Hollywood Orchestra Opus Edition

HOLLYWOOD STRINGS
Widely considered the most detailed & realistic orchestral string library ever created, with grand articulations including long, short, slurred, portamento, individual bow changes, and much more. You can quickly create epic, suspenseful and dramatic passages with individual patches, or simply bring up a single keyswitch instrument for instant access to everything you need for a full cinematic sound.

String instruments include: 18 Violins (NEW), 1st Violins, 2nd Violins, Basses, Celli, Violas, Ensemble (NEW), and Full Strings.

HOLLYWOOD BRASS
A collection of powerful ensemble and solo patches perfect for everything from fanfares to romantic melodies. Excellent for monstrous low brass, piercing trumpets, 6-piece horn ensembles and more, with both separate and combined articulations for easy use.

Brass instruments include: 2 French Horns, 2 Trombones EXP (NEW), 2 Trombones and 1 Bass Trombone, 2 Trumpets, 2 Trumpets EXP (NEW), 3 Trumpets, 6 French Horns, Low Brass, Solo Cimbasso, Solo French Horn, Solo Trombone, Solo Trumpet, Solo Tuba.

HOLLYWOOD ORCHESTRAL WOODWINDS
Regal, sharp, and subtle timbres with everything in between. Use this woodwind powerhouse to fill out any orchestral arrangement with complete command over every articulation, available both in individual patches and key-switch instruments.

Woodwind instruments include: 3 Bassoons (NEW), 3 Clarinets (NEW), 3 Flutes (NEW), Alto Flute, Bass Clarinet, Bass Flute, Bassoon, Clarinet, Contrabass Clarinet, Contrabassoon, Eb Clarinet, English Horn, Flute, Flute 2, Oboe, Piccolo Flute.

HOLLYWOOD ORCHESTRAL PERCUSSION
A full complement of every orchestral percussion instrument you could ask for, including ratchets, slapsticks, mallet percussion, and a wide range of drums from small to huge. Choose from individual instruments or combo patches for as much control (or chaos) as you like.

Percussion instruments include Combo Kits, Cymbal Pairs, Sustain Cymbals, Timpani, Field Drums, Bass Drums, Snares, Tambourines, Marching Drum Ensembles, Taos Drums, Brake Drum and Anvils, Crotales, Glockenspiel, Orchestral Chimes, Sleigh Bells, Mark Tree, Triangles, Vibraphone, Castanets, Celesta, Claves, Mahler Hammer, Marimba, Puilli Sticks, Ratchet, Shakers, Slapsticks, Wood Blocks, Xylophone.

HOLLYWOOD SOLO VIOLIN
Responsive legato, spiccato, pizzicato articulations and more, along with pre-recorded dynamic notes like sforzando and marcato. We captured every nuance of a true violin performance, providing you with a level of control to match.

Articulations included: Sustains Vibrato, Sustains Non Vibrato, Flautando, Grand Detache, Marcato, Martele, Pizzicato, Sforzando, Spiccato, Legato, Keyswitch.

HOLLYWOOD SOLO CELLO
Warm and lyrical, with brisk short notes ideal for faster passages. You have every detail of a real cello at your fingertips, with every articulation you need to tackle the most challenging passages with unparalleled realism.

Articulations included: Sustain Vibrato, Sustains Non Vibrato, Flautando, Grand Detache, Tremolo, Marcato, Pizzicato, Sforzando, Spiccato, Legato, Keyswitch.

HOLLYWOOD HARP
Smooth, elegant and angelic articulations perfect for gentle backgrounds and orchestral cut-through alike. Use full patches or solo individual articulations for total control over the harp’s timbre.

Articulations included: Sustains, Harp Angeles, Bisbigliando, Harmonics, Gliss Technique, Nail Pick, Plucks, Reps, Keyswitch.

HOLLYWOOD ORCHESTRATOR
Create full-scale orchestral music with complex arrangements by playing a few simple chords with one hand and shaping expression with the other. With over 500 customizable presets built from the instruments of Hollywood Orchestra Opus Edition, you can instantly create music in the style of Hollywood’s greatest composers.

Presets include: Ensembles, Ostinatos, Scores, User

Brand new recordings include a new 18 violin string section for Hollywood Strings, new ensembles for Hollywood Brass and Hollywood Orchestral Woodwinds, plus new string, brass, and wind multi ensembles. "The new 18 violins are an alternate to the first 16 violins of the original library. They have a different sound," says producer Nick Phoenix, "the players are different. The vibrato is different. The legato is the best we have ever recorded. They work well with the existing collection or as a replacement for the original 1st violins. The new 2 tenor trombones have a completely different sound from the 3 trombones in the original collection. The new trombones are warm, full, and extremely precise. 2 trumpets were recorded again using two of the best players in the Hollywood film score scene. The legato is blazing at high velocities and sounds like a live performance."

