Orbis
THE WORLD SYNTHESIZER
Discover a new world of over 2500 extraordinary sounds, born out of
organic performances, then treated and transported to epic new
dimensions.
Overview
THE MAIN GUI
EDNA Engine
(This interface houses our own sample-synthesiser engine. You can use it to combine two sounds and modulate between them with envelopes, filters and wobbles per sound, as well as a selection of go-to FX.)
REVIEW
5 Out of 5 Stars
EDNA Engine
(This interface houses our own sample-synthesiser engine. You can use it to combine two sounds and modulate between them with envelopes, filters and wobbles per sound, as well as a selection of go-to FX.)
The Master FX PAGE
(This view allows you to control 32 different FX across each sound. It also gives you access to the master mix and aux sends.)
Gate Sequencer
(The gate sequencer allows independent gating between these two bays and unified control of amount, shape, speed and length of sequence.)REVIEW
Spitfire Audio surprised me with their release of
Orbis. Instead of another Kontakt instrument, they released a synth plugin that contains thousands
of recordings from around the world. Orbis features sounds from places we might
never get to visit. This library has samples
from India, Hong Kong, China, Thailand, Sudan, Kenya, Uganda,
Indonesia, Egypt, and more. They were recorded by composer and sound explorer
David Fanshawe who over four decades collected over 2,000 hours
of recordings. His sounds were used in film scores like Seven Years in Tibet and
Gangs of New York. Mr. Fanshawe is also known for over 50 scores for films and
television. Unfortunately, David Fanshawe passed away in 2010 and what he left was
an archive of history from around this planet. These samples were recorded from
1967 to 1994. There was a total of 3000 analog audio tapes and 200 digital
audio tapes. The idea behind Spitfire Audio Orbis began in January 2015, when David
Fanshawe’s wife Jane Fanshawe introduced Spitfire founder and composer Paul
Thomson to Fanshawe’s archive of recordings. These were later meticulously
selected by the Spitfire team to create a tremendous tribute to a real-world
explorer. It’s hard to find fault in something with so much cultural history.
Inside
Orbis, there is a cornucopia number of rhythmic/playable loops,
one-shots, short phrases, and pads. All the samples can be treated with
effects or non-treated with the options of Clean, Dirt, Crunch/Low
Crunch, Mess, Shimmer, Distant, Hollow, Metal Space, Stretched, Warm
Hall, Slow Fuzz, and Space. The EDNA interface has a clean layout that
is large enough to see everything easily. You have plenty of options and
tools. Near the top of the GUI, there is the preset selector and below
that is the Main Controls (Volume, Dynamics, and Knob). Below the
main controls, you’ll see the A+B Soundbays, Wobbles, Envelope, and
Oscillate Mixer. In the middle of the interface, you’ll find access to
the Master FX section. Inside the master fx page, you’ll find the FX
inserts for both A+B soundbays. There is Eq, Sends, Stereo, Tape
Flanger, Phaser, Convolution reverb, and Limiter. There is also an Aux
FX section with Chorus, Flanger, Delays, Phaser, Reverbs, and more.
Inside Orbis, I found plenty of sound-shaping abilities. I even took
some 3rd party plugins like Eventide Blackhole and created some of the
most amazing cultural atmospherics I’ve ever heard. The last page is the
Gate Sequencer, where I had a lot of fun producing some compelling
rhythmic sequences. I do have to admit though, at first, I wasn't that
impressed with some of the clean samples, and I could tell they showed
their age. The quality was slightly lacking until I began adding the
effects. So, when I started to sculpt and shape the sounds, I began
hearing this library's true potential.
This
is a plugin created out of historic adventures
throughout this man’s journeys and is installed as a VST2, VST3, AU or
AXX. This is not a small library, and it downloads at a weight of
21.14GBs. I
imagine David in the far reaches of the earth recording these organic
performances and it gave me chills. What a life he lived and what a gift
he
left us. Not only will you discover sounds from all over the world, but
you
will also hear some beautiful lush pads and moving textures. If you’re a
composer scoring a cultural documentary, or even a film needing some
ethnic soundscapes, this may be a must-have. There are many
possibilities with Orbis, but you must devote the time to dig into
this library. I created some beautifully epic sounds with just a little
work that captivated my imagination. I believe David Fanshawe would be
very proud of Spitfire Audio’s work and to have his legacy featured in
other composer’s scores may be the ultimate tribute to this man’s
legacy.
Orbis is like a global audio encyclopedia that I adored exploring and was truly inspiring. When I was finished playing it, I felt like my voyage had just begun. Thank you Spitfire Audio, thank you Jane Fanshawe, and thank you, David. May the spirit of Mr. Fanshawe be alive and well in many compositions to come.
5 Out of 5 Stars
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