# Library Spotlight - Studio Strings



## Cory Pelizzari

Get it here: https://www.spitfireaudio.com/shop/a-z/spitfire-studio-strings/
Free Patches & Multis: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dr4y3v1e9sh4kx2/AAAHSiPUGYJx7ukFQ6rUCOwKa?dl=0

NOTE - The professional version does contain ensemble, half and divisi sections, but at a huge 200G compared to the standard version's much more friendly 12G.


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## The Darris

Cory,

Thanks for going through the trouble to make those compelling multis and tweaked patches.

I was curious to see if you had any negative things to say about the functionality of this library but you seemed love it. I didn't hear any critical opinions about any aspect of it because it seems like the low price with the amount of content you get for it out weighed the negative aspects of it? 

I found it to be a very sluggish and clumsy library to play which was demonstrated by a few of your short articulation examples. This is due to poorly positioned sample starts and edits as well as it being littered with some bad samples entirely. All things I've sent to support and they are aware of. I was just shocked to see you didn't notice them in you review. 

I should mention that I was using the pro version but I can't imagine there being that big of a difference in terms of patch performance. I guess I'm curious to know if you've experience some similar frustrations with trying to program nice and tight ostinatos and short articulation phrases at fast tempi?


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## Cory Pelizzari

The Darris said:


> Cory,
> 
> Thanks for going through the trouble to make those compelling multis and tweaked patches.
> 
> I was curious to see if you had any negative things to say about the functionality of this library but you seemed love it. I didn't hear any critical opinions about any aspect of it because it seems like the low price with the amount of content you get for it out weighed the negative aspects of it?
> 
> I found it to be a very sluggish and clumsy library to play which was demonstrated by a few of your short articulation examples. This is due to poorly positioned sample starts and edits as well as it being littered with some bad samples entirely. All things I've sent to support and they are aware of. I was just shocked to see you didn't notice them in you review.
> 
> I should mention that I was using the pro version but I can't imagine there being that big of a difference in terms of patch performance. I guess I'm curious to know if you've experience some similar frustrations with trying to program nice and tight ostinatos and short articulation phrases at fast tempi?


Hmm, I haven't experienced that. I think because I'm used to playing ahead of time - both because of the lag my computer has (it's old) and because I use libraries like CSS where the pre-transient of the short notes is kept rather than shortened, the short notes in SS didn't really bother me. The brushed notes are a lot more sluggish for sure, but to be honest I prefer short notes with more of the pre-transient captured.

You can tighten the samples but the effect is subtle, so I'm guessing nothing short of actually editing the sample starts in Kontakt will be really effective. Come to think of it... I could add that in the patches, but it would be global so any samples that start a little slower will still feel somewhat sluggish. I'll have a try and see what I can do, at least for the standard version of the library.


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## The Darris

Cory Pelizzari said:


> Hmm, I haven't experienced that. I think because I'm used to playing ahead of time - both because of the lag my computer has (it's old) and because I use libraries like CSS where the pre-transient of the short notes is kept rather than shortened, the short notes in SS didn't really bother me. The brushed notes are a lot more sluggish for sure, but to be honest I prefer short notes with more of the pre-transient captured.
> 
> You can tighten the samples but the effect is subtle, so I'm guessing nothing short of actually editing the sample starts in Kontakt will be really effective. Come to think of it... I could add that in the patches, but it would be global so any samples that start a little slower will still feel somewhat sluggish. I'll have a try and see what I can do, at least for the standard version of the library.


I'm used to that as well but, this library stood out as having inconsistent pre transient lengths so it made it impossible to really play into time. Even if you lock to the grid and listen back without click, it should still sound in time, this library really fails at that, especially at fast tempo.

I don't mind making some minor tweaks so when I opened the hood up to fix some of these, i was pretty shocked to see how many samples had super long and short pre transient start points. There were a few that had start points well past the transient as well. All in all, my experience with studio strings left a bad taste in my mouth. It seems like there was a large lack of quality assurance before release. I will certainly revisit this when they update it but I honestly didn't find any part of this library that felt like it competed with their other string libraries or those of the competition. Obviously taste is subjective and I'm glad you found ways to get some cool mileage out of this library.


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## Vik

I've been looking at demos of this library... the main pro for me is the modularity of it (two divisi sections, the normal 8/6/6/6/4 sections and the large band sections (16/12/12/12/4). Do you know if these are unique recordings, or are there any overlaps? Is it, for instance, possible to combine the 8 V1s with one of the 4/3 divisi sections to get various other ensembles between 4/3/3/3 and 16/12/12/12/4?

And: are there two unique divisi sections i_n addition to the_ main section, meaning that there's 4/3/3/3 times two - with no overlapping recordings that also are used in the 8/6/6/6/4? 


In other words: are the 4a and 4b V1 divisi sections used 8V1 section, and are any of these used on the 16 V1 section? It would be great if they weren't, because then one could freely combine stuff to get the sound and size one is looking for.









A main con for me, I guess, would be that there seems to be no way to control the length (speed) and the volume of the portamento transitions. I prefer portamentos, in particular, to not be too pronounced - at least not as the only option. Do you (or anyone else reading this) know if this is planned for a future update? I believe a saw somewhere that they already have plans for an update.

I haven't tried this lib myself, but except the stuff that may needs a fix, I think the modular concept looks promising.


