# 8DIO Strings vs Spitfire Strings



## transverb (Dec 28, 2018)

Forgive the novice question. I have 8DIO Adagietto and Agitato Sordino. I'm not classically trained nor composing classical music instead I use strings for alt / rock / folk / atmosphere songs and occasionally on trailers. I know I'm missing solo instruments (cello / viola) which I'm researching.

My question: Would picking up something from SF like their Studio Strings be a step above my offerings from 8DIO? I don't mind if they are dry - I have nice reverbs. xP

Thanks in advance of your kindness and wisdom. =)

PS. I'm doing my homework, comparing articulations, YouTube reviews, ect.


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## Shad0wLandsUK (Dec 28, 2018)

As someone who chose 8DIO instead I would say to you there are huge benefits; 8DIO strings are known for being emotional and expressive. SF has that Air Lyndhurst sound that many like, however I myself once I had purchased the Adagio Strings, I just kept going back to 8DIO. The prices for the strings cheaper and I think they are still up there in quality and expression. All strings have some artifacts or something that people do not like, but that is every single product you could buy out there...

Just my two pence


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## transverb (Dec 28, 2018)

Cheers for the feedback mate, appreciate the two pence.


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## Pixelpoet1985 (Dec 28, 2018)

The Adagio series is great, I bought it recently to have additional articulations for LASS. The legatos are great and can even play rather fast. And they are very expressive, I agree.

On the other hand, I don't like Agitato, because of the portamento slurs, even at the highest velocities. It's too much.

I don't have Century Strings (or Brass), but I really, really love the sound. These guys know how to record strings. I'm waiting for the 2.0 update which is on the way, and hope that there will be dynamic arks with legatos (like in Adagio). Then I definitely push the purchase button.


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## Pixelpoet1985 (Dec 28, 2018)

I don't have any Spitfire library, so I can't compare. Studio Strings is on my wishlist, but haven't made a decision yet.


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## givemenoughrope (Dec 28, 2018)

Both.

I have all Adagio/Agitato and most chamber-sized SF outside of the studio series. If you that sound, SF. If you want movement, 8dio. If need to fill in space between, LASS. Having IRCAM/Flux Spat helps.


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## jaketanner (Dec 28, 2018)

I have Agitato, Adagio, Adagietto, and Anthology. I love the Agitato divisi much more than the ensemble patches. I also have SF Chamber strings and Solo strings. They all serve different purposes. I prefer the sound as a whole of the 8Dio strings, but the SF to me, might be a tad more playable and definitely have many many more articulations. One is not better than the other...just different.


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## transverb (Dec 28, 2018)

Cheers everyone for their suggestions and thoughts. Keep posting, it is really helpfull. 

I guess another option for me is wait until Adagio viola + cello go on a super sale to round off my collection. SF at 40% is pretty temping but I feel like I'm way over my head trying to workout which part of their string collection is right for me and the drawbacks in each collection. Even after reading threads upon threads on VI.


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## ProfoundSilence (Dec 28, 2018)

I've heard some examples from a voldermort type character that pits 8dio strings against some suprising competition... I feel like 8dio doesn't get nearly the credit they deserve.


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## IdealSequenceG (Dec 28, 2018)

Agitato is one of my favorite string libraries due to Marcato Legato Articulation.

At least It was able to imitate the violins nuances that sounded in E.T. Theme.


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## sostenuto (Dec 28, 2018)

ProfoundSilence said:


> I've heard some examples from a voldermort type character that pits 8dio strings against some suprising competition... I feel like 8dio doesn't get nearly the credit they deserve.



Yep ! Really gaining positive attention. 
Cory's video is a cool resource, but tosses Century Strings in the mix near the end …. 
Now we're squarely in the top-tier game ……


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## Desire Inspires (Dec 29, 2018)

You gotta get both to be considered a real player in the game. Sad but true.


