# Garritan Stradivari Violin



## PerryD (Aug 19, 2013)

https://soundcloud.com/perryleed/stradivari

Is anyone else still using the Garritan Stradivari Solo Violin or Gofriller Cello? They were developed by the people at Sample Modeling many years ago but I think they still hold up very well. I played this violin part in real time with with a BC3 breath controller without modifications to the CC data after the fact.
I'm quite happy with SM's brass & woodwinds and I'm looking forward to more of those! I hope at some point they pick up where they left off with solo strings, all those years ago. Just my two cents! o-[][]-o -Perry-


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## constaneum (Aug 19, 2013)

I really wanted these libraries but no longer in market. heard very good review about them, especially the Cello.


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## scientist (Aug 19, 2013)

i have them both. i never vibed with the sound of the violin all that well, but love the sound of the gofriller and still use it a lot. to this day the control scheme can't be beat and makes them two of the most playable instruments (not) on the market. it's really a shame that they're dead products and i fear the day when they no longer function after a system update.


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## constaneum (Aug 19, 2013)

truly ashamed !!!! I still think it's the best sounding Solo Violin and Cello out in the market even though they're dead products already. Really wish Garritan can revive the production of these 2 instruments. Sigh.....I really want these two instruments !! T_T


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## davinwv (Aug 19, 2013)

Beautiful performance - very convincing!

I bought them both a few years ago second-hand (I'm still not certain how the seller managed to get the license transfer approved). I really like the sound of both, but the cello is the better of the two.

They provide a great frame of reference for the newer Embertone stuff.


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## PerryD (Aug 19, 2013)

The people at Sample Modeling who created them will probably develop even better solo strings at some point. Right now, they are doing brilliant work with wind instruments and they seem pretty committed to improving those with ongoing updates. I think they were a little ahead of their time with the Garritan collaboration. Now that wind controllers, the TEC breath controller and others are becoming more common, I think the demand for real time playable instruments will only grow. I look forward to what ever instruments they release. :D


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## Hannes_F (Aug 19, 2013)

Good work, very musical!


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## bcarwell (Aug 19, 2013)

Perry,

I was surprised and delighted you too know about the Garritan violin solo instrument.

Where I found out about it was from a YouTube demo "Garritan Stradivari Violin Demo Songs" which was the Meditation from Thais by Massenet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVCU4oX3li4

I was very disappointed that Garritan dumped it and it was apparently picked up by Samplemodeling but AFAIK they have done nothing with it.

I have been watching Ebay and trying to buy a used copy but alas I think its toast.

For the curious, this was the information posted on the YouTube video about the controls:

".Alberto Fernández Moldes 8 months ago 
Mod wheel controls vibrato depth, AT changes to fast vibrato. Expression pedal to control dynamics. Velocity controls portamento time. Sustain pedal for sustain, so you can change bown direction retriggering the note. There is a couple of keyswitch articulations you can use too but not showed on this fantastic demo."

I am not a violinist but remember running across this several years ago just about the time I started getting fascinated with sample libraries and it was certainly convincing and fantastic enough for me. I saw it on the Garritan website and, sadly, just assumed it would always be available.

I'm sure the Pro's can cite newer solo violin sample libraries that surpass it but will never forget the first time I saw this demo on YouTube.

Does anyone know how a copy can be obtained, legally of course, and are there any rumors of it being revived ? Perhaps an email campagn to Samplemodeling might do something ? Maybe they wanted it off the market as competition to something they've got in the wings, who knows...

And FWIW I was aware of the cello as well and the report that it was even better than the Strad but never heard it.


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## PerryD (Aug 19, 2013)

Hannes_F @ Mon Aug 19 said:


> Good work, very musical!



Thank you Hannes! :D


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## feck (Aug 19, 2013)

Agreed - the playability is still second to none. I like the Cello more than the violin, and look forward to them hopefully releasing a more comprehensive library built on the same playing setup.