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## Alex Fraser

Cory - this is the first time I've actually heard this library properly. I love the fact that you actually used arranged musical examples to demo the articulations, and it's the first time I've actually been blown away by the sound of these strings. 
Great job man, thanks for posting.
A


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## Cory Pelizzari

Vik said:


> I've been looking at demos of this library... the main pro for me is the modularity of it (two divisi sections, the normal 8/6/6/6/4 sections and the large band sections (16/12/12/12/4). Do you know if these are unique recordings, or are there any overlaps? Is it, for instance, possible to combine the 8 V1s with one of the 4/3 divisi sections to get various other ensembles between 4/3/3/3 and 16/12/12/12/4?
> 
> And: are there two unique divisi sections i_n addition to the_ main section, meaning that there's 4/3/3/3 times two - with no overlapping recordings that also are used in the 8/6/6/6/4?
> 
> 
> In other words: are the 4a and 4b V1 divisi sections used 8V1 section, and are any of these used on the 16 V1 section? It would be great if they weren't, because then one could freely combine stuff to get the sound and size one is looking for.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A main con for me, I guess, would be that there seems to be no way to control the length (speed) and the volume of the portamento transitions. I prefer portamentos, in particular, to not be too pronounced - at least not as the only option. Do you (or anyone else reading this) know if this is planned for a future update? I believe a saw somewhere that they already have plans for an update.
> 
> I haven't tried this lib myself, but except the stuff that may needs a fix, I think the modular concept looks promising.


I'm sure they're all separate recordings that can be overlapped - thus the huge library size of just over 200G.


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## richhickey

Vik said:


> Do you know if these are unique recordings, or are there any overlaps? Is it, for instance, possible to combine the 8 V1s with one of the 4/3 divisi sections to get various other ensembles between 4/3/3/3 and 16/12/12/12/4?
> 
> And: are there two unique divisi sections i_n addition to the_ main section, meaning that there's 4/3/3/3 times two - with no overlapping recordings that also are used in the 8/6/6/6/4?



Yes, they are unique without overlaps. Note however, the divisi sections have a (frustratingly) small subset of the articulations of the main sections.


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## Vik

richhickey said:


> Yes, they are unique without overlaps. Note however, the divisi sections have a (frustratingly) small subset of the articulations of the main sections.



Thanks, this means that one should be able to configure these sections (at least the V1s) in 15 different sizes or variations of sizes - with between 4 and 32 players.


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## richhickey

Vik said:


> Thanks, this means that one should be able to configure these sections (at least the V1s) in 15 different sizes or variations of sizes - with between 4 and 32 players.



Not quite. You asked if 8/6/6/6/4 was different from 4/3/3/3s and each 4/3/3/3 from each other, and they are. The 16/12/12/12/4 is not unique but rather those three combined.


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## Cory Pelizzari

richhickey said:


> Not quite. You asked if 8/6/6/6/4 was different from 4/3/3/3s and each 4/3/3/3 from each other, and they are. The 16/12/12/12/4 is not unique but rather those three combined.


So they are combined? Why would they bother I wonder? Anyone can throw two instruments in Kontakt.


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## ism

Wow - not only a play through, but full of real musical insight. 

You not only capture what I love about this library (and seriously $199 for a spitfire chamber string library is amazing value) but hugely useful as well. 

Fantastically well done.


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## Vik

Cory Pelizzari said:


> So they are combined? Why would they bother I wonder? Anyone can throw two instruments in Kontakt.


Depending on how it's done, combining them could save memory and CPU cycles, and also make it more obvious that they are combinable (since users won't necessarily know that these three main section aren't based on unique samples). Thanks for the clarification, richhickey!


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## Batrawi

I was reluctant to purchase this due to the mixed (mostly negative) views around this library, but I think I'll eventually take the plunge as this walkthrough affirms my belief that it can eventually yield gorgeous results, albeit you might first want to overcome some of its technical/playability ugliness...I think this is where all these conflicting views are coming from especially after seeing a live example here between 2 different perceptions of the library from 2 of whom I consider to be amongst the most honest and trustful reviewers such as Cory and Chirs. Seems this library has proved a rare case of no right and wrong where matter is ultimately subject to one's appetite/readiness to bear with the shortcomings of a certain product knowing that eventually he/she will acheive a desirable outcome. I, for one, am one of those who don't mind and got used to digging their hands into a pile of sh!# (leaving aside market standards/company's reputation etc...)knowing for sure that the thing I'm looking for lies within..
(sorry couldn't find a better metaphore to make my point)


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## ism

The thing is there’s two complete different value propositions :

At one extreme, as a $199 ‘SCS Lite’ - perfectly unbeatable value in my opinion. 

and then at the other extreme - almost a $500 ‘SCS dry /w divisi’ expansion pack for someone who has spent $700 on SCS already. 

Naturally someone evaluating the latter value proposition is going to be a lot more exacting, but it’s a completely different universe from the former. But the kind of Uber professional niggles (or at least niggles in the sense that they’re so far over my head that’s I generally can’t even hear the reported issues) make basically no sense in the context of the first value proposition, and hold no particular relevance. 

Not at all to dismiss these Uber professional niggles, it’s just that the who discourse on this fantastic $199 library has too often been dragged down but the - from my perspective - completely irelevant details of the germaine only to the second value proposition.

