We’re all united by our deep and profound love of music, in all its forms, in every style or genre, in any instrumentation. It reaches us on a level that we just can’t put into words.

But there's something about woodwinds. Perhaps it's because the wind instruments parallel the human voice in both frequency range and overtone structure more closely than any other category of instruments. Whether you're listening to Nicholas Daniel performing Mozart's Oboe Concerto in C Major or hearing the unbridled joy of Benny Goodman on clarinet on the still incredibly hip 1937 recording of Sing Sing Sing, in the hands of these amazing musicians, these woodwind instruments seem like they're speaking directly to you.

Who are we to second-guess this kind of sound, artistic integrity and emotion?

That's why we take it as our responsibility to present you with our Orchestral Companion Woodwinds collection—as realistic and lifelike a collection as we could possible make. You shouldn't have to settle for anything less.

This comprehensive woodwind collection provides over 115 outstanding programs, each carefully crafted by the SONiVOX sound design team to be as accurate and convincing as possible. In addition to full orchestral woodwind ensembles, the Orchestral Companion Woodwinds also gives you a full palette of smaller wind sections, plus an amazing collection of solo instruments that are highlighted by dazzling articulation for breathtaking realism.

All major instruments are fully represented, including section and solo piccolo, flute, English horn, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and contra bassoon. Double and flutter tonguing, sustained and staccato notes, plus instrument vibrato and glissando voicing provide the depth of content needed for convincing woodwind parts and tracks.

What really sets the SONiVOX Orchestral Companion Woodwinds apart from other similar-looking products is this:

We spared no effort or expense in seeking out the best musicians playing the best-sounding instruments, and we took the necessary steps to record them correctly in the most lifelike manner possible. We paid attention to every last sonic detail—it was that important.

We did this because we know that authenticity is the key to your artistic success—authentic sounds, authentic emotions, authentic intent. Your best efforts deserve—no, demand—our best efforts.

The technical details of how we did this are fascinating. We thought you'd like to know:

World-Class Musicians; Top-Tier instruments

We recorded the Orchestral Companion Woodwinds in the legendary Futura Productions studios in Massachusetts. Members of the Boston Pops and/or Boston Ballet Orchestras played all performances, with the same premium instruments they use for their actual concert galas and events. A combination of spot and ambient mic’ing capture every instrumental nuance, while preserving the refined acoustics and intimacy of the performance space itself.

State-of-the-Art Sampling Sessions

Under the expert guidance of SONiVOX musical sound connoisseur Jennifer Hruska, each sample session was faithfully recorded by Emmy award-winning engineers Antonio Oliart and RIAA award-winning engineer John Bono. The players were positioned using orchestrally-correct seating, and measures were even taken to compensate for the sound-absorption of any players absent on that particular day. In order to retain a realistic "organic" feel, we used absolutely minimal post-recording electronic processing. We used two B&K 4011 microphones to preserve the highly-desired front-of-hall sound (you know, the "good seats"), while superior-grade spot mics accurately captured each instrument's individual detail. Benchmark-caliber preamps fed Troisi Octal A/D convertors to complete an uncorrupted signal chain.

We expended more effort and care on this system than the most ardent audiophiles do on their own systems, but that’s how important it was to us...because that's how important it is to you.

Playable Programs

Each patch and preset is easily playable by virtually every level of performer. All instruments are presented in multi-velocity layers, with natural swells available via the modulation wheel. MIDI key switching provides on-the-fly articulation for select patches. The internal sound engine provides additional modulation (LFO) sources, dynamic envelope control, and studio-grade reverb/effects to allow creative customization of the onboard sounds.

Plug-In Proficiency

In addition, Orchestral Companion Woodwinds runs as a fully compatible plug-in with any VST (32 or 64 bit), AU (64 bit) , and AAX (32 or 64 bit) for ProTools 10.3 or higher Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) software.