# Cinematic studio solo strings !!!



## JanR

http://www.cinematicstudioseries.com/solo-strings.html


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## Rob

sound very good... not surprisingly, coming from a developer I greatly respect


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## passsacaglia

Wow! Sounds really good!


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## synthpunk

Made my day! If you're a previous customer by the way you also received a coupon code which is very welcome and thoughtful from Alex and his team.


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## ghandizilla

Timbre is fantastic. Scripting seems very alive. I'd like to hear some runs test with the lib. It's not expensive at all so I'll pull the trigger anyway


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## Raphioli

The demos sound great! Great composition as always.


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## Chris Hein

Does anyone know if the Kontakt editor is locked?


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## synthpunk

The first demo reminds me a little bit of Sir George Martin / Paul McCartney's The Family Way score.



Raphioli said:


> The demos sound great! Great composition as always.


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## ghandizilla

Mock-up Hardcore Challenge : make a mock-up of this piece using only CSSS cello patch


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## Jorgakis

ghandizilla said:


> Mock-up Hardcore Challenge : make a mock-up of this piece using only CSSS cello patch




I want to hear Also sprach Zarathustra, the 10000divisi part...
Really great sound anyways! But the demos are really good compositions, too


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## BenHicks

I absolutely love the first chair implementation with CSS. It's exactly what I've wanted from a solo string library. Ugh. Just when I told myself I wasn't going to buy anymore string libraries... 

I HAVE A VERY SERIOUS SAMPLE LIBRARY ACQUISITION PROBLEM.


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## sostenuto

Sooo ... this blows CineStrings SOLO out of the tub ???

Seriously! C_inesamples Bundle _was close to purchase and now CSSS rises  

(edit) HELLO ! 

Spitfire Symphonic Strings EDU is $552. This is clearly 'above' ?? @ ~~ $600. ?


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## dhowarthmusic

Chris Hein said:


> Does anyone know if the Kontakt editor is locked?


It looks like it is locked on my system


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## juliancisneros

Yea, it sounds INCREDIBLE. I have CineStrings SOLO and Sacconi Quartet and though they both have their strengths, I have a hunch CSSS will be my new go to solo string lib.


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## sostenuto

juliancisneros said:


> Yea, it sounds INCREDIBLE. I have CineStrings SOLO and Sacconi Quartet and though they both have their strengths, I have a hunch CSSS will be my new go to solo string lib.



 Luv such focused Reply !!


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## Rodney Money

Instead of CSSS, can we call it CS3 (CS cubed?)


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## BenHicks

Rodney Money said:


> Instead of CSSS, can we call it CS3 (CS cubed?)



I personally can't wait for their Cinematic Studio Sensual Solo Soprano Saxophone.


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## Rodney Money

BenHicks said:


> I personally can't wait for their Cinematic Studio Sensual Solo Soprano Saxophone.


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## ctsai89

Rodney Money said:


> Instead of CSSS, can we call it CS3 (CS cubed?)


 

Wouldn't it be cs4 instead cuz CS then cinematic strings 2 then cs3 = cinematic studio strings. Cs4 = CSSS?


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## lp59burst

Overall CSSS sounds wonderful... but, I did notice one thing that maybe someone else could check...

C4 on Violins 1 - articulation matrix set to "Sustain"... it seems to me that the volume balance is off (louder, faster attack, more "bite") compared the surrounding notes played in a similar manner

or... more likely, it could just be my sloppy keyboard playing... I'm a guitarist... subtle nuance is not my forte...


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## juliancisneros

sostenuto said:


> Luv such focused Reply !!



CinseStrings SOLO has a great lively sound and I find it very useful and have always been happy with _most_ of it. The Cello shorts were unusable for me which is why I picked up Sacconi which is more well rounded, and of course has usable shorts across the board. All that said, I think each solo library will still have a place for different applications... just something to keep in mind.


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## sostenuto

juliancisneros said:


> CinseStrings SOLO has a great lively sound and I find it very useful and have always been happy with _most_ of it. The Cello shorts were unusable for me which is why I picked up Sacconi which is more well rounded, and of course has usable shorts across the board. All that said, I think each solo library will still have a place for different applications... just something to keep in mind.



Many thanks! So many dimensions to this 'topic' and brief telecon with Spitfire this morning brought this to light.
SSS does not have Solo/FC per se and was advised to review Solo Strings and Sacconi. 
Will do so ... while recognizing your advice ! ( "_each solo library will still have a place _....." )


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## ctsai89

sostenuto said:


> Many thanks! So many dimensions to this 'topic' and brief telecon with Spitfire this morning brought this to light.
> SSS does not have Solo/FC per se and was advised to review Solo Strings and Sacconi.
> Will do so ... while recognizing your advice ! ( "_each solo library will still have a place _....." )



Keep in mind that sacconi's celllo range only goes up to G4.


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## sostenuto

ctsai89 said:


> Keep in mind that sacconi's celllo range only goes up to G4.



Maybe why SF mentioned it and then quickly advised Solo Strings ? 

I posted elsewhere re. The Simon Leadley Scoring Stage but no takers. Is one of the other prominent venues somewhat comparable or nothing close ??

THX!


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## ghandizilla

CineStrings is way underrated. The timbre is unique, harsh , and its scripting is top notch. On the other hand, CSSS has this romantic tone, more articulations, and is as well programmed script-wisely. Moreover, it seems it's a first chair killer ! I concur with the different libraries = different uses thing.

EDIT : I was talking, of course, about CineStrings Solo. We're all eager to hear what CineStrings Core will be like after the adaptive legato update, but for now, it's not agile at all.


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## jamwerks

ghandizilla said:


> CineStrings is way underrated. The timbre is unique, harsh , and its scripting is top notch. On the other hand, CSSS has this romantic tone, more articulations, and is as well programmed script-wisely. Moreover, it seems it's a first chair killer ! I concur with the different libraries = different use
> s thing.


FWIW I loaded up CineStrings recently, tried doing some really fast stuff that SSS & CSS handle easily. Cinestrings wouldn't even play half the notes. Their legato is not even in the same league as the others imo.


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## sostenuto

jamwerks said:


> FWIW I loaded up CineStrings recently, tried doing some really fast stuff that SSS & CSS handle easily. Cinestrings wouldn't even play half the notes. Their legato in not even in the same league as the others imo.



I'm confused! Assume that SSS = Spitfire Symphony Strings, but what does CSS refer to ? ......
_Maybe my problem is_ ..... Does your 'loaded up CineStrings' mean the new Cinestrings Solo Strings?


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## Zhao Shen

jamwerks said:


> FWIW I loaded up CineStrings recently, tried doing some really fast stuff that SSS & CSS handle easily. Cinestrings wouldn't even play half the notes. Their legato in not even in the same league as the others imo.



Think he's talking about CineStrings SOLO, which is indeed excellently scripted. The major turn-off for me there was the lack of slurred legato - otherwise it sounds pretty damn nice, and does agile passages well too.



sostenuto said:


> I'm confused! Assume that SSS = Spitfire Symphony Strings, but what does CSS refer to ? ......
> Does your 'loaded up CineStrings' mean the new Cinestrings Solo Strings?



CSS is Cinematic Studio Strings, the CineStrings he's referring to is CineStrings CORE, the ensemble string library by Cinesamples.

Anyway guys, be sure to keep a look out for my upcoming string library: Cinematic Cinema CineStrings: Cinematography Edition


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## ctsai89

jamwerks said:


> FWIW I loaded up CineStrings recently, tried doing some really fast stuff that SSS & CSS handle easily. Cinestrings wouldn't even play half the notes. Their legato in not even in the same league as the others imo.



Even with the legato speed knob at full?


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## sostenuto

Zhao Shen said:


> Think he's talking about CineStrings SOLO, which is indeed excellently scripted. The major turn-off for me there was the lack of slurred legato - otherwise it sounds pretty damn nice, and does agile passages well too.
> 
> 
> 
> CSS is Cinematic Studio Strings, the CineStrings he's referring to is CineStrings CORE, the ensemble string library by Cinesamples.
> 
> Anyway guys, be sure to keep a look out for my upcoming string library: Cinematic Cinema CineStrings: Cinematography Edition



_Won't do a thing 'til CCC:CE is ready !!!_


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## jamwerks

sostenuto said:


> I'm confused! Assume that SSS = Spitfire Symphony Strings, but what does CSS refer to ? ......
> _Maybe my problem is_ ..... Does your 'loaded up CineStrings' mean the new Cinestrings Solo Strings?


CSS was for Cinematic Studio Strings.


ctsai89 said:


> Even with the legato speed knob at full?


Yeah with the speed knob full on. Think I also tried the midi from "The Robber", and there it didn't even play the really fast notes. I remember that SSS handled it just fine. Even HS held it's own.


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## sostenuto

jamwerks said:


> CSS was for Cinematic Studio Strings.
> Yeah with the speed knob full on. Think I also tried the midi from "The Robber", and there it didn't even play the really fast notes. I remember that SSS handled it just fine. Even HS held it's own.



PITA, but have you ever tried with LASS Full 2.5 and/or FC 2.5 ?? ....sorry !


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## jamwerks

sostenuto said:


> PITA, but have you ever tried with LASS Full 2.5 and/or FC 2.5 ?? ....sorry !


Never got around to buying LASS. One of the only one's I don't have.

Speaking of LASS, if Alex will do also a 4-person "chamber" version of the Studio Strings (CSCS), we would pretty much have what LASS does. Would also be interested in some extended arts like what SF has done. Also would love a "trilles orchestrator" module for CSS (like OT's Symphonic Spheres) with trilles minor 2nd to perfect 5th (perfect 4th for celli) in 2 speeds. And come to think of it, this "Trilles Orchestrator" module might be more handy if done with the chamber size sections!

Back to work Alex!


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## NoamL

ctsai89 said:


> Keep in mind that sacconi's celllo range only goes up to G4.



Actually, the Sacconi cello only goes to *A3* (the A above middle C). The CSSS solo cello goes to *G4* an octave higher.

For some context: C1 to A3 is the cello's standard range and fully utilized in quartets, classical symphonies etc. Above A3 is called "thumb position" and is routinely used by cellists in concertos but less often by the section unless they're doing effectively a group solo. Anything above G4 is very high indeed and almost never seen although in theory the cello can play as high as it wants  Spitfire Mural's cellos go to C5 and stay beautifully in tune! Bohemian Cello goes all the way to A5 which is _insane._


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## ctsai89

NoamL said:


> Actually, the Sacconi cello only goes to *A3* (the A above middle C). The CSSS solo cello goes to *G4* an octave higher.
> 
> For some context: C1 to A3 is the cello's standard range and fully utilized in quartets, classical symphonies etc. Above A3 is called "thumb position" and is routinely used by cellists in concertos but less often by the section unless they're doing effectively a group solo. Anything above G4 is very high indeed and almost never seen although in theory the cello can play as high as it wants  Spitfire Mural's cellos go to C5 and stay beautifully in tune! Bohemian Cello goes all the way to A5 which is _insane._



Yes I meant the note above middle C. In MiDI terminology it would be 3 but in piano terminology it's 4, is it not?


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## MillsMixx

I say just call it what it is lol! Cinematic Studio Solo Strings. I have a hard enough time trying to figure out all the abbreviations in all the threads and often find myself having to google the shorthand to see what comes up sometimes just so i know what library everyone is referring to. We live in a lazy twitter generation we're it's too much effort to take an extra 2 seconds to type the name out fully. Trust me I do this when I text on my phone and let it fill in the word for me


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## skythemusic

Is the vibrato baked in or cc assignable?


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## lp59burst

MillsMixx said:


> I say just call it what it is lol! Cinematic Studio Solo Strings. I have a hard enough time trying to figure out all the abbreviations in all the threads and often find myself having to google the shorthand to see what comes up sometimes just so i know what library everyone is referring to. We live in a lazy twitter generation we're it's too much effort to take an extra 2 seconds to type the name out fully. Trust me I do this when I text on my phone and let it fill in the word for me


You can type "Cinematic Studio Solo Strings" in two seconds...? I can barely read it that fast...


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## markleake

skythemusic said:


> Is the vibrato baked in or cc assignable?


On CC2. I think it is just an on/off switch, not crossfade. It's in the Technical video on their website.


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## sostenuto

No Cinematic Strings now. Wanted to get CS2 (different soundstage that many like) @ $299. .... then Update to CSS with little-to-zero penalty (~$100.), then purchase CSSS for $199. This seems to befuddle as several communications and no coherent answer. Kinda threw water on my fire ....

Guess this is a nonsense request ? Haven't many here extolled virtues of CS2 even after CSS release ???

Too bad ... keeps both: ( SSS + SF Solo Strings ) and ( LASS Full 2.5 + FC 2.5 ) _in-the-game_ ... albeit higher cost by a bit.


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## markleake

sostenuto said:


> No Cinematic Strings now. Wanted to get CS2 (different soundstage that many like) @ $299. .... then Update to CSS with little-to-zero penalty (~$100.), then purchase CSSS for $199. This seems to befuddle as several communications and no coherent answer. Kinda threw water on my fire ....
> 
> Guess this is a nonsense request ? Haven't many here extolled virtues of CS2 even after CSS release ???
> 
> Too bad ... keeps both: ( SSS + SF Solo Strings ) and ( LASS Full 2.5 + FC 2.5 ) _in-the-game_ ... albeit higher cost by a bit.


Huh? You want to get better than the loyalty discount than Alex's actual long term customers, but for being a new customer? I don't understand.

Why not research each and then buy what you need/like? They are all very different offerings. If you don't know which one fits your need and fits in with your goals, then I'd suggest you need to research them more.


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## AlexanderSchiborr

markleake said:


> Huh? You want to get better than the loyalty discount than Alex's actual long term customers, but for being a new customer? I don't understand.
> 
> Why not research each and then buy what you need/like? They are all very different offerings. If you don't know which one fits your need and fits in with your goals, then I'd suggest you need to research them more.



+1


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## ranaprathap

Wow! I loved the demo tracks. 

Any idea if Alex Wallbank does mainstream music, outside of the sampling space? My search couldn't find any.


