# Solos of the Sea Violin B!



## yiph2 (Sep 6, 2020)

Solos of the Sea – Solo Violin B – Performance Samples







www.performancesamples.com




Only $40 :emoji_astonished:


----------



## Geocranium (Sep 6, 2020)

This is a no-brainer at that intro price right? It's gotta be.


----------



## Montisquirrel (Sep 6, 2020)

yiph2 said:


> Solos of the Sea – Solo Violin B – Performance Samples
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Even better....it's 39$


----------



## Eptesicus (Sep 7, 2020)

That's a really tempting intro price.


----------



## ScarletJerry (Sep 7, 2020)

I already have the Joshua Bell, so I do I need this as well? It does have a distinctive sound and the price is very tempting!

Scarlet Jerry


----------



## MA-Simon (Sep 7, 2020)

I am going to have to pass on this one. Legato and sound is great though!

But:
"This library explores a fairly specific sound"
I have no problem with niche libraries. But with this one I just can't really pin down which specific sound it is going after. It sounds good, but I don't get the same unique type of character which would set it apart from others. Might just be the demos.
What I do get from the demos though, is that these do suffer from beeing played in ff only. For me it is missing a medium layer. It's very agile and such, but 30 seconds of pure ff is to much for me to use in any way.


----------



## doctoremmet (Sep 7, 2020)

ScarletJerry said:


> I already have the Joshua Bell, so I do I need this as well? It does have a distinctive sound and the price is very tempting!
> 
> Scarlet Jerry


I seriously doubt you do Jerry. With the Joshua Bell you can play in a much broader dynamic range IMHO. Unless you actually miss a solo violin for this particular ff use case, I’d not be tempted to add it just because of an admittedly pretty affordable intro price...


----------



## ka00 (Sep 7, 2020)

I haven't bought it, but this exposed playing demo sounds so good to me. I could see myself using this library where appropriate, despite it's limitations. I might still want to hear some early reports or demos though.


----------



## lettucehat (Sep 7, 2020)

I think it's great (already own it). Personally I don't think any solo strings are very convincing unless used very selectively, and the Joshua Bell, though amazing, is a lot to pay for me considering I rarely need a truly featured violin soloist making use of all those articulations and options. And if a project or track is going to lean heavily on solo violin I'd prefer to go with a real musician because the Bell violin still isn't totally there. Violin is just one of those instruments. But that's me.

This instrument is pretty perfect for someone in my situation - a really outstanding, colorful, expressive legato that can nail exactly what it's going for (a common trend with Performance Samples), at a great price for an instrument that will come in handy now and then. Also, you can make a nice little section by adding two more instances and transposing.


----------



## Jkist (Sep 7, 2020)

Beautiful instrument. Really captures that romantic, longing sound. Can't beat that price. I would rather have several niche VSTis that do one thing really amazing, than one VSTi that does everything kinda ok. This is definitely the former. I have been waiting for Joshua Bell Violin to go on sale, but this helps to scratch that itch until then lol


----------



## jaketanner (Sep 7, 2020)

MA-Simon said:


> I am going to have to pass on this one. Legato and sound is great though!


Same here...I don't really do many. FF solo violin passages.


----------



## Hendrixon (Sep 7, 2020)

How A and B compare?


----------



## Henu (Sep 7, 2020)

Jkist said:


> Really captures that romantic, longing sound.



Completely agree. This is _exactly_ the sound I love, and I'm going to buy this at this goddamn instant.


----------



## jaketanner (Sep 7, 2020)

Hendrixon said:


> How A and B compare?


If B takes over where A left off then I can see this working. But I think they’re different sounds altogether. Like the free version was also different but very usable on its own.


----------



## tf-drone (Sep 7, 2020)

My 2c: too much vibrato for my taste and needs...
But it does have a characteristic sound, probably quite powerful in the right mix


----------



## Cheezus (Sep 7, 2020)

I'll echo the common sentiment that this sounds perfect for very specific romantic/passionate moments but if you don't write stuff like that it's not a must-buy.


----------



## Geoff Grace (Sep 7, 2020)

It sure seems that Waves got it right when they established a $29 sale price point. I see people in forums all over the 'net willing to take a chance on a $29 dollar item, but hesitating at $39.

Best,

Geoff


----------



## Jkist (Sep 7, 2020)

Geoff Grace said:


> It sure seems that Waves got it right when they established a $29 sale price point. I see people in forums all over the 'net willing to take a chance on a $29 dollar item, but hesitating at $39.
> 
> Best,
> 
> Geoff



I always associate this subconscious price limit with dinner or a movie. We're pretty willing to spend $30 to go see a movie and get some popcorn, or $30 to take the SO somewhere nice for dinner. Much beyond that, and it starts "feeling" expensive.

