For a great introduction to SPAT I refer you to Peter Alexander’s excellent reviews posted on Sonic Control.TV.

My review is coming from a slightly different place than Peter’s in that here I’m giving you a full application based on a big band arrangement I did with samples, mixing different libraries together to create the desired end in mind, which is what we all have to do when doing MIDI mock-ups and mixing libraries together to create our own ensemble.

I think it would be too involved to get into all that this program is capable of, including all the parameter settings. That’s why my focus for this review is on what I use SPAT for. In subsequent reviews I’ll get into into other uses for SPAT focusing on surround sound capabilities. So again, this review comes from the trenches, with audio examples, of SPAT used for a real life music cue that I had to deliver just recently.

The exciting part is for such a technically involved program, great effort has been made by Flux and IRCAM to make this program rather user friendly.

But First…
But first, a little history from the viewpoint of José J. Herring. Not at all historically accurate, but for sure exciting!

I first became aware of IRCAM during my conservatory days. I had come across a CD performed by Ensemble InterContemporain lead by one of my favorite conductors Pierre Boulez. IRCAM ((Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique) is a leading force of music research and contemporary music of which many notable contemporary composers musicians and music technology professionals come together to further the art of music.

The particular recording I was in to at the time (circa 1990) had utilized an acoustic live chamber ensemble performing along side computers in real time recorded live. The music was referred to as “hybrid” music.

Sound familiar?

The entire CD was an acoustic phenomenon the likes of which I’d never heard before or since. Whatever they were doing, I thought, they do rather well and at the time was so cutting edge that I literally thought that this was the future of music. And to a large part the merger of live instruments and electronic computer based music, became the future of what I live with everyday.

Given my history with IRCAM through the Ensemble InterContemporain, I was really happy to get my hands on what I feel is a piece of golden technology, SPAT. I found that best way to get familiar with SPAT is to use it towards some creative purpose.

For this review I’m focusing on project studio music production. At the risk of exposing myself, there will be three examples of a big band piece I was hired to write utilizing clarinet recorded live, sax, brass, and rhythm section all using sample libraries. The first two examples highlight the problems I had with the production, while the final example illustrates how SPAT helped solved them.

The First Example: No SPAT
Booming Big Band (No Spat)

The above example is the cue where I used the old “pan and send” method to try and create acoustic space. No SPAT! Just me!

To restate the professionally obvious, as many of us working with samples know, we need to mix together several libraries. The problems inherent in that approach are many:

1. Samples recorded in different rooms;
2. With different amount of ambiance;
3. In different locations, etc.

In trying to compensate for that you have to do a lot of mixing and employ unusual techniques which I call MIDIstration– a counter intuitive mix of sample programming and engineering techniques made to get things to sound as close to real as possible. The results were less than stellar as you can hear.

The Second Example: With SPAT Attempt #1
The next example uses SPAT for the first time. But before that a brief explanation of some of the more used parameters in SPAT.

SPAT is of course and room simulation plugin. SPAT is short for Spatializer. There are three main pages: Source, Reverb and Setup all accessible through buttons in the upper left.

Going down from there you have a section called Perceptual Factors. In that section you can adjust Source Presence which effects the presence of the audio file most notably volume.

Source warmth adjusts the bass level of audio while Source Brilliance adjusts the high frequency level.

Just below those sliders you have Room Presence. This is the reverb send level. Running Reverb blends the early reflections into the source signal so that the reverb becomes more a part of the sound. Envelope controls the perception of the sound coming from around the listener (mostly effective in surround applications from what I’ve seen so far).

Below the main graphic display on the source page you have a section called “Radiation” which adjusts the way that the source signal radiates in the space. Through a set of sliders you can control Distance which is the distance in meters from the listening position of your source.

Azimuth is the angle between 2 or more audio sources (stereo width).

Yaw is the angle of the source with respect to the axis ( meaning, “in English” that you can turn your virtual player all the way around so that he’s facing another direction entirely).

Elevation is height of source.

For Pitch, think in 3D and the angle of a nose of an airplane.

The Aperture is especially important as with this you can narrow the signal source thus allowing you to more accurately place your virtual players in a space.

All this feeds into a reverb plugin that I found quite useful. You can turn it off. That is a definite option. But since the reverb sounds good and is integral to setting up a proper space, I kept it on to good effect. Then by applying another reverb either as a send or on the same channel I was able to create a reverb very reminiscent of my favorite Lexicon reverbs.

There’s so much more and it would be beyond the scope of one article to explain it all. But don’t be turned off by the complexity of SPAT. A lot of good work can be done by just dragging icons in the graphic part of the interface and once you understand all the technical words SPAT is actually quite simple. The best way to do it is to use your ears and imagine a real space and to place your source where you want. SPAT gives you that control.

Now time for SPAT in actual use!

I opened up SPAT on an insert mono track of my clarinet performance which I recorded in the well known Jose J. Herring Centre For The Recording Arts, otherwise known as my living room.

So the final version involved a live player performing with a sample ensemble. I could have also done this with a vocalist. So immediately you can see the very practical applications with SPAT opening up.

On a mono track, though, I couldn’t locate the instrument. I could get good back to front distance, and using the “Aperture” slider I could narrow the field, but I couldn’t get a convincing left to right image.

I wanted the clarinet in the left speaker and I couldn’t place it there.

After realizing that to place an instrument left to right I needed at least two signal sources, I bussed my mono clarinet recording over to a stereo buss and inserted SPAT on the stereo track. SPAT then gave me two signals to work with. Looking at the visual display I realized that a lot of placement options are available visually by dragging the source icons in SPAT.

Ok! Easy.

I dragged the icons labeled 1 and 2 to the left of the field thus adjusting the Azimuth, or stereo field, narrowing it. I adjusted my distance. Adjusted the Aperture (signal width of the source. Think camera lens–makes it more narrow or more wide.) As the original recording was done in my living room with the mic 1 foot away, I wanted to place the clarinet more in the ensemble, but in front of it. SPAT did this no problem. Then I adjusted the send level of the source signal to the reverb using the Room Presence slider.

Verb is a great sounding reverb. Reminiscent of really high quality Lexicon reverbs. I was really happy with how the reverb opened up the sound and also, equally happy with the early reflections and the body of the reverb.

The tail came off a little digital sounding, but with a few adjustments I was able to smooth out the tail quite a bit.

Adjusting the “Room Presence” slider I was able to get a really good balance. I had my clarinet in the space I wanted which wasn’t my living room but a realistically mocked up stage.

Next, I noticed that my drums were all over the stereo field.

I use EZ Drummer which is recorded in Stereo and takes up much if not all of the stereo field. I noticed that my kick was in the middle, toms all over the stereo field and my cymbals were again all over the place. I needed to somehow narrow that field.

I put another instance of SPAT on the drums, narrowed the Azimuth, tightened the aperture. Again adjusting the reverb send (Room Presence), I was able to get my drums in a good space. Much of the same work was done on the acoustic bass and sax section. But there is still work to be done. Not quite there. SPAT didn’t magically fix my mix! Damn!

