# Light and Sound Chamber Strings - user opinions?



## muk (May 13, 2016)

Things have been rather quiet since the release of Light and Sound Chamber Strings.

http://lightandsoundsamples.com/products/chamberstrings.html

No official reviews yet, and I haven't found a single user demo or review either. I am interested in buying them during the intro price, but I'm holding off until some hands on opinions drop in. The sound in the videos is very much to my liking, but there are some gripes as well. No spiccato, no portamento, and the legato transitions sometimes don't sound ideal to my ears. Has anybody had the time to work with the library already? Any first impressions?


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## fratveno (May 18, 2016)

In terms of sound (timbre) this is a unique library. To my classically educated, tender ears, that is. And for the first time ever I was able to fool a couple of very musical ears. On the technical side, there are shortcomings, a few tuning problems, particulary in the higher range of the 2nd violins and celli, and there's also the very limited compass of the double bass. According to the developer both the celli and double bass have been booked for re-recordings shortly. The semiquaver (16-note) articulation is very useful, but hasn't received much attention apparently... If you like the demos and can live the other shortcomings, you'll not be disappointed!


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## muk (May 19, 2016)

Thanks for your opinion. The sound is indeed what attracted me as well. I don't know of any contender's library which had a similar sound. Do you know whether these re-recordings will be a free update, or will they come in a paid expansion? From what I gathered there are some flaws and imperfections - that's probably inevitable in a first product of such a scale - but Light and Sound's support and dedication to development is quite encouraging so far.


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## Light and Sound (May 19, 2016)

Hi Muk, these new recordings will be a free update, not paid. There are a number of improvements we're working on ready for the 1.5 update, from some rerecordings (including recording the bass at a similar range to the violas) but also many more updates to the patches, such as removing the need for more than one patch per instrument (but also allowing them to be flexible), a redesigned UI for more ease of use, articulation specific range and split slider settings and a lot more.

Hope this helps 

Light and Sound


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## kurtvanzo (May 19, 2016)

Thanks for the quick response and update LS! Is it possible to see a snapshot of the new interface? The original kind of put me off, but with the added recordings and updates, this is looking like a great package. Even if they were eventual paid updates, it would great to see you continue to add articulations to this library. Would be really nice to own something that covers the gammet for chamber strings, has a consistant sound, and isn't at Sables extreme price point.


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## muk (May 19, 2016)

Thank you Paul, that's quite extraordinary. The question for me is pretty much whether I should jump in now, or wait for expansions with more articulations. Tough one


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## fratveno (May 19, 2016)

muk said:


> Thank you Paul, that's quite extraordinary. The question for me is pretty much whether I should jump in now, or wait for expansions with more articulations. Tough one



I have to say the articulations as they stand now are surprisingly flexible. I'm a notation guy and I was very surprised at how well they respond to notation playback. Also, just sitting down to play them live is totally inspiring. And it's of course very inspiring to have such responsive and friendly customer service to boot...


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## Light and Sound (May 19, 2016)

kurtvanzo said:


> Thanks for the quick response and update LS! Is it possible to see a snapshot of the new interface? The original kind of put me off, but with the added recordings and updates, this is looking like a great package. Even if they were eventual paid updates, it would great to see you continue to add articulations to this library. Would be really nice to own something that covers the gammet for chamber strings, has a consistant sound, and isn't at Sables extreme price point.








Still work in progress so subject to change - but you should be able to see where it's heading at least


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## Chris Porter (May 19, 2016)

Light and Sound said:


> Hi Muk, these new recordings will be a free update, not paid. There are a number of improvements we're working on ready for the 1.5 update, from some rerecordings (including recording the bass at a similar range to the violas) but also many more updates to the patches, such as removing the need for more than one patch per instrument (but also allowing them to be flexible), a redesigned UI for more ease of use, articulation specific range and split slider settings and a lot more.
> 
> Hope this helps
> 
> Light and Sound



Will you be recording dynamic longs for the basses like you have for the other sections? I can imagine going into a part of a piece that required those dynamic long patches, but being forced to drop the basses, or force them to play a separate articulation from the rest of the strings since that articulation isn't available.


