ProjectSAM True Strike 1 and 2

[Editor's note:  this review, covers the originally bundled True strike 1 and 2 products in EXS format.  Look for an update soon to cover the 2013 updated versions for Kontakt 5. The 2013 reduced prices are already shown at the end of this article.]

From suspenseful “heartbeats” to creepy scraping and pounding rhythms, no instrument family speaks with as much authority and dynamic range as percussion. In part two of our percussion roundup, we’ll look at a pair of products from a Dutch company known as ProjectSAM.

True Strike  and True Strike 2 — sold together as True Strike Pack — cover a variety of instruments and ensemble sizes. Together they feature orchestral, world, mallet instruments and unique effects for sound designers.

Quantum Leap’s, Storm Drum 2, is a close competitor to True Strike Pack. We’ll compare their features and see if there is a clear winner. This review is part of a percussion library round-up, which also included a look at Flying Hand Percussion. See reviews on this site.  

Features

True Strike includes 51 instruments and requires 17 GB of space. TS2 has 59 instruments and needs 14 GB. The 24-bit, 44.1 kHz products are delivered on DVD-ROM and are integrated with the free Kontakt player.

TS focuses on symphonic instruments with timpani, gran casa ensemble, toms, snares, cymbals, tams, thunder plate and brakes. The melodic instruments include marimba, xylophone, vibes, glockenspiel, celesta and a handful of ethnic crossover instruments. Samples were recorded with close range, stage and large hall ambience.

TS2 adds percussion effects, bowed cymbals and vibes, 7 Asian instruments, including taiko, Turkish, European and over 20 African instruments. Samples were created with close mics and either room or stage ambience. The Cimbalom and prepared piano are a unique bonus.

In Use

In January of 2010, the True Strike products were re-released, dropping integration with several previously supported players to focus on the free Kontakt player (screen shot below).  The move is described as a win-win.  While allowing ProjectSAM to focus their development and support efforts, the move reportedly improves round-robin alternation, navigation, streamlines ADSR control and provides better reporting of articulation features.  See also the review of Flying Hand Percussion on this site, which makes extensive use of scripting features in Kontakt.  

The EXS-24 version that I tested in 2009 uses the same sample set as the re-released product. I tested under Logic Pro with Mac OS 10.5 and listened critically on Mackie HR824 and Tannoy PBM-8 monitors.

I tested both sets in an action film score I’m composing. I found the toms and bass drum ensembles blended perfectly with strings and brass from Vienna Symphonic Library. I could have chosen to place all the virtual instruments in the same ambience by using the TS close mic samples with Logic’s convolution reverb but the stage ambience of the TS samples was too good to pass up.

The bass drum is stunning. These massive “thwacks” are detailed and expressive and the softer sounds are sublime. Concert bass drums can sometimes be unwieldy in a dense mix due to overtones and long decay. Thankfully, the tasteful producers at ProjectSAM have crafted a modern sound that works exceptionally well in dramatic symphonic works.

TS has an excellent collection of snare drums, including a thin concert, a deeper drum and the field drum, which gave my action cues that “official” military sound. The swells in the snare ensemble are wide and detailed.

I had mixed feelings about the mallet instruments. The marimba with stage mics and full hall is spot-on but I wanted more tonal variety — soft and medium mallets, for example. The vibes in TS are useful but the damper sound, while realistic, is present enough to be noticeable when soloed. On the other hand, the bowed vibes in TS2 are wonderfully eerie and the effects sounds and prepared piano are great for suspense cues.

The U.S. company, Quantum Leap, set the standard for thundering ensemble samples in their original Storm Drum 1 product. Naturally, the 24-bit thundering ensembles in TS2 (and the new SD2) have a greater depth and clarity than the 16-bit SD1. ProjectSAM has their own take on the concept and these sounds are perfect for creature features, action game scores and dramatic pop productions.

ProjectSAM also did an excellent job of capturing the nuances in African and Turkish drums. In fact, there is enough variety to make a convincing performance – not always the case in world instrument samples (and never in keyboards). The mind-bending timpani effects will work in game, TV and film scores and contemporary concert works.

As with any sample library, there is a learning curve for playing the instrument. Once you get used to where the single hits, flams and rolls are, you can quickly create a great sounding track. A small gripe with True Strike is the mapping of some non-pitched sounds to a single MIDI note. This is fine for a drum pad but not so great for keyboard triggering. It would be nice, for example to have the four toms available an octave or two apart with left and right hand samples.

These minor negatives do not diminish the overall product value. Using these drums in a compositional setting really paid off for me. The sounds are very musical and composing with them is effortless.