Here’s the example after my first SPAT session.

Booming Big Band (Spat)

So quite bummed, I worried about why this magical plugin that I knew was good didn’t fix the problems with my mix. Yes, I could hear SPAT working, but it still wasn’t good. In some ways better I thought and in other ways worse. I pondered this dilemma for about half a day, then I remembered this little maxim I always keep in mind with reverb:

If the mix isn’t sounding right before you apply reverb then applying reverb will only make it worse. The better the reverb the more it highlights other problems.

But, what could the other problems be? After all I did my best MIDIstration possible given the libraries I was using.

Then it hit me like a ton of bricks.

Real instruments, orchestration and their use derived from the assumption that instruments would be placed at the same time in the same space.

The Rimsky-Korsakov manual on orchestration goes into great detail over the balance and resonance of instruments and instrument groups based on the fundamental principle that your orchestra is playing on a stage situated in a certain way. Traditional samples recorded in different spaces and live clarinet recorded in a different space required me to do the “usual” unusual things—MIDIstration.

Because my cymbals were clobbering my mix, I had put the horns in weird octaves to be heard. Because, my saxes were close mic’ed and my trumpets were ambient I had doubled articulations to get more “punch” from the trumpets.

All typical things we do to get over spacial and resonant shortcomings in samples.

Ah, but I had used SPAT, and it had realistically mocked up a proper space for me. So now these MIDIstrations were becoming more obvious orchestration flaws. The little timing discrepancies to avoid the “accordion” effect of everything coming in at the same time were now just off.

The Third Example: With SPAT Attempt #2
So the next day, I opened up the mix again. I said to myself, “If I had real instruments in a real space what would I do?”

I adjusted the orchestration accordingly. Working with the SPAT graphic display, which by now had become by best friend, I fine tuned the Distance and the Azimuth on my instances of SPAT and the arrangement came to life.

Shimmy Shake (Spat Mix3)

This example was done on a two speaker system. SPAT allows you to control up to 8 Speakers giving you up to 7.1 surround sound spacial realization for your mixes if you work in surround. Given the impressive way it handled 2 speaker setups I’m eager to someday try it on a full surround mix.

Wrap Up
In closing I should mention a few things. First, SPAT is way more CPU efficient than I thought it would be. I used up to 6 instances without a problem. The ram usage is minimal. Worked within a 32bit environment without any problems ram wise.

As with any mix tool, a little bit goes a long way and my initial attempts over used the SPAT parameters. One weakness is that if you want to adjust things using real measurements in meters the meter gauge doesn’t appear to be that accurate as I tested it, so it’s best, like always, better to use your ears to match spaces in a virtual mockup.

Its real strength is that in spite of the big words SPAT is easy to use, does its job better than I had hoped and has a great reverb section. Giving my samples a “real” consistent space allowed me to use more of my orchestration chops rather than my MIDIstration chops. For these reasons, though its pricey for many, I think SPAT is worth its bytes in gold.

However, there’s a second solution, released in February 2010, which combined with VSL’s sales efforts with MIR, makes VSL the Proctor & Gamble of spatial placement by offering multiple solutions for a common problem. This second solution, which can appeal to composers running multi-hundred tracks, along with recording engineers, film mixers, sound designers, and post-production folks, is the 64Bit Vienna Suite with the FORTI/SERTI package designed by Ernest Cholakis of Numerical Sounds in Toronto.

To do spatial placement outside of MIR, three components of the Vienna Suite are needed:

1. Power Pan;
2. Convolution Reverb;
3. FORTI/SERTI Tilt Filters.

Power Pan positions the sound stage left to stage right. See Ernest’s Power Pan positionings for woodwinds here as an example.

Inserted into the Vienna Convolution Reverb, the Tilt Filter positions the sound, stage front to stage back. It’s no more complicated than that. In the A/B audio comparisons for this article, you’ll hear an immediate difference in spatial placement once the Tilt filter is inserted and applied.

Note: In this article I’m explaining what FORTI/SERTI is and how it works.

What IS FORTI/SERTI?
Admittedly, FORTI/SERTI is a bit of an intimidating product name suggesting a device or technology developed for the U.S. Air Force Space Command.

Happily, no.

FORTI, is an acronym for Full Orchestral Timbral and Reverb Impulses, while SERTI is an acronym for Small Ensemble Timbral and Reverb Impulses. You can purchase one or the other, or both. But for the price and what you get, buying both is the best value. And they’re available as downloads. The screen capture below shows what comes with the product (click graphic for larger picture).

Rather than giving you an IR that combines both the tail and the early reflections, FORTI/SERTI separates these so that you can mix and match to get the right balance.

Tails are described as room types: Epic, Dramatic, Medium Symphonic, Large Symphonic Halls, Large Sound Stages, Small Room, Salon, Medium Sound Stage, Small and Large Recording Studio, Recital, Theatre and Club. And you have multiple selections of each type.

Then there are the Early Reflections.

SERTI early reflections range in length from 10–99 ms, with first reflections ranging from 8–42 ms, while FORTI ER’s range in length from 36-99 ms, with first reflections also ranging from 8-42 ms.

Also included are: FilmEQ Timbral Impulses, High Pass Timbral Impulses, Tilt Filters A&B, Bass Isolation timbral impulses, Harmonic Emphasis timbral impulses, and finally, low frequency removal. Depending on the need of the samples or the mix, you’ll often find yourself pulling from more than the Tails, ERs and Tilt Filters to shape the overall ensemble sound, and consequently, that of the final mix, because you have the tools to do so in a very efficient manner using the Vienna Suite.

Thus, though a separate purchase to the Vienna Suite, with FORTI/SERTI, you’re getting a 64bit-native total mixing and post production solution package that works as a plug-in within the Vienna Convolution reverb.

Since the focus for this article is spatial placement, our focus is on how the Tilt filters work. To do that, please download the FORTI/SERTI PDF Table below.

FORTI-SERTI Table

There are two types of Tilt filters, dark and bright. According to Mr. Cholakis, the Dark Tilt filters push the sound closer to stage back. The Bright Tilt filters push the sound closer to stage front.

So once the sound is first positioned stage left to right with Power Pan, and it’s stereo width set, you then use the FORTI/SERTI Tilt filters to position stage front to back.

When you buy FORTI/SERTI, you get seven different starting points, C2 through C8 where C4 is middle C. From an orchestration perspective, the effective range is from the bottom pitch of the cello to double high C.

You pick a starting Tilt filter based on the lowest note of the instrument. In the attached PDF, I’ve worked out all the starting positions for you including percussion.

Note: You don’t have to put a Tilt filter on each instrument. If several are using the same exact settings, you can group them to use just that one set. Obviously, the “how” of this depends on your virtual mixing board program.

For consistency, as with SPAT, I tested with a flute.

For the flute (from any company), you start with C4 Tilt Filter (middle C) since that’s the flute’s lowest pitch nearest C4. But depending on the sampled flute, you may find the next octave higher works better for spatial placement. You can only know by experimentation. Within each Tilt filter are a range of distances. According to Mr. Cholakis, for Bright, the higher the number, the closer to stage front, while for Dark, the higher the number, the closer to stage back.

