East West / Quantum Leap has announced six new virtual instruments, all powered by PLAY, their new 64-bit Advanced Sample Engine with built-in Network Control (see additional news item).

The instruments are (details are below):

• Fab Four
• Quantum Leap Pianos
• Quantum Leap Gypsy
• Quantum Leap Ministry Of Rock
• Quantum Leap Voices Of Passion
• Quantum leap SD2 The Next Generation.

All instruments are expected to ship in March 2007. Fab Four and Gypsy have MSRPs of $395 while the rest have MSRPs of $495 each. They will be available for Windows and Mac OS X Universal Binary in VST, Audio Units, RTAS and stand-alone formats. If you pre-order now you can save 10%.

Fab Four is a virtual instrument inspired by the sounds of the Beatles, using the same kind of instruments and recording equipment the Beatles used to create their music. No expense was spared finding the same kind of equipment the Beatles used to create their sounds to produce this collection.

Well over a million dollars worth of rare period instruments, amplifiers, microphones, recording desks (including very rare EMI REDD tube and TG12345 desks), outboard equipment (including Fairchild limiters and EMI RS124 modified Altec compressors), and Studer J-37 tube multi-tracks were used in this production.

Recording:

• Engineered by KEN SCOTT (Beatles/David Bowie/Elton John/Supertramp etc.).
• Includes authentic rare period guitars (acoustic and electric), basses, drums, keyboards, stringed and other misc instruments.
• The same kind of microphones were used to record all instruments (Neumann/AKG/Cole/STC).
• The same kind of period amplifiers - Vox AC30 (1963), Fender Showman (1967), Fender DeLuxe (1967), Fender Tan Showman (1963), Vox Defiant (1966), Vox 730 (1966), Vox 7120 (1966), Fender Bassman (1963) - were used with the electric guitars.
• The same kind of recording desks and preamps, including a very rare EMI REDD tube desk, EMI TG12345 desk (the same kind of desk used to record Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon"), and EMI REDD47 preamps, were used to record all instruments.
• The same kind of limiters (Fairchild) and compressors (rare EMI RS124 modified Altec) were used for dynamics control.
• The same kind of Studer J-37 tube 4-track was used to record everything.

Instruments:

• Guitars (some costing over $200,000 each) played by Laurence Juber (Paul McCartney and Wings) include Gretsch Firebird (1959), Gretsch Tennessean (1963), Rickenbacker 360-12 (1965), Martin D-28 (1966), Fender Stratocaster (1956), Epiphone Casino (1956), Fender Telecaster (1951), Gibson SG (1960), Les Paul Goldtop (1957), Gibson J200 (1966), Hofner Bass (1963) and Rickenbacker Bass (1964).
• Guitars were sampled with up and down strokes, multiple velocities and picking styles, some with chords and effects.
• Most of the sounds would be impossible to create without all of the above equipment. For example, the "revostortion" guitar sound was created by feeding a Epiphone Casino guitar into one EMI REDD 47 preamp, and the output into a second EMI REDD 47 preamp, which is exactly how it was created originally by the EMI/Abbey Road engineers.
• Drums played by DENNY SEIWELL (Paul McCartney and Wings) include a rare 1960 Ludwig downbeat kit with Zildjian cymbals (snare 5 x 14/toms 9 x 13/16 x 16/kick 22 x 14/zildjan 20" crash ride/18" crash medium/14" Hi-Hat).
• Drums are all multi-sampled with up to 16 velocity layers, left and right hand. The sounds were all matched to a particular style (e.g. A Day in the Drums, Ticket to Drums, Yer Drums). We even recorded some heavily modulated cymbals through a Fairchild limiter for authenticity.
• Keyboards include Baldwin Electric Harpsichord (Because I'm a Harpsichord), Clavioline (Baby I'm a Clavioline), Birthday Piano (through VOX Defiant guitar amp), Lucy in the Lowery, Strawberry Flutes, We Can Work a Harmonium, and other stringed instruments including Swarmandel Forever.

Effects:

• Includes a software version of ADT (artificial double tracking) with built-in tape simulator, created and programmed specially for this project.
• All instruments are newly recorded multi-samples for this collection, none of the sounds came from any Beatles music or records.

Quantum Leap Pianos is a detailed collection of the world's finest grand pianos, recorded in EastWest Studios with 3 mic positions for each piano.

Pianos:

• Bechstein D-280 Concert Grand Piano - close mics engineered by KEN SCOTT (Elton John/Supertramp/David Bowie/Beatles).
• Steinway D Concert Grand Piano.
• Bösendorfer 290 Concert Grand Piano.
• Yamaha C7 Grand Piano.