So how does the True Strike Pack compare to Storm Drum 2? The recording quality is excellent in both products. I loved the stage ambience in the TS drums, especially the concert toms and bass drums. It’s a beautiful sound that shines in spare arrangements.

SD2 has more sound effects but there is no redundancy between the two and if you are serious about effects percussion and large ensembles you’ll want the TS Pack and SD2 in your arsenal. TS covers the contemporary symphony very well but SD2 adds royalty free MIDI tracks. TS Pack integrates with your favorite sample player software while SD2 uses the proprietary Play engine.

Summary

The detailed 24-bit recordings and spacious ambiance make these sounds come alive. I found that the recording clarity really helps in a dense mix and the snare roll crescendos made me feel like the drum was being played right in front of me (kind of scary actually). Some alternate sample mappings would help with certain playing styles but this is an inspiring world-class collection in any case.

This is also a versatile collection. The dystopian sounds and range of ethnic percussion make True Strike 2 a valuable resource for film and video game sound designers. Some of Hollywood's top composers are using True Strike and it's easy to see why. This is an awesome product. 

Fast Facts

Applications:  TV, film and electronic game scoring, pop production, contemporary orchestral realization, arranging and music education.
Key Features:  24-bit symphonic, world and effects percussion samples. Compatible with major sample players for Windows and Mac OS.
US Prices Reduced in 2013:     $299 each
Contact: Project SAM + 31-30-2314500, www.ProjectSAM.com, info@projectsam.com; Available in the US from:  HouseofSamples.com West L.A. Music (www.westlamusic.com)

Product Points
Plus
• Great sound quality
• Beautiful hall ambience
• Compatible with major sample player apps
Minus [2013 UPDATE coming soon]
• Keyboard mappings could be expanded
• Greater mallet variety needed

The Score
Both True Strike products offer pristine audio quality, a choice in mic position and blend well in large arrangements. TS1 is my go-to collection for symphonic percussion. TS2 is a highly versatile collection for game, TV, film scoring and world music. Both products are an excellent buy at the 2013 reduced prices.  

(c) 2008 Carlos Garza

HALion Symphonic Orchestra

Review by Carlos Garza

Capturing the nuances of a symphony orchestra in a sample library is no easy task but several products are aiming to do just that. Manufacturers such as Vienna Symphonic Library, Garritan, East West, Miroslav Vitous and Steinberg are a few of the companies working on the challenge.

The most compelling products offer multiple performance variations and controls. HALion Symphonic Orchestra (HSO) is a new product from Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH, a subsidiary of Yamaha Corporation that offers real-time performance features found in some of the most expensive libraries at a price well under $1,000.


Features

The 15,000 individual samples supplied on DVD-ROM require 27GB of disk space for both 16-bit and 24-bit versions. The stand-alone player is used for live performance and playback from ReWire applications. HSO also runs as a VST, Dxi and Audio Units plug-in. A Steinberg Key device (not included) is required to use the library. A single device can be used for multiple Steinberg products.

As the name implies, HSO includes strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion. The 1250 programs include solo instruments, ensembles and tutti sections all performed, according to Steinberg, by a leading European orchestra.

The strings include solo and ensemble violin, viola, cello and bass. Articulations include legato, spiccato, pizzicato, tremolo, portamento, espressivo and trills. The brass section includes solo and tutti trumpets, trombones, horns and solo tuba.

Woodwinds include solo flute, oboe, clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, piccolo and English horn. The percussion family includes timpani, bass, snare, tambourine, tubular bells woodblocks, temple block, finger cymbals, vibraslap, triangle, sleigh bells, cymbals and gongs.

As with many sample players, the HSO software keeps a short bit of each sample in memory and streams the rest from disk. RAM and CPU use can be managed through the number and size of voice buffers and the minimum sample memory settings. The RAMSave™ feature frees memory by monitoring the notes played in sequenced MIDI tracks and dropping unused samples.

Users can selectively reduce the anti-aliasing quality in order to get more voices, for example, during recording, and then switch to a higher quality setting when bouncing or mixing tracks. “Economy” programs, which use fewer samples, are available for some instruments.

The “Q Controls,” seen in previous HALion products, are a set of eight MIDI-assignable controls that vary by program. Examples include, attack velocity, bow sound, “body” and “air.” Room ambience was recorded with the samples but can be controlled separately in level and duration.

In Use

I tested HSO with Logic Pro on a G5 Quad with 4GB RAM and Pro Tools on a G4 Dual 1GHz with 1.5 GB RAM. I monitored through Mackie HR-824 speakers. A Yamaha Motif ES-8 and a 2-octave Oxygen 8 were used as MIDI controllers.

