EastWest Hollywood Orchestra Opus Edition, Forbidden Planet and String Machine Virtual Instrument Bundle, Download

- Orchestra Opus Edition -

The Best-selling And Most Awarded Virtual Orchestra
Hollywood Orchestra Opus Edition is the best-selling and most awarded orchestral virtual instrument ever created. Produced by industry titans Doug Rogers and Nick Phoenix and sound engineered by Academy Award and BAFTA winner Shawn Murphy, Hollywood Orchestra Opus Edition is the culmination of over a decade of recording and programming and is the industry standard for achieving professional sounding orchestral soundtracks. And now it includes over 130 GBs in brand new recordings, reimagined original content, powerful new features housed in our revolutionary OPUS engine, and Hollywood Orchestrator, a must-have tool for composers who want to create a blockbuster soundtrack in seconds.

Brand new recordings and reimagined original content
Brand new recordings include a new 18 violin string section for Hollywood Strings, new ensembles for Hollywood Brass and Hollywood Orchestral Woodwinds, plus new string, brass, and wind multi ensembles. "The new 18 violins are an alternate to the first 16 violins of the original library. They have a different sound," says producer Nick Phoenix, "the players are different. The vibrato is different. The legato is the best we have ever recorded. They work well with the existing collection or as a replacement for the original 1st violins. The new 2 tenor trombones have a completely different sound from the 3 trombones in the original collection. The new trombones are warm, full, and extremely precise. 2 trumpets were recorded again using two of the best players in the Hollywood film score scene. The legato is blazing at high velocities and sounds like a live performance."

The programming of the original content from Hollywood Orchestra has been updated to take advantage of the features included in the new Opus software engine, as well as the Hollywood Solo Instrument Series (now included in this expansion). Particular focus was placed on Hollywood Orchestral Woodwinds. After improving the original woodwinds, new ensembles were recorded, including 3 bassoons, 3 clarinets, and 3 flutes. "Once again, this was a huge success because of the quality of the players," says Phoenix, "Each woodwind ensemble works together on a regular basis and the tuning and timing are immaculate. These new recordings are unmatched in the virtual instruments world. The Opus Edition also includes new string, brass and wind multi ensembles that have a unique fat sound that captures the tuning of a large orchestra playing together in a live setting."

Powerful New Controls
Powerful new controls include Master key-switches where all articulations can be fully customized in the new OPUS articulation palette. You can customize the sound of each instrument using the new MOODS feature. Classic Mood is the original Hollywood Orchestra sound. Soft modifies the sound for slower, more emotional passages. Epic Mood does the opposite, giving you a sound perfectly suited for your next Action Adventure score. Each mood changes the settings and look of the interface, which has been completely redesigned and stylized for Hollywood Strings, Hollywood Orchestral Woodwinds, Hollywood Percussion, Hollywood Solo Violin, Hollywood Solo Cello, and Hollywood Harp. In addition, we simplified all instrument versions down to LITE and MAX, making Hollywood Strings in particular much easier to navigate.

That Magical Hollywood Sound
Of course, Multiple Academy Award and BAFTA winner Shawn Murphy was brought back to sound engineer the new recordings. Shawn Murphy is one of the most prolific sound engineers and mixers in the history of cinema. Just some of his over 5000 feature film credits include the Star Wars, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, and Hunger Games franchises, Jurassic Park and the Lost World, Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan, Mission: Impossible, Apollo 13, and Titanic. Shawn Murphy has created special mic mixes for Hollywood Orchestra Opus Edition, including an additional "Stage" mic position for all new instruments that is perfect for capturing the sound of EastWest Studio One, the home of countless film and television soundtracks.

Our Revolutionary New Opus Software Engine
Our brand new OPUS software engine replaces PLAY after 5 years of development. "Many improvements were made to the PLAY software engine over the last decade but we suddenly had a unique opportunity," says producer Doug Rogers, "we were able to bring Wolfgang Kundrus in as head of software development. He was the mastermind behind the creation of Cubase, Nuendo, and Studio One. Then we were able to bring in Wolfgang Schneider, the creator of Kontakt. With these two titans of music software development now on our team, we decided it was time to develop a brand new software engine from the ground up.

