Les Productions Zvon has introduced Memory Collection Pack 03, a sample library featuring a collection of samples taken from public domain movies.
1,243 samples for a size of 855 MB. The samples in this collection are taken from seven Public Domain horror movies. Please note that the samples are not mapped in any way or in any specific sampler format. The MC 03 only contains wav files. The download is divided in 2 rar files (223 and 213 MB).
These samples can be a lot of fun and very useful not only for Halloween but also all year round due to the wide variety of the sounds included.
Memory Collection Pack 03 is available for a minimum donation of $10 USD. A collection of all three Memory Collection Packs is available at a minimum donation of $30 USD. Free demo packs can be downloaded from the product page.
Users of Zebra have no shortage in sounds for this virtual modular synthesizer. Thousands of patches are available in both free and commercial soundsets. U-he’s latest offering – The Dark Zebra, is a little more than just a collection of patches.
A bank of over 400 presets, a collaboration between Hans Zimmer and Howard Scarr. Practically all Zebra sounds in the The Dark Knight as well as The Dark Knight Rises soundtracks are included, plus several more that didn’t quite fit into the scores.
The pack also includes Hans’ custom built update from a licensed Zebra2.x to the version you can see in this video, ZebraHZ. Many of the more recent patches make use of the extra features available in ZebraHZ.
Demonstration of The Dark Zebra with its custom ZebraHZ synthesizer plugin.
So not only does this soundset for Zebra 2.5 include hundreds of sounds straight from the brilliant minds of Hans Zimmer and Howard Scarr, it also comes with a custom Zebra version that was made specifically for Hans’ scoring of the Dark Knight movies.
Additional features of ZebraHZ include:
analog filter models such as the ones found in Diva,
polyphonic compressors,
2 additional modulation mappers,
and a Polymoog-like resonator effect module.
The new filters are available from the DIVA VCF tab in the bottom bar of the GUI.
You get 4 highpass filters and 4 lowpass/multimode filters. The HP filters include two models – Pre and Bite, and the 2 pairs of lowpass filters have Ladder, Cascade, Multimode and Bite models. Controls for cutoff, resonance and key follow are available, and three unlabelled knobs can be used to set modulation depths for assigned sources (two for cutoff, one for resonance) for each filter.
Since these filters can consume quite a bit of CPU, it’s good to have some quality parameters so you can work in draft mode and render with high audio quality. You can also get some random cutoff values on the filters with an additional “CutoffSlop” control.
ZebraHZ comes with an individual polyphonic compressor for each one of the 4 lanes. Polyphonic means that these will apply compression for each single note! You can imagine this takes some processing power so you can deactivate them to save some CPU.
The lane compressor modules are particularly useful for doing percussion/drum type sounds where transients matter.
With two additional modmappers in ZebraHZ (also included in the latest regular Zebra plugin) you now have a total of 4 flexible modulation map modules to add even more modulation to your sound.
The new Resonator module (Res1) is available from the effects grid on the Global/FX tab. This emulates the 3-band peaking filter found on Moog Music’s Polymoog analog synthesizer.
One of the very first polyphonic synthesizers ever included a 3-band peaking filter that could be used to dramatically shape the overall sound.
The resonator module in ZebraHZ.
ZebraHZ takes this concept and extends it with an extra full range band (60Hz-7.5kHz). The Resonator has various filter color modes, and the filter mode includes lowpass, bandpass, a bandpass variation with inverted second pole, and highpass.
Interestingly enough, many of the patches in The Dark Zebra don’t use any of these new features. Regardless, the additions are great to have.
As for the sounds, The Dark Zebra has a total of 400 patches which are categorized as follows:
Basses and Drones (33)
Bells and Metallurgy (26)
Drums and Clocks (64)
Effects and Chaos (38)
HighArps and Chords (72)
Lead and Horns (47)
LowArps and Stomps (50)
Pads and Keys (46)
Xtras (24)
As you would expect with sounds that were used in the soundtracks for The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, many of them have a dark and cinematic feel to them.
Howard programmed most of the sounds to be performed with mod wheel, pitchbend, pressure and breath control, making them very dynamic. The patches come with information on the sound, how to use it and which controls are assigned to which parameters so you get an idea of how they were intended to be played.
Check Jarkko Hietanen’s amazing demo below to hear some of the sounds of The Dark Zebra in action. Only Zebra was used for this track!
So what do I think?
Product: The Dark Zebra by u-he Format: .h2p patches + ZebraHZ VST/AU plug-in Price: $99 USD incl. VAT (EU) Like: Brilliant sounds, excellent for studying Zebra sound design Don’t like: Costly for new Zebra users (since Zebra 2.x is required) Verdict: 9/10
It is a real testimony to u-he’s Zebra, that a famed composer like Hans Zimmer chooses to use this particular synthesizer for his soundtrack scoring. Browsing the sounds of The Dark Zebra it is clear that see why this flexible, high quality instrument was used. But a good synth only gets you so far.
I reckon a decent sound designer can make a bad synth look pretty good. How much more can a brilliant sound designer do with a fantastic synth? Howard Scarr is a true master of synthesizer programming, and in this collaboration with Hans Zimmer his skill, knowledge and dedication bears much fruit.
