So far I'm a bit underwhelmed...

...with Dimension Pro. Granted, I've done next to nothing with it yet. I've used a trumpet patch.
Tried layering trumpets and saxes to build a horn section -they sound pretty good- but having multiple instances up and running pretty much renders my poor little G5 unusable.
So, I got this great idea that I'd build my own horn section program. Can't do it. There isn't even ONE horn element, let alone the 3 or 4 I'd need. In fact, there aren't many elements at all. How can you build an effective program when all you have are, like, 20 elements?

Thanks b rock. Sure, that'll work.
Deconstruct the programs to find what elements they use and copy 'em over to build a new program.
I had a feeling that what we had here was just a lack of understanding (or familiarity) on my part. I've only been using DimPro for a week, and barely at that. I still get confused between what samples, multisamples, programs, elements, and what not all are. I need to spend a little time poking under the hood. I can't wait to try this "roll your own" approach tonight

I must say, the horn programs sure sound good.

Thanks for the insight.

-EB

ORIGINAL: Trusty
One of the reasons I haven't upgraded to Dim Pro was the lack of brass content...after the expansion packs...there is STILL a lack of brass content. I've since converted a lot of brass patches from ProteusX stuff into SFZ to use in Dimension...

I wouldn't let that stop me... there's a lot there in Dim Pro.
But you're correct, not so much brass...

I actually prefer the brass from ProteusX as well, and in fact prefer quite a few of the SAMPLES in ProteusX to any other sampler I have. It's just quite lacking in comparison as far as what you can do with the samples post just playing them back. Dimension and Dimension Pro just kill it in this area.

Perhaps, I think, we are up against a VERY big brick wall. As a trumpet player, there are MANY things I can do with my instrument that I'm not sure can easily be synthesized. You can take a sample of a note or a trill, but flats to sharps... sharps to flats... mutes... it's just not happening.
Of all the instruments I've decided to NOT use samplers for, brass instruments are at the top of my list.
During composition, fine... for production... session players, if I have the money and the time and the need.

So now I'm asking myself:
Why does it need to sound so close to a brass instrument at all. Can't it be similar in mood or tone and still convey emotional meaning without actually being a trumpet, etc.?

It's a personal call, and one I haven't actually made, but I'm starting to believe that the whole debate/work going into making "real" instruments sound real when coming from a machine isn't the debate/work we should be doing.

- zevo

When you're diggin' into this synth be sure to check out some of the stuff over at the Dimension Pro section of the Project5 Wiki. There is a lot of information published there about SFZ and the inner workings of Dimension and some general techniques as well. Here is the link:

http://p5.sonarama.com/p5/index.php/Dimension_Pro

Each element can load a sfz. Not A Prog/patch. You have to click in the window, browse to the sample folder and load the sfz. Not in the prog widow. nope, the sample window.