Contemporary Chinese orchestra


From futuristic tech sprawl to ancient Daoism—China has many faces. Chinese musical culture is
equally diverse, and offers countless ways to inspire and build new worlds. With Phoenix Orchestra,
we give you a vibrant palette for creating authentic Chinese music—both ancient and modern—for your
scores and productions.



Created in collaboration with composers Harry Gregson-Williams and Richard Harvey, Phoenix Orchestra is a rich and detailed
celebration of Chinese musical culture.

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Highlights

21 individual instruments, 7 instrument ensembles, and 4 orchestral sections
A wide range of Chinese instruments, including gaohu, erhu, zhonghu, guzheng, yangqin, and pipa
Detailed solo instruments—each with characteristic articulations, swells, and ornaments
100% playable, with true legato
Recorded in situ, with the players in traditional seating arrangement
Four mic positions

Authentic instrumentation


Phoenix Orchestra presents a wide range of traditional Chinese instruments,
captured in the context of a classical chamber orchestra. Explore new textures
through four orchestral sections: plucked strings, bowed strings, wind instruments,
and percussion. Create individual parts with 21 solo instruments, including guzheng,
yangqin, erhu, zonghu, dizi, and sheng. Enhance the richness of individual parts with
seven instrument ensembles, which group several players of the same instrument.



All instruments were recorded in situ, with players in typical chamber orchestra
seating positions, to ensure a 100% authentic sonic image when using the instruments
together.

Attention to detail

With Phoenix Orchestra, we wanted to create a nuanced library that reflects a true understanding of these original Chinese instruments. We worked closely with Richard Harvey—a composer and multi-instrumentalist with deep expertise in traditional and unusual instruments.

The resulting library captures the exceptional playing technique of master musicians. You can reproduce all of the dynamic articulations, swells, and ornaments unique to each instrument. With true legato for all melodic instruments, you can craft expressive sustaining parts with heightened realism.

And everything is completely playable. There are no pre-recorded phrases.

Title © Photo of Harry Gregson-Williams by Todd Williamson. Title © Photo of Harry Gregson-Williams by Todd Williamson.

Created with Harry Gregson-Williams
and Richard Harvey


Commissioned to score Disney’s live-action Mulan movie, composer Harry Gregson-Williams
worked with Richard Harvey and Orchestral Tools to build a sample library that could
conjure elements of ancient China within a powerful modern score. With the release of
Phoenix Orchestra, now all composers can draw from the same library used to create Mulan.

Title Photo of Harry Gregson-Williams at Synchron Stage Vienna.

Harry Gregson-Williams

is a highly sought-after composer for films, TV, and video games, whose scores range from the Shrek franchise and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to The Martian and most recently Disney’s Mulan and the Metal Gear Solid game series.
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Richard Harvey

is Hollywood’s go to multi-instrumentalist for unusual instruments, and an acclaimed composer who has collaborated with artists ranging from Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello to Hans Zimmer and John Williams. TV and film highlights include The Little Prince, Luther, and The Da Vinci Code.
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Master musicians

Phoenix Orchestra captures the sound of the Ding Yi Music Company —an internationally recognized Chinese chamber ensemble based in Singapore. With a group of master musicians, Ding Yi performs traditional Chinese music as well as contemporary works. The award-winning orchestra tours extensively, sharing its one-of-a-kind sound across Asia and Europe.

Phoenix Orchestra was recorded in Thailand at Chris Craker’s Karma Studios.

Mic merging
Preserve your system resources: Fine-tune your mix using multiple mic positions, then merge into a single channel within the player.

Greater usability
SINE is designed to complement the compositional workflow. Create on the fly with auto keyswitch options, and easy remapping tools.

Download à la carte
Choose only the instruments and mic positions that you currently need—no need to download the entire collection at once.

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Spectrum

Phoenix Orchestra

Authentic Chinese instruments

Studio

Karma Studios, Bangsaray

499,00 € +VAT

Not licensed
Licensed
  • Fenghuang by Sascha Knorr
    Phoenix Orchestra
  • 重新定义 by Frederik Theyssen (Phoenix Orchestra only)
    Phoenix Orchestra
  • Song Of Dongting Lake by Nils Neumann
    Phoenix Orchestra
  • Phoenix and the Begonia by Maxi Menot and Zeina Azouqah
    Phoenix Orchestra
  • Cherry Blossom Sky by Alex Niedt
    Phoenix Orchestra
  • Guanyin Sunstream by Timo Loosli
    Phoenix Orchestra
  • Drowning Seagull Hidden Moon by Yuchun Huang and Iva Zabkar
    Phoenix Orchestra
  • Sleeping Dogs by Cornelius Duerst
    Phoenix Orchestra
  • Mandarin Memories by Lukas Kiedaisch
    Phoenix Orchestra
  • The Night Banquet by Presto C
    Phoenix Orchestra
  • Legs of Steel by Alex Pfeffer
    Phoenix Orchestra
  • Journey East by Joel Kreimeyer Kelly
    Phoenix Orchestra

Specifications

  • Works with Orchestral Tools’ SINE Player—NOTE: Very latest version required!
  • 94.8 GB of samples (40.3 GB SINEarc compressed)
  • 24 bit / 48 KHz patches
  • System requirements SINE:
  • Mac OS 10.13, i5, 4 GB RAM (16+ GB recommended)
  • Windows 10, Intel Core i5 or similar (Windows 7 is not officially supported)
  • Interfaces: VST, AU

Important

If you want to buy the Kontakt version of this collection, please note:

  • This is not the latest version of this collection - the SINE version might offer additional features not available here
  • We don't maintain and update the older Kontakt versions of our collections
  • You can upgrade this Kontakt version to the SINE version later for an additional upgrade fee*

*= Upgrade fee is around 10% of the regular collection price. This is due to doubled costs for downloads and licensing.