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Review: Arturia BRASS (Version 1.1)
by Glen Heffner - 30 May 2006 - 
Brass, the eagerly anticipated software that professes to emulate brass instruments unlike any software before is finally here! The wunderkind folks at Arturia, located in France, makers of the exceptional softsynths Moog Modular V, ARP 2600 V, MiniMoog V and CS-80V, (and now Prophet V) are now available at your favorite store/internet site. (Editors Note: Reviews for Moog Modular V and ARP 2600 V can be found in the reviews section here on Cakewalknet.com!). BRASS wasn’t a trouble-free release either! A series of delays, evaluations and improvements set the original release date back several months. Still, I applaud the “strive for the best quality vs. the desire to “just get it out” concept that some companies take. Arturia has an exceptional reputation for excellence and it is refreshing to observe that they refuse to compromise when it comes to their products. Brass is distinctive from previous Arturia products. While Arturia’s prior products have been based on emulating vintage synthesizer products; this is the first time that they have approached physical modeling techniques to recreate musical instruments currently in use throughout the world. The instruments that I’m talking about, and for which Brass is named, are: Trumpet, Saxophone and Trombone. Together with IRCAM, (which is probably the most important European institution involved in the study of science of music and sound today), Arturia teamed up to produce Brass. Did they succeed? Let’s see how they did. Let’s get the requirements and fundamental information that is necessary to run BRASS with your computer out of the way first… Basic Specs:1. Platform : a. Windows: 98 SE/ 20000 / XP
b. Mac Os X Mac OS X 10.2 or higher
2. Minimum Configuration a. PC/Windows - 256 MB RAM: 1.5 GHz CPU
b. Mac - OS X 256 MX RAM 1.5 GHz CPU
3. Windows supports VST/DXi/RTAS/Direct Sound and Standalone
4. Mac supports VST/Core Audio/RTAS/Audio Units and Standalone
5. Copy Protection: Syncrosoft Dongle Key – Requires a USB Port InstallationInstallation is quite simple, as it has always been with Arturia products, however for the first time there is a new twist to the installation. A Syncrosoft USB Key is necessary to use BRASS. I must admit that I experienced some trouble with the USB Key although, this is a first for me, (and I’ve been using dongles for a long time)… Live Mode Overview When you first open BRASS you will see a pleasant orderly screen (see PHOTO 1). At the upper Left and Right hand corners respectively, you will observe the words “Live” and “Riff”. These are the two modes from which BRASS performs its magic. I want to point out that the screen pictured is actually the “Live” screen and is the default screen that BRASS always opens with. I will go into each mode in detail shortly, but for now, I’m going to generalize the description of the remainder of the “Live” screen… The Live mode window is actually composed of four parts: the Preset & File manager on the left, the instrument and 8 Parameter Bars in the center, the keyboard at the bottom and to the right, Instrument Configuration, Spacialization Settings and Midi Settings. Choose one of the 3 instruments under the heading “Instrument”, and then by selecting one of the presets from the Preset manager, you will notice parameter changes take place on the screen. At this point, you can play from your midi or wind controller or use the virtual keyboard with your mouse. Clicking on the Instrument Configuration area will give you a number of notable options in terms of variations for the particular instrument such as using a mute, plunger, etc. Clicking on Spacialization will expose another view that I find particularly useful because it allows you to move the instrument anywhere within the stereo field. Likewise, clicking on Midi Settings presents a screen that display two groups of midi connections which can be connected via patch cables. The section exhibits a number of Modulation Sources, (such as Velocity, Mod Wheel, and Aftertouch.), and can be assigned to Modulation Destinations including Attack, Pressure, Pitch, etc. You can also connect the same mod source to different destinations! So, if you intend to control the Attack as well as the Pitch of the instrument with the Mod Wheel; No Problem! Four Continuous Controllers can be allocated to any destination and detection of the controller is acknowledged when you move the knob or slider on your controller. Cool! It should be noted that the evolution of a parameter can be automated through time, each occasion that you press a key. Simply press on “A” over the parameter, choose a curve, (Arturia provides 10 curves for you), or your can edit your own. After you’re satisfied, just save it! Riff Mode Overview Clicking on “Riff” will transport you to the screen seen in PHOTO 2. Once again, this is a well thought out, user friendly design. I’m impressed with the way Arturia strives to maintain a logical and consistent “look” throughout their software and it is a credit to them for taking the time to invest in this type of uniformity… The Riff Definition: A Riff is a musical pattern that can consist of any Brass instruments, (up to 4 instruments can be used at once). Since Riffs are programmed by selecting and then dragging them onto the Arturia “virtual keyboard”, the notes will correspond with the precise midi notes (i.e., middle “C= note number 60) on your keyboard/controller or within your host sequencer. Playing middle “C” on your keyboard or placing these notes into the proper track of your sequencer, would cause the Riff on that note to start playing.
