CDM’s resident game composer W. Brent Latta continues pouring over the epic choral sampling library that is EWQL’s Symphonic Libraries. In case you weren’t already impressed with its 9 DVDs of sounds, in this episode, Brent constructs actual words out of samples — the holy grail of synthetic vocals. -Ed.

WordBuilder is arguably the most significant piece of technology in the Choirs package. Sure – in terms of raw samples, there has never been a choir library this substantial. But more important is the ability to actually get the choir to say exactly what you want them to, without resulting to bland “Oooohs” and “Aaaaahs” or resulting to bland, pre-recorded phrases such as “Hallelujah”.

That said, our look at WordBuilder will be brief, only because the application is so deep that to fully explain its use and application would exceed the scope of a review and lead into something more of a tutorial.

As we discussed in the earlier episodes, we’re using Choirs along with Logic Pro 7 – thus we use WordBuilder in standalone mode. We fire up Logic, WordBuilder, and 4 instances of our Choirs Kompakt plugin (SATB), and begin our foray into building words. The first thing to understand about WordBuilder is that while a monophonic note-line will be routed in (from your controller or sequencer), WordBuilder will transmit much more MIDI data at output. Consider the word “sly”. The composer things of this as a single word or syllable, however WordBuilder must break this individual word into multiple segments, “s”, “l”, and “y” – each to be routed (with the same note value) to a different sample. Thus we can see that WordBuilder is a sophisticated MIDI processor, and harnessing its power is no small undertaking.

The incoming note from your controller or sequencer will have a velocity value that will be passed into each segment in WordBuilder. However, we can change the velocity of each segment on the fly in WordBuilder, if we so desire. Even more useful is the ability to set transitions between segments and phrases. As noted in the documentation, “singing the word ‘alone’ might need to be noticeably different than singing the phrase ‘a loan’, even though the sounds of the letters are the same and the notes on the staff identical.” WordBuilder allows the user several ways to specify transitions between phrases, the most flexible being “Text Entry” mode, where entering symbols into the text field will specify the type of transition between segments. “had a lit-tle =lamb” would yield slurring on the first word, staccato on the next 3 words, and a normal transition on the final word.

As a side-note, it should be mentioned that we can solo specific words or phrases to further hone and refine our performance. As we select a given syllable in the text field and click ‘Solo’ in WordBuilder, we then loop the particular notes in our sequencer, or simply play them in repeatedly from our controller.

Perhaps the most important functionality of WordBuilder – aside from assigning the actual text to be sung – lies in its ability to ‘learn’ the timing of the lyrics to be sung. There are two basic approaches: Change Speed, which actually adjusts the duration of each phonetic segment, and Draw Only, which merely indicates the length of each syllable in the timeline. Each one is useful in its own right. Change Speed is the most efficient way to get the choir to sing the lyrics with the melody you’ve written, though it is not necessarily precise enough to simply ‘set-it-and-forget-it’. Draw Only doesn’t change the actual duration of the segments – that type of adjustment is up to the composer. What it does is give you a guideline, a foundation from which you can adjust and tweak the syllables to your hearts content. Personally, I’m the impatient type, so I’m going to be working with the Change Speed mode, with manual tweaking after the fact.

One nitpick I have with the documentation for WordBuilder – it constantly references the different colors of segments and notes, but the manual itself is in black and white. I realize that they assume the user will have the application open while they’re reading the manual, but that is a faulty assumption for some of us, who use our commute time (on the bus, mind you) to read through the documentation and our studio time to put it into practice.

It should also be noted that there is one cumbersome quandary in the WordBuilder system that makes it somewhat difficult to get the lyrics to come out the way you want. When a single word or syllable requires multiple notes, the composer must toggle a MIDI CC event – one for “Hold On” and one for “Hold Off”. These toggles are set in the options menu – completely separate from the learned timing system used elsewhere. This dislocation of the hold system from the rest of the timing system is frustrating. Surely there must be a better way to incorporate held syllables over multiple notes within the primary “learning” system. I certainly hope East West refines this feature in the future.

Here is a quick MP3 sample of the Lacrimosa phrase from Mozart’s requiem. As shown in the graphic, one must insert a separate syllable for the note to be held (the ‘a’).

lacrimosa.mp3

WordBuilder is a complex application, requiring proprietary syntax and a great deal of patience. However, it pays off in the end, and your results will be directly proportional to the amount of time you’re willing to spend refining your song. While I wish that it were easier for a composer to get a virtual choir to sing, I honestly can’t think of a more efficient or flexible way of doing it. East West has done an amazing job with this application, and I’m excited to share my results with you in our next, and FINAL installment.

