Recording February 2022 - 43

has a lovely round character when playing
soft legato passages and then a wonderful
direct brassiness for more powerful movements.
Ornamentation was a key part of
Baroque literature, and the included lip trill
articulations are nicely performed and will
add a level of authenticity to a score.
Strings
The main strings comprise four violins
and three violas, strung with gut, played
with period-style bows, and performed
without vibrato. The legato passages are
superbly rendered with both a bowed and
fingered legato. As is standard, the dynamic
range is controlled via the mod wheel,
though it is understandably and authentically
limited, reflecting the construction of
the instruments of that time. Since most of
my arranging is for smaller ensembles, The
Miroire strings work perfectly for Baroque
literature and for modern compositions requiring
a more naturally intimate sound.
Basso Continuo
The Basso Continuo incorporates a
double bass, two cellos and a bassoon. It
would have been nice to have control over
the individual elements for the continuo
section, but it's not a deal breaker. The
chosen combination of instruments works
reasonably well for providing the essential
foundation for Baroque music's harmony
and
melodic
improvisation.
Baroque
continuo also often included harpsichord
or organ, which are not included in the
Miroire library, so users would need to
employ the Berlin Harpsichords or another
library to round out their compositions.
Choir
Adding a chamber choir made up of
vocalists versed in chamber music of the
period is an excellent addition to the
library, and the blend is quite nice. There's
even an articulation setting for rotating
vowels/syllables, which provides the
illusion of words being sung. According
to Orchestral Tools, the vowels are
taken from Bach's 'Passion' and sung in
German. It's suitably subtle so as not to be
distracting. The full attack of the performers
is captured, and so, understandably, the
choir can be a tad late when played/
triggered against the other instruments.
Personally, this didn't bother me too much,
as it added a sense of realism; that said, it
may require shifting the choral tracks a bit
ahead of the others in your DAW if timing
proves distracting.
Going for Baroque
Orchestral Tools has provided a
solid library in Miroire for period
literature, chamber music, and perhaps
even fantasy genres. Nicely providing
the option to download individual
instruments also makes the library
accessible for those on a budget.
John Czerwinski (CZ to his friends) is a
composer, arranger, and producer in
Columbia, SC
Price: Miroire: 399,00€ +VAT (approx.
$450); Individual instruments: 35-49€
(approx. $40-55); SINEPlayer: Free
More From: orchestraltools.com
Integration
The library is available in VST, AU
and AAX formats; I found it to be a wonderful
addition when scoring within Finale
and Steinberg Dorico. Some users
have noted that it can take some expression
map tweaking within each program
for proper score playback. Nicely, some
users have already undertaken the task
and have shared their efforts.
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Recording February 2022

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