collection user guide - orchestral toolsorchestraltools.com/downloads/user_guides/capsule user guide...

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Capsule User Guide

Metropolis Ark 1

www.orchestraltools.com

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© 2017 Orchestral Tools | Schwarzer & Mantik GmbHRev. 2 017-10-2 5

Collection User Guide

CONTENT

I About this User Guide 3

II Introduction 4

III Recording and Concept 6

IV Metropolis Ark 1 7

V Integrated QuickHelp Texts 9

VI Blending With Other Libraries 10

VII Common MIDI CCs 11

VIII Maximum Voices 12

IX GUI Overview 13

1 Preset System .............................................................................................................. 13

2 UI Views ...................................................................................................................... 15

Performance View ................................................................................................. 15

Mixer View ........................................................................................................... 16

Settings View ........................................................................................................ 19

Controller Table View ............................................................................................ 22

X Single Articulation Patches 24

1 Standard Articulations ................................................................................................ 24

2 Sustains ...................................................................................................................... 27

3 Legato ......................................................................................................................... 28

4 Blurred Articulations ................................................................................................... 28

5 Drumset ...................................................................................................................... 29

6 Electric Guitar and Bass .............................................................................................. 30

Guitars ................................................................................................................. 31

Guitar Ensemble ................................................................................................... 31

Electric Bass .......................................................................................................... 32

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© 2017 Orchestral Tools | Schwarzer & Mantik GmbHRev. 2 017-10-2 5


7 Time Machine-enabled Patches ................................................................................... 33

XI Multi Articulation Patches 34

1 Multi Slot View ............................................................................................................ 34

2 Multi Locked View ....................................................................................................... 39

XII Getting Help 40

XIII Appendices 41

1 Controller Table - Annotated List ................................................................................. 41

2 New Features .............................................................................................................. 52

3 Configuring Kontakt's Outputs .................................................................................... 55

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| About this User Guide |


© 2017 Orchestral Tools | Schwarzer & Mantik GmbH

I About this User Guide

This document serves as the User Guide for all Orchestral Tools collection

releases marked with the Capsule logo on our website. These collections are

powered by our Capsule scripting framework, developed in-house for best

speed, resource use and usability. This guide is constantly updated as new collections and updates are

released. Please make sure you are using the most recent version, which you will automatically receive

when installing updates. You can also download the most recent version in our Helpdesk.

This document is a special version of the User Guide that only contains features applicable to thecollections listed below.You can download the full User Guide that applies to all Orchestral Tools collections in our Helpdesk.

The following table lists all collections covered by this User Guide with their current Capsule version as well

as the minimum Kontakt version.

Please note that collections each require their own Capsule version and need to reside in their own folder!

We strongly advise to keep all collections apart in separate folders to avoid issues. If in doubt, send us an

email and we will be happy to help you out!

Collection Name Collection Capsule KontaktMA1 | Metropolis Ark 1 1.1 2.5 Player 5.5.1+

ImportantThis User Guide does not cover downloading, installing and registering Capsule-powered collections.

These topics are explained step by step in the respective Installation Guide, which is linked to in your

download email (the email containing your download code/serial number). You can also find it in our

Helpdesk.

About KontaktWhile all features specific to our collections are described in this User Guide, a basic familiarity with

how NI Kontakt works is expected. For general information how to configure and use Kontakt itself,

please refer to the Kontakt User Manual.

http://helpdesk.orchestraltools.com/kb/faq.php?id=29

http://helpdesk.orchestraltools.com/hd_user_guides.html

http://helpdesk.orchestraltools.com/hd_documentation.html

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| Introduct ion |


II Introduction

Welcome to the Orchestral Tools Capsule User Guide!

Capsule (Control And Performance Symphonic Utility Engine) is Orchestral Tools‘ groundbreaking scripting

technology powering a growing number of collections.

Capturing details, the creation of emotive tools with a maximum of efficiency and a dedication to the sound

led us to the Berlin Series. An ambitious project over many years with the vision to create the most complete

and flexible Virtual Orchestra. Capturing the beautiful details, gestures and colors of a symphonic body

inspired us to new innovations in the industry.

Recorded in Berlin, we took advantage of the unparalleled acoustics of the room - not too wet to stay

flexible and focussed or to dry to be able to create a fully blendable orchestral body where all the single

instruments and sections come together to a single entity. We engaged renowned musicians from the most

famous orchestras in the world and conceived a whole new workflow, which will instantly support you

realising more realistic results in a shorter time.

After years of development we were the first to present the Adaptive Legato Concept. Capsule senses the

speed of your playing and does not only switch automatically between 3 available legato slots, but also

adapts all important controllers and variables in the background to offer you the most fluid legato you ever

played. Entering the world of Orchestral Tools also means to be on board on a journey infused with new

ideas and the introduction of tools never built before. The Runs Builder lets you create the most convincing

fast runs based on pre-recorded micro runs. These are just a few examples of our investment into the future

of orchestral sampling.

Using our extensive set of articulations efficiently is fundamentally important. That´s why we didn’t just

develop yet another tool; we conceived a radically new workflow which will instantly support you:

The Control And Performance Symphonic Utility Engine.

Capsule keeps all our different colors with care and integrates perfectly into Native Instruments´ Kontakt at

the highest possible system efficiency. We simply improved everything. A for a long time desired multi

articulation facility exists now in parallel to fully flexible single articulation patches.

You can easily apply True Legato to any long notes of your choice. There is so much more potential in these

brilliantly sampled collections to exhaust. So why simply switch between articulations, when you are able to

blend them? Like a painter mixing colors to create new shades, you can easily do the same with

articulations. Doing this in a time-efficient way leads to a wholly new technique:

Polyphonic Keyswitching enables you to stack different colors over each other. Simply press up to 4

keyswitches simultaneously and choose how you want to blend or switch the chosen articulations. Choose

between equal power crossfading, velocity switching, MIDI controller switching or open up a whole new

world of sounds with our 2D equal power morphing. With an assigned midi CC this is even easier to do.

You don´t need to waste time anymore setting up complicated sample mappings. Your samples are now

intuitively and easily playable.

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| Introduct ion |



We redefined the way how you mix within a Capsule Patch. With the innovative Auto Gain the overall

volume stays at the same level while you morph between the different microphone positions. A feature that

helps you to keep the natural orchestral dynamics in balance. Fast tools like the chaining option or the

purge all function will support you to find the sound and timbre to your personal taste in a faster and more

elegant way. Every channel can now be routed to an output of your choice.

To allow all these articulations to stack, switch and morph, we completely overhauled the Berlin Series. A

dedicated team re-arranged the natural orchestral dynamic balance between all Berlin instruments and

articulations, matched the mic position volumes to each other and developed a new approach to set up the

release samples in a more natural and organic way. Now each articulation sits wonderfully and

convincingly in the best-balanced room you ever heard.

One of our key visions for the Capsule is to save time, especially when composers build their own

templates. Capsule‘s Controller Table holds all assigned elements and midi controllers in a dedicated list.

Once you have set up a custom controller table, you can save it in a preset on your computer to share it

between different Capsule instances. It has never been so fast and easy to set up your Berlin Orchestra.

Flexibility in Capsule’s single articulation patches is just paramount. Now you can create your very own

Round Robin rules. With only one click you can use the neighboring zones to triple the available number of

Round Robin samples to add a more organic feel and to avoid any kind of machine gun effect. Also each

Round Robin can be controlled individually. Turn off specific dynamic layers to adjust the dynamic range to

your needs or apply our new Niente option to any articulation, where the dynamic range starts with

completely silence. This is an important feature especially with strings, where a tone can evolve from total

silence as well as for use with a breath controller. Almost every feature here is available for each

articulation in the multi articulation patches as well. But of course, you don't have to change anything. We

already designed a very playable and optimized setup for you. Just load a patch and play.

Orchestral Tools is a sampling project driven by a few composers like you with their vision of a growing

orchestral palette. We develop Expansion Sets for all our Main Collections which will extend your personal

library in an organic way. Orchestral Tools is a growing project - always up to date. We constantly work

on existing collections to make them even better and to unleash their full potential. Maybe it is the whole

package of an unparalleled sound, innovations, captured details and intuitive handling which has made our

products standard tools for many composers over the world.

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| Recording and Concept |


III Recording and Concept

We are happy to have found a sonic home for our collections at the Teldex Scoring Stage in Berlin.

The large recording stage at Teldex looks back on a long tradition of many well known and Grammy®

award winning recordings. Famous orchestras, like the Berlin Philharmonics and great film composers from

the USA and Europe trust and love the wide and clear acoustics of this room. One of the best sounding

scoring stages in Europe, this room together with a fantastic complement of legendary microphones catapults

our work to a new level of orchestral sampling.

