IMPORTANT 1.1 Update Info
The 1.1 update is a digital download from the Native Instruments Service Center. Once you've received Symphobia, install it, then register it. Once installed and registered, at the Native Instruments Service Center, you'll download and install the 1.1 update which includes both new material and the Kontakt 2.2.5 player. Please scroll down to read the 1.1 update contents. According to Project SAM, the 1.1 Update posts the week of 27 April 2009.
Key features
- Live recordings of orchestral full-ensemble multi-samples captured in a beautiful concert hall environment
- Vast library of orchestral clusters, rips and other instantly inspiring cinematic effects
- Covering strings, all-new brass, woodwinds and much more
- Lots of additional cinematic content including Dystopia II and ethnic flute phrases
- Two mic sets available: Concert Stage and Close mic
- Orchestral sections recorded as full-range ensembles, pre-seated on the stage
- Custom Kontakt scripting and interface offering repetition, simulated legato, octaver and more
- Approx. 18 GB library pool in 44.1 kHz 24-bit
- NI Kontakt Player 2 included
- Mapping/programming unlocked, audio/scripting locked
New! Symphobia 1.1 Update Overview
UPDATE COMPATIBILITY NOTE - Symphobia 1.1 was created for Kontakt 2.2.5 which is included with the update. Symphobia 1.1 can only be opened in the included Kontakt Player 2.2.5 and Kontakt 3 (or higher).
- Symphobia 1.1 cannot be loaded into Kontakt 2 (or lower).
New Content in 1.1
- New articulation: fast attack ensemble strings mf/ff (modwheel control)
- New articulation: brass chords without tuba/bass note (modwheel control)
- New effect: string ensemble very slow glissandi
- New effect: string + brass ensemble dark textures
- New effect: string + brass ensemble trill crescendo
- New effect: string + brass ensemble trill marcato
- 20 New Multis added, now 40 Multis in total
Improvement & Additions in 1.1 - Color code added to interface to quickly identify section
- Expression (CC11) control added to all programs
- ADSR control page added to interface
- Keyswitches moved upwards to fit within 88-note keyboard range (C6 and up)
- Improved round robin behavior: now functions properly regardless of amount of notes pressed in chord
- Smoother Modwheel (DYN) patches throughout library
- Modwheel switch programs (MOD) added as alternative to Keyswitching
- Improved tuning in vibrato woodwind ensemble
- Tighter attacks for various articulations, including string staccato/spiccato
Bug fixes in 1.1
- Kontakt 3-specific: release triggers now function properly
- Kontakt 3-specific: vibrato woodwind sustains now playback correctly on PPC
- Kontakt 3-specific: Dystopia II patches now sound correctly
- Solo string ensemble round robin gaps fixed
- Various acoustic artifacts removed from samples
- Various other programming bugs fixed
COLOR-CODED INTERFACE 
All Symphobia programs now have a color-coded interface. Each of the main Symphobia sections has its own unique color. String Ensemble / Solo String Ensemble Brass Ensemble Woodwind Ensemble String + Brass Ensemble / Full Orchestra Dystopia / Ethnic Flute Phrases / Other
ADSR CONTROLS 
Symphobia 1.1 offers Attack-Decay-Sustain-Release control right from the interface. Notice that the Settings button in Symphobia 1.0 has been replaced by a drop-down menu in Symphobia 1.1 (bottom-right corner of the interface). Open the drop-down menu and select "ADSR page" to access the new controls. The ADSR fields show absolute values in milliseconds. By adjusting a knob, all values 0for that knob will be updated. Release trigger groups are ignored, to allow you to adjust the ADSR of a sustain without destroying its release trigger.Programs that hold groups with completely different ADSR values, such as Keyswitches and Modswitches, do not have the ADSR control page.
MODWHEEL SWITCHES In Symphobia 1.1 you will find an additional program folder called "4 Modswitches". Programs in this folder allow you to instantly switch between different articulations using the Modulation Wheel, similar to a Keyswitch program where articulations are switched by pressing keys. The interface program window shows you which articulations are available. Each of these articulations is mapped to a specific region of the 0-127 range of the Modwheel. If four articulations are shown in the interface, the Modwheel range is divided into 4 regions. Modwheel switch programs are available for all main sections in Symphobia 1.1. Modwheel Switch example:  PRAISE FOR SYMPHOBIA Testimonials:
John Powell, composer for Kung Fu Panda, Shrek and the Bourne series:
"Symphobia is a very well crafted library. There is a richness to the samples generally not heard from other commercial libraries. I am pleased to add the sounds of Symphobia to my sonic palette."
Bill Brown, composer for CSI:NY, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars & The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction:
"ProjectSAM has definitely taken orchestral sampling to the next level with Symphobia. This library sounds more realistic than any commercial library I've heard, and the thoughtful recording and design of the patches makes composing fast and a whole lot of fun! One of the many amazing things about Symphobia is the way each of the tutti patches are laid out across the keyboard. Instead of scrolling through hundreds of articulations for each section of the orchestra - you have the orchestra from top to bottom, right under your fingertips ready to play. This is quite possibly the best thing since sliced bread - for your studio and music, not for a sandwich. But if it were a sandwich, it would be a very exciting one that takes your sample library to the next level. I can't wait to see what ProjectSAM does next!"
