@Dietz said:

Very impressive, Rob. Especially the "flying" staccatos in the middle-part are enthralling. Congratulations!

Thanks a lot Dietz - means a lot to me coming from someone with your 'ears' [[;)]]


Rob

@Dietz said:

Very impressive, Rob. Especially the "flying" staccatos in the middle-part are enthralling. Congratulations!

Thanks a lot Dietz - means a lot to me coming from someone with your 'ears' [[;)]]


Rob

And 'organ'! [[:|]]

Great stuff Rob. Brilliant showcasing of the trumpets!

Great demo. This should do a wonderful job of selling the brass collection.

Thanks Guy. I think you are right - heroic/ noble style of music is well suited to the trpts.

Christian and Craig - thanks also for you nice comments.

Rob

Wonderful demos [:D]

However I'm worried [:(] why is there no demo of the Euphonium?

Whilst I am over the moon with most of the Euphonium gig I was taken aback that there is no vibrato. Of all the brass instruments the greatest singer is the Euphonium the cello of the brass world.

I haven't started working with my VSL Euphonium yet and I'm sure we'll make beautiful music together soon. But no vibrato is very very disappointing.

What are others experiences of the Euphonium gig so far and what about some demos - what about The Swan with the bosendorfer.

@DaveTubaKing said:

Wonderful demos [[:D]]

why is there no demo of the Euphonium?

What's an Euphonium?

kidding.... [[:D]]

I thought there was at least one demo of it.

Guy, what patch did you use for the cornet triple tongueing?

Nice composition by the way. Perhaps you could put the solo part down an octave and play it on the Euphonium - Oh! excpet there's no vibrato patch [:'(]

I'm a brass player, trombone specifically, so I'm very picky about brass. These demos blew me away! Rob, I commented about your piece on V.I. Index but I have to underline how friggin' amazing your piece is. Love your harmonic choices and more importantly how you voiced the brass chords.

I was looking at getting the full sax library from VSL (I'm a lowly Vienna SE guy thus far) but these demos have changed my future spending choice. Awesome library Herb, Dietz, and Christian!

@DaveTubaKing said:

Guy, what patch did you use for the cornet triple tongueing?

Nice composition by the way. Perhaps you could put the solo part down an octave and play it on the Euphonium - Oh! excpet there's no vibrato patch [:'(]

Don't cry.

For the triple tongue I think I used the upbeat 3 and I omitted the down beat by shortening the note and used a stacc note for the melody down beats on a different track.. I synced this perfectly so it would sound like 1 player trying to sound like 2 players rather than sounding like 2 players, if that makes any sense....In other words, no cheating. As soon as it started slowing down I switched to perf rep and played it in real time. I remember in high school a guest trumpetist came over and played a passage like that and it had an imprint on me, sounded like 2 trumpets!

Excellent demos. Guy continues to demonstrate a huge range of composing chops. Beat Kaufman's was excellent and I really liked the theme on the Rob Elliot piece.

By the way, there was a mention of the euphonium. That is a tremendous set of samples, and I didn't even think of no vibrato being a problem, since the tone quality and detail is beautiful. That guy is an awesome player! The legato is wonderful, but also, the basic sustain euphonium is all perfectly looped, 4 velocity and goes way down in the range. Was that stretched? - if it was it still sounded perfect - but there may be some pedal tones in there. Anyway it is an awesome sound for that beautiful conical-bore, mellow upper-mid-range tuba timbre.

@DaveTubaKing said:

Guy, what patch did you use for the cornet triple tongueing?

Nice composition by the way. Perhaps you could put the solo part down an octave and play it on the Euphonium - Oh! excpet there's no vibrato patch [:'(]

You're right Dave, I checked it out and the vibrato is pretty subtle [:O]ops: it's the same for the Wagner tuba, I remember when I did the demo on the Wagner tuba and found it very difficult not having vibrato. I hope herb doesn't mind this criticism and I'd rather see it as a user's constructive feedback for future improvements. [[;)]]

I am wondering if "Davetubaking" has the euphonium and has listened to it. Already the complaints have begun, along with the assumption that everything has to be perfect and absolutely complete instantly. I find this irritating. As I stated this is an incredibly good set of samples - by far the best euphonium ever sampled - and for people to instantly focus on one missing articulation - especially considering it is NOT STANDARD to play euphonium with vibrato (at least in any American band or other useage I have ever heard) - is annoying.