Assuming you’re doing an orchestral setup, the starting procedures are:

1. Insert the Strings first since spatial placement of other orchestral instruments will be based on the string’s positioning.

2. Insert the rest of the instruments and using Power Pan, position stage left to stage right.

3. Insert a TILT filter based on the particular instrument’s lowest pitch into the Vienna Convolution to position stage front to back.

LOGIC FLUTE
As a starting demonstration, using a C scale, here are 5 mini-examples I created using the EXS24 flute that comes with Logic. The reverb is an early reflection from FORTE set by Mr. Cholakis. The format is a wave file.

Explained Mr. Cholakis, “Most sampled orchestral instruments are close
mic’ed so the samples contain some wind noise component that is too
present/breathy or up close. The TILT filters help reduce this wind
noise – one cannot hear this (wind noise) when listening to a live
orchestra play because your in a hall and often 40-50 feet away from
the player.”

Note: All of the examples below were checked for accuracy by Mr. Cholakis before posting.

Logic Flute NO TILT (compare back to this)
Flute-no-til.t

Logic Flute C4 Dark 1
Flute-C4Dark1

Logic Flute C4 Bright 1
Flute-C4Bright1

Logic Flute C4 Dark 8
Flute-C4Dark8

Logic Flute C4 Bright 12
Flute-C4Bright12

My Observations So Far
Matched with VSL’s Vienna Suite, FORTI/SERTI is a powerful problem/solution package. Everything here is first class, a veritable Harry Potterish set of magical audio transformations. Meaning no disrespect, the only thing FORTI/SERTI lacks is an online seminar from Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Audio Plug-ins Department!

The PDF I created for this article shows that FORTI/SERTI isn’t hard to learn! One piece of paper, and in you’re in a direction.

But there is one thing other thing this bundle needs and that’s a series of positioning settings that takes into account other libraries suggesting how to spatially place them together.

Next, a few “spells” from Mr. Cholakis’ own Hogwart’s Audio Transformation Cookbook are needed to fully demonstrate the transformative power on audio the Vienna Suite-FORTI/SERTI team actually serves up.

But first you have to get the spatial positioning happening.

I emphasize this since the bulk of buyers will be composers and songwriters, not necessarily engineers. And what’s needed for the bulk of these buyers is connect-the-dots instruction.

This is particularly important for FORTI/SERTI since excluding six hall IRs, you cannot download a full trial version of it, nor the Tilt filters, nor the other specialty IRs that come with it at this time.

That said, what FORTI/SERTI lacks in instructional content, it more than makes up for with the excellent accessibility of Mr. Cholakis directly who published his personal email address on the accompanying FORTI/SERTI PDF guide.

Now that’s customer service!

So when you have questions you can write Mr. Cholakis and get answers, often the same day, and usually within one business day. There are very few developers where you can call and talk to the developer directly, and Mr. Cholakis is one of them.

In fairness, I do need to point out that many of the early Vienna Suite reviews written by engineers did criticize Vienna for the lack of a good manual. However, what balances out the lack of documentation here is the excellent availability of the Vienna team on the VSL forum to provide answers for Vienna Suite questions.

Thus, customers aren’t left to learning either the Vienna Suite or FORTI/SERTI by the hope of just “cosmically getting it” somehow.

And now, a different application with FORTI/SERTI within the Vienna Suite.

Since the Vienna Suite now comes with Hybrid Reverb you have choice! Hybrid Reverb combines natural convolution impulses (early reflections of up to 1 sec.) with algorithmic reverb tails. So now with Vienna Suite and FORTI/SERTI, you can spatially position with Power Pan and the FORTI/SERTI Tilt filters, then select either convolution reverb or the Hybrid Reverb, while still enjoying full access to the remaining “ingredients” that come with FORTI/SERTI.

Thus, if you want to mix using a more algorithmic reverb, you can. If you want to mix with an all convolution reverb approach, you can. You can do both with the Vienna Suite.

As you begin discovering how the components can work together, you begin to see that the Vienna Suite-FORTI/SERTI combo is a significant mixing/mastering solution.

Not Just For Orchestral
Don’t think that FORTI/SERTI is just for orchestral. The Tilt filters can just as easily be applied to positioning a rock band on stage! Then you also have the Bass Isolation timbral impulses, Harmonic Emphasis timbral impulses, and low frequency removal which can be applied in many different ways.

Pricing
Price wise, the total FORTI/SERTI package is about $379USD depending on the daily exchange rate between the Euro and the Dollar, plus the Vienna Suite and Vienna key. So the entire package, the Vienna Suite + FORTI/SERTI combo, is about $999USD, which is about $100 or so less than Vienna’s MIR Pro.

Additionally, you don’t need to have Vienna Ensemble PRO to use it, though depending on your system, you may find it helpful to have. But no matter how many tracks a composer’s template is running, the Vienna Suite + FORTI/SERTI is a highly viable consideration.

Conclusion
This is our first look, really a glance at FORTI/SERTI. Next, we’ll take a journey with Mr. Cholakis and learn how to do an actual orchestral setup using various libraries recorded in different places and spaces.

Disclaimer: Alexander Publishing is not a dealer for VSL products.

I’m starting from the practical position of those owning libraries where the strings are pre-panned and are spatially placing instruments to work within that scenario.

Hollywood Strings Gold and LASS (1.5)
The first thing I did was to use my “ever” secret weapon, the Vienna Suite’s Power Pan, and view the spatial placement of both HS and LASS, both of which I found
to be positioned similarly. With SPAT you need to know this because SPAT’s default setting is panned to center.

Therefore, if you’re going to use SPAT for any orchestral mixing purpose, you have to discover the panning by section for each fixed position library first, and then set SPAT up for that for that individual position.

LASS Violins 1

LASS Violins 2

LASS Violas

LASS Cellos

LASS Basses

LASS ‘n SPAT
Below is a picture of LASS and SPAT. Here’s what you’re seeing. First, to repeat, SPAT’s default position is panned to center. In the screen capture below, looking to the right, you see the Input and the Output. The Input is reflecting the LASS Source signal showing how it’s panned to the left (the yellow 1).

The Output on the right reflects SPAT’s default position.

So using Azimuth (stage left or right), you position Yellow 1 for the left channel output, and then with Yellow 2 for the right channel output.

Repeat the process for each string section.

Repositioning a Fixed Place String Section
I tried several tests with this, and my conclusion is that in the beginning, it’s best to work with the fixed strings as they are, and then use SPAT to place the rest of the orchestra around them. Or, if you have a solid knowledge of the other string seating positions, you can experiment with different setups.

What About Miroslav and the Vienna Strings?
As is well known, both libraries have to be positioned since they’re recorded inthe center position. Since Daryl Griffith works mostly with the Vienna Strings, I asked how he positioned them. His very reasonable answer was that using Nuendo, he positioned them using Pan.