I see a lot of people justify purchases this way (myself included). "Oh, I spend more than that on dinner somedays!". At $40, the price is still right for me though.

Especially when you look at the Solo A, which is priced $100 higher than this one. Meaning we might be getting $100 off the official price for buying early, which is pretty sweet.


----------



## ka00 (Sep 7, 2020)

Geoff Grace said:


> It sure seems that Waves got it right when they established a $29 sale price point. I see people in forums all over the 'net willing to take a chance on a $29 dollar item, but hesitating at $39.
> 
> Best,
> 
> Geoff



So far, I don't think anyone in this thread has complained about the price. The whole notion of "no-brainers" is just addicts enabling each other, in my opinion. I mean no offence of course, Geoff.


----------



## Geoff Grace (Sep 7, 2020)

ka00 said:


> So far, I don't think anyone in this thread has complained about the price. The whole notion of "no-brainers" is just addicts enabling each other, in my opinion. I mean no offence of course, Geoff.


No offense taken at all, *ka00*.

It's just a general observation from my subjective perspective, from which this thread is but a small sample. I also believe it's more of a subconscious factor than a conscious one.

Best,

Geoff


----------



## Geoff Grace (Sep 7, 2020)

Jkist said:


> I always associate this subconscious price limit with dinner or a movie. We're pretty willing to spend $30 to go see a movie and get some popcorn, or $30 to take the SO somewhere nice for dinner. Much beyond that, and it starts "feeling" expensive.
> 
> I see a lot of people justify purchases this way (myself included). "Oh, I spend more than that on dinner somedays!". At $40, the price is still right for me though.



I agree that dinner and/or a movie is a common reference for a disposable expense. Most of us are used to spending that amount casually. I have no problem with the $39 price point in this case either.



Jkist said:


> Especially when you look at the Solo A, which is priced $100 higher than this one. Meaning we might be getting $100 off the official price for buying early, which is pretty sweet.


Agreed.

Best,

Geoff


----------



## ism (Sep 7, 2020)

Amazing instrument. Very niche, but that‘s the ‘not for purists‘ ethos of PS - forcus on absolutely nailing the expressiveness within a small range of expressiveness. A sacrifice of breadth, but a breathtaking payoff in depth.


----------



## Snarf (Sep 7, 2020)

MA-Simon said:


> But:
> "This library explores a fairly specific sound"
> I have no problem with niche libraries. But with this one I just can't really pin down which specific sound it is going after. It sounds good, but I don't get the same unique type of character which would set it apart from others. Might just be the demos.
> What I do get from the demos though, is that these do suffer from beeing played in ff only. For me it is missing a medium layer. It's very agile and such, but 30 seconds of pure ff is to much for me to use in any way.



Please read the library description beyond that first sentence!


----------



## Aaron Sapp (Sep 7, 2020)

Exceptional instrument. The programming/timbre-matching (with both slurs and portamentos) is absolutely flawless - really a thing to behold. Well done, Jasper!


----------



## ka00 (Sep 7, 2020)

ism said:


> Amazing instrument. Very niche, but that‘s the ‘not for purists‘ ethos of PS - forcus on absolutely nailing the expressiveness within a small range of expressiveness. A sacrifice of breadth, but a breathtaking payoff in depth.



Yeah, I'm of the same mindset now and going forward. I don't need any more Swiss Army knife sample libraries. I need ones that excel at their one thing. Just purchased.


----------



## artinro (Sep 7, 2020)

Superb instrument. Absolutely no brainer at $40.


----------



## Blakus (Sep 7, 2020)

Wtf JB. $39... we need to talk. 
Legendary.


----------



## Werty (Sep 7, 2020)

sounds great, defo a bargain. For the fast passages it suffers the same "chorus" effect problem you can hear in most vst. You can hear it here, between 0:17 and 0:19


----------



## muziksculp (Sep 7, 2020)

Sounds wonderful, but very niche, at $39. it's a great value. 

Hmmm... Now here comes the difficult part. 

Do I need it ? I don't know  I still have some time to decide.


----------



## Hendrixon (Sep 7, 2020)

Geoff Grace said:


> I have no problem with the $39 price point in this case either.



well I do.












* Cause I'm now $39 short...


----------



## Everratic (Sep 7, 2020)

I'm a proud owner of the Joshua Bell Violin, but hyper-expression is a rare area where I feel like I need to compose to the vi rather than compose however I want; I end using lots of different articulations to achieve the desired emotional impact when hyper-expressive legato would be ideal. This vi seems to be perfect for filling in that gap.


----------



## Lionel Schmitt (Sep 7, 2020)

It's specific but absolutely incredible! So much emotion and expressiveness in the samples. Insanely smooth transitions/intervals. I first though it was a glitch when I saw the price. 