So while I would dismiss neither the value of the extra mic’s (the close mic would be very nice to have) and the divisi (also very nice to have) nor the value of the (at present, completely over my head) uber professional niggles that a handful of people are voicing, I’m just really happy to have some genuine content that substantively engages with the musical possibilities of this beautiful and superbly good value $199 library for what’s it actually is.


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## Gerbil

That's very generous of you to share those patches, Cory. I'll definitely add them. Thanks.


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## sourcefor

How do you these stack up to Strezov Afflatus and if Not what does?! Thanks!!!


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## Saxer

Thanks for that informative Spotlight!
As far as I can hear in the video: the brushed shorts have very different length in all sections. VL1 short, VL2 longer, Vla slow attack and very long, Vcl extreme short. That's strange. Are all of them one shots or can you play shorter and longer versions (like Berlin marcatos)?
I like the sound in the ensemble. Very unblurred... more stringy than creamy.


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## CT

Saxer said:


> That's strange. Are all of them one shots or can you play shorter and longer versions (like Berlin marcatos)?



All the shorts in this library can be varied using the Time Machine patches.


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## LamaRose

Great review, Cory... Paul's original walkthrough was too rushed and flat. And your patches are a true gift... awesome enough to add to the list.


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## jtnyc

Best Spitfire walkthrough I've seen. They should hire you to do all of them. Seriously! 

Except now I want this library. Dam it! I really don't need more strings or to spend more money this season..... thanks a lot Cory -)


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## axb312

Hi @Cory Pelizzari Would you mind posting an example of how SStS handles runs (not pre-recorded) ?


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## ism

axb312 said:


> Hi @Cory Pelizzari Would you mind posting an example of how SStS handles runs (not pre-recorded) ?



Fast runs aren't really what this library is designed for. I'm hoping for a second volume, in the style of the 4 installments of Mural (or was it Sable?) that eventually became SCS, that will add faster legato.


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## Cory Pelizzari

ism said:


> Fast runs aren't really what this library is designed for. I'm hoping for a second volume, in the style of the 4 installments of Mural (or was it Sable?) that eventually became SCS, that will add faster legato.


Yeah the legato chokes up on any kind of fast passages. That's the trade off with the more affordable price.


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## sourcefor

So this or Afflatus by Strezov?


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## ism

More like: this + Solo Stings + Olafur Evo + probably another library vs Afflatus.


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## Cory Pelizzari

sourcefor said:


> So this or Afflatus by Strezov?


If you can't afford Afflatus, this. If you can afford Afflatus, Afflatus.


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## sostenuto

Naïve, yet a bit surprised. All kudos to Strezov, but did not place Afflatus as superior, or SStS (Pro) 'replacement'. 
Once using Strings lib comparable to SStS Pro, seems Afflatus is strong addition, but really ???


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## StillLife

ism said:


> More like: this + Solo Stings + Olafur Evo + probably another library vs Afflatus.


Do you mean: buying afflatus is like getting SSoS, SStS and Olafur at the same time (and therefore a good idea) or: Afflatus is so expensive that you could easily (and would better) buy 3 or 4 SFA libraries instead?


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## Cory Pelizzari

StillLife said:


> Do you mean: buying afflatus is like getting SSoS, SStS and Olafur at the same time (and therefore a good idea) or: Afflatus is so expensive that you could easily (and would better) buy 3 or 4 SFA libraries instead?


I read it as Studio Strings is no competition for Afflatus unless you plan to stack up some others against it for good measure.


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## PSKLN

Dear SStS Pro owners. 
Can someone please upload or point me to some dry sounds of the SStS Pro - close mic only, all reverbs off.
Only 12-15 sec. a few short notes with breaks so I can hear the release, to get a feel for the baked in reverb. ...would be great.

I watched the Walkthrough with Paul Thompson, but he played only very few sec. in total dry mode.

Thanks a lot.

Merry Christmas everyone.


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## ag75

Is Studio Strings worth buying if I already own the Chamber Strings Library? It's on my wishlist but I'm not sure if I need it.


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## Cory Pelizzari

ag75 said:


> Is Studio Strings worth buying if I already own the Chamber Strings Library? It's on my wishlist but I'm not sure if I need it.


That's a very difficult question because it's preference based. For example, I bought it and I also have Chamber Strings Pro, but there will be many who won't think it's worth it if they already have Chamber Strings. That's why I bought the standard version, because for me it serves as a dry compliment to Chamber Strings and it didn't break the bank at all.


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## Wes Antczak

Thanks, Cory for that walkthrough, very well done indeed. It really gave me a good feeling for what the library is about, what it can do, and how it sounds. Much more so, that what was on the Spitfire site. I feel now that I can make a well-formed decision about getting it. Cheers!


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## Wolf68

I have sable, so does it make sense to get Studio strings? somewhere in the Video you've mentioned, that the legato is not quite the same...


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## Batrawi

Wolf68 said:


> I have sable, so does it make sense to get Studio strings? somewhere in the Video you've mentioned, that the legato is not quite the same...


I already have SCS yet I completely felt the need to get SStS as well...and so I bought it (still downloading).

The main reason for me is that I discovered over time that SCS small sections sizes is not an ideal match with the Air lyndhurst hall as it makes the strings sound really thin whereas the space really sucks out the rawness and bow noise of the strings.

SStS on the other hand is completely the opposite where (despite its medium size) it still sounds full as the small room preserves all of these natural noises - which is how strings should sound like to my taste.