Well my assumption is that the VSL brass instrument that don't have vib or little vib are probably not characterized by that feature and possibly gives a clumsy effect if not handled properly, maybe the natural tone is more important, I don't know and I'm not a wind player.

I guess I am just annoyed by this davetubaking post, because I am really excited by the euphonium sounds and thinking about how to use them, and here is somebody already criticizing it.

BTW you should be receiving a detailed letter of my 15 years experience in sledge-hammering, although 14 of those years I was in disability, but I think I'll be fine.....

Thank you Guy, I am very interested in receiving that letter, though I can't promise anything until I see the details. But I want to add I admire your courage in forging ahead with the Big Hammer despite all the obstacles you had to overcome. You are an inspiration to us all.

David - thanks again for your kind words (have had a tough client the last couple weeks - nice to hear nice things for a change [:D]


William - I get crazy insane about theme development - really important to me and frankly miss it most of the times. Your comments makes me want to forge and ahead and stay the course!!!!


Thanks again.


Rob

@Rob Elliott said:

David - thanks again for your kind words (have had a tough client the last couple weeks - nice to hear nice things for a change [:D]


William - I get crazy insane about theme development - really important to me and frankly miss it most of the times. Your comments makes me want to forge and ahead and stay the course!!!!


Thanks again.


Rob

What does this have to do with sledgehammer?

I'm confused!

@William said:

I guess I am just annoyed by this davetubaking post, because I am really excited by the euphonium sounds and thinking about how to use them, and here is somebody already criticizing it.

But my criticism was prefaced both in this thread and elsewhere by my usually fullsome praise. You'd be hard pressed to find someone who talks up VSL more than I do both here and on other forums.

What VSL have given us is the perfect orchestral tenor tuba. You could mock up any of the tenor tuba parts like Mars, Don Quixote (although that could do with some vib), and has already been done Janacek's Sinfonietta with great panache.

Orchestral tenor tuba parts are very often played by one of the trombonists, as with this sample set, so even more authentic.

The only other Euphonium sample set I have is Dan Dean Brass and I found it unuseable, a dreadful sound.

But what VSLs set isn't, and what I so wanted it to be, (hence my dissapointment) is a Solo Euphonium gig alla the great brass band soloists. The best solo euphonium players rank with the best musicians of any instrument. I'm thinking John Clough of Black Dyke Mills in the 70s, Barry Perrins who played with lowly Hendon for 20 years and of the current crop of extraordinary virtuosis Steven Mead and the holy trinity of the Child's Brothers.

These guys would blow your mind away with their skill and musicianship. They didn't double on euphonium in the same way that Rostropovitch didn't double on cello.

And what they all had, as any great wind player must have, is a beautiful controlled vibrato which they could turn on and off as needed. Imagine playing arrangements of Nessum Dorma or Elgars Cello concerto or any of the solo lines from 150 years of vast Brass Band repertoire without vibrato.

What brought it home was listening to Guy's cornet peice and the lovely vibrato he employed. If the cornet could have it why not the Euphonium. Perhaps VSL recorded it but felt it wasn't up to scratch. Who knows.

I will miss the lack of light vib, heavy vib and progressive vib when I come to render my arrangements of A Nightingal Sang or Oh Danny Boy (now that needs to be dripping vibrato). But render them I shall and I'm sure they will still sound beautiful and I will share them with you.

David

@Guy said:

You're right Dave, I checked it out and the vibrato is pretty subtle [:O]ops: it's the same for the Wagner tuba, I remember when I did the demo on the Wagner tuba and found it very difficult not having vibrato. I hope herb doesn't mind this criticism and I'd rather see it as a user's constructive feedback for future improvements. [[;)]]

Exactly what I intended by my comments. [:)]