Now available for download here, Symphonic Instrument Version 1.1.3 is a free update to all registered users. Version 1.1.3 offers significant new features and enhancements available in both the new stand-alone version and the plug-in:

• Stand-alone application - you can now operate Symphonic Instrument by itself, without a host program. Turn your Mac or PC into a dedicated orchestra ensemble, ready and waiting for the wave of your baton.
• Disk streaming - sample data can now be streamed from disk, instead of always being loaded into RAM, significantly reducing load time and freeing up large amounts of RAM for other software.
• 64 parts - the Symphonic Instrument window now lets you load up to 64 different instruments simultaneously, offering you unprecedented flexibility and convenience in creating ensembles of any size.
• 64 MIDI channels - four separate banks of 16 MIDI channels each let you assign all 64 parts to their own MIDI channel.
• Multiple outputs - each part (instrument) can be assigned to one of 17 separate output pairs for sub-mixing, separate effects processing and a variety of other applications.

Stand-alone operation

The MOTU Symphonic Instrument can now run as a stand-alone instrument application, independent of a plug-in host, turning your Mac or PC into a streamlined orchestra instrument powerhouse with 64 parts, disk streaming, 16 independent audio outputs and 8GB of orchestra sounds. Stand-alone operation also allows you to use the Symphonic Instrument with Make Music Finale 2006 and other music software applications that do not host 3rd-party instrument plug-ins. Stand-alone operation is virtually identical to plug-in operation, except for a few additional settings for audio/MIDI input and output.

Disk streaming

The Symphonic Instrument can load 16 different orchestra instruments into one instance of the plug-in and play them all simultaneously. Disk streaming, which can be enabled or disabled independently for each of the 64 instruments, is a process where large samples (instrument sounds) are only loaded from the hard drive into RAM for playback when they are actually triggered, rather than being loaded in their entirety beforehand. Streaming conserves large amounts of RAM, allowing you to load more instruments simultaneously and free up your RAM resources for other plug-ins and applications. Streaming also significantly speeds up the time it takes for instruments to load, especially instruments with large sample sets.

64 Parts

The Symphonic Instrument is multitimbral; this means that one instance of the plug-in can load different instruments (presets) simultaneously, and each instrument can play its own individual part via a separate MIDI channel. Version 1.0 provided 16 parts. Now, version 1.1.3 provides 64 parts, which can be accessed by clicking four part list tabs.

64 MIDI channels

To support its 64 parts, the Symphonic Instrument also supports 64 separate MIDI channels, divided into four banks of 16 channels each (Bank A, B, C and D). You will see them presented in your host software (if it supports more than 16 MIDI channels for virtual instruments) with a bank letter plus MIDI channel number. You can use any MIDI channel you wish for any of the Symphonic Instrument’s 64 parts. Parts (as many as you wish) can also share any MIDI channel.

This feature is supported by the stand-alone version of the Symphonic Instrument, Digital Performer (MAS) and Pro Tools (RTAS/HTDM). Other plug-in formats (VST, Audio Units and DXi) do not support multiple banks of MIDI channels. If you use a host program that uses one of these plug-in formats, and you need more than 16 parts in the Symphonic Instrument, you can open multiple instaces of the plug-in.

Multiple outputs

In Version 1.0 of the Symphonic Instrument, all 16 individual instruments were mixed together to the stereo output of the track that the plug-in was instantiated on. In Version 1.1.3, each instrument can be independently assigned to one of 16 different stereo output pairs, which in turn can be routed to any available audio hardware outputs. With this greatly increased flexibility and convenience, you can create sub-mixes directly in the Symphonic Instrument by assigning two or more instruments to the same output pair. Or you can even send each instrument to its own independent output.

The Symphonic Instrument provides both convolution reverb (to place your orchestra performances in stunningly realistic acoustic spaces) and conventional reverb (to conserve computer processing). With multiple outputs in Version 1.1.3, you can apply the reverb to any output pair you wish.

The Symphonic Instrument version 1.1.3 update is now available as a free download from www.motu.com.