Sonora Cinematic – Poiesis Cello

Since its release in 2021, Poiesis Cello has become a firm favourite among composers and sound designers, and now we’re thrilled to announce the arrival of Poiesis Cello 2 !

“Poiesis” describes the process of creating something new, and this certainly applies to the unique sounds of this beautiful, unconventional instrument. Filled with rich timbres and subtle nuances, octave harmonies, bow oscillations and repetitions, the Poiesis Cello is capable of creating dynamic textures that range from gentle and thoughtful to nervously anxious.

New in Poiesis Cello 2

Now hosted in our bespoke Aria Engine, Poiesis Cello 2 brings new possibilities to this expressive instrument. Featuring the same sample content as the original version, this update expands your creative control: crossfade or stack articulations, add effects from the extensive effects library, apply filters to each layer, and create evolving soundscapes using the intuitive XY pad.

This version also includes close to 100 new presets providing a great starting point for shaping your own unique sound.

Poiesis Cello 2 is now organized as two different instruments…

Instrument 1

Poiesis Cello is the instrument hosted in the Aria Engine which you may already be familiar with from Panorama Guitars and Aria Vocalscapes. It focuses on creating beautiful ever-evolving textural soundscapes by blending two articulations together in a 2-layer engine with a record-ready mix.

Instrument 2

Poiesis Cello Articulation Keyswitch is a brand new system that allows you to organize single articulations in a completely customisable switching system: you can use traditional key switching or have velocity dictate the articulation being triggered.

We’ve also made some minor tuning adjustments, carefully balancing improved tuning with maintaining the naturally drifting, textural quality of some of the articulations.

The sound

Poiesis Cello was recorded in a dry studio with three high-end microphones placed relatively close to the instrument, to offer an intimate sound that you can shape as you please.

The microphones used are a Neumann U87 large diaphragm condenser (LDC), an AEA R84A ribbon (RBN) and a Schoeps CMC/mk4 small diaphragm condenser (SDC).A pre-rendered stereo mix (MIX) with the single microphones in LCR position and additional processing is also included and it provides a ready-to-use, resource-friendly way to obtain a great sound, right out of the box.

The instrument recorded is a 1995 Moes & Moes cello built for and owned by Yo-Yo Ma and played by Alan Black, principal cellist with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra.

The patches

Poiesis Cello features two different patches:

Textures is a two-layer instrument that allows you to choose between any of the 43 included articulations for each of the layers and freely crossfade between them using your keyboard’s mod-wheel (midi CC#1).

Shorts is a complementary patch that features three velocity-sensitive short articulations sampled with 5 round robins and 3 dynamic layers (+ snap pizz. on the pizzicato articulation.