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## Shad0wLandsUK (Dec 29, 2018)

sostenuto said:


> Yep ! Really gaining positive attention.
> Cory's video is a cool resource, but tosses Century Strings in the mix near the end ….
> Now we're squarely in the top-tier game ……


Oh did I also mention that I have the Century Strings BUNDLE... guess I left that out 

And I LOVE those strings!!


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## sostenuto (Dec 29, 2018)

Shad0wLandsUK said:


> Oh did I also mention that I have the Century Strings BUNDLE... guess I left that out
> And I LOVE those strings!!



Good to hear ! Went back and saw Century Bundle Sale in Nov., so current reduced price is still quite a bit higher. 
Really considering Century seriously now, but SF_WL promo is almost over.

Frustrating, as seems silly to get Anthology now _ at great price _ but then jump to Century at next good offer.  
SF _ SCS discount is 40% and makes sense to add. 

Do you have many SF String Libs to compare to Century ? Longer-term plans include both.


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## InLight-Tone (Dec 29, 2018)

To me Spitfire is bread and butter, fairly neutral workhorses, with super consistent interfaces and reliable results, while 8Dio adds passion, emotion and excitement to the lines. Best when layered in different combos depending on the results desired...


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## transverb (Dec 29, 2018)

sostenuto said:


> Good to hear ! Went back and saw Century Bundle Sale in Nov., so current reduced price is still quite a bit higher.
> Really considering Century seriously now, but SF_WL promo is almost over.
> 
> Frustrating, as seems silly to get Anthology now _ at great price _ but then jump to Century at next good offer.
> ...



I would be interested in Century vs SF reviews too. Looks like I may just wait and get Century. Maybe next BF or Christmas sale.


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## sostenuto (Dec 29, 2018)

InLight-Tone said:


> To me Spitfire is bread and butter, fairly neutral workhorses, with super consistent interfaces and reliable results, while 8Dio adds passion, emotion and excitement to the lines. Best when layered in different combos depending on the results desired...



Agree …. great plan to have both !
With SF_SCS, and using 8DIO to layer, would Anthology be a reasonable candidate ?
SSO CS Edition is on my WL and gets down to $1,015. Pushing $$ around; SSB and SSW are ~ $297. each. Adding Anthology @ $148, is then doable.


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## ag75 (Dec 29, 2018)

transverb said:


> Forgive the novice question. I have 8DIO Adagietto and Agitato Sordino. I'm not classically trained nor composing classical music instead I use strings for alt / rock / folk / atmosphere songs and occasionally on trailers. I know I'm missing solo instruments (cello / viola) which I'm researching.
> 
> My question: Would picking up something from SF like their Studio Strings be a step above my offerings from 8DIO? I don't mind if they are dry - I have nice reverbs. xP
> 
> ...


For pop/rock/Indy strings I would absolutely go with Spitfires Studio string core. You definitely want dry stings for that genre. I just bought them for their wishlist sale and they sound fantastic. If you were writing more cinematic music 8dio would be a good fit as well. LASS is another excellent string library for pop/rock but they are a little more expensive. Just under $600 (current sale price) I believe.


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## robgb (Dec 29, 2018)

Personally, I prefer 8Dio's strings. They have a rawer quality to them that I prefer, and they're a bit drier as well. People love Spitfire's out of the box wonder, but I'm not impressed by them, especially considering the prices. You can get 8Dio's Anthology Strings on sale for $148 right now. That's what I would buy.


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## AlexanderSchiborr (Dec 29, 2018)

robgb said:


> Personally, I prefer 8Dio's strings. They have a rawer quality to them that I prefer, and they're a bit drier as well. People love Spitfire's out of the box wonder, but I'm not impressed by them, especially considering the prices. You can get 8Dio's Anthology Strings on sale for $148 right now. That's what I would buy.



Wait..anthology..is not the same like the adagio series but more a downgrade in content and functionality? I heard that.


