Albion Solstice

The Solstice Orchestra

The Elders (strings)

Distinctive strings form the core of all Albion libraries, and Albion Solstice is no exception. This grouping includes two string sections, split into three subcategories — The Classic Octet, The Traditional Sextet, and The Elders Bass. These sections feature articulations from the classic and folk traditions as well as totally new techniques developed for these performances. Additionally, there is a curated mix for each preset and 3 detailed microphone positions offering Close, Outriggers, and Room. Unique to this section is the use of a high-end DPA clip-on mic, for ultra-close, detailed sounds.

The Elders - Classic Octet

The Classic Octet includes violins, violas, and cellos (2,2,2,2) performed in a distinctly organic fashion. This group is a new take on classical strings, focusing on orchestral playing styles including all the articulations you would expect — a multi-layer legato, dynamic hairpin sustains, trills, staccato, pizzicato, col legno but equally focusing on new bowing techniques such as circular bowing, sinister sul ponticello, Evos offering cinematic evolving textures, circular sustains (performed by moving the bow in circular motions, allowing for slight pitch and timbral shifts over time, a breathy and organic sound), and motors. Traditionally referred to as measured tremolo, motors is a new technique of playing tremolos with a different feel, giving a higher sense of depth and giving you a tool to create a sense of pace in your score.

• Circular
• Col Legno
• Evo 1 (Disturbed)
• Evo 2 (Trembling)
• Evo 3 (Quiver)
• Evo 4 (Unsteady)
• Evo 5 (Flickering)
• Evo 6 (Hesitant)
• FX Bends (Major 3rd)
• FX Cluster
• Legato
• Long (Con Sord)
• Long Hairpin
• Long
• Malevolent
• Marcato
• Motor (90BPM)
• Motor (110BPM)
• Motor 16ths (90BPM)
• Motor 16ths (110BPM)
• Motor Triplet (90BPM)
• Motor Triplet (110BPM)
• Pizzicato
• Short Gliss Down FX
• Short Gliss Up FX
• Sinister
• Spiccato
• Staccato (Brushed Con Sord)
• Sul Pont
• Sul Tasto
• Trill (Major 2nd)
• Trill (Minor 2nd)

The Elders - Traditional Sextet

The Traditional Sextet also features violins, viola, and cello (2,2,1,1) but takes inspiration from Celtic traditions, embracing playing styles and timbres outside of the conservatoire, with distinctive bends in pitch and characterful tone, sans vibrato. This band invokes more freedom and culture in the sound, via pitch and performance, with a wider portamento legato, an array of rising sustains, and an all-new type of articulation we developed called cellular longs. This exciting new articulation is created from dynamic performances set to a fixed scale, each note being entirely different, each its own unique voice with individual characteristics.

• Cellular D (Combo)
• Cellular D
• Cellular G (Combo)
• Cellular G
• Col Legno
• Crescendo
• Evo 1 (Unstable)
• Evo 2 (Shaken)
• Evo 3 (Fractured)
• Flautando Cold
• Flautando Warm
• FX Cluster
• FX Gliss Up (5th)
• FX Gliss Up (Octave)
• FX Gliss Up
• Harmonics
• Legato
• Long (Combo)
• Long Artisan Infinite
• Long Artisan
• Long
• Motor (110BPM)
• Motor 16ths (110BPM)
• Motor Triplet (110BPM)
• No Rosin
• Pizzicato (Loose)
• Pizzicato (Torn)
• Pizzicato
• Scattered Tremolo
• Sforzando
• Spiccato (Brushed)
• Spiccato (Pointed)
• Spiccato (Ricochet)
• Sul Pont
• Sul Tasto
• Tremolo

The Elders bass

A booming, solo double bass, captured to increase the range of The Classic Octet and The Traditional Sextet. Gritty, deep, and dramatic, this instrument stands alone as the only soloist in Albion Solstice, allowing you fine control of this foundational element and designed to perform independently or mixed with either string band.

