REAKTOR COMMUNITY

DESCRIPTION

EDIT: v2 uses a new methodology that models the note attacks slightly better. This is the only change. Nothing on the panel has changed, so snapshots from v1 can be loaded here without any problems.

Beauchamp Brass is a solo brass synthesizer. It can be very expressive and is controlled from a mod wheel, a foot pedal, a wind controller, or a breath controller.

It is a sample-playback instrument, created from the results of Fourier analysis. The samples are synchronized so crescendos, decrescendos, and trombone slides are smooth.

It contains fourteen instruments:

* Bb Trumpet
* D Trumpet
* Cornet
* Flugelhorn
* Wah Trumpet
* Tenor Trombone
* Alto Trombone
* Bass Trombone
* Wah Trombone
* Cimbasso
* French Horn
* Tenor Horn
* Euphonium
* Tuba

James W. Beauchamp was a research professor and professor emeritus at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He pioneered research into spectral analysis and synthesis and his career spanned 50 years. The coefficients used to create these instruments were calculated using a software package he wrote called SNDAN.

There are five pages, selected from the menu in the bottom center:

1. Selects the type of horn and an optional mute. Also displays the horn’s recommended playing range and the currently-played note.

2. Specifies the vibrato, flutter, sizzle, punch, pitch envelope, and portamento effects. Includes a mod matrix for each control.

3. Specifies the slur characteristics. This includes note intervals of 1 & 2, 7, and octave, and also the reflections that occur during slurs. Includes a mod matrix for each control.

4. Tunes and transposes the horn.

5. Selects the input device for controlling the breath. The choices are a mod wheel, a foot pedal, a wind controller, or a breath controller. When selecting the mod wheel or foot pedal, the source of the tonguing (the sharpness of the note attack) can be chosen either from that input instead or from the note-on velocity.

To experiment with this ensemble, go to the last page and select the first Breath Device (which is the Mod Wheel, used for both breath and tonguing). Then, using the mod wheel to control volume and note attack, play a tune.

Notes:

* A variety of snapshots are included. Moving the pitch wheel either up or down demonstrates various effects.

* Ten different backgrounds are included and are selected using the buttons on the bottom of the screen. Each can be replaced with any 1280x720 png file.

* This instrument uses 1.6GB of memory.

The sound examples are three versions of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen played by brass quartets:

1. A typical quartet: a trumpet, a French horn, a trombone, and a tuba.
2. Four horns: a tenor horn, a French horn, a euphonium, and a tuba.
3. Four trombones: a tenor, two basses, and a cimbasso.