Prosonus the Orchestral Collection: A Review
If you are looking for a complete orchestral library that covers everything from percussion to strings, brass to woodwinds, you might want to check out Prosonus the Orchestral Collection. This is a virtual instrument plugin based on the UVI engine that features hundreds of presets and a simple but effective interface. In this article, we will review the features, sounds, and pros and cons of this plugin.
Prosonus The Orchestral Collection
Features
Prosonus the Orchestral Collection offers a wide range of orchestral sounds that are organized into categories such as strings, brass, woodwinds, percussion, and harp. You can find both section and solo instruments, as well as various articulations and effects. For example, you can find string orchestra sustained, marcato, pizzicato, tremolo, glissando, and random pizzicato; trumpet, piccolo trumpet, flugelhorn, French horn, trombone, bass trombone, tuba and tuba effects; flute, alto flute, piccolo, clarinet, oboe, oboe d'amore, English horn, bassoon, and contra bassoon; timpani, tubular bells, triangle, cymbals, cymbal effects, gong, snare, snare rolls, and more.
The plugin interface is simple and intuitive. You can load presets from a drop-down menu or use the browser to navigate through the folders. You can also adjust the volume, pan, reverb, and filter settings for each preset. The plugin supports VST, AU, RTAS and MAS formats for macOS and Windows.
Sounds
The sounds of Prosonus the Orchestral Collection are based on samples from Prosonus' large orchestral archive. The samples are quite old but still sound realistic and expressive. The plugin uses the UVI engine to play back the samples with high quality and low CPU usage. The sounds have a warm and rich tone that can fit well with various genres of music. The plugin also offers some unique sounds that are not commonly found in other orchestral libraries. For example, you can find chromatic ascending runs for violins, cluster chords for brass, 'elephant' up and down rips for tuba, and 'wah' mute for trombone.
Pros and Cons
Prosonus the Orchestral Collection has some advantages and disadvantages that you should consider before buying it. Here are some of them:
Pros
A complete orchestral library that covers all the essential instruments and articulations.
A simple but effective interface that allows easy access and control over the sounds.
A low price compared to other orchestral libraries.
A warm and rich sound that can blend well with other instruments.
Some unique sounds that can add some spice to your compositions.
Cons
The samples are quite old and may sound dated or lo-fi compared to newer libraries.
The plugin does not offer much flexibility or customization over the sounds. You cannot change the velocity curves, envelopes, modulation sources or effects.
The plugin does not support keyswitches or MIDI CCs to change articulations on the fly.
The plugin does not include any scoring software or notation features.
Conclusion
Prosonus the Orchestral Collection is a virtual instrument plugin that offers a complete orchestral library at a low price. It has a simple but effective interface and a warm and rich sound that can suit various musical styles. It also has some unique sounds that can add some flavor to your compositions. However, it also has some limitations and drawbacks that may make it less appealing to some users who want more flexibility or realism. If you are looking for a basic but comprehensive orchestral library that does not break the bank, you might want to give Prosonus the Orchestral Collection a try.
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