My project was a short film score calling for both emotion and dynamics. I focused on strings since they are so important in film music. HSO offers alternating up and down bowing programs, a feature that overcomes the “machine gun” sound you hear from keyboard strings. I played the alternating spiccato string programs in the solo violin and viola and was amazed at the realism and ease of use.

The combination, or “Combi” programs, available in all instrument groups, are effective but require a little practice to get realistic performance variations. The string “Combis,” for example, include short notes, long notes, tremolo and trills. Articulations are selected by holding a switch key outside the instrument range.

I found a small annoyance in the half-step trill of the solo viola xSwitch Combi, which was noticeably louder than the other articulations. The other Combis, including the corresponding violin are well matched though. This can easily be fixed in the mix or avoided by recording trills separately.

The performance and tone controls offer plenty of tonal variety. For example, in the vibraphone program, the “Body” Q-control adjusts weight while “Presence” controls the mallet attack, simulating soft or hard mallets.

Percussive instruments derive their volume and tone from the initial hit and change little as the note decays. Strings, brass, woodwinds and percussion rolls, on the other hand, are capable of complex note dynamics. MIDI note velocity therefore controls percussion dynamics well but is less effective for other instruments.

Steinberg developed the Crescendo Control as a solution. Crescendo can be mapped to modulation wheel, breath, foot or expression controllers. The Xfade programs use Crescendo for continuous crossfade of samples, while the Xswitch programs switch between samples (requiring less memory).

The Crescendo Control can be used to create very natural sounding performances, especially in the strings and brass. By cross-fading actual samples played at different volumes, HSO has captured realism that can’t be simulated with volume and filter controls. Mastering Crescendo Control is a piece of cake. Combining it with key switch control is another thing, but it’s much easier than learning the violin, oboe, trombone, etc.

Most of the instruments sound very convincing to my ears. The solo strings are very expressive and the string sections are closer in quality to a more expensive library than they are to other libraries I’ve heard for under $1000.

The range of instruments and articulations cover the needs of basic symphonic mock-ups for education, film composing and pop music accompaniment. You won’t find esoteric articulations used in advanced orchestration, which is no surprise given the price. My wish list for a product update includes harp, celesta and muted brass.

While the stand-alone player and ReWire are required to use HSO with Pro Tools, ReWire can be useful even with DAW programs such as Logic Pro that support the Audio Units plug-in. Using ReWire I was able to keep my favorite HSO instruments in memory while switching Logic “songs.” This approach can also be used to optimize memory and CPU use under certain conditions.

HSO worked flawlessly on the G5. Memory limits on the G4 restricted the number of instruments that I could use at once but it worked fine with planning and occasional bouncing. HSO ran without problems as a Logic plug-in on the Quad and it seemed to run even smoother as a ReWire application.

Summary

This is an excellent sounding set that strikes the right balance between ease of use and flexibility. The inclusion of both 16 and 24-bit samples combined with advanced features make HSO a valuable tool for live performance and professional recording. Many composers will appreciate the inclusion of both first and second violin sections, something that even higher priced libraries occasionally skip. Others will miss the harp and muted brass.

With a little practice, the Crescendo Control can create very believable performances and the results are impressive. The Combi programs take more effort to master but the effort pays off and the price, sound quality and advanced features make HSO an excellent value.

Fast Facts
Applications: Symphonic, pop and TV/film orchestral realizations, music education and live performance.

Key Features: 16 and 24-bit symphonic instrument samples. Includes a stand-alone player and plug-ins for VST, Dxi and Audio Units. Crescendo controls and alternation features add realism.

Price: MSRP: $499, education discounts available; Steinberg Key: MSRP: $29.00

Contact: USA Online Shop 877-253-3900,  On-line:  Steinberg 

Product Points

Plus
• Choice of high quality 16 or 24-bit samples
• Crescendo Control enhances realism
• Automatic alternation of repeated note samples
• Excellent control of resource utilization

Minus
• No harp, celesta or muted brass
• USB key not included 

The Score

An excellent value in high quality 24-bit symphonic samples with advanced controls for performance realism.

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(c) 2006 Carlos Garza

Flying Hand Percussion

In part three of the percussion sample library roundup, I review Flying Hand Percussion, a sample library from a California company by the same name.

As the name suggests, this sample library is all about hand played instruments with a focus on drums, small percussion and cinematic sound effects. The product, which I will refer to as “FHP,” aims for, and achieves, extreme realism through extensive variations, advanced programming and subtle details.

Features

The instruments were recorded with microphones from Neumann, Earthworks, Shure and AKG using a Demeter VTMP-2C mic pre. The 40,000+ individual samples are supplied at 24-bit, 44.1 kHz. There are up to 20 velocity layers with four alternate hits each.
Flying Hand Percussion

Flying Hand Percussion

Flying Hand uses the advanced programming features of the Kontakt sample player (sold separately). Keyboard players should note that left and right hand samples are provided in most of the MIDI mappings while electronic percussionists will be interested in the Zendrum MIDI mappings. Up to three mic positions are available. FHP also includes a set of reverb impulses and the Nitro “FHB Edition” filter bank.