Previously:
EWQL Symphonic Choirs Episode 2: Digging In
Review: EWQL Symphonic Choirs Sample Library, Episode 1 – The Arrival
[Ed.: We're currently correcting an error in the database that caused some mis-encoded characters in episode 1. Thanks for your patience. -PK]

If you haven’t spent every last penny you own on the latest playourwiibox, your strength hasn’t been taken away from coma-inducing leftovers and you’re in the mood for some jaw-dropping music tech bargains, well just read on dear CDMers because we have the best sales to help you start your new year of music-making off right.

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If you’ve got a deal that fell through the cracks, post it bellow so that we can catch it. Just remember to make your order before you do. Otherwise we may just buy it out from underneath you…

ATA

As previously mentioned, the first thing I had to throw out was the concept of plug-and-play. Once the application is installed, the similarity to other sample libraries ends. In order to really take advantage of this app, a second application is used, namely WordBuilder. WordBuilder is the application that allows the user to specify what text is to be sung, as well as the duration and dynamics of the piece. For those who may not grab the concept, it is easiest to think of WordBuilder as an intermediary app – it sits between your input device (usually a MIDI keyboard controller, sequencing or scoring app) and the Choirs Kompakt player. As note information comes in, WordBuilder maps the appropriate sample to each note, taking into account what syllable you wish to play, the duration, the intended sampleset (is it a Bass or a Tenor singing “Aaaaah”), etc. In a way, it is like a MIDI processing unit, adding additional ‘control’ values to incoming notes, and sending out a more complex signal.

After plowing through the first few WordBuilder chapters, I decided it was time to get Choirs setup with Logic Pro, my sequencer of choice, so I could really put it to the test. The manual for Choirs goes into detail describing the possible configurations, depending on what operating system and sequencing or scoring application you wish to use. In short, there are three basic setup styles: Stand-alone (the most commonly used setup) works in OS X and XP, with any sequencer or keyboard that sends MIDI on a specific port. MIDI loopback connections are required for most of these configurations. The second setup is VST MA (VST Module Architecture) and works under Windows or Mac OS X for users of Cubase SX or Nuendo (versions 2 and 3). Lastly, they offer MFX plug-in support for users of Sonar., For me, I would have to go the standalone route, diving into Logic’s Environment to configure the loopback ports…or would I?

On one of my web surfing expeditions, I recalled seeing a Logic and Choirs template referenced on the East West forum. After some sleuthing, I found it on the FAQ page, and shall link to it here for your future reference. It was a HUGE timesaver and got me up and running with Choirs and Logic Pro in less than 10 minutes. Similar setup assistance is available for Cubase, Sonar, ProTools, Digital Performer and Finale. EWQL Symphonic Choirs Setup FAQ

So after flying through that setup, I fired up the SATB template in WordBuilder, which loads the appropriate Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass presets, loaded four instances of Kompakt in the Logic SATB template, each with its respective multi sample set (more about those in a later installment), and went back to the manual to come to grips with the heart of Choirs: WordBuilder.

WordBuilder consists of two primary components: a text window, where the user specifies the text to be sung, and a duration window, where the user specifies the duration of each syllable. In addition, the user can use one of three types of text input: 1) standard spelling, 2) an easy-to-learn phonetic alphabet, and 3) VOTOX, a phonetic alphabet designed by EW specifically for choirs. I quickly tested out standard spelling and found the results to be less than satisfactory, and since I don’t know the phonetic alphabet, I figured it would be just as easy to learn VOTOX. There’s a handy reference sheet in the manual, so memorizing VOTOX isn’t necessary unless you’re typing a whole lot of text. I quickly ran through some of the included “Latin Phrase” presets – these are VOTOX transcriptions of common Latin phrases used in classical choir contexts. VOTOX yielded a much more convincing and accurate sound, so on to the next step.

Unfortunately, the lyrics for Pie Jesu are not among the Latin Phrase presets, so I would have to craft my own text for my first Opus. My first attempt was rather pathetic, so I wont even bother posting an MP3. The syllables transitioned on the incorrect notes and it sounded like a bad virtual choir kind of singing what I wanted them to…but not very well. It was clear that I was dealing with an amateur choir here, and we would need a lot of practice before we were able to sing the whole piece from start to finish. My skills as engineer and composer would be put to the test, and WordBuilder was going to take some significant wrangling to achieve the desired result.

