Barker Clarinet is a true legato clarinet library performed by conductor and educator, Joshua Barker. Recorded at Orb Studios in Austin, TX; we aimed to create an agile, emotive clarinet.
We recorded all of the performances with natural, progressive vibrato. In our view, this helps warm up the sound and expands the emotional range of the instrument.
Each patch was produced to more uniquely address certain contexts. The Emotional patch includes a more subtle style of vibrato, fragile but confident. The Workhorse patch is an agile, mezzo-forte instrument; great for traditional, upbeat contexts.
The Fat Lead was actually recorded in the same space as Sasaki Trumpet/Austin Saxes; initially intended as an energetic compliment to those two libraries. What we found is that it also serves as an excellent, emotional instrument for strong, dramatic contexts where you really want the clarinet to properly sing.
Lastly, we included a Breaths patch to help sell the performance with both short inhales and longer, subdued inhales with the clarinetist in the ready position.
What is the Atelier Series?
Oftentimes during the research and experimental phase of development, we’ll create instruments that don’t necessarily belong to a bigger, themed release. Instead of attempting to shoehorn them into a future release or trying to construct a comprehensive product around it, we decided to create the Atelier Series so that other composers can enjoy our explorations in sample development as well.
An avid proponent that music is a tool to enrich one’s life, Josh Barker is a fan of a wide variety of music ranging from funk, classical, and jazz.
Josh currently conducts the Engineering Chamber Orchestra and teaches orchestra at Health Careers High School and Clark High School in San Antonio. He’s an active participant in conducting workshops and previously conducted the UT Lab Orchestra during his tenure at the Butler School of Music. He has performed both clarinet and bass clarinet with the University of Texas Wind Ensemble, New Music Ensemble, Lab Orchestra, and Density512, a New Music Concert Series in Austin, TX. Josh has also participated in the St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic Tenth International Masterclass under the instruction of Mark Stringer and Jeffery Meyer and was awarded High Distinction. Josh studied conducting with Peter Bay of the Austin Symphony Orchestra and clarinet with Jonathan Gunn at the University of Texas.
Alongside conducting and teaching, Josh is also a composer. He believes to be a musical leader is to fully love and serve all those in your keep.
The "Natural" patch variations can be great for solos that don’t share the same register as the accompaniment.
It's also great for doublings and harmonies with other instruments when used in more upbeat passages.
The subtle (and not so subtle) pitch discrepancies playing against each other often adds a lot of life to arrangements.
While we like the adjustable reverb chosen for this library, we would suggest turning it off and putting the clarinet through your favorite reverb plugin to give it a sense of presence/space that suits your track.
To add extra realism and spice to your clarinet, try riding the pitch wheel slightly upwards quickly during more "difficult" passages to imitate sharp pitch corrections.
