Best way to warm up orchestral samples?

[SF_Guy]

I need to warm up orchestral music created from samples (Vienna Symphonic Library) without adding too much coloration. I'll be mixing on my DAW because I don't have frequent access to a Neve or SSL Board - thus I want to buy a slutty piece of gear to make up for the lost of analogue warmth from the missing console in my signal chain. Any ideas? Thanks for your input!

The samples were recorded with this setup:

* Schoeps Serie Colette:
CMC 6
BLM 3
MK 2 S
MK 4
MK 21
KFM 6
* Millenia Media HV3D Micpreamp
* Daniel Weiss ADC1 MK2, 24/96 AD Converter
* Monster Cable Studio Pro 1000 Cable
* Studer A5 Monitoring
* Magix Sequoia Hard Disk Recording

[natpub]

I use VSL every single day on GIGA 3

One excellent option is the Stereo Radial passive with the Jensen trannys. Simple, keeps it real, but gives you more meaty imaging.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/JDIDuplex/


The Avalon DI (U5??) is also quite good for this kind of work.

I usually have live players double certain things to make it come to life. I am very careful about articulations and phrasing, and stack all my instrument parts by hand, convert to analog, do fader writes, etc, for expression, etc.

I am looking now for an old Yamana breath controller to get my wind and brass up to snuff.

Bottom line, if I had the money, I would not take all this exhausting time using GIGA, e.

I wanna see how their VST sampler works--supposed to be more intuitive, which would save me a lot of time.


KT

[SF_Guy]

What to you think about using a Portico 5042 to warm things up?

[el cochino]

Siemens V72

[Push845]

Try an UA 2-610. The tubes warm things up alot for me. I run rap samples thru it to my Radar. I also run a Kurzweil k2500 thru it and give the tracks killer headroom also besides the warmth. I also track my kick drum and snare thru it. It is a great workhorse!

[Kestral]

This is going to sound strange but it works, I read it in Keyboard magazine a long time ago, but if you slip a little analog synth strings into there, the samples actually sound more real and warm. I don't know why this works, makes no sense, but it does work. I usually use my Oberheim Matrix 1000 and/or Juno 106 for these duties. The Matrix 1000 is great because it has a whole bank of string-like sounds and they even try to program the envelope to be siminlar to real strings and they've put a grittiness to them that when combined with samples is really nice. If you have any analog lying around, just program a synth string and try this out.

[MichaelT]

Two A-Designs Reddi's are great for this task, and many others....

-Mike

[TEMAS]

Originally Posted by Kestral

if you slip a little analog synth strings into there, the samples actually sound more real and warm.

I do this too; usually with my Nord Modular. I use VSL all the time too - there's no magic formula, its just constant experimentation to get the sound you want and the live feeling. Altiverb also helps smooth things out a bit.

I'm planning to get a string quartet to play over the top for my next project, and also mix it up with the nord et al.

[bgroup]

Loads of reverb works for me!!

[Albert]

Originally Posted by Kestral

This is going to sound strange but it works, I read it in Keyboard magazine a long time ago, but if you slip a little analog synth strings into there, the samples actually sound more real and warm.

Shhhhh!!! You are going to get kicked out of the clubhouse if you keep giving away stuff this good. tutt

Actually, I've found it helps to even use digital synths in this way. The stuff like Wavestations, D50's, DX/TX synths, Trinity, etc. Layering these synth sounds with the newer big sample libraries does wonders for them and oddly enough adds greater realism and fullness. Especially for brass samples.

As far as warming things up, I currently have several favorite methods for that.

1. The DAV Electronics BG-1 preamp is great for this purpose, even though it is not a tube preamp. I've tried the tube DI/tube preamp thing and I personally like the results with the DAV better. I'll often run the entire mix through the BG-1 right before the AD conversion back to the DAW.

2. My default sampled string signal path is to buss them through an ART PRO VLA and then through a Peavey Tube Sweetener. I use this for strings only.

3. Another little trick is to run your sounds through single ended noise reduction, like a DBX 929 module. I haven't used other units for this, but I suppose a DBX 150 or Dolby units would work too. This works because (in my opinion) the objectionable part of the sampled sound is right around the same area that hiss in analog systems used to sit. If you dial that down just a touch it softens the tone ever so slightly and makes it more pleasant to listen to. I've found this helpful for brass and string sounds.

You don't really need slutty gear to do the sample warming thing, as slutty gear doesn't necessarily work any better for this than well chosen but less expensive gear. I've done the Manley VariMu thing, the Fatso, and others, but the three techniques discussed above have been superior in my opinion. Superior for this *specific* task I mean.