Colours: Orchestrator

ProjectSAM is excited to announce COLOURS: a library series that expands the world of SYMPHOBIA. Building on the SYMPHOBIA concept, COLOURS brings you fresh sounds in smaller packages. Two exciting new volumes mark the launch of this series: ANIMATOR and ORCHESTRATOR.

Behold an industry first: real legato transitions for chords. For COLOURS: ORCHESTRATOR, ProjectSAM recorded major and minor chords with all possible transitions between them. For example, C major and F minor were recorded separately, as well as C major changing into F minor and vice versa. The result is extremely realistic, musical and evocative.

The two ensembles recorded for ORCHESTRATOR are strings performing with choir and brass performing with woodwinds. A full set of legato chords is available for these two arrangements. Major and minor chords are mapped to two regions on the keyboard, allowing you to trigger and connect them using single keys.

In addition to the legato chords, a number of other ensembles are available, including legato double basses performing with choir basses, violin with soprano sustains, various staccato chords as well as a bonus set of alternative chord orchestrations.

Each instrument type in ORCHESTRATOR has a consistent region on the keyboard. Chords are always mapped to the same octaves, so are low basses and high sustains. This makes it extremely easy to layer different sounds together. The included Multis give you a number of such combinations.

ORCHESTRATOR is an incredibly inspirational tool that will find its way into your orchestral template from day one.

The following overview lists the exact arrangements and articulations for every patch found in ORCHESTRATOR.

1 Legato Chords: Brass + Winds
12 Major and 12 minor chords
Arranged for flutes, oboes, clarinets, horns and trombones
Real chord-to-chord transitions
3 Dynamic layers
 

2 Legato Chords: Strings + Choir - Arco

12 Major and 12 minor chords, strings playing arco
Arranged for 1st and 2nd violins, violas, cellos, altos, sopranos and tenors
Real chord-to-chord transitions
3 Dynamic layers
MF layer has additional cresc-dim articulation on low velocity
 

3 Legato Chords: Strings + Choir - Bonus Tremolo

12 Major and 12 minor chords, strings playing tremolo
Arranged for 1st and 2nd violins, violas, cellos, altos, sopranos and tenors
Real chord-to-chord transitions, but using arco recordings for the transitions
3 Dynamic layers
 

4 Legato Octaves: Dark Basses

Octaves
Arranged for double basses and choir basses
Real note-to-note legato transitions
 

5 Non-Legato Chords: High Strings + Choir

12 Major and 12 minor chords, higher orchestration/wider voicing
Arranged for 1st and 2nd violins, violas, cellos, altos, sopranos and tenors
3 Dynamic layers
 

6 Non-Legato Sustain: High Strings + Choir

Octaves and octave with flageolets
Arranged for 1st and 2nd violins, violas, cellos, altos, sopranos and tenors
2 Dynamic layers
 

7 Non-Legato Octaves: Celli and Basses

Octaves
Arranged for cellos and double basses
2 Dynamic layers
Source: Symphobia
 

8 Staccato Chords: Strings + Choir

12 Major and 12 minor chords, staccato
Arco and pizzicato variation
Arranged for 1st and 2nd violins, violas, cellos, altos, sopranos and tenors
2 Dynamic layers
2x Round robin
 

9 Staccato Chords: Brass + Winds

12 Major and 12 minor chords, staccato
Arranged for flutes, oboes, clarinets, horns and trombones
2 Dynamic layers
2x Round robin

ORCHESTRATOR offers the following Kontakt Multis, stacking different combinations of the above instruments:

• 1 Strings + Choir | Basses + Celli | High Sus
• 2 Strings + Choir | Bonus Chords | Basses + Celli | High Sus
• 3 Brass + Winds | Basses + Celli | High Sus
• 4 Brass + Winds | Bonus Chords | Basses + Celli | High Sus
• 5 Brass + Winds | Dark Basses | High Sus
• ​6 Grand Orchestra
• 7 Grand Staccato

 
Recorded dynamic layers: 3
Recorded release trail samples: yes
Recorded round robin (staccato chords): 2

So what’s the bottom line?

Of course ProjectSAM knows exactly what they set out to do, and they accomplish it.
If you’re looking for quickly accessible legato orchestral chords, this is definitely something worth looking into.

I give ORCHESTRATOR 4.5 out of 5 subs, it sounds amazing, is super easy to use, and it can stand on it’s own or blend in with other products from the Symphobia family.

It is well known that products like this are aimed at film scoring, cinematic production, and orchestration, however I find them to be perfectly at home in contemporary music production as well.

SoundsAndGear review Orchestrator