to model the sound of a space - real or whacky.
Altiverb is probably the best known and best quality convolution reverb and a tool that I use all the time. What I particularly love about Altiverb is that I can choose from the actual sound of a small studio or a church (like my personal favourite St Josephs Church) and both are utterly real (because the sound of that actual space has been recorded).
Without knowing a huge amount about how reverb works or getting busy under the hood you can just add Altiverb on an Aux and then use a send from each instrument in various amounts to add each one to the same space, creating a very realistic sonic environment.
For Orchestral recordings, Altiverb is (in my opinion) the Rolls-Royce of reverbs and when used either by itself or with MIR (or VSS) it helps give your samples a realistic-sounding spatial home.
Altiverb does come in regular or XL flavours, but unless you are working in 5.1 or to higher sample rates than 96k I would recommend sticking with the regular version.
PROS:
The Industry standard - The finest Convolution reverb available
Absolutely enormous choice of spaces in which to place your sounds
Regularly updated with new spaces
Fairly straightforward to use
CONS:
Easy to miss a few of the hidden features (eg speaker positioning, how to use dampening).
Comes with a hefty price tag
LiquidSonics - Seventh Heaven
Seventh Heaven is an absolutely wonderful algorithmic reverb. LiquidSonics are fast making a reputation for superb products and this fits right into that category.
The Bricasti M7 is one of the world's best known reverbs with many attempts to model it, been less than great. Then Seventh Heaven came along and changed all that. Using its new “fusion IR technology” (a mixture of algorithm and convolution) it expertly replicates the M7 right down to the presets.
Seventh Heaven is available in Professional and Regular versions. The professional version has more functionality and every single preset from the M7, but after trying both I found that the regular version gives me everything I need. It’s extremely simple but still gives me control over early/late reflections, very low frequencies (VLF) and 30 of the m7’s most used presets. I haven’t found myself lacking at all with it and it blends seamlessly when making subtle orchestral tails (and also in conjunction with MIR).
I particularly love the fact that it’s subtle, sounds very realistic but it’s so configurable. - with little or no knowledge as to how reverbs work. It’s one of the best reverbs I’ve ever tried and within its price point, it’s a total no-brainer!
PROS:
An amazingly accurate model of the famous Bricasti M7
Almost impossible to make it sound bad
It’s subtle, easy to use and has few controls
The presets are incredibly useful
Inexpensive
CONS:
None as far as I’m concerned
Fab Filter - Pro-Q3
Like many composers, I am a bit of a hoarder of plugins. I have literally dozens of EQ plugins and many of them have been used once and then rarely reopened. However, the Fab Filter Pro-Q3 is one of those rare plugins that I now use pretty much exclusively for EQ and it’s stayed as my go-to EQ despite all those other contenders.
Here’s a quick piece before and after EQ.
One of the best features with the Pro Q3 is that if you hover your mouse over any part of the input waveform, you get an overall picture of the active frequencies, allowing you to take care of problems easily. The loudest frequencies are numbered so you know which things require your attention.
I know that the Pro Q3 does have external spectral visualisation (meaning I can see where frequencies are conflicting - as shown in other software like iZotope Neutron), but I confess it’s not a feature I gravitate to for some reason.
The most useful feature I find is the ability to change each band into a Dynamic EQ band. This means that nodes respond dynamically to the signal coming in - so that when the signal gets louder you get more attenuation at that frequency.
The other incredibly useful feature is the ability to change each band to either stereo or Mid Side processing. So you can sonically sculpt the left, right, mid and side signal for each band separately. I find myself regularly using this - particularly to add some shimmer to the sides of a cinematic style mix and to take a little “mud” out of the middle.
The Pro Q3 is a simply wonderful EQ and it’s my go-to for orchestral sample mock-up mixing, or indeed for anything and everything else.
PROS:
Superb sound
Frequencies show in real-time
Easy to understand GUI
Easily see problem frequencies with the option to “freeze” peaks to be tamed
Each band can be used as a dynamic EQ - invaluable
Also gives Mid Side processing option
Has the option to EQ match another source
CONS:
Absolutely none. A rare thing - a flawless product!
iZotope - Ozone 9
Ozone 9 is not really one plugin but a suite of plugins that are brought together in one GUI. From EQ, compression, exciting to tonal balance control, maximiser, various vintage modules and many many other things.