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## scientist (Aug 19, 2013)

bcarwell @ Mon Aug 19 said:


> I was very disappointed that Garritan dumped it and it was apparently picked up by Samplemodeling but AFAIK they have done nothing with it.



it was a joint production between garritan and samplemodeling. iirc garritan provided the front end, distribution, etc. while samplemodeling provided everything under the hood. the partnership went south for one reason or another and they decided to kill off the products.

also fwiw gary garritan sold the company so even the current products are no longer "his", they just bear his name.


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## Casiquire (Aug 19, 2013)

The Samplemodeling forums have a few little references and nods to their plans for releasing strings in the future, and it seems like strings are always next in line, they just haven't gone through with it yet. I've had the pleasure of playing with the Violin and Cello once and...wow, everything people say about them is true. They're beyond belief. They use up a lot of CCs though so I guess when your instrument's only downside is that it requires a lot of knobs to control it, that's almost more like an upside. Can't wait for SM to release some already.

Edit--forgot to mention, great work on the piece you posted! Most modern violin samples can't even compare to that. Fantastic!


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## jleckie (Aug 19, 2013)

One thing late to the boat developers have a REAL advantage on is all the great advances and technological leaps that came before. With 8Dio/EW,SF, PS, et al they can sit back and soak up all that works..


...and all that doesn't.


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## Arbee (Aug 19, 2013)

Really nice, I would certainly pay a premium for samplemodelling strngs with that quality and those particular controls set out that way. As a "synth player" from way back, mod wheel for vibrato and expression pedal for dynamic layers + volume is a complete no brainer and the most natural playing method to me.

.


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## KingIdiot (Aug 19, 2013)

Trust that Giorgio is a mad scientist, and all involved in sample modeling are really REALLY smart, and creative. Is there's a lul, it's because they are trying new things or pushing beyond what you expect.

Also trust that it takes time to manipulate the large sample pools to work with what they are up to.

I was around when we were developing the early versions or concepts of these solo strings, and had the pleasure of sharing ideas with Giorgio. He consistently blew my mind, and inspired me.

The tools available now are even better, and even, I, have been playing around with my own new techniques for new dynamic control over solo instruments, but in the back of my head, I always know that that dude is 4 steps outside out of my brain capacity.

luckily, there's all kinds of approaches, and stuff always coming out, and we get to lay with all this stuff like buying different makes of violins for different tones and playability.

times are way better now.


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## Rob (Aug 19, 2013)

Nice work Perry! I have both but don't use them much now... 
King Idiot, I still have some of your patches for Garritan orch. Strings, beautiful... always had a lot of respect for your work man... and I agree with everything you say about Giorgio, and also I think the same of Stefano Lucato, they're two great people...


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## 667 (Aug 19, 2013)

Too bad google search turns up mostly torrent links. I'd love to find an old boxed copy somewhere but if they're out there I can't seem to find one. :-(


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## olajideparis (Aug 19, 2013)

Does anybody know WHY these libraries were taken off the market? Never heard of anything like that happening before.


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## Casiquire (Aug 19, 2013)

olajideparis @ Mon 19 Aug said:


> Does anybody know WHY these libraries were taken off the market? Never heard of anything like that happening before.



It was a joint venture between two companies, and as they went their separate ways I'm sure neither party felt it was fair for the other to continue profiting off of a product that both were involved in. I'm guessing they couldn't come to an agreement, and meanwhile Samplemodeling continued to improve their methods and now feel that they can do better so it's not worth keeping an old product anymore. A lot of this is just guessing based on the few little bits and snippets I've read but it makes sense.


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## KingIdiot (Aug 19, 2013)

Thanks Rob,

A couple of months ago, I went back to the old KIStrings GOS patches from way back in update 2 that I made, and have been comparing them to some things lately. The tonality holds up really *REALLY* well. But the realism takes a dump without true legato samples, and with how I had to build the loops, plus some of the over the top vibrato emulation (great if you just nudge into it and right back out with the vibrato control, hokeyer than a yodeling dog if you leave it there)

if I can ever find a way to go back to those and enhance the realism, I might reach out to Gary and see if he's interested. We always wanted to release it as it's own little instrument.

