REFERENCE MANUAL

SYMPHOBIA
VERSION 1.3
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INTRODUCTION 5 THE SYMPHOBIA CONCEPT 14

ABOUT VERSION 1.3 7 THE LIBRARY 15

INSTALLATION - DOWNLOAD VERION 8 THE INTERFACE 22

INSTALLATION - DVD VERSION 10 MULTIS 27

UPDATING 12 GETTING SUPPORT 29

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BEFORE YOU READ ON 13 CREDITS AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 31

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INTRODUCTION
Congratulations on purchasing SYMPHOBIA, Symphonic Ensembles & Effects!

SYMPHOBIA is everything you have been missing in your orchestral palette: immersive ENSEMBLE MULTI-SAMPLES
attained by true ensemble recordings and intense CINEMATIC EFFECTS. All available in a rich selection of combinations
and articulations. With SYMPHOBIA, you have at your disposal the most inspiring orchestral tool for scoring film, games and
television.

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

Enjoy SYMPHOBIA!

The ProjectSAM Team 5

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ABOUT VERSION 1.3
At the time of this writing, the latest version of SYMPHOBIA is 1.3. The instruments and features described in this manual
refer to this product version. Since 1.1, over 2 GB of additional samples have been added to the SYMPHOBIA base library.
Therefore, make sure you are using the latest version of this product!

If you just purchased the Direct Download edition of SYMPHOBIA, you will have automatically downloaded the latest
version. If you purchased the DVD edition of SYMPHOBIA, then we cannot guarantee that your box contains the very latest
version. To find out which version you have, install the product, load any SYMPHOBIA instrument and check the bottom-left
corner of the interface. If you do not see a version number mentioned in this corner, please update your copy
of SYMPHOBIA. See the chapter “Updating” for more information.

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

I. DOWNLOADING

If you purchased the Direct Download version of SYMPHOBIA and you did not download it yet, you can do so on our
website. If you already downloaded SYMPHOBIA, 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 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 the destination download folder,
it is now safe to delete them. This will free up valuable disk space.

II. INSTALLING KONTAKT PLAYER

SYMPHOBIA 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 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 Library folder.
5. Select the SYMPHOBIA Library folder and click Choose.
6. SYMPHOBIA will now appear in your list of Kontakt libraries.

IV. ACTIVATION

SYMPHOBIA 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 browser on the left. This will start the Native Instruments 9
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 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 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.

I. INSTALLING KONTAKT PLAYER

Installation of the SYMPHOBIA library and Kontakt Player sampler are two separate steps. We will first install Kontakt Player.
SYMPHOBIA 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.

II. INSTALLING LIBRARY

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1. Insert disc 1 and double-click the SYMPHOBIA 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 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 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 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 is now activated.
7. Restart Kontakt for the activation to take effect.

IV. REGISTRATION WITH PROJECTSAM

Please now register SYMPHOBIA 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 will now be listed under “Your registered products” and any updates or downloads will be available to you.
6. Thanks for registering!
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 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 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 will be listed in the registration list. If an update is available, click the ‘Request
update’ button and follow the on-screen instructions.

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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 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: orchestral sustains, chords, effects
and even drums. They will give you a great first impression of what SYMPHOBIA 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!

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 THE SYMPHOBIA CONCEPT
Cinematic Ensembles

SYMPHOBIA is not your traditional orchestral sample library. Instead of focusing on individual instrument multi-samples,
SYMPHOBIA offers ensemble multi-samples with a rich selection of orchestrations and articulations. These playable
ensembles cover all of the sections from the orchestra, as well as the entire orchestra playing together. The reason is simple:
the real thing sounds so much better. A staccato note played by violins, violas, horns and trumpets, together, correctly
seated at the concert stage, will sound much more cohesive than a mixture of individual sample recordings of these four
instrument sections. This makes SYMPHOBIA the ideal tool for creating big orchestral arrangements and orchestrations.
In addition, a number of individual instrument articulations are available, such as violin section flageolets and horn section
marcatos.

Cinematic Effects
14
The ensemble sounds make up about half of SYMPHOBIA. The other half is all about cinematic effects: performances that
cannot be recreated using individual multi-samples. Like the ensemble performances, the effects are available in different
orchestrations, played by different sections throughout the orchestra. You will find violin glissandi, as well as full orchestra
rips and stabs. Each effect is available in a number of variations or articulations.

Dystopia

Explore the dark side of SAM with processed hits, spheres and risers, based on the recordings of SYMPHOBIA and some of
our other libraries.
THE LIBRARY
SYMPHOBIA was recorded in a beautiful concert hall environment. The library consists of six instrument banks and one
Multis folder. Each bank contains individual Instruments that hold various articulations and performances, offered as
keyswitches. Below is a complete list of all banks, instruments and keyswitches.

VEL = dynamically controlled using velocity

DXF = dynamically controlled using the modulation wheel

1 MIXED ORCHESTRA

Samples recorded with the string section and brass section seated and performing simultaneously to achieve the most
realistic blending of these instruments possible.