• Bartok
• Col Legno
• Harmonics
• Legato
• Long
• No Rosin
• Pizzicato
• Staccato
• Sul Pont
• Sul Tasto

The Callers (brass & winds)

An eclectic selection of haunting brass and woodwinds, including saxophones, trombones, euphonium, tuba, contrabass, and clarinet. An inspired section designed to fill that of a conventional woodwind section, The Callers feature all of the articulations you would expect, legatos, sustains, shorts but is enriched with Celtic playing styles, including short pitch bends at the attack of notes, longs with slowly evolving timbres, and unique overblown sounds with natural distortion. To help spark inspiration, a specially workshopped technique called scattered tremolos (unmeasured tremolo) gives incredible performance realism. Spread out across the entire keyboard range, a truly full sound is immediately accessible.

• Air FX
• Chatter FX
• Evo 1 (Sorrow)
• Evo 2 (Divided)
• Evo 3 (Turbulant)
• Evo 3 (Turbulent)
• Evo 4 (Cacophony)
• Evo 5 (Meandering)
• Evo 6 (Shaken)
• Falls
• Flutter Tongue
• Gliss Up (Maj)
• Gliss Up (Min)
• Key Noise
• Legato
• Long (Combo)
• Long
• Marcato
• Motor (90BPM)
• Motor (110BPM)
• Motor 16ths (70BPM)
• Motor 16ths (90BPM)
• Motor Triplet (90BPM)
• Motor Triplet (110BPM)
• Overblown
• Rips
• Scattered Tremolo
• Short Gliss Down FX
• Short Gliss Up FX (Fast)
• Short Gliss Up FX (Slow)
• Spoken
• Staccatissimo
• Whisper FX

The Mystics (pipes)

An intimate group of flutes, mixed with Celtic flutes and whistles, representing the top end of a conventional woodwind section. The pairing of Celtic flutes with flutes more commonly associated with the classical tradition allows for a sharper timbre and wider spread of sound due to variances of pitch between the playing styles. A collection of sounds, unheard before, offering a rich and deep sound that has a mysterious, slightly unsettling quality. Includes traditional articulations as well the identifiably Celtic slight pitch bend at the attack of notes.

• Flicker
• FX Gliss Up
• Legato
• Long (Combo)
• Long
• Overblown Staccatissimo
• Staccatissimo
• Staccato
• Trill (Major 2nd)
• Trill (Minor 2nd)
• Wavering

The Blaggards (band)

The soul of the Solstice orchestra, this rough-and-ready ensemble is composed of accordion, bass harmonica, nyckelharpa, hurdy-gurdy, harmonium, and clàrsach (Celtic harps). This grouping represents the clearest example of combining instruments from similar historical moments, but of different folk music traditions, curated for modern cinematic scores. Since this is the most diverse collection of instruments, care was taken to record these as an ensemble as well as in duo settings, allowing for greater control of the performances.

• FX Gliss Up
• Harmonics (Solo Harp)
• Long (Bellows)
• Long (Combo)
• Long (Senza Harp)
• Long (Solo Harp)
• Long
• Staccatissimo (Bellows)
• Staccatissimo (Senza Harp)
• Staccatissimo
• Staccato (Senza Harp)
• Staccato
• Tremolo (Senza Harp)
• Tremolo (Solo Harp)
• Tremolo

The Hosts (choir)

A haunting ensemble of female singers, 6 high voices and one low, originating from a variety of folk traditions. This collection of female voices may appear humble in size, but the multitudes of sounds and textures that are at your immediate disposal is truly beguiling. A pool of performers never heard before, each singer brings a wealth of knowledge from their traditional performance backgrounds, mixing different techniques, approaches to vibrato, and pitch inflection. Inherently performance-based, this organic ensemble conjures enchanting long pads, evolving textures, and vocalisations.

• Cellular
• FX Drone
• FX Songbath
• Long Infinite Ah
• Long Infinite Eh
• Long Infinite Mm
• Long Infinite Oh
• Long Natural Ah
• Long Natural Eh
• Long Natural Mm
• Long Natural Oh
• Motor (90BPM)
• Motor (110BPM)
• Wavering
• Wicken Glissando

The Generator Trio (electric)

The only amplified instruments in The Solstice Orchestra, this is a magnetic ensemble of two electric guitars and electric bass, creating textures with strummed, plucked, and Ebowed performances. Although these instruments are quite different from the others in this library, they are performed with similar intentions and techniques. Recorded as a group and performed live with all processing, including distortion, reverb, and delay, baked into the performances, this section represents a modern folk instrument—the electric guitar. A huge inspiration tool, these performance-based patches feature Evos (pads with effects tweaked in real-time), as well as motors (repeated, measured notes that loop), all serving as a powerful jumping-off point for your score or to add texture to existing cues.