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## kurtvanzo (May 19, 2016)

Light and Sound said:


> Still work in progress so subject to change - but you should be able to see where it's heading at least



Thanks, looking good! Definite improvement. It's nice that your trying to keep it compact, as long as its all clear withoout squinting.  Thanks again!


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## Light and Sound (May 20, 2016)

Chris Porter said:


> Will you be recording dynamic longs for the basses like you have for the other sections? I can imagine going into a part of a piece that required those dynamic long patches, but being forced to drop the basses, or force them to play a separate articulation from the rest of the strings since that articulation isn't available.



Yes, we will


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## Simon Ravn (May 20, 2016)

I really like the sound (especially violins and violas) and the programming here. There are some issues with very long release trails on some articulations but I think those will be fixed... And then I wish they will go back and do real sordinos of violins and violas at least - would sound great I think!


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## Chris Porter (May 20, 2016)

Light and Sound said:


> Yes, we will


Awesome!


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## re-peat (May 20, 2016)

About a week ago, before the announcement of the update and its details, I wrote down a few thoughts on the *Light and Sounds Chamber Strings* for The Sound Board forum. Went like this:

(...) There’s quite a bit to like here (my initial enthusiasm for some of these sounds is still entirely intact), there are several things which, I suppose, are a matter of choice and preference — unfortunately, in a number of cases a preference that doesn’t align with my own —, but there are, alas, also quite a few things which spoil the pleasure a bit, I’m sorry to have to say.

The trend to record orchestral samples with countless mic setups is not something I feel should be encouraged too much (...) but these L&S Chamber Strings actually make a very good case for the multi-mic technique, offering as they do, seven *very* different sounding sample sets: each of them with a distinct and unique colour than can be blended with the others in any way you like. Nice. And genuinely useful.

Another instantly ear-catching element of this library are the releases. (...) Light And Sound seem to be particularly fond of (long) releases, and I know of no other stringlibrary which features them so prominently: the shorts ring out, the pizzicati ring out (well, many of them) and the sustained patches all have extra-long releases if you press the sustain pedal down. (...)
While there’s a lot of character and beauty in all this ringing out and these tails, I do feel it limits the versatility of, especially, the shorts rather a lot, reducing their optimal (and almost only) use to a basic staccato. Which is a bit of a pity in a library that’s already quite short on shorts to begin with.
The pizzicati also suffer somewhat from these pronounced releases in that fast or busy parts can tend to sound a bit sloppy and undisciplined.

And this focus on (long) releases — and the musical idiom which this suggests — is for example one of those ‘choice/preference’ things which pushes the library to be used in a certain way, and it just happens to be a way that isn’t quite how I like to use my string libraries most of the time. 
L&S Chamber Strings, in its current state, is undeniably a library that is best served with slow-ish moving string parts. Give it anything uptempo, snappy, frivolous and scherzo-like and the library simply has no resources available to deal with it. Yes, there are those shorts and there are the semi-quavers — a strange inclusion, I find, in a library that would have been a lot more versatile if it had opted for the much more useful spiccati, marcato and detaché instead —, but at the moment, these strings are clearly at their best when rendering downtempo, more lyrical material.

(As an aside: on my system, the releases of the longs are the first thing to go wrong — maybe it’s script problems or resource problems or something else, I don’t know, but after playing with the library for, say, 10 or so minutes, release samples start to disappear (or enter late), the sustain pedal feature stops working properly, or refuses to work at all, and I’m left with no other option than to reload the lot. But maybe this says more about my system than about the library, I'm not sure.)

Pretty good sound overal though in the shorts and pizz’s of the violins I & II and the violas. Unfortunately, the further down the orchestra you go, the less impressive the sound — performance, timbre and recording — becomes. And, even more worrisome: this doesn’t just apply to the shorts. 
The first violins are clearly the section that has been given most of the care and attention — focused, consistent playing, intonation and cleanest recordings —, the second violins already show the first signs of wandering concentration (on the part of the players & producer), the violas are still mostly acceptable I guess (not entirely though), but once you enter the murky domain of the cellos and the basses, things deteriorate rather noticeably, to my ears. Neither of these two sections has what I would call a very appealing sound and I don’t consider them particulary good at supporting the violins and violas either. Especially unfortunate in a chamber strings library where the individual character and quality of each section is so important. (Imagine a weak cello in an otherwise top-quality string quartet, and the sound of the entire quartet is instantly corrupted, isn’t it? A not entirely dissimilar thing occurs here with these chamber strings too, I find.) 

