SYNCHRON-ized Plucked Instruments

Introduction

Welcome to the Vienna Symphonic Library's series of Synchron Instruments! SYNCHRON-ized Plucked Instruments was specifically created to enrich the tonal palette of your Synchron Instruments with the inimitable sound of our concert guitar, overdrive guitar, and upright bass recordings. This document will provide you with the information you need to use the Library with our Vienna Synchron Player.

For creating SYNCHRON-ized Plucked Instruments, our sound editors went back to the raw, unprocessed sample data of the Libraries contained in our Plucked Instruments Bundle. The original recordings were completely re-edited and re-mastered in order to achieve an all-new, modern sound that excels in terms of aesthetics, playability and realism, and that is optimized for use alongside the Synchron Series instruments.

About Presets

For SYNCHRON-ized Plucked Instruments, our software developers added a specifically designed convolution reverb derived from Vienna MIR Pro to the Synchron Player, featuring the outstanding and unique ambience of the 540 m2 (5,813 sq.ft.) main hall of Synchron Stage Vienna. The perfectly engineered reverberation and placement presets combine customized impulse responses with expertly crafted reverb settings for each group of the ensemble. By adding the ambience of Synchron Stage Vienna's Stage A to the dry samples in real-time, SYNCHRON-ized Plucked Instruments now perfectly blend with any other product of our Synchron Series.

For each instrument, there also are Mixer Presets that depict different recording situations, and allow you to adapt the behaviour of your instrument to the context of your setting, be it as a solo instrument or in a large orchestra. In addition there is also a special FX Preset section that offers even more creative possibilities.

Sound Categories

The Presets of each instrument are subdivided into different Articulation categories, ready for your own creations:

  • Concert Guitar

    • Short notes
    • Long notes
    • Long specials
    • Legato
    • Repetitions
    • Fast repetitions
    • Phrases
    • Effects
    • Chords
  • Overdrive

    • Short notes
    • Long notes
    • Harmonics
    • Tremolo & trills
    • Grace notes
    • Power chords
    • Effects
    • Legato
    • Repetitions
    • Fast repetitions
    • Scale runs
  • Upright Bass

    • Short notes
    • Sustain
    • Noises & effects
    • Legato
    • Repetitions
    • Upbeats

Within these Articulation categories, you can select different types – e.g., short notes staccato or portato. For some of the types there are additional options available, such as "ringing" or "stopped" sustains with or without vibrato.

About Patches

Patches can be used to build your own custom Presets and adapt the Synchron Libraries to your specific requirements. For further information on constructing Presets, please see the Synchron Player manual.

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

The instrument Presets comprise all recorded Patches in Articulation groups, which again contain Types of the respective Articulation, with further options if available. The general structure was modeled after our other Synchron Collections, making it easy to switch or combine instruments without major adaptations.

The default installation path of your Plucked Instruments Collection in your specified harddisk or folder is "..\35 SYzd Plucked Instruments". In the Synchron Player, you will find this under the heading "SYNCHRON-ized Collections".

Articulations are enabled by default. Disabling a slot means that all the slots dependent on it will be deactivated, too, so if you happen to be short of RAM it is possible to deactivate anything you don't really need (you can always add more stuff later).

By default the mapping of keyswitches for Articulations starts at C1 (for Middle C = C4) for higher instruments – in this case, concert and overdrive guitar –, and C6 for bass instruments – here, the upright bass. Other slot categories, e.g., release type, vibrato, etc., use keyswitches or dimension controllers such as the modwheel or playing speed.

01 Concert Guitar

  • Articulation groups

    • Short notes
    • long notes
    • long specials
    • legato
    • repetitions
    • fast repetitions
    • phrases
    • effects
    • chords
  • Range: D2–C6 unless indicated otherwise

Short notes

Staccato A and B, Bartók staccato, étouffé staccato, and hammer staccato.

  • Type keyswitches: C7–E7
  • Range: étouffe D2–E5; hammering F2–A#5

Long notes

Sustained, flautando, ponticello, and Bartók (snapping).

  • Keyswitches
    • Ringing/stopped: A0/B0
    • No vibrato/vibrato: F6/F#6
    • Articulation type: C7–D#7

Long specials

Étouffé ('choked'), hammered, artificial harmonics, and natural harmonics low and high.

