Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ 4/5 Stars
While there are plenty of cello samples for those who want to recreate orchestral arrangements, Osmosis from Wrongtools takes a somewhat different direction, providing a wide palette of articulations and experimental techniques that help inspire creativity. Apparently the library takes its inspiration from experimental film scoring, with different takes and articulations being layered to create sounds that inspire the user to seek new compositional directions. The ensemble size can be from six to 30 celli, though there are also single‑instrument patches, all recorded by musicians from the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra. Articulations can be changed by keyswitching or MIDI CCs, with the option of adding random sample start positions, and the Pendulums category of patches can be crossfaded using the mod wheel.
The mic setup is as impressive as the concert hall in which the recordings were made: Close, Decca Tree, ST‑MS, Flank and Distant. Weighing in at around 5GB, the library comprises 80 factory patches, organised into four categories (Multi‑mic, Main, Pendulums and Tainted) created from over 1550 samples.
In some instances a patch comes over like a short musical performance or motif, while others may be evolving textures, unusual bowing techniques, ghostly flautando harmonics or stuttering bow bouncing. This variety provides scope for pads or embellishments to more conventional string parts, spot effects, shifting soundscapes or inspirational starting points for new compositions. I suspect that there was a lot of improvisational playing and experimenting going on during the recordings as the players interacted instinctively — the results are truly organic. From delicate to diabolical, you should find something to suit the required mood.
If your compositions need an experimental edge that still retains the organic character of real celli, Osmosis is most definitely worth taking seriously.
Osmosis is more than a simple sample player, however, as it also includes Wrongtools’ Sculpturing Engine that can transform sounds in creative ways via layering and morphing and other techniques, plus there’s provision for filtering. There are so many different styles of performance that you really need to visit the Wrongtools website to check out a few examples before you can appreciate the breadth of this library. Despite the experimental nature of the content, the essence of the cello still comes across very strongly (though some patches in the Tainted section stray rather a long way from what you might expect from a cello) and slotting some of these sounds into a composition really does give the impression that a real performer was part of your session. There’s a lot to explore here, and that’s before you start making your own changes, so if your compositions need an experimental edge that still retains the organic character of real celli, Osmosis is most definitely worth taking seriously.
€188
€188