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## InLight-Tone (Dec 29, 2018)

sostenuto said:


> Agree …. great plan to have both !
> But then a key question __ With SF_SCS, and using 8DIO to layer, would Anthology be a reasonable candidate ?
> ___ This arises because SSO CS Edition is on my WL and gets down to $1,015. Pushing $$ around; SSB and SSW are ~ $297. each. Adding Anthology @ $148, is then doable.
> Now, also finding myself in the 'choices /choices' dilemma.


All I have is Anthology and it I like it. That's a subjective thing though, and it does suffer from some random spatial issues, but great sound. Century may be better but I have no experience...YET!


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## transverb (Dec 29, 2018)

AlexanderSchiborr said:


> Wait..anthology..is not the same like the adagio series but more a downgrade in content and functionality? I heard that.



This video really helped me to decipher the difference.


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## transverb (Dec 29, 2018)

ag75 said:


> For pop/rock/Indy strings I would absolutely go with Spitfires Studio string core. You definitely want dry stings for that genre. I just bought them for their wishlist sale and they sound fantastic. If you were writing more cinematic music 8dio would be a good fit as well. LASS is another excellent string library for pop/rock but they are a little more expensive. Just under $600 (current sale price) I believe.



Cheers for the heads up on LASS... just checking them out.


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## robgb (Dec 29, 2018)

AlexanderSchiborr said:


> Wait..anthology..is not the same like the adagio series but more a downgrade in content and functionality? I heard that.


It looks to me as if it's a "greatest hits" version of the two libraries. They got rid of the unnecessary fluff, fixed the problematic patches, and whittled it down to a package that's the best of, with everything working in the same basic instrument so you don't have to open separate instruments and can use keyswitches to switch between them.


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## transverb (Dec 29, 2018)

robgb said:


> It looks to me as if it's a "greatest hits" version of the two libraries. They got rid of the unnecessary fluff, fixed the problematic patches, and whittled it down to a package that's the best of, with everything working in the same basic instrument so you don't have to open separate instruments and can use keyswitches to switch between them.



The interface looks great too. The only thing that concerned me was how they messed with some of the stereo image. The reviewer felt it sucked some life out of the original recordings. I have not compared the two in depths. $150 was a great price + the free choir was almost a no brainer for people without any 8DIO string libs.


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## sostenuto (Dec 29, 2018)

Studio Strings Core (on Wishlist) + Anthology (both for ~$300) seems a cool way to sort this …. and layer as well. 
Big lean now, in this direction.


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## robgb (Dec 29, 2018)

transverb said:


> The interface looks great too. The only thing that concerned me was how they messed with some of the stereo image. The reviewer felt it sucked some life out of the original recordings. I have not compared the two in depths. $150 was a great price + the free choir was almost a no brainer for people without any 8DIO string libs.


Well, messing with the stereo image is usually a case of sticking a Stereo Modeler as an insert effect to reduce the stereo field, so you can easily bypass that if you like. Just open the wrench (aka spanner) and look for anything that says "Stereo Modeler," then click the little B and see what you get. Then save it as a new instrument.


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## Babe (Dec 29, 2018)

There's a thread titled about the most disappointing purchase. Adagio was listed quite often. I'm in that boat. Big disappointment for me. Love Spitfire SSS.


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## jaketanner (Dec 29, 2018)

Babe said:


> There's a thread titled about the most disappointing purchase. Adagio was listed quite often. I'm in that boat. Big disappointment for me. Love Spitfire SSS.



Adagio yes, for me because the legato patches, especially the "natural" patch seems to not be working properly. However, the Agitato strings are pretty damn nice.


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## transverb (Dec 29, 2018)

robgb said:


> Well, messing with the stereo image is usually a case of sticking a Stereo Modeler as an insert effect to reduce the stereo field, so you can easily bypass that if you like. Just open the wrench (aka spanner) and look for anything that says "Stereo Modeler," then click the little B and see what you get. Then save it as a new instrument.



