# Afflatus Chapter I: Strings - In depth review and critique



## bfreepro

This is a big one! A walkthru/demo video is in the works as well (which will include side by side comparison with other string libraries) , but here is the written review!

https://www.bfreemusic.com/news/2018/12/3/review-afflatus-chapter-1-strings-by-strezov-sampling

Please feel free to partake in the poll and stay tuned


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## MOMA

bfreepro said:


> This is a big one! A walkthru/demo video is in the works as well (which will include side by side comparison with other string libraries) , but here is the written review!
> 
> https://www.bfreemusic.com/news/2018/12/3/review-afflatus-chapter-1-strings-by-strezov-sampling
> 
> Please feel free to partake in the poll and stay tuned



So that was a positive one! I´d love to see the walkthru and the sound of the polyphonic legato - please let me know when you´re ready for release!

MOMA


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## Silence-is-Golden

Many will agree ( owners of it) that this is a library with a good sound ( allthough specific) and new approach that creates new ways to work with a string library.

Allthough you also name a few of the things that could be changed, added or reviewed by strezov, I do miss a kind of balanced view in your review:
- the shorts have a limited dynamic range ( adressed in the upcoming update)
- polyphonic legato is one of its merits , nonetheless also has limits in its current design, legato speed is dependant upon patch and mostly faster speeds are not leading to desired results.

Also playing style with monophonic legato lines ( in f.e. Sections) also needs less to no overlap for it to work poperly, as obviously opposed to polyphonic legato use.
So like any lib it asks specific use or skills to use it optimally.

These are some of the things that I thought are missing in your review to balance out the enthusiastic element that comes with using such a new and creativity inducing string library as this.

And allthough there is a lot of content indeed, to suggest that all flavours /styles are present may also need some nuance.

( balance= useful in my view for potential buyers that can get an idea of where its limits are.

All in all I enjoyed reading your review and I can fully relate to the enthusiasm of this new and great sounding string lib.


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## bfreepro

Silence-is-Golden said:


> Many will agree ( owners of it) that this is a library with a good sound ( allthough specific) and new approach that creates new ways to work with a string library.
> 
> Allthough you also name a few of the things that could be changed, added or reviewed by strezov, I do miss a kind of balanced view in your review:
> - the shorts have a limited dynamic range ( adressed in the upcoming update)
> - polyphonic legato is one of its merits , nonetheless also has limits in its current design, legato speed is dependant upon patch and mostly faster speeds are not leading to desired results.
> 
> Also playing style with monophonic legato lines ( in f.e. Sections) also needs less to no overlap for it to work poperly, as obviously opposed to polyphonic legato use.
> So like any lib it asks specific use or skills to use it optimally.
> 
> These are some of the things that I thought are missing in your review to balance out the enthusiastic element that comes with using such a new and creativity inducing string library as this.
> 
> And allthough there is a lot of content indeed, to suggest that all flavours /styles are present may also need some nuance.
> 
> ( balance= useful in my view for potential buyers that can get an idea of where its limits are.
> 
> All in all I enjoyed reading your review and I can fully relate to the enthusiasm of this new and great sounding string lib.



Thanks for chiming in. I did point out quite a few things I feel needed to be addressed and also mentioned a few times why some users may not want or need this library, I liked it a lot and it filled the void of what was missing in every other string lib (and was pleasantly surprised it could perform well across the board, not just a niche) but I also laid out why it may not be for everyone and tried to be very honest about that. In testing I did use it to make quite a few different genres of music and felt it performed very well for each (which surprised me honestly). I think legato speed/volume features would be a welcome update to the library, and I’m used to each libraries legato patches performing very differently so maybe that’s why I didn’t notice or wasn’t bothered by what you mentioned about monophonic legato. In my video I am going to do a side by side comparison and use a more “hands on” approach so that’s where people will be able to hear it for themselves and compared with other popular string libraries. I definitely appreciate the feedback !


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## axb312

Looking forward to the video...


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## bfreepro

axb312 said:


> Looking forward to the video...


A quick video should be coming soon. Had a death in the family two weeks ago so been kinda (very) hectic over here. Don't worry, I haven't abandoned everyone  I'm also planning a more in depth comparison with a specific library in the coming months... some of you may have noticed, Audio Imperia's Jaeger will be updated soon to include full ensemble string patches which will also include a new feature: Polyphonic Legato! Surprise! So I am very eager to really compare these two and see how they stack up.


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## bfreepro

It’s a long one and I was super tired making this. Here’s some sounds and thoughts on this massive library.


