Why spring for a 400-year-old Stradivarius when you can conjure one on your computer? Traditionalists might argue that point, but there's no questioning the growing power of all-digital composition. This composer's virtual philharmonic makes its case in every soaring string apex.
The Artist:
Stephan Carroll is a contemporary classical artist who has been playing the piano for nearly 20 years. He has been recording original compositions for over 10 years, and has recently begun composing full orchestral scores. The Stephan Carroll Virtual Symphony Orchestra is a completely computerized orchestra, existing only in the digital domain.
Although he has played piano for nearly 20 years, he has had no formal music education outside of piano lessons. He has not studied composition or classical orchestration techniques. Rather, he has spent the last several years listening to a wide range of orchestral music and learning to recreate various styles on his own. The results of this self-taught methodology speak for themselves.
The Virtual Orchestra:
It has long been a dream of Stephan to produce a realistic symphony orchestra sound using computer technology. Recently, with the advent of high-quality digital samples and increasingly powerful computers, this dream has become a reality. The Virtual Orchestra is a collection of real-life orchestral sounds which can be played using a digital keyboard and computer. The collection is composed of some professional sound libraries, as well as some custom-designed samples, and even a few freeware sounds tracked down via the internet. It is the intention of the artist to provide an ultra-realistic listening experience through technology. It is in no way intended to replace the living, breathing orchestra performers, but rather to create powerful, realistic music of its own merit.