I have ideas, I'm just too busy. Though there might be opportunities at some point. I was really proud of that set. So it's good to hear. More in the future hopefully.

back on topic. I'd love to see a whole sample modelling orchestra one day. Even if that seems like a whole bunch of controller data to input, it could be cool. Plus I know those guys would figure out a way to make it easier and easier to work with.

That's one of the things I love about this scene, there's always someone pushing boundaries  ... and don't even get me started on DSP/FX/Editing software stuff going on. We're in for some amazing things soon for people who are diving into those!


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## constaneum (Aug 19, 2013)

But taking such a long time for Samplemodeling to re-release these masterpieces in a new package when others have released heaps of solo string instruments such as Embertone, AudioBro (There's rumour that AudioBro might even consider releasing new solo strings in the near future to compliment their existing first chair library which seems to be more for layering with the section/divisi strings rather than to be used as Solo components for leading melody lines), SpitFire, East West, Focusounds, VSL and etc??


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## Wes Antczak (Aug 19, 2013)

Are you folks who have these - and for whom they work... on Macs? I have them both on Windows 7 and they are both a no go in Kontakt 5. The key switch options don't show up and the key switch keys that I'm used to have absolutely no effect. So, basically they are unusable.

:?:


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## constaneum (Aug 19, 2013)

oh no !! That's bad....


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## KingIdiot (Aug 19, 2013)

constaneum @ Mon Aug 19 said:


> But taking such a long time for Samplemodeling to re-release these masterpieces in a new package when others have released heaps of solo string instruments such as Embertone, AudioBro (There's rumour that AudioBro might even consider releasing new solo strings in the near future to compliment their existing first chair library which seems to be more for layering with the section/divisi strings rather than to be used as Solo components for leading melody lines), SpitFire, East West, Focusounds, VSL and etc??



Well that it was a joint project, you have to realize that some assets probably belong to one company/organization, and some belonged to another. So "re-release" isn't really an option.

As well, much advancement has occurred in the way sample modeling do things, since these were released, so not only does the whole sample pool need to be updated from new anechoic recordings, but so do new features have to be taken advantage of. It's not an easy "batch process/slice and build". It's a bunch of custom and proprietary concepts.

That's just the tech side of things. Who knows if there's a non compete clause, or a blackout for a certain amount of time for strings in the agreement. We'll never know what other issues could be there

but my favorite part about this IS that other people are creating more options. Not because we think it will drive down the price, but because it give more options for us to not all sound the same, and cater to different needs/usage.

I'll always use the analogy that it's like buying different guitars for different playability and tones. These are instruments, still. We get a lot to choose from, and tonality is.. and should be, a big deal for each and every one of us and our own tastes.



Wes-

I never actually picked them up. Was pretty broke and pulled away from this scene for a little bit, so my NFR/demo making days are a bit behind not only me, but them. Wish I could help


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## NYC Composer (Aug 20, 2013)

Wes Antczak @ Mon Aug 19 said:


> Are you folks who have these - and for whom they work... on Macs? I have them both on Windows 7 and they are both a no go in Kontakt 5. The key switch options don't show up and the key switch keys that I'm used to have absolutely no effect. So, basically they are unusable.
> 
> :?:



I have the Strad, and use it on Mac. Its my go to first chair and the best fiddle I have. Sometimes it's a bear to control and finicky, but I love it.

Are you sure you have the right octave for keyswitches?


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## NYC Composer (Aug 20, 2013)

[quote="KingIdiot @ Mon Aug 19, 2013 10:19 ]

Well that it was a joint project, you have to realize that some assets probably belong to one company/organization, and some belonged to another. So "re-release" isn't really an option.

[/quote]

I never understood this concept. If a product is still in demand, make a deal, divide the spoils. It's only logical.


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## germancomponist (Aug 20, 2013)

The SM team are geniuses. It is always a pleasure to talk with them.

