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2003-02-10 by Bill Canty
Julie Larson wrote: > > Did you know that quite apart from > the variations from instrument to instrument, the method used in > shaping the reed of an oboe can have an amazing effect on the > tone...Players often have a box of reeds they use to create different > tones and effects. No, I didn't know that. Maybe that explains why the Vienna Symphonic solo oboe demo doesn't sound as "nasal" as I've come to expect an oboe to sound...?
2003-02-11 by Edmund Eagan
On Monday, February 10, 2003, at 06:40 PM, Bill Canty wrote: > > Maybe that explains why the Vienna Symphonic solo oboe demo doesn't > sound as "nasal" as I've come to expect an oboe to sound...? Probably the Vienna has a darker, Germanic sound rather than the brighter nasal quality you would hear from a French player. -------- Edmund Eagan www.twelfthroot.com
2003-02-11 by Bill Canty
Edmund Eagan wrote: > > On Monday, February 10, 2003, at 06:40 PM, Bill Canty wrote: > > > > Maybe that explains why the Vienna Symphonic solo oboe demo doesn't > > sound as "nasal" as I've come to expect an oboe to sound...? > > Probably the Vienna has a darker, Germanic sound Ahhh, so that's the problem...? 5 terebytes of perfect orchestral samples ruined by an oboe that doesn't sound like what the rest of the world thinks an oboe should sound like! :-( > rather than the > brighter nasal quality you would hear from a French player. Or any other player I've ever heard. (And yes - I've heard lots of real oboes, not just pretend ones from sound modules.) Cheers, Bill Canty
2003-02-11 by Murray McDowall
Bill Canty wrote: > > > Probably the Vienna has a darker, Germanic sound > > Ahhh, so that's the problem...? > > 5 terebytes of perfect orchestral samples ruined by an oboe that doesn't > sound like what the rest of the world thinks an oboe should sound like! :-( Someone please correct me if I am mistaken but isn't the Vienna Sympony Orchestra a rather distinctive orchestra -- until recently all male and made up almost exclusively of players trained in the tradition of that orchestra with rather specific ideas about tone etc -- not just for oboe but for strings etc? If it is indeed the one I am thinking of this approach gives the orchestra a unique sound and that would be what was being marketed in this library. Regards, Murray
2003-02-11 by Mark Hiskey
If you're not yet familiar with the Vienna Symphonic Library, I encourage you to check out the info and, more importantly, the demos on their website: http://www.vsl.co.at A guaranteed learning experience... and soon to be EXS native, BTW. -Mark ILIO
On 2/10/03 8:20 PM, "Murray McDowall" <murraymc@...> wrote: > Bill Canty wrote: > >> >>> Probably the Vienna has a darker, Germanic sound >> >> Ahhh, so that's the problem...? >> >> 5 terebytes of perfect orchestral samples ruined by an oboe that doesn't >> sound like what the rest of the world thinks an oboe should sound like! :-( > > > Someone please correct me if I am mistaken but isn't the Vienna Sympony > Orchestra a rather distinctive orchestra -- until recently all male and made > up > almost exclusively of players trained in the tradition of that orchestra with > rather specific ideas about tone etc -- not just for oboe but for strings etc? > > If it is indeed the one I am thinking of this approach gives the orchestra a > unique sound and that would be what was being marketed in this library. > > Regards, > Murray > > > > > To unsubscribe from this group, send a blank email to: > exs-users-unsubscribe@egroups.com > For a list of places to get free samples please see: > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/exs-users/links/ > > > > > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ > >
2003-02-11 by dcornutt <dcornutt@nyc.rr.com>
There are several schools of thought about oboe as far as sound goes. A great deal of this goes into the reeds they make..etc. The basic split in the oboe world as far as sound goes are 1) more "buzzy" that gives it more "presence". (more pointed but not "round" center to tone. (baroque instruments tend to be like this...as are early string instruments) 2) center of tone more on top...thinner..more cutting 3) center of tone more middle ..darker..smoother (can have wider center and more volume with harder reed..or..more pointed but still round center) 4)center of tone much wider...