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Post by enlav on Oct 19, 2021 10:36:14 GMT -6
Hoping some of you out there have some insight here. I'm be working on a project where some violin/cello would do wonders (though ideally, I'd like to have the timbre of viola and bass as well), but I'm not looking at the "full string section" sound... I'm rather looking for individual or sparse section samples/libraries.
So far I've come across Spitfire Solo Strings -- are there any alternatives or competing libraries that I should consider? (I like Kontakt, but by no means am I tied to it.)
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Post by the other mark williams on Oct 19, 2021 11:26:04 GMT -6
I don’t know your exact taste or what you need string parts to do in the arrangement, but if you like texture, human-sounding, characterful stuff, you should check out: feltinstruments.com/Strings |
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Post by enlav on Oct 19, 2021 11:54:47 GMT -6
I don’t know your exact taste or what you need string parts to do in the arrangement, but if you like texture, human-sounding, characterful stuff, you should check out: feltinstruments.com/StringsThanks for the share, Mark. Some really inspiring stuff there (including stuff outside their Strings category)!
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Post by Blackdawg on Oct 19, 2021 12:02:38 GMT -6
Check out 8dio too, I think they have some solo stuff. I know they do for woodwinds but can't remember about strings. 8dio.com/instrument-category/solo-strings/Edit: just check. they have a ton of solo/chamber stuff. Way more stuff than I remember. |
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Post by Vincent R. on Oct 19, 2021 17:52:19 GMT -6
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Post by ab101 on Oct 19, 2021 23:29:53 GMT -6
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Post by javamad on Oct 20, 2021 5:03:29 GMT -6
I have the Spitfire Solo Strings … its very good but takes a while to use all the articulations to get a convincing performance … or maybe I’m just slow :-)
The BBC SO Pro has the lead from each section in solo too .. I only have the Core version but I love it. I might just upgrade to Pro one of these Black Fridays …
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Post by mike on Oct 20, 2021 5:18:15 GMT -6
For Cello I'd highly recommend the Chris Hein Solo Cello EXtended version that has 4 different cello types of a Romantic Cello, Modern cello, British Cello and German cello. If you can wait a month till Black Friday the sales will be worth it. www.bestservice.com/chris_hein_solo_cello_extended.htmlI also think some of the 8dio stuff can be a good value depending on song context and their on again off again sales.
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Post by enlav on Oct 20, 2021 6:52:19 GMT -6
Thanks all - I was hoping this would narrow my search, but there's a lot of great sounding options out there.
I'm going to do a dive in on some demo sounds/reviews today and see where it takes me!
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Post by ab101 on Oct 20, 2021 9:01:10 GMT -6
Please stay on this forum. Everyone here submitted a panoply of choices that seems to me to be widely admired. If you want a ton of specific info on string libraries, also check out "sample talk" at this forum as well: vi-control.net/community/forums/sample-talk.32/And I found this out the hard way (with the original Vienna Symphonic Library (not the Synchronized versions): A library does not do much good, if it is too difficult to use. Enjoy! |
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Post by Chad on Oct 20, 2021 9:46:11 GMT -6
I don’t know your exact taste or what you need string parts to do in the arrangement, but if you like texture, human-sounding, characterful stuff, you should check out: feltinstruments.com/StringsI really liked the demos on this page, Mark. Good find! |
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Post by ab101 on Oct 20, 2021 10:51:19 GMT -6
I don’t know your exact taste or what you need string parts to do in the arrangement, but if you like texture, human-sounding, characterful stuff, you should check out: feltinstruments.com/StringsI really liked the demos on this page, Mark. Good find! Yes. Really nice. I loved the celesta as well! |
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Post by enlav on Oct 20, 2021 12:11:04 GMT -6
Please stay on this forum. Everyone here submitted a panoply of choices that seems to me to be widely admired. If you want a ton of specific info on string libraries, also check out "sample talk" at this forum as well: vi-control.net/community/forums/sample-talk.32/And I found this out the hard way (with the original Vienna Symphonic Library (not the Synchronized versions): A library does not do much good, if it is too difficult to use. Enjoy! I agree whole-heartedly regarding usefulness vs. difficulty of use when it comes to samples/instruments.