If someone is interested, I have the Stradivarie and the cello and could sell them. But I have no idea how to manage the license transfer.... .

PM me!


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## davinwv (Aug 20, 2013)

I think NI will de-register them - given that they are no longer for sale.

I assume that's how my seller transfered them to me. I just registered them as normal in Service Center - no issues.


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## Neifion (Aug 20, 2013)

davinwv @ Mon Aug 19 said:


> Beautiful performance - very convincing!
> 
> I bought them both a few years ago second-hand (I'm still not certain how the seller managed to get the license transfer approved). I really like the sound of both, but the cello is the better of the two.
> 
> They provide a great frame of reference for the newer Embertone stuff.



I'm actually working on a rearrangement using the Friedlander violin and Gofriller cello side-by-side. Playability is very similar, and I definitely feel that the Gofriller holds its own even though it's seven years older.

https://soundcloud.com/matandteresa/kin ... -bountiful

It's a WIP, so please forgive the lack of polish.


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## KingIdiot (Aug 20, 2013)

NYC Composer @ Tue Aug 20 said:


> [quote="KingIdiot @ Mon Aug 19, 2013 10:19 ]
> 
> Well that it was a joint project, you have to realize that some assets probably belong to one company/organization, and some belonged to another. So "re-release" isn't really an option.
> 
> I never understood this concept. If a product is still in demand, make a deal, divide the spoils. It's only logical.


[/quote]

Can't wait to see Spiderman in the next avengers mov.... oh wait


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## EddieLovesYou (Aug 20, 2013)

Excellent performance, sounds fantastic.


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## Rob (Aug 20, 2013)

to be honest, the playability is great, but the timbre is too thin and nasal... on a direct comparison with other violins this becomes apparent. Like here, where I've played the same phrase with the strad followed by the xsample violin. To me at least the difference is huge, I'm sure that samplemodeling would be able to do a better instrument today though...

www.robertosoggetti.com/Strad-Xsample.mp3


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## NYC Composer (Aug 20, 2013)

KingIdiot @ Tue Aug 20 said:


> NYC Composer @ Tue Aug 20 said:
> 
> 
> > [quote="KingIdiot @ Mon Aug 19, 2013 10:19 ]
> ...


[/quote][/quote]

 

I get it, but these are not two Colossuses merging billion dollar projects, yanno? If cool heads had prevailed, there should have been a way to share the proceeds of a successful product rather than orphan it. 8Dio/Soundiron comes to mind.


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## NYC Composer (Aug 20, 2013)

Perry- super job, btw. Did you EQ it at all? You certainly got more control of that beast than i ever have!


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## PerryD (Aug 20, 2013)

NYC Composer @ Tue Aug 20 said:


> Perry- super job, btw. Did you EQ it at all? You certainly got more control of that beast than i ever have!



Thanks! No EQ but a generous slathering of Valhalla Room reverb. 8)


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## tmm (Aug 20, 2013)

OMFG... wow, you guys aren't kidding. That violin sounds phenomenal. How / why would anyone let that go out of production?


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## Per Lichtman (Aug 20, 2013)

I was one of the early adopters on the Garritan Strad. I anticipated it greatly and was almost just as greatly disappointed.

I have it installed on my current system but I rarely use it. When I loaded the Embertone Friedlander Violin and ran the two next to each other, it felt like the violin I wished the Garritan Strad. had been.

The Garritan Strad. is limited in the programmability and editing that it allows and the defaults don't always make sense (you have to control attack with velocity but sustain with expression, for instance) and I have had more hung note problems than with any other Kontakt library I have ever purchased.

It was a bleeding edge product that I wish had been refined further instead of dropped - or at least that was what I wished until Embertone released Friedlander Violin. Now I really don't have much to complain about anymore - except that I don't have as many articulations, and that's something that Embertone have said will be addressed in their upcoming free update.

