JXL Brass - Orchestral Tools

[Tanuj Tiku]

Aimed at professional and non-professional music creator users alike, Junkie XL Brass offers a full orchestral brass set-up in a single package, recorded with a highly consistent set of articulations for all instruments and sections. As with previous Orchestral Tools collections, Junkie XL Brass was recorded at the Teldex Scoring Stage in Berlin, a distinctively balanced 450 m² hall with sublime acoustics and the finest microphones from the last five decades.

Classic brass instruments – trumpets, French horns, trombones, cimbassi and a tuba – were sampled in many different section sizes to provide maximum depth and versatility, with a dynamic range going from whisper-quiet pianissimo to thunderously loud fortissimo, and including a total of 16 microphone positions.

Exclusive Pre-Order Special Masterclass

All Pre-order customers will receive an exclusive online „Junkie XL Brass Masterclass“ where Tom himself, live and in real time, will give a hands-on tutorial on how to get the most from this brass collection, as well as some special tips and tricks. Tom will show you how to use this unique tool to its full potential, helping you to take your compositions to that next level.

Tom Holkenborg is widely regarded as one of Hollywood’s most innovative film composers, a multi-billion box office presence, who fuses natural musicality with a mastery of cutting-edge studio techniques.

“I am a perfectionist in the studio, and was determined to bring that level of attention and detail to my first sample library,” said Holkenborg. “I want this pack to inspire my fellow composers, at whatever level they may be working, and give them access to the best possible product that I could make.”


Junkie XL Brass - Highlights

Product concept by Tom Holkenborg
Full orchestral brass setup
Trumpets - Horns - Trombones - Cimbassi - Tuba
Recorded solo and in different section sizes to provide maximum depth and versatility
Highly consistent set of articulations for all instruments
Smooth dynamic crossfading thanks to five recorded dynamic layers for each instrument
Dynamic range going from whisper-quiet pianissimo to thunderously loud fortissimo
16 microphone positions - unprocessed and production ready mixes by Alan Meyerson
Full brass patch for sketching ideas

Mic Merging & Download Customization

Junkie XL Brass offers a total of 16 microphone positions ranging from unprocessed to production-ready mixes by renowned movie scoring mixer Alan Meyerson. The highly innovative Mic Merging feature allows you to save on resources: simply create your custom mic mix and save it as a single position.

If your disk space is limited, you can customize your download by selecting the mic positions you need – alternatively, you can download them all and see which ones work best with your ideas.

The Junkie XL Brass Pre-Order Special (499€ + VAT) will be available until the release of the collection, December 16. The normal price will be 749€ + VAT.

Find all information about Junkie XL Brass on jxlbrass.com

[kpc]

I may have gotten to a place where these kinds of announcements just don't excite me. Is it possible I have everything I need to get my job done?

I find myself a lot more excited about doing smaller projects with real players in the room then buying yet another library.

[Tanuj Tiku]

Kayle, yes it’s another brass library after all!

Unfortunately, I thought that teaser sounded really bad. It sounds trashy in a bad way and over compressed.

Perhaps, it’s the mastering. I had the same issue with Cinematic Studio Brass. The demos sounded mostly horrific to me. But in the walkthroughs it sounded good.

I am at a loss as to why high quality developers do this? May be it’s what everyone wants these days.

And hey, I do some trailer music myself!

I am still interested because I am on the look out for a new brass library. I was thinking Berlin Brass but wanted to wait and see what JXL brass was all about? Let’s wait for the demos and walkthrough!

[kpc]

I'm glad you said that - because it sounded really bad to me as well. BUT, I was listening on my iPad so I wasn't going to make any comments. Pretty much an easy pass for me.

[Guy Rowland]

I think the core sound is probably fine, it's that bit at 24s where its hard not to wince with such dense orchestration of so much ffffff in really big sections resulting an a fatiguing and artificial sound. Astonishing decision as a first demo, made worse by them asking us to listen to it at ear-splitting levels. One may as well find the nearest construction site and take a wander.

I'm all-in with MSB and happily so, this release is just a passing curiosity for me. I am rooting for them though, really hope the player is great and has good times for us all ahead of it.

[Tanuj Tiku]

Well, they may well be going for this sound. Some of JXL scores actually sound something like this. Not my cup of tea but surely many people love it. Just my opinion.