So what about the sounds? Included are frame drums, djembe, conga, timbales, bongo cajon, Indian Naal, clay drum, Boomwhackers, plastic bottle, orchestral bass drum, tam tam, shakers, toys, electronic percussion and cinematic effects. Some instruments, like the ashiko allow selection of top-only or top and bottom mic positions.

Full sets with all velocity layers and alternate hits range from several hundred MB up to 1.5GB but smaller versions are available for low-memory computers or quick sketches.

In Use

This past summer I decided to try my hand at writing in various world styles. I’m also writing music for a film with scenes in India and South America. This gave me a chance to use FHP in different musical settings. I installed FHP on a G5 Quad with Kontakt 3, Logic 8 and Mac OS 10.4. I listened with Mackie HR824 and Tannoy PBM-8 monitors.

The gorgeous package — made in Nepal — is your first clue that this is no ordinary sound collection. The DVDs arrive in a hexagonal box with a lid that is fastened by a string around a button. This work of art belies the high tech product inside.

While not the broadest collection of world instruments, there is plenty to like here. The Clay drum samples range from small bright pings to larger thuds with many variations. The kanjira is an Indian drum with bells – a distant relative of the tambourine. It has a strongly ethnic flavor with a loose sounding membrane. For me it worked with Indian and Gypsy musical styles.

The djembe, mutant and “Morphosis” sets were among my favorite. The Boomwhackers and the bongo cajon were perfect for several spy chasing spy scenes that I scored over the summer.

The electronic sounds did not fit into my action score but they may work in other genres. The spooky drones are ready for prime time TV, film and electronic game scores. I loved the hand played bass drum. Why no dumbek?

The larger drums are engaging but less domineering than similar sounds in Quantum Leap’s Storm Drum 2 [reviewed in which issue?] and ProjectSAM’s True Strike Pack [reviewed in which issue?]. Because of this, it turned out that the FHP drums worked better with symphonic arrangements that were already heavy with low strings, synthesizers and massive horns.

I loaded djembe, Naal, bongos and drones and assigned Kontakt 3’s convolution reverb to an auxiliary bus. I then tried several of the impulse responses included with FHP. The large halls are spacious and detailed. It’s a good starter set but no replacement for Apple Logic’s Space Designer.

Using Native Instruments Kontakt as the sample playback host led to some important features in FHP. For example, a “dynamic resonance” control affects drumhead muting and is triggered by how long a slapped note sample is held. A relatively quick release triggers a sample of the head ringing while holding and then releasing triggers a sample of a hand leaving the drumhead.

The Legato Drumming™ uses velocity and duration to liven up the note tails. The results are not always obvious, especially in a fog of reverb with the distant mic set — and it’s not present on every program. However, this non-random addition of sounds like a hand moving on the drumhead adds a realism that I have not heard in any drum library.

Learning to play the instrument sets was easy because the mappings are very intuitive. I really like the idea of symmetrical mapping for two hands on the keyboard. In general, the sounds made from the middle of a drumhead are mirrored around middle C or D and sounds made closer to the edge of the drumhead are placed symmetrically out from there. Separate left and right hand hits with extensive alternate samples make for a very good time indeed.

Summary

The overall sound quality is as good as anything I’ve heard and then some. It’s clear that a lot of effort went into Flying Hand Percussion and the results are impressive.

I know of no other percussion library with as much articulation control. While the underlying functionality is complex, playing the sounds in a realistic way is as easy as, well, playing a drum. I also like having a choice of mic position and ambience.

Flying Hand Percussion is the one to reach for when looking for a unique sound. In a sea of imitators, Flying Hand Percussion is a rare gem.

Fast Facts

Applications: World, pop, jazz, TV, film and game score realization, composing and live performance.
Key Features: 24-bit instrument samples of hand drums, timbales, Boomwhackers, tam tam, shakers, toys, bass drum and effects; Requires Native Instruments Kontakt 2 or 3 sample player, sold separately.
Price: approximately $259 USD
Contact:

FlyingHandPercussion.com
SONiVOX MI

Product Points

Plus
• High quality recordings
• Convincing realism and variety
• Intuitive MIDI mapping

Minus
• Long load times for large sets
• Compatible only with Kontakt (not included, note, latest version of Kontakt is a free download)

The Score

Flying Hand sets a new bar for sample realism. If I didn’t know better I’d think I was playing real drums. This is an excellent value.

(c) 2008 Carlos Garza