  • Keyswitches
    • Ringing/stopped: A0/B0
    • Articulation type: C7–E7
  • Range
    • hammered F2–A#5
    • artificial harmonics D3–B6
    • natural harmonics low C3–A6, high C3–A5

Natural harmonics mapping

The mapping for each string starts at C, beginning with low E tuned down to D.

  • C: Octave
  • D: 5th (plus octave)
  • E: 2nd octave
  • F: major 3rd (+ 2 oct.)
  • G: 5th (+ 2 oct.)
  • A: 3rd octave

Legato

Performance legato, ponticello, glissando, and hammered/pulled transitions.

  • Keyswitches
    • Ringing/stopped: A0/B0
    • Articulation type: C7–D#7

Repetitions

Regular repetitions slow, medium, fast, crescendo, and diminuendo, and ponticello repetitions slow and fast.

  • Keyswitches
    • Ringing/stopped: A0/B0
    • Regular/ponticello: F6/F#6
    • Articulation type: C7–E7

Fast repetitions

Fast repetitions, 140 to 200 BPM, regular and ponticello.

  • Keyswitches
    • Ringing/stopped: A0/B0
    • Regular/ponticello: F6/F#6
    • Tempo: C7–E7

Phrases

Tremolo, half and whole tone trills, bends up and down.

  • Keyswitches
    • Ringing/stopped: A0/B0
    • Articulation type: C7–E7
  • Range
    • trills D2–F5
    • bends D#2–B5

Effects

Harp, golpe, muted chord strokes, tambora (thumb strokes), and scratching on the E, A, and D strings.

  • Effect type keyswitches: C7–F#7

Harp mapping

Harp-like effects created by plucking the strings between the nut and the tuners.

  • Range: C3–F6

Golpe mapping

Strokes on the top, side, neck, fingerboard, flams and fingernail strokes on the bridge of the guitar, and drum rolls.

  • Range: D2–D6

Chord-mute mapping

Battente, pulled, short and long rasgueado, and arpeggio.

  • Range: C4–G4

Scratches mapping E string

Scratching on the low E string.

  • Range: C3–A#6

Scratches mapping A string

Scratching on the A string.

  • Range: C3–A#5

Scratches mapping D string

Scratching on the D string.

  • Range: C3–A#5

Chords

Chords in all keys, major, major 7, minor, minor 7, and chromatic mappings for various chords.

  • Keyswitches
    • Right hand technique: A1–C2 regular/ rasgueado/ rasgueado rolls/ arpeggio
    • Ringing/secco/stopped: A0/A#0/B0
    • Tonal mode: F6–A6
    • Key: C7–B7

Mapping
  1. E2–D#4 features the lower playing positions on the guitar with 3–4 6-string chords and 1–3 5-string chords followed by 4-string chords up to the highest chord.

  2. E4–G5/G#5 (depending on the scale) features higher playing positions, with 6-string chords up to C3, if possible. The lowest of these are the same in playing position 1. They are followed by 5-string chords up to G3. The following 4-string chords are the same as at the 1st playing position.

Major

3-key chords on every note of the scale, C major to B major, played on 4 to 6 strings depending on tablature. Here's an illustration of the chords as played for C major, with the keys they are mapped to.

Major-7

4-key chords on every note of the scale, C major to B major, played on 4 to 6 strings depending on tablature. Here's an illustration of the chords as played for C major, with the keys they are mapped to.

Minor

1st playing position, E2–D#4: aeolian mode (natural minor).
2nd playing position, E4–D6/D#6: harmonic minor.
Here's an illustration of the chords as they are played for C minor, with the keys they are mapped to.

Minor-7

1st playing position, E2–D#4: aeolian mode (natural minor).
2nd playing position, E4–D6/D#6: harmonic minor.
Here's an illustration of the chords as they are played for C minor, with the keys they are mapped to.

Various (chromatic)

Major, minor, dominant 7, major 7, and minor 7 chords on 6, 5, and 4 strings
Diminished 7, major 7 with augmented 5th, minor 7 with diminished 5th, and minor with major 7th chords
Sus4 and 7sus4, with the E, A, and D strings as base.

