# Something is Coming - Spitfire Thunderbolt



## Zoot_Rollo (Feb 10, 2019)

https://www.spitfireaudio.com/thunderbolt/thunderbolt-coming/?utm_source=Spitfire+MASTER+List&utm_campaign=7e9e90e3c3-Thunderbolt_tease_080219&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_df4ead2b5d-7e9e90e3c3-344172281&mc_cid=7e9e90e3c3&mc_eid=df2de1c3a7


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## josephspirits (Feb 10, 2019)

:emoji_zap:sale?


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## AlexanderSchiborr (Feb 10, 2019)




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## sostenuto (Feb 10, 2019)

Preorder deep discount for Studio WW and Studio Orchestra ??


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## Land of Missing Parts (Feb 10, 2019)

I've been waiting for a thunderbolt sample library for my meteorology-themed cantatas.


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## josephspirits (Feb 10, 2019)

sostenuto said:


> Preorder deep discount for Studio WW and Studio Orchestra ??



That would be quite a _shock_.


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## kevthurman (Feb 10, 2019)

The use of the word "Starts" implies it's an event, like some sort of sale or sweepstakes or something. Exciting.


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## givemenoughrope (Feb 10, 2019)

N
must have


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## gsilbers (Feb 10, 2019)

hard drive with the libraries to try out? like EW had?


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## josephspirits (Feb 10, 2019)

It would be cool if it was a flash sale for Spitfire fans who spend way too much time at work digging through their website and youtube channel for fun. Not that I know anybody like that or anything.


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## josephspirits (Feb 10, 2019)

gsilbers said:


> hard drive with the libraries to try out? like EW had?



haha with a Thunderbolt connection? I like it.


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## Andrew0568 (Feb 10, 2019)

Jeez, how many releases a year are these guys doing?!


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## muziksculp (Feb 10, 2019)

Now what can Thunderbolt be ? Hopefully something I will like.


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## kevthurman (Feb 10, 2019)

Andrew0568 said:


> Jeez, how many releases a year are these guys doing?!


Not enough!


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## ridgero (Feb 10, 2019)

Subscription service?


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## jneebz (Feb 10, 2019)

Flash sale.


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## antonyb (Feb 10, 2019)

ridgero said:


> Subscription service?


Yeah... thunderbolt, arrow down like download... cloud service ... looks like a theme

Man, what am I doing, wasting time on their marketing campaign... good job Spitfire, good job


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## josephspirits (Feb 10, 2019)

Yeah, you would think they might save something like this for an off week when they aren't releasing something exciting already. I guess we'll see tomorrow morning.


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## ism (Feb 10, 2019)

Pure wishful thinking I'm sure, but a lyrical solo clarinet is top of my (hypothetical) spitfire wish list. (Not do be confused with my actual spitfire wish list).


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## josephspirits (Feb 10, 2019)

ism said:


> Pure wishful thinking I'm sure, but a lyrical solo clarinet is top of my (hypothetical) spitfire wish list. (Not do be confused with my actual spitfire wish list).



Are you aware of this solo clarinet coming out this week? 

https://www.spitfireaudio.com/spitfire-studio-woodwinds/


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## whiskers (Feb 10, 2019)

Spitfire brand audio interface?

Probably not...


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## josephspirits (Feb 10, 2019)

Whoa Nellie...


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## ism (Feb 10, 2019)

josephspirits said:


> Are you aware of this solo clarinet coming out this week?
> 
> https://www.spitfireaudio.com/spitfire-studio-woodwinds/



Yep. And I have SSW and the clarinet is great. But looking for a lyrical, solo clarinet, somewhere between the beautiful, but subdued Berlin Exp B, and the beautiful bt in your face lyrical Claire clarinet. Of course I really want those clarinets also, as they get to corners the SWW and Fluffy (which I do have) clarinets can't ... but I have a sense of the sweet spot where I would conjecture spitfire soloist winds to hit. Should they ever exist.

Anyway , just on a bit of a clarinet kick this week ... don't mind me.


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## CoffeeLover (Feb 10, 2019)

spitfire thunderbolt hardware convolution reverb engine. at last we get our Air Lyndhurst reverb. 

well one can wish.


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## josephspirits (Feb 10, 2019)

ism said:


> Yep. And I have SSW and the clarinet is great. But looking for a lyrical, solo clarinet, somewhere between the beautiful, but subdued Berlin Exp B, and the beautiful bt in your face lyrical Claire clarinet. Of course I really want those clarinets also, as they get to corners the SWW and Fluffy (which I do have) clarinets can't ... but I have a sense of the sweet spot where I would conjecture spitfire soloist winds to hit. Should they ever exist.
> 
> Anyway , just on a bit of a clarinet kick this week ... don't mind me.



Gotcha, just making sure. 

If this isn't tied into the Studio Woodwinds, my guess is 30 or 40% off something.


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## ism (Feb 10, 2019)

josephspirits said:


> Gotcha, just making sure.
> 
> If this isn't tied into the Studio Woodwinds, my guess is 30 or 40% off something.




And I agree, The marketing tease does a have a flash sale kind vibe to its. (Still going to hope for a clarinet library though).


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## tosza (Feb 10, 2019)

The email title says "Two Days Only, Starting Tomorrow". Definitely a flash sale.


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## whiskers (Feb 10, 2019)

My poor wallet


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## n9n9n9 (Feb 10, 2019)

spitfire and thunderbolt both being WW2 fighter planes sounds like something. the design indicates modernity and glitchiness. my guess is CH had made something with his modular rig.


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## ism (Feb 10, 2019)

tosza said:


> The email title says "Two Days Only, Starting Tomorrow". Definitely a flash sale.




... or an extremely limited edition clarinet ... is that too much to hope for?


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## Scamper (Feb 10, 2019)

tosza said:


> The email title says "Two Days Only, Starting Tomorrow". Definitely a flash sale.


Does it? Mine just says "Something Is Coming.".


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## StillLife (Feb 10, 2019)

whiskers said:


> My poor wallet


Yes, imagine it will be the Everything bundle...


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## StillLife (Feb 10, 2019)

Scamper said:


> Does it? Mine just says "Something Is Coming.".


It does, check your inbox - it's in the title.


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## Scamper (Feb 10, 2019)

StillLife said:


> It does, check your inbox - it's in the title.


Weird, "Something Is Coming." is really the only thing in the title of my mail unless there's another one, that I didn't get.


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## whiskers (Feb 10, 2019)

StillLife said:


> Yes, imagine it will be the Everything bundle...


Let's hope there's individual complete your collection options


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## josephspirits (Feb 10, 2019)

The two days only part makes me more excited. Could be a really good discount for close followers of the company, rather than something they promote for a month.


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## whiskers (Feb 10, 2019)

Scamper said:


> Weird, "Something Is Coming." is really the only thing in the title of my mail unless there's another one, that I didn't get.


It's in the body, but not visible when opened, only when you preview the message.


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## josephspirits (Feb 10, 2019)

ism said:


> ... or an extremely limited edition clarinet ... is that too much to hope for?



You just need to save up for a clarinet!


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## MillsMixx (Feb 10, 2019)

Hmmmm Remember Apex? Could be another big discount or sale on one of their libraries like they had on Tundra a while back with an event like trying to guess what mountain Christian was on.

Probably a sale more likely than a new library If it's 2 days only.


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## ridgero (Feb 10, 2019)

I think its something like a big discount on Studio Orchestra, which kicks off officially on Thursday.


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## erica-grace (Feb 10, 2019)

n9n9n9 said:


> spitfire and thunderbolt both being WW2 fighter planes sounds like something.



Maybe Thunderbolt will be a spinoff company focusing on something other than sample libraries for composers?

Maybe sound fx and sound design for post audio?


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## LinusW (Feb 10, 2019)

ridgero said:


> I think its something like a big discount on Studio Orchestra, which kicks off officially on Thursday.


I think so too. Studio Strings and Studio Brass.


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## Consona (Feb 10, 2019)

At first I read "Thunderball" and thought "Ha, a John Barry Toolkit"!


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## tosza (Feb 10, 2019)

HZ Strings (before releasing the short articulation update)


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## josephspirits (Feb 10, 2019)

There is a little video clip on the Spitfire Twitter



No more info, just some glitching and orchestral sounds. Could be a hint but also could just be some exciting Spitfire sounds.


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## fretti (Feb 10, 2019)

Maybe something like „Apex“ (or how it was called) where Tundra was a 199€ for a day?
Or they finally release the Hans Zimmer Strings Addon with new shorts etc.?
Or they „release“ the pro versions of the symphonic orchestra at special discounts?
Or (my actual guess): it‘s something i‘d never have thought about​


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## BeneJ (Feb 10, 2019)

Spitfire mentioned in a video that the company is becoming/expanding into a form of record label (whatever that means in a world no longer containing a record industry). Maybe it will manifest in the form a subscription streaming service of curated neo-classical and hybrid orchestral releases?

(If not, then I copyright this idea and am seeking partners!)


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## josephspirits (Feb 10, 2019)

fretti said:


> Maybe something like „Apex“ (or how it was called) where Tundra was a 199€ for a day?
> Or they finally release the Hans Zimmer Strings Addon with new shorts etc.?
> Or they „release“ the pro versions of the symphonic orchestra at special discounts?
> Or (my actual guess): it‘s something i‘d never have thought about​



I don't know man, I still think the Yellow King is involved. Oh sorry, wrong forum.


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## bryanmckay (Feb 10, 2019)

BeneJ said:


> Spitfire mentioned in a video that the company is becoming/expanding into a form of record label (whatever that means in a world no longer containing a record industry). Maybe it will manifest in the form a subscription streaming service of curated neo-classical and hybrid orchestral releases?
> 
> (If not, then I copyright this idea and am seeking partners!)



The world very much still contains a record industry (the Grammys are tonight!), despite being more or less in a constant state of artistic decline, and in fact Spitfire already launched their label: https://sarecordings.com/


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## CT (Feb 10, 2019)

josephspirits said:


> I don't know man, I still think the Yellow King is involved. Oh sorry, wrong forum.



Pumpkin Lady = Yellow King = Christian Henson?


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## StillLife (Feb 10, 2019)

Scamper said:


> Weird, "Something Is Coming." is really the only thing in the title of my mail unless there's another one, that I didn't get.


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## AllanH (Feb 10, 2019)

It better be something "shocking" with that title!


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## muziksculp (Feb 10, 2019)

If it is the *Hans Zimmer Strings* Shorts, and other additional useful articulations, I would be Super Positively Shocked with how wonderful this would be, but I doubt it.


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## ptram (Feb 10, 2019)

The Thunderbolt was a very compact airplane. It might be a compact library, developing on BDT. Something like an Albion One Half.

Paolo


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## whiskers (Feb 10, 2019)

ptram said:


> The Thunderbolt was a very compact airplane. It might be a compact library, developing on BDT. Something like an Albion One Half.
> 
> Paolo


Yes but why the 'two days only' if it were a new library?

Unrelated, I wonder if Christian ever released his EDNA cartridge.


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## josephspirits (Feb 10, 2019)

miket said:


> Pumpkin Lady = Yellow King = Christian Henson?



Definitely the pumpkin lady traveling back in time.


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## MillsMixx (Feb 10, 2019)

Yeah, gotta agree the key to this guessing game is certainly "_2 days only._"

Sounds to me like it would have to be a product that is discounted rather than a new release or streaming/cloud service. I mean why would they release a new library for just 2 days and then that's it?