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## sostenuto

markleake said:


> Huh? You want to get better than the loyalty discount than Alex's actual long term customers, but for being a new customer? I don't understand.
> 
> Why not research each and then buy what you need/like? They are all very different offerings. If you don't know which one fits your need and fits in with your goals, then I'd suggest you need to research them more.



Can't stay away from the critical comment? .... Either add more help .. as you have in past, or consider stop trying to lecture on how to pursue my objectives. 

Asking for a straightforward cross-grade when purchasing an old library is not a helluva a request. 
$600. purchase from scratch, with new supplier, seems as much commitment as doing it over time like you and others.


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## ryanstrong

First play through, loving this library. Really great tone to it and I am digging the playability. So far sitting just fine with Spitfire stuff to if you give it a "splosh" of reverb.


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## JonSolo

sostenuto said:


> Can't stay away from the critical comment? .... Either add more help .. as you have in past, or consider stop trying to lecture on how to pursue my objectives.
> 
> Asking for a straightforward cross-grade when purchasing an old library is not a helluva a request.
> $600. purchase from scratch, with new supplier, seems as much commitment as doing it over time like you and others.



I would not take the comments personally. Cinematic Studios has a great reputation here and elsewhere. Their prices, for the product, are fair at full price. Add in the loyalty discount, and it is a bargain. Combine that with a proactive developer, and tons of support from a rock solid user base, and it becomes a no-brainer. And I think that is the point being made.

On the flip side of that thought, he was also suggesting that it is YOUR decision. Research into what it is versus what you need it for (which none of us can know) will help you decide. For every 100 or so users, there are one or two who just don't like Cinematic Studio. I love the sound, but sometimes struggle with the delay in playing response (which I have learned to work around). CSS is my go-to strings on any given day. I use my other libraries as a bolster for detail, but that has changed a bit with CSSS. 

Despite that I still love Auddict USE, and my EWQL & Spitfire stuff. But I don't need or own LASS. See what he means by "research and buy what you need/like"? 

I could say "you can't go wrong with Cinematic Studios". But in reality, you could, if you didn't like/embrace the product.


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## sostenuto

JonSolo said:


> I would not take the comments personally. Cinematic Studios has a great reputation here and elsewhere. Their prices, for the product, are fair at full price. Add in the loyalty discount, and it is a bargain. Combine that with a proactive developer, and tons of support from a rock solid user base, and it becomes a no-brainer. And I think that is the point being made.
> 
> On the flip side of that thought, he was also suggesting that it is YOUR decision. Research into what it is versus what you need it for (which none of us can know) will help you decide. For every 100 or so users, there are one or two who just don't like Cinematic Studio. I love the sound, but sometimes struggle with the delay in playing response (which I have learned to work around). CSS is my go-to strings on any given day. I use my other libraries as a bolster for detail, but that has changed a bit with CSSS.
> 
> Despite that I still love Auddict USE, and my EWQL & Spitfire stuff. But I don't need or own LASS. See what he means by "research and buy what you need/like"?
> 
> I could say "you can't go wrong with Cinematic Studios". But in reality, you could, if you didn't like/embrace the product.



Heh heh! What's wrong with taking personal comments personally ? At this point in life I know it is MY decision, and cost ... to get what I want .... matters. I want the (3) products I posted about, but not for total asked (without crossgrade). 

NO problem now, as analysis has always included Spitfire and Audiobro. As you well know, LASS Full 2.5 has salient content which makes it attractive (playable) for non-professional, orch/cine/epic/trlr learner, like me. Divisi is another topic ....

I'm comfortable, and cool, with what's now on my short list __ they all have pros /cons. Too bad, as CS2 added a positive dimension, which has now become a PITA ....


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## Grizzlymv

sostenuto said:


> Asking for a straightforward cross-grade when purchasing an old library is not a helluva a request.
> $600. purchase from scratch, with new supplier, seems as much commitment as doing it over time like you and others.



Well, for me the main difference is that as a previous customer, you contributed in the success of the company, which a new client haven't yet. You also contributed to give the developer the resource to work on another product which again a new client haven't either. So a loyalty discount sounds like a way for the developer to say a big Thank You to their existing customer. To show that they care about them. And as a client, seeing a developer caring about you like that, you might very well opting to continue business with them vs choosing a competitor if you have to select between 2. 

So in the long term, you would do a similar commitment, but for the next product. Not the current one. But that's just my way of seeing this. 

You know, some vendors prefer to only attract new clients to sell their new products and then leave them in the dark, and some people are fine with this too. I just prefer to invest my money in people who doesn't take their clients for granted and care about them.  But that's just me.


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## NoamL

ctsai89 said:


> Yes I meant the note above middle C. In MiDI terminology it would be 3 but in piano terminology it's 4, is it not?



You're correct!


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## novaburst

Grizzlymv said:


> just prefer to invest my money in people who doesn't take their clients for granted and care about them.  But that's just me.



I don't think I have come across any developer who does not practice this principle,

Of course our impatience can do a lot of self harm.


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## Brian2112

I just gotta say with all the hurricane crap I'm dealing with, when I loaded up the Cello, I had a big smile for the first time in a while. Well done Alex! This is the solo library I've been waiting for!
Oh, and the Embertone Bass works just fine with it if you need bass, just adjust the reverb.


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## SoNowWhat?

Well, FWIW I contacted Cinematic Studio support re options to buy in as I've been waiting patiently for this to drop and those demos...oh man. I can only offer praise for the response, speed and the offer made to me. Very grateful. I'm out with kids now but will "execute" when back in studio. 

I was not looking at CS2 though. Maybe that makes a difference.


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## Zhao Shen

sostenuto said:


> Hey @ markleake ..... one can only research these offerings so far without having them on ones' system and using in ones' chosen ways.
> There is often a 'backstory' and in my case there is .......
> 
> I sent courteous, reasonable, e-mail to Cinematic Strings, with my 'unemotional' requests. They are clearly overwhelmed with CSSS traffic and their 'responder' (not Alex) was rude and inappropriate in several responses.
> My _only_ interaction was to _Reply_ to any email messages sent to me. Their Replies never answered my inquiry re. CS2-to-CSS, but criticized me as follows:
> _" First thing I'd like to ask is that you please continue your support requests in a single thread as we have dozens of enquiries every day and it's very hard for me to keep track" _
> 
> That's their frickin' problem !!! I use Windows10 Pro and MS_ Mail program (every day). WTF is "in a single thread " ??? I Send an email, they Reply, I Reply ... WTF is 'single thread' ???
> Following Replies just got more Replies, NEVER answering my question about CS2-to-CSS. Now we have at least two individuals very pissed off for unknown reasons.
> 
> CSSS is receiving overwhelming positive response and Cinematic Strings (Alex) deserves strong plaudits.
> 
> They are just beginning their day (Saturday) in Aussieland (you too) and maybe taking some deserved time off ???
> Still, I hope they respond to my last email, to get things back on track.
> 
> @ markleake ..... maybe best for me to back off right now and allow things to sort themselves. Several top Creators out there, and without Demos, all I can do is watch/listen and probably purchase to learn.
> 
> Always something positive around the corner, and just saw the sonokinetics promo offer. Maybe Woodwinds Ensemble Extended Edition is a positive departure from 'Strings' for a short time ??
> 
> BTW, just loaded up sonokinetic: WW Ensembles Extd *+* DaCapo and Cart total is ~$409., not so far from CSS alone @ $399.
> Not good business to piss off a seriously interested prospect about complying with e-mail preferences !!
> 
> Regards



That's a weird response from the customer service rep - sounds like he/she is maybe just not familiar with how the system works. But seriously, don't take it personally. That's about as courteously as they could have worded that response.


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## Alex W

Sostenuto,

We received 13 emails from you, spread out over 3 separate support tickets. We tried to be as clear as possible that you were entitled to the full cross grade discount for CSS. So you could have purchased CS2 for $299, cross graded to CSS for an additional $279, followed by a discounted purchase of CSSS for $199. This is the same as for all our customers. We made this clear repeatedly during our email exchange, for example - here are 3 direct quotes from our emails:

"Yes there would be a discount for CSS if you bought CS2 today"

"As I said: once you purchase any product (eg CS2) then you will receive a discount off the next product (eg CSS)"

"once you have purchased any of the libraries at full price you will be entitled to a discount on subsequent purchases."

As you can see, we tried to make it very clear that you were indeed entitled to generous discounts, but apparently you weren't happy with our offer. It seemed that you expected a larger discount than our loyal customers, which of course we couldn't provide, so I'm not sure how we could've helped you further...


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## sostenuto

Alex W said:


> Sostenuto,
> 
> We received 13 emails from you, spread out over 3 separate support tickets. We tried to be as clear as possible that you were entitled to the full cross grade discount for CSS. So you could have purchased CS2 for $299, cross graded to CSS for an additional $279, followed by a discounted purchase of CSSS for $199. This is the same as for all our customers. We made this clear repeatedly during our email exchange, for example - here are 3 direct quotes from our emails:
> 
> "Yes there would be a discount for CSS if you bought CS2 today"
> 
> "As I said: once you purchase any product (eg CS2) then you will receive a discount off the next product (eg CSS)"
> 
> "once you have purchased any of the libraries at full price you will be entitled to a discount on subsequent purchases."
> 
> As you can see, we tried to make it very clear that you were indeed entitled to generous discounts, but apparently you weren't happy with our offer. It seemed that you expected a larger discount than our loyal customers, which of course we couldn't provide, so I'm not sure how we could've helped you further...


-----------------------------------------
Greetings Alex.
I just sent you an email (using an alternate provider) to attempt to explain some very strange issues with Windows10 Pro 'MAIL' program, some of which have manifested in just the past few days.
The separate support ticket issue is a mystery as all my Replies were to email message sent from support @ cinematicstrings.com.
Checked my Sent Folder and nowhere near 13 e-mails to Cinematic, even going back to late July.

One Reply, stating the $$ amounts you provided above, would have satisfied my inquiry and no further interaction would have been needed. There is *no *Reply stating those numbers.


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## mouse

ranaprathap said:


> Wow! I loved the demo tracks.
> 
> Any idea if Alex Wallbank does mainstream music, outside of the sampling space? My search couldn't find any.



I always wonder this too. Sometimes the product demo's are just incredible yet the developer isn't well known as a composer. Troels Folmann from 8dio is incredibly too and makes some amazing demo tracks. Wish I was half as talented as some of these guys lol!


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## ranaprathap

mouse said:


> I always wonder this too. Sometimes the product demo's are just incredible yet the developer isn't well known as a composer. Troels Folmann from 8dio is incredibly too and makes some amazing demo tracks. Wish I was half as talented as some of these guys lol!


+1 on Troels Folmann


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## nas

juliancisneros said:


> CinseStrings SOLO has a great lively sound and I find it very useful and have always been happy with _most_ of it. The Cello shorts were unusable for me which is why I picked up Sacconi which is more well rounded, and of course has usable shorts across the board. All that said, I think each solo library will still have a place for different applications... just something to keep in mind.



Not to derail the thread but I was actually considering the Sacconi Strings as well but now CSSS may change my mind - it sounds excellent (from the demos) and seems very playable. Is there anything in Sacconi you find is a weakness in the library? Legato patches? playability? overall consistency etc..?


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## AlexanderSchiborr

There are people who have a natural high suck level and they even don´t realize that.


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## rottoy

AlexanderSchiborr said:


> There are people who have a natural high suck level and they even don´t realize that.


What's the context of this statement?


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## AlexanderSchiborr

rottoy said:


> What's the context of this statement?



It s aimed at that moronic idiot here who gets more than a generous offer by Alex Wallbank, still then complaining that this isn´t good enough (in public), and then whining about that alex Wallbank mentioned his case here in public, still thinking he should probably get a better discount than loyal customers? Alex W. offered a discount which under normal circumstances no other developer would do and he isn´t obgligated to do so. There should be a rule to ban idiots like this too. They make me feel sick to my stomach.


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## rottoy

AlexanderSchiborr said:


> It s aimed at that moronic idiot here who gets more than a generous offer by Alex Wallbank, still then complaining that this isn´t good enough (in public), and then whining about that alex Wallbank mentioned his case here in public, still thinking he should probably get a better discount than loyal customers? Alex W. offered a discount which under normal circumstances no other developer would do and he isn´t obgligated to do so. There should be a rule to ban idiots like this too. They make me feel sick to my stomach.


Ah, thanks for clarifying.


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## sostenuto

AlexanderSchiborr said:


> It s aimed at that moronic idiot here who gets more than a generous offer by Alex Wallbank, still then complaining that this isn´t good enough (in public), and then whining about that alex Wallbank mentioned his case here in public, still thinking he should probably get a better discount than loyal customers? Alex W. offered a discount which under normal circumstances no other developer would do and he isn´t obgligated to do so. There should be a rule to ban idiots like this too. They make me feel sick to my stomach.



You have no clue whatsoever what has gone on here ... NONE ! Much of what is seen from you is this same foul excrement. 
What you post in other cases is of no real concern at all, but damned disgusting when you are waay off base and unaware of my interactions with Alex and Cinematic Strings. 

Alex contacted me this morning and followed through with commitment provided to other customers previously.
There were unexplained email issues earlier and those will be resolved.

What the hell do you think you are accomplishing with this sort of derogatory attack? .... other than to attract support from others who also have no clue. What a pathetic display of gutter garbage.


----------



## muk

Gentlemen, lets keep our calm, have a brandy or lemonade and move on. Cinematic Studio Series Solo Strings are waiting installed on my harddisk when I come home tonight. Looking forward very much to testing this library that seems to be a beauty indeed. Already I have a few projects in mind to put it through its paces.


----------



## AlexanderSchiborr

OK! I apologize for calling you a moronic idiot. So I am trying to recapitulate such comments from you,e.g. like this one:



sostenuto said:


> No Cinematic Strings now. Wanted to get CS2 (different soundstage that many like) @ $299. .... then Update to CSS with little-to-zero penalty (~$100.), then purchase CSSS for $199. This seems to befuddle as several communications and no coherent answer. Kinda threw water on my fire ....
> 
> Guess this is a nonsense request ? Haven't many here extolled virtues of CS2 even after CSS release ???
> 
> Too bad ... keeps both: ( SSS + SF Solo Strings ) and ( LASS Full 2.5 + FC 2.5 ) _in-the-game_ ... albeit higher cost by a bit.



