The realistic sound and performance of a trumpet, trombone, and saxophone for your DAW.
BRASS 2.0
Arturia BRASS 2.0 is a virtual instrument collection consisting of a trumpet, saxophone, and a trombone—all delivered in software format. You can play each of these virtual brass instruments independently, or all of them together using different types of harmonization and effects.
The Arturia BRASS 2.0 virtual instrument collection is based on physical modeling; a technology that allows for more control and flexibility over your sound. It certainly isn't your typical sample-based library that comes with gigabytes of samples. As a matter of fact, BRASS 2.0 is a real instrument allowing for a lot of expressivity, subtlety, and personal interpretation.
Learning how to use Arturia BRASS 2.0's in-depth usually takes a couple of hours, but be assured you will never go back to using samples. This is what innovation and technology should always be used for: offering you more power and creativity, without any additional complexity.
New features in the Arturia BRASS 2.0 Virtual Instrument
New Saxophone model: It is based on a tenor saxophone by Buffet-Crampon. Arturia also reproduced two different mouthpieces—one classical and one jazz.
New Harmonization: As you can now play four different brass instruments at a time, Arturia BRASS 2.0 software brings you a new harmonization engine that is extremely easy to use. Sections, duets, and trios are now possible.
New Spatiality: Realism mainly comes from the core instrument models, but also from the recording scenery. The software's spacialization adds a new level of possibilities to your BRASS parts.
New MIDI integration: In version 2.0, Arturia's BRASS 2.0 comes with a better integration in the musician's studio. MIDI settings will allow you to easily decide whether you control BRASS using a simple keyboard, a breath-controller, an Akai EWI, a Yamaha WX5, and more.
New Riff organization: While the BRASS 2.0 collection is primarily a set of virtual horns and brass instruments to play, it also comes loaded with hundreds of prewritten phrases. Organized by style, such as Hip-Hop, Latino, Rock, Jazz, or even Military, they make it easy for non-players to insert realistic brass parts in their music. All of these phrases can be quickly and dramatically modified in all aspects.
Arturia BRASS 2.0: The Live Mode
The virtual instrument's Live Mode allows incredible realism and expressivity thanks to a fully controllable 8 parameters panel especially developed for realtime playing. A complete assignation page allows assigning MIDI information like Velocity, Aftertouch, Modulation, to numerous parameters like Attack, Pressure, and Vibrato.
Choose a preset in the sound library, play via a MIDI keyboard, and use the controllers to add modulation. You want to go further? Configure your virtual brass instrument: make a wooden trumpet, add a mute, or humanize—physical modeling is flexible. In Live mode you have access to a wide range of intuitive qualities to control your instrument.
With a number of presets to choose from, pick the style that suits you best and begin playing. For example, one could choose a setting called "jazz solo" and all the parameters (attack, pressure, etc) are set up to play a jazz solo. Select a "classical section" of trumpets and you will instantly get the right settings for the parameters.
BRASS 2.0: The Riff Mode
The Riff Mode offers an alternate solution to samplers or music libraries. In Riff mode, you can choose from over 500 prerecorded, modifiable segments of music called "Riffs." Riff mode makes it possible to select, listen, play the keyboard, and edit your riffs. You can import or export riffs as MIDI files. All you need to do is choose from the genre you like and start composing.
Physical Interfaces
When interacting with a physical model, the importance of the control is capital. If the horn or brass instrument has been emulated within Arturia's BRASS 2.0 software, the way you will play it is certainly a part of the full experience.
Interfaces you can use:
Keyboard, with or without (polyphonic) aftertouch
knobs, sliders
Foot pedals
Joystick
Breath Controller or Ribbon
Keyboard
In using the possibilities of control offered by the keyboard (velocity or after touch for example) you are going to be able to get closer to the level of expression of a master instrumentalist on the trumpet, saxophone, or the trombone.
The velocity is the force with which the keys of the keyboard are pushed. Using the easily modifiable connections given in the presets, the Arturia BRASS 2.0 virtual instrument can connect the velocity on the "Attack" parameter and from then on it will be the force with which you push the key that decides the attack of the note.
The aftertouch is a function that certain MIDI keyboards offer. It is the measure of pressure value on the keys over a period of time. In effect, you can decide to push strongly on the keys, then release, then push with a different amount of force, etc. The keyboards that save the variations permit a control really close to the BRASS 2.0 virtual instruments.
If you were to link the aftertouch to a parameter such as pressure, you could control the pressure sent to the instrument simply by pushing the key.
Breath Controller
The MIDI breath controller is offered only in LIVE mode and is an ideal tool for augmenting the realism of playing a virtual brass instrument.
Thanks to Breath Control, you can control the intensity of pressure with more precision or, for example, make vibrato effects; thus, you will have mastered the intensity and speed. The breath control is most useful when linked to the attack and the pressure. Parameters such as "pitch" you will usually decide with the keyboard.
These are just examples of the physical interfaces used to simplify and enhance your playing experience.
