Epic Orchestra 2.

0
Introduction
Welcome to the Vienna Symphonic Library’s series of Synchron Instruments! Epic Orchestra 2.0 gives you
an overview of what to expect when you purchase one of our Synchron products. The instruments
presented here were either recorded directly at the 540 m2 (5,813 sq.ft.) main hall of our renowned
Synchron Stage, or completely remastered and equipped with the hall’s pristine reverb (you’ll recognize
the latter by the epithet "SYNCHRON-ized" in their name). This document will provide you with the
information you need to use the Library with our Vienna Synchron Player.

About Patches
Patches can be used to build your own custom Presets and adapt the Synchron Libraries to your specific
requirements. Since Epic Orchestra 2.0 only contains excerpts from larger Libraries, it will hardly be
possible to create meaningful Presets other than the default ones out of the material on hand. But who
knows? Perhaps you would like to try.

About Presets
For every Preset – except the Vienna Smart Spheres Preset, where this would not make much sense –
there is a counterpart tagged "VelXF MOD". As the name indicates, these Presets employ crossfading with
the help of the Modwheel (MIDI CC 1) to change velocity. For the Wagner tubas, this means that marcato
crossfading switches to CC 3 in the respective slots. Since everything else in the Velocity X-Fade Presets is
the same, they are not listed separately in this manual.

About Pitch
For designating pitch, the Vienna Symphonic Library uses International Pitch Notation (IPN), which was
agreed upon internationally under the auspices of the Acoustical Society of America. In this system the
international standard of A=440 Hz is called A4 and middle C is C4. All pitches are written as capital
letters, their respective octave being indicated by a number next to it. The lowest C on the piano is C1 (the
A below that is A0), etc.
The Synchron Player software allows you to set middle C to C3, C4, or C5 according to your preference.
Selecting another setting than C4 will of course also change the play ranges and keyswitches accordingly.

Walkthrough Video
YouTube Video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31aOx-VRw1M&rel=0)

Included Presets
01 SYNCHRON-ized Epic Orchestra
This section contains samples from various Collections, and features strings, woodwinds, oboe d’amore,
cornet, trumpet (6 players) and horn (8 players) ensembles, as well as timpani and percussion.

01 Appassionata Strings
A combined ensemble consisting of 20 violins, 14 violas, 14 cellos, and 10 double basses derived from
the Appassionata Strings in the first Epic Orchestra Library.
Instrument ranges: Violins C4–D7; Violas C3–F4; Cellos C2–F3; Basses B0–F2.
Articulations: Staccato, sustained normal and with fast attack, sforzato, tremolo, pizzicato.
Play range: B0–F#7 Keyswitches: G7–C8

02 Woodwinds
A woodwind combined ensemble consisting of contrabassoon, bassoon, clarinets, and flutes patches.
Instrument ranges: Piccolo A6–C8; Flutes (3) F4–C7; Clarinets (3) C3–C5; Bassoons (3) Bb1–F3;
Contrabassoon Bb0–F2.
Articulations: Staccato, sustained.
Play range: C1–C8 Keyswitches: A0/B0
03 Oboe d'Amore
Articulations: Staccato, sustained, legato.
Play range: G3–E6
Keyswitches: C1–E1 (white keys)

04 Cornet
Articulations: Staccato, sustained, legato, portamento.
Play range: E3–D6
Keyswitches: C1–F1 (white keys)
05 Fanfare Trumpets a6, 06 Epic Horns a8
Samples from our Vienna Instruments Collections Fanfare Trumpets and Epic Horns, adapted to be played
at the Synchron Stage.
Play range: trumpets G3–C6, horns B1–E5
Keyswitches: C1/D1

07 Timpani
Articulations: Single hits, rolls.
Play range: B1–C4
Keyswitches: A0/B0
08 Percussion
A percussion Preset featuring bass drum, snare drum, piatti, tambourine, triangle, tam-tam, and
suspended cymbals.
Play range: C5–C8

Mapping
Bass drum
C5/D5: single hits l/r
C#5/D#5: single hits secco l/r
E5: tremolo
Snare drum
F5/G5: single hits l/r
A5: tremolo
Piatti
C6/C#6: single hits normal/damped
D6/D#6: single hits slow, normal/damped
Tambourine
F6/G6: single hits middle 1/2
F#6/G#6: single hits rim 1/2
A6: tremolo
Triangle
C7/D7: single hits 1/2
C#7/D#7: single hits damped 1/2
E5: tremolo
Tam-tam
F7/G7: single hits l/r
G#5: tremolo
Suspended cymbal
A7/B7: single hits mallet 1/2
C8: tremolo
11 Synchron Strings I
11 Synchron Strings I (All) Light
A combined ensemble consisting of 14 1st violins, 10 2nd violins, 8 violas, 8 cellos, and 6 double basses.
This is an excerpt from our Synchron Strings I Collection.
Instrument ranges:
1st Violins C5–G7
2nd Violins C4–B5
Violas C3–B4
Cellos C2–B3
 Basses B0–B2
Articulations: Short notes, soft lyrical vibrato, flautando.
Play range: B0–G7
Keyswitches: A7–C8 (white keys)