I would love to see them discount their Spitfire Symphony Orchestra full bundle at a ridiculous price to complete the full bundle. I just have brass left to pick up but sold separate in a discounted bundle could get me close enough.


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## AllanH (Feb 10, 2019)

josephspirits said:


> Definitely the pumpkin lady traveling back in time.



If 'back in time' means that I can get the Symphonic Orchestra for substantially less than $1,600 count me in  We'll see soon, I guess

Clarification: Typical sales price is ~$1,200.


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## Coincidental (Feb 10, 2019)

(Lightning) flash (sale) comes before thunderbolt (whatever that may be - the woodwinds presumably)? Hey ho, back to work


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## Loïc D (Feb 10, 2019)

New Spitfire Audio office in Los Angeles.


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## whiskers (Feb 10, 2019)

LowweeK said:


> New Spitfire Audio office in Los Angeles.


the two days only still doesn't really jive with that though.


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## Loïc D (Feb 10, 2019)

whiskers said:


> the two days only still doesn't really jive with that though.


It’s just the opening party


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## Zero&One (Feb 10, 2019)

I'd say it's a sale on the Studio Orchestra range as Woodwinds is out Thurs 14th to complete the trio.


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## Audio Birdi (Feb 10, 2019)

James H said:


> I'd say it's a sale on the Studio Orchestra range as Woodwinds is out Thurs 14th to complete the trio.


I'd say they may end up with a quad bundle for the Studio series since the main orchestral percussion and HZ Perc has all been recorded in large spaces.


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## duanran007 (Feb 10, 2019)

Harry Porter Toolkit


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## DavidY (Feb 10, 2019)

josephspirits said:


> There is a little video clip on the Spitfire Twitter
> 
> 
> 
> No more info, just some glitching and orchestral sounds. Could be a hint but also could just be some exciting Spitfire sounds.



I'm wondering if that could be Orchestral Swarm? In which case a 2-day flash sale on that?


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## rottoy (Feb 10, 2019)

Are they removing the thunderbolt ports from their sample libraries?


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## sostenuto (Feb 10, 2019)

~ 8 hours. Better be good or they could have _*Afflatus* _all over 'em.


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## MillsMixx (Feb 10, 2019)

Ya definitely hearing popping woodwinds in that video clip so maybe Orchestral Swarm will be the highlight. Now I'm REALLY curious.


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## sostenuto (Feb 10, 2019)

hope not. Been Swarmed already.


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## Bill the Lesser (Feb 10, 2019)

MillsMixx said:


> Ya definitely hearing popping woodwinds in that video clip so maybe Orchestral Swarm will be the highlight. Now I'm REALLY curious.


I'm hearing a somewhat dry orchestra tuning up for action! But yes the woods do kinda pop out...

Spitfire, it's only been a few days since LCOT! Have you no mercy?


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## Lee Blaske (Feb 10, 2019)

I don't know if this will be the time for it, but there seems to be a lot of interest over at Spitfire for modular synths. Christian and Sandy are way into it, but it Eurorack synth modules pop up in a number of the videos. I wouldn't at all be surprised to see some Spitfire branded Eurorack modules in the future. Maybe even something that would combine a synth module with samples (i.e. a module capable of generating complex, sampled sound content). It might be done in a collaborative manner with another company (like the 8Dio relationship with Dave Smith). Christian seems pretty friendly with Strymon. Maybe something will develop from that.

Or... Maybe it'll be a hardware synth packed with Spitfire sounds, just like the 8Dio/Dave Smith product. I'm surprised we haven't seen more of that sort of thing.

I really do like the way Spitfire is keeping things interesting. Really bodes well for their continued survival. Resting on your laurels and doing more of the same-old, same-old is not a good thing in this biz.


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## kriskrause (Feb 10, 2019)

Since no one has said it yet, my guess is flash sale on BDT.


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## josephspirits (Feb 10, 2019)

With the two day thing I doubt it’s anything new. I just think it’s Spitfires twist on flash sale / lightning deal.


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## MaxOctane (Feb 11, 2019)

Flash sale on 6 items:
* Hans Zimmer Strings
* British Drama Toolkit
* LCO Strings
* SSS Evo
* Spitfire Percusion
* Alternative Solo Strings

https://www.spitfireaudio.com/shop/a-z/thunderbolt/


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## Geoff Grace (Feb 11, 2019)

Spitfire Audio said:


> *SAVE 40% FOR TWO DAYS ONLY*
> 
> Introducing Thunderbolt — 40% off a selection of our most popular libraries or 50% off if you buy all six as a https://www.spitfireaudio.com/shop/a-z/thunderbolt/ (Collection). Promotion Ends 23:59GMT 12th Februrary 2019.



Best,

Geoff


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## Will Wilson (Feb 11, 2019)

Have all of them already apart from SSE which has been on my wish list for ages .Worth a buy at £124??


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## MaxOctane (Feb 11, 2019)

Will Wilson said:


> Have all of them already apart from SSE which has been on my wish list for ages .Worth a buy at £124??



It's smooth, evolving longs. I put up this quick sample last year. Listen with headphones.


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## galactic orange (Feb 11, 2019)

Whether I want these or not... individual discounts would have been much appreciated. As a bundle, it’s a nice gesture but a bit random.


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## Go To 11 (Feb 11, 2019)

galactic orange said:


> Whether I want these or not... individual discounts would have been much appreciated. As a bundle, it’s a nice gesture but a bit random.


Individuals are 40% off. Check out the site!


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## MaxOctane (Feb 11, 2019)

Does anyone have anything they've done with Alternative Solo Strings? I was always intrigued but it seems very likely to be yet another miss in my solo-strings arsenal.


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## AdamKmusic (Feb 11, 2019)

Great discounts but saving my money for Studio Woodwinds to complete my studio set!


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## Camus (Feb 11, 2019)

what a name for the campaign...... expected something spectaculor..... and then...... well ?!**


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## Grégory Betton (Feb 11, 2019)

Camus said:


> what a name for the campaign...... expected something spectaculor..... and then...... well ?!**


As I have all the other libraries, HZS is 50% off for me. And I'm sure a lot of other guys would find their happiness here. It should be noted too that it's very rare for SA to go under 40%.


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## DivingInSpace (Feb 11, 2019)

Was expecting a new product from the announcement, but oh well this is nice too. Not that my broke ass is going to buy anything, and i am not really in need of either of these.


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## galactic orange (Feb 11, 2019)

Go To 11 said:


> Individuals are 40% off. Check out the site!


Wow. Wallet sad now! Thanks!


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## galactic orange (Feb 11, 2019)

AdamKmusic said:


> Great discounts but saving my money for Studio Woodwinds to complete my studio set!


hear hear!


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## SpitfireSupport (Feb 11, 2019)

MaxOctane said:


> Flash sale on 6 items:
> * Hans Zimmer Strings
> * British Drama Toolkit
> * LCO Strings
> ...



Remember you can buy these products individually at 40% off or buy all six (or the remaining products in the collection if you already have some of them) at 50% off.

MaxOctane has linked to the collection page but there's more info on the homepage: spitfireaudio.com


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## JeffvR (Feb 11, 2019)

Will Wilson said:


> Have all of them already apart from SSE which has been on my wish list for ages .Worth a buy at £124??



TBH, not worth it at full price at all. Way too little content. The discounted price is OK, but Olafur Arnalds EVO's are better IMHO.


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## Justin Robbins (Feb 11, 2019)

MaxOctane said:


> Does anyone have anything they've done with Alternative Solo Strings? I was always intrigued but it seems very likely to be yet another miss in my solo-strings arsenal.



You'll have to skip around a little bit, but Alternative Solo Strings is the only strings lib I used in this: 

I'm new to this world, and still getting used to the library, so take it with a grain of salt.


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## whiskers (Feb 11, 2019)

Debating about alternative solo strings, LCOS, and symphonic evolutions, mostly the former.


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## fretti (Feb 11, 2019)

MaxOctane said:


> Does anyone have anything they've done with Alternative Solo Strings? I was always intrigued but it seems very likely to be yet another miss in my solo-strings arsenal.


It‘s a cool library with some great sounds. Think I used some Dig Spicc sounds from the cello and viola in a „demo“ for British Drama Toolkit, though imo it‘s best used in context or for special sounds (my two cents here)


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## Ledwick (Feb 11, 2019)

The alternative sound of Alternative strings is awesome, but could patches like the normal spiccatos and performance legatos be used more traditionally to play fast clean passages like from a classical quartet playing Vivaldi or something? In the walkthrough video at 5:30 Paul Thompson plays a quick legato phrase that sort of sounds traditional. Is this possible with the library? Or are the round robins of even the spiccato patches too unique and different to be used for long consistent phrases?


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## Will Wilson (Feb 11, 2019)

JeffvR said:


> TBH, not worth it at full price at all. Way too little content. The discounted price is OK, but Olafur Arnalds EVO's are better IMHO.


Yeah I already have OACE so was wondering if this actually added anything .


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## ridgero (Feb 11, 2019)

The Alternative solo strings sounds much like the GoT score, maybe I`ll buy them.


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## fretti (Feb 11, 2019)

Ledwick said:


> The alternative sound of Alternative strings is awesome, but could patches like the normal spiccatos and performance legatos be used more traditionally to play fast clean passages like from a classical quartet playing Vivaldi or something? In the walkthrough video at 5:30 Paul Thompson plays a quick legato phrase that sort of sounds traditional. Is this possible with the library? Or are the round robins of even the spiccato patches too unique and different to be used for long consistent phrases?


I‘d say it can be used for that; but afaik ASS has no vibrato control. So while the performance legatos (only violin and cello) can be definitely used for faster stuff (think I tried some Vivaldi out of fun when I first got it) there’s also definitely stuff it can‘t do compared to the „normal“ Solo Strings.

(+you don‘t get the sound of AIR, which might be not too bad for people that like dryer stuff)


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## Goldie Zwecker (Feb 11, 2019)

I don't have much left to spend and i guess i'm keeping mine for the new Eduardo Tarilonte Dark Era library...


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## whiskers (Feb 11, 2019)

Camus said:


> what a name for the campaign...... expected something spectaculor..... and then...... well ?!**


Why are you complaining lol


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## whiskers (Feb 11, 2019)

So I'm thinking maybe LCOS. Hmmm


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## hansandersen (Feb 11, 2019)

Should I get SPR? I really want a decent percussion library. I'll be using it for the generic orchestral music but also the big epic style...


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## ism (Feb 11, 2019)

Ledwick said:


> The alternative sound of Alternative strings is awesome, but could patches like the normal spiccatos and performance legatos be used more traditionally to play fast clean passages like from a classical quartet playing Vivaldi or something? In the walkthrough video at 5:30 Paul Thompson plays a quick legato phrase that sort of sounds traditional. Is this possible with the library? Or are the round robins of even the spiccato patches too unique and different to be used for long consistent phrases?




The caveat is that I don’t think any sampled solo string can really do Vivaldi or Beethoven quartets remotely convincingly - Sacconi is probably your best bet for that style. If innovation in solo sting sampling continues as spectacularly as we’be seen in the last few year, then maybe in 10-20 years a convincing Vivaldi mock up will be possible. 

That said, AltSS is a beautiful library, but note that the legato is very limited. Check the Andy Blakey demos, which I think show its strengths very nicely, but I think also push the legato as far as it can be pushed. In practice, I tend to think of this as more of a texture library. The legato (Vl And Vc only) is nice to have, but I’ve never found it useful except in context of doubling or something. If classical expressive range in the legatos is what you’re most looking for I’d seriously look to something like Sacconi.

