When “Muted” Means More Expression
Add another layer of expression and sonority to your small and large string sections with these muted string ensembles, recorded exactly the same way as the first installment in the Duality Strings series. While the large ensembles played their instruments in Stage A, the small ensembles simultaneously played in the dryer Stage B of Synchron Stage Vienna, performing perfectly in sync, with a beautiful velvety timbre that’s still bursting with variety.
Sordinos massively expand the sound palette of string instruments, especially string ensembles. Considering that the volume of the instruments is only slightly reduced, playing with mutes is not synonymous with “playing quietly.” Rather, sordinos evoke a change in the frequency and sound spectrum that multiplies the possibilities of instrumentation, as the great orchestrators and composers have impressively demonstrated since the end of the 19th century.
Section Sizes:
Stage A Stage B Total
14 1st Violins 8 1st Violins 22
12 2nd Violins 6 2nd Violins 18
10 Violas 5 Violas 15
10 Cellos 5 Cellos 15
6 Basses 3 Basses 9
Changing the instruments’ sound also has a decisive influence on the attitude of the players. Musicians instinctively react to each other’s sound and the overall sonority of the ensemble. Passages played “con sordino” (with mute) will, therefore, always be clearly different from “senza sordino” (without mute) passages, even when a sordino effect is artificially applied to the recordings. The musical feeling and expression of first-class musicians make all the difference beyond the mere placement of a piece of plastic or wood on the bridge of an instrument.
Consequently, this sordino collection is not just a reduced version of the non-sordino recordings. Continuing in the vein of Vienna’s Duality principle, each sordino articulation was recorded immediately after its non-sordino counterpart. The objective was for users to activate or deactivate sordinos without creating a difference in expression, resulting in a continuous, coherent performance. This means all the articulations of Duality Strings (regular) are also available with Duality Strings (sordino), except for snap pizzicato.
If you have both the regular and sordino collections of Synchron Duality Strings installed, the “Merged” Preset combines “senza sordino” and “con sordino” articulations, making it easy to switch and keep an overview of all available articulations.
As in the first Duality Strings installment, the large and the small ensemble were sampled at once, playing in separate rooms, with the conductor on the podium in Stage A also directing the ensemble in Stage B via video monitors. While the mic setup in Stage A delivers a broad string ensemble sound, the smaller ensemble in Stage B was recorded closer with two different sets of microphones, offering bright and dark-sounding variants. This enables you to customize your own string sound organically and effortlessly within the Synchron Player. Of course, you can also rely on the expertly crafted mixer presets, ranging from close and classic to wide, distant, lush and more.
Microphone Setup - Standard & Full Library
The Standard Library and Full Library of Synchron Duality Strings (sordino) both include the same articulations. The difference lies in the number of provided microphone positions:
Standard Library Full Library
STAGE A
1. Solo Mic (Mono) x x
2. Mid Mic (L/R) x x
3. Ribbon Mic (L/R) x
4. Main/Room Mic – Decca Tree Stereo (L/R) x x
5. Main/Room Mic – Decca Tree Mono (Center) x x
6. Main Surround – Stereo (L/R) x
7. High Stereo (3D) – Stereo (L/R) x
8. High Surround (3D) – Stereo (L/R) x
STAGE B
1. Dark Mics (L/R) x x
2. Bright Mics (L/R) x
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