‘Cadenza Violin’: Sound Magic’s New Sound-set for Neo Orchestra

‘Modeling Legato Technology’ and ‘Performance Key-Switch System’ enable every possible expressiveness in your fingertips

Cadenza violin was originally crafted by hand using well-aged European tone woods and naturally seasoned spruce from the Italian Alps. Oil-varnished to bring out the rich vibrancy of the wood, it produces a sophisticated sound with color, depth, and a powerfully full voice and constant timbre in every environment. Sound Magic captured every genuine Cadenza tone and emotion of the Cadenza violin by recording it at Platinum Sound in New York City. The engineers of Sound Magic used SSL 9000 series console, along with legendary U47 and M49 Neumann vintage microphones to capture the Cadenza violin’s purity with crisp, clean, and unaltered details without any reflections or coloring. 

The latest release by Sound Magic, Neo Orchestra is an AU (Audio Unit)/VST-based platform that allows you to play sound samples of string instruments which Sound Magic elaborately manufactured. ‘Cadenza Violin’ is Sound Magic’s first string sound sample set for Neo Orchestra using Sound Magic’s own Modeling Legato Technology and Performance Key-Switch System to enable a variety of sophisticated violin techniques with your fingertips.

Sound Engine

The sound engine of Neo Orchestra provides the functions of control Dynamics, Vibrato, Tuning, Harmonics, Legato, Envelope, Reverb, Equalizer, and Virtual 3D Stage emulation. 

There are seven velocity curves in Dynamics and this setting has a major impact on how the key response to your play and how it sounds. Also, you can set the dynamic range for the instrument you are playing and keyboard tracking values which can change degree of dynamics depend on the area of MIDI keyboard.

 

Neo Orchestra provides two types of Vibrato, one is sampled vibrato and the other is modeling vibrato. In order to use sampled vibrato, you can assign the key in the Key Switch setting panel to switch on the sampled vibrato using the assigned key. In case of modeling vibrato, you can control the values of depth, speed, and human (humanization/random) on the main control panel of Neo Orchestra. 

Neo Orchestra provides default equal temperament tuning system and also supports different tuning scales using Scala Tuning files. So you can adopt any tone scale you like to play.

 

The Harmonics function allows you to adjust Key Harmonics affecting the overall tone of the instrument. You can control the gain (+/-15 dB) and shift (+/- 2 octaves) of the sound you are playing. 

You can control Legato effect by turning Time knob and choosing Glide curve on the main control panel. If the played notes are overlapped then the legato effect will begin. Legato Time can be controlled by MIDI controller in real-time.

In the Envelope section, you can change ADSR Envelope of the sound you are playing by simple click and drag. In addition, you can make fine adjustments by time and stage settings.

In Reverb section, you can adjust early reflections and reverb space, and also you can choose a preset from the main control panel. 

You can simply click and drag to change EQ settings of the instrument you are playing. This EQ setting can give a significant change in the tonality of the instrument immediately.

On the Virtual 3D Stage, you can pan your instrument freely by dragging the cursor on the screen and it will generate 3D audio effect to the sound. This Virtual 3D Stage makes sounds real using the algorithm of the sound localization simulated from realistic space.

Control Options

Neo Orchestra offers a variety of control options to allow the performer to play almost all of the violin's playing techniques. These control options can be assigned by the player to each key on the keyboard through the Performance Key-Switch System. For example, if you want to play modeling tremolo sound of a violin, you can play the tremolo by pressing a key at any time by assigning a switch to the specific key on the keyboard from the Key Switch setting panel. Major switch decides which technique will be taken while the instrument is using two important techniques at the same time in such case of velocity layer or open strings for strings.  

The categories in the Key Switch panel provide various techniques of violin such as vibrato (finger/arm/wrist), pizzicato, pizzicato harmonic, Bartok pizzicato, Bartok Harmonic, spiccato, nature and artificial harmonic, Jete, Martellato, Released Martele, and Trapped Martele.

You can shape sound by adjusting Envelope on the main control panel. For string instruments, attack and release time period setting will greatly influence on the final sound.

The Cadenza violin is equipped with Sound Magic’s ‘Modeling Legato Technology’, which supports any of violin technique, sound patches, or articulations with more control over the parameters. This technology allows you to manipulate sound shapes and variety in real time with smoother transitions between notes than a sampled legato. 

The Sound

The first impression of the sound of Cadenza violin was soft and natural ｅxpression of the string. The sound of Cadenza without any EQ adjustment is like the sound from the performer playing violin in near field, but the sound delivers the details about friction of violin strings. By manipulating the EQ to slightly boost the mid-range, you can hear more detailed and richer violin sounds. 

The friction sound of the Cadenza strings can be expressed in various ways depend on the keyboard velocity value, and the sound tails of the string is delicately responsive to the velocity and key’s holding time. Overall, Cadenza violin emulates the sound of violin strings with details by relatively stable physical modeling.

With Cadenza vibrato control, you can get a fairly realistic vibrato sound if you adjust 'depth', ‘rate’, and ‘human’ parameters in harmony. Note that if one of the three parameter values is too high, the balance of sound is broken, resulting in a mechanical vibrato sound.

The violin presets allows you to develop phrases with a wide range and thanks to the possibility of modulating the vibrato it allows a meticulous programming of phrasing. The ability to program with accuracy and to intervene on the amplitude and attack of the vibrato, allow an excellent expressiveness.

When playing with the Legato control, you can get realistic legato effects by adjusting the Legato Time value and selecting the Glide Curve appropriately, depending on the tempo and mood of the song you are playing. For example, when you play a slow tempo with minor key song, you can get an expressive and realistic legato sound by increasing the Time value and selecting exponential curve from the control panel.

The Cadenza violin's Virtual 3D Stage control can accurately emulate the sound of a violin from a specific space. Sound Magic's sound localization algorithm simulates the spatial characteristics of real sound very realistically.

Overall, the sound of Cadenza violin is natural and expressive and can be used in a variety of genres of music. No doubt the Cadenza violin sounds great for the $99 price.

Price:

 

$99.00 USD

 

 

*You can purchase Cadenza Violin: here

 

 

 

Sound Magic Co. Ltd Founded in 2007, Sound Magic Co., Ltd. has transformed into one of the primary pioneers in virtual instruments and DSP software. Starting from humble beginnings in Beijing, China, Sound Magic Co., Ltd. now has over 20 employees with regional offices spread out across the world.  With one office in Anaheim, California and one in London, Sound Magic Co., Ltd. has the privilege of working with talented engineers, developers, musicians, and creatives from across the world to create products from a culture born from diversity and dedication.

 

 

 

For more information on Cadenza Violin

https://soundcloud.com/sound-magic/sets/cadenza-solo-violin

https://youtu.be/Dg0n8QoUldw