New Brass Ensemble Collections from Dan Dean Production
 October 15, 2002
Award winning sampling producer Dan Dean announced the release of his
new "Dan Dean Brass Ensembles" and "Dan Dean Brass Ensembles/AKAI" CDROM
libraries for GigaSampler /GigaStudio and AKAI samplers today.
Introductory priced at $699 (US) for the 12 CD Giga set and $599 for the 8 CD
AKAI set, this orchestral library features chromatically/multisampled
French Horns, Trumpets and Trombones. The sets are packaged in a
custom CD wallet specifically designed for this product. Both DDBE and
DDBE/AKAI will only be available direct from the company.
All of
the instruments were recorded in 24 bit stereo using proprietary recording
techniques and bit reduced to 16 bit via Apogee's UV-22 process.
Each and every note of all of the instruments has been chromatically sampled in up
to 8 layers of dynamics (ppp through fff). Most instruments include basic legato
non-vibrato, portamento, staccato, forte piano (with long, medium and short
crescendos), and mutes (Stopped Horns for the French Horns). Revolutionary
programming features developed by Ashif Hakik and Dan Dean, allow
unprecedented control over the pristine samples.
The DDBE is the first library in the company's product line to feature a new multiperspective
recording process which allows the user to select between dry (close)
and wet (ambient) samples. Since the DDBE was recorded in a large,
reverberant space, both close and ambient samples feature a big "Hollywood" brass
sound.
Another feature of "The Dan Dean Brass Ensembles" is the
implementation of full release samples. This feature allows you to keep the natural
reverberation of every note in every layer as you release the key. There are presets that
allow you to use these release triggers, use the mod wheel to adjust the reverb
amount of the release samples or to omit the reverb altogether.
New dynamic crossfade presets allow realtime access to various combinations of the
8 dynamic layers via mod wheel. While playing the keyboard, it is possible to
crescendo and decrescendo by using the mod wheel, select soft or loud sample
groups via keyswitching and alter the attack of the notes using GPC-1 (general
purpose controller 1) all in real time. There are numerous variations of this preset
using different combinations of layers to achieve different effects. There are also
fast attack versions of these programs which allow for easy rendering of quick
musical passages.
Other programming features include a new version of "Fast Attack Mod Wheel"
which places selectable staccato samples at the start of each NV legato note for
extra fast articulation of quick musical passages. The new "Ensemble
Mod Wheel" presets allow access to numerous
velocity layers simultaneously. This feature in the DDBE creates very dense realistic
sections and ensembles using the long, unlooped samples created for this project. As
each note is played, slight timbral and pitch variations create realistic ensembles
when used in our "ensemble" presets. There are 3 versions of ensemble presets in
the DDBE: soft, medium and loud.
There is Keyswitching, Mod Wheel, Sustain Pedal, Breath Controller and Keyboard
Velocity Switching implementation of the programming, which allows for numerous
pathways for on-the-fly switching from articulation to articulation.
"2 hand" Split Keyboard presets which place odd and even layers
of the instruments in the left hand and right hand positions of the keyboard are also provided. This
makes playing rapid passages possible by left and right hand access to the same
pitches. Because completely different samples exist in each of the areas of the
keyboard, there are no sample collisions, which produce undesirable doubling and
phasing effects. They have also recorded extra staccato banks for use in these presets,
allowing you access to 8 layers of completely different samples in the left and right
hands.
There are also "Layers" presets, which allow access to all of the separate
velocity/timbre layers separately. This is a powerful preset allowing the user to
assign individual voices to different sample layers. Using this preset, multiple parts
can be played using completely different samples.
Also included are light versions which feature both reduced note programs (white
keys only) and single dynamic layer versions (ppp through fff) for tight memory
applications.
These programming features in conjunction with the highest quality
sample recordings give the keyboardist unprecedented, unparalleled control over
previously unavailable performance variables. For more information, visit their web site at www.dandeanpro.com. | 
