KEPLER ORCHESTRA – Review

Spitfire Audio released Kepler Orchestra, a new "secret weapon" orchestra library which is tailored to evoke movement, speed and atmosphere by creating interlocking orchestral rhythms inspired by late 20th century composers like Terry Riley, Philip Glass, Steve Reich and John Adams.

• 54 unique articulations and playing styles
• Full orchestra, 40 strings, 13 woodwinds and 19 brass
• Recorded as separate ensemble
• ~18300 Samples, 38.0 GB GB Uncompressed .WAV
• Recorded in Studio One at the legendary Air Lyndhurst (AIR Studios)
• Multiple microphone positions (Close, Ambient, Mid & Wide)
• Evo Grid / Systems Grid 259
• Snapshots Kontakt version 5.6.8 or higher
• Free Kontakt Player Included

As with all Spitfire Audio libraries, Spitfire provides a nice and clever tool called the Spitfire Audio Library Manager. It downloads and installs the complete library automatically to the chosen location once you are connected and logged in. The app even checks if there are software updates and new sample contents available.

Spitfire Audio recorded a full orchestra containing 40 strings, 13 woodwinds and 19 brass players in Studio One at the legendary Air Lyndhurst (AIR Studios). This might not sound new or spectacular at all, but the way how Spitfire created the instruments is different and stands out from conventional orchestral libraries. The result is a very organic "20th century" cinema sound known from composers like Terry Riley, Philip Glass, Steve Reich and John Adam.
Kepler Orchestra contains four different categories: DOPPLERS, SHARDS, MOMENTUM, and WARPED. Most patches contain not just single note samples but longer recorded repetitions of a note that is repeatedly played over a couple of bars.

DOPPLERS
The DOPPLERS category was inspired by the famous Doppler effect (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doppler_effect). Basically the Doppler effect occurs when a (audio) signal is moved towards or away from the listener. A typical example is a passing ambulance. Spitfire recreated the effect by recording notes that grow or evolve by bending the pitch up or down.

SHARDS
Rising and swelling sounds that grow to a certain point with an more or less abrupt ending are available in the SHARDS category.

MOMENTUM
In the MOMENTUM category there is the same concept used like in the SHARDS category but this time the sounds are even accelerating or pulsing.

WARPED
Finally there is also the WARPED category which focuses on atmospheric and artificial sound design. The sample content was mangled with different techniques like time stretching, granular synthesis or sent through outboard devices like reverb, distortion etc.

The Kepler Orchestra library contains 7 folders that include the 6 orchestra sections: High Strings, Celli, High Brass, Low Brass, Basses and Woodwinds. The seventh folder is named Warped and contains the WARPED category mentioned above. Each section holds several different articulations including muted, sul pont, tremolo, muted and the special articulations SHARDS, MOMENTUM recorded in different time divisions like duplet, triplet, quintuplet and septuplet.

Every articulation and instrument section was recorded with 4 different microphone positions close (C), ambient (A), mid (M) and wide (W) at Air Studios in London. There is also a Full Mix option created by Fiona Cruickshank.

Yet another orchestra library? You might think why should I purchase another orchestra library. This library is special, it provides a modern and authentic sound which is perfectly suitable for 20th century systems music. KEPLER ORCHESTRA can add very interesting interlocking rhythms, complex polyrhythmical and atomspheric sounds to any composition. This library provides a massive collection of patches and articulations to create rhythmical interlocking themes, orchestral movement and tension as well as the typical cinematic Hollywood sound we all know from countless modern compositions and movies. A perfect addition is the flexible GRID system, which is very inspiring and super helpful to create new ideas.