The Riff Mode: The Riff Mode is the area where you can play, edit or create Riffs consisting of up to 4 different instruments, which can then be triggered from your controller/mouse, and also transposed from the same devices. On the upper left is 4 drop-down boxes. This is the Instrument Selection Manager for selecting up to 4 different instruments that can play at once. Below that are the Riff Length and Tempo Settings boxes for establishing the parameters for the Riff and the File Manager is once again under that. The center of the screen is where the bulk of the work is done with the Note Editing Grid and the Presets Manager. To hear a Riff simply select any Riff from the list of Preset Riffs and it will play as well as appear on the Grid. As in the Live Mode, the right hand side of the screen offers the Instrument Settings, Spacialization and Midi Settings sections. The keyboard functions differently in the Riff Mode. It is basically split into two sections. The lower section is the Riff Play Area where different Riffs can be dragged onto individual notes for playing and triggering, while the upper section Transposition Area is used to transpose the Riffs into different keys, even while the Riff is playing. This region is indicated by the color Orange. An Edit button, if clicked, will open a screen for editing which consists of two parts: the Note Editor, where you can draw or edit existing Riff notes and a Sound Control Interface that allows you to customize curves for individual instruments. This can be a bit time-consuming, but very satisfying results can be realized here. I’ve covered both the Live and Riff Modes rather quickly in the paragraphs above but will address them in detail in below, so let’s get into it! Details – Live ModeLive Mode, as mentioned above, is the default view that BRASS opens with. It is the screen from which real time play and editing of instruments can easily be performed. Upon selecting one of the instruments, the center of the screen will provide a beautiful animated photo of the instrument lest you forget what you’re working with. That’s not likely to happen, but nevertheless, it is nice touch, (especially since the instrument revolves)! Parameters: In BRASS you will see 8 “bar-graph” like devices. (See Photo 1) These are parameters that provide control in real time and/or adjust as you see fit to make modifications to your instrument sound at any time. The parameters are invaluable because they cover the most important tones that one would wish for when working with Brass instruments such as: Attack, Pressure, Pitch, Tone, Noise, Vibrato, Vibrato Frequency, & Mute (trumpet and trombone only), Control of these parameters are available via your mouse, plug-in automation (by clicking on the “A” directly above the parameter) or by using Continuous Controllers that are assignable in the Midi Section of BRASS. Of special note: when assigning a parameter to a Midi control, the maximum range of the parameter can be specified by two arrows that are located on each parameter bar. This is a brilliant addition and makes the program even more agile. Pitch Bend and Aftertouch can also be used to control these parameters. Automation Grid and Editing Tools: All of the parameter in the bars can be automated in BRASS with the exception of Attack. By clicking on the “A”, you will be transported to an attractive screen that reveals a graphic view as well as a series of editing tools for customizing the way the parameters will perform as you play. Drawing tools such as a Pencil, Eraser, Line, Curve, Noise, Sine and Square are provided to make editing fast and easy. These tools are uncomplicated and you can craft immediate transformations that can significantly influence the sound of your BRASS instrument! There are also 3 buttons that you can activate if you wish: On, Loop and MidiSync. On will turn the automation on/off, Loop will specify whether or not the automation is looped and MidiSync synchronizes the players speed to the tempo of the host sequencer. Three bars at the top of the graph also provide additional support to the automation features. Delay functions as a delay time control to determine how long after striking a key before the parameter actually starts its automation. Speed is tied to the Midi Sync button and displays the player time in relation to the sequencer. Amp sets the automation amplitude which is a very important feature since this allows you to control the amount of the parameter function volume, if you will, that is introduced with the sound. Instrument Presets: All three instruments have a series of