12 Synchron FX Strings I
12 Synchron FX Strings I Light
This Preset offers four settings from our Collection Synchron FX Strings I which – true to its name –
provides a wealth of orchestral effect sounds.
Articulations: Vertical tremolo, harmonics cluster, cluster glissando, rise & hit détaché
Keyswitches: C1–D#1

Mapping
Vertical tremolo
low strings A#2–D4,
high strings D#4–F6
Harmonics cluster
low strings G#3–A4
high strings A#4–C6
 Cluster glissando
low strings A#–D
high strings D#–G
up: A#3–G4
down: A#4–G5
cross: A#5–G6
Rise & hit détaché
low strings G#3–G4
high strings G#4–G5

13 SYNCHRON-ized Appassionata Strings

This is an excerpt from SYNCHRON-ized Appassionata Strings, here featuring the ensemble of first violins
with 20 players.

13 SYNCHRON-ized Appassionata Violins 1 Light

Articulations: Legato with strong vibrato, upward whole tone slides up (the note played is the target
note).
Play range: Legato G3–G7, slides A3–G7
Keyswitches: C1/C#1

14 SYNCHRON-ized Chamber Strings

An excerpt from SYNCHRON-ized Chamber Strings, here featuring the ensemble of first violins with 6
players.

14 SYNCHRON-ized Chamber Violins 1 Light

Articulations: Legato with vibrato, half tone trills.
Play range: Legato G3–G7, trills G3–F7
Keyswitches: C1/C#1
21 SYNCHRON-ized Dimension Brass II
Again, an excerpt from a remastered Collection, SYNCHRON-ized Dimension Brass. This features the 4
Wagner tubas in combined and solo Presets.

20 Wagner Tubas All Players Light

The All Players Preset offers the same arrangement of articulations for various player combinations, as
well as individual players.
Articulations: Staccato, portato, sustained, blared, and marcato.
Play range: F1–C5
Keyswitches: Players F5–B5, Articulations C6–E6

The Marcato articulation can be crossfaded between normal sustains and marcato with Dim.Ctrl A/CC1.
The respective Velocity X-Fade Presets use CC1 for velocity crossfading and CC3 for marcato crossfading.
21 Wagner Tubas Player 1–4 Light
The Presets for players 1–4 have the same structure as the All Players Preset, but only have a quarter of
its RAM requirements.
Articulations: Staccato, portato, sustained, blared, and marcato.
Play range: F1–C5 Keyswitches: C6–E6

31 Synchron Percussion I
These samples from our Synchron Percussion Collection present a Kolberg snare drum played with sticks,
a Kolberg 36 bass drum played with a medium hard beater, and a 100cm tam-tam played with a soft
beater.

31 Snare Drum – Kolberg Light

Play range: C3-A#6
32 Bass Drum – Kolberg 36 Light
Play range: A3-A#6
33 Tam-tam – 100cm Light
Play range: A4-A#6
Synchron Power Drums
This Tama Star drumkit has been Tama’s flagship line since 2013. For the recordings of the Synchron
Power Drums Collection, it was arranged in the middle of two other eminent drumkits, a Tama Superstar
and a Sonor Acryl Champion Vintage.

35 Power Drums Tama Star Demo

Play range: A#1–B3
Drums
20''/14'' Kick drum
10'' Tom
12'' Tom
16'' Tom
14''/6,5'' Snare
Cymbals
 14'' Meinl Byzance Medium HH
17'' Meinl MB 20 crash (left)
21'' Meinl Byzance Transition Ride
18'' Meinl Byzance Dual Crash (right)

TIPP
Try out the Synchron Player’s play button in the options bar over the Preset window! It contains MIDI
rhythm loops created especially for this Library.

41 Vienna Smart Spheres

Here’s a few examples from the Vienna Smart Spheres collection, which was created to provide you with a
versatile collection of pad and ambience sounds at an affordable price.

41 Vader Voltage
Carving into darkness, revolving and floundering through space. A breathing, distorted bass.
Play range: C2–C4
Patches: Distorted Bass, Distorted Bass FX Attack
 CC1: Tuning, Return 1 (FX)
CC3: Send 2 (FX)

42 Canon
A true gate-opener, this sound comes alive with wide intervals and controlled distortion. A heavily
distorted, earth-shattering bass.
Play range: C2–C4
Patches: Pad Bass Fat, Pad Bass, Tremolo Pad
CC1: Filter, Send (Reverb, Auto Gain)

43 Halifax Point
A glistening, warm pad with a warm filter control.
Play range: C4–C7
Patches: High Anxiety, Tremolo Pad, High Anxiety Mellow
CC1: Filter
44 Barrax
Multi-rhythmic pulsating pad with growl control, good for building up tension.
Play range: C2–C4
Patches: Pad Bass, Pad Bass Fat, Distorted Bass
CC1: Send 2 (FX)