The intimate temporal orchestra
TIME micro continues the quest of its partner collection, TIME macro, to unravel the riddles of time and sound. Like its predecessor, TIME micro offers an orchestra and choir that seemingly dislocate the passing of time. But as the name suggests, all the sounds here are softer… quieter… more delicate and ethereal.
This is the sound of small ensembles and solo instruments playing with the utmost restraint and precision. Here too, the focus is on sustains that move and shift, with a wide range of articulations and complex ‘Chrono Structures’. Exercising the power of the understatement, this is a secret weapon for underscoring, sound design, and all kinds of modern music production.
Highlights
Unique Chrono Structures
Examining time in a musical context, we layered sounds to create complex orchestral textures that we call Chrono Structures. They’re arranged into two groups: Time Orchestra and Altered Time.
The Time Orchestra section offers layered instruments playing sustains. Each carefully constructed patch is its own soundworld, with undulating details that respond to the modwheel.
In the Altered Time section, the sustains have instrument layers that move forward and back, and may be slowed down or speeded up. The effect is entrancing, suspending the regular passage of time.
14 ensembles and instruments, 4 full sections
TIME micro gives you 14 separate 3-piece ensembles, solo instruments, and small choirs to work with–all playing softly, from airy woodwind tones, harmonic waves, and flourishes to stuttering staccato performances and barely audible ultra-soft string bowings. Rather than standard instruments, you’ll find lower or softer alternatives: Basset horn instead of clarinet, flugelhorn/cornet instead of trumpet, and alto flute/bass flute instead of standard flute. All perform soft, undulating sustains, advanced articulations, and dynamic gestures, so you can layer sounds easily.
You also get 4 Combined patches. These include an exquisite string quartet, a special low bass section, and a shimmering harp-celeste-mandolin patch. These sections also perform sustains that correspond to the articulations in the rest of the collection, so everything fits together perfectly.
Recorded at Teldex
All instruments were meticulously sampled in the main room at Berlin’s acclaimed Teldex Studio, enabling you to blend these sounds seamlessly with other Orchestral Tools libraries.
We captured everything with 4 mic positions: Spot mics for close-up, a Decca tree for the classic Teldex sound, additional A/B mics for definition, and some surround mics for air and space.