presets that are associated with them. A variety of playing styles are displayed in the in the Preset Manager. I really like the fact that Arturia considerately provided each of the instruments with a series of different playing styles such as Jazz, Classical, Reggae, etc. They provide outstanding starting points for the musician and I found in many cases that the sounds were “spot on”. File Preset Management: I hate software programs that make it difficult for you to figure out how to save, load, reload and import your presets once you’ve edited them. That’s why I give high marks to Arturia for putting the File Preset Manager on the Screen. Everything is literally self-explanatory. If you want to insert a new preset; just select the New button and type in the name. Things work much the same with the Save, Save as, Delete, Import and Export buttons. One warning however; there is not any secondary warning when you are about to Delete something so be extra careful here! Instrument Settings: If you click on an instrument located on the upper right hand side of the screen under Configuration, you will see the main screen change from just a photo of the instrument to a great window chock full of settings available for the particular instrument at hand. From here you can alter the instrument’s sound by changing to any one of 6 different material types such as wood or glass, select how many instruments are playing at once, (you can have up to 4), and choosing between 4 different attack presets. A slider provides positioning anywhere from beginner to human to computer. Basically, this determines how the instrument “acts. In computer position, there are zero fluctuations in the playing style, while human provides for random fluctuations. The beginner offers the greatest amount including the type of “mistakes” that a beginner might make. These “humanization” features affect pressure, noise, vibrato frequency and amplitude respectfully. A wide choice of other options is also offered. As in the case of the Trumpet and Trombone, the user can choose between five different mutes, (Dry, Bowl, Harmon, Plunger & Wahwah) and the Saxophone user can even choose between different types of mouthpieces like Standard, Classic or Wood!
Each instrument offers a choice of different attacks for the beginning of a sound. Just as a real Brass player would vary his attacks based on the amount of pressure he gives to the beginning of a note, BRASS provides up to 4 very useful styles such as a direct attack without breath, an attack with a lot of breath and so on. The manual and the screen give a very good description of each attack and, when you select one of the choices and play, it becomes immediately obvious. The attacks are available for all three instruments plus the Trumpet & Trombone have the mute options mentioned above. Of special note is that the Plunger and Wahwah mutes can be modulated by activating the “Mute” of the live interface. Once again, this attention to detail demonstrates to what extent Arturia has went to provide the musician with as many tools as possible to realize vast possibilities. Spacialization: A superb addition to BRASS was the decision to incorporate this section. When you click on Spacialization you will see a window of the instrument (or instruments – depending on how many you have in your current patch). With this screen you can not only move the instrument left or right as you would do with a common pan control, but you can also move it forward and backwards to attain more of a “3D effect”. It works beautifully and creates a wonderful “space” when using multiple instruments. An Ambience control turns a “reverb type” effect on/off, an Amount control sets the intensity of reverb added to the sound, and a Color control provides for reverb tones between “cold and warm”. You can easily position an instrument into any spatial area to hear what it will sound like. This is particularly handy when working with multiple sounds. A very hip addition! Midi Manager: Clicking on the Midi Settings opens the Midi Manager screen. This is where you assign Midi control to Midi functions. These assignments are made in the standard “Arturia way” by connecting patch cables from controller to desired parameter. Select the controller you wish, click and drag and a line will appear. Drop it onto the parameter that you want and then let go. A cable will be completed to form a visible patch connection. You can assign multiple controllers to the same parameters also. For example, if you both velocity and the modulation wheel controlling pitch; just click and drag the cables.