The quality of a sampled collection begins with the recording. Every Orchestral Tools collection is recorded

at 96khz with state of the art equipment. The full editing and post-production process uses these 96khz

recordings without downsampling. We very rarely denoise our recordings and never treat them in any other

automated way. If tuning is needed, it is done by ear without resorting to tuning algorithms. Only at the very

end, right before the samples are mapped into their instruments, the content is converted to 48khz for best

use of resources.

Our goal is to provide a set of tools that easily adapts to any workflow and creates a coherent sonic

representation of the orchestra. The main way we achieved this is by recording every instrument in its

orchestral position. All collections come pre-panned and pre-mixed with their respective volumes

balanced. If there are multiple types of the same instrument, they are recorded in slightly different positions,

yet still in their general section area. The different snare drums in Berlin Percussion, for example, have been

recorded slightly spread over the general "snare drum area" within the percussion section. This allows you to

have a very wide and full sound when combining multiple instruments.

We deliberately choose to also record non-traditional instruments as belonging to a symphonic setup, like

electric guitars and a drumset in our Metropolis Ark Series. Modern media scoring introduces a host of new

instruments into the established orchestral lineup and we feel these instruments deserve the same care and

precision in fitting them into the symphonic sound as their traditional counterparts.

All collections feature a number of microphone positions commonly used in orchestral recording. The

position of these microphones is identical in every collection, which means that for example the Tree is much

nearer to the string section that it is to the percussion section (because the percussion section is situated at

the back of the orchestra). This enabled lively acoustics that come pre-mixed for the respective stage

position. The choice of mic positions also depends greatly on the instrument. Some instruments, especially in

the percussion section, benefit greatly from a M/S position to enable accurately positioning the sound

source.

Wherever possible, similar instruments use the same mapping scheme so it is usually possible to transfer

MIDI data from one instrument to another easily. This is especially important and useful for percussion.

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| Metropolis Ark 1 |



IV Metropolis Ark 1

Metropolis Ark 1 not only marks Orchestral Tools' foray into the wonderful world of epic sampling, but

also introduces a Choir into the Teldex ambience, completely positioned and ready to seamlessly blend

into any arrangement. We deliberately chose to also record non-traditional instruments as belonging to a

symphonic setup, like electric guitars and a drumset. Modern media scoring introduces a host of new

instruments into the established orchestral lineup and we feel these instruments deserve the same care and

precision in fitting them into the symphonic sound as their traditional counterparts.

Metropolis Ark 1 is inspired by a cinematic monument from 1927 - The first ever epic science fiction motion

picture of our time. A Berlin original which inspired us to preserve all its strength, greatness and bold

exceptionalism in a monumentally powerful collection to bring it back into the latest cinematic soundtrack

productions.

Metropolis Ark 1 contains a huge Orchestra, Choir, Electric Guitars, Percussion, a Grand Piano and a

magnificent Drumset, all recorded with first call musicians at the Teldex Scoring Stage. Metropolis Ark 1

features the loudest imaginable dynamics starting from mf upwards to ffff. Everything is designed to be loud,

to be bold and boundary-shatteringly epic. This Collection opens a whole new world for Orchestral Tools,

who are well known for their Berlin Series, a virtual Orchestra that set a new standard and is used by many

high-profile film composers in Hollywood and around the world.

A unique soundThere is one vision and everything is built around it:

Special sections like 4 Contra Bassoons playing in unison, a Bass Trombone Ensemble, a Cimbasso

Ensemble or 12 Basses + 6 Celli playing together in octaves. Metropolis Ark 1 includes different French

Horn ensembles: A big 9 piece Horn Section for soaring, thick Horn melodies and a smaller 3 piece Horn

Ensembles, specifically designed to play chords. Together with uncomparable Powerchords recorded wet at

the scoring stage with two different Guitars and a sinister massive Choir singing at the highest dynamics, this

Collection will raise your compositions to a whole new level.

A flexible working toolInstead of pre-mixed sections, Metropolis Ark 1 offers pure and unprocessed instrument groups to give you

all the flexibility to arrange your own orchestrations. Extensive Articulation Sets additionally offer Swells,

Crescendos, Glissandos, 2 different lengths of Marcato, Shorts, etc. on more than 80GB of compressed

sample material.

Metropolis Ark 1 marks the next generation of Fortissimo and it is a Revolut ion of Epic in one single box.

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| Metropolis Ark 1 |


Instrumentation and Recording

Metropolis Ark 1 contains recorded sections grouped into four "Districts",

which are divided into patches containing a single articulation as well as multi

articulation patches. You will find all of these patches inside the Instruments

folder. The collection contains the following sections, as they appear in your

instruments folder:

District I - Orchestra

01. Finkenstein Strings (High)

02. Wolfenstein Strings (Low)

03. Holbein Bassoons a4

04. Barnak Contrabassoons a4

05. Kommandanten Trumpets a4

06. Schwarzdorn Horns a9

07. Rotdorn Horns a3

08. Friedrich Bass Trombones a3

09. Koenigsberger Cimbassi a3

10. Hindenburg Tubas a3

District II - Choir

01. Viktoria Choir (High)

02. Aarauer Choir (Low)

District III - Percussion

01. Kopernikus Percussion

02. Drake Piano

District IV - Band

01. Kornmesser Guitar Ensemble

02. Kornmesser Guitar (L)

03. Kornmesser Guitar (R)

04. Troppauer Bass (Dry)

05. Gardeschützen Drumset

Metropolis Ark 1 features Multi Articulation Patches in a separate folder for all sections and instruments.

You have free choice between five microphone positions, Spot, Close, Tree, Surround and A/B. The Band

patches have additional DI and Amp positions.

These microphone positions are switchable in the GUI and can be controlled via MIDI CC. Additionally, all

core articulations have been recorded with multiple velocity layers for realistic dynamics.

All samples have their natural panning.

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| Integrated QuickHelp Texts |



V Integrated QuickHelp Texts

To help you use these collections to their fullest potential, we have integrated QuickHelp texts for nearly

all UI elements. These texts feature short descriptions of the relevant feature. You can find more detailed

information in this User Guide.

The texts are displayed in Kontakt's Info Pane. To show this pane, click on the Info Button in Kontakt's

toolbar. Hover over an interface element to see its associated QuickHelp text.

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| Blending With Other Libraries |


VI Blending With Other Libraries

We have spent considerable energy on making our collections fit into your existing workflow and make it

work together effortlessly with other libraries you are using.

1. The right reverbYou can control the amount of room information with the adjustable microphone positions in the Mixer View.

The Tree/Room position is recommended for composing, providing a nice balance between presence and

ambience. Surround and AB are much more reverberant and best used to add character to the sound. Using

the Close position solely allows you to shape the sound even further by using your own reverb - at the

expense of losing the natural sound of the Teldex stage.

In general we suggest the use of an unobtrusive final reverb on top of the samples to blend everything nicely

together in a coherent space and to allow for spatial positioning of instruments within the mix (or, in plain

words: to move instruments further back or to the front in the mix).

2. Volume Control via KontaktWe have chosen to not normalise the audio samples used in our collections. This means that all samples are

at their natural volume, making some instrument ranges much quieter than you may find in other libraries. This

is intentional to give you the full dynamic spectrum. If you want to raise the overall volume of the patches,

you can either raise the volume of individual patches or raise Kontakt’s master volume slider.

Kontak t Maste r Volum e

Volume Range SliderDynamics is what makes an orchestra sound good. And incidentally, it is also what makes many mockups

sound bad. A piano can be really quiet and a forte can be really loud, not something in-between. Because

there is a fixed amount of velocity layers in any sample library, it can happen that a real musician could play

that piano part much quieter than your samples do. On the other hand, having the quietest samples at too

low a volume can make a library hard to use. We thought about this and have a solution: The volume range

slider in the Settings View allows you to set the overall volume range of your instruments between the lowest

and the highest velocity.

If the Volume Range setting is at 0, the samples will have their recorded dynamic range. Move it to the far

right and the lowest velocities will be very quiet while the highest velocities will be pretty loud, giving you

the full possible dynamic range. By default, this slider is set to give you some nice dynamic range compared

to the raw samples while at the same time not leaving you with almost inaudible low velocities. Experiment

with this setting and use it in your templates to bring out the full dynamic range of your orchestrations! The

volume range feature allows you to blend our collections with your other libraries with ease - but then why

would you want other libraries?