The programming of the original content from Hollywood Orchestra has been updated to take advantage of the features included in the new Opus software engine, as well as the Hollywood Solo Instrument Series (now included in this expansion). Particular focus was placed on Hollywood Orchestral Woodwinds. After improving the original woodwinds, new ensembles were recorded, including 3 bassoons, 3 clarinets, and 3 flutes. "Once again, this was a huge success because of the quality of the players," says Phoenix, "Each woodwind ensemble works together on a regular basis and the tuning and timing are immaculate. These new recordings are unmatched in the virtual instruments world. The Opus Edition also includes new string, brass and wind multi ensembles that have a unique fat sound that captures the tuning of a large orchestra playing together in a live setting."

Powerful new controls include Master key-switches where all articulations can be fully customized in the new OPUS articulation palette. You can customize the sound of each instrument using the new MOODS feature. Classic Mood is the original Hollywood Orchestra sound. Soft modifies the sound for slower, more emotional passages. Epic Mood does the opposite, giving you a sound perfectly suited for your next Action Adventure score. Each mood changes the settings and look of the interface, which has been completely redesigned and stylized for Hollywood Strings, Hollywood Orchestral Woodwinds, Hollywood Percussion, Hollywood Solo Violin, Hollywood Solo Cello, and Hollywood Harp. In addition, we simplified all instrument versions down to LITE and MAX, making Hollywood Strings in particular much easier to navigate.

Of course, Multiple Academy Award and BAFTA winner Shawn Murphy was brought back to sound engineer the new recordings. Shawn Murphy is one of the most prolific sound engineers and mixers in the history of cinema. Just some of his over 5000 feature film credits include the Star Wars, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, and Hunger Games franchises, Jurassic Park and the Lost World, Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan, Mission: Impossible, Apollo 13, and Titanic. Shawn Murphy has created special mic mixes for Hollywood Orchestra Opus Edition, including an additional “Stage” mic position for all new instruments that is perfect for capturing the sound of EastWest Studio One, the home of countless film and television soundtracks.

Our brand new OPUS software engine replaces PLAY after 5 years of development. “Many improvements were made to the PLAY software engine over the last decade but we suddenly had a unique opportunity,” says producer Doug Rogers, “we were able to bring Wolfgang Kundrus in as head of software development. He was the mastermind behind the creation of Cubase, Nuendo, and Studio One. Then we were able to bring in Wolfgang Schneider, the creator of Kontakt. With these two titans of music software development now on our team, we decided it was time to develop a brand new software engine from the ground up.

The OPUS software engine is the realization of this effort. Not only is it faster, more powerful, more flexible, and better looking than PLAY, it comes with incredible new features such as individual instrument auditioning and downloads, customized key-switches, dozens of new MIDI Tools and mixer effect, scalable retina GUI upgrades for legacy products, a powerful new script language, and many more features that allow you to completely customize the sound of each instrument. It’s one of the most exciting developments in the history of the company and will be the launching pad for many exciting new products in the future”

Create full-scale orchestral music with complex arrangements by playing a few simple chords with one hand and shaping expression with the other. Developed in collaboration with Sonuscore, Hollywood Orchestrator uses all the instruments in Hollywood Orchestra Opus Edition to create real-time arrangements based on your MIDI input with our Innovative Scoring Engine.

With over 500 customizable presets, you can instantly create music in the style of Hollywood's greatest composers. Select from Ensemble presets to quickly create rich orchestral arrangements. With Ostinato presets, you can build rhythmic tension in different meters or create moving melodic lines by only changing a few notes. With Score, classic Hollywood orchestrations become an endless source of inspiration. Create your own User presets by modifying existing presets or build your own ensembles from scratch!

At the heart of Hollywood Orchestrator is our innovative Scoring Engine, which produces everything from basic string arrangements to very complex orchestrations played by the full orchestra. This is where you can create new presets or alter any existing preset by changing the melodic pattern in each step sequencer or by completely switching the instruments and voicings of that preset.

In the Mixer section, refine the final output of each instrument by adjusting the volume, pan, equalization, reverb preset, reverb send amounts, and other reverb controls like pre-delay, length, and filters.

Hollywood Orchestrator is the perfect tool both for new composers who want to get that magical Hollywood sound quickly and effortlessly, and for professional composers who need to produce large amounts of compositions on a deadline. Please note: Hollywood Orchestrator requires Hollywood Orchestra Opus Edition, it is not a standalone product, and is not compatible with the original Hollywood Orchestra or Hollywood Solo Instruments which are now included in the Opus Edition along with the newly recorded instruments.

Since the release of Hollywood Orchestrator, we've released the Action, Adventure, Horror, and Comedy Expansions Packs, all together adding 96 more blockbuster presets to the Scores category of Hollywood Orchestrator. Each of these have been FREE additions to owners of Hollywood Orchestra Opus Edition and for all ComposerCloud+ subscribers.

Below are the minimum and recommended hardware and software specifications for using Opus on Windows and MacOS systems.

MINIMUM SYSTEM

CPU: Quad-core (four cores), running at 2.7 GHz (or above)
RAM: 16 GB
OS: macOS 10.13 (or later); Windows 10 with ASIO sound drivers
Drive: HDD (7200 rpm, non-energy saving)

RECOMMENDED SYSTEM

CPU: Octa-core (eight cores), running at 2.7 GHz (or above)
RAM: 32 GB or more
OS: macOS 10.13 (or later); Windows 10 with ASIO sound drivers
Drive: SSD (SATA or PCIe)

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