In terms of scripting/playability I still have to test SStS...but I presume that SFA may have taken much efforts and care since the room is really tight and can easily expose mistakes. SCS is brilliantly scripted (or shall I say brilliantly have its mistakes hidden under the sound of the large hall?). It has more legato types recorded and adaptive to your playing style (fingered/bowed/fast(runs)/portamento) and the performance legato patches are just phenomenal! If one day these features got implemented into SStS, I would personally consider it the ultimate string library.


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## babylonwaves

Wolf68 said:


> I have sable, so does it make sense to get Studio strings? somewhere in the Video you've mentioned, that the legato is not quite the same...


that's two very different libraries. different rooms, different mics, different approach. also the legato programming in Sable is more basic. the legatos in SCS (which are based on Sable) is better, the programming in SStS is even more effective.


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## Wolf68

babylonwaves said:


> that's two very different libraries. different rooms, different mics, different approach. also the legato programming in Sable is more basic. the legatos in SCS (which are based on Sable) is better, the programming in SStS is even more effective.


ok thanks for the info! could you perhaps specify that, what is better concerning the legato in chamber strings? and the programming in studio strings?


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## Pixelpoet1985

I have both on my wishlist, and thanks to Cory I would go with SStS. But I‘m missing the performance legatos of SCS. I don‘t own any Spitfire strings (yet), so I can‘t judge on how important it is.

Could someone post a quick legato example on the close mics for both libraries. Cory maybe?

How close are the close mics of SCS? And how does the fast legato in SStS sound?

Thanks.


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## axb312

The Darris said:


> I'm used to that as well but, this library stood out as having inconsistent pre transient lengths so it made it impossible to really play into time. Even if you lock to the grid and listen back without click, it should still sound in time, this library really fails at that, especially at fast tempo.
> 
> I don't mind making some minor tweaks so when I opened the hood up to fix some of these, i was pretty shocked to see how many samples had super long and short pre transient start points. There were a few that had start points well past the transient as well. All in all, my experience with studio strings left a bad taste in my mouth. It seems like there was a large lack of quality assurance before release. I will certainly revisit this when they update it but I honestly didn't find any part of this library that felt like it competed with their other string libraries or those of the competition. Obviously taste is subjective and I'm glad you found ways to get some cool mileage out of this library.



Any idea when they're doing this update? Will there be an update to the sample pool to include faster legato transitions?


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## The Darris

axb312 said:


> Any idea when they're doing this update? Will there be an update to the sample pool to include faster legato transitions?


No idea.


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## axb312

The Darris said:


> No idea.


:(


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## Bill the Lesser

I'm late to the party, but Cory that review sets the gold standard! Love the well thought out riffs, makes such a huge difference. And your secret sauce patches...WOW! A million THX is not enough.


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## Cory Pelizzari

Pixelpoet1985 said:


> I have both on my wishlist, and thanks to Cory I would go with SStS. But I‘m missing the performance legatos of SCS. I don‘t own any Spitfire strings (yet), so I can‘t judge on how important it is.
> 
> Could someone post a quick legato example on the close mics for both libraries. Cory maybe?
> 
> How close are the close mics of SCS? And how does the fast legato in SStS sound?
> 
> Thanks.


The Chamber Strings close mics are fairly dry to be honest, but rather airy and like others say "thin" sounding. Chamber Strings doesn't have the same kind of performance legato that Symphonic Strings has (which allows short notes and legatos) but it can definitely handle a lot more than Studio Strings can (thus the higher price). The legato in Studio Strings is not fast by any means - even if some transitions are faster than others, you'll always hit a spot where it chokes and there is no legato "speed" slider like in Chamber Strings. If you want fast legato, I recommend Chamber Strings (standard edition has three mics and is the best version to buy) or Symphonic Strings.


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## Pixelpoet1985

@Cory Pelizzari 

Thanks, I think I will go with SStS, because it's dry and will be a perfect match for my beloved LASS. It has great legatos which are able to play shorts, too. I'm so spoilt with this feature and can't go back. 

All the other articulations of SStS sound good in your review. And there are many, which I don't have in my other libraries.

If I understand correctly, CSC doesn't have the same performance legato? I thought you could play short notes as well, isn't it? What are the differences compared to SSS?


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## Cory Pelizzari

Pixelpoet1985 said:


> @Cory Pelizzari
> 
> Thanks, I think I will go with SStS, because it's dry and will be a perfect match for my beloved LASS. It has great legatos which are able to play shorts, too. I'm so spoilt with this feature and can't go back.
> 
> All the other articulations of SStS sound good in your review. And there are many, which I don't have in my other libraries.
> 
> If I understand correctly, CSC doesn't have the same performance legato? I thought you could play short notes as well, isn't it? What are the differences compared to SSS?


Chamber Strings uses an older script that combines the portamento, bowed, fingered, fast and run legato, whereas Symphonic Strings uses a newer script that adds in the ability to play staccatos as well, essentially acting as an all-in-one patch.


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## Scamper

Cory Pelizzari said:


> Chamber Strings uses an older script that combines the portamento, bowed, fingered, fast and run legato, whereas Symphonic Strings uses a newer script that adds in the ability to play staccatos as well, essentially acting as an all-in-one patch.



In addition to the "legato performance" which only has legatos, SCS also has the "performance legato" with a spiccato overlay, so that you can play short notes. Isn't that the new legato script or am I missing something?