However, as an orchestral composer, I’m going to focus on one specific area. I confess I’m not a natural mix engineer, and so the best friend I have is the ability to listen to other mixes in the same genre that I can hear are stellar and then match my mix to it. I find myself gravitating to this very regularly. Once I’ve done that I find that it puts me in the right ballpark of the sound I’m looking for, and from there I can more clearly understand what to tweak.
I particularly like the sound of the vintage compressor and the fact that it’s so easy to use by virtue of its auto gain match - which allows you to readily compare your mix with and without the effect applied.
I also really like the exciter and the fact that you can choose from various saturation modes - and you can choose to add this saturation to the overall stereo sound or as a mid/side function.
Ozone is a deep product and there are many many features that could be discussed, but personally, the Match EQ is the feature that makes me come back to it time and again. A must buy.
PROS:
Incredibly easy to add good quality mastering to your track
Each module can be loaded independently or as a whole
Great master assistant, which “listens” to your mix and suggests a great starting point for your mix bus (or for your mastering).
Use it as part of your mix bus before mastering (if used subtly).
Match EQ. The ability to use a reference track and shape your track to match the EQ of that reference is absolute gold dust.
CONS:
Easy to overuse and overmaster/compress/limit a track.
iZotope RX7
Why on earth would you talk about an audio restoration tool when focussing on orchestral samples and orchestral programming?
Well, there are two reasons I think this is a tool everyone should aim to have at their disposal.
Firstly, many wonderful sample libraries have imperfections. Artifacts that were recorded (noise, key clicks, coughs) and that haven’t been appropriately removed in post-production by the manufacturer. So your choices are either to put out your music with that noise or to use a different sample. And then along came RX. Now you can rectify that offending sample or phrase, meaning that previously libraries that were difficult to use are now available to you again.
Secondly, it is extremely common to add one live instrument (or a few) to a mock-up made with primarily sampled instruments. If those instruments are noisy, hissy or generally have any imperfections they can often stand out and not meld. RX takes care of this problem.
Have a listen to this recording of a contrabassoon before and after cleaning. With thanks to bassoon player extraordinaire Michael Elderkin.
I should state for the record that a remote close-miked recording of a huge instrument like a contrabassoon is guaranteed to contain the sound of key clicks, and this is just part and parcel of recording an instrument like this - and no fault of the player!
You can clearly see the spikes from the key clicks in the top recording which have been removed in the 2nd example.
In addition to cleaning live audio, having the ability to clean up noisy recorded samples can make the difference between using a specific sample library and going elsewhere.
RX can be used equally well from Logic or Pro Tools as you can either connect it via an AudioSuite bridge called RX Connect in Pro Tools (as well as having access to multiple individual AudioSuite modules of each process) or by assigning RX as the default external audio editor in Logic Pro X’s preferences. It then opens as an external app and the audio is edited within the app and then sent back to the DAW by overwriting the original.
RX7 is a very specific tool but it’s another thing that I use extremely regularly, especially as soon as I’m adding live sound sources to my orchestral sample mock-ups.
PROS:
Within its sphere, this is an unrivalled product and utterly invaluable
Easy to Immediately see noise, clicks, pops separately to the actual instrument signal
Practical to edit samples with noise or clicks making some sample libraries usable that otherwise wouldn’t be
Quick and easy integration with both Logic and / or Pro Tools
CONS:
None. A specific product for a specific use - but it does what it does fantastically well.
Avid Control App
Avid Control is an iPad app allowing you to control Pro Tools. However, although not clear from the name, it also allows you to control any DAW that supports eucon (which is the “middle” program that links a DAW to associated hardware or controllers. Currently, this is Logic Pro X, Cubase and Nuendo.
