# Solo Strings untamed by Westwood Instruments: My first impression



## wahey73 (Jan 17, 2022)

I'm really happy that I was given the chance to put my hands on the Untamed Solo Strings (Violin, Viola and Cello this time). As you know for sure they are very expressive and add quite a human touch to your music. In this video I give you my first impression, enjoy


----------



## Fenicks (Jan 20, 2022)

Thank you for this review! I really enjoyed seeing these strings in action and your song is lovely.


----------



## wahey73 (Jan 21, 2022)

Fenicks said:


> Thank you for this review! I really enjoyed seeing these strings in action and your song is lovely.


Thank you so much! I do like the "standart" articulations in those solo strings, well done. But the real strength in my opinion of the untamed series are those incredible improvisations. They can add so much expressiness and human touch to your composition.


----------



## doctoremmet (Mar 4, 2022)

I noticed @Westwood just updated their Untamed strings range. It’s time to update them! (There are multis now!)


----------



## wahey73 (Mar 4, 2022)

doctoremmet said:


> I noticed @Westwood just updated their Untamed strings range. It’s time to update them! (There are multis now!)


Multis!!! How is it that I love that word so much? 😉 Thanks @doctoremmet for those good news and thanks @Westwood for those inspiring Multis. "Viene la Tormenta" is simply gorgeous! Time to make a "Second Impression" video


----------



## berndfri (Mar 4, 2022)

doctoremmet said:


> I noticed @Westwood just updated their Untamed strings range. It’s time to update them! (There are multis now!)



FYI, If the "Circular Textures" patch doesn't appear to work, it's because the patch was saved with the Expression (CC11) and Dynamics (CC1) at zero. So you need to move the relatives controls on the interface or your midi controller. 

I emailed Rob at Westwood about no sound on the Circular Textures multi and he replied with the fix in less than 5 minutes!!


----------



## Westwood (Mar 5, 2022)

berndfri said:


> FYI, If the "Circular Textures" patch doesn't appear to work, it's because the patch was saved with the Expression (CC11) and Dynamics (CC1) at zero. So you need to move the relatives controls on the interface or your midi controller.
> 
> I emailed Rob at Westwood about no sound on the Circular Textures multi and he replied with the fix in less than 5 minutes!!


Yup. We accidentally left the expression and mod wheel at their minimum values when we saved that patch 😬. Not too bad as you’ll be reaching for them when you start writing, but must admit it may be a bit confusing when you first load it up!


----------



## PeterN (Jun 18, 2022)

Lurking at this library - Untamed Strings. It has entered my *lurking list* now, when going more and more minimalistic. Anyone who bought it - have you found it useful? In particular, how it is to make melodies with these strings?

@Westwood Do you guys have Sumer/Autumn sales, or is Black Friday the next deal? I know, sale information, isn't always transparent, but at least, well, throw in a notice if you got one, one day. Some of us usually notice a sale one month too late.


----------



## Ilko Birov (Jun 18, 2022)

PeterN said:


> Lurking at this library - Untamed Strings. It has entered my *lurking list* now, when going more and more minimalistic. Anyone who bought it - have you found it useful? In particular, how it is to make melodies with these strings?
> 
> @Westwood Do you guys have Sumer/Autumn sales, or is Black Friday the next deal? I know, sale information, isn't always transparent, but at least, well, throw in a notice if you got one, one day. Some of us usually notice a sale one month too late.


I have their Untamed Viola and have used it in several projects, both for textures and fx, as well as utilizing the "standard" viola sound and improv recordings. Definitely adds a strong "human touch" to your track. Looking to buy Cello and Violin soon.

Kudos, @Westwood !


----------



## PeterN (Jun 18, 2022)

Ilko Birov said:


> I have their Untamed Viola and have used it in several projects, both for textures and fx, as well as utilizing the "standard" viola sound and improv recordings. Definitely adds a strong "human touch" to your track. Looking to buy Cello and Violin soon.
> 
> Kudos, @Westwood !


Yes. But would you use it for melody? Is it too scratchy for melody, are the sustains convenient to combine? (got no prob if no legato)


----------



## Ilko Birov (Jun 18, 2022)

PeterN said:


> Yes. But would you use it for melody? Is it too scratchy for melody, are the sustains convenient to combine? (got no prob if no legato)


That depends on how loud it is in the mix, as well as your CC data. I've used the "standard" viola sound in combination with both Spitfire Studio Strings and Audio Imperia's NUCLEUS. Sounded very good, despite the lack of legato. In combination with one of the two aforementioned libraries Untamed Viola gave my string lines that extra bit of detail and "human" feel.


