Best Service recently released Xsample Chamber Ensemble (XCE), a new virtual instrument library of high-quality solo instruments for chamber music and chamber orchestra. This collection breathes new life into solo instruments with thousands of combinations of orchestration styles for a more lively and diversified sound.

XCE comes equipped with a Kontakt2 Player engine which significantly expands user' options when XCE is used in conjunction with certain composition programs. For instance, XCE with Kontakt2 is able to work out an elaborated interface for the adaptation of the notation programs Finale and Sibelius. Due to the harmonic interaction between the Xsample instruments and these composition programs, users' notated ideas can come alive in a musically interpreted manner.

With several instrument variations, including stereo and mono, Xsample easily handles numerous key switches using Kontakt2 as well as globally occupied key switches. For example, you can easily find "sul pont" for violin, viola, violoncello and double bass all on the same key.

Included instruments

Solo Strings

• Violin
• Viola
• Violoncello
• Doublebass

Woodwinds 1

• Flute
• Oboe
• Clarinet
• Bassoon

Woodwinds 2

• Piccolo
• English Horn
• Bassclarinet
• Contrabassoon

Woodwinds 3

• Bassflute
• Oboe d'amore
• Bassethorn

Harp & Keys

• Concert Harp
• Steinway B
• Celesta
• Spinet
• Clavichord
• Toy Piano

Mallets

• Marimbaphone
• Xylophone
• Vibraphone
• Glockenspiel
• Crotales

Percussion

Gran cassa, sidedrum, cymbals, cymbals bowed, cymbals muted, tam-tam, triangle, tambourine, claves, woodblocks, castanets, bar chimes, wind chimes, tom-toms, watergongs, rattle, scraper, steel plates, small anvil, hand bell, tibet bowl, maracas, cabasa, rainmaker, hi hat, bongos, conga, diatonic steeldrum, "frog", horn, trainpipe, "bird", metronom, kazoo, lotosflute, jew's harps, kalimba, friction drums, talk drum.

Pricing & Availability

Via the included Kontakt Player, Xsample Chamber Ensemble is available for Windows and Mac OS X in VST, AU, RTAS and stand-alone formats. It retails for €599 / $795.