WHAT PENALTY are YOU TALKING ABOUT? Zero or no Penalty?! What on earth are you thinking? Are you serious? GET A Perspective. Nobody slapped you in the face, so there is no penalty, and no bonus for you dude. You are just too late in the game. And that´s the bottom line there. That Alex seem to take a deep breath while dealing with your mail flood and offering YOU THE SAME DISCOUNT LIKE A REAL LOYAL Customer is more than generous. You are not even a customer yet and lightyears aways from being a "LOYAL" customer. Alex is a damn cool guy and you should have thanked him 1000 times and be a lucky guy to get such a unique library for such a great discount. And YOU DECLINED TO ACCEPT that offer? What should I think of such a person like you? And then you have nothing else to do than to complain here in public about that matter and Alex so kindly tried with his comment to sort that out and you are still complaining even about him.

Taking a deep breath again...allright I get a brandy..right now..


----------



## novaburst

mouse said:


> Troels Folmann from 8dio is incredibly too and makes some amazing demo tracks. Wish I was half as talented as some of these guys lol!



+1


----------



## sostenuto

AlexanderSchiborr said:


> OK! I apologize for calling you a moronic idiot. So I am trying to recapitulate such comments from you,e.g. like this one:
> 
> 
> 
> WHAT PENALTY are TALKING ABOUT? Zero or no Penalty?! What on earth are thinking? Are you serious? GET A Perspective. Nobody slapped you in the face, so there is no penalty, and no bonus for you dude. You are just too late in the game. And that´s the bottom line there. That Alex seem to take a deep breath while dealing with your mail flood and offering YOU THE SAME DISCOUNT LIKE A REAL LOYAL Customer is more than generous. You are not even a customer yet and lightyears aways from being a "LOYAL" customer. Alex is a damn cool guy and you should have thanked him 1000 times and be a lucky guy to get such a unique library for such a great discount. And YOU DECLINED TO ACCEPT that offer? What should I think of such a person like you? And then you have nothing else to do than to complain here in public about that matter and Alex so kindly tried with his comment to sort that out and you are still complaining even about him.
> 
> Taking a deep breath again...allright I get a brandy..right now..



Agree! Overreacted to lack of Reply to emails requesting real numbers to decide CS2 to CSS or straight to CSS.
They received emails, I received no numbers ... I overreacted ... still no numbers, until last night.
Have numbers now.

....... _will likely regret this mea culpa, cuz there's always a sanctimonious hemorrhoid out there who won't let go ... _


----------



## Zhao Shen

sostenuto said:


> Agree! Overreacted to lack of Reply to emails requesting real numbers to decide CS2 to CSS or straight to CSS.
> They received emails, I received no numbers ... I overreacted ... still no numbers, until last night.
> Have numbers now. Done.



You need to take some time to reflect if a late customer support email is all it takes to make you whine incessantly about one of the most generous deals I have ever seen offered in the sampling world.

Nevertheless, glad that it's sorted out now. Maybe this thread can be useful again.


----------



## Grizzlymv

Hey guys. Just started to add CSSS in my template and I usually go with 1 articulation per track. So in the case of CSS and CSSS, I unload all articulations except for the one required for that specific instrument track. I did notice with CSSS that when you unload everything and keep only the Measured Trems, no samples are played. I need to load the Staccato patch so the Measured Trems can play. I seems to behave like this for all patches (ensemble, 1st, 2nd, viola and cello). In CSS, just keeping the Measured Trems works, so it looks like it's a bug in CSSS. I've submitted a request to Alex, but was wondering if it was just me or if others had the same behavior?


----------



## ctsai89

nas said:


> Not to derail the thread but I was actually considering the Sacconi Strings as well but now CSSS may change my mind - it sounds excellent (from the demos) and seems very playable. Is there anything in Sacconi you find is a weakness in the library? Legato patches? playability? overall consistency etc..?



Limited cello range.


----------



## nas

ctsai89 said:


> Limited cello range.



Yes I think that's only for the "playable" patches. I think the other articulations in the "individual" patch are full range Cello.


----------



## amorphosynthesis

nas said:


> Yes I think that's only for the "playable" patches. I think the other articulations in the "individual" patch are full range Cello.


afaik all the basic articulations in sacconi have the same range as the playable patch range(just checked actually).


----------



## ctsai89

nas said:


> Yes I think that's only for the "playable" patches. I think the other articulations in the "individual" patch are full range Cello.



oh? you sure? up to which note above the middle C?  let me know because I would be interested in Sacconi if it matches my expectations.


----------



## nas

My apologies, actually you guys are right, I went back and checked one of the _youtube_ reviews and both "playable" and "individual" are the same range.. limited to A3. Still it's an amazing sounding library and very "alive". Tough to decide which library to go with. For sure though, we are living in a Golden Age of sample libraries - I can't believe the quality that's out there now.


----------



## NoamL

Grizzlymv said:


> I need to load the Staccato patch so the Measured Trems can play.



Hi Grizzly, there's a similar bug in CSS as of 1.1 - the Measured Trems can't lock to tempo unless the Staccatos are loaded. There's clearly some kind of dependency in the way the samples are programmed, that has been carried over from CSS to CSSS. It's easy to work around but it's one of those things I wish was in the manual!


----------



## Pianolando

Amazing sound, amazing price point. I caved in and bought both CSS and CSSS at the same time. Now I only need to find a reasonably priced solo double bass to complete the set.


----------



## manuhz

Alex W said:


> "once you have purchased any of the libraries at full price you will be entitled to a discount on subsequent purchases."
> 
> As you can see, we tried to make it very clear that you were indeed entitled to generous discounts, but apparently you weren't happy with our offer. It seemed that you expected a larger discount than our loyal customers, which of course we couldn't provide, so I'm not sure how we could've helped you further...



Interesting. I've purchased CSSS at full price. Will I become a loyalty discount for the next purchase if I trying to get the CSS upgrade path?


----------



## Vastman

manuhz said:


> Interesting. I've purchased CSSS at full price. Will I become a loyalty discount for the next purchase if I trying to get the CSS upgrade path?


I based on my experience, yes... just email Alex at support he'll give u a code for css.


----------



## Saxer

Grizzlymv said:


> I need to load the Staccato patch so the Measured Trems can play. I seems to behave like this for all patches (ensemble, 1st, 2nd, viola and cello).


Probably the measured trems are somehow made of stacc/spicc samples (plus some scripting). In CS2 the runs were made from marcatos and half step trills, so you had to load them too. So no bug, just load them and it works.


----------



## Grizzlymv

Saxer said:


> Probably the measured trems are somehow made of stacc/spicc samples (plus some scripting). In CS2 the runs were made from marcatos and half step trills, so you had to load them too. So no bug, just load them and it works.



Yeah, that's what I did. And since the stacc have a low footprint I'm not bothered too much. But given that CSS doesn't need Stacc loaded for the Measured Trems, I assumed it was maybe a bug in the mapping in CSSS rather than a design choice. Anyway, I'll keep you updated if I receive an answer from Cinematic Studios team. I can imagine they are flooded under emails these days.  In the meantime, there's a functional workaround.


----------



## C-Wave

manuhz said:


> Interesting. I've purchased CSSS at full price. Will I become a loyalty discount for the next purchase if I trying to get the CSS upgrade path?


Hi, that is what I'm thinking myself.. if you decide to go that route please let us know what discount you would get from Alex on CSS.. thanks.


----------



## MaxOctane

I'm confused by this library. Purchased it within minutes of the announcement, as this has been #1 on my wishlist for the last half year.

* I can't load Full Ensemble into Logic on a brand-new 8GB macbook pro. The whole laptop freezes. I option-clicked to remove all articulations except for sustain and purged samples, and it still freezes. 

* The Lite Ensemble patch, Sustain, which people are raving about, feels very clunky until it barely brush the keys. Anything faster than slow passages just kinda fails.

* The vibrato doesn't sound convincing until I drown it in other instruments.

Am I doing something wrong? Everyone's raving, and here I can't seem to get it to work right. :-(

I should note that the shorts are great.


----------



## Grizzlymv

Saxer said:


> Probably the measured trems are somehow made of stacc/spicc samples (plus some scripting). In CS2 the runs were made from marcatos and half step trills, so you had to load them too. So no bug, just load them and it works.



Alright so I got an answer from Alex and it's by design and you were right assuming the measured trems needed the stacc samples. " the Measured Tremolo articulation requires both Staccato and Tremolo to be loaded (in CSS), and just Staccato to be loaded for CSSS. I should probably have that hard-wired into the scripting to avoid this issue, I'll look into that for the next update." So there you go if anybody were wondering. 

Cheers.


----------



## Arbee

My only anxiety with pushing the button on this beautiful sounding library is whether the modest number of articulations (for a solo library) that make it so great to play also make it better suited to first chair use than fully exposed solo. Mainly in the areas of varied long note attacks, dynamics and vibrato treatment. Thoughts?


----------



## Sid Francis

Arbee: to you and the gazillion of other mentioning this as a topic: are you all really composing tunes that use more/other articulations than the given ones? I so rarely listen to any real "complicated" or sophisticated composition here that would need more than staccato and legato longs. And if you had the choice of 40 articulations with different swell and vibrato swell speeds: would you take the effort to use them? I use Legato longs, staccato and pizzicato and need no other artics in a library. To imitate and compete with a real violin soloist would take a whole lot of different playing styles and the skill to use them right...I couldn´t do this anyway. I am thankful for the adaptive legato that is given which is so much more than with what I was forced to work for 30 years


----------



## ctsai89

If a library is good to use as solo strings and good enough for virtuosic soloes it should have no problem being first chairs. Probably not true vice versa though.


----------



## Vastman

C-Wave said:


> Hi, that is what I'm thinking myself.. if you decide to go that route please let us know what discount you would get from Alex on CSS.. thanks.


CSS will cost you $279 I did the same thing the night CSSS became available.just email support after buying and they'll send u a code...


----------



## Brian2112

MaxOctane said:


> * The Lite Ensemble patch, Sustain, which people are raving about, feels very clunky until it barely brush the keys. Anything faster than slow passages just kinda fails.
> 
> * The vibrato doesn't sound convincing until I drown it in other instruments.
> 
> Am I doing something wrong? Everyone's raving, and here I can't seem to get it to work right. :-(
> 
> I should note that the shorts are great.



Remember that high velocities are going to give you faster legato. Play soft for slower passages because your mod wheel controls dynamics. The light ensemble patches have legato off by default (if I remember correctly). If you play chords, it's mostly for layering and works very well. Good use of the mod wheel can achieve some really nice results by itself though. In the light ensemble patch, I turn off the 2nd violins and adjust the attack and release parameters - can make a huge difference. Sorry if you know all this already


----------



## Arbee

ctsai89 said:


> If a library is good to use as solo strings and good enough for virtuosic soloes it should have no problem being first chairs. Probably not true vice versa though.


Exactly my point. It is frustrating (and expensive) to invest in a library that sounds this good, only to find that you reach the ceiling of its capability more quickly than anticipated. Which then perhaps leads to buying another library to fill the gap. I'm not saying this is the case here, just interested in everyone's views as they explore it more deeply.


----------



## Arbee

Sid Francis said:


> Arbee: to you and the gazillion of other mentioning this as a topic: are you all really composing tunes that use more/other articulations than the given ones? I so rarely listen to any real "complicated" or sophisticated composition here that would need more than staccato and legato longs. And if you had the choice of 40 articulations with different swell and vibrato swell speeds: would you take the effort to use them? I use Legato longs, staccato and pizzicato and need no other artics in a library. To imitate and compete with a real violin soloist would take a whole lot of different playing styles and the skill to use them right...I couldn´t do this anyway. I am thankful for the adaptive legato that is given which is so much more than with what I was forced to work for 30 years


I understand your point completely Sid, they are very rare occasions indeed when I want to throw an extra note in here and there with a different articulation to mix it up for realism. But when I do, I value that flexibility enormously.


----------



## ctsai89

Arbee said:


> Exactly my point. It is frustrating (and expensive) to invest in a library that sounds this good, only to find that you reach the ceiling of its capability more quickly than anticipated. Which then perhaps leads to buying another library to fill the gap. I'm not saying this is the case here, just interested in everyone's views as they explore it more deeply.



Not sure if you would care but I am glad I haven't bought the library after having heard that the cello can only play up to the G an octave above the middle C. Should been 5 notes higher than that at least if it wanted to achieve a "solo" standard for me at least. Oh wells I play cello anyways, just really lazy and don't have good enough space to immediately record myself whenever I want that's why I've been drooling for solo cello sample libraries


----------



## jamwerks

Having some sul tasto would be very helpful imo. Also, different types of attacks on longs would also be great. Hopefully Alex will keep adding arts to these string libraries. LASS also started out strong but then wasn't much developed from there.

I'd love to hear what Alex has to say!


----------



## NoamL

I agree with @Sid Francis... Regardless of any developer's claim, let me tell you as a mediocre cellist, there is no one stop solution for a library that comprehensively covers everything _I_ can do much less people who can call themselves musicians... just listen to YYM playing a Bach bourree and then switch over to JdP playing the Elgar concerto or Tina Guo smashing the Wonder Woman theme. What VI can do all that? The libraries that even try either fall flat or they give you this weird creepy-doll-eyes "playability" that doesn't sound like a human. It's just impossible to fit the true span of musicianship into one virtual instrument.

CSSS neither changes that, nor really aims to. Its main aim seems to be to deliver "CSS again, but with a section size of 1." At this it succeeds brilliantly. It _*extends*_ the function of CSS because you now have even more mix options, such as creating a sound that's even closer and more intimate than CSS's close mic. It adds character and even more realism to the legatos.