(which is what you are hearing in the VSL...using a very hard, stiff reed that gives a loud more spread out sound. (more common in Europe than here) You can hear examples of these types of oboe playing thruout the US orchestras...but I think the main school of thought here would probably be that most oboists here strive for more pointed "center" to the sound..with the largest variables being whether that center is more in the middle and slightly larger..to a smaller more cutting center on top..as opposed to volume or loudness to the sound of the instrument via a very hard stiff reed. The very wide spread out sound..is not as common here in the states..but there are some people who play this way. These schools of thought revolve around what makes the instrument "project" more....thinner more pointed sound? Or, a larger middle center? And, which one of these sounds best exemplifies the character of the oboe and the parts for which it was written as played along with the other instrument timbres. Players who follow one school or another (and in between) tend to have very strong opinions about which one is better. (even for specific styles of music). My wife plays oboe, english horn. I had her listen to the VSL oboe samples. She thought it was quite amazing that samples could sound so good (she's used to hearing my kurz and a couple of small Miroslav mini oboe samples). But, the first thing she said was...wow..that's a hard reed. The hard reed...can be more "open" at the tip (between the 2 reed ends)...and it vibrates harder..which gives you that very wide, loud, spread out sound...much like a clarinet in timbre. Speaking of which...if you listen to the clarinet samples..you'll hear the same thing (hard reed, big sound thats very wide). She personally doesn't care for that type of oboe sound, but that doesn't mean it sounds bad. On the contrary, she thought it sounded quite good (or I should say that it was reproduced accurately). She mentioned that this kind of sound blends very well (but can tend to get lost). She said that the hard reed can produce a lot of volume out of the instrument but that because the tonal center is so spread out and wide ..that it still tends to get lost..or be rather, non descript from the back of a concert hall. It's not just dark, its very .."non pointed" which they try to make up for with volume. It's just a different school of thought about how the instrument is played and the approach to playing it. I understand that VSL is going to be adding more/different oboe samples in the future. I think this is a great way to do it. From my wifes perspective, she thinks they are GREAT samples. What you are hearing is not something wrong with the samples..but an accurate reproduction of "one" school of thought about oboe sound (more common to European orchestras..but not without it's proponents here in the states). My wife thought they did it perfectly for this style of oboe playing. But, we too look forward to some examples of the "other" styles of playing as we have no doubt that they too will be done very, very well as these have. --- In exs-users@yahoogroups.com, Edmund Eagan <ed@t...> wrote: > > On Monday, February 10, 2003, at 06:40 PM, Bill Canty wrote: > > > > Maybe that explains why the Vienna Symphonic solo oboe demo doesn't > > sound as "nasal" as I've come to expect an oboe to sound...? > > Probably the Vienna has a darker, Germanic sound rather than the
> brighter nasal quality you would hear from a French player. > -------- > Edmund Eagan > www.twelfthroot.com
2003-02-11 by Nick Batzdorf
>5 terebytes of perfect orchestral samples ruined by an oboe that doesn't >sound like what the rest of the world thinks an oboe should sound like! :-( Come on now! Have you heard the demos of that library? http://vsl.co.at/intro It's almost silly using the same word (sampling) to describe these new libraries and what we've had since the late '80s. Anyway, there's nothing to prevent you from using another oboe if you don't like that one. > > rather than the >> brighter nasal quality you would hear from a French player. Bill Canty <bill@...> >Or any other player I've ever heard. (And yes - I've heard lots of real >oboes, not just pretend ones from sound modules.) I've mostly heard pretend ones who double on oboe! (Just kidding, of course...) -- Nick Batzdorf 818/905-9101, cell 590-9101, fax 905-5434
2003-02-11 by Bill Canty
"dcornutt " wrote: > [A REALLY thorough answer!] > > I understand that VSL is going to be adding more/different oboe > samples in the future. I think this is a great way to do it. Bewdy! :-) Thanks heaps for such a thorough and informed answer - it explains a lot! Cheers, Bill Canty