All presets have their own Midi Manager settings. There are three modulation choices: keyboard, keyboard with aftertouch and breath controller. The Midi Manager has four freely assignable controllers which you can assign independently of the presets. A series of 10 “curves” are available when working with the controller/parameter connections. To set these, just select the “cable”, then the curve. Removing cables is as easy as clicking on the cable and clicking on “delete connection”. Perhaps one of the most unique features in this section is how Arturia provides a way to select each connection between a controller and a real time parameter and apply a different curve to each one. For example, if you have chosen the Modulation Wheel to control Timbre; just select any of the 10 available curves to choose how it will respond. POWERFUL! For setting your keyboard sensitivity for best response, there are also 2 knobs for Velocity and Aftertouch. This whole section is a very flexible and powerful division of BRASS and you will be well served to spend LOTS of time here! (Ed. Note – You might be getting the idea that BRASS has a number of powerful areas by now – but it’s true!) Details – Riff ModeThe Riff Mode is revealed by clicking on “Riff” from the main screen. Almost instantly you will see the screen break into 4 specific zones (see PHOTO 2). There are many similar aspects to the Live Mode here such as Spacialization, & Preset Management (the File area) so I won’t cover that here, but a lot of unique functions are available in Riff Mode, which are covered below…
Riff Mode permits the user to select/create/edit/export short riffs and then trigger them from his/her keyboard. Over 500 Riff patterns (and scores more once you’ve registered your software on the Arturia site!) are available right away. From this area you can select the Length, Tempo and Tune of each Riff before or even after you’ve started working on a Riff. A “Grid” which resembles the traditional “piano roll” editing screen in many software sequencers will be promptly recognized by sequencer users. Others will find it intuitive even though they’ve never worked with a grid like this before. Three tools are provided for entering, editing and erasing notes. I’ll cover this in the Edit Section below.
You can select up to 4 different instruments swiftly from the instrument group on the left hand side of the screen. A mute and solo button is provided for each instrument when wanting to single out or mute an instrument from a multi-instrument riff. “Riff Explorer” Directly under the Grid is the Riff Explorer. From here you can select from a substantial variety of presets consisting of diverse Styles of music. Styles are in one column while two other columns are for selecting the Instument, (such as a section of instruments), and choosing Riffs based on the current Style. The last column, “Modif” (modify) displays an asterisk (“*”) if any editing has been performed on a Riff. Clicking a Riff will instantaneously display the selection on the Grid and start playback of the sound. A handy Loop and Play button is available to keep the Riff going as you experiment with instruments, Spacialization and other parameters.
Editing Riffs: Clicking on “Edit” reveals the tools and additional screen that makes the Riff Grid really happen. Across the top of the Edit screen is an assortment of tools for working directly on the Grid as well as in the screen directly under the tools. The first three tools are the Pencil, Arrow and Eraser respectively. These are your principle tools when editing on the Grid. The Pencil is used to draw notes and to change note lengths, the Arrow selects or moves notes and the Eraser will erase notes. Once notes have been input on the Grid, they can be quantized by selecting the “Q” button at the upper left of the Grid. A nice selection of quantize options are available here by right-clicking with the mouse.
The remaining tools are for editing the real time controls in the Riff. These are the exact tools that are available in the Live Mode. By selecting the drop-down arrow and choosing one of the parameters such as Pressure, Pitch, Tone, etc., you can then select one of the tools to draw precisely how you want the parameter to respond. This is such an important feature that I’ll quickly describe what each tool does: 1. Line – this draws a straight line
2. Curve – creates curves that vary amplitude and direction. Multiple curves can be created within a view/
3. Noise – this adds noise to the modulation however it responds proportionally based on other parameters such as the distance of the mouse curve to the principal axis of the curve. Confused? It is much easier to hear than to explain so I defer to the manual here!