Here is a fairly rough improv. Out of the box, no FX or verb. 



And here I played legato brass + strings and the solo violin in one take (made possible by the software Divismate) with almost no editing later on, so very rough but so inspiring to play with multies like this!


----------



## Bman70 (Sep 7, 2020)

Not a fan of "One dynamic layer (in the territory of ff)." 

Good intermediate sounding violin for certain things.. the unvarying vibrato and volume starts to irritate me after 20 seconds or so. Might be able to emulate sensitivity with some automation, but because it's at constant ff, even making it quieter would just sound like a loud fiddler moving further away. 

I'm trying to think of a use I could justify $39 for. Short passages in a cinematic piece? I'll definitely never buy it at $89.


----------



## lettucehat (Sep 7, 2020)

$39 is a no brainer when a developer knocks it out of the park every time and makes the limitations and strengths of the library clear (with its own separate section on the product page). I don't have many cases of buyer's remorse, but reading that thread about which samples people regret buying, it sounds like many developers could be more straightforward about the shortcomings of their products when they prefer to obscure them. Which they have the right to do of course.


----------



## Jkist (Sep 7, 2020)

I guess there are two extremes right? On the one hand, people release "loops", or pre-recorded passages and phrases that you can kind of piece together to make something unique. Its like somebody gave you words, and you put them together to make a sentence.

On the other hand, you have the libraries that try to meticulously give you complete control over everything to truly make it yours. They give you each letter of the alphabet, and even unique combinations of those letters, like CH, or SH. And then you can make your own words to form your own unique sentinces.

This library seems to be perfectly in the middle. Like the loops I mentioned in the first paragraph, this product is probably going to have a narrow usage case where it will work best. But I believe that for those usage cases, it will work brilliantly, to the point of being pretty much plug-and-play.

Also, I appreciate libraries that give you access to every little parameter, but those can also be overwhelming and therefore uninspiring until you really learn them. With a library like this, I can boot it up and start jamming ideas out, and it inspires me because they sound good effortlessly.

It really is a great tool and instrument. Thanks for sharing OP.


----------



## Johnny (Sep 7, 2020)

DarkestShadow said:


> It's specific but absolutely incredible! So much emotion and expressiveness in the samples. Insanely smooth transitions/intervals. I first though it was a glitch when I saw the price.
> 
> Here is a fairly rough improv. Out of the box, no FX or verb.
> 
> ...



Fantastic! This is exactly what I needed to hear! And a no brainer based off of your improv alone! Sounds just like a violin to me, played in a room/hall- prove me wrong internet : ) The tone is exquisite! The recording technique is standard classical, not too close, not too bright, perfect for blending, great detail for intimate writing  Sounds exactly how a violin should, no transition bumps and weird stereo imaging issues, no audible phasing because it is only one dynamic layer = sold!  Thank you for making this demo!


----------



## ism (Sep 7, 2020)

I wonder if anyone might share a demo / improv playing a lot more slowly ... is it good for slower passages?


----------



## Jkist (Sep 7, 2020)

ism said:


> I wonder if anyone might share a demo / improv playing a lot more slowly ... is it good for slower passages?




The legatos in this are just too good.


----------



## ism (Sep 8, 2020)

Jkist said:


> The legatos in this are just too good.





Thanks! Very nice. 

With longer sustains you do start to notice the single dynamics. But there are still some great things to be written with this I think .


----------



## Rob Elliott (Sep 8, 2020)

Nice Niche. Cost me a LOT more than $39 to bring a player over to play this vibe for one or two cues. Nice arrow in the quiver.


----------



## Gerbil (Sep 8, 2020)

Brilliant as always.


----------



## Rob Elliott (Sep 8, 2020)

Hey - does anyone know if the 'A' has been updated with some of the scripting of what was accomplished on 'B'? I don't see on their site an 'updated' section.


----------



## Johnny (Sep 8, 2020)

This Violin is sample gold for sure! Not clunky/bumpy and it sounds like a violin! Not Frankensteined notes of high quality recordings. To me, (My personal opinion) other contender libraries are just too bumby to sound convincing... Not to rag on this one, but just as a legato reference, have a quick listen to the user demo of Violin B posted on this thread, and then click this link to refresh your ears against a modern contender:


----------



## Mike Fox (Sep 8, 2020)

I'd be all over this if there was vibrato control, because that is some THICK vibrato!!! 

Aside from that, i think it sounds excellent!


----------



## Jkist (Sep 8, 2020)

Yes the vibrato is laid on a bit thick everywhere. Thats such a big part of a solo performance, is vibrato width and timing, so that is a bit unfortunate, but it is still definitely worth more than $40 to me :D


----------



## muziksculp (Sep 8, 2020)

Now if this was a Physically Modeled Violin, that can play a big variety of articulations, with this rich timbre, and had vibrato control I would pay $250. for it. But, at $39. sampled instruments, and limited functionality, it is still a great tool to have.


