Upright Bass

With the addition of the Upright Bass to its collections, the Vienna Symphonic Library now offers yet another instrument frequently used in jazz compositions.

The recordings were done with Bernd Konzett, a well-known jazz bassist from the Austrian state Vorarlberg. Following numerous test recordings, he equipped his 4-string, three-quarter bass with a 113 cm scale with thinner E and A strings, and thicker D and G strings... A short while thereafter, Bernd realized just how painful it can be to record for the Vienna Symphonic Library. As opposed to a several-hour-long gig at a jazz club, a glissandi recording session can be torturous, leaving the musician with veritable burns on the fingertips. The strings themselves heat up to high temperatures, resulting in regular blistering of the fingertips, leaving behind a certain smell of burned and blistered skin in the Silent Stage.

All of the articulations are pizzicato, and include staccatos, portatos and sustains with various vibrato strengths, as well as performances like legato, the above-mentioned slow and fast glissandos and tone repetitions, and also special ghost note performances which have not been available in this form until now. The Upright Bass sample set is rounded off by snaps, noises and various other effects.