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## Cory Pelizzari

Scamper said:


> In addition to the "legato performance" which only has legatos, SCS also has the "performance legato" with a spiccato overlay, so that you can play short notes. Isn't that the new legato script or am I missing something?


Only Symphonic Strings has those patches. Chamber Strings only has the legato performance.

Update - I found the other patches with the short notes. For some reason I didn't see them there before. Am I stupid or something? Maybe.


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## Pixelpoet1985

Never mind. Thanks.

Cory or anyone, would you mind posting a legato phrase for both SCS (close mics) and SStS (Tree) with various speeds? I also want to hear the reverb tail in SCS on the close mics.

That would be amazing and help me make my buying decision.


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## Cory Pelizzari

Pixelpoet1985 said:


> Never mind. Thanks.
> 
> Cory or anyone, would you mind posting a legato phrase for both SCS (close mics) and SStS (Tree) with various speeds? I also want to hear the reverb tail in SCS on the close mics.
> 
> That would be amazing and help me make my buying decision.


Here are legato phrases played slow, medium and fast for each section - Chamber Strings always goes first. After the basses I've added some more fast passages, Chamber first then Studio. As you can hear, Studio Strings holds up well, but anything faster than this, like runs, will cause more suction in Studio Strings.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/em78osfqjn1l1x4/Chamber & Studio Strings Legato.wav?dl=0


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## Pixelpoet1985

Oh, my, thank you so much. Hugs and kisses.

As you said, Studio Strings isn't that bad. Chamber Strings sound too small for my taste. So I made a decision.

Hope it also helps some others here.


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## transverb

The Darris said:


> I'm used to that as well but, this library stood out as having inconsistent pre transient lengths so it made it impossible to really play into time. Even if you lock to the grid and listen back without click, it should still sound in time, this library really fails at that, especially at fast tempo.
> 
> I don't mind making some minor tweaks so when I opened the hood up to fix some of these, i was pretty shocked to see how many samples had super long and short pre transient start points. There were a few that had start points well past the transient as well. All in all, my experience with studio strings left a bad taste in my mouth. It seems like there was a large lack of quality assurance before release. I will certainly revisit this when they update it but I honestly didn't find any part of this library that felt like it competed with their other string libraries or those of the competition. Obviously taste is subjective and I'm glad you found ways to get some cool mileage out of this library.



@ The Darris: I'm about to jump on SStS with the 40% sale but your notes has somewhat alarmed me about the quality of the lib [the feedback is very appreciated]. Do you believe SF will rework the lib in a future update or is this someone with some script edit would be able to tweak? Is there another lib from SF that you would recommend as standout? Please don't take that as a lazy question, I've been doing research and watching walkthroughs ect.


@ Cory: Even with this feedback do you believe it is worth the pick up at $150? I All I have is 8DIO Adagietto and Agitato Sordino.

PS. Cory thank you for your reviews and channels. Incredibly valued. I'm grateful mate.


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## robgb

I love videos like this, because they allow me to hear the naked samples. I find myself grabbing my favorite string libraries and playing along, which helps me realize that what I have sounds just as good as libraries like these, so buying yet another one would be redundant. I will say that these strings sound very, very nice, however. And as I've said before, I'm glad Spitfire is going for drier sessions now.


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## Cory Pelizzari

transverb said:


> @ The Darris: I'm about to jump on SStS with the 40% sale but your notes has somewhat alarmed me about the quality of the lib [the feedback is very appreciated]. Do you believe SF will rework the lib in a future update or is this someone with some script edit would be able to tweak? Is there another lib from SF that you would recommend as standout? Please don't take that as a lazy question, I've been doing research and watching walkthroughs ect.
> 
> 
> @ Cory: Even with this feedback do you believe it is worth the pick up at $150? I All I have is 8DIO Adagietto and Agitato Sordino.
> 
> PS. Cory thank you for your reviews and channels. Incredibly valued. I'm grateful mate.


If you want the sul pont, flautando, sul tasto, super sul tasto, sordino and what not, $150 is an absolute steal. You'll get a ton of new great sounding pads and unique sounds to use along with the rest of your libraries. I personally found Adagietto's shorts to be too quaint for my taste so Studio Strings could really help out there as well.


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## Manuel Stumpf

@Cory: You are the best string library reviewer out there. Thank you for this effort!


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## maestro2be

This review definitely sold me on the library and I am glad I got it. I really like the way it sounds.

The only bummer is that I bought the pro and Cory's presets don't work with it. Say's they were created with another library so I am assuming it will only work with the core library.


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## transverb

maestro2be said:


> This review definitely sold me on the library and I am glad I got it. I really like the way it sounds.
> 
> The only bummer is that I bought the pro and Cory's presets don't work with it. Say's they were created with another library so I am assuming it will only work with the core library.



Yeah I hear you... I believe that is the case - it only works with the core. It is really generous of Cory to provide his presets. I'm guessing they won't work with Kontakt 5 either.


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## Cory Pelizzari

maestro2be said:


> This review definitely sold me on the library and I am glad I got it. I really like the way it sounds.
> 
> The only bummer is that I bought the pro and Cory's presets don't work with it. Say's they were created with another library so I am assuming it will only work with the core library.


That sucks. I did send the patches to Spitfire hoping they'd incorporate them into the libraries, but they haven't responded at all so I don't hold out much hope for it.


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## Pixelpoet1985

maestro2be said:


> This review definitely sold me on the library and I am glad I got it. I really like the way it sounds.
> 
> The only bummer is that I bought the pro and Cory's presets don't work with it. Say's they were created with another library so I am assuming it will only work with the core library.