1 Strings with Brass Ensemble Long Notes 15

Sustain VEL
Sustain DXF
Sustain stacked
Sustain with timpani
Crescendo-diminuendo in octaves
Crescendo-diminuendo full range

2 Strings with Brass Ensemble Short Notes

Staccato with mid trombones
Staccato with mid trombones extra short
Staccato without mid trombones
Staccato without mid trombones extra short
Staccato without mid trombones with percussion
Marcato
Marcato with percussion
 3 Strings with Brass Ensemble Low
Low sustain DXF
Low crescendo
Low crescendo-diminuendo
Low staccato

4 Strings with Brass Ensemble Effects

Assorted textures (bonus 1.2 content)
Clusters sustained
Clusters dynamic
Clusters short
Glissandi & rips
Trills

5 Mixed Orchestra Effects

Orchestral hits & rips
16 Crescendi & textures
Trailer risers

2 STRING SECTION

Samples recorded with the entire string section, correctly seated.

1 String Ensemble Long Notes

Sustain vibrato VEL
Sustain vibrato DXF
Sustain fast attack DXF
Sustain soft DXF
Sustain sordino
Tremolo DXF
Crescendo
2 String Ensemble Short Notes
Staccato
Staccato extra short
Spiccato
Spiccato extra short
Pizzicato
Col legno
Marcato

3 String Ensemble Clusters

Cluster collection
Short clusters
Sustained and bending
Tremolo and crescendo-diminuendo

4 String Ensemble Effects

Glissandi violins & violas 17
Glissandi celli
Wild textures
Celli & basses effects
Col legno hits

5 String Ensemble Chords

Full chords, 4ths and 5ths
High chords, 4ths and 5ths

6 Celli and Basses in Octaves

Sustain VEL
Sustain DXF
Sustain with synthesizer bass
Staccato Pizzicato
 7 Violin Section Extras
Violins soft portato
Violins short tremolo
Violins flageolet sustain
Violins flageolet portato

8 String Quintet
Sustain
Marcato
Staccato
Pizzicato

3 BRASS SECTION

Samples recorded with the entire brass section, correctly seated.

18 1 Brass Ensemble Long Notes

Sustain full VEL
Sustain full DXF
Sustain full fast attack DXF
Sustain no trumpets VEL
Sustain no trumpets DXF
Crescendo Sfz-crescendo

2 Brass Ensemble Short Notes

Staccato
Staccato extra short
Marcato
Horns marcato
Horns marcato double
3 Brass Ensemble Mutes
Muted sustain VEL
Muted sustain DXF
Muted staccato
Muted staccato extra short

4 Brass Ensemble Chords

Chords without bass note and low strings
Tutti chords DXF
Tutti chords sfz-crescendo

5 Trombones and Tuba in Octaves

Low brass sustain
Low brass staccato
Low brass crescendo

6 Brass Combos 19
Horns & Trombones sustain
Horns & Trombones marcato
Horns & Trumpets sustain
Horns & Trumpets marcato

7 Brass Ensemble Effects

Cluster crescendo
Cluster sustain
Cluster staccato
Note bending effects
Repetition effects
 4 WOODWIND SECTION

Samples recorded with the entire woodwind section, correctly seated.

1 Woodwind Ensemble
Sustain vibrato & non vibrato DXF
Portato vibrato
Portato non vibrato
Staccato
Staccato extra short
Staccato with xylophone Grace notes

2 Woodwind Ensemble Runs

Runs in octaves major
Runs in octaves minor

20 3 Woodwind Ensemble Clusters

Cluster sustain
Cluster crescendo-diminuendo
Cluster bend 1
Cluster bend 2
Multiphonic effects
Various phrases 1
Various phrases 2

4 Woodwind Ensemble Effects

The birds
Bass clarinet slap notes
Contra bassoon slap notes
Overblown flute staccato
Flute & piccolo wild runs
5 DYSTOPIA

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

6 EXTRAS

Ethnic Flute Phrases

Duduk phrases in Cm
Native American flute phrases
Shakuhachi effects
Uilleann pipes in D
Low whistle in D

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 THE INTERFACE

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SYMPHOBIA 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 “Sustain full fast DXP” 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 “Brass Ensemble Long Notes”
instrument shown in the screenshot, pressing a F7 on your piano keyboard will select the “Crescendo” articulation.

4. Close-Stage switch
SYMPHOBIA was recorded in a beautiful concert hall environment using multiple microphone setups. Each instrument
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 23
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 some instruments, such as those from 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 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 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.

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
24 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 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.

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.

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DYSTOPIA INTERFACE
 17. 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.

18. 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.

19. 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.

26 20. 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.
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. For example: the right half of the keyboard may contain
epic brass sustains, while the left half of the keyboard has full orchestra staccatos, allowing you to perform these elements
simultaneously.

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GETTING SUPPORT
If you would like technical support for SYMPHOBIA, please go to www.projectsam.com and log in using your ProjectSAM
account username and password. Make sure SYMPHOBIA 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.

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

DYSTOPIA sound design

Don & Roel Funcken

ProjectSAM would like to thank

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

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