Big Bang Orchestra: Solaris

Introduction

Welcome to the Vienna Symphonic Library's series of Synchron Instruments! As the name says, Big Bang Orchestra furnishes you with a selection of full-orchestra articulations, at the same time allowing you (if you haven't done so already) to explore our powerful Synchron Player software. If you're looking for that extra dramatic effect or want to highlight a passage in your composition, this bonus library could be the solution, or at least point you in the right direction.

Multiple large metal sheet percussion instruments, possibly thunder sheets or gongs, arranged on stands in a recording studio or concert hall.
Overhead view of the Synchron Stage Vienna, illustrating the spatial arrangement of woodwind instruments and microphone positions for orchestral recording, including bassoons, clarinets, and surround sound setups.
Children's choir recording Big Bang Orchestra: Ymir at Vienna Symphonic Library Synchron Stage, with conductor direction and music stands.
Overhead view of the Synchron Stage Vienna, illustrating microphone placements for Big Bang Orchestra: Solaris, including various woodwind sections (piccolo, flutes, clarinets, oboes), Mid microphones, Main Decca Tree, and various stereo and surround microphone positions.

Included Presets

Synchron Percussion II: A variety of orchestral percussion instruments, including gongs, cymbals, and small bells, arranged on stands in a recording studio or concert hall.

BBO Solaris features high woodwinds performing sustains, major octave runs in all keys as well as special scales, and arpeggios in three speeds (prepared for time-stretching), as well as low woodwinds with regular and cluster variants of short and long notes, dynamics, and flutter tongue.

FX-Woodwinds High

Long notes, octave runs in major keys and special scales, and arpeggios. The long notes have no further options.

  • Range long notes: B3-A#6
  • Articulation keyswitches: C1-D#1

Octave runs key

Octave runs up and down from C to B major, plain with ringing and cut release, and as performance octave. "Cut" release is only executed when the octave run is not completed, allowing you to attach another sample instead of the octave.

  • Range:
    • Plain run: mapped to the notes of the scale starting with its base key - upward runs around the 4th and 5th octave, downward runs around the 6th and 7th octave, e.g., C Major up C4-A5, down C6-A7
    • Perform octave: mapped to the notes of the scale starting with its base key, roughly spanning the 4th to the 6th octave, e.g., C Major C4-A6
  • Key selection: C2-B2
  • Plain run/perform octave: C3/D3
  • Ringing/cut release: F3/G3
Vienna Symphonic Library Synchron Instruments Big Bang Orchestra interface displaying selectable options for Articulation, Key, Type, and Release parameters, including Sustain, Octave runs key, C Major, Plain run, and Ringing.

Perform octave

An actual octave run has to be completed in order to trigger its execution. The advantage compared with "plain" runs is that it allows you to time exactly when after a sustained starting note the run should begin.

Octave runs scale

Octave runs up and down, plain with ringing and cut release, and as performance octave: Ionian/Major, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian/Minor, Locrian, chromatic, and whole tone. "Cut" release is only executed when the octave run is not completed, allowing you to attach another sample instead of the octave.

  • Range
    • Plain run: upward runs around the 4th and 5th octaves, downward runs around the 6th and 7th octaves, e.g., Ionian/Major up B3-A#5, down B5-A#7
    • Perform octave: roughly spanning the 4th to the 6th octave, e.g., Ionian/Major B3-A#7
    • Mode selection: C2-G#2
    • Plain run/perform octave: C3/D3
    • Ringing/cut release: F3/G3
User interface of the Vienna Symphonic Library's Synchron Instruments software, showing articulation, mode, type, and release settings.

Perform octave

An actual octave run has to be completed in order to trigger its execution. The advantage compared with "plain" runs is that it allows you to time exactly when after a sustained starting note the run should begin.

Arpeggios

Up, down, and cross arpeggios at 80/100/120 BPM, major, minor, dominant 7, major and minor 7, minor with major 7th, diminished, and augmented. These are already prepared for timestretching, i.e., all Patches have the original tempo they were recorded with entered as their source tempo. This allows you to adapt your repetitions automatically to the tempo of your project with only two mouse clicks. "Cut" release is only executed when the octave run is not completed, allowing you to attach another sample instead of the octave.

  • Range: C4-A#5
  • Tempo selection: F1-G1
  • Chord type: C2-G2
  • Up/down/cross: C3/D3/E3
  • Lowest/highest/cut release note: F3-G3
Graphical user interface of Vienna Symphonic Library Synchron Instruments showing menus for Articulation (Sustain, Arpeggios), Tempo (80-120 bpm), Chord (Major, Minor, Dominant 7th), Direction (Up, Down, Cross), and Releasenote (Lowest, Highest, Cut) for music production.

Cross

  • Ringing/cut release: F3/G3
User interface for Vienna Symphonic Library's Synchron Instruments, showing Chord, Direction, Release, and Stack options for Big Bang Orchestra Solaris.

FX-Woodwinds Low

Regular and cluster tones, and crossfades between the two.

  • Range: A#1-D4
  • Articulation keyswitches: C5-D#5

Regular / Clusters

Short and long notes, dynamics, and flutter tonguing. The latter has no additional types.

Short

  • Bold/agile: C6/C#6
Vienna Symphonic Library Synchron Instruments interface showing Category, Articulation, and Type selections for Big Bang Orchestra Solaris.

Long

Sustained notes, regular, espressivo, and with soft swell.

  • Type keyswitches: C6-D6
Vienna Symphonic Library Synchron Instruments interface showing Category, Articulation, and Type selections for Big Bang Orchestra Solaris.

Dynamics

Sforzato, sforzatissimo, and short and long swells.

  • Type keyswitches: C6-D#6
User interface showing category, articulation, and type options for Vienna Symphonic Library Synchron Instruments like Big Bang Orchestra.

Reg. XF Clusters

Crossfading between regular and cluster variants. Use Dim.Ctrl/A (MIDI CC1, modwheel) for crossfading between regular and cluster Articulations.

Short notes, long notes, dynamics

These feature the same types as their namesakes in the other two categories.

  • Type keyswitches: short notes C6-C#6, long notes C6-D6, dynamics C6-D#6
Screenshot of Big Bang Orchestra virtual instrument interface showing Category, Articulation, Type, and XFade selections for sound adjustments.

Flutter-tongue

Vienna Symphonic Library Big Bang Orchestra Solaris software interface with Category, Articulation, and XFade sections, featuring options like Regular, Clusters, Long notes, and Flutter-tongue.