Good to know, because I'm going to buy the Pro version, too. The patches are really useful.


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## transverb

Cory Pelizzari said:


> That sucks. I did send the patches to Spitfire hoping they'd incorporate them into the libraries, but they haven't responded at all so I don't hold out much hope for it.



That is unfortunate that they have not responded. It would be brilliant even if they had a seperate section on their website for users to share their patches.


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## Mike Fox

Another home run review Cory! Great work as usual!


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## The Darris

transverb said:


> @ The Darris: I'm about to jump on SStS with the 40% sale but your notes has somewhat alarmed me about the quality of the lib [the feedback is very appreciated]. Do you believe SF will rework the lib in a future update or is this someone with some script edit would be able to tweak? Is there another lib from SF that you would recommend as standout? Please don't take that as a lazy question, I've been doing research and watching walkthroughs ect.
> 
> 
> @ Cory: Even with this feedback do you believe it is worth the pick up at $150? I All I have is 8DIO Adagietto and Agitato Sordino.
> 
> PS. Cory thank you for your reviews and channels. Incredibly valued. I'm grateful mate.


As far as fixes go, they said they are working on it but I didn't get much more than that. I doubt they will fix everything I pointed out because, like most devs, some of the issues I have are subjective and probably to coincide with their views on how it should function. I agree with Cory that for $150, the standard edition is pretty damn good when you compare cost per articulation. It's pretty extensive but it still falls short of Spitfire's Chamber Strings which I still consider their holy grail of String libraries. It has soooo much stuff in it, especially loads of legato styles that aren't available in any other library, at least not collectively. But the price difference is a lot. The standard edition of Chamber Strings costs $699 (retail) if you got the 40% off for that one you're looking at $419 which puts it in the price range of other competitors like Cinematic Studio Strings (which is my main library). The biggest difference between CSS and SCS is the amount of content available in SCS. Loads more articulations, including one of the best playable Runs Legato patch on the market. 

So yeah, if price isn't a problem and you are dead set on Spitfire Audio's strings, I'd go for Chamber Strings. If price is an option and you are just looking for a great all around good Strings library, I'd go for Cinematic Studio Strings. 

Best,

C


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## transverb

The Darris said:


> As far as fixes go, they said they are working on it but I didn't get much more than that. I doubt they will fix everything I pointed out because, like most devs, some of the issues I have are subjective and probably to coincide with their views on how it should function. I agree with Cory that for $150, the standard edition is pretty damn good when you compare cost per articulation. It's pretty extensive but it still falls short of Spitfire's Chamber Strings which I still consider their holy grail of String libraries. It has soooo much stuff in it, especially loads of legato styles that aren't available in any other library, at least not collectively. But the price difference is a lot. The standard edition of Chamber Strings costs $699 (retail) if you got the 40% off for that one you're looking at $419 which puts it in the price range of other competitors like Cinematic Studio Strings (which is my main library). The biggest difference between CSS and SCS is the amount of content available in SCS. Loads more articulations, including one of the best playable Runs Legato patch on the market.
> 
> So yeah, if price isn't a problem and you are dead set on Spitfire Audio's strings, I'd go for Chamber Strings. If price is an option and you are just looking for a great all around good Strings library, I'd go for Cinematic Studio Strings.
> 
> Best,
> 
> C



Thank you so much for that reply, incredibly helpful. I just started looking at CSS this week. I might pick up CSS or SCS but unfortunately it won't happen until next BF - didn't get SCS in my Wishlist and have not had proper time to compare. SStS might need to hold me together until then.


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## Vik

Have any of you compared the con sordinos, flautandos and (super) sul tastos in SStS with similar presets in SSS, SCS or other Spitfire libraries? If I'm not mistaken, they sound like they have less vibrato than what the same articulations have in other libraries. But maybe what I've heard just happens to have the vibrato level (if there is any) set very low.


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## Zero&One

Wolfie2112 said:


> Sorry to resurrect this thread, but thanks a lot for this review. I wasn't impressed by the Spitfire videos, this review has sold me on this library. Well done.



A well worth resurrect I feel, as it also sold it to me back then. The Free Patches & Multis are excellent.


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## robgb

Wish list sale has it for $150.


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## Shonx

Really liked the video, bought Studio Strings and Brass and will get to know them before getting the Woodwinds on Black Friday or Christmas. Looking at trying to orchestrate some Isaac Hayes and possibly some disco style arrangements and figure these will do the trick just fine after having a quick runthrough tonight.


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## GingerMaestro

Hi @Cory Pelizzari..Based mostly on your review I bought this library in the spitfire sale. I'm saving up for another String Library, but needed something to keep me going for a few months ! Great review, the library is actually better than I thought is was going to be once it has some reverb etc on it.

Quick Question, I'm struggling to get your very generous gift of the patches to open properly in Kontakt, it's saying some content is missing. Could you advise how to overcome this hitch, or which folder I should put your patches in ? Thanks so much !


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## Thorsten Meyer

GingerMaestro said:


> Hi @Cory Pelizzari..Based mostly on your review I bought this library in the spitfire sale. I'm saving up for another String Library, but needed something to keep me going for a few months ! Great review, the library is actually better than I thought is was going to be once it has some reverb etc on it.
> 
> Quick Question, I'm struggling to get your very generous gift of the patches to open properly in Kontakt, it's saying some content is missing. Could you advise how to overcome this hitch, or which folder I should put your patches in ? Thanks so much !