----------



## Casiquire (Sep 8, 2020)

Jkist said:


> On the other hand, you have the libraries that try to meticulously give you complete control over everything to truly make it yours. They give you each letter of the alphabet, and even unique combinations of those letters, like CH, or SH. And then you can make your own words to form your own unique sentinces.


I spent a truly embarrassing length of time thinking "I know who Chris Hein is, but who on earth is SH?"


----------



## Geoff Grace (Sep 8, 2020)

Casiquire said:


> who on earth is SH?"


I don't know, but I can tell you (s)he makes _very_ quiet music.

Best,

Geoff


----------



## chapbot (Sep 8, 2020)

"I'm gonna pass."

How on Earth can anybody pass up a $39 violin that sounds absolutely amazing? I bought it within 15 minutes of it being posted and it's like butter. I will find a place somewhere in a track somewhere for this violin without a doubt.


----------



## lettucehat (Sep 8, 2020)

chapbot said:


> "I'm gonna pass."
> 
> How on Earth can anybody pass up a $39 violin that sounds absolutely amazing? I bought it within 15 minutes of it being posted and it's like butter. I will find a place somewhere in a track somewhere for this violin without a doubt.



To be sure, a little bit of this kind of playing goes a long way, but is there anything better out there at this? Like I'm glad I have a bottle opener even though I probably open a bottle of wine every 2-3 months at best.


----------



## Bman70 (Sep 8, 2020)

chapbot said:


> "I'm gonna pass."
> 
> How on Earth can anybody pass up a $39 violin that sounds absolutely amazing? I bought it within 15 minutes of it being posted and it's like butter. I will find a place somewhere in a track somewhere for this violin without a doubt.



If I pass up a $39 instrument 3 times, I have ~$120 toward a library I really want. Also, weighed against a tool like a Waves plugin on sale, or Scaler 2 which I picked up for about $50, it becomes less compelling.

My main issue with this violin is that it sounds somewhat tone-deaf to be pounding away at a constant max volume. The violin, more than perhaps any instrument is incredibly dynamic. That's why I can only see a use for short passages where the "voice immodulation" doesn't become apparent. Still, it does certainly sound good on first glimpse. I'd buy it if they ever upgrade it for more dynamic layers, articulation choices and vibrato to taste.

As is, it seems more like a preview of "look what we could do if we tried." Well I'm convinced, they should do it, but this is just a sample!


----------



## Geoff Grace (Sep 8, 2020)

Both sides make sense to me. No product is for everyone.

Best,

Geoff


----------



## Sid Francis (Sep 8, 2020)

Although I have been a vibrato junkie for 30 years now and often been critisized for it this unchanging vibrato is annoying me also after about 20 seconds. A simple non-vib alternative with a keyswitch would have done... a pity...


----------



## MA-Simon (Sep 9, 2020)

DarkestShadow said:


> Here is a fairly rough improv. Out of the box, no FX or verb.


Thanks for this, I can get a much better idea here. Nice repetitions!


----------



## artinro (Sep 9, 2020)

Just wanted to followup to say I've already used the Solo B in a project and it just "worked" where none of my other solo violins quite did (and I have them all). For the $39 intro and even the $89 full price, it's completely worth having an additional class-A soloist in a superb hall with such excellent legato at your fingertips. Will it work for every single scenario that requires a solo violin? No, but will it work better than anything else when called for? Yes. No question.


----------



## Leo (Sep 10, 2020)

Just test of this violin:


----------



## Johnny (Sep 10, 2020)

artinro said:


> Just wanted to followup to say I've already used the Solo B in a project and it just "worked" where none of my other solo violins quite did (and I have them all). For the $39 intro and even the $89 full price, it's completely worth having an additional class-A soloist in a superb hall with such excellent legato at your fingertips. Will it work for every single scenario that requires a solo violin? No, but will it work better than anything else when called for? Yes. No question.


That's my thoughts exactly, people are swagging on about lack of dynamic layers and articulations, and I am more leaning on the side of: find me a more realistic solo violin on the market that sounds convincingly real like this one, and please A/B against this one because I would love to hear it! Solo Violins are always lacking something and are really hard to sample and make sound convincing in a mix. This one though not perfect, and may be a one trick pony, but find me one better for $39 in 2020 and I'll pay double. For now, $39 might just be a good start for a great sounding melodic line within a mix : )


----------



## Cheezus (Sep 10, 2020)

This violin definitely outclasses anything else I have in terms of sound and realism, it’s absolutely worth getting if you have use cases for it.