The sonic range of The Dark Zebra offers small and beautifully intricate to gripping, fast-paced and chaotic. Highly cinematic, but not limited to film scoring, this soundset is both an archive of hundreds of beautifully designed sounds ready for use in your own productions, as well as a peek into top notch sound design with Zebra. It is well worth studying the patches to learn how particular sounds were achieved.
Though the soundset didn’t actually end up using the new features in a whole lot of its patches, it’s still great to have the Diva filters, resonator, and lane compressors in ZebraHZ for your own sound design.
The only downside is perhaps the price tag. Even though ZebraHZ comes as its own plugin, you do need a license of Zebra 2.x to use ZebraHZ and the soundset. I personally think that The Dark Zebra is well worth the price, but new users will have to pay a considerable sum to get the whole package. That said, Zebra *is* a most excellent synthesizer, so it’s not a bad thing to pick it up anyway.
The Unfinished has announced the release of Massive Darkscore III, a soundset for the Massive software synthesizer by Native Instruments.
Massive Darkscore III features 128 patches for NI Massive that are perfect for modern filmscoring, atmospheric electronica and bass-heavy dubstep.
This time there are more thudding basslines and punchy drumloops – as well as the usual growly basses, soaring pads and otherworldly soundscapes.
Massive Darkscore III is perfect for providing cutting edge sounds to enhance your projects, whether you need more air, more low end, or just more drive. And with fully automated macros across each patch, the inspiration and possibilities are limitless.
The soundset is available to purchase for £14.99 GBP.
The Unfinished has also launched a Birthday Soundset Sale on its previously released soundsets.
So full of the birthday spirit am I that I have decided to put all my soundsets on a 50% off sale – apart from the newly released Massive Darkscore III – you can’t have that half price already! All three soundsets are on sale at half price for the next few days.
So, if you’re in need of new sounds for Massive or Absynth, then you’re in the right place to be.
Samplephonics has announced the release of Vintage Filmscapes, a quirky sample library from session musician and composer Toby Baker, packed full of rich sonic landscapes, emotive chord progressions and vintage character.
The sample pack contains 64 8 bar construction kits made up of 3 parts, from dark distorted drum breaks to rich analogue drones to delicate piano and string melodies.
The loops and samples have been broken down in to 4 main categories: Sci-Fi, Drama, Crime and Romance. Within each folder there are 4 tempo sub folders of 90, 100, 110 and 120 BPM.
This sample pack is perfect for television and film composers looking for sound beds and ideas to build upon, as well as sample enthusiasts and mash up artists in hip hop, rnb and house.
All samples are provided in 24 Bit Wav format or Apple Loops (available as separate downloads from the dropdown menu above) and come ready to use, 100% royalty free. There are also sampler instruments packaged with.
The sample pack is available as a download for £34.70 GBP.
Eastwest has announced it is now shipping its Hollywood Orchestral Woodwinds virtual instrument for Windows and Mac.
Over 70 weeks, the EASTWEST team recorded, edited and programmed every nuance of world-class orchestral woodwind players with meticulous care. The result is a comprehensive library of breathtakingly real woodwind sounds – the perfect addition to the critically acclaimed Hollywood Strings and Hollywood Brass.
Hollywood Orchestral Woodwinds is the most powerful, realistic and complete woodwind virtual (software) instrument, weighing in with a massive 145 GB of meticulously captured realism and detail.
As with Hollywood Strings and Hollywood Brass, this library was sound engineered in the legendary EASTWEST Studio 1 by Academy Award, C.A.S. (Cinema Audio Society), BAFTA, and EMMY award-winning sound engineer Shawn Murphy, who has recorded and mixed the scores for more than 300 feature films including Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Star Wars: Episode II and III and many more.
Hollywood Orchestral Woodwinds includes Alto Flute, Bass Clarinet, Bass Flute, Bassoon, Clarinet, Contra Bass Clarinet, Contra Bassoon, Eb Clarinet, English Horn, Flute, Flute 2, Oboe, Piccolo Flute, with unprecedented sound quality and expression, true legato plus 5 user-controllable microphone positions (Diamond Edition only); Hollywood Orchestral Woodwinds is designed to work seamlessly with the existing sections of the Hollywood Orchestral series – Hollywood Strings, Hollywood Brass and the upcoming Hollywood Orchestral Percussion – for the ultimate in virtual Hollywood scoring.
Hollywood Orchestral Woodwinds Diamond Edition is now available for the introductory offer of $795 USD ($995 USD MSRP), and Hollywood Orchestral Woodwinds Gold Edition will be available the introductory offer of $475 USD ($595 USD MSRP).
u-he has announced the release of the Dark Zebra, a soundset for Zebra 2 featuring patches by Hans Zimmer and Howard Scarr.
The Dark Zebra soundset with the custom ZebraHZ synthesizer plugin.
A bank of over 400 presets, a collaboration between Hans Zimmer and Howard Scarr. Practically all Zebra sounds in the The Dark Knight as well as The Dark Knight Rises soundtracks are included, plus several more that didn’t quite fit it into the scores.
Furthermore, the pack includes Hans’ custom built version of Zebra, dubbed ZebraHZ. Many of the more recent patches make use of the extra features available in ZebraHZ.
The Dark Zebra soundset is available to Zebra 2 users for $99 USD (incl VAT). Note: The included ZebraHZ is currently VST2 and AU only (AAX and VST3 are in development).
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