Also: some of the articulations have a very small range: just two octaves for the violas pizz, two octaves and a third for the celli pizz and … no more than one octave-and-a-half for each articulation of the basses. 

Other distractions: a few tuning problems, noises in certain samples (of the type which, if you hear them more than once, immediately reveal repeating samples), too much distracting and unpleasant noises in the sustains of the 2nd violins and the violas, and a few of the round-robins in the shorts which are a trifle carelessly edited (or poorly played) making them appear a bit later than played.

Some of the previous might indicate that I’m rather disappointed, and I’ll admit to having expected a bit more from this library than what it is actually capable of, but, while not quite succeeding in completely neutralizing the above misgivings, the appeal and colorful palette of its sound — the often beautiful sound of the violin sections and the violas, that is — remains certainly more than strong and unique enough to make this a worthwhile purchase. For me, anyway.
Oh, and a special mention for the ‘Split’-feature: a parameter which, depending on its setting, gives more (or less) ‘midi range’ to either the lower or the higher dynamics of a patch - very clever, very musical, very useful.

Wishlist for the future:
— an overal tidying-up
— additional short articulations: spiccati & detaché, for starters 
— more velocity layers for the shorts & pizz’s would be an improvement too
— expanded range for the bass and for some articulations of the other sections
— maybe separate Kontakt-patches for all the articulations (not essential, but welcome)
— and, one day perhaps, new recordings of the celli and the basses.

_


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## lucky909091 (May 20, 2016)

May I add an important point to your wishlist: a Kontakt "Ensemble patch".

The sound of this library is extraordinary good, and some musicians like me like to start a composition with the full ensemble sound to develop the composition step by step within the sequencer.
This would be an enourmous feature for this library, comparable to the library "Sable Ensemble Strings".

In addition, just to answer your question concerning the "user opinions":
I would like to call the sound of "Chamber Strings" "more intimate" than the sound of "Sable Strings".

If I had to compose a melody for an intimate TV drama I would rather take the "Chamber Strings" than any other library.


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## mickeyl (May 20, 2016)

I would second that request for ensemble patches – these are great for fast sketching. Some developer even make a separate (more affordable) product around that


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## procreative (Jul 22, 2016)

Is this worth getting if I have Sable (now relaunched as Chamber Strings!), is it smaller or larger sounding than Sable?


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## Soundhound (Jul 23, 2016)

I'd love to hear some opinions on this as well!



procreative said:


> Is this worth getting if I have Sable (now relaunched as Chamber Strings!), is it smaller or larger sounding than Sable?


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## Soundhound (Jul 27, 2016)

Bumping this for any opinion on procreative's question:

<<Is this worth getting if I have Sable (now relaunched as Chamber Strings), is it smaller or larger sounding than Sable?>>


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## Chris Porter (Nov 23, 2016)

This is on sale for 50% off right now. Really tempted to finally pick this up. Any final thoughts from longtime users? Especially now that version 1.6 is out?


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## rottoy (Nov 23, 2016)

I have yet to update to 1.6, but speaking of the earlier versions; 
There's some major tuning issues / bum notes on some of the sections (celli and violas in particular).

I don't know how much is fixed in 1.6, but I fixed the problems I found on my own with some quick under the hood fine tuning. 

Overall I find the library gorgeous, with a very unique character. GREAT value at 50% off.


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## Chris Porter (Nov 23, 2016)

rottoy said:


> I have yet to update to 1.6, but speaking of the earlier versions;
> There's some major tuning issues / bum notes on some of the sections (celli and violas in particular).
> 
> I don't know how much is fixed in 1.6, but I fixed the problems I found on my own with some quick under the hood fine tuning.
> ...



My only comparable library at the moment would be the divisi patches in 8Dio's Adagio strings. If you've used Adagio, how would you compare the two? I find Adagio to be quite nice sounding, but it requires a lot of work. L&S Chamber Strings seems to be much more user-friendly and easier to quickly sketch out, partly because all of the articulations are in one patch (per instrument) and also because the instruments were recorded in position. 