----------



## Sovereign (Sep 10, 2020)

Just got this, definitely better than VLN A. Sounds great actually. Now Jasper, where's the cello?


----------



## Bman70 (Sep 10, 2020)

Jkist said:


> The legatos in this are just too good.




Don't get me wrong, I'm tempted  . Really has some excellent qualities. 

Something that concerns me in this clip is around 0:14-0:15. I can hear from decades playing violin that an open A-string, then sustained open E-string is being played: brighter, more ringing timbre than a 'fretted' string. Yet, it has heavy vibrato, which should be impossible on an open string. So is it recorded or fake vibrato I wonder.


----------



## ScarletJerry (Sep 10, 2020)

But cani realsiically play THIS passage?

Princess Leia's theme


----------



## Sovereign (Sep 11, 2020)

ScarletJerry said:


> But cani realsiically play THIS passage?
> 
> Princess Leia's theme


I'd say absolutely yes. Keeping in mind this patch is only one dynamic, wish there were more. Quality is outstanding.


----------



## Ruffian Price (Sep 11, 2020)

I'd like it to have selectable range for the _dramatic_ portamento as my pad controller is set to send a static 100 velocity and it sounds pretty dumb when it triggers all the time. But that's easy to fix later in a sequence
The patches are unlocked so I guess you could change that in the code, maybe I should look into making the bow-changes permanent as well


----------



## Vladimir Bulaev (Sep 11, 2020)

> Same-note bow-change repetitions, triggered by repeating notes with the sustain pedal pressed down



A rare feature! Progress, because most developers pass it by, is ignored. Yes, in the con moto this is not. I'm glad that this is finally taken into account from now on in future releases, I hope.


----------



## Lionel Schmitt (Sep 11, 2020)

Vladimir Bulaev said:


> A rare feature! Progress, because most developers pass it by, is ignored. Yes, in the con moto this is not. I'm glad that this is finally taken into account from now on in future releases, I hope.


Since it's also in Vista I guess there is no going back :D


----------



## ScarletJerry (Sep 12, 2020)

doctoremmet said:


> I seriously doubt you do Jerry. With the Joshua Bell you can play in a much broader dynamic range IMHO. Unless you actually miss a solo violin for this particular ff use case, I’d not be tempted to add it just because of an admittedly pretty affordable intro price...


So I’m trying to duplicate this sound with the JB violin. Not sure I can.


----------



## muziksculp (Sep 12, 2020)

I was checking Performance Samples upcoming VISTA Chamber Strings, not sure if they will be released soon, they offer four dynamics instead of one, I'm not sure if it's all legato bowing, or it also has some short articulations included ? anyone know more about VISTA ?


----------



## Lionel Schmitt (Sep 12, 2020)

muziksculp said:


> I was checking Performance Samples upcoming VISTA Chamber Strings, not sure if they will be released soon, they offer four dynamics instead of one, I'm not sure if it's all legato bowing, or it also has some short articulations included ? anyone know more about VISTA ?


Just legato strings + rebows. 
And harp sampled in repetitions (so you can play harp tremolos but sounds like it works for normal plucks too)


----------



## muziksculp (Sep 12, 2020)

DarkestShadow said:


> Just legato strings + rebows.
> And harp sampled in repetitions (so you can play harp tremolos but sounds like it works for normal plucks too)



Thanks for the feedback. 

Kind of a bummer, I wish VISTA had short articulations as well.

I wonder what the Intro Pricing of VISTA will be ?


----------



## Lionel Schmitt (Sep 12, 2020)

muziksculp said:


> Thanks for the feedback.
> 
> Kind of a bummer, I wish VISTA had short articulations as well.
> 
> I wonder what the Intro Pricing of VISTA will be ?


I'm not involved with the production if you ask me about the price. Just a BETA guy. :D


----------



## muziksculp (Sep 12, 2020)

DarkestShadow said:


> I'm not involved with the production if you ask me about the price. Just a BETA guy. :D



I was just asking generally what is expected, but not asking you about the pricing. 

imho. it's quite a handicap that VISTA does not have short articulations, which kind of limits its versatility.


----------



## jononotbono (Sep 15, 2020)

So my addictions got the better of me and I bought it today. I just tried out a live streaming set up so I used this as a good excuse to test audio settings and made a quick video showing Solos of the Sea Violins B...


----------



## Hendrixon (Sep 16, 2020)

Jeezus!


----------



## doctoremmet (Sep 16, 2020)

Subscribed. Next time there better be green screen nonsense


----------



## ngineer (Sep 16, 2020)

Thanks for the enabling, @jononotbono!
Seriously tempted.

Also thinking of rounding out my Best Service “Emotional” trio with the violin.
Can anyone who has that comment if this Solo Violin would be redundant with Emotional Violin?


