Synchron Duality Strings Essentials

Introduction

Welcome to the Vienna Symphonic Library’s series of Synchron Instruments! The instruments of this library were recorded at Stage A, the main hall of Vienna’s revitalized Synchron Stage Vienna, and Stage B, our smaller and more intimate studio. The recordings were executed using an expansive, phase-controlled multi-microphone set-up, capturing string effects played in a scoring stage with exceptional acoustics. This document will provide you with the information you need to use the Library with our Vienna Synchron Player.

As the name suggests, Synchron Duality Strings Essentials provides you with basic articulations taken from the expansive Regular library.

Concept

The library offers two ensembles of every string section, a larger orchestral one and a smaller chamber one, playing and recorded simultaneously, but in different ambiences. The larger ensembles played at our renowned Synchron Stage A with its lush cinematic reverb, the same as you may be familiar with from our other Synchron collections. The smaller ensembles, however, were set up at Stage B, which has a much drier and crisper reverb environment.

This unique recording technique allows you to use the dual ensembles to fine-tune the sound of your compositions without having to layer different libraries, where the authenticity you can achieve is often less than you’d wish for.

For balancing your mix with the Synchron Player, Duality Strings Essentials provides Room-Mix and Mid stereo channels from Stage A, and Stage B’s “Dark” channel, enabling you to use the large and small ensembles in combination or separately!

Section Sizes

Stage A	Stage B	total
14 1st Violins	8 1st Violins	22
12 2nd Violins	6 2nd Violins	18
10 Violas	5 Violas	15
10 Cellos	5 Cellos	15
6 Basses	3 Basses	9

Flow and Precision Presets

The library provides two different kinds of Presets, accessible by clicking on the icons “Flow” resp. “Precision” in the Synchron Player’s top bar. Precision Presets are what you may already know if you already own other VSL libraries, and allow you the explore the depths of the library, adjusting and tweaking parameters as you see fit. Flow Presets offer an intuitive, graphic approach to the library’s contents, with instrument, articulation, and sound parameters displayed in a single window once you have selected the Preset you want to load from the Flow Browser.

Mixer Presets

For each ensemble, there are a number of Mixer Presets that depict different recording situations. These basic Mixer Presets are Close, Classic, Wide, Distant, Ambience, Lush, and Lush Long. By default the Classic mixer preset is loaded when you open an instrument preset.

Flow Presets

Flow Presets give you instant access to the most important parameters of an instrument, its articulations, and general sound settings in the Synchron Player’s Flow view. The display is subdivided accordingly, with a virtual keyboard at the bottom.

Instrument / Tone

The Instrument section shows a symbolic image of the selected Instrument, headed by the name of the loaded Preset. You can change the instrument by clicking on the field. Clicking on the Info circle will connect you to the Vienna Academy, our instrumentology site.

The Dynamics fader under the instrument is set to the modwheel (MIDI CC1) or keystroke velocity by default – with the long notes used in the example below, it is the modwheel, meaning that you can influence the volume of a note being played by changing the controller value. You could also set it to a breath controller (MIDI CC2), leaving your hand free for other stuff. The staccatos, e.g., are set to keystroke velocity, as changing the volume of notes while they are sounding hardly makes sense.

In the Tone field, you get access to three other items which may be an important factor in making your piece sound truly alive:

Humanization (MIDI CC27) introduces slight inaccuracies in intonation during the attack phase as an often welcome element of imperfection. Higher percentage, less accuracy!
Timbre (MIDI CC8) affects the tone of the instrument, making it sound brighter or darker.
Expression (MIDI CC11) is an additional volume control defining a percentage of CC7 (volume), and can be used for automation.

Articulation / Performance

The Articulation pane holds all the samples, so to speak. In the upper field, you see the possible choices with their keyswitches, which are also marked on the Synchron Player’s virtual keyboard. Of course, you can also click on a square to switch to that articulaton.

The Performance field contains all the playing variants of the selected articulation. In some cases, this may look quite simple: staccato only has the option to play bold or agile, which moreover is controlled by playing speed. The long notes have a wider range of selection:

Legato can be switched on and off with MIDI CC3. If you select the “Universal” articulation, MIDI CC3 will be represented by a fader knob instead of a switch to blend tremolo and legato notes.
If legato is on, another button is displayed, so that you can switch Transition to legato or portamento depending on the action of the keyboard’s sustain pedal (MIDI CC64).
First note is controlled by keystroke velocity and determines the note’s attack behaviour.
On the other end, Release changes the note’s release between normal and soft with the help of MIDI CC4.

