Arturia BRASS

What is BRASS?
BRASS is a new kind of virtual instrument: a software recreation of the trumpet, saxophone, and trombone. This software allows you to play instruments like a professional performer would do: same control, flexibility, and expressiveness (without the years of training it takes to do so). It gives you instant and constant creation. Brass is so dynamic and easy-to-use that you will never go back to flat sampled riff libraries ever again.

What Can I do in BRASS?
With three instruments at your disposal, you can pick one and start playing. You will instantly feel like you're playing a real instrument, not a set of recorded samples layered and static. BRASS also contains an extensive performance-based riff library which is entirely configurable and expandable. Organized by styles, these riffs are a great way to get started if you are not used to programming a horn. They can even be triggered during live performances.

Choose, create, import and modify riffs to match your needs or play the modeled instruments directly in LIVE mode with a keyboard and other real-time controls; in both cases BRASS will revolutionize the way you create music. Below we have listed just a few of the other features you will find in BRASS.

Spacialization
Recording parameters, or let's say the ambiance of the room in which the instruments are played , are certainly an important factor of how a saxophone solo or trumpet section will sound in the end. In BRASS, place the instruments where ever you want in a room for effect. Place them far away and have a sound that echoes in the distance, or set the instruments in the front of the room for an in your face result.

Parameters
The parameters offered in BRASS are a range of attributes that can be adjusted so that you can specify your sound to the smallest detail: Attack, Pressure, Pitch, Timbre, Noise, Vibrato, Vibrato Frequency, Mute.
Whether you want to set a parameter to a praticular level without changing it, program automation to a parameter, control it by the velocity of your keyboard, or assign it to a real-time controller, you will find the possibilities offered by this interaction with the instrument extremely easy and impressive. Just like a human performer who has studied horns for years, you will be able to express yourself and add emotion to your music.

Instrument Configuration:
Fluctuate the playing style of your instrument and really bring the piece to life with Humanization settings ("Beginner", "Human", or "Computer"). Change the material of your instrument if you want to go for a creative type of sound. Play with a variety of different mutes on the trombone and trumpet, or you can even change reeds on you saxophone. In BRASS, you are the creator of your instrument.

How do you play the instruments?
You can use BRASS as a virtual instrument and program your sound track in your favorite sequencer. Since all the main formats are supported, you will not have to worry about compatibility.

You can attach a MIDI keyboard for those who are more at ease playing the music directly. Real time controls such as foot pedals, breath controllers, and other physical interfaces will give your arrangement that extra punch.

BRASS is based on a new kind of physical modeling technology. All of the characteristics of the real instruments have been analyzed and modeled through extensive research at IRCAM, a world-renowned institute based in Paris. Arturia has partnered with IRCAM to bring this groundbreaking technology to your studio; you will never worry about sacrificing sound quality.

Features

• Virtual instrument playable through a MIDI keyboard
• Three instruments available : Trumpet, Saxophone,Trombone
• 8 parameters to control the instruments in real time:Attack, Pressure, Pitch (for legatos, falls or expressivity), Timbre of theinstruments, Noise amount in the instrument sound, Vibrato, Position of theinstrument toward the microphone, Mute (for trumpet and trombone)
• Total midi control of each parameter through powerfulsettings, control sense and hardness
• Independent automatization of each parameter via adedicated control window
• Configuration of the instruments : 4 attack and 4vibrato types, material, humanization
• More than 500 riff presets in all music styles
• Easy and fast searching of riffs with the presetexplorer
• Up to 4 simultaneous instruments in a riff
• Editable length, tempo and tune of each riff
• Riff editing with the zoomable pianoroll andindependent parameter editing
• Powerful editing options : solo, mute, 8 drawingtools
• Import and export riff presets from and to midifiles
• Live playing of several riffs with the keyboard
• Chorus mode for all instruments, up to 4 instrumentsunison section
• Spatialization of the instruments in a configurable room

Compatible with VST, DirectX, RTAS, and Audio Units plug-in formats.

Platform specifications:

• Windows: Windows 98 SE/2000/XP
• Mac OS X: MAC OS X 10.2 or higher

Required Minimum Configuration:

• PC/ Windows: 256 MB RAM; 1.5 GHz CPU
• MAC OS X: 256 MB RAM; 1.5 GHz CPU