REFERENCE MANUAL

SYMPHOBIA 2
VERSION 1.3
2
INTRODUCTION 5 MULTIS 30

ABOUT VERSION 1.3 7 GETTING SUPPORT 31

INSTALLATION - DOWNLOAD VERSION 8 CREDITS AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 32

INSTALLATION - DVD VERSION 10

UPDATING 12
3

BEFORE YOU READ ON 13

CREATING A SEQUEL 14

THE LIBRARY 16

THE INTERFACE 23
4
INTRODUCTION

Congratulations on purchasing SYMPHOBIA 2, volume two in the acclaimed SYMPHOBIA series!

After the original SYMPHOBIA, we faced the challenge of taking the SYMPHOBIA concept to the next level. We explored
new instrument colors, orchestrations and possibilities, making SYMPHOBIA 2 the perfect addition to the original, as well
as a great standalone library.

This reference manual explains all about the exciting instruments and features found in SYMPHOBIA 2. It also covers
the installation process of both the Direct Download and DVD versions of this product.

We are very impressed by the great music you have composed using our samples. This has been our main drive developing
SYMPHOBIA 2. We want to inspire you by adding new colors to your musical palette.
5

Enjoy SYMPHOBIA 2!

The ProjectSAM Team

6
ABOUT VERSION 1.3
At the time of this writing, the latest version of SYMPHOBIA 2 is 1.3. The instruments and features described in this manual
refer to this product version. Version 1.3 adds many new features, as well as a major 7 GB (uncompressed) of additional
samples!

If you just purchased the Direct Download edition of SYMPHOBIA 2, you will have automatically downloaded the latest
version. If you purchased the DVD edition of SYMPHOBIA 2, we cannot guarantee that your discs contain the very latest
version. To find out which version you have, install the product, load any of the SYMPHOBIA 2 instruments and check the
bottom-left corner of the interface. This is where the version number is displayed. If you see a lower version number, or no
version number at all, please update your copy of SYMPHOBIA 2. See the chapter “Updating” for more information.

7
 INSTALLATION - DOWNLOAD VERSION
This chapter will guide you through the installation of the Direct Download version of SYMPHOBIA 2.

I. DOWNLOADING

If you purchased the Direct Download version of SYMPHOBIA 2 and you did not download it yet, you can do so on our
website. If you already downloaded SYMPHOBIA 2, you can skip this part of the installation.

1. Go to www.projectsam.com and log in to your account.

2. Go to the Product Center.
3. Download the SAM Installer for Mac or Windows.
4. Launch the SAM Installer.
5. Type or copy-paste your product serial number into the Code field and click the Download button.
8 6. Choose a destination for the SYMPHOBIA 2 Library folder. This can also be an external hard drive.
7. The download will start. Please note this may take multiple hours, depending on your internet speed
and our server load.
8. Once all required files have been downloaded, they will be extracted to the destination folder.
This may take 10-15 minutes.
9. After installation has finished, you can quit the SAM Installer. If you see any .RAR files in your Symphobia 2 folder,
it is now safe to delete them. This will free up valuable disk space.

II. INSTALLING KONTAKT PLAYER

SYMPHOBIA 2 is powered by Native Instruments Kontakt Player. An installer for the free Kontakt Player can be downloaded
from your ProjectSAM account or the Native Instruments website. If you already use Kontakt or Kontakt Player on your
computer, you can skip this part of the installation.

1. Double-click the Kontakt Player installer application.

2. Follow the on-screen instructions.
III. ADDING THE LIBRARY

SYMPHOBIA 2 has been installed, but it needs to be added as a library to Kontakt.

1. Launch Kontakt.
2. Go to the Libraries tab.
3. Click the Add Library button in the top-left corner.
4. Browse to the new SYMPHOBIA 2 Library folder.
5. Select the SYMPHOBIA 2 Library folder and click Choose.
6. SYMPHOBIA 2 will now appear in your list of Kontakt libraries.

