by N. Halpern
In this new golden age of symphonic sample libraries, the works of ProjectSam have had a dominant presence on the scene for a number of years now, perhaps none more so than their SYMPHOBIA series, whose first two installments were an instant hit amongst producers and composers, and continue to be de rigueur for media composers who are called on to produce rich sounding symphonic pieces on a tight deadline.
One key aspect of the Symphobia series was the recording of instruments in combination (e.g. strings and brass, various woodwind combinations, etc). The recordings captured the live, actual sound of instruments from heterogeneous families pushing air in the room together, instantly placing the physical power of the orchestra at one’s fingertips. Fundamentally, this approach gave users access to a sound that is far more difficult to achieve through the layering of various patches from different libraries within one’s DAW.
While there are plenty of composers who enjoy whiling away the hours in the nuances of programming, there are many others that prefer to spend their limited hours focusing on the musical composition itself, and relish the luxury of a software that provides a handy shortcut towards their sounding good. Additionally, the Symphobia series also created a key niche for itself by putting at composers’ fingertips a series of complex orchestral effects and gestures (including aleatoric effects, tonal clusters, glissandi, wild textures, etc) that are difficult if not impossible to create through MIDI programming of even the most sophisticated orchestral sample library.
While Symphobia 1 and 2 certainly had a great deal of tonal and instrumental range, they were often associated with a kind of large-scale intensity. Now, ProjectSAM has released LUMINA, the third installment in this defining series, which expands the palette of the series into a gentler realm of sounds, geared specifically towards composing for fantasy and mystery genres. Central to LUMINA are various combinations of orchestra and choir, whose long, playable textures are lush and evocative. Such elements are also employed in many of the fantastically-programmed “stories” which – as in previous Symphobia releases – provide the user with instant access to a full palette of sounds, evocative of a given narrative tone, and all controllable from a single window in Kontakt. As with previous Symphobia releases, LUMINA also includes a series of imaginative and often beautiful orchestral effects (called “textures”), variously categorized by genre (i.e. Fantasy, Mystery, etc).
LUMINA also includes a number of lovely instruments that fit perfectly into library’s tone. Highlights include Piano/Harp/Vibraphone (recorded as ensemble), the Celtic Harp, and a full bell tower. The light, playable percussion is also a nice touch (I particularly enjoyed the bass drum rolls and phrases). For both “playable instruments” and “stories,” there is a newly developed array of microphone options via the Microphone Cross-Fader feature, which allows the user to create her own combination of 3 mic channels: Close, Direct, and Ambient.
In recent days, ProjectSAM has released LUMINA 1.1, which adds a full 7 GB of content to this already sizable library. One highlight of this update is a massive expansion of the “stories,” which have doubled in volume (going from 8 to 16). Furthermore, in many instances the “textures” now offer the user mixer control of their constitutive parts (i.e. strings, choir, woodwinds, etc) from within the Kontakt window – I’ve found this part of the 1.1 update to be particularly useful and to expand the flexibility of the library exponentially.
LUMINA is a worthy and wonderful addition to the stellar Symphobia series, and I recommend it without reservation.
Official link: http://www.projectsam.com/