- Forbidden Planet -

Ultimate Cinematic Inspiration
Forbidden Planet features over 600 expertly crafted morphing synths across categories such as Arpeggiator, Bass, Drones, FX, Leads, Pads, and Poly Synth. Freely morph between electronic layers, acoustic instruments, and futuristic sounds - perfect for soundtracks, EDM, hip hop and more. Featuring a brand-new suite of post-processing and mixing tools, insane filter modulation, and an extensive rack of effects, you now have the ability to break away from everything that has come before with new controls, powered by the critically-acclaimed OPUS engine, that offer unprecedented sonic shaping power with presets completely customizable by the user.

A Synth Plugin For The Future
The idea for FORBIDDEN PLANET started when producers DOUG ROGERS and NICK PHOENIX set out to create EASTWEST's first fully featured synth collection, not based on traditional oscillators, but combining electronic synth layers with orchestral, world instruments, choral samples, sound effects and more into one enormous collection - creating a new sound palette designed for the future, not the past. Producers Rogers and Phoenix were dissatisfied with most synths, which typically had a small percentage of usable patches and a lot of filler. Now with the new OPUS engine, they had all the tools they needed to create the ultimate collection of cinematic inspiration. Everything was meticulously captured with a state of the art analog signal chain, resulting in the fattest analog synths on the planet.

Hybrid Synth Armageddon
Crossfade between sound sources and filter settings with the central XY pad, allowing you to capture morphing hybrid sounds in moments. By moving the Orbital Control, you can dynamically capture broad but smooth shifts in both timbre and frequency content. Moving left and right changes the blend amount between two contrasting sources, chosen from analog, acoustic, synthetic, and large-scale cinematic sounds. The vertical position controls filter frequency and is perfect for creating sweeping gestures, manipulating the output however you see fit.

Insane Filter Modulation
The XY Pad isn't the only way to control the filter - simply pull up the filter section of the UI and you can pop open the hood, controlling the modulation depth. The Mod Envelope allows you to add an ADSR-style envelope onto the filter cutoff, automating its movement with each note, while the Step LFO section produces a gated rhythm as the sequencer modulates the filter cutoff frequency. This leaves you free to play with the XY Pad, creating progressive textures and drones to set the tone of the atmosphere you want to build.

- String Machine -

Back to the Retro Future
Paying homage to the great vintage synthesizers of the 60s, 70s, and 80s, String Machine brings the past into the future. Produced by sound titans Doug Rogers and Nick Phoenix, String Machine samples from some of the greats - the Arp Solina, Oberheim OBX, Roland RS-505, and the Roland Jupiter 6 - and allows you to instantly combine them with modern strings, brass, woodwinds, and vocals to create unique vintage vibes perfect for your next pop, rock, or hip-hop masterpiece.

A Classic User Interface
String Machine's user interface takes inspiration from the design of vintage string machine synthesizers. From the chunky instrument switches adorned along the front panel, to the glide of envelope sliders, and the click of push buttons, String Machine's form and function is informed by the original hardware units.

Global Main Controls
Add final touches to an instrument's master stereo output (which sums together each of the 4 instrument sections) with volume, pan, stereo field, and filter.

Global Send Controls
Click the Reverb switches along the top to turn the 4 reverb presets on and off, allowing you to quickly audition the different types, and try various combinations of reverb presets. Use the Send knobs to dial in the desired amount of reverb, which simultaneously sends all 4 instrument sections to the given reverb send effect.

Volume
Control the volume of each instrument section, allowing you to blend multi-layered sounds together with ease.

Effects
Enable the Chorus and Ensemble Chorus effects on and off. String Machines were well known for their ensemble chorus effects, and the one included in String Machine features 3 modes, each with distinct characteristics. With effect emulations modeled from the ARP Solina, and Roland VP-330 hardware units, along with a 'Modern' mode, our Ensemble Chorus effect delivers everything from vintage warmth and thickness, to modern transparency and dimension.

Envelopes
Use the 4-stage envelope (attack, decay, sustain, release) to control the volume of each instrument section over time.