Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5/5 Stars
The latest instalment in VSL’s symphonic odyssey adds six new solo woodwinds to the company’s hall‑recorded Synchron series. These special instruments are not commonly found in orchestral scores: you can use them to supplement a standard woodwind line‑up, or independently as solo voices. They also work together nicely in an ensemble, as artfully demonstrated by Guy Bacos’ ‘Voices Of The Wind Spirits’ online demo.
Two instruments stand out as the chief melodic contenders: smaller, louder and higher‑pitched than the standard Bb model, the clarinet in Eb is known for its bright incisive tone and piercing high register. Ideal for thematic reinforcement, spiky aggressive parts and staccato accents, it’s extremely nimble and executes lightning‑fast runs with spot‑on accuracy. In a more subdued vein, the lovely oboe d’amore’s sweet, melancholy sound is the perfect vehicle for expressive romantic and pastoral melodies. Pitched a minor third lower than a regular oboe, its warm inviting timbre also sounds great played chordally.
Descending into deeper pitch waters, the bass oboe and bass flute both supply a useful extra octave below Middle C. The former sounds not unlike a cor anglais — though an orchestral rarity, its plaintive, somewhat dark and earthy tone famously adds an exotic haunting texture to Gustav Holst’s The Planets suite. As well as providing a great foundation for flute ensemble writing, the large J‑shaped bass flute’s luxuriantly breathy tone also works beautifully for top‑line melodies.
Two low‑end specialists complete the collection: the floor‑standing, weirdly shaped and superbly sonorous contrabass flute extends the flute family low range by a further octave, while the gigantic contrabass clarinet plumbs symphonic depths down to a practically sub‑sonic Bb0, a thunderous and sinister presence which will add a seismic rumble to your orchestral bass lines.
Each instrument offers regular, virtuosic and lyrical legato styles (all excellent), long sustains, agile and bold staccato and portato short notes, and emphatic sforzatos. Most also play sforzatissimos, crescendos, diminuendos, flutter tongue and trills; the flutes and small clarinet play fast note repetitions, while the contrabass flute turns in some lively percussive staccato consonants which work well in rhythmic passages.
These top‑grade samples were recorded from four main microphone positions, which are presented in the Standard Library along with a separate room mix.
Performed with admirable precision by Synchron Orchestra members Veronika Vitazkova (flutes), Ludovico Asnaghi (oboes), Wolfgang Klinser (small clarinet) and Reinhold Brunner (large clarinet), these top‑grade samples were recorded from four main microphone positions, which are presented in the Standard Library along with a separate room mix. The more expensive Extended Library adds surround and height mic positions suitable for 5.1 and Auro‑3D 9.1 immersive mixing.
This fabulous collection features VSL’s new Flow view, a simplified user interface that presents the essential controls of each instrument. The regular Synchron GUI (now re‑christened Precision view) is also included — for more info about Flow, see my April 2025 SOS review of Synchron Prime Edition.