He also expressed the observation that when placing a string section with SPAT, it could sound smaller. I experimented with this and found that you can indeed shrink the sound by pushing the strings away from the Conductor. In other words, with SPAT, the further away from the conductor you move, the smaller the sound. You’re not “widening” the string section by giving it more space. There are sliders under Perceptual Factors that do give you play room in this area.

However, you can still use SPAT to position either library in whatever string seating arrangement you want, as you can Hollywood Strings and LASS.

Placing the Vienna Flute
Placing the Vienna Instruments, Sample Modeling, Mojo Horns, Ministry of Rock, Gypsy, and so on, is very easy. You just have to develop a little “mouse” technique with SPAT and you’re good to go.

Needless to say, insert the Vienna Flute 1 in a track and then insert SPAT. You have to click to get the grid with the Conductor’s head and the speakers, and then using the mouse, enlarge your working space. Below is a screen capture of Flute 1 in the “in your face” position.

Using the mouse, I dragged it deeper into the back of the stage and set it a little left of center where Flute 1 would sit in the orchestra. As I moved Flute 1 back, SPAT proportionately lowered its volume. Slick feature.

To Verb or Not to Verb, THAT is the SPAT Question
Given what a composer working in film, TV and media must have for an orchestral template, and the time restraints they have to work in, my view after only 20 hours of usage and experimenting is that you need to disengage the SPAT reverb for a big ensemble template and strictly use SPAT for spatial placement.

This is why I think it’s really crucial when getting SPAT to buy the complete IRCAM Tools, where you get the full version of Verb, which you can easily put on a send! And! Verb is a beautiful sounding reverb in its own right.

Setting Up Your Own Scoring Stage With SPAT
This is really the end result of what you can accomplish. But to really accomplish it, you need some scores and recordings.

The first thing some need to understand is that in a live recording session, there is no such thing as a film score orchestra seating plan. You set up the full orchestra on a scoring stage with the same consideration as a live concert. In a live concert, seating placement is also spatial placement.

Let’s look at the screen capture below from YouTube of Michael Tilson Thomas conducting Ein Heldenleben with the London Symphony Orchestra. Here I’ve captured the brass seating positions along with the harps and percussion. Looking left to right, you have eight French Horns, and to the right, are the trumpets. Strauss wrote this for five trumpets. Behind the trumpets next to the timpani are the trombones and two tubas (tenor and bass tuba as noted on the original score). Though not pictured here, woodwinds are positioned in front of the French Horns, left to right starting with the flutes, of which the score calls for four plus three bassoons and a contrabassoon!

So there is the spatial placement by seating arrangement. And depending on which brass and woodwind libraries you have, you can use SPAT to create a similar setup.

But!

Depending on micing and other considerations, where did the recording engineer place them in the mix?

Because so many reading these reviews want to be film composers, I suggest you get MTT’s Keeping Score: Mahler, which while recorded on stage, is recorded in a manner similar to a Hollywood film scoring session complete with spot mics. Here you can get the score and with headphones, listen to the orchestral placement and mark the score as you go.

Using the same recording and score, you can now begin testing to create your own scoring stage setup.

The work on many of these SACD’s is done by recording engineer Andreas Neubronner. Follow this link to RME to learn more about the recording of Mahler Symphony #8 which was done using RME hardware and Sequoia recording software.

Now, if Mahler isn’t to your liking, get a John Williams score and matching CD and follow the same procedure.

My teaching point here is that there are many seating arrangements depending on the ensemble size. What you can capture with SPAT is stage positioning, dynamic relationships, coloring (bright to dark), and presence. And then comes the reverb to shape and design your room.

For The Working Composer
With SPAT you have more than a tool of spatial positioning. You have a tool enabling you to create your own scoring stage.

Because SPAT is a plugin, it can work with all the libraries in one way or another. Additionally, because you can turn the reverb off in SPAT, you have the whole range of reverbs and convolution reverbs open to you.

One thing I feel I need to point out. This is a professional tool. It’s designed for music, post, and other film needs. It’s not a mass market product that’s going to move a million units or more. So it is expensive.

But if you’re operating in a seriously competitive arena, consider SPAT, because it’s a serious problem/solution tool.

Download the Demo
Rather than take my word for it, download the demo from Flux and see for yourself. Click the link and download IRCAM Tools Free Trial. An iLok key is required.

Alexander Publishing is a dealer for SPAT.

One of the most difficult problems in mixing orchestral mock-ups, knowing how to spatially place instruments quickly and easily, has now been simplified with Ircam SPAT, a 32Bit downloadable audio plug-in that works with any library. Says the Ircam web site about SPAT, “SPAT is the most advanced and sophisticated tool for room acoustics simulation and localisation.”

In short, you can place instruments (live or sampled), vocalists, foley, et al, and design the space you want them heard in. Or, you can turn off the reverb portion and use your favorite reverb.

To do this, there are two broad parts to SPAT.

The first part is an easy to learn tool that enables you place a sound anywhere stage left to right, and closer/farther away from the conductor. This aspect of SPAT enables you to spatially position libraries recorded in different rooms and different mic positions in such way that they line up to work more like a single section, or a whole orchestra.

The second part is a reduced version of Ircam’s Verb, which is an algorithmic room acoustics and reverberation processor, which, as I mentioned, you can turn off. It’s not necessary to use this aspect of SPAT, but if you do, you must follow this thinking about SPAT as explained to me by Piet de Ridder, a fellow composer/user of SPAT who has the habit of achieving excellent mixes of his work:

The key to (understanding) SPAT is, I believe, not to approach it as you would any other reverb software. SPAT works entirely differently: it doesn’t treat reverberation as something separate which you ‘add’ to a dry sound, but it always considers the combination ‘source signal’ plus ‘room response’ as one single phenomenon. It is, in my opinion, really essential that one is fully aware of this when starting to work with SPAT. SPAT is not another piece of reverb software (and it shouldn’t be approached as such), it’s a very complex simulator of what happens to sound in a certain user-definable space.

You can setup SPAT for stereo all the way up to 7.1 surround sound, and even three channel theater (LCR) viewing. In fact, once installed SPAT reads your system and does a preliminary speaker setup for you.

Installation
Installation only takes a few minutes. You’ll need an iLok key and to have your reg deposited to your iLok account. Once completed, download SPAT and follow the install instructions. It really just takes a few minutes.

Since it’s 32Bit, Logic users should remember to first reset Logic for 32Bit and then open Logic. Once Logic sees it in 32Bit you can go back and reset Logic again for 64Bit. For the post-community, no probs in ProTools.

The PDF manual comes with four-color screen captures (see beloe for download). It’s difficult reading in either Preview or Adobe Reader because the print is so small, and made more difficult to read if you print it out as a black and white document. So while it will definitely eat up the ink in your cartridges, the color print out is really optimum. Another option is to send the manual to your iPad.

Spatial Placement
For this first review, I’m sticking to what I see for many as a top problem/solution benefit of SPAT for composers doing their own MIDI mock-ups and mixes, which is spatial placement. For this review, I tested using SPAT to place the new Miroslav Vitous String Ensembles 2.01 into a seating arrangement of Violins 1, Violas, Cellos, Violins 2 and Basses.

