Synchron Harp

The harp is a supremely beautiful instrument that is also very complex. Even some of the greatest classical composers often found it difficult to write for the harp and its multi-faceted possibilities. The instrument is equally challenging to play. It’s almost impossible to master a demanding piece just by sight-reading, requiring adequate time to prepare and work out the pedaling. On the other hand, a harp can achieve sounds no other instrument can approach, particularly in the hands of a master player in an ideal acoustic environment.

With Tina Žerdin, long-time harpist of the Synchron Stage Orchestra, a wonderful Lyon & Healy Style 30 Concert Grand harp placed in the large hall of Vienna Synchron Stage, and the talent of Chief Recording Engineer Bernd Mazagg, we knew we had all of the elements put in place to create the best possible recordings.

The harp was recorded with 7 separate phase-coherent microphone configurations. The Standard Library includes 4 of these sections (as well as a RAM-friendly Room Mix section composed of merged samples from the individual positions), allowing you to integrate instruments recorded with a stereo Decca tree into your projects using the Vienna Synchron Player stand-alone or as a plug-in instrument. Adding the Extended Library and thus getting the Full Library expands your possibilities to 5.1 surround and Auro 3D 9.1.

Standard Library

1. Close Mic – Mono

2. Mid Layer Mic – Stereo (L/R)

3. Main/Room Mic – Decca Tree Stereo (L/R)

4. Main/Room Mic – Decca Tree Mono (Center)

Extended Library

5. Main Surround – Stereo (L/R)

6. High Stereo (3D) – Stereo (L/R)

7. High Surround (3D) – Stereo (L/R)

The instrument presets also include different mixer presets. All mixer presets are balanced in the stereo field to represent the respective instrument's position in the Synchron Stage set-up and are created by Bernd Mazagg, Technical Director & Chief Recording Engineer at Vienna Synchron Stage.

1. Room-Mix Presets

   • Come with the Standard Library and are based on a mix of all available room microphones, blended with Solo and Mid Mics.

2. Decca Tree Multi Mic Presets

   • Are also part of the Standard Library and are designed around the classic sound of the Decca Tree microphones.

3. Surround to Stereo Downmix Presets

   • Come with the Full Library and take advantage of the full array of microphones.

4. Surround Presets (only available in a surround setup)

   • Are also available with the Full Library and let you adjust the settings for any surround mixing situation, from 5.1 to immersive surround.

You will also find more mixer presets (Close, Classic, Wide, Distant, Ambience, Classic (centered), Lush, Lush Long, Left-Right, Right-Left, Mystery) in the first 3 categories.

Additionally, we have added "Signature" presets, created by Johannes Kirsch, Benjamin Belikov, and Erik Snopko:

11. Signature Presets - Standard Library

1. Ethereal

2. Enticing

3. Solitary

   1. left

   2. centered

   3. right

4. Intimate

5. Vacillant

6. Broken

7. Muffled

8. Sharp

9. Focus

12. Signature Presets - Full Library

1. Ethereal

2. Enticing

3. Solitary

   1. left

   2. centered

   3. right

4. Intimate

Auro 3D is an immersive audio technology that allows for three-dimensional sound perception. The Belgian company Auro Technologies developed this technology based on a special speaker configuration, adding four additional speakers to a 5.1 surround configuration. These speakers (so-called "Heights") are situated above the front and surround speakers and generate acoustic reflections that are perceived naturally due to the fact that sounds originate from around as well as from above the listener. Thanks to the comprehensive selection of discrete audio channels with the Full Library of Synchron Elite Strings you may mix your instruments in Auro 3D as well as in Dolby Atmos.