EDIT: Oh yeah and I almost forgot - the blasts of volume in Garritan Strad. I pulled it up to try it again while writing this post and played for less than 60 seconds with the version 2.01 patch and default settings using the Spiccato attack before I had one of the notes randomly jump up in amplitude.


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## Per Lichtman (Aug 20, 2013)

If you want to hear one of the biggest deficiencies of the Garritan Strad, try playing long non-vibrato sustains with it. Then try the same thing with Embertone Friedlander Violin. There are two things that are apparent right off the bat.

1) There is less movement in the sustain for the Garritan Strad (you really, really, really need to use CC data to make it work well - most people know that but I want to emphasize it) but it is longer than the one used in Embertone Friedlander Violin.

2) When the sample ends, it does not loop or trigger an alternate bow sample (the latter approach being used by Friedlander Violin).

Now the Garritan Strad. does have a very different harmonic profile than the Embertone Friedlander Violin recordings, of course, and I can certainly understand people having a preference for one vs. the other given a particular context (or using both to get variation between solo instruments, which is the main use I get out of the Garritan Strad. myself these days) but I'm surprised that so many people are speaking so nostalgically about the instrument right after the Friedlander Violin was released.

Anyway, perhaps some other people that use both can talk about the things that they like about Garritan Strad. vs Embertone Friedlander Violin?


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## Per Lichtman (Aug 20, 2013)

@KingIdiot Just to be clear, I completely agree about how far ahead Giorgio was in terms of programming approach, etc. My biggest issues with the Strad. are the basic recordings, the lack of editing options for the user and the bugs that have lingered for years since the release.

I would of course be very happy to hear any new solo string products he worked on in the future.

And on another note, the "King's Strings" were a significant selling point for me when I bought GOS Advanced in 2003 or 2004.


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## Giorgio Tommasini (Aug 21, 2013)

I was working on the Pallotta Viola, third element of the Solo String Series, the subject of our contract, when I got a message from Garritan that the entire project was canceled. After several months, the Stradivari and the Gofriller were no longer on sale. The reasons of this violinicide remained unexplained. :evil: 

Our contract contemplated that Garritan held the rights of exclusive distribution of these instruments. The technology and the programming belongs to myself and Stefano Lucato. As a consequence, none of us is entitled to revive the production of these instruments. 

For those possessing or interested in buying these products second hand: please note that they will only work properly on Kontakt2. Native Instruments, with the introduction of Kontakt 3, did not provide retro-compatibility. :cry: 

Since Peter Siedlaczek and I started our collaboration founding Samplemodeling, several major improvements have been introduced. Anechoic recording, improved sample processing and alignment, development of advanced early reflections IRs, use of adaptive models for better reproduction of any articulation, microtuning, perfection of ensembles even when playing unison, and, with the upcoming Trombone & Trumpet upgrades for Kontakt 4 & 5, the Virtual Soundstage and the revolutionary Harmonic Spectral Shaping, just to mention some of the new features. This suggests that with a new Solo Strings Series you should not regret the Stradivari and the Gofriller. o/~ 

We were actually working on a Samplemodeling Viola, a couple of years ago, when Stefano Lucato joint ventured with Samplemodeling, using his proprietary platform SWAM. He announced to be able to shortly develop an entire orchestra, based on his technology. We therefore froze the development of the new solo strings, in consideration of his plans. Unfortunately, the time requested to develop new instruments on this platform proved to be much longer than expected. The new technology also showed some limitations and drawbacks.

In consideration of your appreciation, and your kind request for Solo Strings, we might reconsider our priorities, and revise our plans :wink: 

Giorgio & Peter


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## mpalenik (Aug 21, 2013)

Giorgio Tommasini @ Wed Aug 21 said:


> with the upcoming Trombone & Trumpet upgrades for Kontakt 4 & 5, the Virtual Soundstage and the revolutionary Harmonic Spectral Shaping, just to mention some of the new features.



Wow, exciting! Will the French Horn&Tuba get this update as well?


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## Giorgio Tommasini (Aug 21, 2013)

> Wow, exciting! Will the French Horn&Tuba get this update as well?