As a starting test, I inserted SPAT into VE Pro 4. The screen capture below shows that VE Pro recognizes the Ircam Tools.

This now gives composers several practical options with VE Pro or optionally, within the sequencer:

1. You can insert an articulation and SPAT on a single track with the reverb on.

2. You can insert an articulation and SPAT on a single track for spatial placement with the reverb off, allowing you to add reverb either as a send or within your sequencing program.

3. You can insert a section’s worth of articulations in a single instance of VE Pro and use SPAT to spatially place an entire section either in VE Pro or in the sequencing program.

Since I now know that VE Pro recognizes Ircam Tools, I could continue my project right here. However, for this article, I’m doing it inside of Logic 9.1.6 just for simplicity and ease of screen capture.

So my next step is to insert Violins 1 into a single track along with SPAT. Below is a screen capture of SPAT in the “daylight” setting. To see the interface click the picture.

In the middle you see the outline of the top of a head direct in front of which are a pair of speakers. For me, I think of the head as being the conductor. Behind the speakers are the numbers 1 and 2 in yellow circles. The number 1 is highlighted in yellow. Coming out of the blueish circle you see Left, Right, Front, and Back. The numbers 1 and 2 mean this is a stereo source and 1 is the left channel while 2 is the right channel. Using either the mouse (by dragging) or controls in SPAT, you can position 1 and 2, here Violins 1, where you want them along with a custom stereo width!

1. You can set clearly separated sections so that each section has its own space.

2. You can slightly overlap sections so that there’s a little “bleeding” from one section to the next.

Below the chart you see the word, RADIATION. Below that you see you see Distance, Azimuth, and Yaw. Here’s my simplified explanation:

Azimuth = Stage Left to Right

Distance = Closer to the conductor or Away from the conductor.

You can set the stereo width manually, or you can do the following:

1. Click Reverb then Setup.

2. Click the vertical rectangle in the StereoPairs column, so that it turns yellow. This connects channels 1 and 2. Below that you’ll see a set of numbers labeled 60. This refers to the distance between the two sound sources. So now you have the option of setting stereo width manually or here.

3. Now use the Azimuth slider to position Violins 1.

4. When I play the keyboard, SPAT confirms that Violins 1 are positioned to the left. Look to the right of the screen capture.

5. Next, use Distance to position Violins closer to or away from the conductor. Again, closer to is more detail, away from is less detail.

What You Can Now Do
Borrowing from Russell Crowe in Gladiator, this is how you can begin making different libraries work, “as one.”

You can also think of creating templates from a much different perspective, that of how a recorded ensemble sounds. You could find an album where you particularly like its sound and spatial placement of the orchestra. With SPAT you could work to emulate the positioning. With Distance, you’re moving closer to or away from the conductor/listener. So if you pick a close mic setting that’s too close, you can push it back. At the same time, if you’ve picked a sample library’s mic setting that’s further behind the conductor, you can bring that closer to the conductor or push it back even further.

Testing With LASS
My next experiment was in testing a library recorded “in place” to see how SPAT worked with it. Here I used LASS 1.5 Violins 1 Leg L.

Even though LASS is recorded “in place” I was still able to use SPAT to reposition it. Here my main test was moving it closer to and farther away from the conductor keeping to its pre-recorded pan positioning. So yes, SPAT works with libraries already pre-recorded in an orchestral seating position, which is also good news for engineers, too! So this can help position two different libraries recorded in two different places so that they work as a single section.

Next I had a real “aha” moment with SPAT. LASS has had a reputation as being “edgy” and not as warm as people would like owing to its detuning. Look back at the first screen shot to the left side and you’ll see a section labeled Perceptual Factors. Underneath that is a fader called Source Warmth. Bringing up that fader really warmed LASS by removing some of its edginess.

Reverb On and Off
That you can turn SPAT’S reverb on and off to me is a good thing because to manage system resources better, using SPAT on dozens on tracks with the reverb on would really slow down even the heartiest CPU in a system loaded with RAM.

Also, there are those who prefer working with hardware units from Briscasti, Lexicon, or TC Works and prefer that approach to sound shaping.

That said, as a composer/mixer, I did a quick test of SPAT’S reverb with both Miroslav and LASS. Though not an engineer by any stretch of the word, I have gone through the task of testing individual libraries with different reverbs to see how they bring out a library’s sound. Some reverbs definitely flatter and work better with some libraries than others.

Testing SPAT’s default verb with MV SE 2.0, really brought out the MV strings quite a bit. To my ears, SPAT brought out the lushness and gave MV more airiness and “breathing” room aurally.

I then tested two of LASS’s IRs created by Ernest Cholakis using Logic’s Space Designer, one for the Early Reflections and one for the Tail. Then I disengaged them and turned SPAT’s default reverb back on to compare.

Ernest Cholakis doesn’t just create cool IRs, he creates transformations of sound. By using SPAT to warm up LASS and then adding in Ernest’s IRs, I think you might be hard pressed in recognizing this library as LASS. BTW, I mean this as a total compliment.

What this means to the composer who must mix is that you can create your own signature orchestral sound with SPAT that complements your signature scoring sound.

Let us put aside academic fal-de-rah. Because of the new technology, we composers are not just entrepreneurs, we are also a new wave of orchestral recording artists, and therefore must approach our careers accordingly.

Reflections
It’s now the morning after. I’ve got my coffee. It’s a beautiful bright sunny breezy day out there.

So sitting alone with my thoughts, though I’ve barely scratched the surface of SPAT, how do I really feel about it and is it worth the bucks?

The first thing I have to consider, and I think you have to consider, is that SPAT isn’t freeware. So it ain’t cheap! This is a very serious sonic transformation tool on its own. Had I had this review/tutorial to start me off, I would have been productive at this level within 45-minutes.

So the good news is that you don’t have to be master mixer to get a lot out of SPAT. You just need good solid easy to understand instruction to get you going and maximize your time.

Second, it works with Vienna Ensemble Pro. This needs more experimentation for spatially placing an entire section and using SPAT’s reverb in a manner economical for your CPU.

Third, it works with every library, synth sounds, vocalists, foley, the whole magilla.

Fourth, it can be combined with any convolution or reverb, hardware or virtual.

Fifth, at day’s end, it’s an audio plugin that just works with every library. I insert it in the appropriate track or VE Pro instance, and it works.

I like that.

Admittedly, turning off SPAT’s verb does defeat part of the program’s purpose, but that is also another strength adding to its flexibility and not making me feel locked in to a system. This for me is another incentive to buy.

Given its MAP pricing, I would absolutely consider spending the extra $200 and getting the Ircam Tools Bundle where you get SPAT, the full version of Verb, and Trax. To put this into a buying context, getting the Ircam Tools bundle is like getting an Adobe bundle. But given the power of the full version of Verb alone, even if you never touch Trax, the extra two bills is worth the price.

That said, SPAT is not for every writer, especially if you’re primarily working with just one library where everything is pre-panned for you.