And yes, all the vibrato is baked in progressive vibrato. 

Spitfire’s main solo strings, in comparison, have much more sophisticated legatos in comparison - though still not really geared towards full on classical string quartets. But it’s probably 2 generations of legato technology ahead of the AltSS, with a fantastic expressive range in what you can do with the legatos. But with the exception of the Vl, still not in the league of Sacconi for Vivaldi-esque expressiveness - though far ahead of Sacconi (and everything else I know of) within the range of the kind of expressiveness it does do well.

That said, for what it does - crazily beautiful solo string textures, AltSS is completely unbeatable.


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## CT (Feb 11, 2019)

I've used the Alternative cello legato in a fairly lyrical role a few times. No, it's not what it's primarily intended for, but I think it holds up really well. Soft velocities get you a progressive vibrato, higher velocities are a more immediate one.


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## erica-grace (Feb 11, 2019)

Camus said:


> what a name for the campaign...... expected something spectaculor..... and then...... well ?!**



I feel the same. A bit of a let down.

Great products, but their marketing campaigns more often than not leave a lot to be desired.


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## Bill the Lesser (Feb 11, 2019)

Justin Robbins said:


> You'll have to skip around a little bit, but Alternative Solo Strings is the only strings lib I used in this:
> 
> I'm new to this world, and still getting used to the library, so take it with a grain of salt.




That is one wonderful, rambling piece! Really quite inventive. It answers the question: what the heck can you do with a bunch of oddball strings? That sound would brighten up ensembles of any kind, I think. Now I have to pick it up, Spitfire owes you one. Sorry to drift OT, but just had to say congratulations!

(ASS and Woodwinds, all in the same week...ouch!)


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## Brian Nowak (Feb 11, 2019)

I didn't see anything in there I absolutely need. I would consider their orchestral percussion but already have OT Berlin Percussion. But a few of the pieces in Berlin are pretty bad (Celeste has truly terrible noise and some weird sample behavior as well as no spot or close mic, for example).

Had HZ Perc Pro been in there I would have been in more trouble. I should probably just wait and get Cineperc next time there's a big sale.


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## muziksculp (Feb 11, 2019)

Hi,

BDT at $119. is a bit tempting now. I wasn't sure I will use this library a lot when it was first released, but I'm re-evaluating it, especially at this price.

Any BDT users feedback on how useful it has been, or any other comments about it would be cool, and helpful.

Thanks,
Muziksculp


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## sostenuto (Feb 11, 2019)

Wondering similar thing re. _Joby Burgess Percussion _ … now using LADD & NI_Symphony Essentials Perc.

Non-percussionst and always interested in libs to help me create / improve.

_Just a few salient features may well be worth $239._


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## Bill the Lesser (Feb 11, 2019)

erica-grace said:


> I feel the same. A bit of a let down.
> 
> Great products, but their marketing campaigns more often than not leave a lot to be desired.


For heavy discounts, I can forgive a lot of things...


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## BeneJ (Feb 11, 2019)

British Drama seems like another version of Swarm, ie for long textures not melodies? Seems like it would layer up with Swarm comfortably.

Apart from the walkthrough highlighting the extent to which British Drama doesn’t handle legato lines, thus making its strong velocity layer sound incongruent, can anyone comment on British Drama (alongside Swarm or otherwise)?


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## Bill the Lesser (Feb 11, 2019)

whiskers said:


> Debating about alternative solo strings, LCOS, and symphonic evolutions, mostly the former.


If I had to choose between LCOS and ASS, it would be ASS every time! (Don't get me wrong here). Alternative will probably become my most used string library, since it offers most of the standard patches in fairly "normal" and very playable form...but with an attitude! LCOS has mostly far more "specialized" patches that are best used in pieces that are overtly bleeding edge, and perhaps not too consonant.


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## Rap-sody (Feb 11, 2019)

Thunderbolt, zip, a big hole in the wallet...


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## gussunkri (Feb 11, 2019)

I do not need these libraries, but the demo tracks of ASS really move me. Christian, Homay and Oliver sure makes that library sound great!


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## Bill the Lesser (Feb 11, 2019)

gussunkri said:


> I do not need these libraries, but the demo tracks of ASS really move me. Christian, Homay and Oliver sure makes that library sound great!


I was very surprised how good this package sounds! Been tripping out for the last 1/2 hour just playing all the sections ensemble style. Terrific sound, incredibly expressive! Nothing sterile about it, it's the genuine thing, that's how it feels. Very organic. Sounds like I'm there in a smallish space with the players. This would be the goto instrument for many types of closeup, dramatic cues.


----------



## emasters (Feb 11, 2019)

Completed the Thunderbolt bundle with 50% off the percussion library - thanks Spitfire! And in the past I've whined about slow Spitfire download speeds. I was pleasantly surprised today to get a reasonably fast download - very much appreciated.


----------



## Bill the Lesser (Feb 11, 2019)

BeneJ said:


> British Drama seems like another version of Swarm, ie for long textures not melodies? Seems like it would layer up with Swarm comfortably.
> 
> Apart from the walkthrough highlighting the extent to which British Drama doesn’t handle legato lines, thus making its strong velocity layer sound incongruent, can anyone comment on British Drama (alongside Swarm or otherwise)?


BDT is reserved, maybe somewhat distant, and best used for underscore that never heats up very much. It's a rather dispassionate, objective observer of the story. ASS is in-your-face, highly emotional, dramatic, almost rudely personal, and...the list goes on. It demands attention. It's wonderful. Swarm is in a different space altogether, I don't think of it as optional or especially complementray to either ASS of BDT.


----------



## sostenuto (Feb 11, 2019)

Bill the Lesser said:


> I was very surprised how good this package sounds! Been tripping out for the last 1/2 hour just playing all the sections ensemble style. Terrific sound, incredibly expressive! Nothing sterile about it, it's the genuine thing, that's how it feels. Very organic. Sounds like I'm there in a smallish space with the players. This would be the goto instrument for many types of closeup, dramatic cues.



Good to hear. May be a budget buster, with Studio WW /Orchestra this Thurs.
Trusting AltSS will still be a solid add now ……


----------



## MaxOctane (Feb 11, 2019)

Bill the Lesser said:


> I was very surprised how good this package sounds! Been tripping out for the last 1/2 hour just playing all the sections ensemble style. Terrific sound, incredibly expressive! Nothing sterile about it, it's the genuine thing, that's how it feels. Very organic. Sounds like I'm there in a smallish space with the players. This would be the goto instrument for many types of closeup, dramatic cues.



Can you post some quick examples?


----------



## BeneJ (Feb 11, 2019)

Bill the Lesser said:


> BDT is reserved, maybe somewhat distant, and best used for underscore that never heats up very much. It's a rather dispassionate, objective observer of the story. ASS is in-your-face, highly emotional, dramatic, almost rudely personal, and...the list goes on. It demands attention. It's wonderful. Swarm is in a different space altogether, I don't think of it as optional or especially complementray to either ASS of BDT.



Reserved, distant and cold - sounds like the British to me! I have Swarm and Alternative Scoring Strings too - I think they’re all recorded in the same dry studio. I’m going to add BDT to the line up and find a way to make them fit (just like the British).


----------



## muziksculp (Feb 11, 2019)

Bill the Lesser said:


> I was very surprised how good this package sounds! Been tripping out for the last 1/2 hour just playing all the sections ensemble style. Terrific sound, incredibly expressive! Nothing sterile about it, it's the genuine thing, that's how it feels. Very organic. Sounds like I'm there in a smallish space with the players. This would be the goto instrument for many types of closeup, dramatic cues.



Aha... Now you just gave me a good dose of GAS for ASS 

Seriously, I'm now very interested, and most likely will buy it at $179.

UPDATE : *Purchased* 

Thanks,
Muziksculp


----------



## Consona (Feb 11, 2019)

How good are timpani in Joby Burgess Percussion? Dynamics, consistency, etc. I can hear that close mic has the instruments all over the place. Are timpani in Herrmann toolkit better?


----------



## boxheadboy50 (Feb 11, 2019)

Bill the Lesser said:


> ASS is in-your-face, [...] almost rudely personal [...]



I'm sorry... I couldn't resist.

I'll just, uh... I'll just see myself out now...


----------



## VinRice (Feb 11, 2019)

BeneJ said:


> Reserved, distant and cold - sounds like the British to me! I have Swarm and Alternative Scoring Strings too - I think they’re all recorded in the same dry studio. I’m going to add BDT to the line up and find a way to make them fit (just like the British).



You've clearly never been to a pub or a football match (soccer). You've also missed our seething undertow of frustration and self-loathing...


----------



## skythemusic (Feb 11, 2019)

What do you guys think of HZ strings? Right now I have BHCT and Studio Strings but would like one less dry library at some point.

Planning on BCT and maybe ASS.


----------



## VinRice (Feb 11, 2019)

VinRice said:


> You've clearly never been to a pub or a football match (soccer). You've also missed our seething undertow of frustration and self-loathing...



Which BDT can capture quite nicely actually...


----------



## VinRice (Feb 11, 2019)

skythemusic said:


> What do you guys think of HZ strings? Right now I have BHCT and Studio Strings but would like one less dry library at some point.
> 
> Planning on BCT and maybe ASS.



In all honesty HZS is probably the biggest waste of money on my SSD. I've been unable to use it anywhere while Chamber, Symphonic and now Studio strings get used all the time. It's a giant, expensive pad machine and not a professional tool IMHO. The other items in the offer are all excellent and very useable.


----------



## Daniel James (Feb 11, 2019)

Gah dammit. I don't know why but I was hoping for some thunderbolt hardware thing, maybe a Spitfire Audio Interface. Could have been fun.

HZStrings at $479 is actually a pretty decent deal tho! Also eyeing up the British Drama Toolkit, anyone got an opinion on that one? Where are you finding yourself using it the most.

-DJ


----------



## Bill the Lesser (Feb 11, 2019)

VinRice said:


> You've clearly never been to a pub or a football match (soccer). You've also missed our seething undertow of frustration and self-loathing...


And (speaking of the British reserve myth) you've clearly never listened to a Christian Henson vlog, especially one of those with a language warning at the start.


----------



## Bill the Lesser (Feb 11, 2019)

MaxOctane said:


> Can you post some quick examples?


My early chicken scratches would only do a disservice. Let me refer you to Oliver's practical demo which shows how well AltSS sits with other instruments.

https://www.spitfireaudio.com/shop/a-z/alternative-solo-strings/?v=9zg0m1mw7d4


----------



## cqd (Feb 11, 2019)

I didn't really need HZ strings..it was a case of 'just close your eyes and press the button..you can definitely afford this'


----------



## thecomposer10 (Feb 11, 2019)

muziksculp said:


> Hi,
> 
> BDT at $119. is a bit tempting now. I wasn't sure I will use this library a lot when it was first released, but I'm re-evaluating it, especially at this price.
> 
> ...



I didn’t think I’d ever need/want BDT, but I picked it up during the wishlist sale on a whim and am so glad I did. It works SO well for layering. As many others have commented, it lacks legato transitions, but if you have other instruments handling your melody lines, BDT is simply magical - like a more subtle evo patch - as a layering tool. I just used it throughout my latest score and it gives quiet cues an understated but audible life.