4. Sine – produces a sine wave curve on the horizontal axis
5. Square – creates square wave curves The realism attainable by working with these functions can be nothing short of amazing and is another area where lots of experimentation will yield exciting results. (Ok, I won’t state this again…) Midi Screen Settings : The Midi Screen Settings are quite different in Riff Mode compared to Live Mode. Since the Riff Mode provides for real-time playback of multiple riffs from triggered keys, Midi Synchronization is essential. Arturia provides 3 options; No Sync, Sync to Host and Sync to Tempo. No Sync is self-explanatory, Sync to Host will lock to the tempo of your sequencer and Sync to Tempo gives you the option to set any tempo that you desire.
A keyboard is also pictured in this screen and is divided into 2 zones, a Riff Zone and a Chord Zone. You can reverse them by clicking on Riff/Chord, (Chord/Riff is the default). Clicking on the keyboard will move the position of the Riff vs. the Chord so you can either select more Riffs or visa-versa. Under the heading “Trigg On” are 4 options which control how a riff responds when pressing a key (in either area – riff or chord). You can have the option of determining whether or not you want a riff to start playing when you press riff or chord. Likewise, the Hold Riff and Hold Chord allow you to release the pressed key yet continuing to play the beginning riff. Very nice! File Management: While I mentioned that this section is very much the same as in Live Mode, it does have two very important processes specific to Riffs. Those processes are “Import” and “Export”. Once you’ve either edited an existing Riff or created your own, you can export it as either a Midi file or by using Arturia’s own proprietary mode. Importing files is offered so a musician can have literally thousands of different Riff’s available at a few moments’ notice. In addition, File Management can create new banks, move presets and rename them easily. All things considered, the File Management system is detailed and well thought out and you’ll most likely have a great library of your own Riffs soon. Conclusions, Opinions, Thoughts, and THE FACTS… (NOT FOR SENSITIVE PEOPLE) Personal Statement: I am a reviewer of softsynths and I take that VERY SERIOUSLY. I spend hundreds of hours working with software that a manufacturer sends to me for review. I read their manuals, check their software on multiple computers and numerous sequencers and then use it in my studio on real sessions. I don’t “play favorites” and I can’t be bought, so when I make my statements, you can “take them to the bank” in terms of my totally honest opinion.
I must admit that this review has taken me over 3 months to complete. If you’ve got this far, then you realize that BRASS is an in-depth, mesmerizing program. I’ve used BRASS on an almost daily schedule, first just selecting a sound and playing it with my controller. Later, I went into the Riff Mode, started editing, and ultimately, I sat down with the manual in my lap, (as I always do) and go over every function & feature while at my computer. AND WHAT A DIFFERENCE IT MAKES… BRASS IS FOR THE CREATIVE SYNTHESIS PLAYER WHO ISN’T JUST LOOKING FOR “GOOD SOUNDS”. During the extended lag time while preparing this review, I couldn’t help but notice several of my favorite magazines score this program rather poorly. It might have made me “follow the leader” if I were that type of guy, but guess what? I simply can’t comprehend those scores IF these reviewers really “worked” this program. To be fair, reviewers are often called upon to make deadlines, get a quick overview of the product and then (and unfortunately so), make a swift judgment call based on what they’ve heard and experienced in the time that they had. The sad part is that on occasion, exceptional software, (and hardware), gets “swept under the rug” because one person tells another and eventually it expands to hundreds and even thousands of people who just reiterate what they’ve heard, (even though they haven’t checked out the product their selves.). The music world is overflowing with products that deserved much better and many are just now receiving their proper respect.. You can probably think of some right now. So what am I trying to say? Simply that I’m going to go “against the grain” and state that this is an EXCELLENT product, if not a BRILLIANT one! Cakewalknet.com prides itself upon speaking the truth about products that we review and believe in. Our editor, Hans Van Even, grants each reviewer complete control over his article and never obstructs the reviewers’ conclusions. With that said…. BRASS gives more bang for the buck than any softsynth that I’ve worked with in a long time. The process of taking a Brass instrument and controlling it in such a way that it becomes a part of a personal expression is exhilarating, electrifying, and sets a precedent that only you can experience, but many will marvel at how you produced it. BRASS IS TRULY WORTH IT PURCHASING. ARTURIA spent several years developing BRASS and they employed IRCAM, (look them up: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRCAM), and they didn’t rush the product out either. You’ve also got people like Tom Scott endorsing the product, and that’s a pretty heavy hitter and Phillippe Saisse isn’t a slacker either. Still, this didn’t bring me to my conclusions…..BUT HERE IS WHAT DID: THE POWER OF THE SOFTWARE