You need to scan for the files, I did have the same message popping up, just hit browse for files (or search spotlight) and point to the directory where the solo strings are installed to fix this error.


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## Cory Pelizzari

GingerMaestro said:


> Hi @Cory Pelizzari..Based mostly on your review I bought this library in the spitfire sale. I'm saving up for another String Library, but needed something to keep me going for a few months ! Great review, the library is actually better than I thought is was going to be once it has some reverb etc on it.
> 
> Quick Question, I'm struggling to get your very generous gift of the patches to open properly in Kontakt, it's saying some content is missing. Could you advise how to overcome this hitch, or which folder I should put your patches in ? Thanks so much !


Browse for folder, double click on Studio Strings' "samples" folder, hit enter then resave the patches and resave the multis. You can do the same thing for all of the patches and multis at once by clicking on the little save icon at the top of Kontakt, choosing "batch resave", then opening the folder where you put my patches and multis and hitting enter - then it will ask you to find the samples so you click browse for folder, double click on the library's samples folder and hit enter. That way they're all done at once.


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## robgb

GingerMaestro said:


> Quick Question, I'm struggling to get your very generous gift of the patches to open properly in Kontakt


Unfortunately, I can't open them either. I'm using 5.8, but it says it's too old... sigh.


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## chocobitz825

robgb said:


> Unfortunately, I can't open them either. I'm using 5.8, but it says it's too old... sigh.



doesnt seem to work if you have the professional version either...damn shame


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## GingerMaestro

Thanks a million Cory. This is working for me. Try it in Kontakt Player (Rather than Kontakt 5....), all seems to be good there.


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## axb312

Apparently there's an update to studio strings "1.0.0b18". Any idea whats in the update? Where is the changelog @Spitfire Team @SpitfireSupport ?


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## D Halgren

axb312 said:


> Apparently there's an update to studio strings "1.0.0b18". Any idea whats in the update? Where is the changelog @Spitfire Team @SpitfireSupport ?


Look for a doc folder in the install.


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## axb312

D Halgren said:


> Look for a doc folder in the install.



Found it. Thanks!


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## D Halgren

axb312 said:


> Found it. Thanks!


What's it say? I'm out of town and curious.


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## axb312

D Halgren said:


> What's it say? I'm out of town and curious.



v1.0b18 (Feb 2019)
FIX: [PB-487] - Violins 1 (8) FX Scales Typo Issue
FIX: [PB-488] - UACC Clash in Violins 1 (8) FX patch
FIX: [PB-498] - Celli (6) - Short Spiccato CS | Digital click
FIX: [PB-503] - Measured trems issue
FIX: [PB-511] - UACC clash for Spiccato and Spiccato CS
FIX: [PB-546] - Legato NKS Controllers Issue
FIX: [PB-584] - Celli (6) Legato Lowest G loop Issue
FIX: [PB-585] - Celli (3B) and Violins 2 (3A) Pizz Level Issue
FIX: [PB-586] - UACC clashes in Studio strings
FIX: [PB-616] - Violins 8 and 16 legato transition issue
IMPROVED: [PB-500] - Violin 1 legato swell - High Vibrato
IMPROVED: [PB-628] - Violin 1 Legato Quiet Transitions


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## scoringdreams

Cory Pelizzari said:


> Get it here: https://www.spitfireaudio.com/shop/a-z/spitfire-studio-strings/
> Free Patches & Multis: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dr4y3v1e9sh4kx2/AAAHSiPUGYJx7ukFQ6rUCOwKa?dl=0
> 
> NOTE - The professional version does contain ensemble, half and divisi sections, but at a huge 200G compared to the standard version's much more friendly 12G.




Took me 5 months to notice this post, shame on me.

But this is by far the most inspiring video on SStS. You definitely brought out the product's potential here!

Thanks for this amazing walkthrough!


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## GingerMaestro

Does Anyone happen to have any good eq settings and or reverb settings (Valhalla maybe) that they have used, that would make this library come alive ? Any advice would be gratefully received..Thanks


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## Jeremy Spencer

GingerMaestro said:


> Does Anyone happen to have any good eq settings and or reverb settings (Valhalla maybe) that they have used, that would make this library come alive ? Any advice would be gratefully received..Thanks



Come alive in what way? It's intended to be a dry library. I have added a few presets from EW Spaces which makes hem sound a bit more "full" when I need a bigger sound.


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## GingerMaestro

I find them so dry out of the box for my purposes that I'm adding reverb to make them sound more full, yes. Also trying to get a bit closer to the "sound" of Berlin Strings Library, which I love, but can't afford right now ! Just playing around, but I figures I'd pick this up in the sale as it was relatively cheap and see if I could tweak it a bit. Better to get a dry library and tweak it rather than a wet one, which you can't really take away the wetness


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## Manuel Stumpf

GingerMaestro said:


> Does Anyone happen to have any good eq settings and or reverb settings (Valhalla maybe) that they have used, that would make this library come alive ? Any advice would be gratefully received..Thanks



Attached you find 2 concert hall settings for Valhalla room.
You can use them as starting point and tweak them for your liking 
I found them here:
https://valhalladsp.com/2011/05/25/valhallaroom-tips-and-tricks-realistic-concert-halls/


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## Manuel Stumpf

I don't have Kontakt 6. But as the Studio Series is a Kontakt Player library, I could install Kontakt 6 Player in order to use Cory's custom patches.
Does anyone know if installing Kontakt 6 Player in parallel with a Kontakt 5 Fullversion works?
Or does this harm/break the Kontakt 5 Fullversion?