• Evo 1 (Undulate)
• Evo 2 (Shiver)
• Evo 3 (Lament)
• Evo 4 (Raucous)
• Evo 5 (Enharmonics)
• Harmonics
• Long
• Motor (90BPM)
• Motor (110BPM)
• Motor 4ths (90BPM)
• Motor 4ths (110BPM)
• Motor Bends (90BPM)
• Motor Bends (110BPM)
• Motor Bends Triplet (90BPM)
• Motor Bends Triplet (110BPM)
• Motor Triplet (90BPM)
• Motor Triplet (110BPM)
• Overdriven Bow
• Spiccato Muted
• Staccato
• Tremolo Fast
• Tremolo Slow
• Wave

The Gut Circle (acoustic)

Representing the traditional folk side of the guitar family, this section is a shimmering grouping of ukuleles, steel and nylon string guitars, and mandolins. An identifiable sound that, like The Blaggards, provides a new palette without adjusting your writing style. Unique strum motors in this section bring a natural performance feel, each player drawing from their traditions, acting as a great inspiration for modern cinematic scores.

• Motor (90BPM)
• Motor (110BPM)
• Motor Bend (90BPM)
• Motor Bend (110BPM)
• Motor Triplet (90BPM)
• Motor Triplet (110BPM)
• Performance A (90BPM)
• Performance A (110BPM)
• Performance A 16ths (90BPM)
• Performance A 16ths (110BPM)
• Performance D (90BPM)
• Performance D (110BPM)
• Performance D 16ths (90BPM)
• Performance D 16ths (110BPM)
• Plucked
• Scattered FX
• Tremolo Fast
• Tremolo Slow

The Nursery (bells & mallets)

A quartet of tuned percussion, inspiring childlike sounds from a unique ensemble of vibes, celeste, dulcitone, glockenspiel, bike bells, hand drums, and various elements of found percussion. Performed together, these sounds combine to create unquestionably unique timbres, built from complex harmonics generated by multiple players striking notes simultaneously. This in-built human latency leads to a relaxed, natural spread that brings realism and nuance to your compositions.

• Bowed
• Chatter FX
• Chatter Octaves (Senza T Drum)
• Chatter Octaves
• Long
• Motor (90BPM)
• Motor (110BPM)
• Motor 16ths (90BPM)
• Motor 16ths (110BPM)
• Motor Triplet (90BPM)
• Motor Triplet (110BPM)
• Staccato
• Tremolo Bowed
• Tremolo Fast
• Tremolo Soft
• Tremolo

The Marauders (percussion)

A percussion ensemble featuring performances recorded as grooves. These are not fixed loops, but rather performances full of life and human nuance, providing the perfect building blocks of sounds that can be tweaked to be your own. This section is organized into four distinctive sets: The Main Kit (a unique drum kit paired with percussion and bodhrán), The Snake Kit (a more traditional drum kit expanded with dynamic hits and percussion), Grooves (2 patches, featuring 36 grooves all recorded at both 90BPM and 110BPM and designed to work at a huge range of tempos), and The Visitor (nearly a library on its own with 11 different kits and 12 grooves, created by sonic alchemists Andy Gray and Christian Henson). Many elements comprising the grooves can be broken out as stems, allowing for individual control over the elements for further customisation.

