Whistles

While recording our upcoming expansion pack for The Recorder, a VI-Control forum member requested we make a comparable library for whistles. In our remaining time, we set out to sample several of the most common instruments: high D, C, and low F at the same quality as our flagship recorder library.

Featuring the same ultra-natural "True Legato+" process, 6 mic positions, performer, and space as The Recorder, Whistles is a compact but highly adaptable library ideal for a wide range of contexts.

Three Instruments

The three instruments were chosen for their sound, consistency, and ease of playing out of a variety of brands and models, forming a coherent set to choose from.

A consistent range of over a dozen articulations were performed on each instrument, including a variety of ornaments, two speeds of vibrato, trills, and slides, allowing complex phrasing to be built up as needed with extreme accuracy.

A sharper recorder-style attack can be triggered on any sustain articulation simply by using higher velocity, providing a natural sense of articulation.

State-of-the-Art Recordings

6 sets of microphones were used to record the whistles at various distances and with various sound qualities. These microphones were hand-chosen for their low noise and high accuracy, over more traditional recording mics, many of which are an order of magnitude or two more noisy.

Up close, the AEA N28 stereo ribbon mic provides a warm, focused sound while retaining 100% mono compatibility with its coincident Blumlein configuration.

Via dropdown, you can alternately select a close pair of Neumann TLM 170's, which provide more articulation and detail and are a top choice for soloist spot mics.

For mids, two pairs of SDCs also provide two contrasting views: the laboratory reference Gefell M221 measurement omnis vs. M310 supercardioid SDC's. Spaciousness vs. detail.

Rather than compromise by choosing one or the other, VISAGE lets you mix continuously between the two mid mics, creating a "virtual mic" of any pattern between omni and supercardioid.

The main position is filled by a pair of the mighty Gefell UM930's. Among the most expensive and rarest solid state mics in existence due to its unique dual-capsule design, this microphone is extremely low noise (7 dBA) with an articulate, present character inspired by vintage designs.

Further out in the room, a pair of Gefell M950 wide cardioids with equally low self noise and spacious but detailed wide cardioid pattern provide the perfect sound for blending with your favorite samples from scoring stages and concert halls.

True Legato+ & Extended Articulation Control

Many libraries today promise natural legato intervals, only to provide a stilted delivery due to a simpler (and cheaper) recording method which requires two crossfades, in and out.

Whistles eschews this practice and utilizes instead a vastly more time consuming method which eliminates the need for the second crossfade, giving a beautifully natural transition.

A more "traditional" set of legatos are provided for contexts requiring looped destination notes as well as on vibrato legato.

VISAGE exposes full control over every parameter of the legato behavior, allowing you to tune the legato exactly to taste.

On the velocity axis, you can control the shape of the attack when articulating at the start of a legato series, plus use pitch bend to access additional ornaments without even needing to insert keyswitches or exit the legato articulation, making live performance natural and intuitive.

Sampled ornamented repetitions allow you to enter ornaments mid-note without needing to rearticulate.

With trills, three layers of velocity control allow for a slow ramp, immediate start, or an accented immediate start for an unusually natural response.

All articulations feature 2-6 RR for natural repetitions and variations.

Advanced Control

Utilizing the VISAGE 3 engine to its fullest, Whistles packs in a range of controls over every aspect of the instrument including but not limited to:

• Volume, pan, width, solo/mute, purge, and routing for each mic position.
• Blendable OH microphones (continuous variable pattern control).
• Full velocity curve control.
• Dynamic range control.
• Velocity-based accents.
• Complete control of Legato behavior per-articulation.
• Separate control over volume & length of releases.
• Moveable keyswitch block.
• Transposition.
• Range limiting for building splits/multis.
• Easy-access reverb settings.
• Fully customizable tuning & temperaments engine.
• Neighbor-borrowing RR (customizable).
• Integration with NKS/NI keyboards.
• MIRAGE FX control panel
  • Exposes and simplifies Kontakt's internal FX engine.
  • Utilizes the latest FX in Kontakt 7.
  • Easy FX Presets system interoperable between VISAGE 3 products.
  • Modular construction allows updates to VISAGE/MIRAGE FX separately.

Complementary Colors

Whistles is the perfect complement to The Recorder, our flagship sample library of 27 different recorders from the Baroque and Renaissance periods.

It also plays excellently with our folk instrument library, Musicmakers Vol I.

Also coming soon is Modern Recorders, our first major expansion for The Recorder, featuring an unprecedented level of detail and depth with 4x the recordings per instrument.

{See video at top of page}