IV. ACTIVATION

SYMPHOBIA 2 needs to be activated using your product serial number. Until you activate the library, it will run in
demo mode. 9

1. Launch Kontakt.
2. Click the Activate button that is shown in the SYMPHOBIA 2 browser on the left.
This will start the Native Instruments Service Center. Enter your administrator password if asked.
3. Service Center requires a Native Instruments account. If you do not yet have one, please follow the on-screen
instructions to create one. If you already have a Native Instruments account, log in using your username and
password. Please note that this is a different account than the one you may have with ProjectSAM.
4. After logging in, SYMPHOBIA 2 will be listed for activation.
5. Type or copy-paste your product serial number in the text fields provided. It is fastest to paste the full product
serial number into the first field. Click Activate.
6. SYMPHOBIA 2 is now activated.
7. Restart Kontakt for the activation to take effect.
 INSTALLATION - DVD VERSION
This chapter guides you through the installation of the boxed DVD version of SYMPHOBIA 2.

I. INSTALLING KONTAKT PLAYER

Installation of the SYMPHOBIA 2 library and Kontakt Player sampler are two separate steps. We will first install Kontakt
Player. SYMPHOBIA 2 is powered by Native Instruments Kontakt Player. An installer for the free Kontakt Player is included
on disc 1. If you already use Kontakt or Kontakt Player on your computer, you can skip this part of the installation.

1. Double-click the Kontakt Player installer on disc 1.

2. Follow the on-screen instructions.

10 II. INSTALLING LIBRARY

1. Insert disc 1 and double-click the SYMPHOBIA 2 Installer.

2. Follow the on-screen instructions. Please note that external drives are not shown in the first installation destination
screen. They can be selected in the next screen by selecting “shared” and then “other”.
III. ACTIVATION

SYMPHOBIA 2 needs to be activated using your product serial number. Until you activate the library, it will run in
demo mode.

1. Launch Kontakt.
2. Click the Activate button that is shown in the SYMPHOBIA 2 browser on the left.
This will start the Native Instruments Service Center. Enter your administrator password if asked.
3. Service Center requires a Native Instruments account. If you do not yet have one, please follow the on-screen
instructions to create one. If you already have a Native Instruments account, log in using your username and
password. Please note that this is a different account than the one you may have with ProjectSAM.
1. After logging in, SYMPHOBIA 2 will be listed for activation.
2. Type or copy-paste your product serial number in the text fields provided. It is fastest to paste the full product
serial number into the first field. Click Activate.
3. SYMPHOBIA 2 is now activated.
4. Restart Kontakt for the activation to take effect. 11

IV. REGISTRATION WITH PROJECTSAM

Please now register SYMPHOBIA 2 with ProjectSAM. Registration is a different process than activation. By registering
with ProjectSAM you can access library updates and additional content and get technical support directly from us.

1. Go to www.projectsam.com.
2. Create a new account or log in using your existing username and password.
Please note that this is a different account than the one you have with Native Instruments.
3. Go to Account and then Product Center.
4. Type or copy-paste your product serial number into the provided field and click Register.
5. SYMPHOBIA 2 will now be listed under “Your registered products” and any updates or downloads will be available
to you.
6. Thanks for registering!
 UPDATING
Product updates are offered through the ProjectSAM website. To access product updates, your library needs
to be registered in your account.

1. Go to www.projectsam.com.
2. If you do not yet have a ProjectSAM account, please create one. Note that your ProjectSAM account
is different from your Native Instruments account and unrelated to the NI Service Center.
3. Go to MY ACCOUNT, log in, and visit the PRODUCT CENTER.
4. If SYMPHOBIA 2 is not yet listed in the registration list, register it by entering the product serial number
at the top of the page and clicking ‘Register’.
5. Any available updates for SYMPHOBIA 2 will be listed in the registration list. If an update is available,
click the ‘Request update’ button and follow the on-screen instructions.

12
BEFORE YOU READ ON
If you are like us then you’d probably rather make music than read instruction manuals. Here is a tip:

Before reading the rest of this manual, take some time to play around with SYMPHOBIA 2 first! Get a feel for the library,
the sounds and the interface. Make sure you try out the Multis. Multis are combinations of multiple instruments, stacked
together to give you as many musical features on one 88-note keyboard as possible: chords, legato lines, effects and even
drums. They will give you a great first impression of what SYMPHOBIA 2 is capable of. After that, we recommend reading
the rest of this manual. Having played with the library first will make it an easier and more enjoyable read!