----------



## Cheezus (Sep 16, 2020)

jononotbono said:


> So my addictions got the better of me and I bought it today. I just tried out a live streaming set up so I used this as a good excuse to test audio settings and made a quick video showing Solos of the Sea Violins B...




"This is going to be the dirty heroine needle in the arm."

Yep. Those Vista banners taunt me in my dreams now.


----------



## jononotbono (Sep 16, 2020)

Cheezus said:


> "This is going to be the dirty heroine needle in the arm."
> 
> Yep. Those Vista banners taunt me in my dreams now.



Ah man, Vista sounds excellent. This journey is not going to be cheap is it! 😂


----------



## Cheezus (Sep 16, 2020)

jononotbono said:


> Ah man, Vista sounds excellent. This journey is not going to be cheap is it! 😂


I'm actually really bummed I didn't jump on that Con Moto flash sale now. No special loyalty intro pricing for me


----------



## jononotbono (Sep 16, 2020)

Cheezus said:


> I'm actually really bummed I didn't jump on that Con Moto flash sale now. No special loyalty intro pricing for me



Same Here. We should have known better. I’m ashamed of myself 😂


----------



## Lionel Schmitt (Sep 16, 2020)

You can also create a great chamber violins section with Solo Vln B!
Any other library can be cloned like this too of course, but it works especially well here! :D

This is achieved with the transpose trick. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFbPTfsj3aI (Click this text for a general video explanation of the trick)

I pitched one up by 2 semi tones and the other down by 2 semi tones + original. And then some panning of the individual clones. Then a touch of reverb and done. Just quick and rough. With more processing of the individual clones and actual/better programming it will be even better ofc!


----------



## javarnayu (Sep 16, 2020)

DarkestShadow said:


> You can also create a great chamber violins section with Solo Vln B!
> Any other library can be cloned like this too of course, but it works especially well here! :D
> 
> This is achieved with the transpose trick. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFbPTfsj3aI (Click this text for a general video explanation of the trick)
> ...





The idea of recreating "a great chamber violin section" is very interesting. It sounds very nice.

I have layering a whole string section and you can hear the solo of violin B poking its head above the other violins. This composition is a sketch, a leitmotif for a documentary I'm making, the volumes have not been mixed or adjusted yet.


----------



## Vladimir Bulaev (Sep 16, 2020)

[/QUOTE]


javarnayu said:


> The idea of recreating "a great chamber violin section" is very interesting. It sounds very nice.
> 
> I have layering a whole string section and you can hear the solo of violin B poking its head above the other violins. This composition is a sketch, a leitmotif for a documentary I'm making, the volumes have not been mixed or adjusted yet.



Your composition is very nice, but I think that such a dynamic range is not very suitable for it. Let me explain why. Do not forget that this violin is a double forte, that is, it is very loud and emotional up to almost the chapel of its melodic lines, do you understand? She must justify her emotional coloring. You yourself understand that a simple decrease in the volume level will not give a convincing result. It seems to me that your piece would sound more harmonious in the soft dynamic ranges of "p" or "mp"-"mf". But we do not have such a library on the performance samples. Oh. Maybe the solos of the sea violin C will be like this. It remains only to hope and dream.

However, this is just my opinion. You do everything as you see fit. I just voice my thoughts.


----------



## muziksculp (Sep 16, 2020)

I have so many Solo Violins, both sampled, and Physically modeled, that are offer so much more flexibility than this violin, more dynamics, more articulations, and quite a few sound very good as far as their timbre, so I'm not sure what this violin will add that I'm missing ? 

I know it's only $39. so that's not an issue, but the limited functionality, and the fact that I have other options makes me think twice before rushing to buy it, even at the $39. low price, if anyone can convince me that I need this violin, then I'm all ears, otherwise, I could save $39. and use it for something else.


----------



## Jkist (Sep 16, 2020)

muziksculp said:


> I have so many Solo Violins, both sampled, and Physically modeled, that are offer so much more flexibility than this violin, more dynamics, more articulations, and quite a few sound very good as far as their timbre, so I'm not sure what this violin will add that I'm missing ?
> 
> I know it's only $39. so that's not an issue, but the limited functionality, and the fact that I have other options makes me think twice before rushing to buy it, even at the $39. low price, if anyone can convince me that I need this violin, then I'm all ears, otherwise, I could save $39. and use it for something else.



Sounds like you DONT need it. But one thing to consider: Most solo libraries try to offer you a very broad range of versatility, so they build samples that are able to be blended together to create a variety of dynamics and feelings. This works okay, but it can sound a bit unnatural at times.

This library doesn't purport to do anything other than nice, strong, natural violin lines. And it does this incredibly well.