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| Common MIDI CCs |



VII Common MIDI CCs

We have taken great care to not clash with your existing MIDI CC allocations for all collections. Most

CCs used by Capsule are standard CCs and should work well with your current setup. Nevertheless, the

scripts internally use a number of additional CCs, which are also available to you as a user in case you

want to adjust settings. Most CCs are user-assignable, so you can change them if you like. A number of

additional CCs are used for internal calculations. These CCs are shielded to the outside so you do not

need to worry about them.

Here is a list of all CCs used by default and their use:

CC 1The modwheel controls morphing through the velocity layers if the X-Fade mode is activated on the Main

Knob. You can change this CC in the Controller Table view.

CC 11All patches have CC 11 (Expression) set to control the general patch volume. You can assign this CC freely

in the Controller Table.

CC 7In all patches, CC7 is mapped to the Kontakt volume slider. Use CC7 for balancing the collections in your

template. You can assign this CC freely in the Controller Table.

CC 3This CC controls the vibrato mode (select patches only). You can assign this CC freely in the Controller

Table.

CC64 (Sustain)All Longs patches (as well as of course Longs articulations within Multi Articulation patches) use CC64 to

hold currently playing notes after you have let go of their respective keys.

In the case of retriggered notes (for example when a new chord uses notes already present in an earlier

chord), the note(s) common to both chords will be faded out and retriggered. This allows you to play

repeated chords and chord changes in a very realistic manner. This feature works automatically and does

not need to be activated. You can assign this CC freely in the Controller Table.

CC115Capsule uses CC115 internally to purge samples. Do not assign this CC to any function and make sure it is

not sent automatically by any MIDI device. Do not delete this CC115 assignment in Kontakt's Automation-

MIDI tab, otherwise the patches will not work correctly! There is also a warning shown in Kontakt's

automation tab. Heed it! CC115 sent by any outside device will be ignored by all Capsule patches.

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| Maximum Voices |


VIII Maximum Voices

Every patch in Kontakt is assigned a maximum number of voices it is allowed to play. If that number is

exceeded while playing, Kontakt will automatically stop the earliest played voices still sounding.

Kontakt reserves a bit of system memory for every possibly playing voice. That means that if this number is

set far higher than needed, superfluous memory will be used.

By default, all Capsule patches have been set with a default maximum voice limit tailored to how the

particular patch is generally used. That means that Legato patches will have a higher value than for example

Trills.

Multi Articulation patches have a rather high value to enable complex articulation routings.

Maxim um Voi ces

If you use a lot of microphone positions (esp. in Berlin Percussion) and/or have a very dense orchestration,

you might encounter dropped notes. In this case just raise the maximum voices limit in the Kontakt patch UI.

Experiment with the setting to find the sweet spot for your applications. After you have found the value that

works for you, just save the patch and it will be recalled every time you load this patch.

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| GUI Overview |



IX GUI Overview

Capsule collections have two distinct types of patches, Single Articulation Patches as well as Multi

Articulation Patches. Both share some common features and UI elements, but they differ in one big respect:

While the Single Articulation Patches feature one articulation each, the Multi Articulation Patches allow you

to combine multiple articulations in groundbreaking ways thanks to the power of Capsule.

The following sections show the general UI for both patch types with detailed explanations of the features

these patches offer. Note that not all features apply to all patches. If you do not see a particular UI element,

the patch does not support this particular feature. Note that screenshots show various products depending on

which collection is best suited to show that particular feature. Also things might look a bit different on your

screen if you have changed the default settings of patches.

9.1 Preset System

Capsule features a powerful preset system, which allows you to transfer values and settings between

different articulations and instruments.

The preset system intelligently applies your settings when you load a preset in any single or multi instruments

and will only restore the settings that actually apply to that instrument.

All instrument as well as mixer settings will be recalled. So you can for example set up your perfect

microphone mix with the Soft Low Layer option in one patch and reload the same setting into any other patch

of the same collection.

Note that the loaded articulations of Multi Instrument Patches are not recalled by design to avoidwrong assignments.

Default Preset

There is one default preset, which you can save and load with one click by clicking the respective buttons in

the GUI. This default preset is shared by all Capsule patches within a collection. This means you can set any

patch up the way you want it and use the same settings in any other patch just by loading the default preset.

When saving or loading the default preset, a confirmation message will be displayed in the Patch InfoView

area in the Performance View.

De fault

Pre se t

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| GUI Overview | Preset System


Individual Presets

You can also create individual presets that can be saved under a unique name and loaded any

time. Saving and loading works the same way as with the default preset. Just click the respective

button at the top right of the UI. A standard Save/Load dialog will appear giving you access to

your file system. You can store these presets anywhere you like; they do not need to be in the collection

folder.

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| GUI Overview | UI Views



9.2 UI Views

All patches within the our collections use a tabbed UI separated into four pages, or "views", as we call

them.

This section describes these four views along with all their features. Individual features may only be

present in certain instruments.

Views

Se lector

9.2.1 Performance View

The Performance View features the most commonly used controls for each patch. In Single Articulation

Patches, you will find the Main Knob with its velocity layer display here, as well as Con Sordino, Auto

Sustain, vibrato style and other important settings (depending on the instrument). In Multi Articulation

Patches, the Performance View is where you load and customize individual articulations, set your control

preferences and switch between the selected articulations.

The look of the Performance View differs greatly from patch to patch, and even more between Single and

Multi Articulation patches. This is why this view is covered in the respective sections later in this User Guide

in detail.

Transpose

Transpose

All patches have a < TR > transpose section in their lower left.

This feature allows you to transpose the playable range of the whole patch without affecting

keyswitches and other non-playable keys.

The transpose controls are very useful if you want to either shift the playable range to conform to a different

tuning system (or to play in your favourite key together with instrumentalists when using Capsule live). This

feature is also well suited for stacking custom ensembles with octave-shifted instruments, for example Violins I

and II in octaves.

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9.2.2 Mixer View

The Mixer view gives you full control over the microphone positions available in the collections.

Mixer Channels

The mic positions incl. playing noises appear in the mixer as individual channels. Each channel has the same

basic feature set and layout, as shown here with the Tree microphones:

Name: At the top the name of the channel is displayed. Click on the name to load or unload that position.

Panning: This slider allows you to set the panning of the selected mic position. Ctrl/Opt-Click the slider to

reset it to Center.

Solo/Mute: These work like the Solo/Mute buttons in your sequencer.

Volume: Adjust the fader to lower or raise the volume of the mic position. While playing a level meter to

the right of the slider will show the current audio level. Ctrl/Opt-Click the fader to reset it to its default

value.

db Indicator : Below the volume fader, you can see the current db setting. 0.0 is default.

Chain But ton: Press this button to chain all channels with the indicator lit together. Every action performed

to any track will also apply to all other chained tracks.

Output Se lector : Click to select the Kontakt output for this mic position. You may need to configure

Kontakt's output matrix first.

Tree

Channe l

Str i p

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Global Options

To the right of the Mixer View you will find a number of options affecting all mic positions together. These

largely save you from needing to press the corresponding button on each individual mic position.

Auto Gain: If enabled, the combined volume of all mic positions will stay the same when you change the

level of any position. This preserved the dynamic relation of your mic mix while allowing you to put a single

position in the foreground or background. Auto Gain only affects unpurged (loaded) channel strips and needs

at least two active channels.

Chain Al l : This button chains all positions together, so changes to one position will affect all others

equally. Of course Auto Gain will only work if at least one channel is not chained.

Solo/Mute: Soloes or mutes all channels.

Purge: Enables or disables and loads or unloads all mic positions.

Purge Re leases: Enables or disables and loads or unloads all release samples.

Purge Legato Transit ions: Enables or disables and loads or unloads all legato transitions.

Global

Opti ons

Legato Volume

L egato

Volum e

In all patches that use legato transitions, the Legato Volume knob lets you adjust the volume of

the transitions. This is useful if you want a less pronounced legato effect or if on the opposite

you want the transitions to be more apparent. You can assign a CC to this feature in the

Controller Table.

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Microphone Positions

All patches in the collections have completely adjustable microphone positions. You will find faders with

on/off buttons for all positions in the Mixer View of each patch: If you switch off a position, its samples will

be purged from memory. Conversely, as soon as you switch a position on, the samples will be loaded. Not

every instrument has all microphone positions. For example for a lot of instruments an M/S position makes

little sense.

Note that all microphone positions are identically set up in all collections and correspond to the respective

mic setups that are used when recording a musical work at the scoring stage. That means that the Close

position is much drier in Berlin Strings than it is in Berlin Percussion, because the percussion section is at the

back of the orchestra. This is intentional to preserve the orchestral balance and spacing. To get a really dry

sound, use the Spot mics or M/S.

M/SThe M/S position is recorded in a mid/side setup. If you have a sequencer able to process the mid/side

channels separately you can use this position to freely adjust the stereo spread.

