I just received a virtual instrument library that I’m really excited about – Soniccouture’s Balinese Gamelan – Composer’s Edition.
This is an extraordinary array of instruments, with both tuned/pitched ensembles and a unique collection of drums. I’m really, really looking forward to digging into this sound set – as soon as I’m done with my next project.
I just updated to MasterWriter 2.0, and all I can say is “WOW”. It was a pretty amazing and relatively complete tool in version one. But they’ve added some real dimension to the database that can help you find anything from rhymes for just about *any* word to digging up a quote from the Bible. Hell, I’d recommend this to authors – it’s a phenomenal resource. But for me, it’s about songwriting, which is something I’ll be doing more of in the coming year. Look out world, I’ll be singing out loud – and not afraid to rhyme in the process!
I just picked up ProjectSAM’s True Strike Tension through Native Instruments online store. It definitely lives up to the cinematic hype. The True Strike library has been around for a while, and ProjectSAM continues to do great work (see the rave reviews of Symphobia), and as a part of Kore Player/Kontakt 3 they’ve breathed new life into a venerable sound library. I’m particularly smitten by their use of lo-fi effects on some of these sounds – giving that real-yet-otherworldly tone that’s the bread and butter of film scoring today. These sounds are going to be showing up all over my work – and my guess is a lot of other composers will be doing the same – this is great stuff.