Vir2 Instruments unveils Mojo: Horn Section

At the Winter NAMM show in Anaheim, California, Vir2 Instruments announced its new virtual instrument for pop, jazz, funk, and big band horns, Mojo: Horn Section (it was originally shown in pre-release form at last year's NAMM).

Mojo: Horn Section offers a flexible and innovative approach to pop, funk, jazz, and big band horns in a virtual instrument. Inspired by legendary groups like Tower of Power and the big bands of decades past, Mojo is capable of emulating everything from a sultry sax solo to a screaming full big band playing at the top of their lungs.

Vir2 Instruments says that by pushing the boundaries of sampling and scripting technology far beyond traditional sample libraries, Mojo offers a simple but feature-packed interface. No need to decide in advance which articulation you want to play. Simply load the instrument, turn the Ensemble knob to specify how many players you want playing that instrument (from a soloist to a dectet) and begin controlling the instrument from the keyboard. More than a dozen articulations are instantly loaded and intelligently handled via performance features and keyswitches. Behind the scenes, a humanizing function, smart release layers, and custom legato and vibrato tools assist the player in reproducing the ultimate dimensions in realism. Crescendos and swells sync instantly to host tempos and can be triggered in real time.

Included in the instrument collection are: soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones, trumpet (open, muted, and piccolo), flugelhorn, trombone (open and muted), bass trombone, and clarinet. The articulation list varies for each instrument, but generally includes sustains, stabs, staccatos, trills, slurs, shakes, octave runs, rise to hits, falls (including four different lengths), doits, bends, stylistic riffs, special effects, and tempo-synced swells and crescendos.

All samples are recorded in 24-bit stereo using some of the finest preamps in the world, including a vintage Neve 1073 and a LaChapell Audio 992EG, and mics by AKG, Neumann, and Coles.

Mojo is powered by Native Instruments Kontakt Player engine, offering total integration into all major sequencers via its Audio Unit, VST and RTAS plug-ins, as well as standalone operation.

Pricing & Availability

Mojo is expected to ship in March, 2009, with an MSRP of $499.95.

More information, including audio and video demos, is available at the Vir2 Instruments web site.