I'm also curious if Spitfire's Chamber Strings are worth the enormous difference in price from this library?


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## rottoy (Nov 23, 2016)

Chris Porter said:


> My only comparable library at the moment would be the divisi patches in 8Dio's Adagio strings. If you've used Adagio, how would you compare the two? I find Adagio to be quite nice sounding, but it requires a lot of work. L&S Chamber Strings seems to be much more user-friendly and easier to quickly sketch out, partly because all of the articulations are in one patch (per instrument) and also because the instruments were recorded in position.
> 
> I'm also curious if Spitfire's Chamber Strings are worth the enormous difference in price from this library?


The divisi patches in Adagio are far more fickle than anything in this library, even though
the players recorded for Adagio seem to have better timing with the short articulations.

You only have two mic positions in Adagio, while the mic positions available in L&S Chamber Strings GREATLY affect the color, leaving you with a good amount of options.

I've never liked keyswitches, so I go for the "one patch per artic" approach.


The Spitfire Chamber Strings is a far more comprehensive collection than any of these, so it's not really comparable.


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## Silence-is-Golden (Nov 23, 2016)

I enjoy the overall sound and charachter of this string library.

It has is strengths and limitations which is already seen by its list of articulations, and much has been said about it previously by other members.

Also to use the semi-quavers you need to "halve" the DAW tempo in order to use them well(unless you kontakt wizzards know other methods).
In order to have a decent 120 bpm quaver I use 60bpm in Logic.

All in all, real nice sound after some first fiddles with it.

Hopefully L&S will actually one follow it up with extended artics.

Also they have a harp and piano lib announced for roughly a year now.
Maybe that will see the light of day(sound) too sometime?


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## markleake (Nov 24, 2016)

Silence-is-Golden said:


> I enjoy the overall sound and charachter of this string library.
> 
> It has is strengths and limitations which is already seen by its list of articulations, and much has been said about it previously by other members.
> 
> ...


Yes, L&S really do need to put an option in to half/quarter the speed of the semi-quaver/repeating patch. It can't really be heard or used effectively at a normal bpm range.

It is a nice library, with a number of limitations. I also find the tuning to be out sometimes.

And I struggle with the interface. As far as I can work out you can't just click on the articulations to change the articulation playing. I hope they fix that eventually. Plus I really wish you weren't forced to route the microphones in Kontakt like it does. I know why they do it that way, but if they provided alternate patches that were routed more conventionally, I would use it a lot more - I tend to always build new templates, and don't have time to always fiddle with the routing. :(

I've used the violins and violas the most so far with this library. They can sound very nice. I have nothing else that sounds like this library. I haven't tried the 1.6 upgrade yet, I'm still on 1.5.


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## jules (Nov 24, 2016)

markleake said:


> Yes, L&S really do need to put an option in to half/quarter the speed of the semi-quaver/repeating patch.


The dev told me it's in the works.



markleake said:


> As far as I can work out you can't just click on the articulations to change the articulation playing. I hope they fix that eventually.


Yep, it's a pitty but i think some asked for this feature, so maybe in 1.7


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## Zoot_Rollo (Jul 17, 2018)

has 2.0 addressed these issues?


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## markleake (Jul 17, 2018)

Yep.


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## Zoot_Rollo (Jul 17, 2018)

markleake said:


> Yep.



i'm impressed with what i am hearing in 2.0 demos.


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## Sami (Jul 17, 2018)

Brilliant library. UX not on par with sss or css but the sound and expressiveness are on par and value for money is better.


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## Zoot_Rollo (Jul 17, 2018)

Sami said:


> Brilliant library. UX not on par with sss or css but the sound and expressiveness are on par and value for money is better.



I don't mind the UI.

Sound is a little less vanilla compared to CSS.

To my ears at least.


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## markleake (Jul 17, 2018)

Zoot_Rollo said:


> I don't mind the UI.
> 
> Sound is a little less vanilla compared to CSS.
> 
> To my ears at least.


I'd hardly say CSS is vanilla, it's dark and romantic with a strong vibrato. But personal taste I guess.


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## Zoot_Rollo (Jul 17, 2018)

markleake said:


> I'd hardly say CSS is vanilla, it's dark and romantic with a strong vibrato. But personal taste I guess.



Sorry, i didn't strictly mean the tone.

