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If you need the sound of an opera singer within your DAW, Voices of Opera by EastWest is a downloadable virtual instrument that could very well pique your interest. This library is designed for composers and sound designers, and it complements other entries in EastWest's catalo such as Hollywood Choirs and Voices of the Empire. Recorded under the direction of experienced producers Doug Rogers and Nick Phoenix, Voices of Opera gives you impeccably recorded opera singers performing sustained notes, staccato syllables, as well as whole words and phrases. You have your choices of held vowels (ah, ee, eh, oh, oo) and short, single syllables (don, ci, na, ra, te, and others).
The singers sampled for this virtual instrument have established, lauded careers. They include Larisa Martinez, who has performed with Andrea Bocelli at the Hollywood Bowl, and Carlton Moe, who has been featured in Phantom of the Opera on Broadway and has sung tenor parts in Roméo et Juliette, and Beethoven's 9th Symphony (which has a wonderful solo for tenors).
Voices of Opera gives you over 40GB of content, with 229 multisampled vocal instruments in total. Samples are triggered and played through the accompanying PLAY software, a 64-bit audio engine that powers the EastWest Quantum library. This software is compatible with Mac and Windows platforms, and operates in AU, AAX, and VST formats.
- Sustain: 10 vocal instruments for both soprano and tenor consisting of single syllable vowels (ah, ee, eh, oh, oo).
- Staccato: 32 vocal instruments with a variety of short, single syllables.
- For Soprano: bra, cher, ci, don, fa, goh, joh, ki, kom, lu, na, oo, prey, ra, te, toh, voh.
- For Tenor: bra, cher, ci, don, fa, goh, joh, ki, kon, lu, na, oo, prey, te, toh, voh.
- Legato: 4 vocal instruments that playback true legato intervals up to an octave in either direction when playing in a legato fashion (connected notes) and a sustain sample layer when playing in a non-legato fashion (separation between notes). Ah legato and oh legato for both soprano and tenor.
- Combo: 8 vocal instruments that combine multiple articulations into a single instrument, and use either the mod wheel or round robin programming techniques to determine how each play back. These include Sustain MOD, Legato MOD, and Staccato Combo RR.
- Words: 42 vocal instruments with performances of specific Italian words mapped chromatically across the keyboard. For both soprano and tenor, these include: addio, amore, bravissimo, cara, caro, cielo, dolore, donna, ella, fiore, fortuna, torza, gloria, insieme, mai, morte, nobilta, potere, sacro, signore, vincero.
- Phrases: 36 full phrases and 84 sub-phrases from popular opera arias from the works of Verdi, Puccini, Mozart, Rossini, Bizet and more. There are 43 phrases and sub-phrases for soprano, 40 phrases and sub-phrases for tenor, and 37 duet phrases and sub-phrases. Phrases were recorded in multiple keys. Sub-phrases, which are separate parts that make up a full phrase, can be switched using the mod wheel.
- Keyswitch: 9 instruments that combine multiple articulations into a single instrument. Use keyswitches to activate the desired articulation.