----------



## jbuhler (Feb 11, 2019)

thecomposer10 said:


> I didn’t think I’d ever need/want BDT, but I picked it up during the wishlist sale on a whim and am so glad I did. It works SO well for layering. As many others have commented, it lacks legato transitions, but if you have other instruments handling your melody lines, BDT is simply magical - like a more subtle evo patch - as a layering tool. I just used it throughout my latest score and it gives quiet cues an understated but audible life.


The upper dynamic layers of BDT have some useful sounds too so long as you don't need it to play legato. And you can also use those upper layers to sketch melodic material even if you replace it with legatos later.


----------



## muziksculp (Feb 11, 2019)

thecomposer10 said:


> I didn’t think I’d ever need/want BDT, but I picked it up during the wishlist sale on a whim and am so glad I did. It works SO well for layering. As many others have commented, it lacks legato transitions, but if you have other instruments handling your melody lines, BDT is simply magical - like a more subtle evo patch - as a layering tool. I just used it throughout my latest score and it gives quiet cues an understated but audible life.



Hi @thecomposer10 ,

Thanks for your helpful feedback. I already went ahead and purchased Spitfire Alternative Solo Strings Library (ASS). instead of BDT, at least for now. Will look into BDT next time around. 

Cheers,
Muziksculp


----------



## sostenuto (Feb 11, 2019)

Yet pondering AltSS and JB_Perc. Not 'pennies' but decent value @ -40%.


----------



## ism (Feb 11, 2019)

muziksculp said:


> Hi,
> 
> BDT at $119. is a bit tempting now. I wasn't sure I will use this library a lot when it was first released, but I'm re-evaluating it, especially at this price.
> 
> ...



I really don't use it the at all in the way it says you're supposed to on the box (and never really intended to). But almost literally, the first thing that came out of BDT when I touched it was this:



Which struck me a wholly new and gorgeous textures - despite having Orchestral Swarm, OACE and so on.

But more than other texture libraries - OACE, Orchestral Swarm etc - there's something about the particular character of these textures that I would probably never work with without something either more define as a foreground layer, or more ambient as a background layer (ie Tundra or some such - see Christian's contextual for how well it works with Tundra. Unusually for Spitfire, I can't say I care much for the sound of the non-contextual demos).

Here the BDT violins and flutes (and a bit of clarinets) just really wanted some solo strings noodled in on top of them. And there is quality about it that, with a quality almost the exact opposite of how it stretches to the edges of the larger Tundra sounds in Christian's demo, it here stretches to the more defined textural edges of the solo strings and meets them seamlessly.

So I'd describe it as very much a 'middle layer' kind of texture library (insofar as I know what that means). But It hits real sweet spot, that manages to complement Orchestral Swarm, OACE, Time Marco etc, very very nicely, while being very unique.


----------



## whiskers (Feb 11, 2019)

muziksculp said:


> Hi @thecomposer10 ,
> 
> Thanks for your helpful feedback. I already went ahead and purchased Spitfire Alternative Solo Strings Library (ASS). instead of BDT, at least for now. Will look into BDT next time around.
> 
> ...


we really should start calling it SASS instead of ASS.



Spoiler



but we all know that @Bill the Lesser is an ASS man



Still on the fence if i want to get SASS and/or LCOS...


----------



## muziksculp (Feb 11, 2019)

Hi,

I just purchase Alt-Solo Strings, but having trouble with NI Native Access.

After I input the serial, it looks like all went fine, it recognizes the library, but then the library does not show up in the un-installed list, so I can install it. It doesn't show in the Installed list either.

Any idea what's the problem here ?

*UPDATE :* OK, all is working well now. I guess Native Access needed a little time to add the library. 

Thanks,
Muziksculp


----------



## whiskers (Feb 11, 2019)

muziksculp said:


> Hi,
> 
> I just purchase Alt-Solo Strings, but having trouble with NI Native Access.
> 
> ...


i've had that happen before where i've had to restart Native Access then it shows up (make sure all procs are clear from taskmgr.)

I've also had (weirdly) 2 libraries not show up as installed, even though there were, and the problem persisted after reboots later. A few days later it showed up fine though. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I wish there was an easier way to uninstall/re-locate single libs in Native Access.


----------



## Bill the Lesser (Feb 11, 2019)

muziksculp said:


> Hi,
> 
> I just purchase Alt-Solo Strings, but having trouble with NI Native Access.
> 
> ...


Go back to Native Access, look at either "Installed Products" or maybe "Not Installed" and find Alternative Solo Strings. Click on prompt to the right, and all will be well. Confusing, has happened last several times for me too.


----------



## MaxOctane (Feb 11, 2019)

Bill the Lesser said:


> My early chicken scratches would only do a disservice. Let me refer you to Oliver's practical demo which shows how well AltSS sits with other instruments.
> 
> https://www.spitfireaudio.com/shop/a-z/alternative-solo-strings/?v=9zg0m1mw7d4



Naw, man, I'd love to hear you stuff. I pretty good idea by now what the Oliver/Homay demos will sound like.


----------



## whiskers (Feb 11, 2019)

the one thing steering me away from SASS is the legato. Sounds rather unconvincing (to my noob ears.)

Anyone had this concern that still got it?

ETA - if there was a patch to fix this, I would be all over it.


----------



## dpasdernick (Feb 11, 2019)

Daniel James said:


> Gah dammit. I don't know why but I was hoping for some thunderbolt hardware thing, maybe a Spitfire Audio Interface. Could have been fun.
> 
> HZStrings at $479 is actually a pretty decent deal tho! Also eyeing up the British Drama Toolkit, anyone got an opinion on that one? Where are you finding yourself using it the most.
> 
> -DJ



Daniel,

British Drama Toolkit in my opinion is kind of "meh". It's built in layers that respond to velocity (most of the time 3 layers) and while the sounds are nice and depressing in a dramatic British way I feel the interface makes it difficult to control the sound. I haven't used it in any composition yet and don't know if I will. 

My 2 cents,

Darren


----------



## lp59burst (Feb 11, 2019)

dpasdernick said:


> Daniel,
> 
> British Drama Toolkit in my opinion is kind of "meh". It's built in layers that respond to velocity (most of the time 3 layers) and while the sounds are nice and depressing in a dramatic British way I feel the interface makes it difficult to control the sound. I haven't used it in any composition yet and don't know if I will.
> 
> ...


I have a similar issue.

Since I'm not a trained keyboard player (guitarist) I have trouble with playing velocities constantly.

It's not a knock on the VI but more on me.

I'm practicing more and am getting better at it.

What keeps me hacking away at it is once I do, on occasion, get it all right BDT produces some really nice music...


----------



## whiskers (Feb 11, 2019)

MaxOctane said:


> Naw, man, I'd love to hear you stuff. I pretty good idea by now what the Oliver/Homay demos will sound like.


yep, 100x better than my tracks would ever sound. Those two bring out great dimensions to the libs though


----------



## jbuhler (Feb 11, 2019)

lp59burst said:


> I have a similar issue.
> 
> Since I'm not a trained keyboard player (guitarist) I have trouble with playing velocities constantly.
> 
> ...


I find the velocity access to the layers to be one of the best aspects of the library. It allows a kind of EVO by other means. One thing that helps is keeping visible the version of the GUI that shows the velocities visually. It really helps you train your fingers so that you can work to hit the layer and position within the layer that you want.

Building multis with a bunch of the instruments makes for a nice effect. I find that playing around with the velocities can draw out various instruments of the ensemble. I'm not sure why it works that way but that's the effect it has for me.


----------



## jbuhler (Feb 11, 2019)

erica-grace said:


> I feel the same. A bit of a let down.
> 
> Great products, but their marketing campaigns more often than not leave a lot to be desired.


From a marketing standpoint, I think this was done primarily to keep people occupied before the Studio Woodwinds drop on Thursday. I suspect they didn't want the Woodwinds analyzed to death on the basis of Paul's walkthrough or people complaining about how there aren't any demos yet. Instead, this gets us talking about these libraries and wondering why these libraries are being grouped together and why the name "Thunderbolt," even as we continue thinking and talking about SF in preparation for Thursday's release. If the aim was distraction that primed us to think about SF up to the release, I think we'd have to classify it as a success.


----------



## skythemusic (Feb 11, 2019)

Give me that SASS and get off my ASS.



whiskers said:


> we really should start calling it SASS instead of ASS.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## jtnyc (Feb 11, 2019)

whiskers said:


> the one thing steering me away from SASS is the legato. Sounds rather unconvincing (to my noob ears.)
> 
> Anyone had this concern that still got it?
> 
> ETA - if there was a patch to fix this, I would be all over it.


I have the cello and violin from when they were part of the artisan series. The short and long articulations are very nice across the board. The legato is not that great IMO. The vibrato is very strong and only controllable by velocity, no crossfading. A low velocity triggers a gentle progressive vibrato and high velocity triggers an immediate, very strong, hairy vibrato which I think sounds over the top most of the time. I find it difficult to play without constantly triggering the higher velocity. It would be nice if you could adjust the crossover point as I feel it's set too low. They are really nice sounding libraries, but I wouldn't buy them for flexible legato performance.

I can upgrade and get the viola and bass for $89 with this sale, but I'm on the fence...


----------



## jtnyc (Feb 11, 2019)

just had a play - in addition to being a progressive vibrato the low velocity is also portamento, so it wouldn't really work for faster passages anyway. So for faster stuff your stuck with immediate heavy vibrato.


----------



## whiskers (Feb 11, 2019)

Probably gonna be responsible and pass


----------



## CT (Feb 11, 2019)

If anyone can bear my clumsy music, here's an example of the ASS cello doing something more lyrical and outside of its comfort zone.


----------



## AJHnob (Feb 12, 2019)

miket said:


> If anyone can bear my clumsy music




Clumsy music? I don't think so! Sounds beautiful.


----------



## Michel Simons (Feb 12, 2019)

miket said:


> If anyone can bear my clumsy music, here's an example of the ASS cello doing something more lyrical and outside of its comfort zone.




A most beautiful piece.


----------



## Zero&One (Feb 12, 2019)

whiskers said:


> Probably gonna be responsible and pass



There's a hint of doubt in that...
I couldn't pass on ASS so it's downloading now. Was @miket post above that tipped me over


----------



## MartinH. (Feb 12, 2019)

miket said:


> If anyone can bear my clumsy music, here's an example of the ASS cello doing something more lyrical and outside of its comfort zone.




I really didn't plan to listen to the end, but I did anyway because I liked it so much. Reminds me of the exploration tracks in the Skyrim Soundtrack that I've listened to a lot recently. Beautiful!

Nothing against being humble, but when almost everyone regardless of experience prefaces their posted tracks with some kind of self-deprecating disclaimer, it's getting silly. I see many members who do this, not just you.


----------



## whiskers (Feb 12, 2019)

James H said:


> There's a hint of doubt in that...
> I couldn't pass on ASS so it's downloading now. Was @miket post above that tipped me over


Yeah... Fortunately I have Tina Guo Cello.


----------



## Billy Palmer (Feb 12, 2019)

miket said:


> If anyone can bear my clumsy music, here's an example of the ASS cello doing something more lyrical and outside of its comfort zone.




This is stunning!


----------



## josephspirits (Feb 12, 2019)

jbuhler said:


> From a marketing standpoint, I think this was done primarily to keep people occupied before the Studio Woodwinds drop on Thursday. I suspect they didn't want the Woodwinds analyzed to death on the basis of Paul's walkthrough or people complaining about how there aren't any demos yet. Instead, this gets us talking about these libraries and wondering why these libraries are being grouped together and why the name "Thunderbolt," even as we continue thinking and talking about SF in preparation for Thursday's release. If the aim was distraction that primed us to think about SF up to the release, I think we'd have to classify it as a success.



