Mural Vol 03 is the latest installment of the British Modular Library (BML) Symphonic Strings by Spitfire Audio. The focus of Mural V0l 01 was on basic articulations, while Mural Vol 02 provided more longs, shorts, and legatos. We shall have a closer look at the new content found in Mural Vol 03.

Features Overview

• 53779 Samples
• 92.5GB Uncompressed .wav
• 64.4GB Disk space required
• 128.8GB Disk space required during install
• Full Retail version of Kontakt is required
• Price Tag: £399 + VAT

What is Mural Vol 03?

Mural offers a grand 60 piece string orchestra (16,14,12,10,8), recorded in a beautifully detailed manner. This is no epic dirty sludge of trailer-making strings – it is pure in its detail and beauty, and it is designed to encourage and inspire better orchestral writing.

The 3rd installment focuses on progressive string techniques. In combination with Mural V0l 01 and Mural Vol 02, it provides a bright palette of brushes to take your compositions to a new level of expression. Alongside some must-haves not found in the first two volumes, Mural Vol 03 features, for the first time, divisi normale and con sordino, recorded together. basses playing both pizz and brushed spiccato for a warmer, more rounded bottom end, ‘super sul tasto’, and many more.

Articulations

• Fast Run Legato: V1 (16), V2 (14), Violas (12), Celli (10) , Basses (8)
• Longs Super Sul Tasto: V1 (16), V2 (14), Violas (12), Celli (10), Basses (8)
• Longs Marcato attacks: V1 (16), V2 (14), Violas (12), Celli (10), Basses (8)
• Longs molto vib Rachmaninov: V1 (16), V2 (14) , Violas (12), Celli (10)
• Longs CS/Norm Split – Non vib and vib: V1 (16), V2 (14), Violas (12), Celli (10)
• Longs Sul G: V1 (16), V2 (14)
• Legato Sul G: V1 (16), V2 (14)
• Longs Sul C: Violas (12), Celli (10)
• Legato Sul C: Violas (12), Celli (10)
• Longs CS Sul Pont: V2 (14), Violas (12)
• Trems CS: V1 (16), V2 (14), Violas (12), Celli (10)
• Trems Sul Pont: V1 (16), V2 (14), Celli (10)
• Measured Trems CS: V1 (16), Celli (10)
• Measured Trems – 180bpm: V2 (14), Violas (12)
• Measured Trems – 150bpm: V2 (14), Violas (12)
• Trills min 3rd: V1 (16), Celli (10) 
• Trills maj 3rd: V1 (16), Celli (10)
• Shorts Harmonics: V1 (16), V2 (14), Violas (12), Celli (10), Basses (8)
• Brushed spiccato: V1 (16), V2 (14), Violas (12), Celli (10)
• Brushed spiccato CS: V1 (16), V2 (14), Violas (12), Celli (10)
• Spiccato CS: V1 (16), V2 (14), Violas (12), Celli (10)
• Detailed Bartok Pizz (4RR, 2 Dynamics): Basses (8) only)
• Additional Col Legno (mf): Basses (8) only)
• Spicc/Pizz Mix: Basses (8) only)

Mics & Mixes

Main Mics

• C – Close
• T – Tree
• A – Ambient
• O – Outrigger

Alt Mics

• CR – Close Ribbon
• ST – Stereo Pair
• G – Gallery

Stereo Mixes

• F – Fine
• M – Medium
• B – Broad

Installation

After having purchased the library, you will need to install the Spitfire Library Manager, if you haven’t already. The Library Manager takes care of the entire download and installation process. As Mural Vol 03 needs the full retail version of Kontakt, it will not appear in the libraries tab pane. However, it can be added to the “Quick Load” menu.

The GUI

Spitfire Audio are known for their well structured and easy to use GUIs, which are coded by Blake Robinson (aka The Synthetic Orchestra), whose Kontakt KSP code skills always set the KSP programing bar higher with every release. They are also known for always keeping their library GUIs updated to new codebases as they develop them, including their older libraries.

The Overview Panel

Spitfire Audio Mural 03 – The Overview Panel

Gives a quick and easy way to access, view and load the different articulations, mic mixes, and essential controller functions, which can then be re-assigned to suit the user’s own workflow.

General Controls Panel

Spitfire Audio Mural 03 – General Controls Panel

A deeper but still simple GUI panel that allows tweaking the general settings, such as the number and behaviour of round robins, memory to organisation, as well as pitch and velocity options.

The Ostinatum

Spitfire Audio Mural 03 – The Ostinatum

Quite simply a little inspiration machine, introduced with the original release of Albion. Not quite an arpeggiator, and not quite a sequencer. This intuitive and easy to use tool allows building complex patterns and sequences.

Walkthrough

Who could explain the content of Mural Vol 03 better than Paul Thomson from Spitfire Audio?

Conclusion

I cannot hide that I am a Spitfire Audio fan since the days of the first Albion release (which I still use regularly today). I am always really fascinated by how Spitfire Audio records their samples in detail, and how they capture the outstanding tone of their products. Mural Vol 03 is no exception here: you get the “Spitfire sound”, made and recorded in the Spitfire way. No secrets, no traps, nothing but Spitfire Audio purity. If you want to expand the sound of your Mural Volumes, you can do no wrong with Vol 03, and it can easily be matched with the any of the other Spitfire Audio orchestral products as well.

However, where there is light, there is also shadow. £399 + VAT is no bang for the buck. Seeing as Mural Vol 03 is not a full orchestral library,  but only an extension, I find the price to also follow the Spitfire way: extraordinary sound, concepts, and feeling, requiring an equally extraordinary price.