It works via Eucon with DAW’s on either Mac or PC and will run on any fairly recent iPad, Android or Amazon tablet. The general theory is that it allows you to control your DAW by using the iPad as a touchscreen version of the relevant bits of the software. It has 6 separate areas:
Mixer
Tracks
Channels
Meters
Soft Keys
Monitoring
I’m not going to guide you through all the features of the app as there are other guides and reviews on Pro Tools Expert but what I will say is this:
Having tried it extensively with Pro Tools and Logic Pro, I can report it works really well in both cases. I personally use it in conjunction with the Avid S1 and the Avid Dock and it integrates perfectly with the Avid Hardware. As a tablet-only controller app personally I find it a little confusing to use in places. Personally I find myself ignoring 90% of the controls and mostly just use the faders, the solos and mutes and a few soft keys (which I now use from other programs) but the way in which soft keys are programmed is a little fiddly in eucon until you understand the process.
If you are someone that likes the tactile approach rather than using just a mouse and lots of clicks, then the Avid Control is a definite option. It’s free and you don’t have to have work in Pro Tools to use it.
PROS:
Works on a generic tablet
Deep integration with hardware like the S1 / Pro Tools Dock but works standalone
Works equally well with Logic and Pro Tools
Access to huge amounts of Key Commands - assignable to soft buttons
Stable with Eucon (which is now well supported by Avid)
CONS:
It is quite a deep piece of software and can take some getting used to
Using plugins on screen can feel quite fiddly
The user guides and video tutorials could use some thoughts from the customer’s perspective - what to watch or read first, for the new user.
Learning how to use this with logic (from the key command perspective) has little or no documentation
Logic Pro X Remote Control
The Logic Remote Control App is a different type of beast from the Avid Control App.
Using the app you can use the touchscreen to do multi-touch mixing, control logic virtual instruments, navigate your project, add or edit automation, trigger live loops and trigger key commands via customisable buttons.
Unlike Avid Control the Remote Control doesn’t feel nearly as deep or complex but conversely, it’s quicker and easier to learn and use and therefore if you are a composer that doesn’t use more than one DAW it may be the right solution for you. Although I use Avid Control more regularly, when I travel and use Logic on my laptop, I find Logic Remote Control more useful to access more of the functions inside Logic Pro than Avid Control. It’s especially useful to be able to navigate the project whilst seeing the timeline and move from one marker to another.
Providing you don’t view the Logic Remote Control as an alternative to the Avid Control, as a Logic Pro User you’ll get a great deal of joy integrating your iPad into your workflow with the Logic Remote Control App.
PROS:
Free companion app for Logic Pro X
Available on iPad and iPhone
Easy to understand GUI
Easy to navigate different features in Logic
Available Touchscreen mixing as well as integration with instruments, soft keys and project navigation
CONS:
New version not backwards compatible with older versions of Logic
Some reports from users of glitching with Logic
Nothing else really - it does what it says
Keymand Tech - Keymand
Keymand is one of those brilliant programs that I only recently discovered but now has opened my eyes to the possibilities of programs that help you access Key Commands which you just aren’t going to remember by assigning them to individual buttons on the iPad, and then naming and assigning a colour to each button. It’s extremely cost-effective (and not difficult to use).
Keymand works by linking the iPad to the computer (with a leaded connection) and specifically to the Keymand Center App. Basically you program the buttons into your iPad and then send that programming to the computer via that Keymand Center App. I found that assigning repetitive tasks to buttons on Keymand has really sped up my workflow, and helped me think a little about which processes I do regularly enough to consider programming them to a button. As you change apps, the key commands also change to reflect whichever app you have showing.
All in all, this is a very cost-effective way to dip your toe into the world of outsourcing your key commands to a dedicated controller.
PROS:
Key Commands set to multiple buttons within your iPad - what a great idea!
Works with almost every program in your Mac - even the Finder and Mail
Incredibly easy to program
Some programs (Mail, Safari, Finder and a few others) have pre-programmed panels)
An infinite amount of programmable Key Commands
CONS:
Requires a physical connection between iPad and computer
I’ve had issues of Key Commands being set and not “remembered’ when iPad is unplugged.
No pretty graphics
And that’s about it for my round-up of the most useful associated software for orchestral sample composers. I’m breaking with tradition this week and not listing a Desert Island choice as the programs are too disparate but I will say - don’t neglect the associated software. Thinking about these other areas will really benefit your writing because it makes your workflow more painless and that gives you the opportunity to be more creative!