Thanks for the forum link.
Looks like I've got a lot to read and listen to... hopefully I'll have my mind made by Black Friday!
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Post by aremos on Oct 20, 2021 17:03:58 GMT -6
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Post by standup on Oct 20, 2021 17:18:05 GMT -6
Personally, if I needed a solo instrument I’d probably hire a musician.
But if you need small ensemble sound instead of a 100-piece symphony, there’s also Spitfire Chamber Strings, which I picked up at a fairly low price when they released it.
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Post by M57 on Oct 30, 2021 11:10:26 GMT -6
How would folks rate these in terms of ease of use vs power? I'm in the market as well, but I don't plan to use it all that often. I have an older EW Hollywood Orchestra Diamond and I practically have to re-learn how to use it every time I open it up - not to mention it's a bit too cinematic for what I want to do these days. I'm not afraid to do a little bit of work under the hood, but I don't want to be overwhelmed by layers of complexity. Something that lets me assign a decent range of articulations and tweak things with an expression curve to get it sounding reasonable would be nice. |
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Post by M57 on Nov 1, 2021 6:26:01 GMT -6
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Post by enlav on Nov 1, 2021 6:55:30 GMT -6
I'm personally waiting for black Friday sales before jumping in. Not entirely sure which route I'll take, but sales will do some dictating.
As for Kontakt, could it be about the company NI? I'm not well versed on VI and software news, but I'd venture a guess that the Komplete bundles price point and cost of upgrades versus what you actually get might be part of it.
For the software itself, Kontakt can kind of be a pain when you first start using it, but so many libraries require it (or did), and came with the free player that I just accepted it.
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Post by M57 on Nov 3, 2021 5:24:37 GMT -6
I've been watching video demos of a number of these. A lot of them are trying to find their niche, and as a result become too focused on special effects at the expense of an extensive basic articulation set. Here are two that stood out to me. Chris Hein (Solo Strings)Pros: Pretty much ticks all the boxes functionally and sonically - Powerful Cons: Relatively expensive for all 4 instruments - Can be complicated - looks like a CPU hog - Controller centric - Larger ensemble emulations use the same samples randomly detuned, so really, it's only good for very small ensemble and solo work. Angel StringsPros: Not expensive - Not as controller centric. Articulation crossfades are integrated with velocity (and aftertouch?), which makes it less complicated to use effectively right out of the box - innovative short note features. Cons: Large ensemble only I did notice that Chris Hein does offer an inexpensive "Compact" version that includes solo and ensemble strings, but with a severely curtailed articulation library. To add insult to injury the GUI shows all the articulations sets that you can't use. I wonder if any of these will go on sale? It may come down to that, though the more I think of it, the more I think I'll need smaller ensembles and solo work for the mostly acoustic folk-rock-jazz music I play. |
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Post by phdamage on Nov 3, 2021 8:26:43 GMT -6
for what it's worth, there are a ton of string players who would record parts for you for peanuts at their own studios/homes. I know quite a few myself, if you need help finding them.
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Post by M57 on Nov 3, 2021 8:37:34 GMT -6
for what it's worth, there are a ton of string players who would record parts for you for peanuts at their own studios/homes. I know quite a few myself, if you need help finding them. Thank you. Good to know. If I can find players that are good enough to do the job, it is certainly the best option for solo work. I'll PM you. But for general background arranging duties, and especially because I like to tweak as I go, an editable library is preferable for a lot of what I do. |
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Post by enlav on Nov 5, 2021 7:45:15 GMT -6
But for general background arranging duties, and especially because I like to tweak as I go, an editable library is preferable for a lot of what I do. I'm in the same boat. The project I'll be using these on will be a more intimate/personal one, and should I want to get some friends or hired players in, I think I would still want to have a really firm idea of what I want the parts to be before hand.