Yes, after the Trombone and the Trumpet. It will take some time of course. :wink:


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## Per Lichtman (Aug 21, 2013)

@Giorgio Tommasini I very much look forward to the future solo string products - I doubt I will ever be able to have too many good solo strings and I would love to hear the new techniques implemented.  The original products were very exciting in their possibilities (they were the only sample libraries I ever started a conversation with my advisor in college about, and she was a concertmaster). I can only imagine how frustrating it must have been to have the trilogy called off two thirds of the way through and before the revised versions could address the lingering bugs. But I must say that the prospect of the new solo strings sound much more exciting than the first ones.

In the meantime I will be happy to use Friedlander Violin as opposed to the Garritan Strad - it has evolved the idea much further in so many ways using the additional time and technology and I will really enjoy hearing your own developments in the same vein, whenever they come - no rush , I have a very good library to hold until then.  

Many of the issues that bother me with the specifics of the Garritan Strad were issues I had in the original Kontak 2 Player it came with when I first used the library and kept me from being able to use it in the projects I originally bought it for. But I will at least opt to run it in that plug-in when I do load it instead of wondering which would work better in the future.

Thanks for contributing so transparently to the discussion - it is a real unexpected pleasure and very much appreciated.


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## Jordan Gagne (Aug 21, 2013)

Giorgio Tommasini @ Wed Aug 21 said:


> In consideration of your appreciation, and your kind request for Solo Strings, we might reconsider our priorities, and revise our plans :wink:
> 
> Giorgio & Peter



If there was one thing I KNOW I would buy on day 1, it would be Sample Modelling solo strings.


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## scientist (Aug 21, 2013)

Per Lichtman @ Tue Aug 20 said:


> 2) When the sample ends, it does not loop or trigger an alternate bow sample (the latter approach being used by Friedlander Violin).



i know that with the gofriller you hold the sustain pedal and retrigger the key to engage a bow change, but i can't recall if it is the same for the violin.

also re: bugs. i have/had the exact same issue with stuck notes and thus never used the violin much. i always assumed it was because i bought the violin several years after it was discontinued and that the out of date kontakt player 2 was responsible, but maybe the bugs have persisted since the beginning. the gofriller still works flawlessly, however.



Per Lichtman @ Wed Aug 21 said:


> Thanks for contributing so transparently to the discussion - it is a real unexpected pleasure and very much appreciated.



+1. and sorry to hear that the discontinuation was a mystery even to the developer. what a bizarre situation.


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## muk (Aug 21, 2013)

Thanks for contributing here Giorgio. Just to let you know: Samplemodeling solo strings, exactly what I'm waiting for!


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## rayinstirling (Aug 21, 2013)

I still enjoy my Strad violin even if I do have to keep Kontakt 2 player on my vst plugin list to use it.

an extract


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## Sounds-and-images (Aug 21, 2013)

I have a the Gofriller and would love to use it again on my return to music making in the next few months. Sadly it was pulled before I could grab the violin. But had until I read more of this thread tonight hoped it would work with K5.


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## rayinstirling (Aug 21, 2013)

Sounds-and-images @ Wed Aug 21 said:


> I have a the Gofriller and would love to use it again on my return to music making in the next few months. Sadly it was pulled before I could grab the violin. But had until I read more of this thread tonight hoped it would work with K5.


Just download the legacy K2 player


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## dinerdog (Aug 21, 2013)

Just tested the Stradivari and Gofriller in Kontakt5, Logic Pro X and they work fine.


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## KingIdiot (Aug 21, 2013)

Spectral Shaping! That's where it's at man. This is what I was saying with the new tools and advancements and stuff people are doing.

So much going on in spectral analysis and funkifying, and the flip of the convolution counterparts/integration they bring.

I knew these guys would be playing in that realm  Just the ideas that pop in my head from what they'll be up to with it all makes me smile


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## Per Lichtman (Aug 21, 2013)

scientist @ Wed Aug 21 said:


> Per Lichtman @ Tue Aug 20 said:
> 
> 
> > 2) When the sample ends, it does not loop or trigger an alternate bow sample (the latter approach being used by Friedlander Violin).
> ...



