Native Instruments has announced the release of its new Kontakt instrument Stradivari Violin, which meticulously captures the authentic sound of a one-of-a-kind instrument from the world’s most renowned violin maker, Antonio Stradivari.
Built in 1727, the ‘Vesuvius’ violin was painstakingly sampled in the rich acoustic environment of Auditorium Giovanni Arvedi in Cremona, Italy – the town where the instrument was built.
Chromatically sampled notes, phase-aligned velocity crossfades, performance-captured vibrato, 20 articulations, and mixable mic positions enable composers and producers to create highly expressive, realistic solo violin parts with a unique timbre almost 300 years in the making.
STRADIVARI VIOLIN is the culmination of several years of collaborative planning and execution by Native Instruments, e-instruments, and the Museo del Violino in Cremona, Italy. The violin was sampled with master musicians in the Auditorium Giovanni Arvedi – an acoustically rich concert hall designed by pioneering acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota. To help capture the most pristine representation of the violin possible, the mayor of Cremona asked townspeople to keep noise levels down and blocked traffic around the concert hall during recording.
With an extensive array of unique performance capabilities, STRADIVARI VIOLIN enables users to produce extremely realistic, expressive parts. For example, phase-aligned velocity crossfades on long articulations facilitate natural transitions between dynamic layers. Innovative modeling of real-life vibrato performances lets users weave authentic vibrato into their performances in real time. And a comprehensive collection of 20 articulations – from staccato and tremolo to sul pont and harmonics – allows users to create even the most nuanced, true-to-life performances.
STRADIVARI VIOLIN includes two versions of the instrument. A multi-mic version allows users to dial in the perfect acoustic space by mixing close, mid, and far positions of the 32 microphones employed to sample the Vesuvius violin. An included second version of the instrument offers a stereo-only mix that is lighter on a user’s CPU and RAM, enabling a speedier workflow and extra focus for composing.
STRADIVARI VIOLIN was created in collaboration with e-instruments, which specializes in crafting intensely detailed sampled instruments, such as the Native Instruments offerings SESSION STRINGS and SESSION HORNS. With STRADIVARI VIOLIN, the e-instruments team captured every note on each string of the Vesuvius violin so that users can incorporate a truly authentic representation of this timeless instrument into their next production.
Native Instruments has also released a behind-the-scenes documentary, showing how Stradivari’s ‘Vesuvius’ violin was recorded in Cremona, the same Italian town where it was built in 1727.
Stradivari Violin for Kontakt 6 and the free Kontakt 6 Player is available now for the introductory price of 149 USD/EUR until July 13th, 2020. The regular price is 199 USD/EUR.
More information: Native Instruments