SpotThe spot microphones have been positioned as close to the instrument as possible and give you the driest

and most direct sound.

CloseIncrease the amount of the Close position if you want to have a more direct sound with less response of the

room. Raising the volume of the Close mics will also increase the playing noises made by the musicians,

providing added realism for intimate settings.

Tree (Room in BWW)The Tree microphones provide a balance between Close and Surround. Use them to add presence to the

sound by allowing some room response in, while still keeping the sound relatively controlled. This is the

recommended mic position and is activated by default.

SurroundIncrease the amount of the Surround position if you want to have as much room information as possible. The

reverb will increase while the direct sound decreases.

A/BThe A/B position features a wide stereo image and is of great use as a supporting microphone.

Note:

You do not need to think about adjusting the mic positions if you do not want to! When you load

any instrument into Kontakt, the Tree will be active, which is perfect for most applications.

M e t r o p o l i s - A r k 1

The Electric Guitar and Bass in Metropolis Ark 1 have a number of non-standard microphone positions,

which are detailed in the Electric Guitar and Bass section.

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9.2.3 Settings View

The settings view provides a place to edit settings unique to the loaded patch (in the cast of Single

Articulation patches) or settings that apply to all articulations loaded in a Multi Articulation patch.

The following section describes the features and UI elements you will find in this view. Note that not all

articulations support all of the listed features; regular shorts or longs for example do not have tempo

control.

Multi Articulation Patches have some of these settings in their Multi Slot View when editing the Instrument

Settings, depending on whether a particular setting makes more sense as a global patch setting or an

individual slot setting.

Dynamics

The dynamics area lets you select how the collections shape the dynamics when you play.

Dynam ics

Niente: If enabled, the lowest dynamic setting (usually CC1 at 0 or key velocity at 0) will cause the

instrument to be completely silent. Use this setting when using your instruments with a breath or wind

controller.

Soft Low Layer : If checked, the lowest dynamic layer will first be increased in volume when controlling

dynamics and only later the next layer will begin to fade in, allowing softer low dynamics.

Ignore Noises: This option makes the playing noises (wind or bow, depending on the library) not be

affected by the Niente option. This way the noises will still be present even if playing very softly.

LayersThe Layers section lets you enable or disable specific velocity layers.

Laye rs

20



Volume RangeThis slider adjusts the volume scaling of the recorded velocity layers to allow for greater or narrower

dynamic range.

Volum e Range

Cutoff FilterThis slider enables or disables the cutoff filter. This filter applies special EQ settings to the sound that enable

for example more realistic piano dynamics. The filter influences the high frequencies, but also the core

resonance. Each patch uses its own customized filter setting tailored to the use of that particular patch.

Cutof f

Attack/ReleaseThis area has three rotary encoders to intelligently adjust the ADSR curve of the samples.

Attack/Re lease

At tack: Adjusts the attack of the main instrument samples.

At tack Curve: Adjusts the attack of the main instrument samples.

Re lease: Adjusts the release time of the main instrument releases, so they get "drier" or "wetter". If release

samples are purged in the Mixer View, the release knob will adjust to the ADSR curve of the main samples.

The knob will reflect either setting.

21




Round Robin

The RR area gives you detailed control over the round robins in each patch. The options shown below are

present in all patches with multiple Round Robins. If a patch does not have recorded Round Robins you will

only see the Fake Neighbor RRs option.

Round Robin

Fake Neighbor RR: If checked, the instrument will create faked RRs by "borrowing" samples from

neighboring notes and pitching them.

Random RR: This options randomizes the order of played RRs. If disabled, RRs will be played in sequence.

Polyphonic RR: If enabled, only one RR is advanced in the sequence (or randomized) when playing chords.

Poly Syl lable (Choir only): If disabled, choir patches will always use the same syllable for each key as

long as any key is still pressed. Only after all keys are released, the next syllable is used. Activate Poly

Syllable to use the next syllable for each new key.

New Note Rese ts: This option resets the RR sequence when a new pitch is played.

Rese t RR afte r ms: If no notes are played, the RR sequence resets to the start after the time in milliseconds

entered here.

RR LayersThe RR Layers area features one checkbox for every available recorded RR. You can enable and disable

(and by this purge/reload from memory if used in a Single Articulation patch) specific RRs here.

If no RR Layers is visible, the patch does not have recorded Round Robins.

RR Laye rs

22



9.2.4 Controller Table View

The Controller Table view is the central place to assign keys on your MIDI keyboard as well as MIDI CC

(continuous controller) messages to features of Capsule. Every parameter and feature that can be directly

influenced by the user is listed here in multiple pages.

If a particular option is not available for the current patch/articulation, it will spell out INACTIVE.

For all other options you will see a toggle switch in the top left of the controller table. If you enable the

option, the Controller Curve display will appear along with controls to set the CC and/or MIDI note.

When a controller comes in (by CC or keyswitch) its respective entry in the Controller Table will show a

small dot in front of the name.

The current value of a controller is displayed by a highlighted area at the bottom of the Controller Table.

Acti ve Controlle r

Assigning Controllers

There are several ways to assign a feature to a specific note or controller.

Auto AssignYou can directly assign any feature in Capsule by holding Alt (Windows) / Option (OSX) and clicking on the

parameter you want to assign anywhere in any view of the patches. This will immediately take you to the

respective assignment in the Controller Table view. Now just press a key on your MIDI keyboard you want

to assign (if the controller you want to assign can be assigned to a MIDI Note), or move any fader to send a

MIDI CC. Your selection will then be mapped to this feature. You can assign multiple controllers to the same

MIDI CC or Note.

23




Manual AssignmentAlternatively, select the feature you want to assign by using the next page/previous page buttons until you

see the function you want to assign. Click on it to select it.

Now you can

a) press "listen" to map any incoming MIDI data (note or CC). If that controller is not enabled yet, it will be

enabled automatically once you press "listen".

b) select a CC or note by choosing it from the selection menu below the curve window. You can also set

this to "Off" to not assign a CC, but keep your presets and settings.

Note:If you assign a MIDI Note inside the playable range of the patch or on the same key as one of the

keyswitches in a Multi Articulation patch, that note will be moved one octave so the assignments do not

clash. This behaviour cannot be overridden.

Controller CurveThe middle of the Controller Table prominently features a graphical display of the current control curve. You

can draw your desired curve in with the mouse or use the preset button to open a menu with a number of

commonly used curves.

Available Controllers

The Controller Table hosts all - that is ALL - options and settings you can adjust in any patch. Therefore the list

of available controllers is very long. To let you make best possible use out of the plethora of available

options, we have compiled a reference of all available controllers with their default values in the Controller

Table - Annotated List.

24

| Single Art iculat ion Patches |


X Single Articulation Patches

All collections have a large complement of Single Articulation patches, which form the backbone of the

collections.

Each of those patches contains a single articulation with the GUI optimized and set up for this articulation.

Exceptions to this rule are the Legato patches, whose interface looks a bit different to the other patches and

which in a way contain multiple articulations (by means of the Adaptive Legato) as well as the Cluster

Builder and Runs Builder, which feature a different user interface.

All these patches use the four UI Views and all work in very much the same way. In the following sections,

you will learn about the different patches and how they are used. These descriptions also apply to the

corresponding articulations when loaded inside a Multi Articulation patch.

10.1 Standard Articulations

All Single Articulation patches in all Orchestral Tools collections share a set of common UI elements and

features that work across articulation types. This section describes these common elements.

Performance View

Single Articulation patches in their Performance View contain the Main Knob for velocity layer control, as

well as other commonly used features. Below the Main Knob you will see the patch name, the version of the

collection it belongs to as well as the Capsule version.

Select Metropolis Ark Patches let you control the Auto Sustain here, as well. If a patch does not support a

particular feature, its controls are not shown in this view.

Info View

The Info View pane at the bottom of the Performance View shows the patch name as well as the version of

this particular collection and the version of Capsule used by this collection.

When any keyswitched feature is triggered (like the Round Robin Reset, Soft Release, etc...), the InfoView

shows the triggered feature by its name.

Info Vi ew - Patch Info

25

| Single Art iculat ion Patches | Standard Art iculat ions



Info Vi ew - Keyswi tch Di splay

Main Knob

The Main Knob is a key component of using any collection. It allows you to select one of two ways to

control the velocity of played notes:

1) Velocity (how hard you press the keys on your MIDI keyboard)

2) X-Fade (lets you control the volume via the modwheel)

All "longs" articulation (legato, sustains, ...) are set to X-Fade (modwheel) by default. Portato and similar also

use X-Fade. All "shorts" articulations use Velocity by default because they are much more easily playable this

way. Click on the Main Knob to toggle between these two settings. Note that some articulations are fixed

to the X-Fade mode and can not be changed.

