CMusic adds two Solo Trumpets. Compare to Chris Hein Compact

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mhschmieder
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Re: CMusic now tackles the Trumpet (two variants)

Post by mhschmieder »

I can't find a way to avoid the machine-gun effect on repeated staccato notes with CMusic. I don't even have to put out any effort for that to not be an issue with Chris Hein Horns Compact.

The CMusic timbre is quite nice, and there are a number of special effects as well as a few core articulations (all via key switch), but even articulation-switching doesn't take care of its core flaws, I'm afraid. It might, however, work well buried beneath synths for texture.

It's incredible how good Chris Hein Horns Compact is. After all, the main trumpet is only 25 MB and yet it smokes the 700 MB trumpet from CMusic.

I think it's all in the programming, as it looks like Chris Hein's library does speed detection for articulation switching (the compact edition doesn't seem to have direct user control over much of that), much like some of VSL's presets (which I no longer use as I now take the extra time to split the articulations).

I'm even using the convolution reverb that comes with Chris Hein Horns Pro as it is their own and not from Kontakt core. They talk about it in the user manual and it's impressive how much thought went into it.

CMusic has convolution and ambience but I think they're just GUI wrappers for what ships with Kontakt. At any rate, aside from the machine gun effect, there's also some low-mid honkiness and frequency stacking that I would think could have been taken care of at library creation time vs. being a burden at music production time.
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mhschmieder
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Re: CMusic adds two Solo Trumpets. Compare to Chris Hein Com

Post by mhschmieder »

Even the Compact Edition of Chris Hein Horns is superb!

I did some falls yesterday on trumpet lead, and would say that overall Chris Hein's library beats Samplemodeling on timbre.

It's more work, of course, but may end up being worth it in certain circumstances.

The documentation is incomplete though, so you have to experiment with timing offsets, note lengths, and note attacks, for the falls to work correctly at all, and then to fine-tune them.

It's just too bad that this wasn't documented, but maybe it's in the video. The problem with videos though is you have to launch the browser, and that's a non-starter while doing production work, due to the resource needs of a browser (unless you dedicate a specific browser for single-launch no-tabs type actions).

I may end up re-tracking some Samplemodeling stuff to Chris Hein Horns now.

The CMusic stuff will sit in the dustbin, unfortunately, even though the players that they chose are quite good. Perhaps they'll improve the programming in an update, as they did with their other products (I find their accordions quite useful).
iMac 27" 2017 Quad-Core Intel i5 (3.8 GHz, 64 GB), OSX 13.6.1, MOTU DP 11.31, iZotope RX 10
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mhschmieder
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Re: CMusic adds two Solo Trumpets. Compare to Chris Hein Com

Post by mhschmieder »

I did the upgrade to the full pro edition of Chris Hein Horns tonight, and it was well worth it. The selection of instruments is quite comprehensive, even including contrabass saxophone.

Interestingly, the Compact Edition is included, for fast work at the outset of projects. I guess I'll keep my licensed copy of Compact Edition in my Kontakt Libraries list anyway though -- at least until I have time to study the manual for Pro and convert any key switches as necessary.

The clarinets are quite good in this collection, which was a surprise for me as I'm obviously pickier about instruments I actually play. :-) The flute seems quite nice as well, but I'm so happy with the timbre and versatility of Vienna Instruments for flute that I rarely bother with anything else anymore.
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Re: CMusic adds two Solo Trumpets. Compare to Chris Hein Com

Post by bkshepard »

mhschmieder wrote:I did the upgrade to the full pro edition of Chris Hein Horns tonight, and it was well worth it. The selection of instruments is quite comprehensive, even including contrabass saxophone.
I've been looking at this library, but can't find a complete content list. In particular, I'm looking for a big band horn library that offers a good selection of mutes (straight, cup, harmon, bucket) as well as jazz articulations. How does this one do in that regard? Thanks!
-Brian

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mhschmieder
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Re: CMusic adds two Solo Trumpets. Compare to Chris Hein Com

Post by mhschmieder »

Good mutes -- more realistic than the ones in Sample Modeling's libraries (though those have improved). I haven't gotten around to articulation-switching yet, but will probably take the same approach that I do for VSL once I do.

I've mostly been using Chris Hein Horns for section work at the moment, vs. exposed solo parts that are complicated. So far, I have gotten WAY better results in tight harmonies than with any other library, and having multiple horns allows for a much more realistic section than when doing block chords with polyphonic patches.
iMac 27" 2017 Quad-Core Intel i5 (3.8 GHz, 64 GB), OSX 13.6.1, MOTU DP 11.31, iZotope RX 10
RME Babyface Pro FS, Radial JDV Mk5, Hammond XK-4, Moog Voyager

Eugenio Upright, 60th Anniversary P-Bass, USA Geddy Lee J-Bass, Yamaha BBP35
Select Strat, 70th Anniversary Esquire, Johhny Marr Jaguar, 57 LP, Danelectro 12
Eastman T486RB, T64/V, Ibanez PM2, D'angelico Deluxe SS Bari, EXL1
Guild Bari, 1512 12-string, M20, Martin OM28VTS, Larivee 0040MH
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