Quick Facts:

• 150 Gb of content at 24-bit/44.1k quality.
• Sample management system offers 50% more efficiency compared to other piano collections.
• Load any piano or mic position.
• 3 positions are included per piano for maximum flexibility.
• 10-16 velocities per note (and again in soft pedal, sustain pedal, and soft sustain).
• 16 velocity staccato on every piano.
• Repetition samples taken from 180 BPM performances for a true repetition sound and not simply an alternate take.
• Software detects true repetitions.
• Resonance - pedal resonance recorded for every note at multiple velocities, as well as with the soft pedal down.
• Proprietary resonance captured on the Bösendorfer.
• True multi-velocity soft pedal samples with and without sustain pedal.
• Release samples with software envelope follower.
• Articulations on each piano include:
  • pedal resonance
  • staccato
  • soft pedal
  • sustain
  • repetitions
• Recorded in a proper piano environment with vintage Neumann microphones, Meitner AD converters and a vintage 8078 Neve console.
• Stereo swap possible in software.
• Mic position mixing in software.
• Lid position simulation.
• Articulation matrix for quick and straightforward loading.
• Powerful streaming engine with high polyphony counts.

Quantum Leap Gypsy is a collection of detailed virtual instruments capable of playing completely realistic performances. The nylon string guitar, violin and trombone can play in both gypsy and classical styles. The violin and trombone feature many articulations, repetitions and even true legato intervals. All of the guitars were sampled with up and down strokes, many velocities and picking styles, release trails, chords and effects. The accordions feature many different setups, all with air flow in and out samples as well as expressive samples, chords and left hand bass. Gypsy also has a gypsy percussion program and two flamenco dancers foot stomps as well as traditional castanets.

Quick facts:

• Approximately 8 Gb.
• Solo instruments with unprecedented detail.
• Violin (true legato intervals) classical and gypsy style.
• Classical Guitar.
• Flamenco Guitar.
• Django Style Guitar.
• Spanish Steel String Guitar.
• Campana Accordion.
• Silvestri Accordion.
• Excelsior Accordion.
• Trombone (true legato intervals) classical and gypsy style.
• Flamenco Dancer.
• Gypsy percussion.

Quantum Leap Ministry Of Rock is a huge 18 Gb collection of Rock Drums, Basses and Guitars recorded in the famous East West Studio 2. It features sounds used in today's music and the entire library was created with one goal in mind: to create a virtual instrument capable of producing sounds that could actually produce a hit record or film score without any live drum, bass or guitar overdubs. Articulations and programming was all reverse engineered from actual performances.

Special Features:

• Legato Bass and Guitar Samples.
• Legato and Staccato Repetitions.
• Playable rhythm guitars and leads, clean and distorted.
• Release samples.
• Guitars and basses recorded in dual amp configurations and software allows user to choose amp, or mix the sound from both amps.
• Dynamic bass that can play everything from ballads to the most hardcore music imaginable.
• Round robin bass drums, snares, toms and hats. performance drum hits extracted from live playing.
• The world famous studio 2 rock drum sound featured on countless gold records.
• Drumkits are also optimized for use with Roland VDrums.

Instruments

Drumkits:

• Octaplus (9 Toms).
• Ayotte.
• Ludwig.
• Gretch (the actual kit used to make Metallica's Black record).

Basses (All recorded thru an Ampeg SVT rig and an Ashdown rig):

• Fender P-Bass Custom.
• Fender 5 String.
• Specter and Kubiki basses.

Guitars (All recorded thru Marshall, Fender, Bogner, Vox and Budda amps):

• Fender Telecaster.
• Fender Stratocaster.
• Gibson Les Paul.
• Ibanez Universe 7.
• PRS guitars.

Quantum Leap Voices Of Passion is a virtual instrument of Female Vocalists from Wales, Syria, India, Bulgaria and America. Ethereal, Passionate, Flowing, Mysterious, Wailing and Whispering vocals for Film, TV and Game composers as well as Songwriters, New Age Artists and Zen Horticulturists. Altos and Sopranos.

Voices Of Passion features five female artists singing vowels, words, morphing vowels, effects, phrases, calls, whispers and breath noises. It features true legato intervals. The Middle Eastern and Indian phrases are presented in a construction kit format allowing users to create very long consistent performances.

Facts:

• Approximately 8 Gb of vocals.
• Female Vocalists from Wales, Syria, India, Bulgaria and America.
• All singers recorded with great attention paid towards pitch.
• Oo, oh and ah true legato intervals.
• Over 1000 ethnic phrases.
• Phrase generator for Welsh vocals.
• Expressive samples, non vibrato, delayed vibrato.
• Ethereal style, breathy vocals.
• New Age vocal performances, staccato and swells.

Quantum Leap SD2 The Next Generation is the sequel to Stormdrum. SD2 The Next Generation is a 10 Gb collection of multi-sampled acoustic percussion instruments. All recorded with vintage Neumann microphones in the famous East West Studio 1.

Instruments:

• Tibetan, Indian and Chinese Bells and Gongs.
• Indonesian Hand Drums.
• Anklung.
• Udu.
• Chinese Bowl Drums.
• 5 ft. O Daiko.
• Earthquake Ensemble.
• Sound Design Percussion.
• Devil Chasers.
• Whale Drum.
• Giant Log Drums.
• and the biggest floor tom on earth, specifically built for this project by Remo.

SD2 The Next Generation also features typical drums like congas and bongos.