NotePerformer 4/Built-in sounds: Demo Medley

The playback is generated by the built-in sounds in NotePerformer 4.

Excerpts from scores:
00:00 Star Wars Main Theme (John Williams)
00:50 Jupiter, from The Planets (Holst)
01:55 Back to the Future Suite (Alan Silvestri)
02:46 Raiders March (John Williams)
03:39 Flying Theme (John Williams)
04:21 Scene from Swan Lake (Tchaikovsky)
05:05 Superman March (John Williams)
05:44 Asteroid Field (John Williams)
06:22 Leia's Theme (John Williams)
07:19 Adventures On Earth (John Williams)
07:57 Beethoven, Symphony 5.1
08:39 Nimrod, from The Enigma Variations (Elgar)
09:42 Blue Danube Waltz (Strauss)
10:46 Beethoven, Symphony 7.2
11:45 Morning (Grieg)
12:25 Mars, from The Planets (Holst)
12:54 Sorcerer's Apprentice (Dukas)
13:17 William Tell Overture (Rossini)
13:56 Dvořák, Symphony 9.1

[gws]

Mr. Wallander, these sounds are just better than the others IMO. I don't think the cost the others charge is anywhere near an improvement over what you are able to accomplish. Thank you for all that you've done with NP.

[shalemloritsch]

Thank you for making this video. Once again, the NP sounds demonstrate significantly better—but unrealized—potential than any of the popular sample libraries. I would invite you to do some critical listening between this video and some of the better moments in the other demos you released earlier and try to identify some of the fundamental sonic differences between them—not at a sample level, but at a spectral level. What do I hear?

1. The reverb is consistently poor in this version compared to the other demos. These dry sounds need to be well-staged in order to realize their full potential. By contrast, many sample libraries can get away with poor reverberation because the samples themselves have some reverb in them.
2. Practically all the NP instruments have the same problem: The fundamental tone ("first harmonic") is consistently weak, making the instruments sound thin or toylike instead of warm and powerful. This is easily corrected by individual instrument EQ; however, those of us applying EQ in editing are stuck with a fixed EQ instead of being able to follow the pitches of the instrument around like you could if you fixed this at the sound modeling or live sample EQ stage.
3. While better than many of the other sample libraries in this regard, NP's instruments are also lacking brightness (>10kHz), giving it a lack of crispness and clarity. Once again, this is easily improved with EQ in most cases.
4. The above is especially true for the French Horn model in NP. Whereas the lack of these frequencies is in the 10dB range for most of NP's instruments, it's more in the 20dB range for the French Horn. The French Horn is also in severe need for increased dynamic timbre changes, being the most dynamic of all the brass instruments. In real life, the French Horn goes from almost a pure sine wave at ppp to just as nasty and bright as a Bass Trombone at fff. Don't tell me you can't do it, because you have demonstrated with the excellent Trumpet and Trombone models that you CAN do it.

I have since improved things further, but sadly can't update the video; deleting it and uploading a new version would erase all the interesting discussion in the comments. My point is that you guys could do even more than that since you have the sound modeling controls and live/dynamic EQ capabilities, and section mixing control. I can only break it down to instrument/staff level and apply fixed EQ there (plus reverb).

[craigreeves]

Noteperformer holds it's own SUPER well compared to those other big expensive libraries!

[MichelBarbaro]

That's the real reason I've bought NP! Huge sound with simplicity! I'll keep on NP3 for now! I hope Wallander won't abandon the build-in sounds.

[OGrauMusic]

Perfect!!! Thanks a million for your contribution to the music and work of each composer, at a reasonable price and not abusive of your product like other companies. Every update is better!! Excellent work NotePerformer team.

[HrHTeam]

I'm a mathematician/engineer, it would be cool if we can learn how NP works some day. It's such amazing technology and I also find it sounding better than the expensive and hard-to-use sample libraries.

[soundtreks]

There are some spectacular moments in this suite. I’m so glad I bought unit NP when it first was introduced years back.

[mikeluna]

Sounds great. Honestly all I really wanted was more intruments. There's so many foreign intruments they could have added to increase their repertoire...

[earnside]

NotePerformer 3 is without doubt the best computer music tool I’ve ever bought. I’ve conducted many real orchestras and the speed and simplicity at which the combination of Sibelius and NP produces the nuances of a REAL orchestra (not VST) is breathtaking. Even the price is miraculous.

Can I ask if v4 uses the same built in sounds? I am a dinosaur using Sibelius 6 and I would contemplate upgrading if the NP sound library itself has been updated substantially.

[lazycat]

Thank you very much. I love Noteperformer!!

[wilhelmorangenbaum]

Oh my God! I was really waiting for this!!
One thing, I would like to ask if it is possible to recommend some exotic orchestral instruments to be included in Noterporfer.
Things like Bass Oboe, Contrabass Flute, Mandola and Mandocello, or even Concert Cimbalom.

[Musixme-Clarinet]

Where is the limitation in the fp playback? I don't hear it 2:18, 2:29?

Yeah, I really cannot see why I would need anything other than NotePerformer's core sounds. Now, the other spatial and balance tools some of the other engines have...

[MaestroAlber]

I find NP4 sounds are better than Cinematic Studio, especially the brass. I use CSS strings which are the weak spot in NP. I look forward to the updates to better integrate other libraries.

[orchestralman]

Have try to do Beethoven: Symphony 9 Movement 4 with using NotePerformer?

[BBDRecordsStudio]

I have tested both Cinematic Studio Series and BBCSO and I must say the brass section is better on the default N4 sounds. Even though those libraries have higher quality raw samples, there is some sluggishness in the playback when using those, do you think it can be fixed?

Until then I will use the default sounds for brass. I only use CSS for strings and CSW for woodwinds.

[IMexplore-cu]

I am a fan of Mr. Wallander's masterpiece: Noteperformer, and I recently upgraded my version 3 to the new version 4.1 and I feel a little sad: The strings of version 3 were incomparable! I, who worked for many years with different VST strings, which cost a fortune, put them aside the moment I met Noteperformer 3. But I note with sadness that in this version 4.1, the violins have gotten worse: much more electronic, with a lot of vibrato and very little reverb. I had to reinstall my version 3. :(

[shergodakouri]

The sounds of NotePerformer 4 are truly good, but the violins are a bit harsh though...

[musickaleidos]

Hi, first of all NP is amazing. I'm a longtime user, glissando in Finale still sounds weird, is it that hard to fix?

[jaimeflores]

Maybe youtube compress the result because that .sib file on my pc exported to mp3 sounds a little better, it has better performance than the same sheet with musescore 4 sounds (my pc cant run it very well with a ryzen 5 4500 and 16gb ram and ssd nvme, not ultra pc but should be enough) and noteperformer runs every file in real time without problem.

[artactsound]

Sorry but Bars 31 and 32 sound especially bad to me in all Engines including note performer. They have this cheap accordion sound that I hate. Perhaps it is just the particular combination of instruments at that point. Perhaps this score is a bit too full to sound good on virtual instruments. Please comment. I do agree with "gws86 Noteperformer sounds on NP are often totally satisfactory and sufficient, though to my ears on their own VIENA sounds sound a little more real.