Synchron Duality Strings (fx)

Synchron Duality Strings (fx) features two string ensembles playing experimental string effects that were recorded at once, performing simultaneously in separate rooms at Vienna Synchron Stage. While the large ensembles played their instruments in the spacious Stage A, the small ensembles played in the intimate, drier Stage B.

Genuine musical innovation requires venturing into uncharted territories, and Duality Strings (fx) takes users on a journey into an entirely new world of experimental string effects. From intriguing noises and strange artifacts to creative clusters and seemingly impossible techniques, it pushes the boundaries of traditional string performance, exploring methods rarely – or never – seen in standard practice. The musicians of the Vienna Synchron Orchestra rose to the challenge with excitement and curiosity, leaving convention behind in the process. The outcome is a collection of groundbreaking techniques, ranging from haunting textures and explosive bursts of energy to experimental sounds that defy the traditional rules of string playing.

Staying true to the Duality Strings concept, users can blend the lush, ambient sound of the full ensemble with the direct immediacy of a chamber-sized group. Recorded simultaneously at Vienna Synchron Stage, the larger ensemble performed in the iconic Stage A, while the smaller group played in the drier Stage B. Both ensembles performed together, with the conductor on the podium in Stage A also directing the ensemble in Stage B via video monitors. Thanks to this unique setup, all musical aspects are flawlessly aligned.

Included Techniques:

• Cross slides.
• Glissando clusters.
• Measured vibrato.
• Pulsing clusters.
• Cluster trills.
• Shuffled shorts.
• Glissando short to/from cluster.
• Glissando détaché to/from cluster.
• Pizzicato glissando.
• Pizzicato on finger nails.
• Hammer-on.
• Vertical bowing.
• Aleatoric chaos.
• Scratches.
• Natural harmonics.
• Open strings clusters.
• Behind the bridge.
• Pegs down-tuning.

The Standard Library and Full Library of Synchron Duality Strings (fx) both include the same articulations. The difference lies in the number of provided microphone positions.

{See video at top of page}