Yes, I am sure though there are some 'normal' patches or these are saturated versions of the mix.

It's just that, this kind of sound stops sounding like brass anymore to my ears. It is something else and not really organic. I would rather, it was just synths!

[kpc]

It's just that, this kind of sound stops sounding like brass anymore to my ears. It is something else and not really organic. I would rather, it was just synths!

exactly

[NoamL]

After listening to it again this morning I believe this demo was created with the larger ensembles at max dynamics and using the AM (Alan Meyerson) mic mixes. The sound definitely isn't natural. It feels scooped (big EQ boost on bass and treble) and maybe even compressed a bit. It would have been nicer to hear a demo with full dynamic range using the natural mic mixes. Let's reserve our judgement though because the marketing says this goes down to pianissimo and I remember JXL saying his goal was making a brass library even JW would use, hah so let's see if that pans out...

[Scoredog]

So you guys would have been happy with 20 secs of solo trumpet?...it's Junkie XL and that's a good way to introduce the lib with over top in your face brass if your decision is to do only 20 secs of audio.

[Guy Rowland]

So you guys would have been happy with 20 secs of solo trumpet?...it's Junkie XL and that's a good way to introduce the lib with over top in your face brass if your decision is to do only 20 secs of audio.

Thing is - it doesn't sound good like that. It's possible to have fff brass and still sound like brass and not be artificial. As it is, they're just selling it on an over-hyped unrealistic slightly synthetic sound, which maybe exactly what JXL fans want, but it won't be very appealing to everyone else. Certainly not JW...

I know others have made this point, but of course its just a first teaser not a proper demo. Nevertheless it wasn't a good decision to do it this way imo.

[Tanuj Tiku]

So you guys would have been happy with 20 secs of solo trumpet?...it's Junkie XL and that's a good way to introduce the lib with over top in your face brass if your decision is to do only 20 secs of audio.

Yes, agreed that anything that bears the name JXL, will at least on the surface be, an in your face sound.

However, this just sounds bad even in that context and very unmusical. Also, there is high frequency smearing. Not a fan of this sound.

Having said that, I agree that we should wait for the demos and walkthroughs which I am sure will be much better!

Of course, this is just my personal opinion. I am not saying this library is bad or will be so. I just don’t like the teaser. I had the same problem with CSB. Those demos just sounded unbearable to me.

[Guy Rowland]

If I were wanting to be optimistic about it, I think the main culprit is seemingly using block chords on massive section patches, which never, ever works. Why they did that as a first listen is the mystery.

Oh and some hi-mid EQ cut, because... da-yum.

[Geoff Grace]

Perhaps they were trying to avoid the reaction that Spitfire and Hans Zimmer received when they released Hans Zimmer Strings: the notion that the release was somehow "off-brand" for Hans Zimmer.

Whatever complaints we may have about the sound of this teaser, no one seems to think that it's a betrayal of our expectations about Junkie XL.

Best,

Geoff

[Tanuj Tiku]

Perhaps they were trying to avoid the reaction that Spitfire and Hans Zimmer received when they released Hans Zimmer Strings: the notion that the release was somehow "off-brand" for Hans Zimmer.

Whatever complaints we may have about the sound of this teaser, no one seems to think that it's a betrayal of our expectations about Junkie XL.

Best,

Geoff

Oh...I am seeing some backlash on Facebook from some people about this very thing. It is unfortunate because I am sure it doesn't just sound like that with the normal patches.

[synergy543]

Where are you guys hearing the demos of this library? Is there a walkthrough yet?

Or all these conclusions based only on the 20s teaser and assumptions? I realize we live in a world of sound bytes and tweets but I'd really have to hear some solid examples first before I could draw any kind of meaningful conclusion.

However, based on info from the interview comments and website, it seems that the focus is on on loud over-the-top sounds. Yet there are five dynamic layers. So it will be interesting to see if it effectively covers the entire dynamic range or if its focus is solely on blistering loud brass sounds. Its somehow hard to imagine that Tom might focus on the delicate very soft choir-like end of the brass sounds. The library featues 16-mike positions, yet he didn't know what a bottle mic is? Makes one wonder how deeply involved he really is.

[Geoff Grace]

Perhaps they were trying to avoid the reaction that Spitfire and Hans Zimmer received when they released Hans Zimmer Strings: the notion that the release was somehow "off-brand" for Hans Zimmer.