But if you’re like me, and you’re using multiple libraries where you have to spatially place instruments, then SPAT’s worth considering because of the speed with which you can get things done and the results thereof. If, for example, you’ve had difficulty fitting Sample Modeling brass into a mix, you won’t with SPAT.

Now, one other delicious application: singers and soloists.

Let’s suppose you write backing tracks for a singer, or create a work for a soloist, regardless of the style. Once the vocal track is recorded, you can now place the voice and “the virtual orchestra” together so that they blend as one. In fact, it doesn’t have to be a singer. It could be a spoken word presentation like Peter and The Wolf or dialog.

In closing, I’ve read very carefully those posts where composers talk about how they achieved spatial placement in their mixes. Some EQ this, and use a reverb for that, while using Aunt Millie’s pancake mix for something else.

With SPAT, you can just place it!

Conclusion
For this starting review, I’ve only touched on three faders. Even so, just knowing these three can make a tremendous difference in your mixing time and overall sound. And yes, you’ll have to experiment. But with SPAT, what you put into it, yields great dividends. Check it out and see if it’s right for you.

The SPAT Manual
Spat User Manual

Beyond reviewing for you the capabilities of Power Pan, Ernest Cholakis has provided a never-before-published mini-course on how to pan each instrument in the orchestra, and how to set the stereo width so that each instrument has its own space in the mix. Sonic Control appreciates the time, effort and great gift from Ernest to the community this series has been.

MAIN PERCUSSION
This includes timpani, snare drum, bass drum and cymbals.

Timpani

Snare Drum

Bass Drum

Cymbal

MALLET PERCUSSION
This includes glockenspiel, marimba, and xylophone.

Glockenspiel

Marimba

Xylophone

Tubular Bells

OTHER NON-PITCHED PERCUSSION

This includes tam-tam (gong), triangle, etc.

Triangle

The percussionist playing triangle often has a stand or table on which can be found Latin American instruments (claves, maracas, etc.), woodblock, and other non-pitched percussion.

Tambourine

HARP/KEYBOARDS

Harp

Piano

In a concerto, the piano is usually stage front. Sometimes in a film scoring session the piano can be on the far left.

Celeste

While brass positions can be moved around, the woodwinds seating plan remains remarkably consistent. The chart below is from Alexander Publishing’s Writing For Strings Expanded 2011 Course. Used with permission.

The chart indicates that the flutes and clarinets are left of center while the double reed instruments are right of center. With that in mind, here’s how the Vienna Suite’s Power Pan enables you to pinpoint stage positioning in the virtual environment.

LEFT OF CENTER
Piccolo

Flute

Clarinet

Bass Clarinet

RIGHT OF CENTER
Oboe

English Horn

Bassoon

Contrabassoon

THOUGHTS FROM ERNEST CHOLAKIS
Reverb Impulses can dramatically shape the overall sound and tone of a particular recording. Audio demos with this technology in various music styles can be found at the following link http://www.numericalsound.com/forti-serti-audio-demos.html

Technical information on how to use Vienna Suite with FORTI SERTI can be found at http://www.numericalsound.com/documents/FORTI_SERTI_QuickStart_Guide_1.pdf also a reverb impulse comparison or shootout can be found at http://www.numericalsound.com/FORTI_SERTI_RI_Shootout.html

Note that users who do not have Vienna Suite but Logic can use Logic’s plugin “Direction Mixer”. This plugin combined with the the mixer’s pan can precisely set ER’s ambient stereo field setting precisely adjusting where each instrument section sits in the orchestra. I personally prefer the much more elegant plugin PowerPan in Vienna Suite.

About Brass Positioning
The arrangement found in the screen capture below is based on the typical orchestra seating arrangement for a scoring session in Los Angeles as illustrated in Professional Orchestration Volume 1. The word typical must be emphasized, because ultimately, the two factors determining the final seating arrangement, and hence, placement in the stereo spectrum, are the stage on which the orchestra sits, and the desire of the conductor.

This link takes you to a chart requiring the conductor/music director to work out:

Go one more step by selecting your favorite search engine and type in: orchestra seating chart. Go to the Images section of the search engine and you’ll immediately find a variety of seating arrangements including different positions for the brass.

Here’s one for the Baroque Period.

In the video below, Christian Thielemann conducts Wagner’s Die Meistersinger Von Nurmburg. You’ll see a different seating plan with the brass in the back, Violins 1 on the left, and Violins 2 on the right with violas and cellos in between.

Wagner (pronounced “vagner”) may not be your cup of tea musically, but within three minutes of seeing and hearing this performance, it becomes evident you’re not locked into a particular seating arrangement with the Vienna Instruments.

One of the least explained benefits of the Vienna Instruments is your ability to design your own orchestral setup and recreate seating arrangements. This is a different type of sound design.

As previously explained, Power Pan within the Vienna Suite enables you to do just that including working with the width of the stereo field. This is why I believe that Power Pan is the Vienna Suite’s secret weapon.

Therefore, let’s look at the setup below based on the setup used many times by the late Jerry Goldsmith:

Trumpets

Trombones

Tuba

French horns

Conclusion
The Vienna Suite Power Pan continues to demonstrate itself as being the secret weapon of the Vienna Suite. With Power Pan, you can position each instrument in the stereo field so that it has its own space and speaks clearly.

Grade: A+

I came to this conclusion by doing a simple test which you can do too, provided you have an iLok key. Go to Quantum Leap Spaces at the EW web site, click Purchase/Trial Version, and download a 10-day full working version.

After QL Spaces is installed, in your sequencer, set up an arco (legato) bowing for Violins 1 for each string library you have. For Symphobia, pick an arco bowing. Insert QL Spaces in a master bus so you can quickly compare the same QL Spaces selection with each string library.

In my setup, I selected:

As you test each library with the numerous IRs within Quantum Leap Spaces, you’ll quickly discover that Spaces sounds great and that everything you use it with sounds better. That said, the further discovery is finding that certain libraries and certain Spaces fit like hand-in-glove. It’s like they were made for each other. It’s hard to describe, but you know it when you hear it.

Testing each library gives you a good sense of its inherent color. For example, with Appassionata Strings, the natural sound (uneffected) was a little darker to me. To brighten it up, I’d use an impulse labeled FR (front reflections – see more definitions below). If I wanted to make it richer, then using an RR (rear reflection) really enhanced the depth.

With this approach you are, in effect, sound designing, but with the heavy lifting done for you by Quantum Leap Spaces because of both quality IRs and how it’s organized.

One thing I observed with any library recorded dead center, including the Kontakt VSL String Ensemble, my feeling is that you really need the Vienna Ensemble’s Power Pan feature to take full advantage of QL Spaces orchestra instrument specific IRs as found in Folder 3 (see below) Concert Halls: SoCal Orchestral Hall.

With Omnisphere, Adagio Transparent Strings Warm just took on a whole new dimension when used with QL Spaces.

When LASS 16 Violins 1 Legato_L is placed in Northwest Hall, the sound is really stunning as some of the edginess is toned down.

And speaking of Northwest Hall, for those who’ve wanted IRs of where QLSO was recorded, this is it.