…to be continued. Next Episode: WordBuilder Unleashed

Read EWQL Symphonic Choirs Episode 1

9 DVDs – are you serious!?

EWQL Symphonic Choirs arrived at work one sunny, summer afternoon. The packaging was nice – standard software size, with the usual EastWest design aesthetic. â€Å“Hmmm…this box is pretty heavy,â€Â? I thought to myself. I cracked open the seal, and emptied the contents. A couple of user-guides, some registration papers, and a thick, posterboard disc envelope. I mean really thick.

â€Å“How big is this thing?â€Â? I checked the back of the box. 38 gigabytes. 9 DVDs. Let me type that again, in case you missed it. 38 gigabytes. 9 DVDs. â€Å“I wonder how long this will take to install,â€Â? I mused to my co-workers. â€Å“I’ve got a Pioneer DVR108 in my G5 – it should have no problems flying through this installation, right? It reads at 16x…â€Â? I took the package home that night and decided to wait until the weekend to do the installation.

Saturday morning arrived and I decided I would go ahead with the install and start plowing through the user guide. I put the first disc into the drive, opened up Omniweb to grab any software updates from the SoundsOnline website, and cracked open the manual. The installation dialog box slowly ticked upwards:

5 minutes remaining, 7 minutes remaining, 11 minutes remaining, 15 minutes remaining.

I was clearly in for a long wait. â€Å“So…I’ve got 9 DVDs here…I’m thinking I don’t want to sit in front of my Mac for two-plus hours today to wait for this to install. Boy I wish dual-layer discs were in-fashion…â€Â?

And so it was, that I spread out the installation of EWQL Symphonic Choirs over the course of two days. Yes – it took me a weekend to finally get this app up and running on a Dual 1.8Ghz PowerMac G5 with relatively fast drives. I spaced the install out such that I would stick a disc in, resume the install, and walk away to run errands, clean the apartment, play some Ghost Recon, or catch up on e-mail. This is not an installation for the impatient. Now, if you’ve got the time and willingness, you could probably get this thing installed in a couple of hours. But honestly I’ve always been rather fussy about how I spend my time, so this seemed like the best way to do it. After all was said and done, I was up and running by late Sunday afternoon and had skimmed the manual enough to know that not only was the install process rather lengthy – this was not a simple plug-and-play application. I’d had it easy with EWQL RA and Stormdrum – just pick a patch and start jamming! Not so with Choirs. If I was going to get ANY useful results from this library, I was going to have to devote some serious time and study to its use and application.

So back to the manual I go – this time from start to finish.

…to be continued…

Symphonic Choirs Product Page

Ed: Brent’s back, not only with a review of the massive EastWest Stormdrum sample library, but some ideas on how you might use it as a composer of game or film scores. Read on . . . -PK

Where Art Thou, Boomy Percussion?

If you’ve watched any of the more epic-styled Hollywood films lately, no doubt you’ve noticed a musical trend that is taking hold of the industry. Films such as the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Gladiator feature original scores from notable film composers, and all films rely heavily on the use of what I affectionately call “boomy” percussion. This trend of large, hard-hitting and, at times, almost tribal percussion usage has crossed over into television, music, and of course videogames. Original game soundtracks such as God of War, Metal Gear Solid

and The Chronicles of Riddick utilize this same style of western orchestral music, underscored by heavy percussion.

For the contemporary composer and studio musician, it can be a bit of a challenge to create these sounds with existing software, and it is even more of a challenge to find and record the instruments themselves. Anyone who has seen a live Taiko performance can sympathize with the roadies who have to haul those drums from place to place. Orchestral libraries will typically provide bass drums, timpani, and possibly even toms of some kind or another. However, none of these quite capture the sound of those epic soundtracks from Hollywood composers. (Read more . . .)

East West Quantum Leap Stormdrum (product page from East West Samples

Stormdrum at soundsonline.com

Here Be The Boom

Award winning East-West producer Nick Phoenix has set out to solve this problem with a collection of samples created specifically for those seeking all the ‘boom’ without the bulk and weight of a Dragon Drum. Designed to give composers and musicians the biggest, boomiest collection of percussion samples in one complete package, Stormdrum allows you to get that big Hollywood sound easily – with professional quality results. For the enterprising individual, Stormdrum has a vast collection of samples that will allow you to break traditional molds utilizing new, big percussion sounds in any of your compositions.

