Traveler Series 2 by Red Room Audio Review
Traveler Series under review today is bundling TRAVELER SERIES Bluegrass Fiddles, Traveler Series Celtic, and Traveler Series Bodhrans & Bones.
Red Room Audio did send a review copy with no strings attached.
About Red Room Audio
Red Room Audio is a developer of passionately crafted virtual instruments for songwriters, composers and sound designers. A subsidiary of Los Angeles based, Constructive Stumblings, Inc. (a California Corporation), Red Room Audio works with contributing artists around the globe, it is our mission to create inspiring tools that make it easy for you to turn your musical ideas into art.
Sound
Red Room Audio’s Traveler Series is a selection of boutique Kontakt libraries starring traditional world instruments. Red Room Audio constantly recorded the instruments on location – The Celtic Fiddle recorded and sampled in Dublin, Ireland. Additional Traveler Series instruments were captured in Kentucky and again in Ireland. The libraries especially the fiddles are very playability and offer a large number of phrases. This series is for the special project that needs the vibe from authentic, ethnic and traditional instruments.
Celtic Fiddle
The fiddle is the key influential instrument in Celtic musicology. Celtic Fiddle recorded and sampled in Dublin, Ireland. The fiddle offers 20 regular articulations, classical ornaments, phrases, and FX. Compared to traditional violin, fiddlers perform extremely limited vibrato.
The Celtic Fiddle recorded in Dublin by the astonishing Niall Murphy (Sinead O’Connor, The Chieftains, The Dubliners, Aaron Carter).
It comes with 20 regular articulations and common Celtic ornaments. In addition 360 genuine phrases & FX. 4 performance modes, customizable double stops, adjustable bow attacks, and rebowing options.
Celtic Fiddle Regular Articulation
- Reel Sustain
- Air Sustain
- Fingered Legato
- Slur Up Legato (HT, WT)
- Staccato
- Spiccato
- Pizzicato
Celtic Fiddle Ornaments
- Triplet
- Hammer (HT, WT)
- Pull (HT, WT)
- Waterfall (HT, WT)
- Wiggle (HT, WT)
- Scrunch (slow & fast)
- Cut
- Roll
Celtic Fiddle Phrases & FX
- Chops
- Stomps
- FX – Percussive
- FX – Fret Noise
- Endings (tempo-synced)
- Lyrical Improvisations
- Various Improvisations
- Rhythms – Jigs (tempo synced)
- Rhythms – Reels (tempo synced)
Bluegrass Fiddle
For a citizen of the USA, Bluegrass fiddling seems to be a distinctively American style. Bluegrass Fiddle characterizes with the strong, jamming, advanced practice of double stops and old-time bowing patterns American Style. Typical bluegrass fiddler ignores the rules that violinists follow, not only holding the instrument different.
Included are more than 25 conventional articulations and popular Bluegrass ornaments, plus 400 authentic phrases & FX. Four performance modes, customizable double stops, adjustable bow attacks, and rebowing options & more.
Bluegrass Fiddle Standard Articulation
- Reel Sustain
- Air Sustain
- Bowed Legato
- Fingered Legato
- Tenuto
- Spiccato
- Pizzicato
- Strummed Pizzicato
- 8th Repetition Shorts
- 8th Repetitions (tempo synced)
- 16th Repetitions (tempo synced)
- Crescendo (short & long, tempo synced)
Bluegrass Fiddle Ornaments
- Bend Up Fast (HT, WT)
- Bend Up Slow (HT, WT)
- Bend Down Fast (HT, WT)
- Bend Down Slow (HT, WT)
- Bend Turn
- Turn (HT, WT, Min3, Maj3)
- Unisons
- Fall Release
Bluegrass Fiddle Phrases & FX
- FX – Percussive
- FX – Fret Noise
- Bend Up Unisons (HT & WT, Fast & Slow)
- Intros
- Chops Rhythms (tempo synced)
- Rhythms (tempo synced)
- Various Phrases
Bodhrans & Bones
A bodhran is an Irish frame drum with an open side so one hand can be placed against the inside of the head to control the pitch and timbre. It is struck either with the bare hand or a variety of “tippers” and is said to have been developed as the “poor man’s tambourine” by farmers who couldn’t afford the metal. Bones are an instrument often used in traditional Irish folk music, as well as Bluegrass and zydeco. It consists of a pair of animal bones or pieces of wood played by holding them between the fingers and moving the wrist in such a way that they knock against each other. You receive six individual common Irish bodhrans recorded in Dublin, Ireland.
This library was sampled by 5 stick varieties. Change pitch and dampen the Irish bodhrans on the fly. Bones patch features 2 sets of bones with hits and rolls. This is one of the most comprehensive sampled frame drums library.
Bodhrans & Bones instruments
- Bodhran 1 – 15 ½” x 6” deep light shell with medium weight goatskin
- Bodhran 2 – 14” x 6” light composite shell with lightweight calfskin
- Bodhran 3 – 14” x 5” deep light composite shell with medium weight calfskin
- Bodhran 4 – 14” x 5” medium weight birch shell with heavy calfskin.
- Bodhran 5 – 12” x 5” medium weight birch shell with medium weight goatskin,
- plus a second layer of goatskin to cut out overtones.
- Bodhran 6 – 12” x 4” medium weight birch shell with heavy goatskin
- Bones, 2 sets (ebony & actual bone)
Bodhrans & Bones articulation
- Stick types (Bodhrans):
Wood tipper
Hotrod tipper
Loose Brush
Tight Brush
Fingers - Drum Zones (Bodhrans):
Center, Mid, Edge, Rim, Shell - Bones:
Hits & Rolls
User interface & Usability
The deeply sampled instruments embedded in a natural user interface with several options to mangle and shape the tone and vibe of the sounds. the UIs across all instruments are strongly thought out and designed. The design is very clean, but also inspiring with the added beautiful images of the instruments. And in the case of the Bodhran for example, you can actually see where on the frame you hit the drum.
Rating: Four out of Five stars
Traveler Series has that authentic native spirit captured in the recorded and for Kontakt prepared instruments. With this small series, you get your hands on the true and authentic sound of traditional instruments. Perfect for any project that lives from the authenticity of original instruments. This comprehensive instrument collection is all you need to add a fiddle or a strong percussion frame drums for your score. Both fiddles have astonishing playability ready for your track for the next trailer or film located in fantasy land.
