PROJECT SAM SYMPHOBIA DVD2 SAMPLES PATCH
As the name suggests, many of these sampled elements exist to quickly provide crescendo-like support, to create tension, although the name in itself may mislead, as seen with the patch name String Downers, where notes clearly fall rather than rise. One area of offered patching that could become indispensable, is the category of Risers. It’s through this sort of solo functionality that you’ll find some real gems, such as the Horn: Bending Note Swell sample, which has a wonderful sense of eerie horror, reminiscent of those wonderful original Star Trek scores, by Alexander Courage.
What’s helpful and actually quite creative, is the ability to isolate individual elements in each combo, while also allowing for the ability to hone in on sections with the four different available mic’s, although the main Mix does sound pretty fine, straight out of the box.
It moves around the pitch centre in a slightly woozy way. Proving that it’s not all about the volume, another patch example, which is named Ghouls & Ghosts, offers considerable sectional meanderings, from strings, horns and low winds. The tail end of the samples can be a little ragged, but then the front is going to matter far more, and it’ll also add a degree of realism, in terms of humanistic performance.īy way of similarity, the P for Pandora patch offers similar credentials, but with a great big slamming Gran Cassa (type of orchestral bass drum) up front, while the associated brass diminuendo away perfectly from the attack point. It is unbelievably effective, and thanks to the three part combo configuration, offers a sizeable accent up front, with large sustain to follow. This is a large collection of lower brass instruments and players, who are literally blowing seven-shades out of their instruments, producing that brightness of tone, which can only be maintained for a few seconds, as any player will run out of air quite quickly. No surprise then that one of the first patches is labelled ‘Braaaaam’, which describes a sound that has well and truly dominated soundtracks over the last decade. If you’re looking for instant gratification, and for the most part a considerable amount of impact and volume, this could be a suitable starting point. Patches are organised across seven distinct areas, with the first being a collection of Multi’s, named as Combos. Project SAM has also nicknamed this volume Pandora, presumably harking back to Greek mythology, and the opening of the mythical box, but while this might be the case, the musical ramblings that emanate are supported by a pretty heavy duty set of samples that are perfect for action cues, trailer music, even extending to horror cues. The first question we have for Project SAM is, why has it taken so long to follow up the first three packages in the series, with a fourth? The answer, it would seem, is probably to do with the wealth of timing technology which forms part of the mainstay with this library, although the substantial 140GB of content must have also taken considerable time to organise.