The Marauders

• Grooves (90BPM)
• Grooves (110BPM)
• Grooves Triplets (90BPM)
• Grooves Triplets (110BPM)

The Visitor

• Groove - The Aberrations
• Groove - The Allfather
• Groove - The Altar
• Groove - The Arcane
• Groove - The Circle
• Groove - The Druids
• Groove - The Grove
• Groove - The Healer
• Groove - The Heretics
• Groove - The Rituals
• Groove - The Standing
• Groove - The Summoning
• Kit - Cinematic Snakes
• Kit - Destroy
• Kit - Hypre Snakes
• Kit - Hypre
• Kit - Marauding SP 1
• Kit - Marauding SP 2
• Kit - Overdrive
• Kit - Snakes 1200
• Kit - The Overstayer
• Kit - The Six
• Kit - The Sub

The Cassette Orchestra

An expansive set of 150 presets made from 750 sound sources culled from the Solstice Orchestra. Imperfect by design, the sounds are processed, mangled, and degraded by Christian Henson personally via numerous specially curated paths:

• Type 1 — Processed via a vintage cassette tape machine and pitched down on playback for half-speed artifacts, this is an immediately distinctive sound that still maintains the core elements of the source material.
• Hysteresis — All sounds pushed to the limit via Christian’s infamous pedalboard. The most processed of the curated paths, each sound is pitched, bit crushed, and distorted to the breaking point. Gargantuan grit.
• Descant — Created using two Fairfield Circuitry Shallow Water guitar pedals (for stereo), this modulation wonderland includes tape stop effects, random pitch swoops, and wavering chorused tones giving you a coloured sound with natural character.
• Decay — Sounds treated through a series of three characterful reverb pedals, including the Strymon Nightsky, OTO Machines BAM Space Generator, and Chase Bliss Audio Automatone CXM 1978. Captured at 100% wet, the transients of each source are blurred, obscuring the original character, resulting in beautiful, epic cinematic pads with splosh for days.
• No Bias / Low IPS — What’s new is old. Inspired by the patina of archaic recording technologies, each source is abused and distorted via Christian’s epic wall of Eurorack modular. The resulting hi-cut chorused sound is akin to vintage tape-based instruments of the past, but a bit worse for the wear with volume drops, signal breakups, and unstable, wavering pitches.
• RE301 — The lush sound of two tape delays, including the vintage classic Roland RE-301 Chorus Echo and its heir apparent, the Echo Fix EF-X2 Echo. A unique stereo effect was created by recording each sound to both machines, with a single delay repeat, capturing the pure, coloured sound that is so desirable. The physical path of the tape adds to the ebb and flow of the sound, with subtle imperfections of pitch and volume that shines on held chords and notes.

The Cassette Orchestra presets

• 3rd Guitarist
• 9 Centimetre Tack Piano
• A Fisherman's Song
• Adrift
• Analogy
• Apparition
• Arpeggio Choir
• Ascending
• Atlantis
• Awaking
• Bell & Pad
• Bell Arpeggio
• Belly Pad
• BHS Electronics Piano
• Bit-Crash
• Brain Grenade
• Breakthrough
• Bright Pluck Mod TO Gate
• Bubbling Pad
• Burnt Cables
• Call TO The Wind
• Choir a Tron
• Cryptic Interference
• Cupboard Bass
• Curiouser and Curiouser
• Daydream
• De-Muted plucks
• Distant Bell Choir
• Distorsiosis
• Distress Signal
• Downwrong Piano
• Drake’s Drum
• Dressed to Eleven
• Earthquake
• Every Other Synth Preset
• Exponential Growth
• Extraordinary Pad
• Factory pulse
• Fake Tremolo
• False Alarm
• Familiar Pad 1
• Familiar Pad 2
• Fatal Eclipse
• Fifth Floor
• Filthy Pulse
• Filthy Vox
• FM Piano Through Bad Amp
• Forgotten 80s Arcade Maschine
• Forlorn
• Fragile Harmonics
• Furdles
• Grans Organ Like Youve Never Heard
• Growling Sirens
• Havelok’s Swell
• Hawkins Dropout
• Helicopter Voices
• How Could You
• I Never Dusted That 80s Synth
• Impending Doom Bass
• Industrial Wind
• Insect Drone
• Intensity
• It Talks
• Lead Oblivion 1
• Lead Oblivion 2
• Lead Oblivion 3
• Less than Polite Pad
• Lo Fi Pluck n Pad
• Lo Fi Space Pad
• Low & High
• Low Stress Tense
• Maypole Distortion
• MelloPizz
• Mellow Pad
• Memorez
• Mid Range Love
• Midnight Drive
• Modulator Pad
• Monolyth
• Mourning Lullaby
• Mythical Winds
• Mytikas
• Nerve Tension 1
• Nerve Tension 2
• Neverpiano
• Nursery Rhyme
• Organic or Electric
• Palm To Ambivalence
• Pedalboard
• Pensive Gate 1
• Pensive Gate 2
• Permission
• Phatt & Dutty Pulsar
• Piano and Laser Pad 1
• Piano and Laser Pad 2
• Piano With Long Pad
• Piano With VERY Long Pad
• Pizziculto 1
• Pizziculto 2
• Presence
• Pulse In The Machine
• Quite Right
• Rave Organ 1
• Rave Organ 2
• Resentful Pad
• Reverie
• Ruptured Capsule
• Sailing Towards The Sun
• Saturnal
• Shadow Choir
• Shadows
• Shimmers
• Shudderer
• Simple EP & Pad
• Slightly Troubled Organ Pad 1
• Slightly Troubled Organ Pad 2
• Slow Saturated Pad
• Single Reflective Consonants
• Slightly Saturated Pad
• Slow Siren
• Soft Synth Arpeggio
• Solid Bass Arp
• Some Consonance
• String theory
• Synthetic Air
• Tape Organ
• The Dot
• The Duke
• The Mellowest Pad
• The Shadow Monster
• The Warbler
• Those Plucking Modulators
• Timid Troubadour
• Transformation
• Trio Peaks
• Ultra Simple Pad 1
• Ultra Simple Pad 2
• Unsung Voices
• Utter Filth Slow Pad
• Vertigo
• Very Simple Electric Piano
• VHS Broken Piano
• VHS Piano and Hold For Pad
• War Hits
• Warbling Mega Pad 1
• Warbling Mega Pad 2
• Warbling Mega Pad 3
• Was Jan Hammer THAT Dark
• Were The 80s Really That Scary
• What Is Tuning