There's also some applicability to solo work, but this is _necessarily_ limited by the goal of making CSSS as a library you can control right alongside CSS with the same MIDI and CC. Good luck doing that with the Joshua Bell violin. That's why I think it's not quite correct to say that any comprehensive soloist library would make a good first chair library. In any case, CSSS will not put the Bohemian, Embertone, Emotional and Tina Guo instruments out of business. I always saw little use for those solo libraries anyway (I do like the Cinesamples and Virharmonic ones for very very narrow applications, and I'm curious about the JB violin) because if you need a soloist, why not hire _*A*_ musician?


----------



## Lotias

NoamL said:


> I agree with @Sid Francis
> just listen to YYM playing a Bach bourree and then switch over to JdP playing the Elgar concerto or Tina Guo smashing the Wonder Woman theme. What VI can do all that?


I would say SampleModelling - even if you dislike how it sounds, it can definitely handle every bit of the phrasing. As for samples, I would say that's expecting too much out of this library, like you said. It's like CSS. Does what it does very well, and it can do a large amount of things.


----------



## Sid Francis

"_Mainly in the areas of varied long note attacks_.."
Wouldn´t it be nice to have an option to shorten/lenghten the attack of the samples and at the same time add a staccato sample at low volume the shorter the attack gets? This, controllable with a slider CC, would give you a good spectrum of different expressions and should not be too difficult to script...


----------



## muk

After having spend a few hours with the library I am very happy with it. It's so great for emotional romantic string quartet music. And it does more classical styles better than I thought it would. Another important point: it is much quicker and more enjoyable to work with than any other string quartet library I own.


----------



## muziksculp

Hi,

Can someone check this, I hear a weird string snap type of sound when playing the note E1 then G#1, of the *Classic Legato Cello (sustain Art.)* patch. The snap sound is very audible, possibly the legato transition sample needs some editing to fix it. Maybe Alex can test this as well.

Thanks,
Muziksculp


----------



## AllanH

I finally got to try CSSS after upgrading Kontakt. It works, imo, marvelously well with CSS, but less so stand-alone. I especially find the vibrato overdone and a bit rigid for a solo instrument. The vibrato is very similar to CSS but the "overdoneness" is more apparent when solo. I would suggest blending less vibrato and only after small delay.


----------



## Saxer

AllanH said:


> I finally got to try CSSS after upgrading Kontakt. It works, imo, marvelously well with CSS, but less so stand-alone. I especially find the vibrato overdone and a bit rigid for a solo instrument. The vibrato is very similar to CSS but the "overdoneness" is more apparent when solo. I would suggest blending less vibrato and only after small delay.


Same opinion here. But the CC2-switch between non-vib and vib can be used to do a manual delay before the vibrato comes in.


----------



## constaneum

Anyone having problem with downloading the library? I'm using the cinematic strings installer and somehow after downloaded 20/21 files, it says my download link expires. Is there a time limit for downloading the files? I've only downloaded for 1 1/2 days and the download link already expires.


----------



## NYC Composer

It took me 20 minutes to dl the whole thing. I'm amazed that both my connection and theirs was that fast.


----------



## AllanH

Saxer said:


> Same opinion here. But the CC2-switch between non-vib and vib can be used to do a manual delay before the vibrato comes in.


That's a great idea. Something to do for key passages.


----------



## NYC Composer

Wouldn't that have to trigger a different a sample and cause a break?


----------



## AllanH

I was watching the voice count with CC2 down and moving up: My guess is that non-vib is two voices and vibrato 3.
Moving CC2 from zero to 127, it starts with 2 voices, jumps to 5 at about 40, and then down to 3 at about 70. So during the transition from non-vib to vib, there is naturally support for introducing a bit of delay as long as I keep CC2 under 70.

I'm going to experiment with doubling the voices and see if that helps.

Especially Violin I would be incredible without the (imo) overdone vibrato.


----------



## SoNowWhat?

constaneum said:


> Anyone having problem with downloading the library? I'm using the cinematic strings installer and somehow after downloaded 20/21 files, it says my download link expires. Is there a time limit for downloading the files? I've only downloaded for 1 1/2 days and the download link already expires.


I haven't had that problem but, I'm still going on CSS. The d/l for CSSS was done in less than 24 hours so the time-out may be a thing. Perhaps send a support email.


----------



## constaneum

already emailed them. waiting for reply the soonest. Hopefully they'll get back to my by today.


----------



## SoNowWhat?

constaneum said:


> already emailed them. waiting for reply the soonest. Hopefully they'll get back to my by today.


They were pretty quick getting back to me when I had a couple of problems with purchase. Within a few hours.


----------



## jononotbono

Just got back from a week in Crete and only just found out this got released. Man, how great are the demos!!! Must buy for sure and yeah, Alex's loyalty discount is much appreciated.

A week ago I had just started playing about with Embertone's Violin and Viola using the included OSC templates. Quite frankly it blew my mind how much control it gave me so I am wondering if anyone has managed to create a controller for CSSS?

Also, I am very interested in Spitfire' Sarconi's String Quartet and wondering if there are any comparisons of pieces yet?


----------



## constaneum

guys, for those who have downloaded the library, did you notice that the library is also 38.1GB after installation even though as per highlighted by one of the forum members previously as they the official website mentioned that the library takes up 45GB of space. I've checked the "Samples" directory and also noticed that there are suppose to be only 20 nkc and nks files? One thing i've also noticed is that "CSSoloStrings_4" only has .nkc file but no .nkx file. All the others have their own respective nkx file, just this no. 4 didnt. Did anyone notice this? I found it weird.

p/s: I'm using the Cinematic Series installer to download and install this. Could there be something wrong with the installer?


----------



## Nils Neumann

constaneum said:


> guys, for those who have downloaded the library, did you notice that the library is also 38.1GB after installation even though as per highlighted by one of the forum members previously as they the official website mentioned that the library takes up 45GB of space. I've checked the "Samples" directory and also noticed that there are suppose to be only 19 nkc and nks files? One thing i've also noticed is that "CSSoloStrings_4" only has .nkc file but no .nkx file. All the others have their own respective nkx file, just this no. 4 didnt. Did anyone notice this? I found it weird.
> 
> p/s: I'm using the Cinematic Series installer to download and install this. Could there be something wrong with the installer?


for reference: 41,65gb, downloaded via the single links because the installer wouldn't run. For each .nkc file there is one .nkx file in my CSSS folder.


----------



## constaneum

Nils Neumann said:


> for reference: 41,65gb, downloaded via the single links because the installer wouldn't run. For each .nkc file there is one .nkx file in my CSSS folder.



So i believe it's the missing nkx file for nkc no.4?


----------



## Nils Neumann

constaneum said:


> So i believe it's the missing nkx file for nkc no.4?


CineStringsSolo_004.nkx is only 2,09gb, so there still something missing


----------



## constaneum

gosh...i don't intend to redownload the manual way as i've almost run out of download bandwidth with my mobile data. I even paid few bucks to top up my bandwidth by 5GB to finish the download as my data quota has finished earlier.


----------



## Daisser

I love the library but I've been having difficulty getting a good vibrato fade when playing (I mapped the cross fade to a fader to test). It feels like the vibrato is either on or off and when it's off it feels like it has phasing issues if you don't move expression / mod wheel. Anyone else see this? I'm at work and can't post a demo.


----------



## Nils Neumann

Daisser said:


> I love the library but I've been having difficulty getting a good vibrato fade when playing (I mapped the cross fade to a fader to test). It feels like the vibrato is either on or off and when it's off it feels like it has phasing issues if you don't move expression / mod wheel. Anyone else see this? I'm at work and can't post a demo.


Here you go my friend: 
CC2 fading like in CSS is not possible with CSSS.


----------



## bnz

My Windows lists 38,7 GB (41.645.248.512 Bytes), i.e. 41,65 gb and 38,7 gib. I have used the installer and have no missing files in the nkc/nkx pairs.


----------



## procreative

CC2 Vibrato crossfade is impossible with solo instruments as you get phasing, with ensembles its not so noticeable. Some of the other Devs have offered 2-3 types of vibrato such as Instant, Progressive and Molto (OT First Chairs).

Embertone manage controllable vibrato with Friedlander etc by using a synthesized vibrato on a Non Vib sample but its close but not totally convincing.

In the end its about something "good enough". If total realism is your goal then these can only ever be for mockups. But saying that some "real" players dont sound as good as this!


----------



## Nils Neumann

bnz said:


> My Windows lists 38,7 GB (41.645.248.512 Bytes), i.e. 41,65 gb and 38,7 gib. I have used the installer and have no missing files in the nkc/nkx pairs.


oh maybe I messed up gb and gib


----------



## Daisser

procreative said:


> CC2 Vibrato crossfade is impossible with solo instruments as you get phasing, with ensembles its not so noticeable. Some of the other Devs have offered 2-3 types of vibrato such as Instant, Progressive and Molto (OT First Chairs).
> 
> Embertone manage controllable vibrato with Friedlander etc by using a synthesized vibrato on a Non Vib sample but its close but not totally convincing.
> 
> In the end its about something "good enough". If total realism is your goal then these can only ever be for mockups. But saying that some "real" players dont sound as good as this!



Nils / Pro

That answers it (did watch the walk through but missed it on my way through), thank you! Interesting you talk about Friedlander as I was comparing the two on my own setup. I wonder how the Joshua Bell will handle this.

I have CSS so I'll just program / work around when needed. Still a beautiful library though and tons of fun to play!


----------



## Dirk Ehlert

For those of you interested, I'll be doing a live stream with CSSS on Monday* 8.30pm UTC+2 at www.twitch.tv/dirk_ehlert

Cheers
Dirk

Edit: Sorry, have to delay till Monday due to short notice custom project.


----------



## SoNowWhat?

de_signs said:


> For those of you interested, I'll be doing a live stream with CSSS tonite 8.30pm UTC+2 at www.twitch.tv/dirk_ehlert
> 
> Cheers
> Dirk


Thank you Dirk. This timing won't work for me but I hope you will upload to YouTube like you usually do and I will make sure to catch it there.


----------



## VinRice

de_signs said:


> For those of you interested, I'll be doing a live stream with CSSS on Monday* 8.30pm UTC+2 at www.twitch.tv/dirk_ehlert
> 
> Cheers
> Dirk
> 
> Edit: Sorry, have to delay till Monday due to short notice custom project.



I've enjoyed your vids very much Dirk. Unfortunately you are responsible for me spending way too much money on libraries.


----------



## Dirk Ehlert

VinRice said:


> I've enjoyed your vids very much Dirk. Unfortunately you are responsible for me spending way too much money on libraries.


Thanks for the reminder, need to upgrade the EULA in the video descriptions


----------



## VinRice

de_signs said:


> Thanks for the reminder, need to upgrade the EULA in the video descriptions



"Please watch responsibly. Any lapse into 'Library Acquisition Syndrome' is entirely the responsibility of the viewer"


----------



## novaburst

NoamL said:


> musicians... just listen to YYM playing a Bach bourree and then switch over to JdP playing the Elgar concerto or Tina Guo smashing the Wonder Woman theme. What VI can do all that? The libraries that even try either fall flat or they give you this weird creepy-doll-eyes "playability" that doesn't sound like a human. It's just impossible to fit the true span of musicianship into one virtual instrument.



Would not deny what you said, but even if a library has all what you need to play like Tina, are you even as skillful as her to know what to do, 

Do we even put the time and effort in these library's to even get half as much playability out of them, 

At the end of the day its time invested in your library that can make a difference to how it sounds, and knowing what you want it to sound d like can at least get you part of the way.


----------



## JTJohnson

Been a couple of weeks now, enough time for the dust to settle. How is everyone finding the library to use practically? 
Pro's/Cons? 
Still not made the move but seen as CSS is becoming my main work horse, and i need a solo string library, i think it is inevitable.


----------



## JTJohnson

synthpunk said:


> Made my day! If you're a previous customer by the way you also received a coupon code which is very welcome and thoughtful from Alex and his team.


Does anyone know if this discount has an expiry?


----------



## galactic orange

I think the e-mail said that the loyalty discount has no expiration, which is very refreshing!


----------



## Brian2112

JTJohnson said:


> Been a couple of weeks now, enough time for the dust to settle. How is everyone finding the library to use practically?
> Pro's/Cons?
> Still not made the move but seen as CSS is becoming my main work horse, and i need a solo string library, i think it is inevitable.


Well I'm a hack at best so take everything I say with a grain but:
At first I didn't like CSS that much inspite of the praise because I thought there was too much vibrato. But then I tweaked CC2 -then it was perfect. I thought the legato delay was too hard to work with but I got used to it but then they added the new version of "classic legato in the latest patch. Not a biggie now. Result: CSS is my go to string library. 
So now CSSS. Initially I thought too much vibrato. But on off switch with a knob works great and good use mod wheel expression works just fine. Finding the sweet spot using it as first chairs for CSS is just freaking incredible. So for me it's solo strings plus. 
The only complaint I have in wich I might use a different library would be for some of the shorts - most are fine but some just seem a bit out of balance with the rest of the library. 
If you own CSS then CSSS usage is exactly the same and is a perfect compliment to CSS.


----------



## nas

I'm wondering has anyone tried using these as first chair with other string libraries? I would imagine it would sound ok but would need some tweaking to get the timings and blending of spaces right. Would be interesting if someone who's purchased this give it a try and post their feedback.


----------



## markleake

nas said:


> I'm wondering has anyone tried using these as first chair with other string libraries? I would imagine it would sound ok but would need some tweaking to get the timings and blending of spaces right. Would be interesting if someone who's purchased this give it a try and post their feedback.


Yes, I've been trying it with Spitfire SSS. The results are fine and they tend to round out the legatos nicely. I have had no big timing issues... when I hear it I just adjust the midi offset in the CSSS track to compensate, but generally I am used to pulling the notes forward a bit anyway, so I'm probably not that sensitive to the delay factor like some are. I added some spaces hall reverb to them, turned the close mics up, and the mid mics off. The hardest part I found is adjusting the panning to get them into a more sensible position.

In general my observation so far for CSSS is the vibrato is too strong. Annoyingly so in some circumstances. CSSS will serve a purpose, but wouldn't replace libs like Bohemian Violin (which I would not want to replace anyway!).