Main Knob

You can re-assign the CC used for the X-Fade setting by Alt/Opt-Clicking on the Main Knob. This will open

the Controller Table where you can assign a new CC by moving your corresponding fader/encoder or

whatever input source you are using.

In the middle of the Main Knob, the current velocity layer is displayed. As you morph through the layers, this

value will change to reflect the active layer. If no text is visible, you are in the middle of two layers. Note

that this display represents the actual recorded samples. So if you have p / mf / f in the display, that not

only tells you that there are three actual layers per note, but also which one is currently active. This is a

huge help when creating realistic mockups because you are told by the library that “right now those violas

are playing mf”. When the display says mf, what you are hearing is the actual sound of the violas playing

mf, not just a random sample lowered or raised in volume!

If an articulation has only a single velocity layer, the Main Knob will show "Single Layer" in the lower

portion.

Mute Instrument Keyswitch

Every Single Articulation Patch can be assigned a custom Mute Instrument keyswitch in the Controller Table

that mutes/unmutes all sound from that patch. This is useful when stacking patches to switch off elements of

the stack while playing, as well as when using multiple patches on the same MIDI channel to have all

26

| Single Art iculat ion Patches | Standard Art iculat ions


articulations of an instrument on the same track while still being able to use the benefits of the Single

Articulation patches.

While a patch is muted, the UI will show a message telling you to unmute the patch by either triggering the

keyswitch again or by clicking on the message window.

Dynamic Switch

With percussive instruments, quite often it is useful to not crossfade between different velocity layers (thereby

having multiple samples sound at any time) but rather use the recorded dynamic layers in their correct place

and switch between them.

When Dynamic Switch is enabled, all velocity-mapped keys in the current articulation will not crossfade

between dynamic layers but rather switch between them at breakpoints. Note that this setting does not

influence X-Fade-controlled keys like for example Rolls. This setting is available in all short notes, but it

makes most sense to use it with percussion instruments.

Dynam ic Swi tch

27

| Single Art iculat ion Patches | Sustains



10.2 Sustains

Sustained articulations form the backbone of numerous Orchestral Tools collections. These patches provide

long, sustained notes that can be help over long periods of time. This section describes the available

patches, how they are organized and their features.

Sustain Types

Orchestal Tools collections feature at least one sustained articulation for every instrument capable of

producing one.

Continuous Sustains

Sustained Articulations usually hold their timbre, in which case they are always looped. That means that

when the note is held, part of the sample will be repeated indefinitely until the note is released. This allows

for very long lines at (especially for wind instruments) the expense of realism if unrealistically long notes are

played which a real player would not be able to sustain before running out of breath. In this case, singing

the line is the best way to make sure it is playable: If you can sing it, most likely the player could play it in

reality.

M e t r o p o l i s A r k 1

Auto Sustain

The Electric Guitar and Bass patches in Metropolis Ark 1 allow you to keep the current note playing after

releasing the key until a new note is played with the Auto Sustain feature. If enabled, the instrument will

become monophonic and any note will continue to sound after the key is released until either a new note is

played, the same note is retriggered or the sound is stopped with the CC or MIDI Note assigned to Stop

Key in the Controller Table.

Auto Sustai n

28

| Single Art iculat ion Patches | Legato


10.3 Legato

Most collections have true legato (interval sampling) for all sections and solo instruments. To achieve the

highest level of realism and detail, we have recorded every interval up to an octave. That means you will

hear the natural transitions from one note to another. Every true legato patch is sampled with one (Soloists)

or several dynamic crossfade layers. Capsule uses an Adaptive Legato technology. While you play, the

instrument analyses your playing style and adjusts the transitions automatically.

True Legato

The True Legato patches adjust to your playing by automatically shaping transitions. The process is fully

automatic and there are no special controls.

You can adjust the volume of the transitions with the Legato Volume knob in the Mixer View of each legato-

enabled patch.

10.4 Blurred Articulations

Some Collections feature "Blurred" patches.

While we aim to only record the most pristine material, sometimes imperfections creep in where something

is not quite right. Loose samples are samples that are not really clean (untidy attacks, pitches, etc.).

Normally we throw away these samples when we separate the perfect sounding recordings from the dirty

ones in the editing process.

On some chosen patches we decided to keep them and make them playable in addition to the clean ones.

The special idea behind these samples is that when you play them on their own, they do not really sound

like you could use them in a score - they are really dirty. But when you combine those not quite so clean

samples with other instruments in creating a composition, you will see that these imperfections will breathe

much more life into your mockups.

29

| Single Art iculat ion Patches | Drumset



10.5 Drumset


Metropolis Ark 1 contains a drumset recorded in place at the Teldex Scoring Stage.

The instrument provides all regular mic positions and is mapped in the GM standard:

Key Name

B0 Bass Drum Alternate

C1 Bass Drum

D1 Snare

D#1 Snare Alternate

F1 Low Floor Tom

F#1 Closed Hi Hat

G1 High Floor Tom

A1 Low Tom

A#1 Open Hi Hat

B1 Low Mid Tom

C#2 Crash Cymbal

D#2 Ride Cymbal

E2 China Cymbal

F2 Ride Bell

G2 Splash Cymbal

30

| Single Art iculat ion Patches | Electric Guitar and Bass


10.6 Electric Guitar and Bass


Metropolis Ark 1 features two Electric Guitars, a Guitar Ensemble created from these two guitars as well

as an Electric Bass. These have all been recorded at the Teldex Scoring Stage and come with a few

special Mic Positions.

These instruments also have some special FX samples mapped, which are explained in the following

sections.

These instruments support the Auto Sustain feature, which is described in the Standard Articulations section.

Sample Mapping

The Electric Guitar and Electric Bass patches feature a number of special FX below and above the playable

range for Single Strokes or Powerchords. The playable tonal range is marked on Kontakt's on-screen

keyboard with blue keys. All FX keys are coloured yellow.

Key Name

G0 - G#0 Dead Note

C4 - D4/D#4 Slides Up Down (D#4 Bass only)

E4 - F#4/G4 Slides Down (G4 Bass only)

G#4 - B4 Slides Up

C5 - D#5 Slides Plec (Guitars only)

31




10.6.1 Guitars

The Guitar (L) and Guitar (R) contain Electric Guitar articulations. These two guitars are intended to be

double-tracked with one panned left, and the other panned right. Here they are present as individual

patches to facilitate finding your own sound.


The Guitars large have the same Mic Positions as all other Metropolis Ark 1 patches; see Mixer View for

details.

In additional, they feature a DI position which provides the Direct Input unaltered. The DI position is off by

default in the Guitars; switch it on and route it to its own output to use your own effects plugins on the signal.

10.6.2 Guitar Ensemble

The Guitar Ensemble pre-mixes and pre-pans the two Guitars included in Metropolis Ark 1 and has factory

settings like a typical double-tracked guitar setup.

All patches are playable right out of the box and are set up for the instant "action guitar" sound.


The Guitar Ensemble comes with its own set of special Mic Positions which are pre-mixed already for a

great sound.

L/R-CloseThe Left or Right Close position provides the Close signal for the left/right Guitar. Adjust this position for

more or less direct signal.

L/R-RoomThe Left or Right Room position controls the amount of reverberated Guitar sound. Adjust this position for

more or less ambience.

Amp 1 / Amp 2The Amp 1 and Amp 2 positions control the two Electric Bass amp positions. These positions are identical to

the respective Electric Bass positions.

32



10.6.3 Electric Bass

The Electric Bass features two special amp setups, and is great to add precise bottom end to any track


The Electric Bass provides four mic positions to shape the sound.

DIThe DI position provides the DI box input unaltered. Route this position to its own output to use your own

effects plugins on the signal.

ODThe OD position lets you control the amount of overdriven signal.

Amp 1The Amp 1 position provides an Ampeg SVT 4-Pro bass amp setup.

Amp 2The Amp 2 position provides a special SansAmp setup that has been post-processed.

33

| Single Art iculat ion Patches | Time Machine-enabled Patches



10.7 Time Machine-enabled Patches

Most patches in most collections are also available as special Time Machine-enabled patches. You can

recognize these patches by their name, which contains “TM”.

Time Machine-enabled patches work the same way as their regular counterparts, but have one additional UI

element. The TM Slider allows you to adjust the length of the samples in real time. This lets you make

staccatos sharper or shape a marcato to your desired length. The release samples are unaffected by these

changes, so the natural ambience of the room is preserved.

It is advisable to use the TM slider within sensible limits. The extreme ends of the spectrum will yield results

that are interesting for sound design, but have little in common with the original instrument. Less is more.

