The centre display is for drawing controller curves. Controllers can be assigned automatically and manually.
METROPOLIS ARK 1 REVIEW FULL
It has four pages: a Performance view, which features the most commonly used controls including the Main knob, used for dynamic control…Ģ: …a Mixer view that provides full control over the microphone positions – spot, close, tree, surround and A/B stereo…ģ: …an Instrument settings view provides a place to edit settings, such as performance dynamics, filters, attack and release, round robin and so on…Ĥ: …a Controller Table view for assigning keys on a MIDI keyboard and MIDI CC messages to various Capsule features. There are two sets here – the Schwarzdorn Horns, no less than nine of them for soaring emotionally charged lines and for smaller section work, the Rotdorn Horns with just three instruments.ġ: Metropolis Ark runs in CAPSULE (Control And Performance Symphonic Utility Engine), which in turn integrates with Kontakt. No library destined for epic soundtracks would ever be complete without the horns. You’ll find similar content in other libraries, but it’s so convenient to have everything under one roof it makes for a faster workflow. Instruments represented are Solo Taiko, Taiko Ensemble, Surdo Ensemble and Percussion Ensemble. Three tubas round out the plentiful supply of very low brass.Įpic percussion libraries are not so hard to find these days, but Metropolis Ark 1 has a fine set of ensembles and individual hits built in. Originally used in Italian opera, nowadays it occasionally turns up in film soundtracks, which is why three of them are included here. Not so common in orchestral libraries, the cimbasso is a valve contrabass trombone. Lower down, the three bass trombones are no slouches either, producing sounds ranging from low, raspy roars to searing upper-register notes. Heading the brass, four magisterial unison trumpets produce a splendid sound – think Fanfare For The Common Man and you’ll get the picture. However, there’s the very rich and fruity-sounding Holbein Bassoons (four of them) and the Barnock Contrabassoons (four of those, too), which produce the most wonderful growling noise when played in their lower extremities. No need for sissy-sounding flutes and clarinets here. All the important articulations are present, but remember this is an epic library, the pizzicatos are snap-type and capable of cutting through any wall of sound that the brass may be producing.Īnd so to the woodwinds, well the lower variety. The lower strings, including 12 basses and six celli are only available in octaves and produce a truly massive sound – great for dangerous-sounding riffs. Turn on true legato and the transitions are adjusted according to playing speed. Legato articulations are handled automatically, in the background. The high set can be played in unison or in octaves for a more powerful sound. Imagery like this sets our geek-hearts aflutter Spitfire’s Albion is a good example, and Metropolis Ark 1 continues the trend with Finkenstein Strings (high) and Wolfenstein Strings (low). Recording the string orchestra as high and low strings (as opposed to the traditional four sections – violins, violas, celli and basses) is an increasingly common technique in libraries where a full sound and fast results are a key aim.
METROPOLIS ARK 1 REVIEW DOWNLOAD
As you would expect, at 160GB it’s a hefty download (75GB compressed), but if you pay extra it can be supplied on an SSD. Everything sounds loud, with dynamics starting at mf and continuing upwards to fff. Well, now it’s here in the form of Metropolis Ark 1 – The Monumental Orchestra.ĭeveloped and produced by Berlin-based Orchestral Tools, it contains a huge orchestra, choir, electric guitars, percussion, a grand piano and a drum set. Although a good many existing libraries are capable of producing loud grandiose scores, it was only a matter of time before something huge came along designed specifically for epic music production. With the increasing trend for large epic film scores and trailer music these days, orchestral sample libraries are naturally growing larger as well, to keep up with the demand. But does bigger always prove better? In this case yes, reckons Keith GemmellĬontact via website or +49 (0) 7665 – 9398678 Inspired by the first science-fiction movie, Metropolis Ark 1 is an astonishingly huge orchestral library for composing epic music.