----------



## nas

markleake said:


> Yes, I've been trying it with Spitfire SSS. The results are fine and they tend to round out the legatos nicely. I have had no big timing issues... when I hear it I just adjust the midi offset in the CSSS track to compensate, but generally I am used to pulling the notes forward a bit anyway, so I'm probably not that sensitive to the delay factor like some are. I added some spaces hall reverb to them, turned the close mics up, and the mid mics off. The hardest part I found is adjusting the panning to get them into a more sensible position.
> 
> In general my observation so far for CSSS is the vibrato is too strong. Annoyingly so in some circumstances. CSSS will serve a purpose, but wouldn't replace libs like Bohemian Violin (which I would not want to replace anyway!).



Thanks for your post, actually my goto symphonic strings is SSS as well, so your feedback is very helpful. Good to know that the two libraries blend well together in general. 

From what I understand the vibrato in CSSS is a keyswitch and not a CC fader like on Spitfire, which seems a little less intuitive to me. I love how vibrato has been implemented in Spitfire's string libraries and listening back to the Sacconi Quartet examples, I couldn't detect any phasing issues so not sure why CSSS has not chosen to go this route? Perhaps in practice its not a big deal but if it is key switched, it would be nice if one could fine tune and set the range/amount of vibrato when its switched in.

Still it is a lovely sounding library and very tempting indeed.


----------



## jamwerks

Still can't grasp why neither Sacconi nor CSSS didn't include a double bass. Isn't a db a string instrument? They should have called there products "string quartet" libraries. They know very well that the major use for a solo string library is to mix it in with larger ensembles. So great, leave out 1 of the 4 instruments?!


----------



## ctsai89

jamwerks said:


> Still can't grasp why neither Sacconi nor CSSS didn't include a double bass. Isn't a db a string instrument? They should have called there products "string quartet" libraries. They know very well that the major use for a solo string library is to mix it in with larger ensembles. So great, leave out 1 of the 4 instruments?!



Probably because they only had quarter in mind... if they wanted to release bass then they wouldn't have spent time making a second solo violin. Also the bass doesn't need those high frequency details as much or there usually isn't a solo fluffer part written into a symphony


----------



## jamwerks

ctsai89 said:


> ... if they wanted to release bass then they wouldn't have spent time making a second solo violin.


 What does having a bass or not have to do with a second violin? And what do the frequencies have to do with it?

In the case of CSSS, it was engineered specifically to run as first chairs, but without 1 of the 5 instruments? I don't get it! Sacconi was marketed at least as a string quartet library, and wasn't recorded at Air like SSS & SCS so less the case there. Berlin did do a double bass, but I prefer the sound and features of CSSS, thus my dismay...


----------



## procreative

Probably because a traditional string quartet does not usually have a double bass. Even Berlin First Chairs has no Double Bass.


----------



## ctsai89

jamwerks said:


> What does having a bass or not have to do with a second violin? And what do the frequencies have to do with it?
> 
> In the case of CSSS, it was engineered specifically to run as first chairs, but without 1 of the 5 instruments? I don't get it! Sacconi was marketed at least as a string quartet library, and wasn't recorded at Air like SSS & SCS so less the case there. Berlin did do a double bass, but I prefer the sound and features of CSSS, thus my dismay...



Second violin was never a different instrument to the first violins they're the same thing. If it was really meant to be "solo" strings only then chris hein's doesn't have a 2nd violin but he does have the bass released. It's the same for embertone but now they're getting a newer violin named Joshua bell so technically you could have a string quintet with 2nd violin and the bass included


----------



## ctsai89

As for frequencies, if ur layering the same exact notes with solo to the whole ensemble, you're basically doing it for details so yes it would be nice to have solo bass as well but it's usually the higher frequency range instuments that benefit the most from it


----------



## markleake

I'm not dissapointed with the bass not being included. It's not something I'm going to miss much, and there are plenty of alternatives.

What I do appreciate is the 2nd violin. It has a very different tone to the 1st, actually better to my untrained ears, and adds a fair degree of flexibility to what you can use CSSS for (both because of the tone and just because it's there). A good choice by Alex. Very glad it's there.


----------



## jamwerks

I'm having a hard time following you guys. Maybe I don't do enough drugs . Thanks for telling me violin 2 is really just a violin! He probably included a 2nd violin because in a string orchestra, there's something called the 2nd violins, and CSSS has it's 1st chair player (correctly seated). If you don't record "in-place" then of course no need to re-record a 2nd violin (VSL, 8dio, CH, etc.) 

But there's also a section called the double basses. I've recorded live players numerous times, and never heard an engineer cut the close mic's of just the basses. Mixers don't afaik add more close mic's to violins than they do to violas, cellos or basses. There's a double perspective across the range.

Unfortunately the great combo CSS + CSSS is amputated on the low end. Too bad to have to think of a work-around imo. Would we have paid $50 more to have 5 instruments and a complete library? I'd think he would have gotten even more sales...


----------



## constaneum

Violin 2 really sounds very nice. In fact, i'm liking the tone of Violin 2 more than Violin 1. Somehow, Violin 2 sounds more romantic and beautiful than Violin 1 to me. 

By the way, did anyone notice a slight phasing when u change from softer to louder dynamics, especially on the violins? somehow i rather use the expression CC11 to control the expressiveness and leave the dynamic to full.


----------



## Hat_Tricky

So far this sounds great! Almost pulled the trigger on Sacconi over the summer but held off. Not sure what to do here. I already have Chris Hein solo violin, but that's it for solo strings. I'd also (as an owner of CSS) be getting a heck of a price on CSSS. It seems like a great product for its normal price, not to mention its loyalty price.

Is this the solo strings to beat ATM?


----------



## constaneum

Hat_Tricky said:


> So far this sounds great! Almost pulled the trigger on Sacconi over the summer but held off. Not sure what to do here. I already have Chris Hein solo violin, but that's it for solo strings. I'd also (as an owner of CSS) be getting a heck of a price on CSSS. It seems like a great product for its normal price, not to mention its loyalty price.
> 
> Is this the solo strings to beat ATM?



If you're talking about using as a soloist, i think i'll opt for Bohemian or Joshua. CSSS to me will be more suitable in a strings quartet or as a first chair for layering. Even with its close mic, it still sound rather thin to me where as Bohemian and Joshua more like "on your face" kind of Solo Violin. 

I think Sacconi, CSSS as well as Berlin First Chair all have their pros and cons. I personally prefer Sacconi over Berlin's due to Berlin's legato doesnt seem to shine that much in terms of musical context. Their official demos most showcase the power of their shorts but nothing much on their legato. CSSS strings have nice tones but I do find them didn't respond too well for faster lines even though it's showing "legato fast". Probably my expectation of fast is really fast.

Another thing which i hope to see in the next update (Alex! hint hint ! ) is to have staccato overlay loudness control. When you hit at high velocity, it'll trigger staccato articulation followed by sustain but the dynamic loudness between the staccato and sustain differ too much which have me approach the velocity value with precaution so that it wont trigger the staccato overlay. When having staccato overlay triggered, normally i'll expect the sustain follows by it to be loud. 

Besides these, i think CSSS overall i'll rate it as 8/10 and it's a really nice sounding library.


----------



## Symfoniq

jamwerks said:


> I'm having a hard time following you guys. Maybe I don't do enough drugs . Thanks for telling me violin 2 is really just a violin! He probably included a 2nd violin because in a string orchestra, there's something called the 2nd violins, and CSSS has it's 1st chair player (correctly seated). If you don't record "in-place" then of course no need to re-record a 2nd violin (VSL, 8dio, CH, etc.)
> 
> But there's also a section called the double basses. I've recorded live players numerous times, and never heard an engineer cut the close mic's of just the basses. Mixers don't afaik add more close mic's to violins than they do to violas, cellos or basses. There's a double perspective across the range.
> 
> Unfortunately the great combo CSS + CSSS is amputated on the low end. Too bad to have to think of a work-around imo. Would we have paid $50 more to have 5 instruments and a complete library? I'd think he would have gotten even more sales...



A standard string quartet is made up of two violins, one viola, and one cello. CSSS contains all the instruments in a standard string quartet. I don't find this hard to follow, or even controversial.


----------



## camelot

I do not miss the bass when using CSSS as 1st chairs over the ensembles, as the bass in CSS is already quite pronounced.
I think CSSS is clearly aimed at quartet or 1st chair use (these two things it does quite well) and not for an upfront soloist cutting through or dancing on top of the orchestra.


----------



## N.Caffrey

downloading it now. can't wait to try it out!


----------



## jamwerks

Symfoniq said:


> A standard string quartet is made up of two violins, one viola, and one cello.


Well now that explains everything! Guess that's why he named it CSSSQ.


----------



## Dirk Ehlert

Hey guys, here's the video walkthrough of my fumbling around with CSSS. In case you're interested, at around the 50 min mark I go into (nerdy) detail, how I approach the advanced legato with the help of Cubase' Logical Editor presets (as I am unable ---or unwilling--- to properly learn to play these legatos in realtime on my keyboard) so I was thinking of a workaround to automate the legato positionings to be on the grid... anyway hope you can take sth out of this

 


Cheers
Dirk


----------



## camelot

Thank you for the video. I do the shifting in the advanced legato in the same manner, but without the iPad control, which seems pretty nice. It would be nice though, if Cubase would allow a concatenation of this logical commands, so I just need to call one command instead of three sequentially .


----------



## Dirk Ehlert

camelot said:


> Thank you for the video. I do the shifting in the advanced legato in the same manner, but without the iPad control, which seems pretty nice. It would be nice though, if Cubase would allow a concatenation of this logical commands, so I just need to call one command instead of three sequentially .


I indeed would have loved to set this up as well, unfortunately it seems the Logical Editor is not capable of "if commands" otherwise I would have set it up that if Vel 0-64 do this, if 65-101 do this etc. I even tried setting up a Macro that triggers all three logical editor presets but it didn't work out either. If anyone has an idea how that could be actually set up please let me know


----------



## col

Thanks Dick. Some good tips in there. Unfortunately Logic user here - can't find a nice way of automating that delay edit. but great food for thought on work flow there.
Cheers
Col


----------



## Pablocrespo

de_signs said:


> I indeed would have loved to set this up as well, unfortunately it seems the Logical Editor is not capable of "if commands" otherwise I would have set it up that if Vel 0-64 do this, if 65-101 do this etc. I even tried setting up a Macro that triggers all three logical editor presets but it didn't work out either. If anyone has an idea how that could be actually set up please let me know



Besides the three PLE commands in a row macro, you could have a macro that triggers the PLE and then the Legato midi keycommand so you wouldn’t have to move the ends of the notes?

I will three to see if there is a way to chain three PLE. Thank you very much for the video and tips!


----------



## NoamL

Very cool Dirk! I'll have to investigate if something similar is possible with MIDI Transform in Logic.



camelot said:


> I do not miss the bass when using CSSS as 1st chairs over the ensembles, as the bass in CSS is already quite pronounced.



Exactly... I believe it may have been designed this way from the beginning. When using CSS all by itself I was often surprised by how loud the basses sound. With CSSS added they are right in line.


----------



## NoamL

Here is how to do it in Logic X. You'll need to redo the preset every time you create a new tempo unfortunately.

Let *T *equal your bpm. _Except_ if you use a dotted time signature like 6/8 or 12/8, you'll need to make T equal to 1.5 times your bpm.

Now you can program the MIDI transform:

*Pull back 100ms = 1.6T ticks
Pull back 250ms = 4T* *ticks
Pull back 300ms = 4.8T* *ticks
*
If the value is greater than 240, you need to use divisions and ticks (each division is 240 ticks long).

Here are the values for 4/4 at 120bpm just as an example:

Pull back 100ms = Subtract position 0 0 0 192
Pull back 250ms = Subtract position 0 0 2 0
Pull back 300ms = Subtract position 0 0 2 96


----------



## nik

de_signs said:


> Hey guys, here's the video walkthrough of my fumbling around with CSSS. In case you're interested, at around the 50 min mark I go into (nerdy) detail, how I approach the advanced legato with the help of Cubase' Logical Editor presets (as I am unable ---or unwilling--- to properly learn to play these legatos in realtime on my keyboard) so I was thinking of a workaround to automate the legato positionings to be on the grid... anyway hope you can take sth out of this
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Cheers
> Dirk



Hey,

thats really awsome what you showed with the logical editor, thanks so much for that!!
I insantly did the same within my cubase. Only thing i could not figure out is how to assign shortcuts to the CSS Presets. In my shortcutlist the Logical Editor Presets seem to show up but not the CSS Presets i made. Is this even possible?
thanks and best regards


----------



## FGBR

Having a bit of fun trying out the short articulations.


----------



## nicoroy123

Wow the library has an amazing sound. I can't wait for a Brass library from this guy!


----------



## Hat_Tricky

Got a project that I wont make any money on, but need solo string quartet. This is calling to me...


----------



## SoNowWhat?

constaneum said:


> Violin 2 really sounds very nice. In fact, i'm liking the tone of Violin 2 more than Violin 1. Somehow, Violin 2 sounds more romantic and beautiful than Violin 1 to me.
> 
> By the way, did anyone notice a slight phasing when u change from softer to louder dynamics, especially on the violins? somehow i rather use the expression CC11 to control the expressiveness and leave the dynamic to full.


You're not the first to comment on v2 tone vs v1. I like it too. Having said that I think both would be useful and variety is the key.


----------



## ZenFaced

nicoroy123 said:


> Wow the library has an amazing sound. I can't wait for a Brass library from this guy!



I think there is chance we'll see it sometime late fall or by Christmas


----------



## col

Heres my plug for css. Can't fault these shorts.


----------



## Harry

de_signs said:


> Hey guys, here's the video walkthrough of my fumbling around with CSSS. In case you're interested, at around the 50 min mark I go into (nerdy) detail, how I approach the advanced legato with the help of Cubase' Logical Editor presets (as I am unable ---or unwilling--- to properly learn to play these legatos in realtime on my keyboard) so I was thinking of a workaround to automate the legato positionings to be on the grid... anyway hope you can take sth out of this
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Cheers
> Dirk



Great video this, thanks.

