The Broadway Big Band
Overview

The Objective:

To enable composers, producers and arrangers to achieve real sounding organic Brass & Woodwind sound in a non-orchestral setting. The Broadway Big Band™ combines technological innovation and exceptional musicians in creating the most detailed, flexible and intuitive non-orchestral multi-sample library, and it's doing so in the form of a revolutionary virtual instrument.

Realistic Note Transitions

Note transitions have always been the main obstacle in creating a believable sounding sampled wind instrument. We realized early on, that a large part of our task would be to find ways to address this problem without sacrificing the playability of the instruments. Out of this conundrum the concept of revolutionary Broadway Performer™ software was born.

We recorded every note transition up to Major 9th in both directions, utilizing various playing techniques for the transitions, such as Legato, Rip Portamento, Chromatic Runs, etc. By using the Broadway Performer™, these transitions can then be played and combined intuitively without compromising the playability.

The Broadway Performer™ patent pending technology, developed for the Broadway Big Band™ products, enables the most comprehensive and intuitive access to the thousands of samples included in the Broadway Big Band™ virtual instruments, granting both the creative freedom and the fullest control over the finest nuances of performance, all in real-time but fully editable in step-mode as well. It chooses the pre-recorded note transitions based on context, and provides instant access to a virtually limitless variety of articulations and playing techniques. With the new Kontakt Edition, The Broadway Performer™ technology is implemented inside the Kontakt Player, for a seemless and fully streamlined setup and workflow.

Multiple Microphone Setups

The need to have the artistic and technical flexibility in placing your instruments in an appropriate environment is also a key factor in our vision. The instruments were thus sampled with multiple microphone positions, using different microphone types, pre-amps and recording styles, allowing the user to mic the instrument according to the production needs, just as they would if they were recording a live musician.

Musical Performance

The necessity of having performers that bring the spirit of their "own" sound without being overbearing was one of the most important aspects of this project. The objective was maximizing the usability and flexibility, and keeping the performance of the recorded sound-samples breathing and full of life. Hence, the virtual instruments of the Broadway Big Band™ were recorded with world-class leading New-York musicians, who have been carefully chosen for the character in their musical performance and for their musical versatility.

Audio engine & System compatibility:

Broadway Big Band™ - Kontakt Edition offers great reliability, high-performance, and system compatibility (Stand-alone, VST®, Audio Units™, RTAS® (Pro Tools® 7 or higher) ASIO™, Core Audio™, DirectSound®, WASAPI™), being powered by the powerful audio engine of Native Instruments' newest Kontakt 4 Player, offering the most advanced and most reliable saple-player available today.

Sonic integrity, Flexibility, Reliability, Technological Innovation, System Compatibility, and just plain character are just a few of the many reasons the Broadway Big Band™ is destined to revolutionize the virtual instrument world!