I just find it unremarkable for my use.


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## markleake (Jul 17, 2018)

Zoot_Rollo said:


> Sorry, i didn't strictly mean the tone.
> 
> I just find it unremarkable for my use.


Sure, it's personal taste and individual needs that should decide what libraries you get. So stick to what you like.


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## X-Bassist (Oct 2, 2018)

Hey, just checking to see if anyone else is having an issue with playing the shorts in this library? I really like the tone and size for writing, and often pull it out first over other libraries, but...

Was trying to write an ostinato with the ensemble patch shorts and my computer CPU is crapping out. ( thought it was my buffer but saw it was already set to 256 (128 is usually fine with most other libraries) and switching it to 512 didn't help much. Latest version (bought 3 months ago) and only 3 mics up. Just tried the cello shorts and they seem fine, but going back to the ensemble patch and they crap out after just 2 or 3 notes (3 note cords) everytime.

Is this normal for everyone else? Or should I be looking at an issue with my system? I have other shorts I can use that will work (Symphobia, CSS, Cinestrings, the section patches of L&S) I just like the sound of the ensemble patches...


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## rottoy (Oct 2, 2018)

X-Bassist said:


> Hey, just checking to see if anyone else is having an issue with playing the shorts in this library? I really like the tone and size for writing, and often pull it out first over other libraries, but...
> 
> Was trying to write an ostinato with the ensemble patch shorts and my computer CPU is crapping out. ( thought it was my buffer but saw it was already set to 256 (128 is usually fine with most other libraries) and switching it to 512 didn't help much. Latest version (bought 3 months ago) and only 3 mics up. Just tried the cello shorts and they seem fine, but going back to the ensemble patch and they crap out after just 2 or 3 notes (3 note cords) everytime.
> 
> Is this normal for everyone else? Or should I be looking at an issue with my system? I have other shorts I can use that will work (Symphobia, CSS, Cinestrings, the section patches of L&S) I just like the sound of the ensemble patches... if they didn't crap out (this is on a new Mac Pro, 6 core with 128GB ram).


Have you checked the "Speed"? Might be TimeMachine acting up?


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## X-Bassist (Oct 2, 2018)

rottoy said:


> Have you checked the "Speed"? Might be TimeMachine acting up?


I have it all the way down (the default), is there a way to turn it off? I just want the normal speed anyway (although someday when systems can handle this it might be useful). Under the hood it does look like the shorts are using TM Pro, but I realize switching it might screw up the script. Probably not recommended.

It would be nice if they included a script WITHOUT speed control (and no TM Pro) for those who don't have a bigger system.


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## X-Bassist (Oct 2, 2018)

rottoy said:


> Have you checked the "Speed"? Might be TimeMachine acting up?



After closer inspection (under the hood) the speed control on the shorts looks to be a 70%! (I guess the default is set that way?). I'll try to see if I can get it to 100.

Edit: Command clicking it does reset it, but not it says 99.9% instead of 100 (again, under the hood).

Edit: Ok, all the way down is 70.1% all the way up is 144% and comand clicking gets you to 99.9%. Give it the slights tap up set it to 100%. To check simple hit the Kontakt wrench icon (upper left) select "Group Editor", select one of the 'short' groups (side shorts or decca shorts for instance) and below next to "Source" it should say "tm pro" with tune and speed dials beside it. The speed readout should tell you the percentage TM Pro is currently playing at.

In future it would be great for L & S to have a readout for the speed % on the front panel so we can match the setting on the other patches as well. Just a thought.


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## Light and Sound (Oct 2, 2018)

X-Bassist said:


> After closer inspection (under the hood) the speed control on the shorts looks to be a 70%! (I guess the default is set that way?). I'll try to see if I can get it to 100.
> 
> Edit: Command clicking it does reset it, but not it says 99.9% instead of 100 (again, under the hood).



Heya, command/ctrl clicking changes the used groups to a group that doesn't have TM pro enabled so it should then work (you'll find a few sets of shorts under the hood, all used for different things)


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## X-Bassist (Oct 2, 2018)

X-Bassist said:


> After closer inspection (under the hood) the speed control on the shorts looks to be a 70%! (I guess the default is set that way?). I'll try to see if I can get it to 100.
> 
> Edit: Command clicking it does reset it, but not it says 99.9% instead of 100 (again, under the hood).
> 
> ...



