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orchestral synth


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What's your budget? You can go anywhere from a $100 GM module up to spending $12,000+ on a few dedicated computers running the complete Vienna Symphonic library.

 

For a reasonable middle ground I'd suggest the Roland Fantom module or keyboard with the SRX-06 complete orchestra board. Add the SRX-04 Symphonique Strings board for a bit more detail and richness in the strings.

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What would get me pretty realistic orchestral sounds? I'm not to worried about anything else. Maybe a piano that doesn't sound like a cascio piano would be nice too.
:wave:
I'm trying to get a live board but I guess I could lug my desktop around with softsynths.

 

 

Hi. What catagory of orchestral sounds do you like? Are you looking for overall selection of orchestral sounds?

 

I have a Roland XP-60 with an addon card that has some really nice strings and orchestral sounds. There are two volumes of these addon cards.

 

I really love the strings actually. Best strings I have heard other than an actual sampler.

 

Here's some links that may help.

 

Link one

 

Link two

 

I have the first one listed.

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I think Kurzweil has some great sounding orchestra sounds in their keyboards. If you really want to do orchestration right however, I think its better to do it with computer programs as the packages available now are unmatched in sound quality. East West Platinum Bundle, The Vienna Symphonic Library and the Garrison Collection are just a few off the top of my head. You could a keyboard controller with a computer and the programs and have a great set up. As the previous post suggested, your price range really determines your options.

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Hi. What catagory of orchestral sounds do you like? Are you looking for overall selection of orchestral sounds?


I have a Roland XP-60 with an addon card that has some really nice strings and orchestral sounds. There are two volumes of these addon cards.


I really love the strings actually. Best strings I have heard other than an actual sampler.


Here's some links that may help.






I have the first one listed.

 

 

 

Yes just basically strings. I'm not too keen on woodwinds or brass. I already have a midi controller so a module would also be an option unless I in fact need a board to run the card. I wanted to land in the area of 600 give or take.

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and this thing actually sounds closer to an orchestra and not a 1980s keyboard trting to do strings?

 

 

Yeah, It does have stock sounds but I think the addon cards are better for orchestra sounds.

 

http://www.nathansheldon.com/xp-80/expansion-board-demos.html

 

You can listen to the demos on that page.

 

 

SR-JV80-16 (Orchestral II)

SR-JV80-02 (Orchestral) I have this one.

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Depending on your budget, you could do a lot worse than the Kurzweil K2500RS or K2000, or Roland XP30 -- all of which are going for at or under $500.

 

The Kurzweil is evidence that the quality and care put into creating the samples really makes a huge difference. The orchestral instruments just sound really really good.

 

The XP30 with an orchestral II card thrown in for good measure is also a good choice. Orchestral I is pre-installed, among others.

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and this thing actually sounds closer to an orchestra and not a 1980s keyboard trting to do strings?

 

It sounds fine. Keep in mind that it has a lot more to do with HOW you use it than just the sounds.

 

I am a pro violinist. When using synths, keep in mind that string players have a huge range of articulations, every note is different. Also, our long notes decay, we dont sustain them. Therefore, ride the faders or automate the ends of notes. Also, try to layer several patches, as long as they are not too similiar ( phasing).

 

The Roland strings are OK, I have the orch. expansion board. Stay outta the high registers, the lower work much better. Again, watch the ends of notes, its a dead giveaway. I literally go into Sonar, highlight the ends of notes, and do a fade. It takes forever but it is worth it.

 

I am just finishing another CD. For this one I had the luxury of hiring 12 very expensive orchestra players.:thu: I had 6 violins and 3 cellos, it was a beautiful sound but a little thin, so I snuck a few synths under the texture to beef it up.:D I used a Korg X50 for the cellos, a Roland for sustained strings, a Yamaha MM6 for spiccato and marcato strings. The results? Mindblowing.:thu: Sounds better than real strings.:D The synths took away intonation problems that a small group might have and really filled in the holes.

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It sounds fine. Keep in mind that it has a lot more to do with HOW you use it than just the sounds.


I am a pro violinist. When using synths, keep in mind that string players have a huge range of articulations, every note is different. Also, our long notes decay, we dont sustain them. Therefore, ride the faders or automate the ends of notes. Also, try to layer several patches, as long as they are not too similiar ( phasing).


The Roland strings are OK, I have the orch. expansion board. Stay outta the high registers, the lower work much better. Again, watch the ends of notes, its a dead giveaway. I literally go into Sonar, highlight the ends of notes, and do a fade. It takes forever but it is worth it.


I am just finishing another CD. For this one I had the luxury of hiring 12 very expensive orchestra players.
:thu:
I had 6 violins and 3 cellos, it was a beautiful sound but a little thin, so I snuck a few synths under the texture to beef it up.
:D
I used a Korg X50 for the cellos, a Roland for sustained strings, a Yamaha MM6 for spiccato and marcato strings. The results? Mindblowing.
:thu:
Sounds better than real strings.
:D
The synths took away intonation problems that a small group might have and really filled in the holes.