Have you done any video where you show how you set up those Expression Maps in Cubase? I can't seem to get this to work ...


----------



## Goldie Zwecker

Looking for a string quartet mainly for pop/rock. I already have the Embertone Intimate solo strings bundle which has a bass, cello, viola and violin. 
So it's not like the Embertone stuff i have suddenly became s#!t. 
On the other hand i have an educational discount. 
Something else to consider: i have 25Gb of space left. If i'm going to buy csss i'll need to invest in a new ssd (or hdd).


----------



## Dirk Ehlert

Harry said:


> Great video this, thanks.
> 
> Have you done any video where you show how you set up those Expression Maps in Cubase? I can't seem to get this to work ...


Not yet but I plan on doing an in depth vid on that very topic soon


----------



## kavinsky

Was playing with it today for the first time.
Here's a quick cello line I just made with it
What a solid library, I'm truly impressed. Very happy with the purchase

EDIT - added all 3 dyn layers


----------



## rottoy

kavinsky said:


> Was playing with it today for the first time.
> Here's a quick cello line I just made with it
> What a solid library, I'm truly impressed. Very happy with the purchase



I think this particular theme would be better suited for the more quiet dynamics. Try a version with that?


----------



## kavinsky

rottoy said:


> I think this particular theme would be better suited for the more quiet dynamics. Try a version with that?


I completely agree. I'm just used to learning the dynamics top to bottom.
already found a couple of sweet spots after I posted the initial clip
just added a more quiet dyn mp3 - sounds a lot better indeed, thanks


----------



## Sid Francis

I love the melody and athmosphere but would play it even much more delicate... First example was brutal, second was...better. Third?


----------



## kavinsky

Sid Francis said:


> I love the melody and athmosphere but would play it even much more delicate... First example was brutal, second was...better. Third?


done  the link is up there^
I think I still prefer the mf one for the lower part.
I found out that there's no p rebow samples, meaning odd level jumps when you are trying to trigger it in the lower dynamic layer.


----------



## Sid Francis

kavinsky said:


> done  the link is up there^
> I think I still prefer the mf one for the lower part.
> I found out that there's no p rebow samples, meaning odd level jumps when you are trying to trigger it in the lower dynamic layer.


Wow kavinsky, absolutely wow... I knew it would be "the trick". There is something happening in the area of my stomach when i listen to the softer part, as if someone were whispering something interesting or arousing in my ear...and I would not be surprised to hear that theme in the middle of "Game of thrones" or "DaVincis Demons". Congrats. And:

HOW COULD YOU???

Now I am forced to buy this lib TOO!! Cursed!! 

P.S: You´re right: the high part also works very well in the mezzo version


----------



## kavinsky

Sid Francis said:


> Wow kavinsky, absolutely wow... I knew it would be "the trick". There is something happening in the area of my stomach when i listen to the softer part, as if someone were whispering something interesting or arousing in my ear...and I would not be surprised to hear that theme in the middle of "Game of thrones" or "DaVincis Demons". Congrats. And:
> 
> HOW COULD YOU???
> 
> Now I am forced to buy this lib TOO!! Cursed!!
> 
> P.S: You´re right: the high part also works very well in the mezzo version



Yes, it sounds more on the sul-pont side of things in the quieter dyn layer.
When it comes to solo instruments or vocals, I always enjoy these kinds of "quirks" - breaths, noises, imperfections.
And as you noticed it adds something to the overall emotional impact
Fast grace notes and ornaments sound nice aswell - which is usually a hickup for solo libs
The only thing I felt missing is a really fast hammer-on/pull-off legato(with a hint of attack), but it can be done by breaking a legato line and using the attack of the new note. It would be nice if they programmed that in though, even without the actual legato samples.

PS It's really that good. It's very rare when the library turns out to be better than you expected.

Thanks!


----------



## kavinsky

I was checking out the violin today
It's just a classic legato patch.
played with the softest dynamic here aswell - sounds almost like some ethno ww instrument.


----------



## Mike Fox

Let's see someone create a horror piece with these strings.


----------



## biggiantcircles

oh my goodness I just realized there's a crossgrade price for existing customers. I am so happy 

I want to shake Alex's hand. These libs are a dang masterpiece.


----------



## madfloyd

Question for all the fans of this library: is there any way to control the vibrato? ?For example, using the cello, it seems to kick in immediately in a very unnatural manner. If you want to play a note and slowly add in vibrato for expression - is there a way to do that?

Also, if I play anything other than slow, it seems the instrument lags behind a little.


----------



## synthpunk

Yes, this was a nice touch on the CC. 

This is my proudest purchase of the year.



biggiantcircles said:


> oh my goodness I just realized there's a crossgrade price for existing customers. I am so happy
> 
> I want to shake Alex's hand. These libs are a dang masterpiece.


----------



## prodigalson

the CSSS sounds fantastic but my only gripe is the same as with CSS, they are just so dang dark. I just wish there was a hair more air and rosin in the sound. but it's just a personal thing.


----------



## Vardaro

Just checked the score: Barber's Adagio has the cello going up to G flat 5 at the top of the treble staff, the viola up to A flat 5, and the violins B flat 6, CSSS will need extensive pitch shifting!

Chris Hein can do it, but not Embertone, XSamples nor Kirk Hunter...or CSSS!


----------



## Sid Francis

madfloyd: you cannot slowly change from nonvib to vib. There is a change in the middle of the cc-data from one to the other. sounds bad on paper but I found it works wonderfully if you just do it this way. Start the note non vib and after 1.5 -2 seconds push the cc data up (or write them in the keyeditor as i do) and it sound quite natural, at least in a thicker arrangement. I don´t know whether it might be more obvious in a string quartet.


----------



## Vardaro

On the demos, the non-vib to vib transition is smooth enough.
In classical solo or quartet playing, we usually start the vibrato about 1/6 sec into the note, but not always at full strength; so I like the immediate vibrato, although I find it a bit excessive, here.


----------



## Tatu

I bought these, much thanks to the loyalty discount they offer for users of CSS, CSP etc., and I am satisfied. For me the vibrato works better compared to CSS, which has a tad too much for my taste.
Tested out the viola (with CSP) on a fresh little composition I wrote.


----------



## Vardaro

Can anyone say how if and how the vibrato changes as we go through the dynamic layers?


----------



## Sid Francis

Very nice , Tatu. I would also in this case let a lot of the notes start with non-vib and then move the controller in (and let the very short notes non vib at all)


----------



## Vardaro

Sid Francis said:


> Very nice , Tatu. I would also in this case let a lot of the notes start with non-vib and then move the controller in (and let the very short notes non vib at all)


The viola vibrato seems less violent than that of violin 1. I agree about fading it in some of the time, but it's predictability which kills expression either way, even with live players.


----------



## Tatu

Sid Francis said:


> Very nice , Tatu. I would also in this case let a lot of the notes start with non-vib and then move the controller in (and let the very short notes non vib at all)



Thanks! I wanted a constant vibrato feel here and it's only a quick mockup I sent for my viola teacher. If I had a bit more time, I'd propably polish some of the fade in/out's with non-vib's, since that's a natural way to do it and would suit the feeling I was after in those parts (fragile). In those few faster passages I got a feeling that I only heard the transitions and to which sustain sample it was going to didn't really matter; there was no time for vibrato anyway.


----------



## jononotbono

Tatu said:


> Thanks! I wanted a constant vibrato feel here and it's only a quick mockup I sent for my viola teacher. If I had a bit more time, I'd propably polish some of the fade in/out's with non-vib's, since that's a natural way to do it and would suit the feeling I was after in those parts (fragile). In those few faster passages I got a feeling that I only heard the transitions and to which sustain sample it was going to didn't really matter; there was no time for vibrato anyway.



Would you mind sharing a screen shot of the Midi Data when you do program the Vib? I'm trying to get better at this. Nice sketch track by the way!


----------



## Zoot_Rollo

Sooo, CSS is holding up?

still recommended?


----------



## Toby Alexander

Here's something I did a while ago when I first got CSS. There's a little of Spitfire's Artisan Violin and Cello mixed in too. 





Just finished downloading CSSS and it sounds amazing. Great tips on this thread about vibrato control, legato delays and soft dynamics. After a lot of practice I'm starting to get better at playing advanced legato lines live and in time and it feels really intuitive.


----------



## Zoot_Rollo

sorry if this has been asked,

no contrabass?


----------



## N.Caffrey

Zoot_Rollo said:


> sorry if this has been asked,
> 
> no contrabass?


Unfortunately not, and thats a real pity


----------



## Zoot_Rollo

N.Caffrey said:


> Unfortunately not, and thats a real pity



Looks great otherwise.

Not workable for me without, though.


----------



## N.Caffrey

Yeah it was a weird choice.. I really hope he'll add it in an update although unlikely. I have to reach to SCS for that.


----------



## Rob Elliott

I found Cinesamples CB to work 'ok' with them (slightly more 'close' mics used on it). Also hoping the CB is added at some point.


----------



## AdamKmusic

I've just picked these up, but can't help feel a little disappointed with it. The tone & overall sound of the library doesn't sound right to my ears (maybe I'm used to Spitfire's sound) and the legato/delay issue is frustrating. Of course I've got to learn the library and eventually I'll get the hang of it but first impressions are a little disappointing!


----------



## madfloyd

AdamKmusic said:


> I've just picked these up, but can't help feel a little disappointed with it. The tone & overall sound of the library doesn't sound right to my ears (maybe I'm used to Spitfire's sound) and the legato/delay issue is frustrating. Of course I've got to learn the library and eventually I'll get the hang of it but first impressions are a little disappointing!



That was my thought when I checked it out after buying it and I never went back to it.


----------



## eli0s

@AdamKmusic , I also had my reservations after purchasing the library and at first I overlooked it. But somehow it has grown to me and I find it to be very functional for soloists in 3 or 4 part writing. You have to invest some time though, playing with CC1 and CC2, trying different legato speed transitions and use rebowing a lot! 
If I want just a violin, I will probably use Embertone's Joshua Bell.
One major benefit of CSSS however is that it blends perfectly with CSS, which, imo, is the best String library out there.


----------



## Land of Missing Parts

AdamKmusic said:


> legato/delay issue is frustrating.


To be fair, the delay isn't an "issue" in the sense that it's a flaw in the product. It's like saying cars with a stick shift are flawed because it takes extra work. It's designed to give you more control.

But you can always use the classic legato patches if you decide you just want to drive automatic, which would give you the same instant legato that every other library offers.

(More explanation in this post.)



madfloyd said:


> hat was my thought when I checked it out after buying it and I never went back to it.


I would buy it off you if only they allowed resales.


----------



## Batrawi

AdamKmusic said:


> I've just picked these up, but can't help feel a little disappointed with it. The tone & overall sound of the library doesn't sound right to my ears (maybe I'm used to Spitfire's sound) and the legato/delay issue is frustrating. Of course I've got to learn the library and eventually I'll get the hang of it but first impressions are a little disappointing!


Honestly, I find CSSS to be one of the best purchase I ever made! I LOVE its tone and LOVE its slow legato transition which is crucial for lyrical and realistic lines.

*I have here a quartet example (full of bad playing mistakes) with no midi editing/driving CCs/no mixing...and yet to my ears, it sounds better & more natural than most VST quartets that I know of including spitfire's

*moreover, I also use it as an ensemble library!! I have shared this in another thread but will share it again here. The second audio file is an 8violins ensemble made with CSSS playing Saxer's 7 example. I also prefer this over most true ensemble violins that have.

[AUDIOPLUS=https://vi-control.net/community/attachments/fountain-test-mp3.19180/][/AUDIOPLUS]

[AUDIOPLUS=https://vi-control.net/community/attachments/csss-8vlns-designed-ensemble-alone-2-mp3.19181/][/AUDIOPLUS]


----------



## shawnsingh

I've been thinking of going all solo strings to replace ensembles, too. I have OT first chairs and I like them a lot. I have tried to blend them with VSL solo strings but haven't felt like I could mix it so well (though I feel like the VSL solo strings with wonderfully in other contexts)

So I'm wondering, would CSSS match well enough with the teldex sound, to sound like they're in the same room?


----------



## VeePo

Played my first violin tracks using CSSS and pretty pleased but find the vibrato a little heavy in places (probably my fault), so was hoping to edit the vibrato in midi. But I can't find any midi data for vibrato (I'm using Logix Pro X.) Can someone perhaps point me to a tutorial? Thanks!


----------



## BL

VeePo said:


> Played my first violin tracks using CSSS and pretty pleased but find the vibrato a little heavy in places (probably my fault), so was hoping to edit the vibrato in midi. But I can't find any midi data for vibrato (I'm using Logix Pro X.) Can someone perhaps point me to a tutorial? Thanks!


CC2 I believe


----------



## NYC Composer

There's really very little editing, I believe. You can use CC2 to turn it on or off.

Its my only real problem with CSSS. The vibrato is pretty darn heavy.


----------



## VeePo

Thanks, guys! Really appreciate the rapid replies.

BL - yeah, I checked CC2 but there's no midi data showing. So I tried writing it in (onto CC2) but it seems quite tricky and I don't know what range of settings would normally cover vibrato. For example, if I start it at a value of 45, there's no vib at all and the pitch starts changing too. So maybe there's more on CC2 than just vib. I might be able to stumble my way through it, but was thinking a tutorial on writing CC data for strings on Logic would be a better idea.

NYC - Thanks! It seems quite heavy to me, too, but I thought it was the way I'd played it. (Was using a touch ribbon.) Also assumed I'd be able to go in and edit it later but maybe not, huh? That'd be a drag. Might also be that my M-Audio interface is the problem - not transferring all the data. More research ahead!


----------



## VinRice

VeePo said:


> Thanks, guys! Really appreciate the rapid replies.
> 
> BL - yeah, I checked CC2 but there's no midi data showing. So I tried writing it in (onto CC2) but it seems quite tricky and I don't know what range of settings would normally cover vibrato. For example, if I start it at a value of 45, there's no vib at all and the pitch starts changing too. So maybe there's more on CC2 than just vib. I might be able to stumble my way through it, but was thinking a tutorial on writing CC data for strings on Logic would be a better idea.
> 
> NYC - Thanks! It seems quite heavy to me, too, but I thought it was the way I'd played it. (Was using a touch ribbon.) Also assumed I'd be able to go in and edit it later but maybe not, huh? That'd be a drag. Might also be that my M-Audio interface is the problem - not transferring all the data. More research ahead!