I may be in the minority, but I never have much success arranging parts for strings/horns when using synth-like stand in instruments in my DAW. It's like I start writing for a synth rather than the intended instruments.
*Side tangent: I think the best part about recording technology becoming so readily available is the fact that you can get performances/captures from across the world. I mean, I imagine it can still be a coin flip as to whether the musician captures the instrument in a way that fits your mix or vision for the song, but for those of us in smaller markets, it does mean getting avoid some of the less-than-stellar performances from high school students...
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Post by M57 on Dec 9, 2021 18:45:29 GMT -6
I'm in the same boat. The project I'll be using these on will be a more intimate/personal one, and should I want to get some friends or hired players in, I think I would still want to have a really firm idea of what I want the parts to be before hand.
I may be in the minority, but I never have much success arranging parts for strings/horns when using synth-like stand in instruments in my DAW. It's like I start writing for a synth rather than the intended instruments.
*Side tangent: I think the best part about recording technology becoming so readily available is the fact that you can get performances/captures from across the world. I mean, I imagine it can still be a coin flip as to whether the musician captures the instrument in a way that fits your mix or vision for the song, but for those of us in smaller markets, it does mean getting avoid some of the less-than-stellar performances from high school students...
I still haven't pulled the trigger, but now I'm realizing that though I definitely want strings, I wouldn't mind having a full orchestra too :} Recently I dredged up a song that I wrote about a year ago and then left as a 1+1 because I found some remote rhythm section players that I thought were right for it. I mixed them in ..and then decided it needed more. The SSD my Vienna library was on was dead. I use it so infrequently that I'm constantly having to relearn how to use it, which is why I'm on the hunt for something easier. Anyway, I started to use the stock Logic orchestral instruments - just horns and strings. I will admit that I spent quite a few hours tweaking and automating volume, velocity, and expression parameters to create articulations and endings using nothing but the standard legato articulation. It's not bad, but I don't think I can get it much better than this.. soundcloud.com/m57/curse-the-sunrise |
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Post by ab101 on Dec 9, 2021 20:10:01 GMT -6
I'm in the same boat. The project I'll be using these on will be a more intimate/personal one, and should I want to get some friends or hired players in, I think I would still want to have a really firm idea of what I want the parts to be before hand.
I may be in the minority, but I never have much success arranging parts for strings/horns when using synth-like stand in instruments in my DAW. It's like I start writing for a synth rather than the intended instruments.
*Side tangent: I think the best part about recording technology becoming so readily available is the fact that you can get performances/captures from across the world. I mean, I imagine it can still be a coin flip as to whether the musician captures the instrument in a way that fits your mix or vision for the song, but for those of us in smaller markets, it does mean getting avoid some of the less-than-stellar performances from high school students...
I still haven't pulled the trigger, but now I'm realizing that though I definitely want strings, I wouldn't mind having a full orchestra too :} Recently I dredged up a song that I wrote about a year ago and then left as a 1+1 because I found some remote rhythm section players that I thought were right for it. I mixed them in ..and then decided it needed more. The SSD my Vienna library was on was dead. I use it so infrequently that I'm constantly having to relearn how to use it, which is why I'm on the hunt for something easier. Anyway, I started to use the stock Logic orchestral instruments - just horns and strings. I will admit that I spent quite a few hours tweaking and automating volume, velocity, and expression parameters to create articulations and endings using nothing but the standard legato articulation. It's not bad, but I don't think I can get it much better than this.. soundcloud.com/m57/curse-the-sunriseHollywood Opus is currently 50% off. Hard to say if this is the one for you. www.soundsonline.com/hollywood-orchestra-opus-edition |
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Post by M57 on Dec 10, 2021 6:51:49 GMT -6
Yeah, that's pretty much what's on the fritz right now. Mine is the Hollywood Orchestra Diamond collection, which I bought maybe two or three years ago. It just wasn't intuitive for me. I just watched the video for the Opus edition and it looks very similar in terms of layout and workflow. |
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