Delivered on two DVD’s, Stormdrum delivers over 6GB of content in two separate virtual instruments. Compatible with VST, DX and AU formats, the software ships with Native Instruments Kontakt and Intakt players. The Kontakt Player is where composers and beat crafters will turn if they want to carefully construct their compositions, as each of the included samples and kits are mapped chromatically across the keyboard in a traditional sample-playback manner. The Intakt Player contains a wealth of pre-recorded loops utilizing the Stormdrum library, each treated with a variety of effects processors. These are excellent jumping off points for folks looking to add a new flavor to any composition.

In Use

For my style of composition, I spend most of my time with the Kontakt Player. Though I do use loops to add additional flavor and spice to some of my compositions, I tend to be a ‘from scratch’ kind of composer. With that in mind, the Kontakt Player side of Stormdrum provides hundreds of different drum kits, as well as a selection of individual hits that can be used in your compositions.

The Kontakt Player is extremely flexible and can accommodate a variety of setups. You can load multiple kits in a single instance and assign each kit to a different MIDI channel. In this way, you have a typical multitimbral setup. Alternatively you can assign them to the same MIDI channel, which would provide a layered setup, combining several kits into a single wall-of-sound kind of setup.

If you’ve got the extra horsepower (and the Kontakt Player itself is relatively easy on CPU and RAM) I find it easiest to load up a new instance of the player for each kit. This allows you to EQ and effect each track separately, as well as ‘freeze’ the track (provided your host application supports this functionality) to free up extra system resources.

While the bulk of Stormdrum’s focus is on big percussion sounds – Ethnic and traditional percussion such as Bodhran, Taiko, Dragon Drums and industrial hits – East West has also provided several high-quality traditional drum kits, both acoustic and electronic, such as the TR-808 and 909. Out of all the available kits and sounds, my favorite (by far) is ThunderEnsemble, which is comprised of a variety of Taiko drums and similar ethnic inspired percussion. This is the kind of ‘boom’ I’ve been looking for, and this ensemble is worth the price of admission alone. If, like me, you’re still shackled to your traditional keyboard as your only means of note input, a patch like this will really make you yearn for something more expressive such as an M-Audio Trigger Finger or even an Octave Kat.

The Intakt player provides hundreds of loops for your listening and beat-bending pleasure. Though initially I felt that this was an afterthought, I’ve come to really enjoy playing with this aspect of Stormdrum, and found that my judgment of loop-based percussion may have been a bit hasty. The available loops are formed from a combination of several of the Stormdrum kits, though no doubt many of them are played ‘live’ by the performers, rather than combined later in the studio. Some of the loops are unprocessed, which allows for greater flexibility in sonic character. However East West chose to process (delays, distortions, flange, etc.) a number of the available loops and loop variations, which makes it much more difficult to fit some of these into a given genre. For example, the ‘Camel Racing’ patch has a base loop that utilizes tribal/ethnic percussion to create an ‘Ethnic Chase’ effect. However, once you start scrolling through the variations of loops you find that a good portion of the loops are pre-processed. If I wanted to use variation five, but without the high-frequency phasing, I’m out of luck. I’m uncertain why East West chose to pre-process some of these loops when Intakt has its own effects processing built in, and nearly anyone who using the program will certainly have their own host processing as well. While the Intakt player certainly adds value to the product overall, these loops are much more specific in their uses than their single-kit/hit counterparts in the Kontakt player.

The Final Hit

At $399 retail, Stormdrum is a competitively priced package delivering exactly what the doctor ordered. If you act quickly, you can get in on the Group Buy now happening at East West – the price is now at $199 – a fantastic value for such a well produced and useful product. The Group Buy ends on July 6 – so act fast!

For composers of film, television and games, this product is a must-have. For musicians seeking to increase their sonic palette and add some serious kick to their productions, Stormdrum is an ideal tool. This product is not only great from a producer’s perspective, it is simply FUN to play. And from a creative standpoint, that is worth more than anything.

W. Brent Latta likes to make things go boom as lead composer and sound designer for Symbiotic Audio, specializing in music and sound design for games and interactive media.

650 MB of instruments and loops is nothing to sneeze at, so
even if you have to cough up the US$9.75 shipping cost, the new Soundsonline Instrument Sampler V1
sounds well worth it. You can use this library with virtually any PC or
Mac host, and play with a healthy library of sampled instruments and
sound modules. The sounds from East West, a great sampling house, are
powered by Native Instruments synths. Pick it up for free with an order
or at a dealer, or pay for 1-2 day FedEx delivery. Best news: no
registration required, and you can use any of the sounds in your
tracks. Enjoy!