That is a great tip. Is that all 8DIO did to them? If this is reversible then it would be an even better purchase for me.


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## g.c. (Dec 29, 2018)

8dio has a free trial download of parts of their string libs, as well as Cage and a couple of othersof their products.
g.c.


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## antret (Dec 29, 2018)

hi!

My top string choices at the moment are: Chris Hein ensemble and solo strings, 8dio Anthology (i liked the cleaner interface and ‘best of’ packaging) and Spitfire Chamber Strings. 

i don’t write epic, cinematic or trailer music. my music has any combination of guitars (acoustic or electric), piano, drums (acoustic or electronic), synths and strings. I really don’t know what style any of it would be! As mentioned earlier, layering in a number of combinations can get many varied sounds/ textures.


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## robgb (Dec 29, 2018)

transverb said:


> That is a great tip. Is that all 8DIO did to them? If this is reversible then it would be an even better purchase for me.


I'm only guessing because they did this quite a bit with Adagietto. I regularly open up my sample libraries and make my own improvements so they are more to my liking. I don't think I've ever used a library straight out of the box. I don't own Anthology, but would buy it in a heartbeat with this sale if I didn't already have a zillion string libraries.


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## transverb (Dec 29, 2018)

robgb said:


> I'm only guessing because they did this quite a bit with Adagietto. I regularly open up my sample libraries and make my own improvements so they are more to my liking. I don't think I've ever used a library straight out of the box. I don't own Anthology, but would buy it in a heartbeat with this sale if I didn't already have a zillion string libraries.



That is sweet that you tweak them. I usually bypasss everything and add my own eq, comp, verb on other VIs. I have Adagietto as well. Maybe I need to have a look at bypassing the Stereo Modeller there. Let me know if you have any other suggestions for that lib. I'm not a Kontakt guru but definitely want to improve the sounds if possible.


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## robgb (Dec 29, 2018)

transverb said:


> That is sweet that you tweak them. I usually bypasss everything and add my own eq, comp, verb on other VIs. I have Adagietto as well. Maybe I need to have a look at bypassing the Stereo Modeller there. Let me know if you have any other suggestions for that lib. I'm not a Kontakt guru but definitely want to improve the sounds if possible.


Some of the notes are slightly out of tune. And some had weird noises. You can go into the mapping tab and retune those notes and delete the zones with weird noises and replace them by stretching a zone. Always make sure you save it as a new instrument first. That way if you make a mistake you'll still have your original. Also, if you have the Agitato Sordino library that was on sale a couple months back, you can go in and EQ them to sound like Normale strings and save them. That way you have the best of both worlds. The Agitato strings seems to have less vibrato than the Adagio (Adagietto) strings.


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## transverb (Dec 29, 2018)

robgb said:


> Some of the notes are slightly out of tune. And some had weird noises. You can go into the mapping tab and retune those notes and delete the zones with weird noises and replace them by stretching a zone. Always make sure you save it as a new instrument first. That way if you make a mistake you'll still have your original. Also, if you have the Agitato Sordino library that was on sale a couple months back, you can go in and EQ them to sound like Normale strings and save them. That way you have the best of both worlds. The Agitato strings seems to have less vibrato than the Adagio (Adagietto) strings.



Thanks for taking the time to explain that mate, really appreciate it.

I'll have to have a look a the Sordino EQ as well.

Maybe you could work with 8DIO to do an update pack.  Haha. I wonder why they didn't fix the out of tune notes...


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## robgb (Dec 30, 2018)

transverb said:


> Haha. I wonder why they didn't fix the out of tune notes...


Someone here said they did an update recently, but I've never seen any evidence of it.


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## Shad0wLandsUK (Dec 30, 2018)

sostenuto said:


> Good to hear ! Went back and saw Century Bundle Sale in Nov., so current reduced price is still quite a bit higher.
> Really considering Century seriously now, but SF_WL promo is almost over.
> 
> Frustrating, as seems silly to get Anthology now _ at great price _ but then jump to Century at next good offer.
> ...


