Garritan STRADIVARI SOLO VIOLIN

Stradivari is a name synonymous with quality. The Stradivari Violin is regarded by experts as the best violin ever made and a genuine Stravidivai violin is worth millions. An instrument of this distinction required a unique way to faithfully capture and recreate its sound quality and playability. "Sonic Morphing" technologies provided the answer. Morphing describes what can be seen in motion pictures where there is a gradual transformation from one image into another. This basic concept has been applied to sound samples allowing sound samples to morph into each other seamlessly.

With the Stradivari Solo Violin, using exclusive "harmonic alignment" technology, you can seamlessly morph between different dynamics and hear authentic timbre changes as notes become louder or softer. Sophisticated modal resonance technology allows you to control the onset, intensity and rate of vibrato, impart portamento and much more. In addition, a powerful AI midi processor allows you to change or create articulations in real time, change the type of attack or bow direction, impart legato, play trills & tremolo and have an infinite variety of playing possibilities at your fingertips. All this in real time!

The result of these technologies is extraordinary levels of realism, expressiveness and virtusosic performance capabilities in a way that preserves the natural characteristics of the Stradivari Violin. This instrument leaps to life beneath your fingertips!

Stop sequencing and start playing! The rules of sampling have been rewritten with this new Kontakt 2 library.

System Requirements

Kontakt 2 required. The entire Stradivari instrument, is packed into a single Kontakt 2 library, and as such, works on PC & Mac platforms, and works with all sequencers that support VST, DXi, TRAS and Audio Units. It works in real time on a P4 2.6+ GHz (or a comparable Mac), with a CPU load of about 20-25% (convolution included). A faster computer will yield more efficiency and also Kontakt 2 purging will significantly decrease the CPU load. A keyboard with a six octave range, Pitch Wheel, Mod Wheel, Sustain Pedal, Channel Aftertouch and Expression Pedal or similar controllers are required to get full use of the product.

About the Development Team

The Stradivari Violin has been developed by an Italian team in collaboration with Gary Garritan, who also provided the Stradivari samples. Collaboration began in 2001 with the aim of developing expressive ways of playing this rare and exquisite instrument. There was extensive research, experimenting, trial and error in order to have better sound quality while maintaining the advantages of the new approach to expressive sampling. The founders of this team were:

Giorgio Tommasini, holds a medical degree "magna cum laude" from Milano University, and had an illustrious career as a clinical cardiologist, researcher, and head of the Cardiovascular Division of a 400-bed Hospital. His pioneering research, mainly oriented on applications of computers in cardiology, and witnessed by more than 150 scientific papers, patents and presentations at internationational Meetings, led to new methods for quantification and treatment of myocardial infarction, new techniques for detection of silent ischemia and automatic quantification of coronary narrowings by intelligent image processing, and the invention of a revolutionary, 3D approach to coronary angiography, that has been subsequently adopted by several important Medical X-ray groups.

He became interested in samplers as accompaniment for his music in the mid 1980's. Very unsatisfied by the lack of expressiveness of all available sample-based instruments, he began to think of methods capable to overcome this limitation. The "phase alignment technique", now patent-pending, was the first result of this new research in an entirely different field. For the first time it was possible to crossfade different dynamics with no phase artifact. The development of a controlled vibrato technique was the next step. New research on "determination of modal resonances and the impulse response of an instrument by analysis of pitched sounds, and application to the sysnthesis of portamento & vibrato with samplers", now patent-pending eventually resulted in a drastic refinement of the method.

Stefano Lucato, a true professional musician and sound engineer, greatly contributed to the very innovative programming which characterizes the Stradivari Violin. Stefano Lucato was born in Gornate Olona, in a quiet Italian country landscape in 1968. To discover his predisposition to music was the priest of the nearby church who, hearing the boy playing organ at 7, provided him a teacher in exchange for the agreement to play at Sunday Masses. Play became passion. The encounter with the music world brought him across a long path including several successful records and an active collaboration with the National Broadcasting Corporation. Stefano presently works mainly as a composer and arranger, and is an acknowledged master in audio aditing, mastering and development of new techniques of sound synthesis.

Gary Garritan is an award-winning developer of high-quality and innovative soundware. Garritan sample libraries have won accolades from celebrity musicians and music press alike. The libraries have been used in a variety of applications: from popular TV shows, film and attractions to video games, live concerts and ballets. In addition, hundreds of schools and universities have chosen Garritan Libraries for use with their music curriculums.