Brass 2 first impressions-- A REVIEW!

[DevinThomas]

Well,

I have a few comments and questions. First, I think Brass 2 is a great improvement on version 1. Now a few observations, comments and questions. (Keep in mind I have only used Brass for a few hours.)

I love the MIDI controls, but I think the layout is confusing. Too many pop up screens that seem to repeat the same functions of loading or showing instruments in a "Kit" (Dumb name, by the way---why not "Ensemble" or something more sensible?) I was expecting to see drum sounds!

Also, No MIDI channel control--actually I found it--but it was buried in a sub window under "Harmonization"--a strange place to place MIDI channel control if you ask me. Actually, the more I think about it, I more I don't like the interface of Brass 2.

Sounds: Even though they are better, I think the timbre control could be calibrated to have a wider range of mellow tone to bright tone. (Check out the Wallander trumpet for comparison.)

Also, I would like to see some type of simple mixer associated with the multi mode of operation. Is there NO WAY (besides note velocity) to adjust the global balance between instruments? Please, Arturia, place a volume or trim control next to each instrument (either in the "Kit" window or in the individual instrument edit windows somewhere. Or maybe I'm just missing something here.

The Manual: The manual is very sketchy and leaves out a lot of details. The translation is bad which also makes it a chore to read with words like "proposed" used instead of "presented" or "offered"--I found myself stopping to decipher the wording which is not a good sign when trying to learn new software. Anyway, hopefully, they can revamp this soon.

CPU: I really think Brass 2 is a CPU hog. Too bad, I was hoping to use it to stack a three-part brass section on tunes recorded in DP7 on my MacBook Pro. It doesn't look good at this point, crashing after only two parts.

(Again, why does Wallander seem to be able to have dozens of brass sounds sounding with low CPU usage? I really don't get it.)

So, all in all a mixed review. I like the sounds, I wish the interface was better organized, and I think Brass 2 is a processing hog and a bit buggy on my Mac.

I hope I don't have to wait too long for Brass 3!

[JAB3]

Switch to Mojo Horn Section. No offense. But if you'd rather write music instead of waiting for Brass 3 (which may never happen), then I would suggest that.

[JAB3]

Apologies all. This was harsh. I was overly frustrated in getting a non-working Brass 2 release (w.r.t Sonar 8.5).

I am sure the Arturia staff will get the areas fixed that arise. As far as the Mojo Horn Section, true, it is a very good alternative. But the intent here is not to tell all to switch, but to identify something to use alongside or in the meantime, until another Brass 2 patch is released.

I figured I would be a man and admit I was wrong and abrasive before  I start getting flamed by others or banned from the forum for foaming at the mouth. Apologies to Arturia and Arturia users.

Sincerely,
JAB3

[Antoine]

No problem, JAB3!
We accept the debate as long as we all stay gentle(wo)men and respectful towards other users and companies.
I cannot guarantee you won't be flamed, but for sure you won't be banned as long as you comply with the above rule.