13
 CREATING A SEQUEL
A BRAND-NEW INTERFACE

SYMPHOBIA 2 has a brand-new interface. The left half of the interface holds all switchable options such as Release Trails,
Round Robin and Microphone Mode. Each SYMPHOBIA 2 instrument contains multiple articulations and performances.
These are listed in the middle of the interface and can be selected using the mouse or the piano keys. The right half of the
interface holds the knobs and controls such as ADSR, Reverb and Legato Cross-fade Time.

MICROPHONE SET SWITCH

SYMPHOBIA 2 was recorded in a beautiful concert hall environment at two microphone distances from the orchestra: close
(direct) and stage (ambient). Each instrument holds both microphone sets and enables you to instantly switch between
14 them. Both sets have been carefully mixed to instantly fall into place in your mix.

LEGATO ENSEMBLES

The SYMPHOBIA 2 Legato Ensembles are an industry-first: real legato transitions for orchestrated sets of instruments.
Various differently arranged ensembles were captured performing legato intervals, playing in unison or octaves. All intervals
up to an octave downwards and upwards were recorded. These recordings are automatically glued together when the
engine detects legato playing. A great example is the noble sounding Horns + Violins + Violas set, which captures real legato
performances of French horns, Violins and Violas playing together in the concert hall. No post-production layering was used!
The orchestration you hear is real. Apart from the Legato Ensembles, we also recorded a number of legato solo instruments
such as Concert Flute and Low Whistle. Many of the Multis included in SYMPHOBIA 2 use the Legato Ensembles in various
interesting ways. Be sure to check them out!
NEW ARTICULATIONS

If you own the original SYMPHOBIA, SYMPHOBIA 2 will greatly expand your possibilities. To name a few: modulation wheel-
controlled minor and major trills were added to the string section, as well as expressive crescendo-decrescendo notes and
new spiccatos. The full-orchestra section has powerful new sustain and staccato articulations and a beautiful ‘wide octaves’
articulation. The horn section has been expanded with a blockbuster 8-player ensemble.

NEW EFFECTS

If you liked the effects in the original SYMPHOBIA, you are going to love the effects in SYMPHOBIA 2! Having covered the
basics, we could explore the world of orchestral effects further and record new colors and more specialist techniques. For
example, SYMPHOBIA 2 has effect banks entirely dedicated to ponticello and flageolet effects. You will also find beautiful
looped textures that can be triggered in different keys.

15
DYSTOPIA VOLUME 3

Our popular DYSTOPIA section is back and is better than ever! Explore the dark side of SAM with processed hits, spheres
and risers, based on the recordings of SYMPHOBIA 2 and some of our other libraries. Also be sure to check out the
Symphobian Drums.
 THE LIBRARY
SYMPHOBIA 2 consists of five banks and one Multis folder. Each bank contains individual Instruments that hold
various articulations and performances, offered as keys-switches. Below is a complete list of all banks, instruments
and key-switches.

DXF = dynamically controlled using the modulation wheel

1 FULL ORCHESTRA

Samples recorded with the full orchestra seated and performing in together or in large groups. Orchestral sampling doesn’t
get any bigger than this! Our personal favorite: ‘Full Orchestrator’.

01 Full Orchestrator
16 Staccato Orchestrator A (arco strings)
Staccato Orchestrator B (pizzicato strings)
Sustains in Octaves DXF
Wide Octaves DXF

02 Strings with Woodwinds

Marcato Strings with Winds
High sordinos with Winds
High staccatos with Xylophone
03 Long Textures and Effects
Dark Textures
Rhythmic Textures
High Textures
Tonal Textures 1
Tonal Textures 2
Tonal Textures 3
Tutti Clusters

04 Short Hits and Rips

Full Orchestra Hits & Stabs
Full Orchestra Rips & Swirls

05 Symphobian Stacks
A variety of SYMPHOBIA 2 effects stacked together, processed and re-mixed.
17
06 Dreamy Textures
Dreamy Phrase 1 Sustained
Dreamy Phrase 1 Moving
Dreamy Phrase 2 Sustained
Dreamy Phrase 2 Moving
Dreamy Phrase 3 Sustained
Dreamy Phrase 3 Moving
Dreamy Phrase 4 Trills

