Evocative Multidimensional Expression for Strings
From the company’s line of Touché expression controllers to the prismatic performance possibilities of the Osmose synthesizer to a chimeric software suite, Expressive E has committed itself to giving artists and sound designers an arsenal of imaginative instruments, intuitive interfacing, and unreal expression. With the Soliste Solo String Suite, Expressive E utilizes state-of-the-art physical modeling technologies to bring you solo violin, viola, cello, and double bass, captured and shaped by natural gestures. Soliste has been methodically optimized for MPE-compatible (MIDI Polyphonic Expression) controllers, but according to Sweetwater’s studio scholars, the secret to this virtual instrument’s nuanced expressivity is found at the nexus of MPE and physical modeling — there’s no sampled audio. With 10 versatile articulation presets, a trio of distinct playing modes, scrupulous virtual-instrument customization, and highly adaptive interfacing, the Expressive E Soliste Solo String Suite unlocks multidimensional expression that’s as elegantly and explosively expressive as you.
Note: Soliste instruments were designed for use with MPE-capable MIDI controllers or with a Touché unit that accompanies legacy MIDI controllers. Please contact your Sweetwater Sales Engineer with any questions or concerns regarding compatibility or use with your setup.
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Three ways to play
Soliste is a sonic sandbox of uncompromising artistic freedom, thanks to Expressive E’s use of a physical-modeling-powered synthesis engine, resulting in seamless real-time expression and a sustaining fluidity that exceeds the limits of detail and nuance encountered with sample-based plug-ins. Within Soliste, three playing modes are available, each meticulously crafted and tailored to distinct configurations of control, interactivity, and responsiveness:
- Classic Mode: This straightforward style utilizes a “press and tap” approach, wherein tapping a note triggers a bow stroke, while pressing sculpts the dynamism and intensity of sustained bowing.
- Virtuoso Mode: A smart system places the virtual bow at your fingertips, prioritizing precise interactivity through real-time control over the bow’s back-and-forth range of motion.
- Expressive Bow Mode: This ingenious mixture of the Classic and Virtuoso modes is built on the former’s press and tap approach while adding the nuances of the latter, resulting in a dual-behavior model that maps slower gestures to sustained bowing and faster gestures to discrete back-and-forth actions.
Engineered for unmatched articulation
Expressive E designed Soliste with a premium on accessibility. The user interface is clean and intuitive, concealing a depth of tailoring that’s near-limitlessly adaptable to your preferences. The enhanced velocity-processing system allows you to engage portamento via pressure-based gliding, with real-time portamento control achieved via continuous gestures. Beyond the Classic, Virtuoso, and Expressive Bow modes, 10 articulation presets have been re-created with exacting accuracy: sul ponticello, sul tasto, pizzicato, Bartók, and col legno, alongside shorter strokes such as spiccato, spiccatissimo, staccato, staccatissimo, and martelé. And with the synth engine’s customization capabilities, each preset is ready to be refined to meet your needs.
Endlessly customizable sound-engine possibilities
While Soliste offers an impressive array of expressive and interfacing capabilities, Expressive E’s cutting-edge sound engine allows you to go deep with its physical modeling customization. For starters, the body of each instrument can be switched, giving you a selection of sonic foundations that fundamentally transform the tonal profile of each modeled instrument. Dedicated suites for left-hand and right-hand behavior adjust the pitch and bow, respectively, across velocity, fade in, portamento, attack, back-and-forth motion, legato, détaché, bow pressure, bow noise, gesture shape, bow-movement timing, and more. But the fine-tuning of Soliste goes beyond the physical modeling, thanks to its onboard effects and dynamics tools, offering a 3-band EQ, adjustments to spectral presence via the Brightness parameter, and the spatial acoustic-contouring versatility of the built-in convolution reverb.
Expressive E Soliste Solo String Suite Features:
- State-of-the-art physical modeling technologies unlock a multidimensional array of expression via solo strings optimized for MPE
- Suite includes 4 solo string instruments: violin, viola, cello, and double bass
- 3 built-in play modes allow you to engage evocative performances that are tailored to your sensitivity and interactivity preferences
- Multiple articulations have been meticulously constructed to give you detailed presets for explicit play styles
- Cutting-edge synthesis engine ensures seamless audio and uncompromising character, mitigating the limits of sample-based sound engines
- Intelligently developed vibrato and portamento systems utilize pressure and location data to give you detailed, nuanced, continuous control of your expression
- Groundbreaking suite of customizable properties provides unrivaled control of instrument bodies, bow behavior, vibrato fine-tuning, timbres, attack, sustain, gesture shaping, and more
- Built-in FX and dynamics tools span a 3-band EQ, spectral-adjusting Brightness control, and convolution reverb for natural, end-to-end acoustic-shaping capabilities
- Flexible operation supports use with a Touché unit and legacy MIDI controller