The Sound Board

Paul Stapley from Light & Sound has been working on a new sampler and audio engine. I have been beta testing, and it has all the features a sample user might wish for, including access to the samples and scripts. I am posting Paul's announcement text below:


"Hey all,

I'm super excited to finally be able to share a taste of what I've been working on for the last few years:



Some of the key features include:
- High-quality, Non-destructive multi-mic auto-tuning, in various tuning modes (ie block based / sample based)
- Zero RAM mode - heavily optimized for SSDs
- Smart FX routing & multi-mic optimized data structure allows for thousands of voices at minimal CPU usage
- Mic Merging
- Powerful node-based scripting, built with an instrument > articulation > sampler paradigm
- Level matching technology
- Native polyphonic keyswitch layering, crossfading, and switching
- In-built polyphonic legato engine
- Easily create your own instruments with a host of automatic sample import tools, including root-key detection, automatic handling of round robins (with support for any number of round robins per event, handled in real-time)

This is a big step in a new direction for us, as it's the beginning of a rebrand from Light & Sound to INCIRIOS.

For more sneak peeks, please visit https://www.incirios.com"

Wow.

Since I've been in the world of VIs and samplers, people have been saying "Kontakt needs a competitor". We've had Mach 5, Falcon, Engine, CR8, some proprietary sample playbacks, but none have really upset the status quo.

On paper, Incirinos looks about 10,000% more attractive to a developer than Kontakt. I'd imagine it would slash development time, and therefore cost. It also starkly reveals what is possible from a sampler when starting from scratch, while Kontakt has been relatively treading water for many years and burdened with legacy code. One overall comment - it looks very much skewed towards traditional sampling of acoustic instruments (as opposed to either synthesis or beat-making). That seems smart to me, do one job and do it really well.

The main questions I have are practical - will the sampler be free to end users? What about developers and licensing? How about UI design? What's the roadmap?

As far as I understood the sampler will always be free for the users. I don't know what the plans are for developers. That samples aren't lockable might be something that not all agree to. But for the users it's great. There is also a system in place to allow refunds.

For the other questions I don't know.

Very excited about this.

Finally, a serious Kontakt competitor. If they manage, and maintain the entire eco-system of this sampler in a wise, and attractive manner, this could mean the fading of Kontakt as we know it, and the emergence of INCIRIOS in its place.

Looking forward to October. Exciting times ahead for sample library users, and developers !

Cheers,
Muziksculp

Excited by the prospect of a legitimate Kontakt competitor.

This "node-based scripting" looks accessible to non-programmers, but I just can't see it scaling well at all once things move beyond the trivial. And anyone who's comfortable with coding would go mad within minutes trying to muddle through a pointy-clicky interface. There is no way I could tolerate this when I know how much more readable the actual code would look. I assume there will be proper scripting support? What language will it be?

Looks promising. Competition is a good thing.

Competition is good, as long as it spurs improvements all around.

I have so much time and money tied up in Kontakt libraries that switching would be a tough call. I have a couple libraries each for Falcon, Mach 5, and Engine - the libraries are really good, but the eco-system itself is not enough to make me want to switch. I also have Sine and the Spitfire Audio players, and they at least have the advantage of leveraging existing libraries.

I hope they are successful, I will be one of the first to give it a try, and I will be optimistic!

I think it’s possibly less about switching than it is about adding an alternate.

INCIRIOS is released. Along with a first instrument pack, the Solo Woodwinds.

"We're proud to unveil INCIRIOS® — a breakthrough in audio technology! More than just a sampler, INCIRIOS® is a comprehensive ecosystem crafted to redefine music production for composers and developers. And the best part? It's absolutely FREE to download and own!

For our Light and Sound sample product users — seamlessly transfer your existing libraries to INCIRIOS® at no extra cost using your original download codes.
Some of the key features include:

- High-quality, Non-destructive multi-mic auto-tuning, in various tuning modes (ie block based / sample based)
- Zero RAM mode - heavily optimized for SSDs
- Smart FX routing & multi-mic optimized data structure allows for thousands of voices at minimal CPU usage
- Mic Merging
- Powerful node-based scripting, built with an instrument > articulation > sampler paradigm
- Level matching technology
- Native polyphonic keyswitch layering, crossfading, and switching
- In-built polyphonic legato engine
- Easily create your own instruments with a host of automatic sample import tools, including root-key detection, automatic handling of round robins (with support for any number of round robins per event, handled in real-time)"





_

the solo woodwinds after a first listen (on a M1 laptop needs saying) sounds quite attractive. The flute, clarinet and bassoon standing out timbre and sound wise to me. The oboe almost sound softer in comparison to the others, and that's why for now I am not sure about that one. Oboe to my experience seems to be the most difficult to get right.

