Vienna Big Bang Orchestra: Fornax

Pianos, Drums & More
With this truly unique library the Vienna team continues to expand the sonic spectrum of their Big Bang Orchestra series. For the pitched percussion library of BBO: Fornax, they captured exceptional combinations of instruments to create organic, rich and pioneering sounds.

Since pianos, with their percussive mechanics, can be counted among percussion instruments, all three large concert grands housed at Synchron Stage Vienna were used in the sampling sessions. Vienna's engineers recorded a Steinway D-274, a Bösendorfer Imperial, and a Yamaha CFX in combination with plate bells, tubular bells, gongs, pitched and unpitched drums and more to create epic sounds, from mysterious touches to bombastic eruptions.

BBO: Fornax includes several set-ups, categorized into Low Range and High Range instruments. Low Range instrument set-ups offer combinations of three pianos, plate bells, tubular bells, pitched gongs, taikos, timpani, and bass drum. For the "Big Timpani" set, for instance, a colossal sound was achieved by combining two timpani tuned in octaves with the odaiko (largest taiko) and the bass drum. High Range instruments include plate bells, tubular bells, vibraphone, suspended cymbals, gongs, and triangle. By combining instruments from both groups you'll cover the entire frequency spectrum.

As with the previous percussion recordings of the Big Bang Orchestra series, the team sampled up to six musicians playing together in the large hall of Synchron Stage Vienna. Summoning their amazing musicianship while interacting with each other on the fly, they formed a well-balanced ensemble that – even with such diverse instruments – created a fresh, yet beautifully blended sound.

In addition to overhead microphones, Decca Tree and surround mics, the instruments were isolated during the recording sessions with close microphones while being played together in the ensemble, so you have more control and creative options using the Synchron Player's internal mixer. By capturing all instruments of the Big Bang Orchestra in a similar way at Synchron Stage Vienna, the pitched percussion instruments of BBO: Fornax integrate perfectly with every module in the series.