Abbey Road One: Thematic Trumpets

Name: Abbey Road One: Thematic Trumpets
Price: 49 USD
Author: Spitfire Audio

by Spitfire Audio · Instrument · Trumpet section library

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Abbey Road One: Thematic Trumpets by Spitfire Audio

Thematic Trumpets is a single-section library recorded at Abbey Road Studio One by Grammy-winning engineer Simon Rhodes, with four trumpets playing in unison.

It has seven articulations: legato, long, long sforzando, staccatissimo, staccato, tenuto and marcato, two mixes and ten mic signals, for $49.

Best for: Acoustic Instruments. Genres: Ambient & Cinematic, Jazz, Acoustic & Classical.

Keywords: brass, cinematic, film & game audio, electric piano, monophonic, classic, sample-based, vintage.

What it does

Abbey Road One: Thematic Trumpets is a single-section add-on to Spitfire's Abbey Road One series: four trumpets playing in unison, recorded in Abbey Road Studio One and engineered by Simon Rhodes. Spitfire aims for the sound of classic-era film scores, "rich, strong and declamatory" without being piercing.

Players: four trumpets in unison, so every patch is one ready-made section sound rather than separate players.
Articulations: seven in all: legato, long, long sforzando, staccatissimo, staccato, tenuto and marcato.
Mixes: two stereo mixes, Mix 1 and Mix 2, made by Simon Rhodes.
Mic signals: ten positions: Vintage 1 and 2, Pop Close, Pop Room, Close, Tree 1 and 2, Ambient, Outriggers and Spill.
Series fit: works on its own or alongside Abbey Road One: Orchestral Foundations, and is also sold inside Abbey Road One: The Collection.

There is a 40% discount for students and educators and lower prices through Spitfire's "Complete Your Collection" offer. No trial is mentioned.

Source: Spitfire Audio product page

When to use it

Thematic Trumpets is the quick, cheap way to get a bold unison trumpet line with the Abbey Road Studio One sound. Compared with BBC Symphony Orchestra Core and Hollywood Orchestra Opus Edition, it gives you only one section and seven articulations, but it costs far less and needs no section-building. Its legato patch makes it suited to melodic lines as well as hits. It has no extended techniques such as flutter or double tonguing, which some VI-Control users had hoped for, and one user still preferred CineBrass Core for brass overall.

Best for: fanfares, heroic themes and declamatory trumpet melodies in a classic film score style.
Genres: cinematic, orchestral and trailer scoring.
Look elsewhere if: you need solo trumpets, a full brass section or extended techniques; BBC Symphony Orchestra Core or Hollywood Orchestra Opus Edition cover the whole orchestra.

What producers say

Forum users were mostly positive about the sound and price, with doubts about the narrow articulation set and the official demos.

VI-Control users welcomed it; one former Hollywood trumpet player said "they seemed to have nailed this one", and others reported getting it at a lower price through the collection discount.
Criticisms: one user heard "weird noises in the legato" in the walkthrough video, others found the official demos weak, and one had hoped for flutter or double-tongue articulations.
In defence: another VI-Control user argued that four real trumpets are "loud and grand enough" and that the playing and sampling matter most.

Where to buy

Spitfire Audio: $49
PluginFox: $49

Tutorials and reviews

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