ORCHESTRAL STRINGS I - VIENNA SYMPHONIC LIBRARY

MIR
Multi Impulse Response
Mixing and Reverberation Engine
Finally the Vienna Symphonic Library will be adding space to its alchemy of digital orchestral music production.
Based upon the principle of multi impulse response convolution, the Vienna Symphonic Library digitizes (“samples”) the
characteristics of enclosures like the Great Hall of the Wiener Konzerthaus with unprecedented detail and methodology,
taking this technology to the next level and capturing the great concert stages of the world in their full glory, wall to wall,
floor to ceiling, in three dimensions!
Total Integration
Due to the close association between the Vienna Symphonic Library samples, the Vienna Instruments’ audio engine, and
the MIR reverb engine, the typical directional characteristics of each instrument are taken into consideration when
formulating the “correct” sets of impulse responses. For instance, the horns, whose bells are directed to the rear, will be
automatically assigned different spatial aspects than the forward blaring trumpets.
In simple terms, the Vienna Instruments “tell” the MIR engine which instruments are currently playing, while the MIR applies
the appropriate algorithms depending on the placement of the instruments on the virtual stage.
The user is put in the position of a conductor, working on stage, thinking in musical terms rather than in technical abstractions.
As a result, the reverb engine is not only a complete mixing station, but actually a true virtual representation of real
orchestral halls! With a few intuitive movements, the user can control every parameter of a virtual orchestration. Volume,
the position on stage, distance from the virtual microphones and all of the necessary spatial parameters are connected
in one macro environment. (Of course there are expert settings in the background enabling more refined control of the
environment and instrument placement.)
The results can be heard in real-time in preview mode. The high-definition final results have to be calculated offline – but
it is merely a question of time before even conventional computers are fast enough to enable high-definition real-time
multi-dimensional convolution. Up to eight audio channel outputs cover even extravagant surround formats – allowing the
complete recreation of the entire acoustic space in 5.1 and other three dimensional systems.
Merging the powers of high culture and high technology, two exceptional partners have joined the Vienna Symphonic
Library in a remarkable effort to push the boundaries of virtual authenticity in orchestral music production:
• The Wiener Konzerthaus, one of the world’s most sought-after concert halls.
• AKG Acoustics, a leading innovator in the world of audio technology.
MIR
• A new approach to impulse response convolution, capturing spatially separated Multi Mono Impulses.
• Impulses in 8 directions, horizontal and vertical.
• Hundreds of impulse responses for each space, depending on the instruments’ positions on stage.
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