So think of it as your other libraries being sort of swiss army knives, good at doing a lot of things. This is more of a brake line wrench, like it wont be useful in most situations, but when the situation calls for it, it is literally the best tool for the job.

I appreciate not having to mess with key switches and articulations. It can be very inspiring to play a library that responds to your inputs musically like a real instrument. Sure, you lose a lot of control in various aspects, but you make up for it in pure simplicity.

TLDR: Yeah, you probably don't need it. But for the money, it does what it says it will do very, very well.


----------



## Vladimir Bulaev (Sep 16, 2020)

Are these audio examples not convincing enough for you? In this case, you do not need this violin.


----------



## jononotbono (Sep 16, 2020)

muziksculp said:


> and use it for something else.



Like what?


----------



## muziksculp (Sep 16, 2020)

jononotbono said:


> Like what?



I should have wrote, "and used it towards something else." 

By the way, I really like the sound of this violin, I also have the free Performance Audio Solo Legato Violin that was released a while back, I don't use it, I also don't know if it is still available, I couldn't find it on the Per.Audio site. If I didn't have so many other Solo Violin options, I would have not hesitated a second to buy this one, but given the restrictive nature of this violin, I feel I will also have it parked on my SSD to pick up static, and never use it.


----------



## Casiquire (Sep 16, 2020)

This forum has me all messed up. You are all to blame. Spotify put this song on and my first thought was "Wow, Solos of the Sea Violin B sounds really good here" before realizing...


----------



## Hendrixon (Sep 17, 2020)

Forget Violin B... you missed Ethera in that vid


----------



## jaketanner (Sep 17, 2020)

DarkestShadow said:


> You can also create a great chamber violins section with Solo Vln B!
> Any other library can be cloned like this too of course, but it works especially well here! :D
> 
> This is achieved with the transpose trick. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFbPTfsj3aI (Click this text for a general video explanation of the trick)
> ...



Is the portamento triggered based off velocity, or intervals?


----------



## muziksculp (Sep 17, 2020)

@jaketanner ,

Did you find your killer Solo Cello ? or still looking for it


----------



## jaketanner (Sep 17, 2020)

muziksculp said:


> @jaketanner ,
> 
> Did you find your killer Solo Cello ? or still looking for it


Not killer...I actually used the free Blakus cello for some light work. I gave up on using cello for all songs...went in a different direction. But once PS released SOTS cello, that may it. I don't use solo cello with anything other than legato anyway...And now that I have BBCS Pro, I may check out the leader in there.


----------



## Montisquirrel (Sep 17, 2020)

jaketanner said:


> Is the portamento triggered based off velocity, or intervals?



Both.


----------



## Martin Nyrwal (Sep 18, 2020)

jononotbono said:


> So my addictions got the better of me and I bought it today. I just tried out a live streaming set up so I used this as a good excuse to test audio settings and made a quick video showing Solos of the Sea Violins B...




Great video! But I guess this comes easy to every beautiful person.

I'm still on the "dirty digital heroine" introductory drugs with Oceania, FS I+II and now this one on recent PS sales. But as long as they don't overdo their prices, you can pretty much buy anything from Performance Samples or Musical Sampling blind these days. Congrats!

And of course you can also watch every video of Bono blind as well!

Spreading the love like a madman right now, I guess.


----------



## dadadave (Sep 18, 2020)

Still on the fence on this one. One one hand the sound seems like it could get really grating really fast. On the other hand it does sound lovely. If only it offered something in the term of an on-/off-ramp to this sound.

I want to play the theme from Schindler's List with it, in my mind it's that sound (not so much the ff, maybe, but the vibrato), though I might be misremembering.

Oh well, still have a few hours to mull over it and end up buying it anyway in the end... :D


----------



## jaketanner (Sep 18, 2020)

Montisquirrel said:


> Both.


so not really controllable then?


----------



## Bman70 (Sep 18, 2020)

This violin has so much portamento is often sounds like a Chinese erhu. Still tempted though. But now that the Chinese orchestra is out, which has multi-articulation erhu, there's competition


----------



## TomaeusD (Sep 18, 2020)

Portamento is more exaggerated with higher velocity, and if I remember correctly this doesn't affect smaller intervals like a half or whole.


----------



## tc9000 (Sep 19, 2020)

I have (and very much love) the Joshua Bell and I just bought this too as I like the sound. So far this has a very different tone from the JB and occupies a different space. Maybe you could make the JB sound like this (the expressive range of the JB is incredible and this is quite niche) but there is no major crossover so far.


----------



## muziksculp (Sep 19, 2020)

Listening to some of the demos of SoS V-B, I find the solo demos fatiguing to the ear after a few seconds, using SoS V-B as a first chair, or to add more definition to a string section might be more useful, provided it is mixed carefully to not stick out too much. 