Brian Tyler, film composer for Alien versus Predator 2 and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift: "Symphobia is an amazing sampler library that is live, naturalistic, and intense. There is no other library like this. The sounds maintain the rough edges of real live playing, preserved by the brilliant ProjectSam team thus capturing what orchestral samples are supposed to do." Jesper Kyd, game composer for Assassin's Creed, Unreal Tournament 3 and Hitman:" Symphobia contains some of the most expressive and realistic sounds I have heard in an orchestral library. The sounds have more character than any other orchestral library I have used."
PROJECTSAM, CREATOR OF THE TRUE STRIKE SERIES AND SAM ORCHESTRAL BRASS, BRINGS YOU SYMPHOBIA SYMPHOBIA is everything you have been missing in your orchestral palette - immersive ENSEMBLE MULTI-SAMPLES attained by true ensemble recordings and intense CINEMATIC EFFECTS, all available in a rich selection of combinations and articulations. With SYMPHOBIA, you have at your disposal an extremely inspiring orchestral tool for scoring film, games and television.
Overview to Symphobia
CINEMATIC ENSEMBLES
SYMPHOBIA is not your traditional orchestral sample library. Instead of focusing on individual instrument multi-samples, SYMPHOBIA offers ensemble multi-samples with a rich selection of orchestrations and articulations. These playable ensembles cover all of the sections from the orchestra, as well as the entire orchestra playing together. The reason is simple: the real thing sounds so much better. A staccato note played by violins, violas, horns and trumpets, together, correctly seated at the concert stage, will sound much more cohesive than a mixture of individual sample recordings of these four instrument sections. This makes SYMPHOBIA the ideal tool for creating big orchestral arrangements and orchestrations. In addition, a number of individual instrument articulations are available, such as violin section flageolets and horn section marcatos.
CINEMATIC EFFECTS
The ensemble sounds make up about half of SYMPHOBIA. The other half is all about cinematic effects: performances that cannot be recreated using individual multi-samples. Like the ensemble performances, the effects are available in different orchestrations, played by different sections throughout the orchestra. You will find violin glissandi, as well as full orchestra rips and stabs. Every effect is available in a number of variations or articulations.
The Ensembles
STRING SECTION
SYMPHOBIA introduces a brand new concept and instrument group for ProjectSAM: a full-string ensemble recorded in a warm concert hall. An extensive Ensemble bank and unique Effects bank are available. The Ensemble bank includes numerous full-string articulations, including tremolo, staccato, pizzicato and con sordino. Other highlights in the collection feature beautiful chord performances, violin section-only articulations and low strings playing in octaves with the contrabasses playing one octave below the celli. The Effects bank includes a wide range of upward and downward glissandi, shrieky clusters, stabs and wild arco/pizzicato textures -- priceless material for film and TV composers, impossible to achieve using standard multi-samples.
BRASS SECTION
Continuing SAM's orchestral brass tradition, the Brass Section in SYMPHOBIA offers an all-new full-brass ensemble in a number of articulations, including sustain, marcato, staccato and mutes. Also available are major & minor chord performances, different orchestrations of mixed brass instruments and, similar to the strings, low brass in octaves, with the tuba playing an octave below the trombones. All this is recorded live, without any post-production layering. The Effects range from several types of horrific clusters to note bendings, horn rips and wild repetitions. Some effects are performed by the entire brass ensemble, others by one section at a time.
WOODWIND SECTION
Furthering the concept introduced with the woodwinds from the SAM Exclusives series, SYMPHOBIA offers full-woodwind ensemble samples that include the following instruments: flute/oboe/clarinet/bassoon/bass clarinet/contra bassoon. Apart from the sustains, portatos and staccatos, octave runs are available, as well as flute piccolo effects, clusters, slap notes, wild phrases and multi-phonics. ProjectSAM has a special offer for all existing Exclusives woodwind users wanting to buy Symphobia.
STRING BRASS SECTION
One of SYMPHOBIA's highlights are the articulations and effects performed by strings and brass together. Nothing beats the live, natural blending of sections in a real concert hall. SYMPHOBIA offers powerful sustains, staccatos and other articulations played by violins, violas, celli, contrabasses, horns, trumpets, trombones and tuba playing together, plus different orchestrated combinations of these instruments. Again, the low range has been sampled in octaves. Over 10 types of clusters are available, combining different playing techniques and dynamic arcs like arco, tremolo, flageolet for strings and open, muted and flatter-tongue for brass. Last but not least, the Effects bank houses the Glissandi Rips, played by the same powerful combination of sections.
SOLO STRING ENSEMBLE
In addition to the large symphonic sections, SYMPHOBIA also offers a solo string quintet, consisting of 2 violins, 1 viola, 1 cello and 1 contrabass. As with the other ensembles, the solo strings are spread out over one full keyboard. Articulations available: arco accented, arco espressivo, marcato, staccato and pizzicato.