Whatever complaints we may have about the sound of this teaser, no one seems to think that it's a betrayal of our expectations about Junkie XL.

Best,

Geoff

Oh...I am seeing some backlash on Facebook from some people about this very thing. It is unfortunate because I am sure it doesn't just sound like that with the normal patches.

Wow! I'm surprised. They think that extremely loud is off-brand for Junkie XL? Well, I suppose that no two minds are exactly alike...

I agree, Tanuj. I'm sure the teaser is just one extreme on a wide spectrum of dynamics. I expect it to be a good library. I just hope that version 1.0 of the Orchestral Tools player is less buggy than the 1.0 releases of most manufacturers.

Best,

Geoff

[FriFlo]

Where are you guys hearing the demos of this library? Is there a walkthrough yet?

Or all these conclusions based only on the 20s teaser and assumptions? I realize we live in a world of sound bytes and tweets but I'd really have to hear some solid examples first before I could draw any kind of meaningful conclusion.

However, based on info from the interview comments and website, it seems that the focus is on on loud over-the-top sounds. Yet there are five dynamic layers. So it will be interesting to see if it effectively covers the entire dynamic range or if its focus is solely on blistering loud brass sounds. Its somehow hard to imagine that Tom might focus on the delicate very soft choir-like end of the brass sounds. The library featues 16-mike positions, yet he didn't know what a bottle mic is? Makes one wonder how deeply involved he really is.

There is just a short bit on on the video top of the main site:

https://www.orchestraltools.com/store/collections/8

It sounds terribly hyped and unnatural. I wouldn't assume the patches will sound anything like that, but then, it also doesn't tell me how well (or not well) they managed to do crossfading those 5 dynamic layers. I think CSB has also 5. It is not perfect, but the best full dynamic brass I got.
I am not so sure about this ... I don't need 16 mic positions, we don't know the new player yet (although it looks like it has at least more unique features than Spitfire Player) and 500 bucks? No, I will not preorder, although I got almost everything from OT. Maybe, if they do their next sale with native instruments!!! :-D

[kpc]

After giving this some thought, I appreciate the nature of this teaser. It clearly show this product is not for me. And that is more than Ok. I don’t have to spend anymore time wondering.

[Erik]

Remember when George Harrison asked for a distorted brass sound, at the dismay of the engineer ? )

[NoamL]

A new video on their site, "EPISODE 2 HOW & WHO":

https://www.orchestraltools.com/store/collections/8

I'll save you some time, the only new excerpt heard from the library is heard at 4:00. It doesn't sound like bees!

[Geoff Grace]

In case you're interested:

Tom here to talk about JXL Brass

Best,

Geoff

[Guy Rowland]

It DOESN'T sound like bees now, does it?

Very impressive:

[riffwraith]

I am really digging the sound (not surprised, based on BB, and my own recordings there), but I am not at all a fan of the transitions. Not easy, I get it, but still. The Hns @ 10:00 are especially egregious.

The player looks cool, tho.

[Linos]

From past experience with their solo strings, for me Orchestral Tools fall into the 8dio category. I. e. the quality control is poor in my opinion, and the libraries are so inconsistent as to render them unuseable for me. And a real pity that is, because I find the recordings often do sound very good. But it's just too tedious and slow for me personally to enjoy working with them. Thus, no matter how good these JXL brass samples sound. I don't have the trust that OT will deliver a sample library that is consistent from concept, recording, editing to programming.

[Guy Rowland]

I am really digging the sound (not surprised, based on BB, and my own recordings there), but I am not at all a fan of the transitions. Not easy, I get it, but still. The Hns @ 10:00 are especially egregious.

The player looks cool, tho.

Yes, you're right about those transitions, and it was my only reservation too. I did wonder at 10.00 if that really is a legato patch at all, as all the on-screen articulations don't mention it. I assume its a mode in Sustain... they couldn't possibly have made this WITHOUT legato could they? The physics hasn't changed - recording in ambient halls can give a gorgeous sound, but will give legato problems that are very hard to solve.

I had to remind myself of this as I found myself wavering over my decision to go all-in on Modern Scoring Brass. It perhaps lacks a little in that sheen we can hear in JXL. But its still a lovely tone for me, and yet they also have all those transitions (and QC in general) very well covered.