Native Instruments Session: Horns Pro

Legato sounds realistic, but real section players tongue (articulate) most notes. If you play a line entirely in Legato mode, it sounds like a synth pad. Switch to Sustain for the melody and use Legato only for slurred jumps (e.g., a 5th or octave).

| Genre | Suggested Preset | Tweak | |-------|----------------|-------| | Pop (Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson) | Funk Ensemble | Tightness 85%, close mics 100%, room 20% | | Jazz / Swing | Big Band Swell | Room mics 70%, humanize on, vibrato slow | | Latin / Salsa | Staccato Horns | Staccato artic only, CC11 for falls | | Cinematic | Wide Octaves | Chord mode off, voice spread max, reverb long |

Session Horns Pro remains a "workhorse" library. While it may not have the hyper-realism of the newest sample libraries on the market for orchestral scoring, it is arguably one of the most musical tools available for commercial music production. If you need a brass section that plays stabs, falls, and melodic lines in a Pop or Funk context, this is a solid choice.

Verdict: Highly recommended for pop/funk producers; less essential for orchestral film composers.

Native Instruments' Session Horns Pro is a comprehensive 30 GB virtual instrument library designed for contemporary pop, soul, funk, and jazz. Created in collaboration with e-instruments, it offers high-detail sampling of 10 individual instruments that can be played solo or as customizable sections of up to six players. Core Capabilities & Instruments

The library features 10 meticulously sampled instruments, a significant expansion over the standard version.

Three Trumpets, Mute Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Trombone, and Bass Trombone. Woodwinds: Alto, Tenor, and Baritone Saxophones. Includes Tuba for low-end reinforcement in sections. native instruments session horns pro

38 section presets offer common arrangements for popular music styles. Performance Features

These tools automate complex arranging tasks to create realistic performances without deep orchestration knowledge. Smart Voice Split:

Automatically assigns notes in a chord to the correct instruments based on their natural ranges (e.g., trombones low, trumpets high).

Provides over 200 ready-to-play, tempo-synced riffs and phrases that follow your MIDI chord changes. Smart Chord:

Generates full, professional-grade chord voicings from single keys, with black keys acting as modifiers for "color" or "tension" notes (7ths, 9ths, etc.). Legato Mode:

Includes true interval-legato samples for smooth, natural transitions in solo melodies. Legato sounds realistic, but real section players tongue

Session Horns Pro – contemporary horns | Komplete - Native Instruments

Native Instruments Session Horns Pro is a comprehensive virtual instrument designed to bring the sound of a professional four-piece horn section into your digital audio workstation. Developed in collaboration with e-instruments, this library offers a high level of detail and flexibility for composers and producers across various genres, including pop, funk, soul, and jazz.

The core of Session Horns Pro lies in its meticulously sampled collection of instruments. It features two trumpets, two trombones, and two saxophones—tenor and baritone. These instruments were recorded with precision to capture their natural timbre, dynamics, and articulations. The library provides both solo instrument patches and various section presets, allowing users to create everything from intimate solo lines to powerful, cinematic brass stabs.

One of the standout features of Session Horns Pro is its "Animator" engine. This tool provides a vast library of pre-recorded phrases and licks that can be triggered and synced to the host tempo. It allows users to quickly build complex brass arrangements without needing deep knowledge of orchestration or performance techniques. The Animator covers a wide range of styles, making it a versatile tool for contemporary music production.

In addition to the Animator, the library includes a "Smart Voice Split" feature. This intelligently distributes the notes of a chord across the different instruments in the section, ensuring realistic voicing and harmony. This feature is particularly useful for those who want to play horn parts live on a keyboard while maintaining a natural ensemble sound.

The user interface of Session Horns Pro is intuitive and designed for efficient workflow. Users can easily adjust parameters such as mic placement, room ambience, and individual instrument levels. The library also includes a suite of built-in effects, including compression, EQ, and tape saturation, providing further control over the final sound. Native Instruments Session Horns Pro is a comprehensive

Compared to its predecessor, Session Horns, the Pro version offers a significantly larger sample pool, more instruments, and enhanced articulation options. It includes various mutes for the brass instruments and additional performance nuances like falls, rises, and shakes. This increased depth makes it a more robust choice for professional productions requiring a high degree of realism.

Overall, Native Instruments Session Horns Pro is a powerful and versatile brass library. Its combination of high-quality samples, innovative performance tools, and an easy-to-use interface makes it a valuable asset for any producer looking to add authentic-sounding horn sections to their tracks. Whether you are working on a high-energy funk track or a subtle jazz arrangement, Session Horns Pro provides the tools necessary to achieve a professional result.

Product Overview: Native Instruments Session Horns Pro

Publisher: Native Instruments (produced in collaboration with e-instruments) Format: Kontakt / Kontakt Player Library Current Status: Legacy product (often available via Komplete bundles or as a standalone purchase, but no longer the flagship brass library compared to newer competitors).

Before diving into knobs and keyswitches, it’s vital to understand the guiding principle behind Session Horns Pro. Native Instruments recognized that most producers are not horn players. We know what a horn should sound like—think of the punch in a Bruno Mars track, the stabs in an old James Brown recording, or the cinematic swell in a movie score—but we don't necessarily know the physical limitations of a trumpet or the fingering patterns of a saxophone.

Session Horns Pro is built on the concept of "section-based performance." Instead of painstakingly programming four separate MIDI tracks (trumpet, trombone, alto sax, tenor sax) and trying to make them play in perfect human unison, Session Horns Pro allows you to play a three- or four-note chord on your MIDI keyboard. The software instantly arranges that chord across the four instruments in a realistic way, respecting the natural range and timbre of each horn. The result: instant, playable, and convincing horn section arrangements.