TM patches load the shole sample content into memory, so they take more RAM than their regular

counterparts. You should only use them if you actually want to use the TM feature. Most of the time the

regular patches will suffice.

Also the TM algorithm sometimes creates noises. Again - only use the TM patches if you need the TM

function.

Please note that Kontakt has a 32 voice limit for Time Machine. Avoid playing lots of notes simultaneously

with the TM patches, otherwise you will very likely experience cut or dropped notes.

Note that there are no TM patches for Legato, Playable Glissando and similar articulations for technical

reasons.

34

| Mult i Art iculat ion Patches |


XI Multi Articulation Patches

All collections in addition to the Single Articulation Patches features a large number of groundbreaking

Multi Articulation Patches.

Rather than just providing access to multiple articulations in one patch (they do that, too, of course), these

patches allow you to combine different articulations and morph between them freely.

You can also apply legato transitions to every “long” articulation. So if you were so inclined, here‘s your

chance for Legato Trills.

Depending on the collection, there may be individual patches for Longs, Shorts, etc., or all articulations may

be set up in a single patch. This mostly depends on the number of total articulations.

This section of the User Guide describes the UI and usage of the Multi Articulation patches. The individual

articulations loaded inside a Multi Articulation patch work the same way as their Single Articulations

counterparts. So please refer to the respective sections of the User Guide to learn more about these

articulations. The notable difference is the legato behaviour: Since the Multi Articulation Patches allow you

to use legato transitions or behaviour (scripted legato) with any articulation, there are no 1:1 counterparts to

the regular Single Articulation legato patches.

11.1 Multi Slot View

The Slot View of Multi Articulation Patches looks vastly different to its Performance View counterpart for

Single Articulation patches.

Each Multi Articulation Patch contains 12 slots for hosting individual articulations.

Empty slots have . . . as their slot name. Occupied slots show an abbreviation for the articulation loaded in

them with an icon for that articulation displayed below. The icon in a graphical way tells you a bit about

how the articulation sounds.

A slur left of the slot name (like in the 2nd slot above) means that legato behaviour is active for that slot.

Choosing Articulations

If you click on a slot, a menu will open that allows you to select an articulation. Use the scroll arrows to

cycle through the different articulation pages.

Click X or click the articulation name again to close the menu. The menu will also close when selecting an

articulation.

The vertical CLEAR Button to the left of the slots clears all currently loaded articulations so all twelve slots

are empty.

35

| Mult i Art iculat ion Patches | Mult i Slot View



Arti culati on Se lector

Legato and Settings

To the side of the menu there the legato button (displaying a slur) and the settings button (with a wrench).

Click the slur icon (it will light up if active) to switch on the legato mode.

You can configure which transitions to use as well as other options in the settings page by clicking the

settings icon. These options largely are the same found in their Single Articulation counterparts' Performance

View.

L egato Style s

You can select up to three different legato zones accessed by playing speed. If you only need one or two

types of legato, just set two or even three slots to the same legato type.

The other settings displayed on this page correspond to the settings of that particular Single Articulation in

the Settings View.

Note

The settings made on this page apply only to the selected articulation. Global settings are set in the

Settings View .

If the controller is engaged, the slur graphic above the slot will turn orange.

If a legato style features an alternative transitions, this is marked by an asterisk (*) next to the transition

name in the legato slots.

36



Selecting Articulations

There are multiple ways of selecting an articulation:

1) Click on the icon displayed below the slot name to select an articulation.

Mono/Poly KS

2a) If the KS Mono/KS Poly switch is set to Mono, you can use freely assignable

keyswitches to select any of the 12 slots. Use the <KS> buttons in the lower left of

the patch to move the keyswitches. In this mode you can switch articulations any

time and the newly selected articulation will become active with the next played

note even if notes are still held in polyphonic playing.

2b) It is also possible to select any slot with a MIDI CC. You can assign any MIDI CC you like to the MI -

Slot Switch CC

If both the original slot as well as the slot switched to has legato enabled, a legato transition will be played

connecting the slots enabling fluent changes between legato articulations. If the slot switched to does not

have legato enabled, the original slot will still be connected and afterwards muted, but without a further

transition after the initial connection. This also applies to Guitar patches using Auto Sustain.

TipCtrl/Cmd-Click on the <KS> buttons to move the keyswitches directly adjacent to the lowest playable

note of the patch. On very low instruments the keyswitches will be moved adjacent to the top of the

range.

Shift-Click on the <KS> buttons to move the start of the keyswitches to C0. Very low instruments (like

BST Basses) will have their keyswitches start at C6.

3) If the KS Mono/KS Poly switch is set to Poly, the full power of Capsule is unleashed with Poly

Keyswitching and Morphing.

AttentionThe playable range of an articulation is displayed via coloured keys in Kontakt‘s on-screen keyboard. If

monophonic keyswitching is active, the displayed range is the range of the currently selected slot. If any

polyphonic switching/morphing mode is active, the displayed range is the combined range of all slots.

In this case single articulations (for example flageolet) may have silent notes.

37




Polyphonic Keyswitching/Morphing

Capsule introduces the ability to have more than one keyswitch (or, in this case, slot) enabled at the same

time. You can select up to four slots at a time by pressing multiple keyswitches at the same time. The newly

selected slot(s) will become active for all new notes as soon as all already sounding notes are released.

Already sounding notes are not affected and will also not be cut off when selecting other keyswitches.

KS Modes

Capsule not only allows switching between multiple selected slots via different means, but also morphing

freely between them. There are two modes for switching and two for morphing, selected by either clicking

the respective button or by a CC defined in the Controller Table:

CC SwitchWith this option selected, the CC assigned to X Fade/Switch in the Controller Table will switch between

the selected slots. For this, by default the range of the CC is divided by the number of selected keyswitches,

for example 128/4 if four slots are selected.

Vel SwitchThis option works in a similar way to CC Switch, but instead of a MIDI CC, the slots will be switched by

key velocity. Again by default the number of selected keyswitches determines the value range in which each

slot will react.

CC XFadeInstead of switching through the selected slots, this option will morph between them using the X Fade/Switch

CC. by default the number of selected keyswitches determines the value range in which each slot will react.

Note

When using the CC Switch or CC XFade modes, the lower portion of the Active Slots display will show

the current state of the respective CC by highlighting that section of the display.

CC XFade 2DThe 2D XFade allows you to morph freely between up to four slots using equal power crossfading. Each

corner of the graphic displayed in the UI represents one of the slots soloed. Use the CCs assigned to X

Fade/Switch and Y Fade (2D) in the Controller Table to move between the slots.

38



2D XFade

In any of the modes you can change the selected slots at any time simply by pressing different keyswitches.

Custom Velocity/CC Thresholds

If any Poly KS mode is active, the value boxes at the left of all but the first active slot control the switch

thresholds for either CC or velocity, depending on the mode selected.

If Vel Switch is selected, the boxes control the velocities where Capsule will switch. This way you can for

example set the first and last slot to only trigger on very soft or high velocities, respectively, whereas the

middle slot(s) will use a much broader value range.

If CC Switch is selected, the boxes control the CC values where the switch will take place. You can for

example set the second slot to trigger from CC value 10, the third one from 90 and the fourth one only if a

CC value of 127 is received.

Custom thresholds are not available in the XFade modes (CC XFade or 2D XFade).

Switching to Locked View

Capsule's Multi Articulation patches are intended for creating your custom switching and layering

solutions as well as for building unique Legato articulations. To help you preserve your custom

patches, Multi Artic patches feature a Locked View that freezes the current instrument settings.

Click the Lock icon next to the preset controls to enter or leave Locked View.

39

| Mult i Art iculat ion Patches | Mult i Locked View



11.2 Multi Locked View

The Multi Articulation Patches provide vast control over combining and blending articulations as well as the

ability to create custom legato patches with any long note articulation.

The Locked View introduces a way to preserve custom-created patches using up to four articulations.

Click the Lock icon next to the preset controls to enter or leave Locked View.

A locked patch is frozen with its settings (active articulations, KS mode, velocity layers, RRs, etc...) as they

were set at the point of entering Locked View. When locked, all samples not currently used are purged from

memory.

As long as Locked View is active, not articulations can be changed and the instrument is immune to any

settings changes via CC, as well.

Interface

When the Locked View is shown, the Multi Articulation UI changes to an interface more alike to Single

Articulation Patches:

The Main Knob in the middle of the interface shows the current velocity or CC assigned to layer switching.

Note that Velocity/X-Fade control are set per patch in the patch options in the Slot View, not by clicking on

the Main Knob like in Single Articulation patches. The right of the interface shows the enabled articulations.