It maybe be similar or it may be different - and I'll try again with the K2 player in a bit (ran it K5 just now), but here is the difference with K5 running Embertone Friedlander and Garritan Strad.

Embertone Friedlander Violin: If you hold a note long enough, it re-bows using a different sample. You can also hold down the sustain pedal and hit the note again to activate the re-bow earlier at any time and it will still use a different sample each consecutive time.

Garritan Stradivari Violin: If you hold a note long enough, it ends. You hold down the sustain pedal and hit the note again at any point but the re-bow uses the same sustain sample as before (at least assuming you are using the default legato keyswitch).

In other words, it does not automatically do what the Embertone Friedlander Violin does automatically if you sustain long enough - and if you manually engage a re-bow, it still sounds artificial because a different bowing sample isn't used for the sustain. Is the implementation in the GoFriller Cello similar or more advanced?



scientist @ Wed Aug 21 said:


> also re: bugs. i have/had the exact same issue with stuck notes and thus never used the violin much. i always assumed it was because i bought the violin several years after it was discontinued and that the out of date kontakt player 2 was responsible, but maybe the bugs have persisted since the beginning. the gofriller still works flawlessly, however.



I was hoping things worked better with GoFriller - unfortunately I delayed in getting it because of my problems with Garritan Strad and by the time I went to buy it, it was gone. Still - makes me want to kick myself for not getting it in time. 

Anyway, there were several bugs using the version 2.0 Kontakt Player that it came with (even after the player got patched) and they've remained when using the library in Kontakt 5. But I haven't run it recently in the Kontakt 2 Player to find out if there were any aspects that worked better than they do in K5, so I'll give it a shot again.


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## StrangeCat (Aug 21, 2013)

I have no problems using the Strad in Kontakt 5 *testing it out*


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## Per Lichtman (Aug 21, 2013)

Okay, I just tested with Kontakt 2 Player 2.2.4 Windows. So far the behavior has been the same as with Kontakt 5 full version (sustains work the same, etc.) but I'll try doing more scientific testing later.


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## tmm (Aug 22, 2013)

Per Lichtman @ Wed Aug 21 said:


> Embertone Friedlander Violin: ... You can also hold down the sustain pedal and hit the note again to activate the re-bow earlier at any time and it will still use a different sample each consecutive time.



Haha, wow, I've owned the Friedlander since shortly after it's release, but didn't know that. It's actually a feature I was hoping would be available. RTFM, I guess, right?  I'm liking the Friedlander more and more (and will especially love it after the upcoming update)


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## Sounds-and-images (Aug 22, 2013)

Thanks for the info, great to see this is still useable!


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## Sounds-and-images (Aug 22, 2013)

dinerdog @ Wed Aug 21 said:


> Just tested the Stradivari and Gofriller in Kontakt5, Logic Pro X and they work fine.



Promising stuff that it works in K5 and logic x. Either the K2 player optional this means I am still able to use this! Thanks for the info and for trying this.


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## rayinstirling (Aug 23, 2013)

Sounds-and-images @ Thu Aug 22 said:


> dinerdog @ Wed Aug 21 said:
> 
> 
> > Just tested the Stradivari and Gofriller in Kontakt5, Logic Pro X and they work fine.
> ...


Allow me to shake my head in disbelief that even after Giorgio the developer of the Strad underlines in his post the instrument will not work PROPERLY in any Kontakt version following K2, folks say its fine because when they press a key a noise comes out.


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## Rob (Aug 23, 2013)

rayinstirling @ 23rd August 2013 said:


> Sounds-and-images @ Thu Aug 22 said:
> 
> 
> > dinerdog @ Wed Aug 21 said:
> ...