Great thoughts, I've been wondering the same things, but I keep coming back to why they would want to introduce a new product just after pushing a bunch of people to spend money two days before. Maybe the idea is that when people find out about Thunderbolt too late they get excited that they could still get Studio Woodwinds on sale? I don't know, and I don't mind, I like that they are doing more sales. Helps people that may have not had it in their budget around Black Friday/Christmas.


----------



## jononotbono (Feb 12, 2019)

It's been a while since I bought a sample library. I was starting to feel ill and get the shakes. Although 180gb is going to rob the Isle of Wight's entire monthly internet bandwidth allocation, I am so excited to finally get my hands on HZ Strings.


----------



## jononotbono (Feb 12, 2019)

Ah, I couldn't resist. And LCO Strings too. Thank you very much Spitfire.


----------



## thecomposer10 (Feb 12, 2019)

Can any current owners speak to LCO strings? I've got a scoring gig coming up that's a noir comedy that takes place in a funhouse filled with surreal characters, and I'm thinking the detuned sounds may be the perfect addition to my arsenal, and not really possible to capture with anything else. I've also heard, however, that the library is limited in what it can do.


----------



## jbuhler (Feb 12, 2019)

thecomposer10 said:


> Can any current owners speak to LCO strings? I've got a scoring gig coming up that's a noir comedy that takes place in a funhouse filled with surreal characters, and I'm thinking the detuned sounds may be the perfect addition to my arsenal, and not really possible to capture with anything else. I've also heard, however, that the library is limited in what it can do.


Every library is limited in what it can do! LCOS has lots to offer, many interesting sounds and articulations that are not available elsewhere. Here is a good example by @rlw with LCOS integrated into a composition: https://vi-control.net/community/th...-orchestra-strings.59864/page-26#post-4350050

I find the sounds of LCOS very interesting but I've personally had difficulty integrating them anything like @rlw did in that piece. But hearing his piece has prodded me to keep working at it.


----------



## Zero&One (Feb 12, 2019)

jbuhler said:


> I find the sounds of LCOS very interesting but I've personally had difficulty integrating them anything like @rlw did in that piece. But hearing his piece has prodded me to keep working at it.



I agree, I'm using them on something at the moment but I feel I'm shoehorning them in opposed to them sitting correctly... I've since pulled a few.

@thecomposer10 from my initial play with Spitfire AsS today I'd say those are more suited to noir comedy surreal characters? The Pizzicato mixed up using normal, brushed and damped made me smile. And they would easily fit into a piece, no shoehorning. Key switching them to a Long Alternative made some crazy sounds.


----------



## thecomposer10 (Feb 12, 2019)

Many thanks! I...bought both??? *cries silently*


----------



## Zero&One (Feb 12, 2019)

thecomposer10 said:


> Many thanks! I...bought both??? *cries silently*



I think they are great together. One is like the sensible brother who talks to you for hours and gets his point across in an amusing way, whilst LCOS is the slightly crazy sister you let out now and again the wreck the place!


----------



## thecomposer10 (Feb 12, 2019)

by the way, for those still on the fence about BDT, here's a track I just finished that uses it as texture.


----------



## skythemusic (Feb 12, 2019)

I went with BDT only. I already have LCO and Sym Evol.


----------



## josephspirits (Feb 12, 2019)

James H said:


> I think they are great together. One is like the sensible brother who talks to you for hours and gets his point across in an amusing way, whilst LCOS is the slightly crazy sister you let out now and again the wreck the place!



They do play well together. sASS_(y?) _strings are great to use with LCO because you can weave the solo instruments in with the small ensemble, really bringing out the characteristics of each. LCO often gets talked about for the detuned and other unique articulations, but the more straight ahead patches are also just really powerful across the whole keyboard. The low end is ferocious. 

It does feel like the kind of library that you would have to spend some time studying in order to be able to write with those special articulations in mind though. Something I've been dying to do is to just sit down with this library, pull up the _There Will Be Blood_ soundtrack, make a big old milkshake, and get to work trying to emulate some of those LCO passages using just this library. I feel like doing something like that would really unlock the full potential of what's included.


----------



## prodigalson (Feb 12, 2019)

Wondering if we can all make concerted effort to call it AltSS and not ASS? are the extra two letters that hard to type?


----------



## josephspirits (Feb 12, 2019)

prodigalson said:


> Wondering if we can all make concerted effort to call it AltSS and not ASS? are the extra two letters that hard to type?



Is ASS really that offensive to read?


----------



## ka00 (Feb 12, 2019)

josephspirits said:


> Is ASS really that offensive to read?



You think that’s bad, in England, the acronym is ARSE.


----------



## josephspirits (Feb 12, 2019)

ka00 said:


> You think that’s bad, in England, the acronym is ARSE.



How are the legatos with ARSE though?


----------



## ka00 (Feb 12, 2019)

josephspirits said:


> How are the legatos with ARSE though?



They're on a-hole 'nother level.


----------



## josephspirits (Feb 12, 2019)

ka00 said:


> They're on a-hole 'nother level.



Well, I ended up going in for the British Drama Toolkit. My wife is from England after all, so I thought this might come in handy.


----------



## dzilizzi (Feb 12, 2019)

I have to tell myself they will be on sale again. I don't have time to go through them all and make a decision. And I still haven't really played with all the stuff I got at Christmas. But the ASS is very tempting.


----------



## josephspirits (Feb 12, 2019)

dzilizzi said:


> I have to tell myself they will be on sale again. I don't have time to go through them all and make a decision. And I still haven't really played with all the stuff I got at Christmas. But the ASS is very tempting.



Smart move to make the most of what you already have. And remember, there will be new and exciting releases all year long. The more you save now, the more you have saved for the next big thing.


----------



## prodigalson (Feb 12, 2019)

josephspirits said:


> Is ASS really that offensive to read?



It's not offensive. It's distracting every time you read it and somewhat undermines the product, in my opinion. But each to their own.


----------



## Mason (Feb 12, 2019)

British Drama Toolkit hereby added to my Esoteric template


----------



## Zero&One (Feb 12, 2019)

prodigalson said:


> It's not offensive. It's distracting every time you read it and somewhat undermines the product, in my opinion. But each to their own.



I do think they also knew this place would shorten it to be fair. Christian probably spearheaded it


----------



## prodigalson (Feb 12, 2019)

James H said:


> I do think they also knew this place would shorten it to be fair. Christian probably spearheaded it



They themselves use the acronym AltSS, not ASS for understandable reasons I think. Anyway, ignore me. If it doesn't challenge anyone else to take a post or product seriously when they have to read the word ASS every two sentences than so be it!


----------



## MaxOctane (Feb 12, 2019)

I don't think I've ever seen a single demo --even just 30 secs-- of Alternative Solo Strings posted on VI-C. Anyone??


----------



## josephspirits (Feb 12, 2019)

James H said:


> I do think they also knew this place would shorten it to be fair. Christian probably spearheaded it



It's alternative.


----------



## brek (Feb 12, 2019)

So I have Artisan Cello. It's a fun little library, especially the little wibbly-wobbly bits on the artisan long patch. Frustrating caveat - the little cog where you can remove certain RR samples is missing, so you have to dig way down under the hood if you want a specific sample to trigger each time.
(For reference - each note is sampled twice. Each sample is unique in that there are ornamentations to it - rebows, mordents, trills, scoops.)

So the question is... Does the repackaged AltSS have the sample edit cog that other Spitfire libraries do?


----------



## CT (Feb 12, 2019)

AJHnob said:


> Clumsy music? I don't think so! Sounds beautiful.





michelsimons said:


> A most beautiful piece.





MartinH. said:


> I really didn't plan to listen to the end, but I did anyway because I liked it so much. Reminds me of the exploration tracks in the Skyrim Soundtrack that I've listened to a lot recently. Beautiful!
> 
> Nothing against being humble, but when almost everyone regardless of experience prefaces their posted tracks with some kind of self-deprecating disclaimer, it's getting silly. I see many members who do this, not just you.





William Palmer said:


> This is stunning!



Wow, well, thanks guys!



James H said:


> There's a hint of doubt in that...
> I couldn't pass on ASS so it's downloading now. Was @miket post above that tipped me over



And to you, you're welcome/I'm sorry.


----------



## MaxOctane (Feb 13, 2019)

I caved and bought Alternative Solo Strings. With that, I'm now the proud owner of the full Thunderbolt collection, since I'd bought the other libs along the way. 

What pushed me over the edge was @Justin Robbins's great track:



As an added bonus, Native Access greeted me with this:


----------



## Ruffian Price (Feb 13, 2019)

Native Access has me pegged correctly.





I was also sold by Justin's noodling and the lib really does seem like instant "that indie movie you didn't particularly like but don't regret watching" sound. I don't think I'm gonna be using that performance legato though, not sure if it's the crossfade tuning, but every transition sounds like the performer is doing a quick rebow right before changing the note. Melodic lines sound better with the basic long articulations.


----------



## MaxOctane (Feb 13, 2019)

The bass pizz is a great jazz double bass.


----------



## Alex Niedt (Feb 13, 2019)

Really liking Alternative Solo Strings! Definitely suited to the more avant-garde. The Alternative Longs are so cool.


----------



## jononotbono (Feb 14, 2019)

And the time has finally come to try HZ Strings out. The Trem CS Pont Waves Patch is amazing. Gonna have a lot of fun with this library!


----------



## Luka (Feb 10, 2021)

Oh no, here it is again!
Hope it won't be too interesting for me… Didn't plan that in my budget


----------



## AudioLoco (Feb 10, 2021)

Daniel James said:


> Gah dammit. I don't know why but I was hoping for some thunderbolt hardware thing, maybe a Spitfire Audio Interface. Could have been fun.
> 
> HZStrings at $479 is actually a pretty decent deal tho! Also eyeing up the British Drama Toolkit, anyone got an opinion on that one? Where are you finding yourself using it the most.
> 
> -DJ


British Drama is just amazing. Not the vastest library out there. But extremely useful.
It has a life of its own (you may like that or not) and is slightly random but that is why it's so cool in my opinion. I would say "organic" is the best term to describe it.
It is very good for filling spaces without too much going on, melody/harmony wise, but still avoiding sterility.


----------



## AudioLoco (Feb 10, 2021)

jtnyc said:


> I have the cello and violin from when they were part of the artisan series. The short and long articulations are very nice across the board. The legato is not that great IMO. The vibrato is very strong and only controllable by velocity, no crossfading. A low velocity triggers a gentle progressive vibrato and high velocity triggers an immediate, very strong, hairy vibrato which I think sounds over the top most of the time. I find it difficult to play without constantly triggering the higher velocity. It would be nice if you could adjust the crossover point as I feel it's set too low. They are really nice sounding libraries, but I wouldn't buy them for flexible legato performance.
> 
> I can upgrade and get the viola and bass for $89 with this sale, but I'm on the fence...


So they are the actual same instruments as the Artisan series?? I love those!
Thought it was a different product. I just joined you on that same fence... 
So the viola and bass are new... mmmm... Anyone has experience with these?


----------



## Bereckis (Feb 10, 2021)

I think the composition is always different. At least that was the case in 2019 and 2020.


----------



## jtnyc (Feb 10, 2021)

AudioLoco said:


> So they are the actual same instruments as the Artisan series?? I love those!
> Thought it was a different product. I just joined you on that same fence...
> So the viola and bass are new... mmmm... Anyone has experience with these?