Sooooooo weird. After setting it at 100% it was STILL crapping out. SO I figured screw it, I command clicked it, setting it to 99.9% (instead of 100%) and it works much better. Almost as if it's a scripted thing. Strange.

Thank you Rottoy for the response and heads up! Cheers.


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## X-Bassist (Oct 2, 2018)

Light and Sound said:


> Heya, command/ctrl clicking changes the used groups to a group that doesn't have TM pro enabled so it should then work (you'll find a few sets of shorts under the hood, all used for different things)



Thank you for the answer as I wrote my last post! This does explain a lot and gets me my no TM pro patch! Thank you!!


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## Light and Sound (Oct 2, 2018)

X-Bassist said:


> Sooooooo weird. After setting it at 100% it was STILL crapping out. SO I figured screw it, I command clicked it, setting it to 99.9% (instead of 100%) and it works much better. Almost as if it's a scripted thing. Strange.
> 
> Thank you Rottoy for the response and heads up! Cheers.



It is scripted, yes - so manually changing won't change it. For this reason a no-tm version was added via ctrl-click. Kontakt still uses insane CPU when you have TM Pro enabled on a group, hence the different groups are used when setting it to default (allowing for both conditions).


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## Zoot_Rollo (Oct 2, 2018)

Light and Sound said:


> It is scripted, yes - so manually changing won't change it. For this reason a no-tm version was added via ctrl-click. Kontakt still uses insane CPU when you have TM Pro enabled on a group, hence the different groups are used when setting it to default (allowing for both conditions).



i wonder if VEP6 would help with CPU.


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## X-Bassist (Oct 2, 2018)

Zoot_Rollo said:


> i wonder if VEP6 would help with CPU.



Yes it does. I'm already using this in VE Pro 6 though and no dice on the ensemble shorts with speed adjusted. The individual sections seem to work fine though, so I can still write with the ensemble (with TM Pro off- command clicking the speed slider) and then adjust speed when I switch to sections. I can't wait until TM Pro is not a CPU killer though. I wonder if this is any better in Kontakt 6 (haven't upgraded yet but do have 5.8.1)


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## muk (Oct 2, 2018)

@Light and Sound Paul have you fixed the rebowing issue on the second note in a legato line?


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## Light and Sound (Oct 2, 2018)

muk said:


> @Light and Sound Paul have you fixed the rebowing issue on the second note in a legato line?



Hey Muk, yes this is fixed, though not in the public update file since I've been in the studio for a good while now - I've had it in internal testing for a bit as we did a bunch of changes under the hood/quality of life fixes (ie being able to disable time machine with just midi rather than needing to ctrl/command click each time etc). But I'll post here to update everyone when the update is public too


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## X-Bassist (Oct 2, 2018)

Light and Sound said:


> Hey Muk, yes this is fixed, though not in the public update file since I've been in the studio for a good while now - I've had it in internal testing for a bit as we did a bunch of changes under the hood/quality of life fixes (ie being able to disable time machine with just midi rather than needing to ctrl/command click each time etc). But I'll post here to update everyone when the update is public too



Ooo! Ooo! (like horseshack raising his hand) Can I ask if there is NKS compatability or at least play range color coding for NKS keyboards in the new update? (honestly, the color coding is mainly what most of us use out of NKS  )

It's my only real request. The library is great and has become my main writing tool  Even without NKS.

Edit: Realized the keyswitches are already color coded- Thanks! Hopefully you can add the play range as well.


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## Zoot_Rollo (Oct 5, 2018)

looking better and better.


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## brek (Oct 5, 2018)

Really like the sound of the library, but wondering if it's possible to get breakout patches for each articulation rather than relying on keyswitches.


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## Zoot_Rollo (Oct 5, 2018)

brek said:


> Really like the sound of the library, but wondering if it's possible to get breakout patches for each articulation rather than relying on keyswitches.




couldn't you just create different instances for each patch?

if i am understanding your question.


