Session Horns Pro Explained

Eli Krantzberg brings you the definitive series on Native Instruments Session Horns Pro! From beginning to end, leaving no features or functions behind, you'll learn the important basics and cool advanced topics that will have you creating realistic, big sounding horn parts and melodies in no time!

Sections & Chord Voicing
Road Map (04:49) - Learn about the performance, key switch, and solo instrument types, how the various functions are laid out in the three main windows, and take a first look at Session Horns Pro.
Section Setup (07:41) - See and hear how the section setup drop down menu is used to load in pre configured horn sections, and how to build your own ensemble from scratch by loading either solo instruments or combinations into the four available slots for a maximum of six horns.
Voicing Assistant (06:13) - See and hear how the various voicing modes distribute the notes of a chord across the horn section, and how the dedicated legato transition samples are used to recreate the subtle pitch transitions that occur when brass players play legato phrases.
Smart Chords (09:11) - See and hear how the Smart Chord function is used to play automatically generated four note chords by pressing only one or two keys on your keyboard, and how the black keys are used to trigger altered chord voicings.
Animator
Animator Overview (06:42) - The Animator is an adaptable MIDI phrase player. Learn about the main functions and controls that are used to control and customize it.
Tempo Swing & Harmony (06:41) - See and hear the effects of the tempo and swing controls, and learn how to use different trigger notes to have the Animator conform to the underlying chord progressions.
Animator & Smart Chords (05:00) - Learn how to use Smart Chords in conjunction with the Animator songs in order to force the phrases to conform to a specific key signature and chord map.
Animator Start & Length (04:25) - Hear how the start and length parameters are used to yield interesting syncopated variations when playing back song phrases from the Animator.
Animator Songs & Phrases (05:49) - Learn how to control song and phrase playback with the following techniques: customizing the phrases associated with each song, using trigger notes to trigger the various phrases, customizing the start and end positions of the phrases to create variations, and setting the key center with Smart Chords.
Animator Playback Modes (05:49) - Explore the various ways of controlling the way phrases and chord voicings playback using the Animator's harmony, unison, one shot, and rhythm only modes.
Articulations, Key Switching & Expression
Articulations (14:04) - Learn how to switch between articulations based on a velocity crossover point, hear examples of the different playing styles available, and see how to trigger doits using pitch bend
Key Switching (06:12) - See how the key switch version of Session Horns Pro is used to access and trigger up to nine of the sixteen available articulations by means of either programming in, or playing, key switch notes in the C-1 octave.
Control View (06:36) - Learn how to use MIDI CC 11 as a means of controlling dynamics, and how to use the doit/fall articulation on note releases.
Solo Instruments (02:58) - See and hear how the solo instrument versions of Session Horns Pro are used for absolute control over the individual elements in a brass section. The instruments can be played individually, or in any custom groupings with custom voicings and custom articulations.
Sound Window
Sound Window View (08:05) - Explore the sound shaping tools, including compression and EQ, available on a per instrument basis for the selected brass section.
Reverb FX Send (03:00) - Learn how to route a parallel signal from each instrument in each slot to the on board global reverb send FX module, how to switch between different preset spaces, and how to control the overall reverb output level.
Delay FX Send (03:50) - Hear how the Delay FX send knobs are used to send signal from each instrument to a global delay module where repeats are generated. See how the timing, number, damping, and overall amount of the generated repeats are controlled from the Global Send FX pane.
Global Master FX & Automation (07:08) - Explore the Global Master FX section and see how to add tape style saturation and other processing to the ensemble as a whole, and how to automate the movement of parameters so they change dynamically over time.