FULL ORCHESTRA
Massive orchestral impact! That's the best way to describe the contents in this bank. Full-orchestra stabs, rips, dark textures and trailer risers are included, ranging from huge staccato hits to 15 second crescendos. You won't easily find orchestral effects more intense than these.
THE PLAYER
SYMPHOBIA 1.1 includes a Native Instruments Kontakt 2.2.5 Player which provides a number of custom features: simulated legato, repetition, octaver, master EQ, reverb, a cluster generator, the ability to alter velocity response, change the instrument range, transpose and enable/disable release triggers. SYMPHOBIA can also be loaded into a full version of Kontakt 2.2.5 or higher. All features will still be available, plus you will be able to access the mapping, programming and other settings within the patches. The individual audio samples are locked and cannot be accessed.
Now, go take a closer look at the articulations and sounds available at the Instrument List tab.
Minimum system requirements
- Windows XP or Windows Vista 32-bit on Pentium or Athlon XP 1.4 GHz, 1 GB RAM
- Mac OS X 10.4 or later on G4 1.4 GHz or Intel® Core (tm) Duo 1.66 GHz, 1 GB RAM
- SYMPHOBIA requires 18 GB of free disk space for complete installation
Instrument List
For a full articulation list, download the PDF file or get a brochure from your local dealer.
[Symphobia articulation list PDF]
For a complete list of the programs and presets found in SYMPHOBIA, download the program list PDF file.
[Symphobia program list PDF]
SUMMARIZED ARTICULATION LIST:
STRING SECTION ENSEMBLE
10 full-string ensemble articulations
4 violin section articulations
4 low string articulations in octaves
12 cluster articulations
Upward & downward glissando
Wild arco, pizz & gliss textures
Low string and open string effects
Chords major, minor, open 4th, open 5th
BRASS SECTION ENSEMBLE
4 full-brass ensemble articulations
2 full-brass muted ensemble articulations
3 orchestrated brass articulation combos
3 low brass articulations in octaves
5 cluster articulations
Horn section and tutti rips
Note bending phrases
Wild repetitions
Chords major, minor
WOODWIND SECTION ENSEMBLE
6 full-woodwind ensemble articulations
2 low range articulations
4 cluster articulations
Octave runs major, minor
Grace notes major, minor
Flute & piccolo rips
Effect phrases
Wild textures & multi-phonics
STRING BRASS TUTTI ENSEMBLE
String and brass sections playing together
4 ensemble articulations
2 orchestrated combo articulations
4 low range articulations in octaves
11 cluster articulations
Glissando rips
SOLO STRING ENSEMBLE
5 solo string articulations
FULL ORCHESTRA HITS, RIPS & TRAILER RISERS
DYSTOPIA II
Dystopia volume two: the dark side of SAM, featuring ambiances, textures, pads and effects created by processing and tweaking the SYMPHOBIA recordings.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT
Duduk phrases
Shakuhachi phrases
Native American Flute phrases
Bonus Orchestral Bassdrum
SYMPHOBIA FAQ
How many installs does one Symphobia license allow?
Two. A Symphobia serial number can be activated up to two times using the NI Service Center.
Is Symphobia available in Multi-Format?
No. Symphobia 1.1 is exclusively available in Kontakt format and comes with the NI Kontakt Player 2.2.5. The library can also be loaded into the full versions of Kontakt 2.2.5 and upwards.
Does Symphobia contain any samples from SAM Orchestral Brass?
No. All brass recordings in Symphobia are COMPLETELY NEW. Note that the concept of these two libraries is different. Symphobia features full-brass ensembles covering the full keyboard. SAM Orchestral Brass features brass samples PER SECTION (trumpets separately, horns separately, etcetera).
Is Symphobia a locked sample library?
Programming is unlocked. Audio is locked. Inside the full version of Kontakt 2.2.5 or 3, Symphobia's programming and mapping are completely accessible and editable. Symphobia's audio pool is locked, which means no separate wave files can be extracted or exported.
Does Symphobia contain any samples from the Woodwind Exclusives?
Yes. The woodwinds in Symphobia are based on those found in our downloadable Exclusives series. Registered Woodwind Exclusive users will therefore get an additional discount when purchasing Symphobia.
When loading, some audio files cannot be found. What is wrong?
Please note that the Vise installer only installs the library content that is on disc 1. You have to manually copy the files that are on disc 2 and 3 to your hard drive. Copy them to the "Samples" folder that was created during installation. For more info see the Quick Install sheet.
The NI Service Center does not recognize Symphobia. What is wrong?
Please make sure you have install the latest version of the NI Service Center installed.
Does Symphobia include percussion samples?
Symphobia does NOT include separate percussion instruments or samples. However, some percussion is featured as part of certain orchestral patches, such as strings brass timpani staccato hits. For multi-sampled percussion please check out ProjectSAM True Strike and True Strike 2. |