Yes, the cello and violin are from the Artisan ones. I don't think the viola nor bass were ever released individually under the Artisan series. I believe they were added in with the release of the Alternative package. I've since bought Spitfire Solo Strings and like them a lot. The legatos are better then Artisan, but they still are not on par with things like Emotional cello, violin. While I like to "complete" things, I'm not likely to upgrade to Alternative as I'm pretty well covered. Having said that, the shorts and various longs are cool and different from SSsT and it's a much dryer gritty tone...


----------



## chrisav (Feb 10, 2021)

Nooo, don't tell me this will only be revealed AFTER the CDT intro pricing ends 😂😭


----------



## from_theashes (Feb 10, 2021)

Luka said:


> Oh no, here it is again!
> Hope it won't be too interesting for me… Didn't plan that in my budget


Oh no! Not again! My wallet can’t take it this time xD


----------



## Pier (Feb 10, 2021)

My wallet is ready!

(thank you Bitcoin)


----------



## Bereckis (Feb 10, 2021)

Actually, you should never buy normally at Spitfire ...


----------



## muziksculp (Feb 10, 2021)

Any chances AR-1 Foundations will be on Sale ?


----------



## dzilizzi (Feb 10, 2021)

muziksculp said:


> Any chances AR-1 Foundations will be on Sale ?


Unlikely. It usually takes a year to go on 40% sale. Though it may go to the intro price again.


----------



## Bereckis (Feb 10, 2021)

I do not believe that. It's too fresh.


----------



## jazzman7 (Feb 10, 2021)

Abbey Road One. The journey continues Feb 18th. Sparkling woodwinds and Legendary Low Strings. I bought in on the intro special so one will be free for me. Since I jumped in on the AR bandwagon I will prob pick up the other as well. In for a penny, in for a pound


----------



## dzilizzi (Feb 10, 2021)

It would not be unusual for Spitfire to put AR1 back to the release price (not the presale price) when the new extensions come out. It would fit with the price dropping when BBCSO Core and Discovery came out.


----------



## Marsen (Feb 10, 2021)

My wallet says: Pizza margherita to go (no oregano).


----------



## Bereckis (Feb 10, 2021)

jazzman7 said:


> Abbey Road One. The journey continues Feb 18th. Sparkling woodwinds and Legendary Low Strings. I bought in on the intro special so one will be free for me. Since I jumped in on the AR bandwagon I will prob pick up the other as well. In for a penny, in for a pound


I did exactly that and I'm curious.


----------



## easyrider (Feb 10, 2021)

Timed just right for the marketing team 🤣


----------



## Pier (Feb 10, 2021)

You think HZ percussion might be on sale tomorrow?


----------



## jazzman7 (Feb 10, 2021)

Bereckis said:


> I did exactly that and I'm curious.


I'm not as comfortable with the ensemble Lib approach but it took like 2 seconds of the first demo I heard to pick up that AR unmistakable sound. Detoured me off my straight track to BBCSO. I've spent the time since picking up various legato stuff to add on top. Been patiently waiting to see if AR can eventually evolve into a more bread and butter goto for me. This has also pushed me more towards phrase and other texture Libs faster than I might have otherwise


----------



## jazzman7 (Feb 10, 2021)

easyrider said:


> Timed just right for the marketing team 🤣


Both promotions came in the same email...quite a coincidence! ; )


----------



## KallumS (Feb 10, 2021)

Could Thunderbolt be something to do with some libraries becoming M1 compatible?


----------



## BasariStudios (Feb 10, 2021)

I guarantee you another Cimbalom or a Cowbell.


----------



## kgdrum (Feb 10, 2021)

BasariStudios said:


> I guarantee you another Cimbalom or a Cowbell.


You know I find it surprising that Spitfire hasn’t released the highly anticipated Cowbell Swarm,come on! @Spitfire Team


----------



## Nate Johnson (Feb 10, 2021)

Consona said:


> At first I read "Thunderball" and thought "Ha, a John Barry Toolkit"!


Money could not leave my wallet faster if they ever made such a library!!!


----------



## Wunderhorn (Feb 10, 2021)

A thunderbolt of bugfixes and improvements of existing libraries! Exciting!


----------



## Nate Johnson (Feb 10, 2021)

muziksculp said:


> Hi,
> 
> BDT at $119. is a bit tempting now. I wasn't sure I will use this library a lot when it was first released, but I'm re-evaluating it, especially at this price.
> 
> ...


Just buy it, you’ll love it. I use it all the time. Just keep in mind its a textural thing (which I obviously love)


----------



## Babe (Feb 10, 2021)

Spitfire signed Thor to an extended contract.


----------



## Nate Johnson (Feb 10, 2021)

Daniel James said:


> Gah dammit. I don't know why but I was hoping for some thunderbolt hardware thing, maybe a Spitfire Audio Interface. Could have been fun.
> 
> HZStrings at $479 is actually a pretty decent deal tho! Also eyeing up the British Drama Toolkit, anyone got an opinion on that one? Where are you finding yourself using it the most.
> 
> -DJ


Big time BDT user here - its all over my work. Like I just mentioned - its all about textures. I’m not sure what ground you usually cover, but its quiet and contemplative.


----------



## Nate Johnson (Feb 10, 2021)

thecomposer10 said:


> Can any current owners speak to LCO strings? I've got a scoring gig coming up that's a noir comedy that takes place in a funhouse filled with surreal characters, and I'm thinking the detuned sounds may be the perfect addition to my arsenal, and not really possible to capture with anything else. I've also heard, however, that the library is limited in what it can do.


I’d say it’d be pretty handy to have in the tool kit. Not only does it have the unique articulations, the longs and shorts of each section sound incredible.


----------



## muziksculp (Feb 10, 2021)

Nate Johnson said:


> Just buy it, you’ll love it. I use it all the time. Just keep in mind its a textural thing (which I obviously love)


Thanks. I will think about it if it goes on Sale tomorrow.


----------



## Nate Johnson (Feb 10, 2021)

Oh for christ’s sake, I’ve been responding to posts from 2019. Time for bed, Nate.


----------



## MusiquedeReve (Feb 10, 2021)

MaxOctane said:


> Flash sale on 6 items:
> * Hans Zimmer Strings
> * British Drama Toolkit
> * LCO Strings
> ...


and Eric Whitacre Choir (I can dream, right?)

Edit: Just realized I was replying to a 2019 post
Oh well, my statement stands


----------



## Michel Simons (Feb 10, 2021)

Nate Johnson said:


> Oh for christ’s sake, I’ve been responding to posts from 2019. Time for bed, Nate.


And there I was thinking where all the posts had gone you were replying to.


----------



## VSriHarsha (Feb 10, 2021)

dzilizzi said:


> It would not be unusual for Spitfire to put AR1 back to the release price (not the presale price) when the new extensions come out. It would fit with the price dropping when BBCSO Core and Discovery came out.


Yea, I saw that. The extensions really coming this month?

I always wanted to know but the Sparkling Woodwinds will have all the sections or just solos?

They didn’t talk about this at the time of launching, did they ?


----------



## LynxUK (Feb 10, 2021)

Oh well, I had less than 2 months to recover my credit score before another sale hits...and I failed abysmally, by the looks of things.
I was really planning to hold off for Chris Hein Solo Strings and/or Audiobro MSS release and weigh up what was needed first, but I'll know what will happen. I'll browse the sale, something will grab my attention and next thing you know, sale confirmation text from my CC company: "Did you make a purchase of $xxxxx from Spitfire Audio blah, blah, blah....". Yep. I did. AGAIN!


----------



## dzilizzi (Feb 10, 2021)

VSriHarsha said:


> Yea, I saw that. The extensions really coming this month?
> 
> I always wanted to know but the Sparkling Woodwinds will have all the sections or just solos?
> 
> They didn’t talk about this at the time of launching, did they ?


Yup. Paul did a quick walkthrough on both a while ago which sold me on the winds. The other sounded good also, but I have so much low rumble things, they don’t get me that excited.


----------



## mussnig (Feb 10, 2021)

dzilizzi said:


> Yup. Paul did a quick walkthrough on both a while ago which sold me on the winds. The other sounded good also, but I have so much low rumble things, they don’t get me that excited.


So I am now pretty (99%) sure today's sale will include Chamber Strings, Albion Tundra and LCO Strings.

Source: Dude, trust me*


*jk: I have an EDU discount for pretty much everything on my Wishlist and just saw that the discount has been deactivated for those - usually only happens before a sale.


----------



## Nadav (Feb 10, 2021)

mussnig said:


> So I am now pretty (99%) sure today's sale will include Chamber Strings, Albion Tundra and LCO Strings.
> 
> Source: Dude, trust me*
> 
> ...


Nice catch. You can already see the sale banner on the Chamber Strings page with the products in the collection.


----------



## Bereckis (Feb 11, 2021)

How many string libraries do you actually need from Spitfire? I already have BBCO Pro, AB1, all Originals and Swarm ...

Which is still really worth it?


----------



## mussnig (Feb 11, 2021)

Bereckis said:


> How many string libraries do you actually need from Spitfire? I already have BBCO Pro, AB1, all Originals and Swarm ...
> 
> Which is still really worth it?


I am by no means an expert for String libraries but Chamber Strings is a favorite of many people for sure. Also Tundra has some really nice articulations and textures and a very special sound because of the sections sizes (but this is for sure not a bread-and-butter library). I personally very much enjoy Studio Strings Pro (but opinions are a bit more divided on that one): While it doesn't offer the most flexible Legatos (basically just two types of transitions without any additional speed-controls) and some people are not fond of the room (others however find the room with the choice of Mics to be very flexible), it does offer really a lot of different articulations and also divisi (although with a limited set of articulations). In my opinion it's a very good all-around library but probably not the best one for any specific task.


----------



## Frederick (Feb 11, 2021)

Last night when I looked at last year's Thunderbolt sale, I ended up hoping that LCO Strings and Alternative Solo strings would be part of the collection and for the remainder stuff I already own. Considering I already have Chamber Strings Pro, Studio Strings Pro and Tundra... This is starting to look very good!!

Edit: It looks like I can get the LCO Strings and Alternative Solo Strings in the collection for 281.80 Euro. Studio Strings (not pro) has to be the sixth item then.


----------



## CT (Feb 11, 2021)

Ha ha cool a sale on things I already own only. Something something u suck spitfire.


----------



## Nadav (Feb 11, 2021)

Bereckis said:


> How many string libraries do you actually need from Spitfire? I already have BBCO Pro, AB1, all Originals and Swarm ...
> 
> Which is still really worth it?


I think you're covered. This is a sale for products that don't sell as well now that BBCSO, ARO and other companies new libraries are out there. They're still good libraries of course if you want to add variety.


----------



## mussnig (Feb 11, 2021)

https://www.spitfireaudio.com/shop/a-z/thunderbolt-collection/


----------



## Simon Lee (Feb 11, 2021)

I need help! Not sure what to do. Do I upgrade my studio strings to professional or get chamber strings? I also own BBC core.


----------



## CT (Feb 11, 2021)

Chamber Strings.


----------



## from_theashes (Feb 11, 2021)

mussnig said:


> https://www.spitfireaudio.com/shop/a-z/thunderbolt-collection/


Good thing with this deal: when not buying the bundle (too expensive for me), the individual libraries are „just“ 40% off like on black friday... so no deal I HAVE TO jump on now. My wallet is safe^^


----------



## mussnig (Feb 11, 2021)

from_theashes said:


> Good thing with this deal: when not buying the bundle (too expensive for me), the individual libraries are „just“ 40% off like on black friday... so no deal I HAVE TO jump on now. My wallet is safe^^


I think BF was mostly -30%, or not? Christmas was -40% though ...


