Big Bang Orchestra: Neptune
Introduction
Welcome to the Vienna Symphonic Library's series of Synchron Instruments! As the name says, Big Bang Orchestra furnishes you with a selection of full-orchestra articulations, at the same time allowing you (if you haven't done so already) to explore our powerful Synchron Player software. If you're looking for that extra dramatic effect or want to highlight a passage in your composition, this bonus library could be the solution, or at least point you in the right direction.
About Presets
Big Bang Orchestra makes use of our Synchron Player's unique features, and offers several Mixer Presets in five categories: Room Mix, Stereo Decca Tree, Surround to Stereo, Surround, and Processed. The Mixer Presets in each category are Close (Dry in the Room Mix), Classic, Wide, Distant, and Ambient. The Processed section offers "Big" versions of these Presets.
The BBO expansions also provide you with "Wet" Mixer Presets in each category, as well as more choice in the Processed section. These additional Mixer Presets may vary according to the respective libraries' requirements.
About Patches
Patches can be used to build your own custom Presets and shape them according to your specific requirements. Big Bang Orchestra does not contain so many Patches, so the possibilities are somewhat limited. Still, if you want to get into creating Presets of your own, please refer to the Synchron Player manual, which will be helpful in case you encounter any problems.
About Pitch
For designating pitch, the Vienna Symphonic Library uses International Pitch Notation (IPN), which was agreed upon internationally under the auspices of the Acoustical Society of America. In this system the international standard of A=440 Hz is called A4 and middle C is C4. All pitches are written as capital letters, their respective octave being indicated by a number next to it. The lowest C on the piano is C1 (the A below that is A0), etc.
The Synchron Player software allows you to set middle C to C3, C4, or C5 according to your preference.
Selecting another setting than C4 will of course also change the play ranges and keyswitches accordingly.
Walkthrough Videos
Included Presets
BBO Neptune offers a woodwinds tutti ensemble with 13 musicians - 1 piccolo, 3 flutes, 2 oboes and 1 english horn, 2 clarinets in Bb and 1 bass clarinet, 2 bassoons and 1 contrabassoon. Its layout is modeled after other BBO Libraries with similar content (e.g., the trumpet ensemble of Kopernikus), so that you can switch between the articulations of different Libraries without having to adapt any keyswitches.
All articulations can be played with or without the piccolo flute.
- Range: A#2-D6
- Articulation Keyswitches: C1-F1
- Type Keyswitches: starting at C7
- Senza / con piccolo: A0/B0
Short notes
Bold and agile.
- Bold/agile: C7/C#7
Long notes
Sustained, marcato, and espressivo notes. For the sake of consistency, the next slot contains a copy of this one where the individual ensembles of BBO Orion feature legato articulations.
- Type keyswitches: C7-D7
Marcato
The marcato slot allows you to control the marcato amount of the tone using Dim.Ctrl/A (MIDI CC1, modwheel).
Dynamics
Sforzato, sforzatissimo, swells short and long, and soft swells.
- Type keyswitches: C7-E7
Flutter and trills
Flutter tonguing, half and whole tone trills.
- Type keyswitches: C7-D7
Fast repetitions
Staccato repetitions at 120, 140, and 160 BPM. These are already prepared for timestretching, i.e., all Patches have the original tempo they were recorded with entered as their source tempo. This allows you to adapt your repetitions automatically to the tempo of your project with only two mouse clicks.
- Tempo keyswitches: C7-D7