Vibrato is on or off basically. Makes it unusable for me exposed. Blends perfectly with the Studio Strings though.


----------



## Batrawi

NYC Composer said:


> Its my only real problem with CSSS. The vibrato is pretty darn heavy.


That's probably EVERYONE's real problem with both CSS and CSSS here on this forum (and I'm not excluding myself) despite the comments floating everywhere praising the exceptional quality of both products or the Cinematic Series in general... (so let's hope @Alex W considers a soft vibrato layer in a future update/extension)

That's not to say though that the heavy vibrato sounds bad by any means, but it just can quickly sound too much for the ear or too excessive for a composition you're writing.

There is a trick though which can help tame the excessive vibrato problem (credit to @Cory Pelizzari ) whereby you just limit yourself to using the lower/softest recorded dynamic where the vibrato naturally becomes more gentle, then you use just the volume to ride/emulate higher dynamics. Here's how it's done with Soaring Strings as an example in this video at around 6:45


----------



## Toby Alexander

I have both CSS and CSSS with no regrets. I agree the vibrato is pretty over the top but it's almost a signature of these libraries, but yes it's particularly noticeable in CSSS. I really do wish there was more range between the organ-like no vibrato and the soaring Hollywood sound.

I've found that if you work on the timing of the on/off vibrato CC as well as the dynamics you can get some really interesting transitions. On long notes that are fading out into the mix, I'll switch to no-vibrato to tie off a phrase or sometimes even between two phrases, I'll keep the note going and turn the vibrato off in between. I must try that trick with the softer dynamics, thanks @Batrawi and @Cory Pelizzari I have a habit of floating around the top dynamic layers, so will be cool to explore that if it helps to tame the vibrato.

Here's something of mine from a while ago that's predominantly CSSS with no vibrato, multiple legato melodies doing their thing, switching on/off occasionally. I really like a bed of multiple no-vibrato legato lines in CSSS, almost sounds like an organ. 



It's worth mentioning the @NoamL Thanos script again for the issues with the legato delay, cause it's fantastic. I've found it great for doing faster passages but I still prefer playing slower melodies old-school-like, just playing ahead of the beat a bit.


----------



## VeePo

Thanks Toby & Batrawi! I'll write more in a bit but wanted to acknowledge your posts right away because I just saw them now. (I didn't get notification of your posts for some reason. Will recheck my settings.) Thanks again for taking the time to reply! (The vibrato 'problem' has been sucking the life out of me ) More in a bit.


----------



## VeePo

VinRice said:


> Vibrato is on or off basically. Makes it unusable for me exposed. Blends perfectly with the Studio Strings though.


Thanks, Vin! Yeah, I've been trying to get what I want using on/off but would take me forever to edit that way. Hoping I find a hack! Just noticed your post now - sorry I didn't respond earlier.


----------



## Alexander Maas

I absolutely love CSS and CSSS.
But it is not the heavy vibrato that annoys me, but a poor intonation during the recording. Anyone else noticing this? You could say it makes things more realistic, but sometimes, with certain velocities, the pitch is _pretty_ off! I really hope for a future update.
I also agree that fading the vibrato would be great. I'm particularly bothered by it with final chords.
Other than that I think it's a nice, small library for a fair price and with a wonderful sound. Curious about the woodwinds collection.
Btw: most of the tracks on my website are featuring CSS and/or CSSS if you want to take a listen


----------



## Johnny

Toby Alexander said:


> I have both CSS and CSSS with no regrets. I agree the vibrato is pretty over the top but it's almost a signature of these libraries, but yes it's particularly noticeable in CSSS. I really do wish there was more range between the organ-like no vibrato and the soaring Hollywood sound.
> 
> I've found that if you work on the timing of the on/off vibrato CC as well as the dynamics you can get some really interesting transitions. On long notes that are fading out into the mix, I'll switch to no-vibrato to tie off a phrase or sometimes even between two phrases, I'll keep the note going and turn the vibrato off in between. I must try that trick with the softer dynamics, thanks @Batrawi and @Cory Pelizzari I have a habit of floating around the top dynamic layers, so will be cool to explore that if it helps to tame the vibrato.
> 
> Here's something of mine from a while ago that's predominantly CSSS with no vibrato, multiple legato melodies doing their thing, switching on/off occasionally. I really like a bed of multiple no-vibrato legato lines in CSSS, almost sounds like an organ.
> 
> 
> 
> It's worth mentioning the @NoamL Thanos script again for the issues with the legato delay, cause it's fantastic. I've found it great for doing faster passages but I still prefer playing slower melodies old-school-like, just playing ahead of the beat a bit.



Very nice! Curious what piano you used? Great character!


----------



## constaneum

overall, it's a great strings library. I really wish for a better transition from non-vibrato to light, mid and then heavier vibrato. Not just on and off but yea, that's gonna be hard to be sampled. Lots of works but it'll be great.


----------



## col

VeePo said:


> I've been trying to get what I want using on/off but would take me forever to edit that way.


What controller do you have ? I assign Vibrato X fade ( click the gear in the contact instrument.)
to 66 and switch it on or off with a push of a midi controller button / key whatever.
Then record a pass on the selected track turning it on and off to suit. You can fine tune easy by dragging start end points in the editor. 
Hope this makes sense.

Heres a quartet using csss with those techniques.


----------



## Toby Alexander

col said:


> What controller do you have ? I assign Vibrato X fade ( click the gear in the contact instrument.)
> to 66 and switch it on or off with a push of a midi controller button / key whatever.
> Then record a pass on the selected track turning it on and off to suit. You can fine tune easy by dragging start end points in the editor.
> Hope this makes sense.
> 
> Heres a quartet using csss with those techniques.




This is beautiful, I can't hear any obvious transitions with the vibrato switching, really well done and great compositions too! Is this and Shearwater solely CSSS? I just use a fader for the vibrato but a button sounds like a great idea, more precision.

@Johnny the piano is Alicia's Keys, has a great concert piano tone imo with the right reverb etc. Thanks for listening glad you like it


----------



## AJHnob

col said:


> Heres a quartet using csss with those techniques.




This is gorgeous!


----------



## AdamKmusic

I rescind my earlier comments, getting used to the library now and loving the sound of it too! The slow legatos sound amazing (I much prefer slow over fast etc, sounds more realistic in my opinion)


----------



## Batrawi

AdamKmusic said:


> The slow legatos sound amazing


The devil is in the detail! These slow legatos (surprisingly underestimated by many composers/developers for the sake of playability) is what makes these samples come to life and Cinematic Studio Series did a great job in capturing this motion. Still l'm sure what would even improve the realism of these transitions light years ahead is to have them followed with a more relaxed/soft vibrato. Well I hate being that naggy person who seems to be the only one requesting this but I just can't hold myself from mentioning @Alex W whenever this subject is brought up. Even if he'll 99% ignore this and I'll just look like an idiot ...


----------



## eli0s

I would also like to have a softer vibrato layer. And a double Bass to complete the solo string department.


----------



## col

Toby Alexander said:


> Is this and Shearwater solely CSSS?


Yes both just csss. 
Cheers.


----------



## paularthur

I can't seem to get legato re-bow to trigger, any pointers?


----------



## eli0s

Make sure that cc64 is above value 64 before you release the note and after you hit the next one. After that you can release the pedal (cc64).


----------



## VeePo

Beautiful tracks, Alex! And inspirational to hear you did them with CSSS. I really do love the tone of the CSSS instruments. But I need to figure out a few bugs and modulation issues. (Biggest bug is ME probably ) One problem is that when I release the joystick after playing on CSSS it resets the volume to zero (you can see the slider on Kontakt snap to zero) so no sound comes out when I hit the next key. I then have to move the joystick to the middle position to get any volume out of my controller. This doesn't happen with any of my other libraries in Kontakt so it drove me crazy for a while until I noticed what was happening. Any ideas?? Thanks!


----------



## Alexander Maas

VeePo said:


> One problem is that when I release the joystick after playing on CSSS it resets the volume to zero (you can see the slider on Kontakt snap to zero) so no sound comes out when I hit the next key.



Thanks a lot, VeePo! I don't know which joystick you are using, but if it snaps back to zero, you won't hear anything, correct. Orchestral Tools has an option for that, called "niente", that you can turn off and on. Unfortunately, that's not possible with CSS, I think. I am using a breath controller and can change the minimum value to > 0 , so the instrument doesn't go completely silent. You could check whether you can change your controller settings e.g. or you try a different controller. I use simple faders to control other CCs.


----------



## VeePo

Finally got a moment to listen to _Mollymawk_, Col - very nice! I really like Shearwater, too. Man, I have a LONG way to go with CSSS to get near these


----------



## col

Thanks VeePo . I hope there is some inspiration there to get the best out of these instruments.
I guess the message is csss does require a lot of tweaking and some familiarisation to get the best out of it but can be well worth the effort.
Now does your controller/keyboard have pads or buttons that you can assign to a midi control number to switch vib off and on ?


----------



## VeePo

Yes, definitely finding CSSS requires a lot of time to figure out. Also finding things that work fine with other libraries don't seem to work with CSSS, so that's taking a lot of time because I always assume first that I've screwed up and redo settings 2-3X before looking elsewhere for the problem. (As someone else commented earlier, the manuals for many of these libraries definitely aren't beginner-friendly.) 

The controller I'm using at the moment has a joystick, touch ribbon, faders and buttons to assign and has always integrated fine with all my other libraries and software, but ... it is my old Korg Trinity (blush). I tried using an M-Audio Keystation for a while and might have to go back to it, but the Trinity is a fully loaded rock-solid workhorse that, as I say, works fine with all my other software. But CSSS has definitely been a different story. 

I really do love the sound of the instruments and as long as I can get more control I think they'll be what I need. But in browsing the forums it seems I'm not the only one finding the CSSS interface and modulation ... challenging. Getting closer, but there have been more than a few moments of nasty language and key pounding . (Watched a video of Daniel James doing the same thing so perhaps it's the nature of string libraries??)

Anyway, this forum is keeping me sane, so thanks all!


----------



## Land of Missing Parts

VeePo said:


> Also finding things that work fine with other libraries don't seem to work with CSSS


Out of curiosity, what things?


----------



## eli0s

This is CSSS with an assistance of CSS.
https://yougoculture.com/virtual-tour/crete/media/videos/a/zominthos.mp4
The cello lifts most of the weight. Expressiveness is the key imo with the Cinematic Studio Series so far... I really want/need the Woodwinds!!!


----------



## rottoy

I used CSSS in the latter half of this piece, in conjunction with CinePiano and CineWinds Core.


----------



## bexdale

Hello, please help me!

I am trying to record a legato cello with cinematic solo studio strings. Recording goes fine - I am just using mod wheel for expression (CC1). But when I playback in logic pro x, even though I can see the midi notes I can't hear them ... I have spent HOURS trying to resolve this and to no avail. I am fairly new to music production so please be kind ... anyone have any suggestions?

Thank you!


----------



## eli0s

bexdale said:


> Hello, please help me!
> 
> I am trying to record a legato cello with cinematic solo studio strings. Recording goes fine - I am just using mod wheel for expression (CC1). But when I playback in logic pro x, even though I can see the midi notes I can't hear them ... I have spent HOURS trying to resolve this and to no avail. I am fairly new to music production so please be kind ... anyone have any suggestions?
> 
> Thank you!


I know nothing about logic pro but Cinematic Studio Series also respond to CC11 for volume. Check that midi CC11 is 127 and that CC7 isn't 0 (Kontakt also use CC7 for the main volume slider on each instrument)


----------



## Sears Poncho

bexdale said:


> I have spent HOURS trying to resolve this and to no avail. I am fairly new to music production so please be kind ... anyone have any suggestions?


I don't use Logic, but post some screen shots of your setup etc.


----------



## Vik

Sears Poncho said:


> post some screen shots of your setup etc.


Or maybe upload the project file, at least containing the problematic track?


----------



## madfloyd

I don't know Logic but I was once confused when trying out Cubase because while I had the record/monitor button on, I couldn't hear anything that was previously recorded (only the live input).


----------



## hypnotize

Share your experience, colleagues. I'm interested in the question of changing strokes when playing staccato. I noticed that the spiccato sounds more focused and even unlike others, but it is hardly possible to make the whole composition on only spiccato touch. So I started adding other touches, but it turned out that they are all different in volume. Spicatto is the quietest, staccato noticeably louder. Now all my painstaking work with the velocity was destroyed when I began to change strokes.

Do you strongly adjust the Velocity when changing strokes to staccato or not, considering that this difference in volume gives liveliness of sound?

Thanks!


----------



## eli0s

hypnotize said:


> Now all my painstaking work with the velocity was destroyed when I began to change strokes.


This is my biggest complain with this library. I guess that one can argue this is by design, since lighter strokes should be also quieter, however, I would have preferred an even volume level between strokes, because I mostly change between staccato, staccatissimo, staccato trying to convay different lengths of short notes. I use the sforzando articulation as a variation also, like a portato short (not at its higher velocities)..


----------



## hypnotize

eli0s said:


> I would have preferred an even volume level between strokes.


 I absolutely agree with you. The best solution would be to make all samples the same in volume level.


----------



## Bluemount Score

hypnotize said:


> Share your experience, colleagues. I'm interested in the question of changing strokes when playing staccato. I noticed that the spiccato sounds more focused and even unlike others, but it is hardly possible to make the whole composition on only spiccato touch. So I started adding other touches, but it turned out that they are all different in volume. Spicatto is the quietest, staccato noticeably louder. Now all my painstaking work with the velocity was destroyed when I began to change strokes.
> 
> Do you strongly adjust the Velocity when changing strokes to staccato or not, considering that this difference in volume gives liveliness of sound?
> 
> Thanks!