For those who bought SoS V-B, what are you finding it useful at ? 

I'm still undecided.


----------



## awaey (Sep 19, 2020)

muziksculp said:


> Listening to some of the demos of SoS V-B, I find the solo demos fatiguing to the ear after a few seconds,


i feel the same


----------



## ScarletJerry (Sep 19, 2020)

I purchased it and I really like it. It's very playable, and has that special expressive, yearning sound that I can't create with Joshua Bell. Because I'm a hobbyist, I also appreciate the affordable price.

Scarlet Jerry


----------



## muziksculp (Sep 19, 2020)

ScarletJerry said:


> I purchased it and I really like it. It's very playable, and has that special expressive, yearning sound that I can't create with Joshua Bell. Because I'm a hobbyist, I also appreciate the affordable price.
> 
> Scarlet Jerry



Thanks for the feedback. 

I have the JB Violin, and would easily say that it is way more expressive, and articulated than what I hear from SoS V-B, but if SoS VB offers you the expressive, yearning sound you really like, then that is always useful to have. 

Still undecided.


----------



## Batrawi (Sep 20, 2020)

muziksculp said:


> but if SoS VB offers you the expressive, yearning sound you really like, then that is always useful to have.


That's exactly what appeals me in SOSVB, yet I can hardly see myself making use of a solo violin that is limited to only one dynamic layer (let alone only one articulation!!)... besides, I also have bohemian violin which provides exactly that slured/expressive quality in its legato (+tons of other features, dynamics, articulations etc...) which makes SOSVB redundant for me. Do you have bohemian violin? if yes, then try to play a quick line from the SOSVB demos and see if it gives you already what you need


----------



## Un01m (Sep 20, 2020)

Sounds incredible, thank you for posting this! But.. is there a good affordable solo violin and/or cello vst that doesn't use retail kontakt?


----------



## doctoremmet (Sep 20, 2020)

Un01m said:


> Sounds incredible, thank you for posting this! But.. is there a good affordable solo violin and/or cello vst that doesn't use retail kontakt?


Bohemian Violin / Cello both use UVI. Audio Modeling SWAM (modeled instruments) uses its own player.


----------



## Un01m (Sep 20, 2020)

What a fast answer, thank you very much, @doctoremmet


----------



## doctoremmet (Sep 20, 2020)

Un01m said:


> What a fast answer, thank you very much, @doctoremmet


Here to help.


----------



## doctoremmet (Sep 20, 2020)

Un01m said:


> Sounds incredible, thank you for posting this! But.. is there a good affordable solo violin and/or cello vst that doesn't use retail kontakt?


Also: VSL have their own player, Synchron SE edition 1 and 2 (and their respective + editions) have solo strings too IIRC. And of course OT is gradually porting all of their stuff to SINE. So more and more developers seem to migrate away from Kontakt.


----------



## muziksculp (Sep 20, 2020)

After evaluating what I have as far as Solo Violin options, and what SOS-VB offers, I decided to pass on SOS-VB.

I will be checking out the new Perf.Samples *VISTA Chamber Strings *when they are released. I'm guessing they are due to be out soon.


----------



## hdsmile (Sep 21, 2020)

just purchased and I like it so far, sound, playability etc... sure it's not covered everything, but anyway it nice to have it for specials things


----------



## Vik (Sep 22, 2020)

To those of you why have the Bohemian or the Joshua Bell violins: it would great if you (if any of you have time) could post something similar similar to the kind of expressiveness that the SoS Violin B has.


----------



## Alex Niedt (Nov 6, 2020)

Vik said:


> To those of you why have the Bohemian or the Joshua Bell violins: it would great if you (if any of you have time) could post something similar similar to the kind of expressiveness that the SoS Violin B has.


I have Joshua Bell Violin and Violin B, and to get the vibe of Violin B in JB Violin, I find JB Violin just ends up sounding much harsher/harder, like it's really digging in while Violin B soars effortlessly and smoothly. If you really like that Violin B vibe, I highly recommend buying that. I love having both libraries at my disposal. Sometimes one nails it, sometimes the other (and sometimes another library entirely).


----------



## jamessy (Feb 26, 2021)

Just picked this up and I really like it. First product I've bought from PS and now with this sale I'm tempted to get more things


----------



## AndyP (Feb 26, 2021)

I like both of them. Solo A and B. Wonderful sound.


----------



## dadadave (May 2, 2021)

I'm having an issue with Violin B: 
According to the manual, you can play a same-note bow change legato by holding down the sustain pedal and pressing that note again. However, when I do that, the note after holding down the sustain pedal sounds a semitone lower! Can anyone test and confirm this weird behavior? am I doing something wrong, lol?


----------