07 Tutti Chords
Sustained Fortissimo
Sustained Fortissimo with Piatti
Fortepiano-crescendo
Decrescendo
Repetition
Staccato
 2 INDIVIDUAL SECTIONS

Samples recorded with individual groups from the orchestra such as the strings section only, the violins and violas sections
only or the French horn section. Our personal favorite: Grace Note Performer.

01 Str Ensemble Extensions

New Spiccato Single & Spiccato Repetition Minor Trills DXF Major Trills DXF Espressivo long Espressivo short Fast
crescendo long Fast crescendo short

02 Str Ensemble Various

Wide Octaves DXF
Symphobia Original Sustains DXF

03 Str Ensemble Effects

Mad Textures
18 Growling Strings
Pizzicato Effects
Short Glissando Effects
Flageolet Effects
Glissando to Wide Octaves

04 Violins with Violas

Grace Note Performer
Marcato in Octaves
Violas tremolo ponticello DXF
Violas tremolo ponticello p<f>p
Sustain Non Vibrato
Ponticello Effects
Wild Effects
05 Violoncelli
Sustain
Tremolo ponticello DXF
Staccato
Pizzicato

06 Music String Phrases

Bending Chord 1
Bending Chord 2
Octaves to Suspense 1
Octaves to Suspense 2

07 Eight Player Horn Ensemble

Sustain Marcato
Sustain DXF
Marcato 19
Staccato
Trill
Crescendo-diminuendo
Effects

08 Horns with Trombones

Sustain in Ocraves DXF
Cliffhanger Clusters DXF
Cliffhanger Crescendo Slow
Cliffhanger Crescendo Fast

09 Trumpet Octaves
Sustain in Octaves
Marcato in Octaves
 10 Flute with Piccolo
Sustain in Octaves
Staccato in Octaves
Minor Trill in Octaves DXF
Major Trill in Octaves DXF
Effects Collection

3 LEGATO ENSEMBLES

Various differently arranged ensembles were captured performing legato intervals, playing in unison or octaves. All intervals
up to an octave downwards and upwards were recorded. These recordings are automatically glued together when the
engine detects legato playing. Apart from the arranged ensembles, there are also a number of solo legato instruments
available. All legato instruments are dynamically controlled using the modulation wheel.
20
Legato Ensemble Bass Clarinet & Contra Bassoon in Octaves

Legato Ensemble Basoon & Celli in Unison

Legato Ensemble Flutes & Clarinet in Unison

Legato Ensemble Flutes & Violins in Unison

Legato Ensemble Horns & Trombones in Unison

Legato Ensemble Horns & Violins & Violas in Unison

Legato Ensemble Celli & Doublebasses in Unison

Legato Ensemble Violins in Octaves

Legato Solo Flute

Legato Solo Horn

Legato Solo Low Whistle (in D scale)

Legato Solo Uilleann Pipes (in D scale)

4 DYSTOPIA

The dark side of SAM. Processed and mangled sounds taken from the SYMPHOBIA 2 recordings and some other
ProjectSAM products.

Announcing the End 21

Channel Bashar

Demolition Tools

Reverse Engineering

Sending Orbs

Stingers Drones and Risers

Symphobian Drums

The Chain Saw

Trailer Hits
 Welcome Sumerians

White Noise

5 MISCELLANEOUS

Symphobia 2 Miscellaneous
Orchestra Tuning
Concert Hall Noise

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THE INTERFACE
The SYMPHOBIA 2 interface and controls differ slightly for each of the library’s main sections: the standard instruments, the
Legato Ensembles and the Dystopia instruments. In this chapter, we will cover the features, buttons and controls for each of
these three sections.