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## GingerMaestro

@Manuel Stumpf I’m using Kontakt 5 full and Kontakt 6 player, obviously separate instances and it works absolutely fine, no problems so far.


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## CGR

GingerMaestro said:


> @Manuel Stumpf I’m using Kontakt 5 full and Kontakt 6 player, obviously separate instances and it works absolutely fine, no problems so far.


Ditto.


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## chocobitz825

Manuel Stumpf said:


> I don't have Kontakt 6. But as the Studio Series is a Kontakt Player library, I could install Kontakt 6 Player in order to use Cory's custom patches.
> Does anyone know if installing Kontakt 6 Player in parallel with a Kontakt 5 Fullversion works?
> Or does this harm/break the Kontakt 5 Fullversion?



only issue ive had with running both at once is that things like your resources and quick load folders will not automatically sync on both. My system seems to favor Kontakt 5 many times, so i had to copy the contents from 5 and add them to 6.


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## GingerMaestro

Manuel Stumpf said:


> Attached you find 2 concert hall settings for Valhalla room.
> You can use them as starting point and tweak them for your liking
> I found them here:
> https://valhalladsp.com/2011/05/25/valhallaroom-tips-and-tricks-realistic-concert-halls/



Hi @Manuel Stumpf I've downloaded these settings, but can't seem to load them directly into Valhalla, could you advise how one might do this Thanks so much again Ginger


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## gamma-ut

GingerMaestro said:


> Hi @Manuel Stumpf I've downloaded these settings, but can't seem to load them directly into Valhalla, could you advise how one might do this Thanks so much again Ginger



You copy the text and paste it (Ctrl/Cmd-V) into the window of the plugin. More here: https://valhalladsp.com/faq/presets/


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## Manuel Stumpf

GingerMaestro said:


> Hi @Manuel Stumpf I've downloaded these settings, but can't seem to load them directly into Valhalla, could you advise how one might do this Thanks so much again Ginger



Clicking the red "Preset: Default" label in Valhalla opens the menu.

Two ways of doing that:

a)
You can extract the presets from the zip-Archive and copy them into the preset folder listed on the FAQ homepage gamma-ut has linked above (the path depends on whether you use Windows or Mac operating system).
The presets will then show up in the menu of Valhalla as "User Presets".

b)
Open a preset files in a text editor, copy it to the clipboard.
Then again in the Valhalla preset menu you can paste settings from the clipboard.

You can also save your own presets with the "Save as..." entry.


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## GingerMaestro

I stumbled on this whilst looking for a fix for Spitfire Harp (Which is a bit disappointing IMHO !) :- http://www.syntheticorchestra.com/blog/?18
It's a Pedal fix for Spitfire libraries. I've found if you load it into the SStS legato patch you can trigger the legato/portamento transitions by holding the pedal down, rather than doing the weird overlapping the notes thing with your fingers which is not very intuitive to me. This is similar to a technique that the brilliant @Embertone folks use on their string libraries.


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## skythemusic

Hi guys. I downloaded these patches but I am getting a "instrument belongs to a library not installed" error in Kontakt. I am running Kontakt 6 full version and Studio One 4.5 with the pro versions of these libraries. The libraries work fine as is with the regular Spitfire patches but I can't get these nki instruments to work. Any ideas?


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## GingerMaestro

If you look on the previous page of this thread Corey posted the following instructions on how to do this..

Browse for folder, double click on Studio Strings' "samples" folder, hit enter then resave the patches and resave the multis. You can do the same thing for all of the patches and multis at once by clicking on the little save icon at the top of Kontakt, choosing "batch resave", then opening the folder where you put my patches and multis and hitting enter - then it will ask you to find the samples so you click browse for folder, double click on the library's samples folder and hit enter. That way they're all done at once.


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## skythemusic

Thanks. Tried that but still the same error. Do these patches not work in the pro version?



GingerMaestro said:


> If you look on the previous page of this thread Corey posted the following instructions on how to do this..
> 
> Browse for folder, double click on Studio Strings' "samples" folder, hit enter then resave the patches and resave the multis. You can do the same thing for all of the patches and multis at once by clicking on the little save icon at the top of Kontakt, choosing "batch resave", then opening the folder where you put my patches and multis and hitting enter - then it will ask you to find the samples so you click browse for folder, double click on the library's samples folder and hit enter. That way they're all done at once.


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## Manuel Stumpf

skythemusic said:


> Thanks. Tried that but still the same error. Do these patches not work in the pro version?


Ah. I think indeed the patches have been created with the core version and they will not work with pro, because core/pro are different libraries from Kontakt's point of view.


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## Cory Pelizzari

skythemusic said:


> Hi guys. I downloaded these patches but I am getting a "instrument belongs to a library not installed" error in Kontakt. I am running Kontakt 6 full version and Studio One 4.5 with the pro versions of these libraries. The libraries work fine as is with the regular Spitfire patches but I can't get these nki instruments to work. Any ideas?


Yeah the pro and standard versions have separate licenses so standard patches only work with standard libraries and same for pro patches with pro libraries.


----------