As a writer, beyond the sound, what I really appreciate about Quantum Leap Spaces is that it’s a quick learn because of its thoughtful design and implementation. In about 47 seconds of training (which you’re about to get), you’re working with understanding and comprehension, which, to say the least, is a breath of fresh air.

So let’s see what makes Quantum Leap Spaces so easy and effective to use.

The QL Spaces GUI
Below is the main screen. In this 1.0 version, you only have four virtual knobs to “turn”. Of the four, the one you may want to just leave alone is Pre-Delay because according to Nick Phoenix’s instructional videos, these have been set meticulously.

Click the graphic above for a larger picture that opens in a separate window. In the “LCD” readout, you’ll see this description:

Northwest Hall TS RR 2.6s

Northwest Hall is the name of the hall where the impulse was recorded.

TS stands for True Stereo. Further in the description you’ll read that it’s four-channel mixed to two-channel.

RR means rear reflections and 2.6s means 2.6 seconds, the reverb time in seconds.

So here are the keys to using Quantum Leap Spaces.

There are three possible mic positions available:

1. RR – Rear Reflections
2. FR – Front Reflections
3. C – Center

My experience with the above libraries is that the richer sound is RR while the brighter sound is FR.

There are two types of stereo impulses.
True Stereo, TS, is 4-channel mixed to two while Stereo, ST, is two-channel, mono -> stereo.

Of the two, my experience is that TS is deep and rich.

The Folders
In the navigation, you’ll see folders labeled S-S and M-S. M-S means mono -> stereo. S-S means True Stereo.

Well, the good news is that this is as complicated as it gets!

Example of Simplicity: Instrument Specific Tour
Folder 1, Instrument Specific Tour, is a perfect example of what makes QL Spaces so easy to use. Here you’ll find 26 folders each labeled for a specific instrument. Inside each folder, are presets from a variety of halls selected just for that instrument. See the example below for Epic Film Final Verb.

For those doing a lot of orchestral work, I point you to this folder, So. Cal. Orchestral Hall within Folder 3. Here you find stereo impulse responses for each orchestral instrument recorded where the musician sits. In fact, this entire So. Cal. Orchestral Hall folder is all about orchestral placement. The amount of time it will save you is pretty extraordinary. Click the graphic below and see for yourself. It opens in a new window.

Re: Hall Names
In looking at the various hall names, my advice is to learn from Ernest Cholakis’ interview explaining convolution reverb, and not over identify a particular impulse or hall with a specific instrument. For example, Acme Warehouse may be just what your strings need. But if your entire focus is on the recorded source name only, you’ll miss out on some great options. So if you’re looking for the Spaces with strings in the name, by all means start with those suggestions first, but then keep going.

My Only Critique
Across the boards, I only had one critique which is that the code information I organized for you here isn’t available as a one page PDF. On the various forums, some have wished for more virtual knobs, but I for one was glad there was only the four on the front panel! That may seem to be an archaic retro view, but there’s something refreshing about the simplicity and ease of use of Quantum Leap Spaces.

The heavy lifting has already been done. All that’s required for you is to audition, pick and use.

How cool is that!

Simplicity!

Regarding price, it couldn’t get any sweeter: MSRP US $299.00.

NOTE ON FINAL CUT PRO
For those using FCP 7.0, Quantum Leap Spaces loads right up into Soundtrack Pro 3. And yes, it is very easy to use.

CONCLUSION
There aren’t too many products I get so excited about that I want to say, “thank you,” to the developer. But this time it’s called for. Thank you Nick Phoenix for making my music, and consequently me, sound better. If you download the trial version and test for yourself, I’m sure you’ll feel the same way, too.

Having spent some time with this package over the past week, my view is that the secret star of the Vienna Suite is the Power Pan.

1. If you’re doing orchestral, and you’re trying to blend multiple libraries that have been recorded in different halls, Power Pan enables you to blend the libraries very quickly.

2. If you’re doing something different, like creating a precise set of drums, Power Pan gives you the precision to make it just right. And it’s not that difficult to learn.

3. If you’re working with ambient textures as in Synergy, Evolve or Omnisphere, Power Pan is the tool to use to layer and place textures in the stereo field.

4. When used in combination with the FORTI/SERTI impulses from Numerical Sound (represented by Vienna), you can move a sound left and right across the stereo field, and with the TILT filters used with FORTI/SERTI, then move the sound front or back.

5. Power Pan loads into Soundtrack Pro 3 and so has potential sound design use with Final Cut Pro. Click on the graphic below to expand it. Look left and you’ll see the Power Pan controls listed. So you have the option of working with the controls there or with the GUI.

All in all, a very powerful tool unique to the Vienna Suite.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Since you can download a demo version of Vienna Suite, I’m working my review so that you download and try it for yourself. Click here for the details from VIenna.

SIMPLE CONTROLS
The controls on the Power Pan have, to me, rather “scientific” names that could make the less experienced feel inept when first reading about it.

Width – controls how wide the stereo field for a particular sound will be. You can set the width using either the left or right handles or by using the Width slider.

Center – Center could be retitled as “positioner” since with this slider, once the width is set, you then position it in the stereo field, left to right.

Pre-and Post Balance – The Pre- and Post Balance are used to shape the stereo field or the characteristics of the stereo field. This is done by adjusting the left and right channel’s volume at the plug-ins input and/or output.

Volume Faders (stereo) – raises and lowers the output signal of the virtual instrument. See picture below where the Logic level meter verifies the loudness of the audio signal going into the Power Pan.

Swap – can exchange the left and the right side of the stereo signal (good for making more use of pre-panned libraries, or for changing the perspective on instruments like piano, glockenspiel, marimba, and so on).

Pan Law – Determines the way the volume increase of the left and/or the right signal are handled when they are brought towards the center. This is a very obvious effect, which happens because the signal now comes from two loudspeakers instead of just one. 4.5 dB are a very common value on consoles, for example).

Phase – Very useful when combining (mostly) low-pitched instruments: If two of them are out-of-phase against each other, the volume of them will DE-crease (!) noticeably when they play together.

POWER PAN STRINGS TEMPLATE
I asked Ernest Cholakis of Numerical Sound to create a basic template for Violins (1 and 2), Violas, Cellos and Basses. When setting up a section, you can isolate each section or you can slightly overlap them. What’s “correct” for you is determined by trial and success.

Violins 1 & 2

Violas

Cellos

Basses

APPLICATIONS
If you have Kontakt or Logic – both products come with a sampling of the Vienna library. Assign Violin Ensemble to track 1, Viola Ensemble to track 2, Cello Ensemble to track 3, and Bass Ensemble to track 4. If you’ve downloaded the Vienna Suite, using the controls I showed you here, recreate the stereo width and positioning.

Here are two very, very simple examples by Ernest Cholakis. The first uses the VSL Kontakt strings as they are, dead center, just playing a basic chord. The second is each part positioned using Power Pan.

String_Section_no_PPan_Only5
String_Section_PPan_Only5

If you have LASS or any other string library – using the positions Ernest created, insert Power Pan into one track with LASS Violins 1 (or whatever Violins you have) and then insert Power Pan into a second track with the second library. Using the Center and Width sliders, position each set of violins until they sound like they’re in the same space. Now adjust levels.