23

STANDARD INTERFACE

1. Information display
Displays additional information about the selected articulation (see 2), including any available controllers, such as the
modulation wheel.
 2. Articulation display
Shows the list of articulations that are available for the loaded instrument. An articulation can be selected by clicking it
with the mouse, or by pressing the corresponding keyswitch on your piano keyboard (see 3). For the instrument in the
screenshot, the “Vlas trem ponticello DXF” articulation is selected. VEL = articulation that can be dynamically controlled
using velocity. DXF = articulation that can be dynamically controlled using the modulation wheel. These articulations do
not use velocity for dynamic control. MOD = articulation that allows you to switch between multiple variations using the
modulation wheel. Example: modulation wheel down selects upward string runs, modulation wheel up selects downward
string runs.

3. Keyswitches
Shows the keyswitches that will select the corresponding articulation. Example: for the “Violins with Violas” instrument
shown in the screenshot, pressing a C#7 on your piano keyboard will select the “Marcato in octaves” articulation.

4. Close-Stage switch
SYMPHOBIA 2 was recorded in a beautiful concert hall environment using multiple microphone setups. Each instrument
24 is available in two true microphone positions - close mic & stage mic - each with its own distinct sound. The close mic
mostly uses the spot microphones placed throughout the orchestra with a little bit of room mics to blend them together. The
stage mic is a mix of our various room mics and gives you a powerful, cinematic, out-of-the-box sound. The SYMPHOBIA 2
interface allows you to instantly switch mic positions by using the Close-Stage switch. The stage mic is enabled by default
for most instruments. Please note that a few specific instruments, such as Symphobian Stacks, Symphobian Drums and the
Dystopia section do not have multiple mic positions.

5. Master EQ
Enabled by default for most instruments, the Master EQ slightly boosts the highs and/or lows of the loaded instrument,
giving it a polished, ready-to-go sound. If you prefer to use the samples in their unprocessed form, disable the Master EQ.

6. Transpose
Allows you to transpose the entire instrument up or down in semitones. The amount of semitones can be set by entering
a new value or by click-dragging the mouse cursor up and down. Transpose can be enabled or disabled by clicking the
button.
7. Release Trails
Because SYMPHOBIA 2 was recorded in a concert hall, each sample has a certain amount of natural reverberation tail at
the end. These were captured in so-called Release Trails. They are vital for the realism of the sampled instrument, as they
not only include the hall’s reverb tail, but also the natural, musical ending of a note. If you prefer to turn off the Release
Trails of a certain instrument, you can do so by pressing this button. This means that the sample will be abruptly cut off
when you release a note.

8. Round Robin
All staccatos and other short articulations in SYMPHOBIA 2 have been recorded multiple times. These recording takes are
automatically alternated in a so-called round robin cycle, to avoid the infamous “machine gun” effect, where one sample is
mechanically repeated over and over. The Round Robin button greatly enhances realism. If you do wish to turn off Round
Robin, you can do so by disabling the button. This means that only the first recording take of the sample will be used. The
yellow colored key on the on-screen Kontakt keyboard is the Round Robin reset key. Press this key to reset the Round
Robin cycle. This will affect the next note you play. Hold the Round Robin reset key down to temporarily turn off Round
Robin altogether.
25
9. Octaver
The Octaver automatically adds one octave on top of the note you are playing. This is done in the MIDI domain so that the
correct sample is used. The Octaver makes sure no duplicate samples are triggered. This means you can safely play double
octaves while the Octaver is turned on.

10. Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release

Using these four controls you can adjust the attack, decay, sustain and release times of the selected articulation. Each
articulation in the articulation list stores its own “ADSR” values. Note that for short articulations such as staccato or
pizzicato, only the attack and decay controls are shown.

11. Velocity offset

By adjusting the Velocity knob you can offset the instrument’s velocity, making it easier to play either very soft or very loud
passages.
 12. Reverb
This control allows you to add additional reverb to the instrument. This is done using Kontakt’s convolution reverb effect.
Even though SYMPHOBIA 2 was recorded in a concert hall environment, you may sometimes want to additional reverb,
for example, to blend various libraries together. The reverb is turned off when the control knob is turned all the way down.
Please note that convolution reverb does require additional CPU usage.

13. Release Trail volume

Use this controller to adjust the volume of the concert hall Release Trails. In the middle position, the Release Trail volume
will match the volume of the sampled note to which it belongs.