----------



## from_theashes (Feb 11, 2021)

mussnig said:


> I think BF was mostly -30%, or not? Christmas was -40% though ...


Yeah, right... Christmas was the -40%-one.


----------



## stanthemanNL (Feb 11, 2021)

Is Albion Tundra worth it if you already have Albion Neo and BBC SO?


----------



## Alex Fraser (Feb 11, 2021)

Nadav said:


> I think you're covered. This is a sale for products that don't sell as well now that BBCSO, ARO and other companies new libraries are out there. They're still good libraries of course if you want to add variety.


Telling, 'aint it. I'd love to see the sales figures for Spitfire's lineup. There was an interesting Studio Brass update last week which went almost ignored whilst the BBCSO thread marches on to 500 pages.
I wonder if that's reflected in Spitfire's spreadsheets?


----------



## DimensionsTomorrow (Feb 11, 2021)

They got me. LCO Strings and ASS to compliment Studio Orchestra Pro/BHCT. (Thanks to @Nate Johnson for tipping me off that LCO Strings works well with BHCT). 

Those are really all the libraries I’m interested in from Spitfire at the moment, so figured I’d just get them and be done with it. (Until they release that James Bond Thunderball library discussed above, haha).

Now just holding out for Jade to go on sale. My wallet hopes it doesn’t (but I hope it does).


----------



## StillLife (Feb 11, 2021)

Well, I guess you know you've bought too much Spitfire in recent years when it's the second sale in a short timespan where you already own everything in the most profitable bundle...


----------



## callen1685 (Feb 11, 2021)

Brian Nowak said:


> But a few of the pieces in Berlin are pretty bad (Celeste has truly terrible noise and some weird sample behavior as well as no spot or close mic, for example).


I definitely agree with you on the celeste. Not really a fan of the glock either. Everything else is pretty solid though.


----------



## AMBi (Feb 11, 2021)

To anyone who owns it how is Spitfire Studio Strings core? 
I’m really tempted since I’ve always been wanted something more chamber sized and that’s a really nice price


----------



## givemenoughrope (Feb 11, 2021)

It's...a sale? Why can't they just call it a sale?


----------



## Alex Fraser (Feb 11, 2021)

AMBi said:


> To anyone who owns it how is Spitfire Studio Strings core?
> I’m really tempted since I’ve always been wanted something more chamber sized and that’s a really nice price


It's really nice for the price. Lots of articulations and options. I use it for all sorts.
It's not the deepest of sampled libraries though - the legato is limited compared to more recent Spitfire offerings. You'll find a ton of threads on "the sound" but that part is entirely up to you.

Here's a good overview that sold a number of forum folk on the library:


----------



## Consona (Feb 11, 2021)

Nate Johnson said:


> Money could not leave my wallet faster if they ever made such a library!!!


Some of these libraries would be just a gimmick though. I get Herrmann used weird stuff like a bunch of flutes together worth sampling, but I don't know what would be in Barry or Williams or whatever toolkit.


----------



## mussnig (Feb 11, 2021)

AMBi said:


> To anyone who owns it how is Spitfire Studio Strings core?
> I’m really tempted since I’ve always been wanted something more chamber sized and that’s a really nice price


I have Core and upgraded to Pro after ~5 months. As others have mentioned, it will obviously not have the same sound as something recorded in a large hall - although a good reverb and a bit of EQing can work wonders if you still want to get a larger sound from it.

However, this also has advantages - check out this video from Paul Thomson (but for this application the Pro edition might be more suited):


----------



## Bereckis (Feb 11, 2021)

jazzman7 said:


> Abbey Road One. The journey continues Feb 18th. Sparkling woodwinds and Legendary Low Strings. I bought in on the intro special so one will be free for me. Since I jumped in on the AR bandwagon I will prob pick up the other as well. In for a penny, in for a pound


Does anyone know what a supplement will cost? Back then Spitfire had named a price ...
Thank you.


----------



## yiph2 (Feb 11, 2021)

Bereckis said:


> Does anyone know what a supplement will cost? Back then Spitfire had named a price ...
> Thank you.


$49


----------



## Bereckis (Feb 11, 2021)

yiph2 said:


> $49


Thank you! Now I remember.

Then I can think about tundra ...


----------



## from_theashes (Feb 11, 2021)

AMBi said:


> To anyone who owns it how is Spitfire Studio Strings core?
> I’m really tempted since I’ve always been wanted something more chamber sized and that’s a really nice price


I really like it and upgraded to Pro after 5 months. I love layering it with Albion One for more precision and bite. But even on its own it sounds really good! The additional mics and divisi in the pro version are worth the upgrade.


----------



## easyrider (Feb 11, 2021)

Alternative Strings for me is £108....Might bite...56.5% off


----------



## mikrokosmiko (Feb 11, 2021)

from_theashes said:


> I really like it and upgraded to Pro after 5 months. I love layering it with Albion One for more precision and bite. But even on its own it sounds really good! The additional mics and divisi in the pro version are worth the upgrade.


I was going to write exactly that


----------



## Nadav (Feb 11, 2021)

Was hoping for Eric Whitacre. I guess I get to keep my money.


----------



## Luka (Feb 11, 2021)

Nadav said:


> Was hoping for Eric Whitacre. I guess I get to keep my money.


You missed its sale on Black Friday? Personally that's when I got it…


----------



## Nadav (Feb 11, 2021)

Luka said:


> You missed its sale on Black Friday? Personally that's when I got it…


Missed it. How deep was the sale?


----------



## Luka (Feb 11, 2021)

Nadav said:


> Missed it. How deep was the sale?








But it was part of a bundle so I don't know how much it would have been alone.


----------



## Nadav (Feb 11, 2021)

Luka said:


> But it was part of a bundle so I don't know how much it would have been alone.


Nice. How would you rate it so far compared with other choir libraries?


----------



## Luka (Feb 11, 2021)

Nadav said:


> Nice. How would you rate it so far compared with other choir libraries?


I actually haven't even used it much yet 😮 So I'm probably not the best person to answer that question haha


----------



## Rory (Feb 11, 2021)

Nadav said:


> Missed it. How deep was the sale?



I saved certain of the Black Friday pages as web archives. Whitacre:


----------



## Marsen (Feb 11, 2021)

AMBi said:


> To anyone who owns it how is Spitfire Studio Strings core?
> I’m really tempted since I’ve always been wanted something more chamber sized and that’s a really nice price


I own the pro version. 
The sound in combination with a good reverb is really convincing.
I think it´s totally worth it, and I do have Chamber Strings and Symphonic Strings.
But it´s not always the "Big Screen Sound" people like to have.

The only downside I see, is the one (Tree) Mic-position in the core version, because the room isn´t that dry and it´s great to have some close mics added, or using one of the stereo mixes, which I really like.


----------



## Synetos (Feb 11, 2021)

So this is just a sale? No new products?


----------



## Nadav (Feb 11, 2021)

Rory said:


> I saved certain of the Black Friday pages as web archives. Whitacre:


Haha smart. That's 40%, I'll catch it next time.


----------



## Aldunate (Feb 11, 2021)

I need Divisi Strings. I don't now to go for SA Studio Pro now or wait for the Sonokinetic offer.


----------



## Jeremy Spencer (Feb 11, 2021)

Aldunate said:


> I need Divisi Strings. I don't now to go for SA Studio Pro now or wait for the Sonokinetic offer.


Sonokinetic has Divisi strings?


----------



## Rory (Feb 11, 2021)

Nadav said:


> Haha smart. That's 40%, I'll catch it next time.


Yes, most of the libraries were discounted 40%. Also, it was the Christmas sale, not Black Friday, for which discounts were less:


----------



## dzilizzi (Feb 11, 2021)

Bereckis said:


> How many string libraries do you actually need from Spitfire? I already have BBCO Pro, AB1, all Originals and Swarm ...


At least 12.


----------



## Aldunate (Feb 11, 2021)

Jeremy Spencer said:


> Sonokinetic has Divisi strings?


Coming in April, don't know the details.


----------



## dzilizzi (Feb 11, 2021)

StillLife said:


> Well, I guess you know you've bought too much Spitfire in recent years when it's the second sale in a short timespan where you already own everything in the most profitable bundle...


I resemble that remark! 

I get to not spend again. Sometimes I really like these sales.


----------



## dzilizzi (Feb 11, 2021)

Synetos said:


> So this is just a sale? No new products?


New stuff is next Thursday.


----------



## Jeremy Spencer (Feb 11, 2021)

Aldunate said:


> Coming in April, don't know the details.


Interesting! Looking forward to that.


----------



## Aldunate (Feb 11, 2021)

Jeremy Spencer said:


> Interesting! Looking forward to that.


Yes, I know. I hope its not Auto Divisi though.


----------



## VSriHarsha (Feb 11, 2021)

dzilizzi said:


> Yup. Paul did a quick walkthrough on both a while ago which sold me on the winds. The other sounded good also, but I have so much low rumble things, they don’t get me that excited.


Thanks @dzilizzi.


----------



## Pier (Feb 11, 2021)

Seriously tempted by Alternative Solo Strings. Love the sound. Reminds me of There Will Be Blood by Johnny Greenwood type of thing.

I was also considering OT Amber but with the discount I think these are better. No vibrato controls I think?


----------



## Nate Johnson (Feb 11, 2021)

Pier said:


> Seriously tempted by Alternative Solo Strings. Love the sound. Reminds me of There Will Be Blood by Johnny Greenwood type of thing.
> 
> I was also considering OT Amber but with the discount I think these are better. No vibrato controls I think?


Definitely buy Alt Solo Strings (yikes, I almost abbreviated that!) you’ll love it. Definitely hits that There Will Be Blood vibe.


----------



## Nate Johnson (Feb 11, 2021)

And again, Tundra tempts me. It’d be nice to add to my weird orchestra textures collection....

but there’s a list of things I actually want (waiting for sales to appear).


----------



## Ned Bouhalassa (Feb 11, 2021)

Time for me to get the Studio Strings!


----------



## jbuhler (Feb 11, 2021)

Pier said:


> Seriously tempted by Alternative Solo Strings. Love the sound. Reminds me of There Will Be Blood by Johnny Greenwood type of thing.
> 
> I was also considering OT Amber but with the discount I think these are better. No vibrato controls I think?


Many dislike the legato, but I think they work fine for what AltSS has to offer. But it’s not a pretty legato for the most part, and you only get legato for rather violin and cello. I generally prefer AltSS to Amber, though it’s nice to have both. AltSS also works well as section leaders for LCO.


----------



## Lazer42 (Feb 11, 2021)

Marsen said:


> I own the pro version.
> The sound in combination with a good reverb is really convincing.
> I think it´s totally worth it, and I do have Chamber Strings and Symphonic Strings.
> But it´s not always the "Big Screen Sound" people like to have.
> ...


Given the choice between the two, how would you decide between Studio and Chamber strings?


----------



## TintoL (Feb 11, 2021)

Lazer42 said:


> Given the choice between the two, how would you decide between Studio and Chamber strings?


IMHO, Chamber strings without hesitation. The scripting in the fast legatos is really good. And the close sound and smaller section still feels way better in chamber strings. I find is a more solid overall package.


----------



## Sarah Mancuso (Feb 11, 2021)

Chamber Strings is definitely the one to go for, assuming you like the sound of it. It's crazy versatile and comprehensive.