Sound

In the Sound pane, you can first select a basic mixer setting by clicking one of the Standard or FX Mixer Presets to lay the foundation for what you are aiming for.

With Stage Balance (MIDI CC61) you can choose the respective amount of Stage A, the large hall with symphonic ensembles, and Stage B, the more intimate smaller recording stage with chamber ensembles, to fine-tune their blend to what you’re envisioning.
FX/Reverb (MIDI CC5) sets the amount of the effect assigned to that fader knob.
Finally, Output Volume (MIDI CC63) takes care of how much of what you do comes out of the Synchron Player …

Precision Presets

The Precision Presets for Synchron Duality Strings Essentials comprise the instruments’ patches in a dimensional array: Articulation groups, contain Types of the respective Articulation, with further options if available. Here, you also have access to all the functions of the Synchron Player and can use them to create and fine-tune your own musical environment as you require it.

Articulation categories

The Presets of each instrument group are subdivided into different Articulation categories (including one named “Custom”, ready for your own creations):

Staccato
Long Notes
Legato
Tremolo
(empty)
Pizzicato

Within these Articulation categories, you can select a Type, e.g., legato or portamento. Additional options are available for some of the types, such as bold and agile staccato.

The slot marked (empty) is there for reasons of compatibility with Synchron Duality Strings Regular (in case you decide to expand your range of articulations), and makes it easy to switch instruments without having to adapt your keyswitches.

Keyswitches and Controllers

By default the keyswitches for Articulations are mapped from C1 to A1 (for Middle C = C4) for violins, violas, and cellos, and C5 to A5 for the double basses. The Type keyswitches start from C2/F2 (depending on articulation) for violins and violas, and from C6/F6 for cellos and basses. Keyswitches for further options such as release and attack variants are mapped to the keyboard's 7th octave.

Dimension Controllers offer additional options within some Articulations or Types, in this library crossfading between regular and tremolo articulations.

Articulations:
violins, violas, cellos C1–F1;
cellos, basses C6–F6.
Type:
violins and violas from C2/F2;
cellos and basses from C6/F6.
Attack, release, other variants: starting at C7.
XF control: MIDI continuous controllers, here CC3.

Preset types

The collection offers three basic Preset types for every section in separate folders named “VelXF sus - MOD”, “VelXF - MOD”, and “Velocity”. In VelXF sus Presets, velocity crossfading by modwheel is only activated for long notes, while the dynamics of short notes are controlled by keystroke velocity, thus facilitating phrasing. In VelXF Presets, all articulations have velocity crossfading activated so that you can control dynamics with MIDI controller CC1, the modwheel. Velocity crossfading can be enabled or disabled by clicking its on/off symbol in the Synchron Player's Perform tab, or you can use Velocity Presets where the dynamics are generally controlled by keystroke velocity.

Apart from the individual string ensembles, there are also Presets containing all ensembles as shown in the screenshot below. These 'Tutti' are available in full range and compressed range versions. You will find them especially useful for quick layouts and for live play.

The individual ensembles of the tutti Presets are mapped in two different ways:

Tutti full range

Mapping range: B0–D7

Basses B0–B2
Cellos C2–B3
Violas C3–F#4
2nd violins C4–D7
1st violins G4–D7

Articulation keyswitches: C~–G#~.

Type keyswitches: starting at C0/F0 depending on articulation.

Tutti compressed range

Mapping range: C2–B5

Basses C2–B2
Cellos C2–B3
Violas C3–B3
1st and 2nd violins C4–B5.

Articulation keyswitches: C1–G#1.

Type keyswitches: starting at C6/F6 depending on articulation.

In the compressed range Presets, the basses sound one octave lower than played, the 1st violins one octave higher.

Staccato

Spiccato with "bold" and "agile" attack variants.

Bold / Agile: A7 / A#7

Long notes

Long notes with normal and soft release, and normal/soft/fast/sfz attack.

Release: F7–F#7
Attack: A7–C8

Performance legato

Legato and portamento with normal and soft release and normal/soft/fast/sfz attack.

Type:
C2–E2 (violins, violas)
C6–E6 (cellos, basses)
The slot on D2/D6 contains a copy of normal legato for compatibility reasons.
Release: F7–F#7
Attack: A7–C8