The evolution of electronic instruments and their quality has reached outstanding levels. This post is being written to celebrate my newest acquisition, Garritan’s “Personal Orchestra,” which I recently purchased.
This is my first recording of this new instrument; and, I am pleased with the result – based on the limited amount of effort required to setup my previously-existing MIDI sequence to use it. In 2007, I made a series of recordings of the well-known folk-tune, “Londonderry Air” (“Danny Boy”) using several different combinations of Kurzweil and Synful Orchestra programs to audition (for family and friends) while trying to decide whether to buy “Synful Orchestra,” which I enthusiastically purchased.
All four (4) recordings (below) use the same MIDI “sequence” (musical notes, timing, and expression) – but, employ different “orchestral instruments.” To (hopefully) assist your listening comparison, I suggest that you alternately play/listen to a small amount of the recording of a particular instrument, pause, and then listen to the same section of the piece played by each other instrument.
This version uses Garritan’s “Personal Orchestra” virtual instrument. I acquired this recently, and it is the newest addition to my library of orchestral sounds.
This version uses Synful Orchestra. I once feared that soon everyone might know what a wonderful tool that “Synful Orchestra” is… and, would make recordings that sound like mine. (Half-kidding).
This version uses both “SynfulStrings” (above) and the “SMOSynthStrings” Kurzweil program discussed below. This is a blend of the two instruments and gives me ideas concerning how to create unique blends using combinations of the libraries.
This version uses a elderly Kurzweil 2500 program (“SMOSynthStrings”) that I believe may have originally been a Synclavier sample. I chose the patch/program/sound only because it was one of a selected group of orchestral, string-type programs that I regularly used before obtaining “Synful Orchestra” and “Garritan Personal Orchestra.”
I hope that you enjoy the subtle differences in these recordings. I will continue to add new recordings as I acquire new instruments.
I liked each version. Glad that you have a new wand for the magic you make!!
Interesting…….I love Banny’s Doy and enjoyed each and every version here. I did as you suggested and listened to part of it and then flipped around the 4 different versions to compare. Would have helped if my digital time display was working – it wasn’t. But I definitely could hear some variances and no doubt enjoyed the “SynfulAndSMOStr” version the most. I went back and listened to that version separately after toothpicking through the first time.
Good stuffo, Buffo!
Thanks for the effort that you put into comparing the versions. And, thanks for your vote for the composite version that employed Synful Orchestra and a particular Kurzweil program.
There’s still more to come concerning “Londonderry Air.” I played a left-hand version of the piece at one time and I will eventually write about and record that left-handed version of the Air.