14. Release Trail length

Use this controller to adjust the length of the concert hall Release Trails. This allows you to make the instrument sound less
ambient, more direct, without losing the realistic features of a Release Trail at the end of a note.

26
15. Controls
The Controls tab holds all of the features explained above.

16. DSP
The DSP section allows you to apply a selection of Kontakt’s realtime effect plugins to the instrument. Click the DSP button
to open the DSP page.

LEGATO ENSEMBLE INTERFACE

17. DXF Filter

Available for the Legato Ensembles only. When the DXF Filter is enabled, some additional low pass filtering is applied to
the softest dynamic layer of the instrument, increasing the perceived dynamic range of the instrument. To use the softest
dynamic layer without any filtering, disable the DXF filter button.

18. XFade 27
Available for the Legato Ensembles only. Controls the cross fade time between the recorded legato transitions. In combination
with the Overlap knob (see 19), this allows you to tweak the responsiveness and expressiveness of the legato instrument.

19. Overlap
Available for the Legato Ensembles only. Controls the amount of overlap (or offset) between the recorded legato transitions.
A higher value means that the previous legato note will sustain longer into the next legato note, before the actual cross fade
(see 18) will start.
 DYSTOPIA INTERFACE

28 20. Modulation wheel filter

Available for the Dystopia instrument’s only. Low pass and high pass filtering can be controlled for all Dystopia instruments
using the modulation wheel. The current filter setting is represented by the graphics in the interface. The middle position
is neutral with no filtering applied. The upper half of the mod wheel applies high pass filtering and slightly boosts the high
frequencies. The lower half applies low pass filtering and boosts the bass frequencies. Please note that you cannot control
the wheel using the mouse cursor.

21. S.Rate
Available for the Dystopia instrument’s only. Allows you to reduce the sample rate of the instrument, resulting in a digital,
deconstructed tone.

22. Spread
Available for the Dystopia instrument’s only. Allows you to adjust the stereo image of the instrument. In the middle position
the effect is turned off. Turning the knob to the left will narrow the stereo image and ultimately generate a mono output.
Turning the knob to the right will enhance the stereo image.
23. Limiter
Available for the Dystopia instrument’s only. Allows you to dynamically limit the Dystopia instrument’s output.
This can help you keep the sound under control, or boost the general signal output.

ON-SCREEN KONTAKT KEYBOARD

The on-screen Kontakt keyboard shows you useful information about the loaded instrument. The playable instrument
range in shown in blue. The available keyswitches (articulations) in red. The selected keyswitch in green. The round
robin reset key in yellow.

29
 MULTIS
MULTIS are combinations of multiple instruments, constructed to give you as many musical features on one 88-note
keyboard as possible: chords, legato lines, effects and even drums. Each MULTI has been designed for a specific musical
context or cinematic genre and was given a name that should give you a hint about its use. Kontakt’s on-screen keyboard
shows you the various zones in which instruments are available. One zone may contain low sustained strings, while a
neighboring zone may contain the Horns+Trombones Legato Ensemble, allowing you to perform both musical features
simultaneously.

More MULTIS will be added with each SYMPHOBIA 2 update.

30
GETTING SUPPORT
If you would like technical support for SYMPHOBIA 2, please go to www.projectsam.com and log in using your ProjectSAM
account username and password. Make sure SYMPHOBIA 2 is registered on the Product Center page. If it is, then go to the
Technical Support page and fill in the form.

We can only provide technical support if your product has been correctly registered using your product serial number.

31
 CREDITS AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ProjectSAM team
Maarten Spruijt, Vincent Beijer, Marco Deegenaars, Joep Sporck, Stijn van Beek, Chris Arteaga,
Jeroen Peter and Martijn Lammerts

DYSTOPIA sound design

Robert Dudzic, Don & Roel Funcken

ProjectSAM would like to thank

Dan Santucci @ Native Instruments, Stu Kennedy, the Steptime team (Doug Smith, Raphael Rodriguez & Ryan Richardson),
Klaus Kandler @ Bestservice, TimeSpace, Shiori & Hiroyuki @ Crypton

32