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## The Darris (Oct 5, 2018)

You know, I reviewed this when they released version 2, 2 years ago. I hadn't received any information on updates since then so I re-downloaded the library to make sure I was up to date so I could revisit this library and see if a few of my critiques from my review were addressed. Unfortunately, I can't really tell. The functionality seems intact except they had, at some point, added a select articulation feature which you could only do via key switching. Seems like a small thing to critique but for those on small mobile setups, you'll appreciate them adding that so you can quickly test articulations. 

In terms of the overall sound, I don't know if they re-recorded the basses which were one section that were rough to my ears in my review but they do sound a lot better, at least this time around though there are still quite a few rough note attacks that lack good intonation. This is present across all sections. It's sparse throughout so it's not monstrously awful by any means. I've certainly experienced worse.

There is still something very sluggish about playing these instruments. I prefer a tighter feel because we already deal with our own system latency (mine is at 10 ms) but sampled instruments add another layer to that which just makes me pass over it yet again. Dryer rooms should really warrant a tighter feel in my opinion. I want to love it because of the raw nature of it but it's just not fun for me to play with. Does that make sense? I don't think this is an awful library because there is a lot to love but it's still just lacking that special something for me. I tried using the speed control to tighten the samples up a bit but just moving it a touch caused all sorts of artifacts to start crackling. I am re-visiting this on kontakt 5.8.1 so I don't know if this is an issue that wasn't present before but now it is or if it's just an issue. Either way, when I get the time, I will try to send Light and Sound a support ticket to give them some details about it since I'm using this in standalone on a pretty beefy system for just simple single patch playback.

My last negative critique I have are the seven mics. I've reached a point in my actual work that less is more. At the end of the day, my clients only want a stereo mix. The mock-ups that I send out to engineers to be mixed with live elements only want a front stereo mix and a surround mix. I'm ready for the microphone gimmick to stop. We only really need a Close, Room, and Surround mix. Recording engineers that are versed in orchestral instrument sampling will know how to mix these and give us a great sound. Let the character of your products reflect the engineer's decisions, especially if they know what they are doing. That's just me though. It would save us all on hard drive space and possibly make room for more articulations that are wanted. Again, this is my preference. I used to be all in on all the mic options possible but it's become tiresome, cumbersome, and you know, deep down inside, you hardly use all but two of them. Well, maybe not this library because I feel like it requires 3 or more to give a good sound which again, adds to the voice count and ram usage which makes this not the best strings library for anyone on limited system resources. If you are, then you can't really use this library to its fullest potential. 

Positive notes are just the overall sound feeling more cohesive, though there are some dynamic issues between the shorts and longs (the shorts just sound like they are missing some top end dynamics to match the longs' beefiness) but I digress. The Dynamic patches are wonderful for adding life to a stagnant line without being to obnoxious like other libraries. Room Tone, though a simple concept, is always great to have when trying to add realism. And this time around it worked . I wish more developers would do this when possible. 

Final thoughts, a lot has been improved since I first reviewed this library 2 years ago but I still just can't find a use for it in my work compared to other libraries in its class, the go-to Chamber sized strings ensemble in a studio environment. I will certainly pay close attention to new improvements and updates and recant some statements made here if I am missing something new that isn't obvious to me now. 

All the best,

Chris


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## Jimmy Hellfire (Oct 6, 2018)

The Darris said:


> My last negative critique I have are the seven mics. I've reached a point in my actual work that less is more. At the end of the day, my clients only want a stereo mix. The mock-ups that I send out to engineers to be mixed with live elements only want a front stereo mix and a surround mix. I'm ready for the microphone gimmick to stop. We only really need a Close, Room, and Surround mix. Recording engineers that are versed in orchestral instrument sampling will know how to mix these and give us a great sound. Let the character of your products reflect the engineer's decisions, especially if they know what they are doing. That's just me though. It would save us all on hard drive space and possibly make room for more articulations that are wanted. Again, this is my preference. I used to be all in on all the mic options possible but it's become tiresome, cumbersome, and you know, deep down inside, you hardly use all but two of them.



Absolutely. Stop with the microphone nonsense already. It's a bunch of fluff that inflates the perceived value of the product and just eats away absurd amounts of storage space with hardly any justification.

Best example: since upgrading my Spitfire strings and brass to "professional" (you don't say!), I've been using the stereo mixes exclusively. And I 100% knew it would be like that beforehand.
Now there's 320 GB (!) in unused sample content rotting away on my drive. That's a ridiculous situation and by all means actually irresponsible handing of storage space.

