Arturia has released Brass, their software recreation of the trumpet, saxophone, and trombone. Arturia claim this software allows you to play instruments like a professional performer would do: same control, flexibility, and expressiveness (without the years of training it takes to do so).

Brass also contains an extensive performance-based riff library which is entirely configurable and expandable. Organized by styles, these riffs are a great way to get started if you are not used to programming a horn. They can even be triggered during live performances.

Features:

• Three instruments available: Trumpet, Saxophone, Trombone.
• 8 parameters to control the instruments in real time:
  • Attack.
  • Pressure.
  • Pitch (for legatos, falls or expressivity).
  • Timbre of the instruments.
  • Noise amount in the instrument sound.
  • Vibrato.
  • Position of the instrument toward the microphone.
  • Mute (for trumpet and trombone).
• Total MIDI control of each parameter through powerful settings, control sense and hardness.
• Independent automation of each parameter via a dedicated control window.
• Configuration of the instruments: 4 attack and 4 vibrato types, material, humanization.
• More than 1000 riff presets in all music styles.
• Easy and fast searching of riffs with the preset explorer.
• Up to 4 simultaneous instruments in a riff.
• Editable length, tempo and tune of each riff.
• Riff editing with the zoomable pianoroll and independent parameter editing.
• Powerful editing options: solo, mute, 8 drawing tools.
• Import and export riff presets from and to MIDIfiles.
• Live playing of several riffs with the keyboard.
• Chorus mode for all instruments, up to 4 instruments unison section.
• Spatialization of the instruments in a configurable room.

Brass is available for Windows and Mac OS X in VST, DX, AU, HTDM and stand-alone formats and costs $349 / €279.