Glissando Harp Manual
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C A Glissando Harps Manual v 2.0 rev 2.0.0 - Nov. 12th, 2018 Welcome Thank you very much for purchasing Glissando Harps for Kontakt! We hope you’ll make the best out of these carefully crafted Virtual Instruments. A Few Words on the Sounds of Glissando Harps The two harps making up Glissando Harps, Concert and Orchestral, were sampled in two very different venues, with different instruments, players, microphone and preamp setups. This was done on purpose. To put in your hands two complementary instruments, allowing for the best sound to fit many different composing scenarios. For Concert Harp we chose a small live room. For this reason when we set up for the next chapter, Glissando Orchestral Harp, we chose a studio, Sotto Il Mare Recording Studios (near Verona in Italy), famous for their wonderful analog equipment and a resounding live room. This setup allowed us to capture more microphone perspectives than we had for Glissando Concert Harp. So, to sum up: Glissando Harps Glissando Concert Harp Small recording venue, best fit for intimate or in-your-face kind of parts; also good for characterization with additional reverbs and Efx. Three microphone channels: an AB stereo setup with a Schoeps CMC64 matched pair and a Mid-Side setup with Neumann M140 as mid and Royer R121 as side. Glissando Orchestral Harp Large recording venue, perfect when you need to position the harp in an orchestral scenario, both as accompanist and as a soloist. Eight microphone channels, combined in five “movie-city-named” nki instruments. An LCR (wide AB + central mono) with Schopes CMC64 and Soundelux U195, the mono Soundelux U195 by itself, another wide AB with ribbon AEA N22 matched pair. On one side of the harp. On the other side: a tube mic Blumlein setup using a Wunder Audio CM7 pair, an AB with Soyuz SU013. Distant miking setups: a frontal, on axis, XY captured with a Sennheiser MKH40 pair, a really wide AB with ribbon AEA N8 and a Decca trio consisting of three AKG C451E with the CK22 omni capsules. ©2018 Chocolate Audio Page 1 of 18 Requirements This Instrument requires that you have installed the Full Version of Kontakt 5.5.2 or newer. It will not work with the free Kontakt Player. Each instance needs between 400 and 900 MB of RAM. Make sure that your computer has enough RAM to cope with your host DAW needs and this and other libraries’ needs. When using more instruments at the same time, a fast hard disk drive or an SSD is warmly suggested. Unpacking Once you have downloaded the Install files following the instructions from the purchase email, please follow these steps: 1. The RAR compressed files (.rar, .r01, .r02 or part1.rar, part2.rar ...) need a specific application in order to be opened. 1.1. PC users might use 7-zip, an open source tool for compressed files: http://www.7-zip.org. 1.2. MAC users might use The Unarchiver: https://theunarchiver.com. ©2018 Chocolate Audio Page 2 of 18 1.3. These are freeware open-source option but there many other free and commercial alternatives available on both platforms to open RAR files. ©2018 Chocolate Audio Page 3 of 18 Installing ©2018 Chocolate Audio Page 4 of 18 Once all of the RAR and ZIP files are unpacked, you can move the Instrument folder to your favorite location, then move the Samples folder inside the Instrument Folder. We advise on: 1. placing the “Glissando Harps” folder where you want it to be; 2. then move the LARGE “Glissando Concert Harp Samples” folder into the “Glissando Concert Harp” folder; 3. and the other even LARGER “Glissando Orchestral Harp Samples” into the “Glissando Orchestral Harp” folder. Please keep and eventually make back-up copies of the installers since they might be useful in case of data-loss, without requiring a full re-download of the whole package. ©2018 Chocolate Audio Page 5 of 18 Loading Kontakt Instruments not based on the protected NI scheme, can be loaded in one of the following ways: 1. Drag & Drop the .nki file onto the main Kontakt interface. 2. Use the Kontakt Browser to find the .nki file and either Double-Click or Drag & Drop to the main interface. Quick Load You can use Kontakt’s Quick Load feature to easily access the Instrument. 1. Click on the “Quick” button on top of Kontakt’s interface. ©2018 Chocolate Audio Page 6 of 18 2. Either from the PC’s Explorer / Mac’s Finder or from Kontakt’s Browser, Drag and Drop the folder containing the Instrument or the .nki file itself to the Quick Load window. 3. Eventually, you can organize instruments in collection by creating folders inside the Quick Load window (right-Click on PC or ctrl- Click on Mac). 