Arturia Augmented Brass Review: One Plugin, One Sound

For about 600 years, brass instruments have been one of the most influential elements of any ensemble throughout music history. From the classical symphonies of Bach to the Mo Town jazz legends of Detroit, brass has always held its place as an instrument that not only adds depth and grittiness to any score but also acts as a leading voice among all types of productions. More recently, this sound has defined many of the most iconic acts in today’s electronic dance music scene. The best examples of this include the euphoric marching band EDM sounds of Odesza and the funkadelic saxophone shredding of the one and only GRiZ. While there have been several brass plugins available for years, a common problem that many producers face is finding quality brass instruments that not only sound real but also don’t require an arm and a leg or a session musician to acquire. Augmented Brass is the plugin that tackles both of these issues and finally gives control of the entire brass section to everyone from the bedroom studio producer to the headliners of the world’s largest music festivals.

Features

Augmented Brass carries hundreds of unique presets that are perfect for any style of music, including everything from retro pads that sound like they came straight from an arcade in the 80s, to mind-bending cinematic brass sounds that make the audience feel like they are in a movie. Furthermore, this plugin also features 7 fully adjustable parameters for each preset, as well as a morphing knob that allows the user to adjust multiple plugins at once to create the ultimate transformable sound.

Additionally, this plugin has multiple built-in engines that unlock unmatched abilities to experiment with and perform advanced sound design using a creative layout that is similar to that of Xfer Serum.

Price and Accessibility 

Arturia understands that many of the industry’s highest-quality plugins that mimic real-life instruments don’t always fall within every producer’s budget, especially for those that are just starting. This is why they have gone to great lengths to make their VSTs as accessible as possible for producers of all levels. Augmented Brass is available on both Windows and iOS at a reasonable price of $99. It is also available for easy download alongside the entirety of Arturia’s software lineup on the Arturia Software Center (ASC).

Overall, there are very few affordable brass plugins on the market that can even come close to the level of realism and creative potential that Augmented Brass has delivered. It is safe to say that Arturia has officially eliminated the need to spend countless hours automating the dynamics of basic brass plugins just to achieve a semi-human quality of sound. Likewise, the days of having to spend thousands of dollars to hire a group of session musicians to bring your masterpiece to life are also over. With all that being said, anyone that is looking to take their brass game to the next level should seriously consider giving this beautiful software instrument a whirl.

Image credit: Arturia

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