The Locked View essentially serves to enable creating and storing custom-built articulation patches that

behave similar to Adaptive Single Articulation patches like the Legato patches.

40

| Gett ing Help |


XII Getting Help

We hope this Guide showed you how to unleash the potential of all collections.

If you have any additional questions or need help installing collections, we have a number of options for

you to get help as fast as possible.

1. The OT Helpdesk

Before sending us an email, please first refer to the OT Helpdesk at helpdesk.orchestraltools.com, which

has answers to the most common user questions.

There you will also find detailed Folder Listings to verify that all your collections are correctly installed. The

Helpdesk covers a lot of topics and chances are high you will an answer there in a fraction of the time it

would take you to contact us.

Here are a few important topics:

Downloading the newest Installation Guide and User Guide

Everything about download and installation

Folder Structure listings of all Orchestral Tools collections

2. Direct eMail support

If your question is not answered on the Helpdesk, you can reach OT Support by email to support(at)

orchestraltools(dot)com

For direct help with download issues using Continuata Connect, please contact support(at)continuata(dot)com

Just send us an email, describe your issue and we will get back to you usually the same working day. OT

Support is staffed every working day 09:00 to 16:00. Orchestral Tools is based in Germany, so if we do

not reply soon, it is most likely night over here! No have no impersonal ticket IDs, no registration for an

account, nothing. Just help when you need it.

Please include as much information as possible, especially your system specs, sequencer version and

Kontakt version. Screenshots also help tremendously.

3. Personal Remote Support

If your issue can't be resolved speedily via email or if you are completely stuck with something, send us an

email and we will be happy to assist you via remote support. This is done with a small and secure

application that lets us see what you see on your screen and has proven to be a cure for even the nastiest

tech issues.

http://helpdesk.orchestraltools.com

http://helpdesk.orchestraltools.com/hd_documentation.html

http://helpdesk.orchestraltools.com/hd_download_and_installation.html

http://helpdesk.orchestraltools.com/hd_folder_structures.html

mailto:support(at)orchestraltools(dot)com

mailto:support(at)orchestraltools(dot)com

mailto:support(at)continuata(dot)com

41

| Appendices |



XIII Appendices

This section contains several appendices like a list of all controllers available in the Controller Table, how to

configure Kontakt's outputs, and the most recent changes to the Capsule engine.

13.1 Controller Table - Annotated List

The Controller Table view allows you to map MIDI CCs and/or keyswitches to controller features in

Capsule. This section contains a list of all controllers along with short descriptions of what they do and

what you can assign them to.

All controllers have four bits of information attached to them:

Used by: Tells you which collection(s) use this controller; for example all Solo Berlin Woodwinds, or all

Berlin Strings.

Assignable to: Controllers can be assigned to a MIDI CC, a MIDI note, or both.

Default Value: Some controls have a default value set by Orchestral Tools. If they do, this will tell you what

it is.

Description: Provides a short description what the controller does.

Dynamics

Dynamic XFade

Used by: All "Long" articulations; but can be set and used for "Shorts", too.

Assignable to: MIDI CC

Default Value: CC1 (Modwheel)

Description: The assigned CC controls the dynamics of the instruments by morphing through the enabled

velocity layers. This is the default control scheme for "Long" articulations, though you can also enable and

use it for "Shorts", too.

XFade/Velocity Mode

Used by: All Single Articulation patches in all collections.


Default Value: CC14

Description: The assigned CC switches between dynamic control via the CC set at Dynamic XFade or by

keyboard velocity.

Inst rument Vol .1

Used by: All patches in all collections.


Default Value: CC7 (Volume)

Description: The assigned CC along with its Instrument Vol.2 counterpart controls the patch volume.

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| Appendices | Controller Table - Annotated List


Ins t rument Vol .2



Default Value: CC11 (Expression)

Description: The assigned CC along with its Instrument Vol.1 counterpart controls the patch volume.

Sustain Pedal


Assignable to: MIDI CC, MIDI Note

Default Value: CC64 (Sustain Pedal)

Description: The assigned CC or MIDI Note controls the Sustain Pedal, holding pressed notes. Note that

Capsule intelligently retriggers re-pressed notes while the Sustain Pedal is held.

Soft Re lease

Used by: All patches with mapped Sustains Soft in all collections.


Default Value: CC15

Description: The assigned CC or MIDI Note triggers a Sustains Soft release of the current note(s) when

enabled (even if the current sustain is a Sus Imm or Acc).

True Damping

Used by: All BPC Range articulations that support True Damping.


Default Value: Off

Description: The assigned CC switches the True Damping behaviour on or off.

Dynamic Switch

Used by: All Berlin Percussion Single Artic patches with velocity-controlled articulations.


Default Value: Off

Description: The assigned CC makes velocity-controlled keys switch between velocity layers instead of

crossfading them.

Auto Sustain

Used by: Select Metropolis Ark Series patches.


Default Value: Off

Description: The assigned CC switches the Auto Sustain behaviour on or off.

Stop Key

Used by: All patches that support Auto Sustain.


Default Value: F0

Description: The assigned CC or MIDI Note stops the currently sounding note if Auto Sustain is switched on.

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Performance

Vibrato Sl ider

Used by: All "Long" Single Articulations with multiple vibrato styles.

Assignable to: MIDI CCs

Default Value: CC3

Description: The assigned CC switches between the different vibrato styles available for the current

articulation.

Con Sordino

Used by: All Berlin Strings and Nocturne Series patches.


Default Value: CC24

Description: The assigned CC switches the Con Sordino simulation on or off.

Al te rnat ive Transit ion

Used by: All Nocturne Series legato articulations.


Default Value: CC64

Description: The assigned CC toggles Alternative Transitions.

1st Legato Zone

Used by: All Legato Single Articulations.


Default Value: A-1

Description: The assigned CC makes the current Legato Patch use the 1st Legato style.

2nd Legato Zone

Used by: All Legato Single Articulations using a 2nd Legato Zone.


Default Value: Bb-1

Description: The assigned CC makes the current Legato Patch use the 2nd Legato style.

3rd Legato Zone

Used by: All Legato Single Articulations using a 3rd Legato Zone.


Default Value: B-1

Description: The assigned CC makes the current Legato Patch use the 3rd Legato style.

4th Legato Zone

Used by: All Legato Single Articulations using a 4th Legato Zone.


Default Value: B-1

Description: The assigned CC makes the current Legato Patch use the 4th Legato style.

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Retongued Legato

Used by: Selected Berlin Woodwinds Soloists Legato Single Articulations.


Default Value: CC52

Description: The assigned CC makes the current Legato Patch use the Retongued Legato style.

X Reverse

Used by: Selected Berlin Woodwinds Soloists Legato Single Articulations.


Default Value: Off

Description: The assigned CC or MIDI Note treats the velocity of the first note in a sequence as usual (i.e.

low velocity = decresc), but any following note with the opposite setting (i.e. cresc in this case).

B reath Noise

Used by: Berlin Woodwinds Soloists Legato Single Articulations.


Default Value: B-1

Description: The assigned CC or MIDI Note plays a breath noise for added realism.

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Instrument Options

RR Rese t Key



Default Value: A-1

Description: The assigned CC or MIDI Note resets the Round Robin counter to zero.

Lock To Host

Used by: All patches using Time-Stretching in all collections.


Default Value: Off

Description: The assigned CC switches between patches following the host tempo or following a Manual

Tempo set inside the instrument.

Tempo Mode

Used by: All patches using Time-Stretching in all collections..


Default Value: CC50

Description: The assigned CC moves the tempo mode slider.

Auto Tempo



Default Value: Off

Description: The assigned CC switches between patches automatically selecting the best-sounding option for

the Tempo Slider and you needing to move this slider manually.

Manual Tempo



Default Value: CC51

Description: The assigned CC selects the BPM used for the articulation if Lock To Host is off.

Niente



Default Value: Off

Description: With the assigned CC or MIDI Note, the lowest dynamic setting (usually CC1 at 0) will cause

the instrument to be completely silent. Use this setting when using your instruments with a breath or wind

controller.

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Soft Low Layer



Default Value: Off

Description: With the assigned CC or MIDI Note, the lowest dynamic layer will first be increased in volume

when controlling dynamics and only later the next layer will begin to fade in, allowing softer low dynamics.

Ignore Noises



Default Value: Off

Description: The assigned CC or MIDI Note makes the playing noises (wind or bow, depending on the

library) not be affected by the Niente and Soft Low Layer option. This way the noises will still be present

even if playing very softly.

Volume Range



Default Value: Off

Description: The assigned CC adjusts the volume scaling of the recorded velocity layers to allow for greater

or narrower dynamic range.

Lock to Beat

Used by: All Time machine-enabled patches in all collections.


