Page 2: Vienna Symphonic Library Synchron Brass

Low Brass & Tutti Ensembles

The library’s low brass ensembles pack enormous power. On loan from BBO Hercules, a combo of four bass trombones and bass tuba are bolstered by a contrabass tuba in the lower octave. The sound is truly monstrous, evoking the thunderous solemnity of pipe organ pedals and providing a massive bass foundation for grandiose cues. As mentioned in my SOS October 2020 review, an optional fortissimo layer blasts out the popular explosive, end‑of‑days cinematic brass sound while ominous low‑register glissando slides generate instant drama. As well as a colossal bass presence, the section sounds good on soft midrange chords, with horn‑like swells creating a warm pad timbre.

BBO Hercules’ evil twin Izar also rears its head in Synchron Brass, duplicating its sibling’s articulations in the form of dissonant three‑semitone clusters calculated to shred the nerves. The contrabass tuba takes a rain check and there are (mercifully) no legatos, but as I remarked back in 2020, the clusters’ mad helicopter‑like fast repetitions sound great in ostinato action passages, and descending cluster glissandi combine a mournful quality with a hint of psychosis. The ‘Reg. XF Clusters’ patch lets you crossfade between straight notes and clusters — if you set the pitch‑bend to 12 semitones and perform crossfades while twirling the wheel, it sounds like nothing on Earth. No idea who Reg is, but congrats to him for this utterly mad sound.

Synchron Brass’ instrumentation concludes with a formidable ‘giant tutti brass’ super‑ensemble which layers the aforementioned six trumpets, 12 horns, nine trombones and bass tuba into a gargantuan 28‑player confection (you can also play the sections individually). Two‑handed keyboard players will love it — mapped over a five‑octave D1‑D6 range, this preset includes staccatos, long notes, legatos, sfz, sffz and strong crescendo two and four‑second articulations. The latter style lives up to the ‘super‑massive’ tag, a hair‑raising dynamic surge which erupts in great gold‑plated sheets of sound. Absolutely tremendous, one of the best full brass patches I’ve played.

General Points

You can customise the Synchron Brass output configuration to suit your multichannel mixes.As you may have deduced, Synchron Brass contains no phrases or licks other than note repetitions. There are no mutes, and no jazz styles such as shakes or falls — the vibe is decidedly orchestral, but that’s not to say you couldn’t use these excellent trumpets and trombones in a pop brass arrangement. It’s worth noting that the note repetitions’ four fixed tempos can be non‑destructively stretched in real time to a tempo which fits your arrangement, a very handy facility.

The browser for each instrument lists three preset types, marked ‘VelXF sus’, ‘VelXF’ and ‘Velocity’. In the first, velocity crossfading is activated for long notes and can be controlled with MIDI controller CC1 via the mod wheel, while the dynamics of short notes are controlled by keystroke velocity. In the second, all articulations have velocity crossfading activated for MIDI CC1, while the third preset type reacts only to keystroke velocity.

For this library VSL have introduced a new ‘Timbre Adjust’ feature as an alternative or supplement to velocity crossfade. This intelligent filter lets you apply dynamic timbral changes while staying in one velocity layer, so you can (for example) soften the decay of a long note without switching to a new layer. It’s also useful for adding expression to single‑velocity layer articulations such as sforzatissimo, or to bypass the velocity crossfade artefacts that can sometimes be heard in exposed solo instruments.

A superbly realistic, versatile and wonderfully dynamic orchestral brass library which will add grace, grandeur, expression and sheer power to your scores.

Conclusion

As VSL painstakingly chip away at their second major symphonic project, one wonders where all this might end. It’s logical to assume Synchron Woodwinds will emerge from its Austrian birthplace at some point, but in the wider world of orchestral sampling it’s anyone’s guess where the ongoing proliferation of libraries will fetch up. If the crystal ball looks a little cloudy, it’s clear that for the time being users are continuing to buy, enjoy and make great creative use of these collections, and long may that continue.

Regardless of what the future may hold, if orchestral arranging is your thing you’ll want to get your hands on the best sample collections on offer, and VSL Synchron Brass is definitely one of them. Created by an industry heavy hitter which has been raising the bar for orchestral sampling for over 20 years, this superior product features some of Europe’s finest players performing an extensive range of articulations with pinpoint accuracy in a hall described by Hans Zimmer as “a killer stage to record brass instruments”. The net result is a superbly realistic, versatile and wonderfully dynamic orchestral brass library which will add grace, grandeur, expression and sheer power to your scores.