The conspicuous recurrence of the same sampled note has long been considered a major shortcoming of sample libraries. Moreover, a revealing clue that a recording is of sampled instruments rather than of live players is hearing the same sample repeated for a given tone. Personal Orchestra provides an elegant and economical way of mitigating the repeated-sample syndrome. Inventive programming provides automatic variations to repeated tones with random variations in intonation and timbre. The user can also control the amount of random intonation and brightness using MIDI controllers. The change of character on the repeated notes makes a substantial difference and imparts one more level of realism.

Automatic Variability Avoids the "Machine Gun" Effect

Real players rarely, if ever, play two notes of the identical pitch, timbre and attack in exactly the same way. Whenever they play the same note, they produce small variations in tuning, attack, volume, brightness, and timbre. In short, no two instances of the same note will ever be identical. This variation of tone is essential to any musical performance, but it is difficult to emulate in a MIDI performance if a sample library is limited to only one sample per note. So imagine that whenever you play a particular note, a different variation would sound. For example, the sample will have a slightly different pitch, or a different timbre, a different character, or perhaps a different sample. This would make for an incredibly realistic performance, and is what you can accomplish with the Variability Instruments. This feature provides an almost unlimited number of variations to help conceal the fact that you are using samples.

• ATTACK & ACCENTUATION CONTROL - You can actually play softer or louder samples depending on the differing force you apply to the keys. If you wish to play a note softly, simply press the corresponding key gently, which will in turn trigger a piano (p) sample. To play the same note at a medium dynamic level, press the key slightly harder; this will trigger a mezzo piano (mp) or mezzo forte (mf) sample. And if you want a forte (f) sample strike the key even harder. Applying proper accentuation brings clarity and emphasis to the notes being played. The degree of force you apply to the keys will vary depending on the instrument selected and the musical context. With brass and woodwinds, accents are made by "tonguing" to emphasize certain notes. With strings notes are emphasized by how hard the player digs the bow into the string. Whenever you feel that a note should be accented, you do it by striking the key harder.
  
  
• THE LENGTH CONTROL - Adjusting the Length of the Instrument notes. The length parameters of many of the instruments in the upcoming updates are controllable. The default setting is the natural length of the sample and the length of the sample can be shortened.
  
  
• PORTAMENTOS AND SLIDES - Players often slide up or down to a note for expressive purposes. Personal Orchestra allows you to emulate this technique, known as portamento. Portamento Control can be assigned to an external MIDI fader or controlled in a sequencer. You can also add varying amounts of portamento for smooth portamento effects (play two notes in a row and one will glide into the other). The Pitch Bend Wheel can also be used to bend the pitch of a note at its start (especially useful for strings and trombone).
  
  
• MONO MODE FOR SOLO INSTRUMENTS - Many solo orchestral instruments by their nature are monophonic instruments. In real life, most solo wind instruments are physically incapable of playing more than one note at a time. In Personal Orchestra, mono mode is activated by default and automatically limits the polyphony to one note at a time. Limiting the polyphony to a single voice makes the creation of convincing solo parts much easier, as it eliminates the possibility of accidental note overlaps. This also makes trills and other effects easier to perform. With solo instruments accented notes (tongued or detache) are accomplished with the sustain pedal up and connected notes (slurred or legato) with the pedal depressed. If you wish to play a solo instrument polyphonically, you can disable this feature by setting the polyphony assignment higher in the instrument header next to the channel assignment box.

INSTRUMENT SPECIFIC CONTROLS

Garritan Personal Orchestra includes special controls for specific instruments that will lend realism to your performance.

• ALTERNATING BOWSTROKES - SOLO STRINGS - For solo string instruments, pedal switching is used to simulate alternating up and down bow strokes. Pedal up is one bow stroke, pedal down is the other bow stroke.
  
  
• BRASS INSTRUMENTS - Overlays: The brass instruments have "Overlay" instruments, sampled at the f or ff level that can be layered with the solo and ensemble instruments to achieve a fuller, more massive section sound.
  
  
• GLISSANDO HARP PEDALINGS- MIDI Data Packets: The Glissando Harp instrument maps notes to the white keys of the keyboard and uses MIDI data packets to emulate the pedal positions of a harp. The white keys of the keyboard can be "strummed" to achieve realistic glissandi.
  
  
• BASS DRUM - Adjustable Fundamental: Although the bass drum is an instrument of indefinite pitch, its tone is very deep and booming and capable of being adjusted. The bass drum in Personal Orchestra has an adjustable fundamental that is controlled by a knob designated "BDFund" in the controller section of the Kontakt Player. This control can add a great deal of energy to extremely low frequencies. ,.
  
  
• TROMBONE SLIDES: The Pitch Wheel also provides a way of bending the notes and can be useful for "scoops" or "drops" into the beginning of notes or slide-like pitch changes within the sustain portion of a note for trombone.
  
  
• HARPSICHORD: The harpsichord uses keyswitching to select between the 8'stops, the 8'+4' stops, and the buff stops. Pressing the appropriate keys above the range of the instrument will switch the sound banks. If you press the A5 key, you'll hear the 8' stop. If you press C6, the keyboard is switched to the buff stop or muted sound of the harpsichord.
  
  
• PITCHED PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS DAMPENING - Glockenspiel, Timpani, Tubular Bells, Marimba, Xylophone, Grand Symphonic Marimba: These instruments and a few others (Chromatic & Harmonic Harps, Celesta, and Triangle) use the sustain pedal for introducing damping to the decay of the sound. The sustain pedal switches between notes that ring for the full decay of the sound and a damped version where the notes end abruptly at the release. The default position (pedal up) gives the full decay. The pedal down position is damped.
  
  
• VIBRAPHONE TREMOLO - Sustain Pedal Tremolo: The vibraphone sounds unique as a result of the its electric resonators which produce a distinctive tremolo or throbbing effect. The sustain pedal simulates this tremolo effect.