The Drone Grid

Long, evolving textures sourced from The Solstice Orchestra and presented in our popular Evo grid, The Drone Grid offers an almost infinite amount of inspiration and creativity. Curated by Christian Henson, these are deeply characterful performances that allow for deeper exploration via the expression and dynamic sliders.

• Evo Grid - 01 Elders
• Evo Grid - 02 Elders
• Evo Grid - 03 Elders
• Evo Grid - 04 Elders
• Evo Grid - 05 Elders
• Evo Grid - 06 Elders
• Evo Grid - 07 Elders
• Evo Grid - 08 Elders
• Evo Grid - 09 Elders
• Evo Grid - 10 Callers
• Evo Grid - 11 Callers
• Evo Grid - 12 Callers
• Evo Grid - 13 Callers
• Evo Grid - 14 Callers
• Evo Grid - 15 Callers
• Evo Grid - 16 Mystics
• Evo Grid - 17 Mystics
• Evo Grid - 18 Hosts
• Evo Grid - 19 Hosts
• Evo Grid - 20 Gut Circle
• Evo Grid - 22 Gen Trio
• Evo Grid - 23 Gen Trio
• Evo Grid - 24 Gen Trio
• Evo Grid - 25 Gen Trio
• Evo Grid - 26 Nursery
• Evo Grid - 27 Nursery
• Evo Grid - 28 Blaggards
• Evo Grid - 29 Blaggards
• Evo Grid - 30 Blaggards
• Evo Grid - 31 Blaggards
• Evo Grid - 32 Blaggards
• Evo Grid - 33 Blaggards
• Evo Grid - 34 Blaggards
• Evo Grid - 35 Blaggards
• Evo Grid - 36 Blaggards
• Evo Grid - 37 Blaggards
• Evo Grid - 38 Hurdy Gurdy
• Evo Grid - 39 Hurdy Gurdy
• Evo Grid - 40 Hurdy Gurdy
• Evo Grid - 41 Hurdy Gurdy
• Evo Grid - 42 Hurdy Gurdy
• Evo Grid - 43 Hurdy Gurdy
• Evo Grid - 44 Hurdy Gurdy
• Evo Grid - 45 Hurdy Gurdy
• Evo Grid - 46 Hurdy Gurdy
• Evo Grid - 47 Hurdy Gurdy
• Evo Grid - 48 The Sects