----------



## PeterN (Jun 18, 2022)

Has anyone tried the strings for solo melody? or solo countermelody


----------



## Celestial Aeon (Jun 20, 2022)

This seems really interesting with very personal flavor, have to dive into this a bit more, thank you for the heads up!


----------



## Rudianos (Jun 20, 2022)

PeterN said:


> Has anyone tried the strings for solo melody? or solo countermelody


Ehhh here is a play with some articulations for Violin. Its Sustain for the Longs. No legato. Wish there was. Like that I can control vibrato intensity somewhat. Used to legato it was easy to overlap notes out of habit playing on keyboard. I think the chordal sustains are great. And the shorts are nice and gritty feeling. I like the flautandos, Tremolo too ... Melody like what? Ehhh really just for short spurts in my opinion or laying an underscore for something else.

View attachment Untamed Violin 1.mp3


----------



## PeterN (Jun 20, 2022)

Rudianos said:


> Ehhh here is a play with some articulations for Violin. Its Sustain for the Longs. No legato. Wish there was. Like that I can control vibrato intensity somewhat. Used to legato it was easy to overlap notes out of habit playing on keyboard. I think the chordal sustains are great. And the shorts are nice and gritty feeling. I like the flautandos, Tremolo too ... Melody like what? Ehhh really just for short spurts in my opinion or laying an underscore for something else.
> 
> View attachment Untamed Violin 1.mp3


Thanks a lot. There solo sustains sound quite thin. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing. The tremolos sound brilliant.


----------



## wahey73 (Jun 23, 2022)

PeterN said:


> Has anyone tried the strings for solo melody? or solo countermelody


I scored the "I catch you" clip only with the Solo Cello and for that kind of improvisations the whole series is just great. But I tried several times to use it in an arrangment for the melody (countermelody) but failed. As you already wrote, probably they are too thin for a melody line. I do love the untamed series for the human touch and feel they can provide if you use them like your favourite spices on a good steak, just adds this extra touch to it. A single note here and there. But to remain with that metaphore, you need the steak first. And I'm sure Rob will continue to surprise us even in the future with more untamed instruments.


----------



## Westwood (Jun 29, 2022)

wahey73 said:


> And I'm sure Rob will continue to surprise us even in the future with more untamed instruments.


Maybe something this week 🎺


----------



## Westwood (Jun 29, 2022)

PeterN said:


> Lurking at this library - Untamed Strings. It has entered my *lurking list* now, when going more and more minimalistic. Anyone who bought it - have you found it useful? In particular, how it is to make melodies with these strings?
> 
> @Westwood Do you guys have Sumer/Autumn sales, or is Black Friday the next deal? I know, sale information, isn't always transparent, but at least, well, throw in a notice if you got one, one day. Some of us usually notice a sale one month too late.


Sorry for the delay! Happy to be on someone's Lurking List  Last year we did two main sales, Summer and BF so I suspect it will be similar this year. Our mailing list and IG/Facebook pages are the best place to find out.


----------



## Westwood (Jun 29, 2022)

As a few have mentioned here, they are not really suited for fast lyrical legato lines. Lots of people do seem to stack on top of larger libraries to add something human. I love them for chord progressions and letting the notes hold out to hear the natural performance.


----------



## wahey73 (Jun 29, 2022)

Westwood said:


> 🎺


interesting....very interesting...


----------



## Ilko Birov (Jun 29, 2022)

Untamed Trumpet?


----------



## Baronvonheadless (Jun 29, 2022)

Crazy! I was thinking they might do brass or woodwinds next..


----------



## wahey73 (Jun 30, 2022)

Baronvonheadless said:


> Crazy! I was thinking they might do brass or woodwinds next..


Looks like someone was reading your mind hahahahha





OUT NOW - Solo Brass Untamed


OUT NOW - Solo Brass Untamed 40% OFF DURING LAUNCH https://www.westwoodinstruments.com/instruments/solobrassuntamed/ -- TRAILER -- Breathing life, emotion and a little bit of chaos into your brass. A brass sample library for Kontakt, that follows in the same successful footsteps as our...



vi-control.net


----------