Default Value: Off

Description: The assigned CC lets the played sample start on the next full beat.

Cutoff F il te r On/Off



Default Value: Off

Description: The assigned CC or MIDI Note switches the Cutoff Filter on or off.

Cutoff F il te r CC



Default Value: CC1

Description: The assigned CC controls the Cutoff Filter.

At tack



Default Value: CC73

Description: The assigned CC controls the articulation attack parameter.

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At tack Curve



Default Value: CC74

Description: The assigned CC controls the articulation attack curve.

Re lease



Default Value: CC72

Description: The assigned CC controls the articulation release parameter.

Time St re tching

Used by: All TimeMachine-enabled patches in all collections.


Default Value: CC51

Description: The assigned CC controls the time stretching parameter.

Pedal Sound

Used by: All patches with recorded pedal noise.


Default Value: Off

Description: The assigned CC controls the level of pedal noise.

Hammer On/Pul l Off

Used by: All Electric Guitar patches.


Default Value: Off

Description: The assigned CC or MIDI Note moves the attack startpoint of any played note to omit the

sound of the plectrum.

Legato Volume

Used by: All Legato patches in all collections.


Default Value: Off

Description: The assigned CC controls the volume of the legato transitions.

Mute Inst rument



Default Value: Off

Description: The assigned CC mutes and unmutes the instrument.

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Mixer

Te ldex IR

Used by: All Soloists Series patches.


Default Value: Off

Description: The assigned CC or MIDI Note switches the Teldex Impulse Response on or off.

Te ldex IR Dry



Default Value: Off

Description: The assigned CC controls the amount of dry signal in the patch.

Te ldex IR Wet



Default Value: Off

Description: The assigned CC controls the amount of wet signal in the patch.

Te ldex IR Prede lay



Default Value: Off

Description: The assigned CC controls the pre-delay time in the patch.

<NAME> Fader



Default Value: Depends on Mic Position

Description: The assigned CC controls the fader level of the mic position.

<NAME> Solo




Description: The assigned CC controls the solo state of the mic position.

<NAME> Mute




Description: The assigned CC controls the mute state of the mic position.

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<NAME> Pan




Description: The assigned CC controls the panning of the mic position.

<NAME> Purge




Description: The assigned CC loads or unloads the mic position.

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Multi Artic Settings

The following controllers are only relevant for Multi Articulation Patches

MI - Mono/Poly Mode

Used by: All Multi Articulation patches.


Default Value: Off

Description: The assigned CC switches between monophonic keyswitching and polyphonic keyswitching.

MI - Ve l . Switch Mode



Default Value: CC25

Description: The assigned CC sets polyphonic keyswitching to switch by playing velocity.

MI - CC Switch Mode



Default Value: CC26

Description: The assigned CC sets polyphonic keyswitching to switch by sending the X Axis MIDI CC.

MI - CC XFade Mode



Default Value: CC27

Description: The assigned CC sets polyphonic keyswitching to crossfade by sending the X Axis MIDI CC.

MI - 2D XFade Mode



Default Value: CC28

Description: The assigned CC sets polyphonic keyswitching to crossfade using 2D morphing via the X Axis

and Y Axis MIDI CCs.

MI - X Fade/Switch



Default Value: CC22

Description: The assigned CC controls the polyphonic keyswitching if set to CC Switch or XFade and

controls the X Axis in the 2D XFade.

MI - Y Fade (2D)



Default Value: CC23

Description: The assigned CC controls the Y Axis in the 2D XFade.

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MI - Slot Switch CC



Default Value: Off

Description: The assigned CC switches between Slots.

Leg Ar t ic <n> On/Off



Default Value: CC30

Description: The assigned CC switches the legato on or off for the respective slot in the Multi Articulation

patch.

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| Appendices | New Features


13.2 New Features

This section lists new features added in new Capsule versions.

Depending on which version of Capsule a collection uses, these feature may not be part of all collections

yet, but will be added in later updates.

The Patch Info View in each patch shows the Capsule version used in that collection.

Capsule 2.5

Important: Capsule 2.5 now requires Kontakt 5.5.1 or higher.

Lower RAM Usage and optimized loading timesAll patches now use 7-10 MB less system memory per patch and load much faster. The backend has been

optimized for speed and redraw speeds should be much faster now, too.

Idle connection times improved (VE Pro / Cubase disabled tracks)When using Capsule patch in Vienna Ensemble Pro or in Cubase, connection times will be much faster. This

affects connecting to VE Pro instances hosting Capsule as well as enabling disabled tracks in Cubase.

When using Bounce in Place/Freeze, rendering times are much faster now, as well.

Transpose Playable RangeIt is now possible to transpose the playable range of all patches with the < TR > section in the bottom left.

This feature shifts the playable range only, preserving keyswitches and works great for creating octave

shifts.

Legato Transition VolumeThe Mixer View now has a knob to adjust the volume of the legato transitions. This knob is assignable to a

CC in the Controller Table.

Clear all slots for Multi Articulation PatchesAll Multi Articulation patches now have a new button to clear all slots with one click.

Use CC to select Slots in Multi Articulation PatchesYou can assign a MIDI CC to the MI - Slot Switch CC controller in the Controller Table that will switch

between the loaded slots in a Multi Articulation Patch. Note that this feature is only active if no Poly KS

mode is enabled.

Velocity/CC Thresholds for Multi Articulation PatchesIt is now possible to set custom switch/morph thresholds for the selected slots in the Multi Articulation

Patches. This allows you to set the CC or Velocity range in which a certain articulation will trigger.

Mute Instrument Keyswitch for Single Articulation PatchesIn all Single Articulation Patches, a keyswitch can be assigned to mute/unmute the instrument. This is

especially useful when using multiple patches on the same MIDI channel either for stacking or to reduce

track count.

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CC State in the Controller TableIn the Controller Table, the current state of the selected controller is now shown by a highlighted part of the

lower table border. This allows you to see the current setting of controllers at a glance.

Capsule 2.2

Auto Sustain (MA1)When enabled, the current note will continue to sound until a new note is pressed. This option makes the

patch monophonic.

Hammer On/Pull Off (MA1)When enabled, the start point of the samples will be moved to omit the plectrum attack in guitar patches

using this feature.

Monophonic Keyswitching while notes are heldWhen in monophonic mode, switching between slots in Multi Articulation Patches is now possible while

notes are still held.

Capsule 2.1

Tempo Sync follows tempo changesAll tempo-synced patches (like the Trills Measured) will now dynamically follow your host tempo while you

change it. This means you can have trills that get faster while playing without having to retrigger the note.

Poly KS/Fade will now show the stateWhen you use Poly KS/XFade, you can now see the current state at the bottom of the articulation view. The

current setting will light up.

Locked ViewAll Multis now have a Locked View represented by a lock icon in the lower left. It works this way: Set up

the multi patch as you want it, then press the lock button. Everything else not selected will be purged and a

UI similar to the Single Artic Patches will show up. Click the lock again to go back to the regular Slot View.

Single Layer articulations show "Single Layer" in the Main KnobWhen an articulation has a single velocity layer, it will now show "Single Layer" in its Main Knob.

Lock to BeatWhen enabled, all tempo-synced patches will start at the next beat. So for example when playing a Trill or

a run, it will be enough to press it before the beat you want it to start on. Capsule will make sure it will be

triggered exactly on the beat.

Incoming Controllers shown in Controller TableThe Controller Table will now show a lit dot in front of the respective Controller Table entry when that

controller comes in.

True Damping (BPC and BPC A)A lot of percussive instruments have a very unique damping sound. Wherever worthwhile, these sounds

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were extensively sampled for Berlin Percussion and BPC A - The Timpani. If enabled, this option will make

the instrument play True Damping samples when CC64 is not active. CC64 will let the samples ring out.

Dynamic Switch (BPC and BPC A)When enabled, all velocity-mapped keys in the current articulation will not crossfade between dynamic

layers but rather switch between them at breakpoints.

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| Appendices | Configuring Kontakt's Outputs



13.3 Configuring Kontakt's Outputs

Quite often you will want to (or need to) route different microphones to different outputs within Kontakt so

you can treat them independently within your sequencer.

By default, Kontakt only has a few outputs activated. This section tells you how to enable more outputs and

how to save this as the default configuration, so you only need to do it once.

1) Show the Outputs Pane by clicking the Output button in Kontakt's menu bar.

2) Click on Add Channels and choose the options as shown below. Depending on which version of the

plugin you loaded, you can select as many outputs as you need.

3) Press Ok and the new settings will be applied and saved as the default.

collection user guide - orchestral toolsorchestraltools.com/downloads/user_guides/capsule user guide...

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