4. The Instrument is readily available, either from the Quick Load window itself or through the Quick Load button. ©2018 Chocolate Audio Page 7 of 18 Main Panel (1 - Modes) • Manage Presets, Store, Rename and Delete them - these save the whole status of the instrument • Monitor the currently active Articulation • Playing Modes: • Piano Mode: play the Harp (maximum range C1- G7, based on the loaded articulation) chromatically like you would play a piano. To sustain notes, use the Sustain Pedal • Harp Mode: play the Harp (maximum pitch range B1-G#7, keyboard range C1-G7) diatonically like an Harp player. Play only the white keys and use C0-B0 to raise or lower the pitch of each note on every octave just like an Harp (and/or use Tonal Centers + Modes / Chords). To sustain notes, use the Sustain Pedal • Pedals: to raise a pedal (sharpening the pitch of all relative notes on every octave), play the corresponding note between C0 and B0 above the velocity limit set in the Preferences. To lower a pedal play below the said velocity limit. • Tonal Centers: when in Glissando is Active or Harp mode is selected you can either manage the pedals Man(ually) (C0-B0) or set the tonal center from here (works together with Modes / Chords) - Control via MIDI CC #74 Ctrl-Click (PC) and Cmd-Click (Mac) sets each Pot to its default value • Modes / Chords: if Tonal Centers is in any position but Man(ual), set the mode-scale or chord the Harp will be tuned to. The selection covers the most used positions and chords in literature - Control via MIDI CC #71 � HINT: every Pot and Button in Kontakt is assignable to a MIDI CC (right click on it and find out), so you can control Tonal Centers and Modes / Chords in realtime ©2018 Chocolate Audio Page 8 of 18 Main Panel (2 - Glissando) • Turn On pressing C0 (Piano Mode) or C#0 (Harp Mode) • Turn Off pressing C#0 • Stop it (while keeping Glissando mode active) via D#0 • Select the type of Glissando via Menu or MIDI black keys F#0 to G#1. Set direction via GUI or using A#1. • While in Glissando Mode the keyboard control mode is the Harp mode, with only white keys working and alterations controlled by C0-B0, Pedals Keys and/or Tonal Centers + Modes / Chords • How to play it: play a Start and an End Note. The time difference between the two played notes sets the speed of the Glissando. • The Glissando engine will interpolate between the Start and End Note velocities, playing crescendo and decrescendos accordingly • Optionally use the ModWheel to set playing velocity instantly (resets after stopping the Glissando) • Optionally use PitchBend to slow and raise speed instantly, release it to return to the original speed • Soften smooths the attacks of the Glissando for special or more realistic effects • Accel sets the acceleration (positive or negative) of the Glissando • Time and Velocity can be randomized and you can set the Ctrl-Click (PC) and Cmd-Click (Mac) sets each Pot to its default value Accent value when in any of the Glissando Accent modes � HINT: every Pot and Button in Kontakt is assignable to a MIDI CC (right click on it and find out) ©2018 Chocolate Audio Page 9 of 18 Main Panel (3 - Glissando Modes) • Direction Buttons: Glissandos can play either unidirectionally or bidirectionally, press the according button next to the menu (or MIDI key A#1) • Off (C#0) turns Glissando Mode Off • Glissando (F#0) will play Glissandos from the Start Note to the End Note and again (up-down, down-up, down-down, up-up based on Start and End Note and on the Direction Setting) until you turn it off manually (D#0 or Off via Menu) • Single Glissando (G#0) will play a single Glissando from the Start Note to the End Note • Glass Accent Start (A#0) is the same as Glissando but accents the starting note based on the Accent Value on GUI • Single Gliss Accent Start (C#1) is the same as Single Glissando but accents the starting note based on the Accent Value on GUI • Glass Accent End (D#1) is the same as Glissando but accents the ending note based on the Accent Value on GUI • Single Gliss Accent End (F#1) is the same as Single Glissando but accents the ending note based on the Accent Value on GUI • Double Glissando (G#1) plays two Glissandos at the same time, one from Start to End Note, the other from End Note to Start Note, effectively emulating two-handed Glissandos. This will play indefinitely until you stop it manually (via D#0 or Menu) • You can extend the Glissando Range at any time during a Glissando just by pressing any other note on the Keyboard HARP/GLISSANDO MODE: C#0 turns PIANO MODE: C0 turns Glissando on, C#0 is Glissando on/off, D#0 stops Glissando.