The sforzando is very loud indeed compared to the rest. I decrease the velocity on this one quite a bit, almost automatically. However I haven't had too big problems which switching between spiccato, staccatissimo and staccato. I think this simply realistic and I got used to it, CSSS is still my main solo strings library, besides the newly addition of BBCSO.
Don't forget about the Measured Tremolo - I find it very useful for fast repetition passages.


----------



## mojamusic

Toby Alexander said:


> Here's something of mine from a while ago that's predominantly CSSS with no vibrato, multiple legato melodies doing their thing, switching on/off occasionally. I really like a bed of multiple no-vibrato legato lines in CSSS, almost sounds like an organ.
> 
> 
> 
> It's worth mentioning the @NoamL Thanos script again for the issues with the legato delay, cause it's fantastic. I've found it great for doing faster passages but I still prefer playing slower melodies old-school-like, just playing ahead of the beat a bit.




Beautiful! Haunting and meaningful melody! This is reminiscent of a true classic film score! I've been playing the soundtrack form Silence of the Lambs recently. Well done, sire. Well done, indeed!


----------



## hypnotize

Friends, maybe for someone it will be useful, so composition was made with Cinematic Studio Solo Strings - classic quartet sound.
Maybe it could be done better, but the result is the result =)




P.S.
if you want, and can subscribe to my channel, thanks)


----------



## eli0s

hypnotize said:


> Friends, maybe for someone it will be useful, so composition was made with Cinematic Studio Solo Strings - classic quartet sound.
> Maybe it could be done better, but the result is the result =)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> P.S.
> if you want, and can subscribe to my channel, thanks)



Dude! Awesome! You should do a tutorial on how to program CSSS to sound like this! Especially the ricochet sound around 1:35!
Bravo!


----------



## MA-Simon

hypnotize said:


> Friends, maybe for someone it will be useful, so composition was made with Cinematic Studio Solo Strings - classic quartet sound.
> Maybe it could be done better, but the result is the result =)


Wow!


----------



## hypnotize

Thank you very much for the reaction and feedback, its мун important for me! 
As such, there is no any secret. I just worked very carefully with strokes and velocity. This is actually very important. Constantly change the strokes when playing, highlight accents with louder strokes - all this gives liveliness to the sound.


----------



## Rob Elliott

Well crafted mockup.


----------



## muziksculp

hypnotize said:


> Thank you very much for the reaction and feedback, its мун important for me!
> As such, there is no any secret. I just worked very carefully with strokes and velocity. This is actually very important. Constantly change the strokes when playing, highlight accents with louder strokes - all this gives liveliness to the sound.



Thanks for the feedback. I have a question regarding your workflow. 

Q. Are you changing the articulations/strokes , and velocity in real time while inputting the performance, or doing this more surgically in the key-editor , one note a time, after the initial real time performance is completed, or ... ?


----------



## hypnotize

muziksculp said:


> Thanks for the feedback. I have a question regarding your workflow.
> 
> Q. Are you changing the articulations/strokes , and velocity in real time while inputting the performance, or doing this more surgically in the key-editor , one note a time, after the initial real time performance is completed, or ... ?


 Thank you very much for the question.
The answer is unequivocal - I work it more surgically in the key-editor . It seems to me impossible to play such in real time, too much switching on keyswitch.


----------



## muziksculp

hypnotize said:


> Thank you very much for the question.
> The answer is unequivocal - I work it more surgically in the key-editor . It seems to me impossible to play such in real time, too much switching on keyswitch.



Thanks for the feedback.


----------



## Go To 11

Wow this was great! So much movement and use of all the articulations. I had two thoughts - 1. There was a section with lots of portamento that didn't sound completely natural to me as portamento is more for slower passages in my opinion. Secondly, the huge reverb at the end didn't sit with the sense of space in the rest of the piece. Lovely though!


----------



## jaketanner

hypnotize said:


> Friends, maybe for someone it will be useful, so composition was made with Cinematic Studio Solo Strings - classic quartet sound.
> Maybe it could be done better, but the result is the result =)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> P.S.
> if you want, and can subscribe to my channel, thanks)



Sounds nice. How long did it take to edit the performance? I have CSS and looking to get CSSS to add some definition to CSS, as I find them a bit too smooth and I like it a with a little more detailed sound. But might use CSSS as a straight up solo library and wanted to know the amount of work to get it to sound good. Thanks.


----------



## hypnotize

jaketanner said:


> Sounds nice. How long did it take to edit the performance? I have CSS and looking to get CSSS to add some definition to CSS, as I find them a bit too smooth and I like it a with a little more detailed sound. But might use CSSS as a straight up solo library and wanted to know the amount of work to get it to sound good. Thanks.


It took about two weeks and a little more time for mixing.
But I think it difficult to answer this question definitely, beacause now I am working with another quartet and I have already spent a lot of time for it.
Apparently it's all about practice - I think it is worth writing several such quartets and it will be much faster and easier. 🎻

It's a good practice to mix CSS and CSSS, but I tried it only in a lyrical arrangement, the sound becomes a little more a bright and sparkling. Moreover, many who mixes different libraries - LASS and CSS an etc. It's all a matter of taste.


----------



## jaketanner

hypnotize said:


> It took about two weeks and a little more time for mixing.
> But I think it difficult to answer this question definitely, beacause now I am working with another quartet and I have already spent a lot of time for it.
> Apparently it's all about practice - I think it is worth writing several such quartets and it will be much faster and easier. 🎻
> 
> It's a good practice to mix CSS and CSSS, but I tried it only in a lyrical arrangement, the sound becomes a little more a bright and sparkling. Moreover, many who mixes different libraries - LASS and CSS an etc. It's all a matter of taste.


Actually just played around with the mic blends, and found one that I really like compared to the main mic mix. And thanks for the reply...still on the fence about CSSS, but never know.


----------



## hypnotize

jaketanner said:


> Actually just played around with the mic blends, and found one that I really like compared to the main mic mix. And thanks for the reply...still on the fence about CSSS, but never know.


Honestly, if not for the work on two quartets, I would not really need CSSS  Just to add to the CSS? I'm not sure, because I can add other colors to the arrangement - flutes, clarinets, brass and more.


----------



## jaketanner

hypnotize said:


> Honestly, if not for the work on two quartets, I would not really need CSSS  Just to add to the CSS? I'm not sure, because I can add other colors to the arrangement - flutes, clarinets, brass and more.


I was looking to add more detail to CSS...closer to how Performance Samples Con Moto sound...but with this new mic blend, I think I may not need them after all.


----------



## Go To 11

jaketanner said:


> I was looking to add more detail to CSS...closer to how Performance Samples Con Moto sound...but with this new mic blend, I think I may not need them after all.


What's your preferred mic blend? I also don't use the mix mic.


----------



## jaketanner

Go To 11 said:


> What's your preferred mic blend? I also don't use the mix mic.


I’ll post it soon as I get to the computer.


----------



## crandallwarren

Anyone use these and the Embertone solo stuff? I'm in the market for some solos. The CSSS are sexy, but the Embertone seem to have tons of tweakability (pro and con?). It's kinda nice that I could start out with the Embertone Violin and then add other instruments as needed... Thoughts?


----------



## Casiquire

crandallwarren said:


> Anyone use these and the Embertone solo stuff? I'm in the market for some solos. The CSSS are sexy, but the Embertone seem to have tons of tweakability (pro and con?). It's kinda nice that I could start out with the Embertone Violin and then add other instruments as needed... Thoughts?


They're more difficult to work with than they seem. I think a better balance between tone, playability, and flexibility would be the Chris Hein offerings


----------



## crandallwarren

Casiquire said:


> They're more difficult to work with than they seem. I think a better balance between tone, playability, and flexibility would be the Chris Hein offerings



Thanks. Which are more difficult, the Cinematic or the Embertone? Or both?


----------



## GingerMaestro

hypnotize said:


> Honestly, if not for the work on two quartets, I would not really need CSSS  Just to add to the CSS? I'm not sure, because I can add other colors to the arrangement - flutes, clarinets, brass and more.


@hypnotise this sounds absolutely fantasic, great writing and programming. Might you be able to share your processing, eq, mic mix etc settings. Will subscribe to your channel. First thing I listened to this morning. Made my morning..Thank you


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## jaketanner

Go To 11 said:


> What's your preferred mic blend? I also don't use the mix mic.


Here is what mine looks like...pretty much across the board.


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## unclecheeks

crandallwarren said:


> Anyone use these and the Embertone solo stuff? I'm in the market for some solos. The CSSS are sexy, but the Embertone seem to have tons of tweakability (pro and con?). It's kinda nice that I could start out with the Embertone Violin and then add other instruments as needed... Thoughts?



I can only speak to Embertone ISS, as I don't have direct experience (yet) with CSSS. Definitely highly programmable, at the sacrifice of some tone (especially the Cello, not that fond of). It's scripted vibrato, which means that it will be much more controllable than CSSS, where you only got on/off, and the on is pretty extreme. Also, I think Embertone is all simulated dynamics, so playing with the mod wheel is very smooth, but of course not 100% realistic. I think both the scripted dynamics and vibrato are done well, although my needs in the strings department are probably much more basic than many others here. 

There's also bowing position in some, but not all the Embertone strings. All in all, it's a decent package. Some instruments are better optimized than others, allowing you to turn off additional features to save on RAM/processing - the cello for example, does not, so it eats up 1.6gb when loaded (16bit version).


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## GingerMaestro

Does anyone happen to know if there is a way to trigger repeated sustain/legato rebowed notes via key switching or Logic Articulation sets ? It's quite involved having to press the sustain pedal at exactly the right time ! Thank you


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## hypnotize

GingerMaestro said:


> @hypnotise this sounds absolutely fantasic, great writing and programming. Might you be able to share your processing, eq, mic mix etc settings. Will subscribe to your channel. First thing I listened to this morning. Made my morning..Thank you


Thank you so much! Processing not small enough, a lot of plugins were used, but standard set for mixing, nothing extraordinary - console emulator, multiband compressor, equalizer, reverb room for cello. Then mastering.


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## Casiquire

crandallwarren said:


> Thanks. Which are more difficult, the Cinematic or the Embertone? Or both?


Embertone is significantly more difficult but also flexible.


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## Go To 11

jaketanner said:


> Here is what mine looks like...pretty much across the board.


Thanks for sharing!


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## hypnotize

Hello everyone, I finished a new string quartet composition, that also was made with Cinematic Studio Solo Strings. This composition took me a lot of time, it is more dynamic and active than the last quartet. I think now I need a break in quartets =) Perhaps, maybe it is less interesting than the previous one, maybe there are some mistakes, but I tried. 
Thanks to all!




P.S.
If you want, and can subscribe to my channel, thanks)


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## BassClef

Wow... incredible work. I felt like I was sitting just a few feet from the players!


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## hypnotize

BassClef said:


> Wow... incredible work. I felt like I was sitting just a few feet from the players!


Thank you!


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## Ashermusic

Casiquire said:


> Embertone is significantly more difficult but also flexible.



I think that is a fair statement.


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## emilio_n

hypnotize said:


> Hello everyone, I finished a new string quartet composition, that also was made with Cinematic Studio Solo Strings. This composition took me a lot of time, it is more dynamic and active than the last quartet. I think now I need a break in quartets =) Perhaps, maybe it is less interesting than the previous one, maybe there are some mistakes, but I tried.
> Thanks to all!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> P.S.
> If you want, and can subscribe to my channel, thanks)



Nice! I hope I can compose something so good someday!


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## hypnotize

emilio_n said:


> Nice! I hope I can compose something so good someday!


I think you also can do it. No worse than me. =)


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## Emanu1674

No double bass, absolute trash


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## Rob Elliott

Emanu1674 said:


> No double bass, absolute trash


So wish he'd sample one. For now - I use Cinesamples solo string DB (couple tweaks on eq and 'room' issues but I get by.)


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## Trash Panda

Emanu1674 said:


> No double bass, absolute trash


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## Casiquire

Trash Panda said:


>


Eh, to be fair I'm often frustrated in the search for a good solo bass. We need more of them


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## muziksculp

Casiquire said:


> Eh, to be fair I'm often frustrated in the search for a good solo bass. We need more of them


Have you checked the *CineStrings* Solo Bass ?


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## JonSolo

Is it missing double bass? Yes. Does this make it trash?


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## muziksculp

Q. The CineStrings Solo Bass is recorded in Situ, so it's panned all the way to the right, is there a way to pan it center without it sounding odd ? 

Panning it via the channel fader doesn't sound right, since it is originally recordred in Situ.


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## Trash Panda

muziksculp said:


> Q. The CineStrings Solo Bass is recorded in Situ, so it's panned all the way to the right, is there a way to pan it center without it sounding odd ?
> 
> Panning it via the channel fader doesn't sound right, since it is originally recordred in Situ.


Collapse it to mono or narrow the stereo field?


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## muziksculp

Trash Panda said:


> Collapse it to mono or narrow the stereo field?


@Trash Panda ,

Thanks for the tip.

I used the S1Pro 5 *Binural Pan* plugin to collapse it to mono. sounds very nice. It could also be used to narrow the stereo field (Width) .

I also tried using the S1Pro 5 Mix Tool, which can transform the channel to MS. It was another option, but the mono sounds more focused.


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## muziksculp

Here some noodling with CineStrings *Solo Bass*. 

View attachment CineStrings Solo Bass.mp3


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## SupremeFist

Casiquire said:


> Eh, to be fair I'm often frustrated in the search for a good solo bass. We need more of them


Xperimenta Classica.


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## J_J_Jackson

Hi everyone!
I'm a newbie here, and I have a problem with CSSS already. This library worked very well until yesterday. All the settings got mad and I don't even know how to explain this. Just watch the video and you'll get what do I mean. It seems all the settings are linked to the ModWhl (wtf ?!) right now ... but using ModWhl on my midi-keyboard doesn't change anything except the modulation. CSS is ok and doesn't have any problems.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EBr6Fr1Z32m6LBnBQi2_YwGNel5ketaw/view?usp=sharing (The video)

UPD: I tried the library in standalone Kontakt and it worked well without any problem as well as in FL Studio. So... what kind of problem can force it in the Cubase?


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