THE FLEXIBILITY OF THE SOFTWARE
THE SOUNDS YOU CAN PROVOKE FROM THE SOFTWARE
THE SUPERB OPTIONS AVAILABLE WHEN CREATING INSTRUMENTS
THE DESIGN, THE INOVATIVE FEATURES AND THE MOST SALIENT FEATURE OF ALL… THE ABILITY TO TAKE THESE INSTRUMENTS AND CREATE EXPRESSIVE, MUSICAL SOUNDS THAT ARE ALL YOUR OWN!!! Yes, I’ll be the first to admit that if you just play a few sounds, listen to a few Riffs and play around with your Modulation Wheel, then you’re not going to be totally blown away. BUT when you hear what you can accomplish by selecting a specific mouthpiece, or automating and controlling parameters, carefully setting Spacialization, utilizing Key Switching to instantly change from Legato to Short modes or affect the harmonics, designing curves for different parameters and then using your own ears and keyboard touch; I promise you, YOU WILL BE AMAZED! BRASS is much like working on the most important critical mix that is going onto your first universally released CD. You can’t take it for granted. You must pay attention, think about what you want and then…. You will be blown away by this product. Arturia has many other great features that I didn’t mention such as Chorus Mode for all instruments so you can even have a 4 instrument unison section, hundreds of new Riffs downloadable from their site, and a great manual detailing all aspects of what went into this software design. So, is it perfect? Well no. For example, I would love to have the ability to input my music directly from my keyboard controller in Riff Mode and I have experienced problems with the Syncrosoft Dongle, but that is definitely a *Syncrosoft problem, since I have many other pieces of software that use Syncrosoft without a hitch. Still, when you finally sit down and play this softsynth coupled with the knowledge of what the software can do, you will find yourself just itching to open it up and start using it each day. I’ve found and created sounds that have fooled real Brass musicians and I’ve taken the sounds “out to the edge”, where you still recognize it as Brass, but it has its own unique qualities. And isn’t that what we all really want to set us apart from everybody else, at least part of the time? Bottom Line – BRASS is a comprehensive, astonishing software package that has opened new avenues in the world of softsynths. I hope that Arturia continue to move in this direction because they aren’t just emulating anymore; they’re giving something back to musicians that we haven’t seen in years; and that is the capability to create, control and add soul back into the often sterile software that merely offers instant gratification and then rapidly loses it luster. Check BRASS out as soon as possible, don’t believe every review that you might have read, (check it out for yourself), and go to www.arturia.com and take a few minutes to seriously focus on the demos of BRASS. Then after listening to them, think about what you could do once you’ve added YOUR CREATIVE INPUT! BRASS IS A SENSATIONAL SOFTSYNTH TOOL. NOTE : Just before publication of this review, I was contacted by Syncrosoft regarding my iLok problem. They offered immediate assistance as well as a phone number so I could speak with them directly. I have called them and they are working on the minor problem that I have. This shows demonstrates an extraordinary commitment from Syncrosoft and I wanted to make sure that it was duly note here! UPDATE NOTE : I was issued a new authorization code and as soon as that code with installed into the existing key ALL issues were resolved! I now have more than 4 different keys installed on my computer and all are running perfectly! * Glen Heffner is a midi specialist, keyboardist/composer and engineer located in North Carolina, USA. He has a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano and operates an all digital studio. Currently he is working on an instrumental CD and completing a film score. You can check him out at www.majormidi.com or contact him at
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