Sonuscore Moroccan (and other) Vocal Phrases - Root Key Confusion

Cubase
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Moroccan Vocal Phrases - SONUSCORE
Moroccan Vocal Phrases - SONUSCORE1030×1018 277 KB

I just purchased Moroccan Vocal Phrases ( which has both HALion Sonic and Kontakt versions) but feel I might have made a mistake – assuming that it would play in whatever root key I choose. That is, for example, my current project sketch is in C Major with chords Dmin7, Dmin. Am7, Gsus 4/7 (and C Maj eventually).

But due to that much Middle Eastern music and phrasing is very different - using Arabic, Pentatonic and other non-Western root keys, whatever phrases I choose are not in key. Probably by design.

Is there a way to have such a plugin melodically conform to a basic Western and similar Major or Minor root key or not?

I’ve briefly looked at Dom’s video about Sonuscore’s Lyrical Vocal Phrases and it appears that I wouldn’t have the same issue there since the style is based on essentially Western root keys.

I had a similar problem when I bought Heaviocity’s Scoring Guitars some years ago: all of the phrasings where in minor root keys which I almost never use.

So I feel I’m stuck with something I can’t apply to my usual overall arrangement choices. The samples provided by Sonuscore videos were superb and why I got it. I just don’t know how make it work for me.

What should I do?

Kind of freaking out for I feel I may have just tossed money out the window…
Thanks for any advice.

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Since there is no such thing as refunds for downloaded plugins, then conversely, what kind of root key/s and progressions would work with this plugin?

I feel like such an idiot…

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Hi,
I skipped through the promo video. Indeed, these samples are in a minor key. How to work with them? If I were you with a song idea based on a turn around in a major key I might use it in a contrasting bridge section. Try to stick to each chord for longer than you might usually do, like 2 to 4 bars. Start with a minor chord. I think you can pick the root note using the red keys in the plugin, not sure though. Take it from there and choose the next chord in your minor scale - same here, like 2 to 4 bars. Each phrase needs some time as there’s a lot of melodic movement around a single chord. It’s different from a turnaround like I iv V IV in a major key (C: C Am F G) wich tends to rely on a faster harmonic movement.

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@Reco29 - Thanks for tips. They dovetail with what I ended up doing since this OP is essentially a bit OT even though this plugin can use Cubase’s HALion Sonic - contact support at Sonuscore. As with your input, I’ll have to change my approach to weave the chord structure around the phrases, not the other way around.

Here below is the response from Sonuscore - I had sent them a slightly edited copy of my OP here. Maybe it will be of some use to someone else at some point.

Thank you for your message and your purchase.

There is nothing to be ashamed of. The issue you are describing will go a bit more into music theory and the concept of how certain modes (scales) are constructed.

Moroccan Vocal Phrases mostly refer to the singing style but also of course what scales the singer used. The whole concept of our phrases libraries is to capture the experience and inspiration these musicians bring in with their long history of traditional musicianship.

Especially eastern or middle eastern music use scales like Phrygian, aeolian or even HM5 (which is the harmonic minor scale but based on the fifth note) also sometime referred to as Phrygian major. These scales have a different half tone whole tone structure than our normal major or minor (well, minor sometimes can mean aeolian).

This means that if you have a song based on a scale that does not fit the scale used in the currently selected theme it might be difficult to find a fitting phrase. As the phrase is sung in a scale and that scale is based on the selected root note, but if your scale does not match the scale of the theme it might require some adjustments.

Experiment with the root note. While the sung phrase might not fit in one root note, because it uses notes that would not occur in your used scale for that track you might find a root note where the sung notes match with the notes used in your scale.

It can often be easier to combine phrases that you like and then complement these melodies with chords that accompany the melody. Since these are all recorded live sung phrases, they unfortunately can’t be simply adjusted to a different scale.

I hope this clarifies your question. If there is anything else I can do for you, please let me know!