The original cello was a big hit with over 15,000 downloads, now it returns with lots of new features. All the sustain notes are looped and there is controllable vibrato and legato. Mr. Smolken did some fine scripting work on the Plogue sforzando version and the Kontakt version uses the WIPS scripts by Robert D. Villwock aka 'Big Bob'.
It has sustain, staccato and pizzicato articulations. The sustain has 2 round robins while the staccato and pizzicato have 4. The sustain and staccato have 4 velocity layers. Oh and did I mention it is free?
http://www.karoryfer.com/karoryfer-samp ... ctwa/cello
Karoryfer x bigcat cello now with more vibrato & legato
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- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 1367 posts since 30 Jul, 2013
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- KVRAF
- 2141 posts since 20 Sep, 2013 from Poland
Soon I have a demo track that uses the new vibrato and other controls a lot, in the meantime here's a screenshot of the controls in the Sforzando GUI:
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- KVRAF
- 2141 posts since 20 Sep, 2013 from Poland
Here's a track using the cello a lot, including a nicely expressive part during the bridge starting around 1:42. The 8-voice mapping is also used for the chord swells during the refrain, and the pizz for some quiet plucks during the first verse and outro.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNQN90FUCjI
Also uses a lot of other Karoryfer stuff - the only pitched instrument not from our samples is Pianoteq which is probably nearly inaudible, just a background one-finger part doubling the bass. But this song is basically the reason why I wanted to add more vibrato controls to the cello, then I thought "you know, other people might want that also, if I'm gonna do it I might as well share the update" and then it sorta got out of hand with a GUI and infinite sustain and so on.
And Meatbass will be getting a similar update in a few weeks, once I forget how annoying looping notes is so I'll be willing to do it to 100-odd samples again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNQN90FUCjI
Also uses a lot of other Karoryfer stuff - the only pitched instrument not from our samples is Pianoteq which is probably nearly inaudible, just a background one-finger part doubling the bass. But this song is basically the reason why I wanted to add more vibrato controls to the cello, then I thought "you know, other people might want that also, if I'm gonna do it I might as well share the update" and then it sorta got out of hand with a GUI and infinite sustain and so on.
And Meatbass will be getting a similar update in a few weeks, once I forget how annoying looping notes is so I'll be willing to do it to 100-odd samples again.
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- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 1367 posts since 30 Jul, 2013
Just to be my usual pain, but first awesome song! I just read the vibrato is actually done because of the first recordings. It can be louder than non-vibrato and can mask poorer musicians who missed notes on those pesky non-fretted instruments. They needed LOUD for those old horn speaker recorders and the great classical players of the day wanted nothing to do with the process. Truly talented players, like the Dman, considered vibrato poor technique and something to be avoided at all costs. He also says the old opera singers hit every note spot on and had almost zero vibrato (if you will) and sounded something more like pop singers not pop singers gargling.
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- KVRAF
- 2141 posts since 20 Sep, 2013 from Poland
Ha. I actually read, some years ago, that some Italian wrote vibrato was a technique that came from Polish folk fiddlers. Or something like that. I should try to look that up...
My first attempt at recording bass samples, many years ago, was really badly out of tune, so I figured out that I should do it with a chromatic tuner sitting there for reference. That's a good way to get things in tune without using pitch correction and making everything completely robotic.
My first attempt at recording bass samples, many years ago, was really badly out of tune, so I figured out that I should do it with a chromatic tuner sitting there for reference. That's a good way to get things in tune without using pitch correction and making everything completely robotic.
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- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 1367 posts since 30 Jul, 2013
I re-sem-ble that re-mark (said in robotic tones) having done a lot of digital tuning. Seriously how does that work with the chromatic tuner? And what is a chromatic tuner?
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- KVRAF
- 2141 posts since 20 Sep, 2013 from Poland
I mean when recording we just have a tuner app running on an iPad and look at it to make sure the notes are in tune, but "humanly" in tune.
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- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 1367 posts since 30 Jul, 2013
Interesting. In my experience most sustain notes wander by say 8 to 15 cents anyway. So I generally just average it out and try to get them to center around the note. Though I'll try to get the attack a bit closer if the note is really wandering. If the note is pretty close to where I would put it anyway, say within 2 cents, I don't touch it. Some of the things I've tuned have been up to 40 to 60 cents off and at least to me getting them to within 10 cents did help. I'm not sure what point it becomes too robotic.
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- KVRAF
- 2141 posts since 20 Sep, 2013 from Poland
Yeah... within 10 cents sounds OK, within 5 cents good. 40-60 cents off is definitely something that needs fixing.
I partly do this because I don't want people to judge me by my bass intonation, which to be honest is terrible in the upper register (I never play high notes in real life, so I never practice up there either), and partly because I like to do unison mappings with multiple voices. Completely perfectly tuned sounds boring and colorless. Humanly in tune is much richer, and lately I've been adding detune controls so you can get a thicker detuned sound - I don't remember the max detune on this cello, but it might be around 20 cents.
I partly do this because I don't want people to judge me by my bass intonation, which to be honest is terrible in the upper register (I never play high notes in real life, so I never practice up there either), and partly because I like to do unison mappings with multiple voices. Completely perfectly tuned sounds boring and colorless. Humanly in tune is much richer, and lately I've been adding detune controls so you can get a thicker detuned sound - I don't remember the max detune on this cello, but it might be around 20 cents.
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- KVRAF
- 2141 posts since 20 Sep, 2013 from Poland
Started looping the sustain samples for Meatbass, got the lowest velocity layer done today which is 34 samples. I will probably loop 3 of the 5 layers, we'll see, but all the looping should take a week or so, and then the updated version should be ready in two weeks - most of the rest, like improved vibrato, is already done.
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- KVRAF
- 2141 posts since 20 Sep, 2013 from Poland
Got three Meatbass velocity layers looped, the two loudest ones are too short and uneven to loop decently, so now just mapping and tweaking is left for that. The original is closing in on 10000 downloads, we'll see if I can get the update finished before it hits that number.
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- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 1367 posts since 30 Jul, 2013
10k grats! And that was even including that boycott by the vegan bass lovers. Look forward to hearing it.