Later today do a proper listen on proper monitors. But, for €100,- intro with a new promising sample player looks attractive.

Interested to hear others perception of these woodwinds.

The monophonic stuff does sound good. Playing the sustains polyphonically sounds like an organ, but to be fair it always does with woodwinds. Actually at 5.30ish the Oboe transitions sound horrible - the monophonic legato still sounds good though.

What's the deal with this as an engine for 3rd party developers? Is it attractive? Might it take off?

@My name is nobody I am biased because I was a beta tester for the player and the woodwinds. So I'll refrain from commenting. But I am also curious to hear others opinions about it.

@Guy Let's hope so. The player certainly should be very attractive for users, and I hope for developers as well. It facilitates refunds easily, you can go under the hood and adjust everything to your liking, it has mic merging, it's resource friendly, and customizeable. For developers it has features that should help reduce the time needed for post-production. Auto-tuning, volume-matching for transitions etc. It offers a la carte sales for individual instruments as well. To me it looks like a very attractive package, and I do hope that other developers will jump on board.

Guy Rowland wrote: ↑Nov 24, 2023 7:35 am The monophonic stuff does sound good. Playing the sustains polyphonically sounds like an organ, but to be fair it always does with woodwinds.

Maybe it’s because I was trained classically to write for real players but it just wouldn’t occur to me to ever play a solo woodwind sampled instrument polyphonically expecting it to be the real performance.

If it’s two flutes e.g. I play it on the sound, print out the part or look at in the score editor and play in each flute line.

Ashermusic wrote: ↑Nov 24, 2023 9:16 am Maybe it’s because I was trained classically to write for real players but it just wouldn’t occur to me to ever play a solo woodwind sampled instrument polyphonically expecting it to be the real performance.

Not classically trained here, but quite agree. It never works, especially on woodwinds for some reason.

Paul has published a demo-piece that I wrote for clarinet and strings:




Piet are you creating a demo as well?

Nice piece, Linos.
(It does however expose, and quite noticeably too, the one big problem I have with the Incirios Clarinet — and with several other sampled clarinets and wind instruments as well, for that matter —, which is that, during expressively shaped sustains, it often sounds like two instruments instead of just one. The old x-fading problem, in other words.)

I haven’t thought about doing an Incirios demo, no.

__

What a pity. I would have liked to hear a woodwind piece from you.

Crossfades remain a problem with sampled instruments. The clarinet also has more noise than the other instruments in the library. It may be better for section playing than for solos.

Piet De Ridder wrote: ↑Nov 28, 2023 3:57 amduring expressively shaped sustains, it often sounds like two instruments instead of just one. The old x-fading problem, in other words.

Alas I heard it loud and clear too.

It's a lovely arrangement of a gorgeous piece though Linos. And the strings, whatever they are, really shine - I'd have them as real actually. Are they?

Thank you Guy. If I am not mistaken the Legato Espressivo patch has only one dynamic layer. Similar to the Berlin Soloists. I used that patch extensively in the demo. Still, there are a lot of audible crossfades. VWinds would probably better at this.

The strings are all Light & Sound Chamber Strings Guy.

Anyone else get 3 emails from them within the same minute? They're shipping upgrade codes for L&S CS to the new sampler and I got 3 different ones. Choose your own adventure, I guess.

5 points to Gryffindor for not having any tracking information whatsoever in their emails, which is refreshing to see and basically unheard of these days. However, 10 points from Gryffindor for not including any unsubscribe link/information in said emails.

Linos wrote: ↑Nov 28, 2023 1:32 pm The strings are all Light & Sound Chamber Strings Guy.

Well have to say - this is an incredible demo for those! And are these Incirios too?

Thanks Guy. I am still using the Kontakt version of the strings. Not that I noticed any major differences. I just didn't have the time to put the Incirios version in my template yet.