LASS Legato L
This is a screen capture of the LASS Legato L Violins 1 Full Ensemble sustaining. No stereo field shaping has been done.

Kontakt Violins Set to Match LASS
Here I’ve matched the Kontakt VSL Violin Ensemble to match the on stage position of LASS Violins 1. The next step is adjusting volume levels and shaping the sound via Power Pan.

CONCLUSION
I already have an EQ, an Exciter, etc., in Logic. But I don’t have a Power Pan. I think the Power Pan helps put the Vienna Suite in the “must have” category. And not to delimit Vienna in any way, Power Pan is a killer tool whether you’re working with the Vienna Convolution Reverb, Altiverb, or the new Quantum Leap Spaces.

So download the Vienna Suite and try these two experiments.

My Grade on The Power Pan: A+
My Grade on The Manual: D.

Thanks to Ernest Cholakis for taking the time to create the Vienna Suite Power Pan String Templates and for Dietz Tinhof at Vienna for his valuable input.

The Vienna Symphonic Library’s (VSL) Vienna Suite is a powerful, 64bit native set of nine effects for both Mac and PC. The street price is $599US but you also need a separately purchased Steinberg Syncrosoft key for copy protection. The Vienna Suite can be bought as either a boxed set or download. The nine effects in the Vienna Suite are:

THE BUYING SITUATION FOR COMPOSERS
One of the chief competitors to the Vienna Suite, along with the Sonnox Plug-ins, IK Multimedia T-Racks, and other third party effects suites, are the effects suites that come standard with Cubase, Digital Performer, Logic, Samplitude, Sonar, Reaper and other sequencing/digital audio programs.

Then there’s Altiverb from Audio Ease. For film/TV/game composers, this has been the go-to product for convolution reverb because it has IRs from places we who work or have worked in L.A. know: Todd AO, Paramount, Fox, Westlake Studio, UMRK, the Cello Studio which is now owned by EastWest, and the L.A. Philharmonic Disney Hall.

Consequently, the competition is stiff. For Vienna, it’s a little stiffer since so many of the excellent Vienna demos over the years have been done with Altiverb making Altiverb the go-to library for Vienna users.

So now we have the Vienna Suite, which I fear has been eclipsed by the remarkable success of the Vienna Ensemble PRO. I say, “I fear,” because of the cost and development time that’s gone into the Vienna Suite. And even with the release of MIR Pro late in 2011, all of the effects in the Vienna Suite will still be a needed part of the composer’s sound shaping arsenal.

NOT FOR VIENNA ONLY
Of the few reviews Vienna Suite has received thus far, all have mentioned, and rightly so, the sheer number of presets for the Vienna Instruments library. This could make you think that the Vienna Suite is mostly for Vienna users.

So let’s address this.

There are still lots of composers with the original Vienna libraries and GigaStudio. There are still lots of composers who bought the Kontakt/EXS versions of various Vienna libraries. And there are, from what I’ve heard on the street, something like 250,000 installs of Logic on the Mac with a special set of Vienna Instruments tucked inside the EXS24 folder, but not labeled VSL.

Then there’s the license agreement between Native Instruments and Vienna and the clearly labeled Vienna library that comes with the full version of Kontakt. Next, is the Vienna Epic Orchestra that ships with every copy of Vienna Ensemble PRO.

Conclusion: There’s a whole lot of Vienna out there!

And all of those customers are radically supported with the Vienna Suite. Click this link and examine the presets. They’re awesome.

Then there’s the biggest part of the market – the non-Vienna crowd.

Sadly, there’s not been a lot of “buzz” on this item and you don’t find too much chatter about it on the various forums (I searched. There ain’t much.). But among those who do have it, the comments and product loyalty are exceptional. In short, I haven’t seen a single negative post about the Vienna Suite.

What I’ve read is that users consistently state that it produces a great sound and it places a very light “hit” on the CPU.

THE DOUBLE EDGED SWORD OF DEVELOPMENT AND PROMOTION
Read down the list of EQ presents for orchestra. What a collection! All I can say is, “Wowsers!” But then a question arises, “But how well will these presets work with the only libraries I own, especially strings?”

That is the question we must answer because it’s the question not addressed on the Vienna Suite web site and rarely within the Vienna forum. This question has arisen across the forumsphere. And so what’s happened is that the emphasis is on the presets, and not on the individual Vienna components themselves to see how they perform with other libraries, particularly the convolution reverb.

To this point, Daniel James wonderful piece on how he mixes L.A. Scoring Strings (LASS) with Symphobia is the kind of thing Vienna needs here – a type of before and after examination along with an understanding of the concert hall IRs that those of us outside Vienna simply don’t know sonically, thereby requiring that we learn their sound and compare it to current offerings with other convolution IRs we do have, even if that’s just Space Designer in Logic. And if Space Designer is the only convo reverb we have, then which Logic IRs are best for orchestra given the bazillion IRs that come with it?

This is not a wonky question.

Reverb, whether algorithmic or convolution, shapes the sound of your work. And let’s be honest, some sample libraries sound better with some IRs than with others. Let’s go a step further as composers and acknowledge that lots of sample libraries sound great with Lexicon PCM 90s that you can still find on eBay.

So yes, we must consider the Vienna presets for the Vienna instruments, but we must also compare their impact on other libraries because that’s what we composers need to know before we plunk down the credit card one more time.

This is the double-edged sword: you can’t just do demos with your own libraries, you have to show the possibilities with your product and other libraries because that’s how composers work in the real world.

MY REVIEW METHODOLOGY FOR THE VIENNA SUITE
With nine components, you must have multiple reviews to do the library justice, especially the FORTI/SERTI impulses created by Ernest Cholakis of Numerical Sound.

Here’s how I’m proceeding.

Logic comes with a number of samples that you can load from the EXS24 un-effected, or with effects. To start, so that you the reader have a fair comparison to work from, I’ll select a group of these pre-fab programs from the Logic Library. You’ll hear them dry (un-effected), with the Logic setups, then with the Logic setups replaced with the Vienna Suite.

From there, we’ll proceed to before and after comparisons of the presets with both Vienna and non-Vienna sampled instruments.

Next, we’ll apply Vienna to LASS, Symphobia, and a few others, singly and in combination to see what we get.

Finally, we’ll give Ernest Cholakis’ FORTI/SERTI impulses a thorough checkup.

But not all at once!

DOCUMENTATION
I would say that the manual, though brief, is a solid menu-driven information approach to learning the suite. Vienna instructional videos are posted here. i it also needs more info because if you’re not “high end” with convo reverb and editing the files (as many are not) then some of the feature descriptions will go over your head.

The Vienna vids blur the line between demo and training, but after viewing them, my response was, genuinely, “me want.”

However, as a non-engineer, I wanted more. So the videos did their sales job.

WRAP-UP
Well, this is it. I’m stopping for now. I’ve cited the sales situation and my testing approach. So now, off to research and test.

I’ll be back!