 

Looking forward to hearing this ...

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I'm curious what these great strings are I keep hearing about that come from a stock Kurzweil K2500? If you invest in some decent sample libraries, or you're able to get some included when you buy the unit the Kurzweil can produce the finest string emulations possible, but what comes out of the box is pretty dismal in my opinion. There's basically the one "String Ensemble" keymap that dates back to the old K250, a thin Pizz sample in the Orchestral expansion ROM, and some generic solo instrument samples without real vibrato. No tremelo, sordino or marcatto.

 

If strings are all you're after look for a Roland XV-2020 module. It's a half rack unit that will host 2 SRX boards. It seems to have been discontinued unfortunately. Put the SRX-04 Symphonique strings in there and you're in business. (There's one on ebay currently with a "Buy-It-Now" price of $450)

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Depending on your budget, you could do a lot worse than the Kurzweil K2500RS or K2000, or Roland XP30 -- all of which are going for at or under $500.


The Kurzweil is evidence that the quality and care put into creating the samples really makes a huge difference. The orchestral instruments just sound really really good.


 

I second this emotion. Been using a K2500XS for a while now and I love it for its Orchestral sounds. Even better, get the Prosonus Orchestral sample cd, load some of thos eprograms into the Kurz... and watch your sonic palette grow!

 

You wont be disappointed.

 

This mesage brought to you by, MICK, who is not a shill for Kurzweil but would be if they hired him ;)

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I'm curious what these great strings are I keep hearing about that come from a stock Kurzweil K2500? If you invest in some decent sample libraries, or you're able to get some included when you buy the unit the Kurzweil can produce the finest string emulations possible, but what comes out of the box is pretty dismal in my opinion.

 

IMHO, there are a few good ones with the Orchestral Rom, but I agree on the stock ones as they sound too thin.

 

The sample cd market for the kurz is a lot cheaper these days now that the world has moved on to other stuff.

 

See my post above ;)

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I love the Kurzweil VAST synths, and would join you in shilling them professionally if positions were available. How I wish for a softsynth version of the K2600 with unlimited polyphony.

 

It's important to point out that the Kurzweil K2 series requires a lot of effort to get the best results. I've encountered several people who were dissappointed to discover that after investing in a K2600 they still had to lay out a lot of cash for sample libraries and SCSI devices in order to get any decent orchestral instrument emulations from the thing. You have to acquire and load libraries, and make sure you have a SCSI device (internal hard drive, external Zip etc) to save your samples. It is a good point that a lot of things are now available at bargain prices used, but there is still a steep learning curve involved.

 

If all you want is good string sounds that you don't have to spend 10 minutes loading before each gig a module from Roland, Korg or Yamaha is probably going to be a better choice. As I've already said, I've been especially impressed with the Roland SRX04 Symphonique Strings board.

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Your question highlights the importance of knowing what it is you hope to accomplish when deciding what to get. If you buy a dedicated sampler you can take samples yourself and map them however you'd like across the keyboard. You can buy custom made libraries and edit the sample ranges and try different combinations using string instruments sampled from different sources. If you're not careful you can spend so much time working with sampling techniques that you hardly have a chance to actually play music. Sampling is an incredible creative tool, and I highly recommend looking into the various hardware and software sampling options out there if you want to pursue it.

 

Your original question was how to add some good string sounds to your rig for a reasonable price though. 15 years ago a dedicated sampler would have been the only way you'd be able to produce a decent sounding imitation of a string section. These days there are affordable hardware synths that can produce useable string sounds. I'd suggest listening to some of them and see if they'll give you what you want.

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Your question highlights the importance of knowing what it is you hope to accomplish when deciding what to get. If you buy a dedicated sampler you can take samples yourself and map them however you'd like across the keyboard. You can buy custom made libraries and edit the sample ranges and try different combinations using string instruments sampled from different sources. If you're not careful you can spend so much time working with sampling techniques that you hardly have a chance to actually play music. Sampling is an incredible creative tool, and I highly recommend looking into the various hardware and software sampling options out there if you want to pursue it.


Your original question was how to add some good string sounds to your rig for a reasonable price though. 15 years ago a dedicated sampler would have been the only way you'd be able to produce a decent sounding imitation of a string section. These days there are affordable hardware synths that can produce useable string sounds. I'd suggest listening to some of them and see if they'll give you what you want.

 

 

 

Basically I just need a few sounds that I can play live. I didn't want to get a rompler because they cost quite a bit and I would use about 10% of its abilities. SO I can't justify them. I think a sample and some sample libraries might be what I need.

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Basically I just need a few sounds that I can play live. I didn't want to get a rompler because they cost quite a bit and I would use about 10% of its abilities. SO I can't justify them. I think a sample and some sample libraries might be what I need.

 

 

How much can you spend?

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