I only have Alternative Solo Strings and Albion V for the strings of SF!

Altogether I have SF:
Albion V, BHCT, ASS, BCT, Orch Swarm and a few LABS New and Old


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## transverb (Dec 31, 2018)

I just found another contender... LSCS at $120!


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## jaketanner (Dec 31, 2018)

transverb said:


> I just found another contender... LSCS at $120!



I've looked into them a while back. Barely any walkthroughs, and the ones I saw, were terribly done. The keep lowering their price...was at 50% off for months prior then went back up to regular, and now back top 60%. They do sound good I think for the $120 they may very well be worth it.


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## markleake (Dec 31, 2018)

jaketanner said:


> I've looked into them a while back. Barely any walkthroughs, and the ones I saw, were terribly done. The keep lowering their price...was at 50% off for months prior then went back up to regular, and now back top 60%. They do sound good I think for the $120 they may very well be worth it.


These (LSCS) are an unsung favourite of a few of us here I think. Good value even at full price. They have a limited articulation list, but it covers all the basics, and has a great sound. Very comparable to SCS.


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## Consona (Dec 31, 2018)

How is it possible Anthology has tapped spiccati in Basses, Adadio did not have that, did they make a new recording of those for Anthology?


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## Zoot_Rollo (Jan 1, 2019)

jaketanner said:


> I've looked into them a while back. Barely any walkthroughs, and the ones I saw, were terribly done. The keep lowering their price...was at 50% off for months prior then went back up to regular, and now back top 60%. They do sound good I think for the $120 they may very well be worth it.




I grabbed LSCS at that deal - lots of buzz about its tone, i had to find out.

but with all the other strings flying around my m.2, i doubt it will get used much.


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## Parsifal666 (Jan 1, 2019)

jaketanner said:


> Adagio yes, for me because the legato patches, especially the "natural" patch seems to not be working properly. However, the Agitato strings are pretty damn nice.



This is a criticism I'm a little baffled by. The legati in the Adagio I own is excellent (not the violins, which are easily the weakest of the bunch imo); the violas in particular are strikingly nice (including natural), and I've had more than a little success using the technique in the double basses.

Perhaps I just found the "sweet spot" of those libraries, because I'm not hearing much for problems, and not just in the area.


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## rottoy (Jan 1, 2019)

Zoot_Rollo said:


> I grabbed LSCS at that deal - lots of buzz about its tone, i had to find out.
> 
> but with all the other strings flying around my m.2, i doubt it will get used much.


I really like how the pianissimo samples sound in LSCS. After some careful EQ in the top end to dial down the noise, you have some fantastic sounding soft strings.


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## jaketanner (Jan 1, 2019)

Parsifal666 said:


> This is a criticism I'm a little baffled by. The legati in the Adagio I own is excellent (not the violins, which are easily the weakest of the bunch imo); the violas in particular are strikingly nice (including natural), and I've had more than a little success using the technique in the double basses.
> 
> Perhaps I just found the "sweet spot" of those libraries, because I'm not hearing much for problems, and not just in the area.




I am referring to the violin. I have the cello which has similar issues, but don’t have the viola or bass yet. I just think it’s not optimized for Kontakt 5 and up.


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## Land of Missing Parts (Jan 1, 2019)

Excellent Cory video, as always.

There's something funky going on with the Anthology Legato in this part:


Also, it's weird to hear the violas jump around the stereo field in his song at the end.


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## transverb (Jan 1, 2019)

Land of Missing Parts said:


> Excellent Cory video, as always.
> 
> There's something funky going on with the Anthology Legato in this part:
> 
> ...




This video should be a sticky somewhere on this forum. Haha. Cory does a brilliant should some of the differences and changes in Anthology. Personally I'm much more interested in SStS, CSS and even Century strings.


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