----------



## Evans (Feb 11, 2021)

It's a weird feeling when you don't need a library because you have plenty of alternatives, but still feel jealous of people who have it. Chamber Strings is that one for me. Been looking at it for _years_.


----------



## AMBi (Feb 11, 2021)

Thanks for the responses everyone!
Had a feeling the Pro version would be the best bet but don’t have a spare 200GB at the moment so I think I’ll wait it out for now. 
Listening to the walkthroughs and videos you sent and the extra mics seem to make all the difference for the more intimate sound I was looking for.

Hmmm might opt for Chamber Strings since the price difference isn't too far off from Studio Pro whenever its on sale next time.


----------



## Pier (Feb 11, 2021)

jbuhler said:


> Many dislike the legato, but I think they work fine for what AltSS has to offer. But it’s not a pretty legato for the most part, and you only get legato for rather violin and cello. I generally prefer AltSS to Amber, though it’s nice to have both. AltSS also works well as section leaders for LCO.


I'm leaning towards Spitfire because I'd prefer to avoid the Sine Player tbh.

With the Alternative SS I'd get the double bass which Amber lacks.

I think Amber has more articulations and better legato/vibrato controls?

In terms of sound I like both. I don't want to write quartet pieces but combine solo strings with synths and do some sound design.


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## dzilizzi (Feb 11, 2021)

AMBi said:


> Thanks for the responses everyone!
> Had a feeling the Pro version would be the best bet but don’t have a spare 200GB at the moment so I think I’ll wait it out for now.
> Listening to the walkthroughs and videos you sent and the extra mics seem to make all the difference for the more intimate sound I was looking for.
> 
> Hmmm might opt for Chamber Strings since the price difference isn't too far off from Studio Pro whenever its on sale next time.


Pretty much always at Christmas. The rest of the year the sales are either smaller or specific items only, like this one.


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## Sarah Mancuso (Feb 11, 2021)

dzilizzi said:


> Pretty much always at Christmas. The rest of the year the sales are either smaller or specific items only, like this one.


There's also generally a 40% off spring sale on everything, the same amount as the Christmas sale.


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## Brasart (Feb 11, 2021)

Evans said:


> It's a weird feeling when you don't need a library because you have plenty of alternatives, but still feel jealous of people who have it. Chamber Strings is that one for me. Been looking at it for _years_.


Same here


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## gbrady2021 (Feb 11, 2021)

Does anyone have Tundra? Obviously seems like an absurdly beautiful sound, just wondering how much use I'd get out of it. Would it work with plugins like LCO Textures/SSEvo?


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## Daniel James (Feb 11, 2021)

Evans said:


> It's a weird feeling when you don't need a library because you have plenty of alternatives, but still feel jealous of people who have it. Chamber Strings is that one for me. Been looking at it for _years_.


You can definitely do all these things yourself. And speaking as someone who owns...a few...libraries by this point, it is also definitely 'the grass is greener on the otherside' emotions. So unless you need the sounds or it does something you want that your don't already have, hold for a decent price that you can justify.

Unless of course you are someone like me, who can work super quick but 99% of my job is getting my brain to wake up and in the right space...sometimes the novelty of new sounds will do that for me. More often an inspiring UI or feature will work best, gives my brain that sense of exploration and discovery all while being creative.

Just comes down to what you need in order to get your work done...and what you can justify to yourself _(and wife)_


-DJ


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## StillLife (Feb 11, 2021)

Lazer42 said:


> Given the choice between the two, how would you decide between Studio and Chamber strings?


I get why Chamber Strings is so many people's desert Island string library: it is silky, has tons of articulations, and those shorts! Still, I myself use the Studio Strings pro more. The divisi, that second close mic in the divisi sections make it possible to get a more intimate, drier sound, which suits my music just a bit better than SCS. But I will find use for the latter too. In sum: both great libraries: it depends on the sound you are after which you'll like the most. How's that for advice...


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## AudioLoco (Feb 11, 2021)

Nate Johnson said:


> Definitely buy Alt Solo Strings (yikes, I almost abbreviated that!) you’ll love it. Definitely hits that There Will Be Blood vibe.


Hey Nate, I have got the violin and cello I bought when they were released as "Artisan". 
How are the bass and viola? Worth to upgrade for those two in your opinion? 
Thanks!


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## AudioLoco (Feb 11, 2021)

I finally took the plunge on Chamber Strings last BF. Can't be happier.
It is a really good library and a true workhorse.
Recommended....


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## Korpinen (Feb 11, 2021)

gbrady2021 said:


> Does anyone have Tundra? Obviously seems like an absurdly beautiful sound, just wondering how much use I'd get out of it. Would it work with plugins like LCO Textures/SSEvo?


I’m thinking of Tundra as well. However, I hesitate because I already have both of the Olafur Arnalds Evolutions (as well as Chamber Strings) for some really nice textures and gorgeous flautandos...


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## Bereckis (Feb 11, 2021)

Luka said:


> But it was part of a bundle so I don't know how much it would have been alone.


I had bought there too.


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## Nate Johnson (Feb 11, 2021)

AudioLoco said:


> Hey Nate, I have got the violin and cello I bought when they were released as "Artisan".
> How are the bass and viola? Worth to upgrade for those two in your opinion?
> Thanks!


Oh I guess all I’ve really played with is the cello so far. But I’ve been enjoying it so much, that I’m sure the rest of strings are equally awesome!


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## Evans (Feb 11, 2021)

Is it known at what time of day each of these deals are expected to end?


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## easyrider (Feb 11, 2021)

Just bought Alternative Solo Strings for £108 😎


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## Bereckis (Feb 11, 2021)

Now I've bought Chamber Strings because it seems like a solid string library. Still, I have the feeling that I'm starting to collect what I don't really want.


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## Pier (Feb 11, 2021)

easyrider said:


> Just bought Alternative Solo Strings for £108 😎


Me too.

I will be the next Olafur Arnalds.

(I wish!)


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## kgdrum (Feb 11, 2021)

Bereckis said:


> Now I've bought Chamber Strings because it seems like a solid string library. Still, I have the feeling that I'm starting to collect what I don't really want.


Welcome to VI-C 👍


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## Marsen (Feb 11, 2021)

easyrider said:


> Just bought Alternative Solo Strings for £108 😎


How do you get this price? Completing an collection?


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## jazzman7 (Feb 11, 2021)

Tempted by Alt SoloStrings. The sound was wonderful in the demo's but the legato's.... kinda gave me pause. Any experiences/opinions?


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## easyrider (Feb 11, 2021)

Marsen said:


> How do you get this price? Completing an collection?


Yeah...just added the Thunderbolt collection to my basket...😀


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## Marsen (Feb 11, 2021)

easyrider said:


> Yeah...just added the Thunderbolt collection to my basket...😀


And ASS...oh this sounds rude..., was the only lib you did not own?


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## easyrider (Feb 11, 2021)

Marsen said:


> And ASS...oh this sounds rude..., was the only lib you did not own?


Yeah have all the rest....on its own it was £149...then I went into the collection and saw the price of £108 so nabbed it...Downloading it now 😎


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## Marsen (Feb 11, 2021)

Thanks, this is a nice price.


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## Mannix (Feb 11, 2021)

Thunderbolt .. they are announcing they are now part of Apple and all their libraries will be included in the next Logic update!!


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## kgdrum (Feb 11, 2021)

Marsen said:


> And ASS...oh this sounds rude..., was the only lib you did not own?


Excuse me but I love ASS! 😘


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## jtnyc (Feb 11, 2021)

jazzman7 said:


> Tempted by Alt SoloStrings. The sound was wonderful in the demo's but the legato's.... kinda gave me pause. Any experiences/opinions?


I have the cello and the violin. Nice longs and shorts. Dry, gritty and textural. The legatos are very unappealing to me. Not very playable. The vibrato comes out of nowhere and is immediately full tilt. Pretty manic sounding. I have the same, but to a lesser extent, issue with the vibratos in their solo strings. I do like solo strings very much, but I wish the vibrato wasn't so immediate and intense. 

Like I said, the shorts and longs are nice in Alt. If your looking for some dryer, grittier tones for texture and layering, you might like them, but it's not a comprehensive solo library IMO.


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## AMBi (Feb 11, 2021)

AMBi said:


> Thanks for the responses everyone!
> Had a feeling the Pro version would be the best bet but don’t have a spare 200GB at the moment so I think I’ll wait it out for now.
> Listening to the walkthroughs and videos you sent and the extra mics seem to make all the difference for the more intimate sound I was looking for.
> 
> Hmmm might opt for Chamber Strings since the price difference isn't too far off from Studio Pro whenever its on sale next time.


.......ok I caved and went for the core version of Studio Strings and I'm honestly very happy with it, especially loving the sordinos

Turns out a dry sound is exactly what I've been looking for for quite some time but didn't entirely realize / know what I was looking for until now. 

Picked up Tundra too and I can see these working really well together


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## onfireee (Feb 12, 2021)

Okay random question. I've seen videos of people using Spitfire Chamber strings for 70's disco sounding strings, but I don't think I can justify that big of a purchase. I see Spitfire Studio Strings also has falls too though. Anyone use them for a retro disco feel? Are the Studio Strings worth it?


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## NYC Composer (Feb 12, 2021)

Bereckis said:


> Now I've bought Chamber Strings because it seems like a solid string library. Still, I have the feeling that I'm starting to collect what I don't really want.


I know that feeling, but just load up the ensemble patch and play through the shorts. They're just exceptional. I find many uses just for that patch.


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## Bereckis (Feb 12, 2021)

NYC Composer said:


> I know that feeling, but just load up the ensemble patch and play through the shorts. They're just exceptional. I find many uses just for that patch.


The ensembles have also been the reason to invest in Chamber Strings.

I was able to test it out last night. Great!

In the first comparison, I find the individual instruments in the BBCO Pro more full of character, but I haven't completely figured out CS yet.

Unfortunately, there are no ensembles in the BBCO Pro, so I had already got involved with AR1. The ensemble is great, but it's the entire orchestra.

The boys and girls from Spitfire are very adept at presenting and selling their good but also high-priced products.


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## DimensionsTomorrow (Feb 12, 2021)

Finally got to play around with LCO Strings and AltSS. Both exceed my expectations. Super happy with these.


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## Shad0wLandsUK (Feb 12, 2021)

jazzman7 said:


> Tempted by Alt SoloStrings. The sound was wonderful in the demo's but the legato's.... kinda gave me pause. Any experiences/opinions?


Yes I really like them. I like to use instruemnts for sound design as well though, so the more nuanced the better


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## Zedcars (Feb 12, 2021)

But...wouldn’t I save a lot more if I didn’t complete my collection? 🤔


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## Justin L. Franks (Feb 16, 2022)

2022's Thunderbolt is coming tomorrow!

7 products included.


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## Evans (Feb 16, 2022)

Oh, god, please start a new topic!


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## BasariStudios (Feb 16, 2022)

Is it TB3 or TB4?


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## Justin L. Franks (Feb 16, 2022)

Evans said:


> Oh, god, please start a new topic!


Done.





__





(sale now ended) Spitfire 2022 Thunderbolt sale: 7 products included, starts tomorrow 02/17


Spitfire Audio is having their annual Thunderbolt sale. Typically this is 40% off on a number of products, and a further discount for all of them in a bundle. Seven products are included this year. Starts tomorrow, Feb. 17th @ 10:00 GMT The collection link will most likely be...



vi-control.net





Post there please, people.


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