Recording - August 2021 - 58

the instrument sections in the Play tab
and provides a distinctive look for
when Moods are changed; more on that
in a moment. Finally, the Opus engine
feels snappier and more responsive than
the previous Play engine.
The Browser page still features the familiar
column view but now allows one
to audition the sounds before actually
loading the instruments. A ComposerCloud
subscription will enable one to
search through the entire database of
sounds offered by EastWest, with the
option to install a particular sound without
the need to download the entire library.
Brilliant! Obviously, with all the
options available for articulations and
grouping, a robust search engine is
key, and fortunately, the Opus engine's
search function is wholly comprehensive.
One can search through specific
libraries, instrument attributes, or keywords.
The results can also be filtered
and tagged as favorites.
Moody
The Play page is where the instrument-level
controls unique to individual
sound libraries are located. Again, if
you've worked with the Play engine,
it will look and feel familiar, but sports
a new Moods feature, which lets one
choose between Classic (the default
for the library), Soft, or Epic tonalities.
By selecting one of these tonalities,
the Opus engine essentially fine-tunes
the samples and mic presets used in
order to adjust the entire timbre of the
sample library from subdued to powerful
and, well... epic!
As with other libraries, the keyboard
highlights the playable range of the instruments
and illustrates the key switches
for selecting specific articulations. One
new feature of note: rather than be a
static choice, you can completely customize
the key switches. Their range is
adjustable for working on shorter scale
keyboards or simply making them more
comfortable to use in practice-a very
welcome addition for ease of use.
We've only scratched the surface, but
suffice to say, I believe the new Opus
engine is worth the upgrade price alone.
Hollywood Orchestrator
Hollywood
Orchestrator is a new
scoring engine built into the Hollywood
Orchestrator Opus Edition software.
RECORDING August 2021 55
In short, it allows one to achieve some
spectacular arrangements or orchestrated
patterns simply by selecting a preset
and playing some simple chords. One
loads the Hollywood Orchestrator just
like any other instrument. Clicking in
the preset window instigates a browser
where one can choose from 500 presets
that cover ensemble groupings, ostinato
patterns, or what EW dubs as Scores,
which constitute more complex orchestrations
based on popular film score
motifs. Instruments or whole sections that
are loaded can be muted or unmuted
using corresponding key switches. The
various instruments used can be allocated
to specific notes in the chords that
are played, and the sequence patterns
can be edited and then saved as a separate
preset. To top it off, the MIDI data
can also be output to your DAW for further
editing or refinement.
Now, some have made the point that
offering a tool of this nature could make
it all too accommodating for musicians
to simply call up a preset and forego the
work of actually fleshing out a unique
musical idea for compositions. I'm not
inclined to believe that this is much of
a concern. It's my belief that musicians
will use the software for its real power,
which would be to build and edit their
own presets for ensembles and patterns.
Think of how quickly a temp cue could
be offered to a film director in order to
visualize a scene while editing, or how
reoccurring motifs could be built
that
could be recalled quickly. In the long
run, I think this software tool will prove
to be a tremendous asset for composers.
Conclusion
There is a plethora of orchestral library
offerings from which to choose, but with
this update, EastWest provides a solid
contender as a first choice consideration;
the Composer Cloud subscription
price puts a library of this caliber within
reach of the budget-conscious user.
Price: Diamond $995, Gold $895;
ComposerCloud
X
$19.99/mo.
ComposerCloud
Subscription
Plus
Subscription $29.00/month *Upgrade
and educational options available
More From: soundsonline.com
http://www.soundsonline.com
Recording - August 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - August 2021