Here's an illustration of the chords, based on the lowest playing position on the guitar.

Chord play ranges
  • Range Major 3 and 4 keys

    • C major: E2–G5
    • C# major: F2–G#5
    • D major: E2–G5
    • D# major: F2–G#5
    • E major: E2–G#5
    • F major: E2–G5
    • F# major: F2–G#5
    • G major: E2–G5
    • G# major: F2–G#5
    • A major: E2–F#5
    • A# major: F2–G5
    • B major: E2–G#5
  • Range Minor 3 and 4 keys

    • C minor: F2–D#6
    • C# minor: E2–D#6
    • D minor: E2–D6
    • D# minor: F2–D#6
    • E minor: E2–D#6
    • F minor: F2–C#6
    • F# minor: E2–D6
    • G minor: F2–D#6
    • G# minor: E2–D#6
    • A minor: E2–D6
    • A# minor: F2–D#6
    • B minor: E2–D6
  • Range Chromatic mapping

    • major: D#2–D6
    • minor: D#2–D6
    • dom7: D#2–D6
    • maj7: D#2–D6
    • min7: D#2–D6
    • dim7: A2–D#4
    • maj7#5: A2–D#4
    • m7b5: A2–D#4
    • Mmaj7: A2–D#4
    • sus4: D#2–D#6
    • 7sus4: D#2–D#6

02 Overdrive

  • Articulation groups

    • Short notes
    • long notes
    • long specials
    • legato
    • repetitions
    • fast repetitions
    • phrases
    • effects
    • chords
  • Range: B1–D6 except where indicated otherwise

Short notes

Staccato short and regular, portato short and long.

  • Note length keyswitch: F6–G#6
Staccato short, staccato, portato short

The staccatos offer variants with soft, medium, and hard attack.

  • Staccato attack keyswitch: C7–D7

Portato long

Long portato with normal and hard release, with and without vibrato.

  • Release keyswitch: A0/B0 release normal/hard
  • Vibrato switch: Dim.Ctrl/A (CC1, Modwheel)

Long notes

Sustained notes without and with vibrato, as well as two variations of whammy bar action.

  • Release keyswitch: A0/B0 release normal/hard. Vibrato switch: Dim.Ctrl/A (CC1, Modwheel).

Harmonics

Artifical harmonics, fifth and octave with normal and hard release, and natural harmonics low and high.

  • Keyswitches
    • Release: A0/B0 normal/hard
    • Type: C7–D#7
  • Range
    • Artificial fifths G3–C6
    • artifical octave C4–F6
    • natural low C2–A#5
    • natural high C4–A#6

Natural harmonics mapping
  • low

    • C2–A#2: low B string
    • C3–A#3: low E string
    • C4–A#4: A string
    • C5–A#5: D string
  • high

    • C4–A#4: G string
    • C5–A5: high B string
    • C6–A6: high E string
    • C: Root
    • D: Octave
    • E: 5th (plus octave)
    • F: 2nd octave
    • G: major 3rd (+ 2 oct.)
    • G#: 5th (+ 2 oct.)
    • A: minor 7th¯ (+ 2 oct.)
    • A#: 3rd octave

Tremolo & Trills

Tremolo, trills from minor 2nd to major 3rd, with normal and hard release.

  • Keyswitches

    • Release: A0/B0 normal/hard
    • Type: C7–E7
  • Trills range

    • minor 2nd B1–C#6
    • major 2nd, minor 3rd B1–C6
    • major 3rd B1–A#5

Grace notes

Grace noise, octave (harmonics), and whammy bar regular and octave.

  • Keyswitches

    • Release: A0/B0 normal/hard
    • Type: C7–D#7
  • Ranges

    • octave E2–G5
    • whammy bar B1–C#6
    • whammy octave E2–C5

Power chords

Power chords, fourth, fifth, major and minor, with normal and hard release.

  • Keyswitches

    • Release: A0/B0 normal/hard
    • Type: C7–D#7
  • Range

    • fourth B1–C5
    • fifth B1–B4
    • major, minor B2–F#4

Effects

Feedback, soft and hard, E-bow, and tuned down, with normal and hard release. Scratching on the E and B strings, with whammy bar, and scratch effects.

