Review: Mega Brass by Impact Soundworks

by Ashton Gleckman

Blends well to mix with other brass libraries
Everything in one patch
Two layers for easy blending customization
Synth layers to further customize the sound
Free with purchases of $99 of more from Impact Soundworks

Horns & Low Brass all combined
No control for balancing brass playback
Easy to get very synthetic sound

Mega Brass sells for $49 or FREE with purchase over $99

Mega Brass is a fresh, interesting take on the “over-the-top” brass sound that has been gaining momentum ever since Hans Zimmer’s score for Inception in 2009. Combining synthetic, and acoustically recorded elements, the library strives to offer a large sound, with the ability to customize and shape the overall sound.

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Review: Mega Brass by Impact Soundworks

With Mega Brass, Impact Soundworks set out to create an over-the-top hybrid brass library for composers to get that instantly recognizable “wall of brass” with “super-processed” orchestral brass that is mixable with 9 hyper-synth patches.You won’t find any delicate fine tuning adjustment, but instead Mega Brass offers up a tools for layering and mixing in an easy to use GUI.

Oh, and did I mention Mega Brass is FREE FREE with any purchase over $99 from Impact Soundworks

Mega Brass sells for $49.00 or FREE with any purchase over $99 from Impact Soundworks

Thoughts

Impact Soundworks’ Mega Brass is a peculiar sample library upon initial download and first listen. The true potential of the library lies in it’s profound capability to sit in a mix with other brass libraries. It sounds as if it is 90% synth and 10% brass, but as described on the website, it is an “over-the-top virtual instrument which offers a wall of sound.” The library would certainly fit the likes of a trailer composer over a film composer because of it’s intense, aggressive, and quite intrusive sound. Yet, the library brings something new that is different, but also similar to some of it’s recent competition.

It features 9 synth layers that can be individually tweaked to fit your individual sound. I personally am not a fan of the synth layers, as I find the more you add, even with subtlety, it begins to sound like a full-on synthesizer. The whole library is condensed into one patch, so all of the libraries features are easily accessible.

It is ultimately split up into two separate layers, the synth layer “Mega,” and the brass layer. These two layers can be controlled via the rectangular control panel to the bottom right and left of the interface. One of the pros of the libraries is definitely that you can customize and shape the overall sound between these two layers. For those who are familiar with other brass libraries that strive to reach a similar “larger-than- life” feel, you know it can sometimes be daunting in choosing one because of the large quantity of them.

As a composer who writes film music, and trailer style music, I can certainly see the library being used in trailer compositions. Yet the one major drawback is it’s overall “synthy” sound. The attack and release is so incredibly artificial (even with the ADSR controls), that upon first listen, you would think the whole library is synthetic.

Another thing I am not a big fan of, is not being able to edit the levels of the individual instruments in the brass family (ex. Trumpets, Tubas, French Horns, etc).

Facts

Mega Brass is a Kontakt instrument and does require the full version of Native Instrument Kontakt. It downloads as 700 MB and comes with orchestral brass samples with 3x RR and 9 synth layers for its 3 articulations: Sustain, marcato, staccato.

Mega Brass sells for $49.00 or FREE with any purchase over $99 from Impact Soundworks