+1 in kontakt 4 notes tend to hang randomly... Works fine in the k2 player


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## Per Lichtman (Aug 23, 2013)

Just to be clear, I never said "use Kontakt 5 instead of Kontakt 2 Player", I just said "so far the behavior has been the same" and that I would do more testing later. All I meant was that instrument wasn't somehow going to be on another level from before - there may still be a much lower chance of errors in K2 Player than K5.

Anyway, you can download K2 Player 2.2.4 from http://www.sibelius.com/cgi-bin/helpcen ... language=1 so there really is no reason not try it for yourself (and there really isn't much reason not to, unless you have a host that doesn't play nicely with plug-ins that aren't 64-bit). And of course you can also find it as a download option once you login to your Native Instruments account where the Garritan Strad. is registered.

But allow me to re-emphasize: I had problems with hung notes using the very K2 Player it was bundled with, back when I first bought the library. There may be fewer issues with the K2 Player than K5, but there were issues not limited to newer versions.


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## dormusic (Aug 25, 2013)

Giorgio Tommasini @ Wed Aug 21 said:


> > Wow, exciting! Will the French Horn&Tuba get this update as well?
> 
> 
> 
> Yes, after the Trombone and the Trumpet. It will take some time of course. :wink:



Incredible. Thank you. Just promise me that you will refine the higher register of the french horn: make the high notes fff sound like something from cinebrass, punchy, shimmering, and LOUD!.

Thank you for existing anyway


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## wxyz (Aug 30, 2013)

In consideration of your appreciation, and your kind request for Solo Strings, we might reconsider our priorities, and revise our plans :wink: 

Giorgio & Peter[/quote]Please, please hurry.


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## Sounds-and-images (Aug 30, 2013)

Rob @ Fri Aug 23 said:


> rayinstirling @ 23rd August 2013 said:
> 
> 
> > Sounds-and-images @ Thu Aug 22 said:
> ...



Very true, will be a while before it gets used but seems there may be a way with the player then.

Thanks for the replies!


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## Casiquire (Sep 1, 2013)

wxyz @ Fri 30 Aug said:


> In consideration of your appreciation, and your kind request for Solo Strings, we might reconsider our priorities, and revise our plans :wink:
> 
> Giorgio & Peter



Yes...yes...yes...yes....

I'm the weirdo who literally joined the forums at Samplemodeling just to see if there was any hint of strings. Even if it was a re-release of the Strad and Gofriller I'd buy it in a heartbeat, but it sounds like it will be so much more.


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## wst3 (Sep 1, 2013)

add me to the list - both Strad and Gofriller are starting to be as much trouble to use as they are cool... something I hoped would never happen, since they sound so great.

If I might, some thoughts on how both instruments might be improved in their next iteration:
1) keep the current mode where every possible nuance can not only be controlled in real time, but must be controlled in real time - this makes for a most expressive recording. The downside is that I literally have to spend time practicing to use it<G>!
2) to that end, provide a mode where some of the controls are grouped together so that moving the mod wheel, or the volume pedal, or pressing a button, key switch, or button affects multiple parameters intelligently.
3) there was, for a very brief time, the ability to emulate an electric violin or cello through the use of IRs. While not the same as using a library of a real electric violin or cello it was very convincing (to my ears), and I have yet to hear anything better. Sadly, an update that fixed some real bugs also locked things such that this trick no longer works.
4) update so that it works in K4 or K5 (yeah, I know, didn't need to be said<G>!)

Funny though it may sound, I am looking forward to retiring these two instruments.


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## Per Lichtman (Nov 18, 2013)

I know the thread's been inactive for a while, but I talked a lot about GSSV in my Embertone Friedlander Violin with a lot of point by point comparisons.

http://soundbytesmag.net/embertonefriedlanderviolin/

Long story short: I can't wait to hear what the SM guys come up with for the next release, but for current use I'd almost always pick Emebertone Friedlander Violin over GSSV. GSSV still has a very different tone so it would be great to see a new product based on the same instrument in the future - especially given what SM has done with their other instruments.

Looking forward to what you guys come up with!


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