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## HBen

Wow, the length of the review is superb!


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## bfreepro

If there is a certain feature or sound featured in this library that anyone would like me demo/explore, drop a comment on this thread, on the YouTube video comments, or in the comments of the written review. Will be doing at least one more video, and since there’s a lot of content included, I’m open to all input and suggestions on what to focus on in the next video demo. Thanks !


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## Mike Fox

bfreepro said:


> This is a big one! A walkthru/demo video is in the works as well (which will include side by side comparison with other string libraries) , but here is the written review!
> 
> https://www.bfreemusic.com/news/2018/12/3/review-afflatus-chapter-1-strings-by-strezov-sampling
> 
> Please feel free to partake in the poll and stay tuned


I thought this was an excellent, and in depth review. Well done!

The only thing I would change is the comment made about there not being staccatos.

Also, I wouldn't worry about not including more of the libraries shortcomings to make your review more "balanced". Mainly because what might be important to one person, may not be important to the next, and as a reviewer, it's not really your job to mention ALL of the pros or ALL of the cons. Not to mention that you're always going to have critics, and won't be able to make everyone happy. You did the review from your perspective, and that's what's important.


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## sourcefor

I want that library just wish it was not soooo expensive!!!!!1


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## bfreepro

Mike Fox said:


> I thought this was an excellent, and in depth review. Well done!
> 
> The only thing I would change is the comment made about there not being staccatos.
> 
> Also, I wouldn't worry about not including more of the libraries shortcomings to make your review more "balanced". Mainly because what might be important to one person, may not be important to the next, and as a reviewer, it's not really your job to mention ALL of the pros or ALL of the cons. Not to mention that you're always going to have critics, and won't be able to make everyone happy. You did the review from your perspective, and that's what's important.


You're right about that note about staccato, I was writing this at like 5am, I think I meant to include that with the previous statement about keyswitches haha. Thanks for your comments and glad you enjoyed the review!


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## bfreepro

sourcefor said:


> I want that library just wish it was not soooo expensive!!!!!1


I can relate 100%. It's definitely a really hard sell when so many of us have other string libraries (and very good ones too). I really enjoy it but, it is quite a large investment


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## bfreepro

Bump: anyone at all interested in seeing any features from this library in a more in-depth walkthru? Not gonna do another video if no one is interested, but I'm happy to explore it further for those who are! 

Also, I'm very open to any suggestions on how to improve the videos/reviews. People ask me for walkthrus/impression videos and then complain about talking/describing my actual impressions lol. I'm trying to improve but feedback has been very minimal besides dislikes for some reason. Honestly I'm an open book so feel free to chime in. Thanks!


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## jbuhler

bfreepro said:


> Bump: anyone at all interested in seeing any features from this library in a more in-depth walkthru? Not gonna do another video if no one is interested, but I'm happy to explore it further for those who are! Thanks


A "composing with" video that really showed the workflow and flexibility of the library in action would be helpful. I now have a pretty good idea what the library sounds like and something of the range it is capable of, but it's a pretty big library with lots and lots of options for string patches (and other things) so seeing someone work through the options in context, especially for a piece that is not designed to sit squarely in one of set of patches or another, rather showing that it can play this style and this style and this style would be helpful.


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## bfreepro

jbuhler said:


> so seeing someone work through the options in context, especially for a piece that is not designed to sit squarely in one of set of patches or another, rather showing that it can play this style and this style and this style would be helpful.



So you'd like cycling thru different patches in a full completed track (with brass, woods, percs, etc) to hear how it all fits together and hear what each different sound can contribute to the track as a whole?


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## jbuhler

bfreepro said:


> So you'd like cycling thru different patches in a full completed track (with brass, woods, percs, etc) to hear how it all fits together and hear what each different sound can contribute to the track as a whole?


That, but even more seeing someone work putting a track together making decisions about (or talking about making decisions about) one part of the library versus another for something where the solution isn't necessarily obvious, the way we would normally assess which of our string libraries (or combination thereof) is best suited for the piece we are working on. Because Afflatus seems to me, someone who has only watched videos on it, listened to demos, and read reactions of those who own it, like a set of interlinked libraries each specializing in doing a certain thing, but it's not entirely clear to me how these parts interlock, how the options present themselves in real time, and so forth, so I have a difficult time imagining my workflow with the library, if that makes sense. 

I'm not, btw, asking you to do this if it's not something you are interested in doing, and I have no idea whether others would be interested in it. I'm just saying what would be most useful to me.

Thanks!


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