  • Keyswitches

    • Release: A0/B0 normal/hard
    • Type: C7–G7
  • Range

    • tuned down B1–D3 (the actual sounds are an octave lower than mapped)
    • E string B2–A#5
    • B string B1–G5
    • whammy B2–A#3
    • effects B2–F3

Legato

Legato bends, soft, hard, marcato, and hammered-pulled.

  • Keyswitches

    • Release: A0/B0 normal/hard
    • Transition: C7–E7
  • Range

  • soft, hard B1–C6

  • marcato, hammer-pull B1–C#6

Soft, hard, marcato

These articulations offer variations without and with vibrato. Soft and hard also have two whammy bar variants.

  • Vibrato switch: Dim.Ctrl/A (CC1, Modwheel)

Repetitions

Single note and power chord repetitions.

  • Single note/power chord keyswitch: A6/B6.
Single notes

Portato, crescendo, diminuendo, and muted with two variations each, as well as tuned down repetitions.

  • Type keyswitch: C7–G#7
  • Range
    • portato, crescendo v.2, diminuendo v.2, mute B1–C#6
    • tuned down B1–C3 (the actual sounds are an octave lower than mapped).

Power chords

Fourths and fifths repetitions, normal as well as crescendo and diminuendo.

  • Type keyswitch: C7–F7
  • Range: B1–C5

Fast repetitions

Fast repetitions steady, crescendo, diminuendo, and noise, from 140 to 220 BPM.

  • Keyswitches
    • Type: C7–D#7
    • Tempo: F7–A#7

Scale runs

Octave runs, major and harmonic minor up and down, from C to B.
The runs are mapped to the notes of the respective key. Please note that the last playable note is an octave below the highest mapped note for upward runs, and an octave above the lowest mapped note for downward runs.

  • Keyswitches
    • Scale: F6–G#6
    • Base key: C7–B7

03 Upright Bass

  • Articulation groups

    • short notes
    • sustain
    • noises & effects
    • legato
    • repetitions
    • upbeats
  • Range: D1–G4 except where indicated otherwise.

Short notes

Staccato, portato short and long, damped, and muted.

  • Type keyswitch: C7–F7

Sustain

Sustained notes ringing, stopped hard and normal, without as well as with light and medium vibrato.

  • Keyswitches
    • Ringing/stopped: A5–B5
    • Vibrato: C7–D7

Noises & effects

Slides up and down, legato slides, finger stop, body noises, and sustained notes played with a bow.

  • Type keyswitch: C7–F7
  • Range
    • slides up/down C2–F4
    • finger stop D#1–G4

Slides up/down mapping
  • C2–A#2: fast slides 1–8
  • C3–A#3: medium slides 1–8
  • C4–F4: slow slides 1–4

Body noises mapping
  • C, D: single hits, l/r
  • C#, D#: fast repetitions, var. 1/2
  • F, G: performance repetitions, medium, var. 1/2
  • F#, G#: performance repetitions, slow, var. 1/2
  • C1–G#1: body hits, finger
  • C2–G#2: body hits, knuckle
  • C3–G#3: rib hits
  • C4–G#4: fingerboard hits

Legato

Legato, ghost notes, glissando, and slow glissando, ringing, stopped hard and normal, without and with slide noise.

  • Keyswitches

    • Ringing/stopped: A5–B5
    • Type: C7–D#7
  • Slide noise switch: Dim.Ctrl/B (CC1, Modwheel)

No Slide

Slide

Use Dim.Ctrl/A (CC3) to adjust the noise amount of the slides.

Repetitions

Repetitions ringing and stopped hard without and with vibrato, and stopped normal.

  • Ringing/stopped keyswitch: A5–B5
Ringing, stopped hard
  • Vibrato keyswitch: C7/C#7

Stop normal

Slow without and with vibrato, portato slow and fast, and autospeed.

  • Type keyswitch: C7–E7

Autospeed

This slot uses Dim.Ctrl/D (playing speed) to switch automatically between slow notes without vibrato, slow portato, and fast portato.

Upbeats

Single, double, and triple upbeats at 80/90/100/120/140 BPM.

  • Keyswitches
    • Ringing/stopped: A5–B5
    • Type: C7–D7
    • Tempo: F7–A7