With Cinematic Studio Strings, in 90% of the cases, I use the one stereo mixdown the library comes with. Why not cook up two more in an update and give users the option to install only those?

I heard SF is going to be doing some repackaging of these professional lines, or something like that. I hope they're senseful enough to take the opportunity to make all the mic content installable individually. I want to install only the stereo mixes and be done with it. VSL now does it with their Synchron line. That's the way to go.


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## X-Bassist (Oct 6, 2018)

The Darris said:


> You know, I reviewed this when they released version 2, 2 years ago. I hadn't received any information on updates since then so I re-downloaded the library to make sure I was up to date so I could revisit this library and see if a few of my critiques from my review were addressed. Unfortunately, I can't really tell. The functionality seems intact except they had, at some point, added a select articulation feature which you could only do via key switching. Seems like a small thing to critique but for those on small mobile setups, you'll appreciate them adding that so you can quickly test articulations.
> 
> In terms of the overall sound, I don't know if they re-recorded the basses which were one section that were rough to my ears in my review but they do sound a lot better, at least this time around though there are still quite a few rough note attacks that lack good intonation. This is present across all sections. It's sparse throughout so it's not monstrously awful by any means. I've certainly experienced worse.
> 
> ...



Thanks for the update Chris, I’m with you on most points. I think it would be great for them to add a sample start time so you can dial in how much “pre” transient you like. Editing sampled instruments sometime involved deciding how many milliseconds of the bow movement or landing on the string before the transient or tone comes into play. Many purists feel leaving more in makes it sound more real. Where many players prefer the response on the keys of a tighter sample. So hopefully they can add an adjustment that can be assigned to midi CC and we can dial in our preference. I still have no problem adjusting my playing to accomodate it, and I don’t think it’s as bad as say the 140ms delay of Performance Samples solo violin.

Also I only had trouble using the speed control on the ensemble patch, I assume because of the voices involved in combining so many samples and mics. The individual sections worked ok with the speed control, only topping at about 20% CPU. Without using speed control that dropped to about 7% (on a 4 core Mac Mini) which is not bad for a string library. But in general I stay away from using TM Pro when writing, then during the mixing phase will tweak and print it. Which is also when I get the most use out of the multiple mics.

Now I understand the frustration with loading things you don’t plan on using, or keeping the extra space on hard drives. It would be great if developers would release extra patches with just the mics and samples you need, so you can limit your downloading and storage space. But these mics (Light & Sound Chamber Strings) are an exception to the rule, the rule being for every 4 mic positions I get 2 are good (hopefully), 1 is Meh, and 1 (or more) suck the big wahzoo. But these mics are useable and each do have a different tone. Finding the right ones for you and purging those you don’t need is a fairly simple process, and it’s worth it to find a mix that will work for your templete or the current project. Some projects needs that push from a close mic, and others need it back in the room more.I’ve got some good sounding libraries because I listen to each mic position and do my own mic, pulling out the suckie ones (common problems include excessive noise, thin sound, muddy sound, extra unwanted sounds, that are surprisingly absent or dimeinished on other mics). Or just to get a tone I like for the project.

And many times the mic the developer picks for the release patch, surprise surprise, is not the best one. On OT’s Time Macro, almost every patch is using the Tree mic, great idea- IN THEORY. But in the woodwinds? The air sound coming from the patch is crazy high (enough that I need to eq it), but switch mics and boom, it’s greatly diminished and sounds really good. Now I did end up using the close, with the AB mics, but that mix made the sound so much better that I’m thankful the mic selection is there, save the patch, put it in my templete, done and done.

I understand if your not a mixer. But any mixer, including the one your giving material to, can only work with what they are given. I can reduce noise and eq and fix the tone, but to be able to go back to the samples and remix the mics, get the honk out of the horns by using more room mic or bring out the clarinet solo by bring in more close mic as it begins that run- that has been a dream of mine since mixing music for tv in the 90’s. Now it’s possible.

The extra mics are also for adjust the tone against everything else that’s happening in a modern soundtrack, production dialog, sfx, voiceover. But again maybe that’s beyond how many people are using this. In a perfect world developers would have great ears and pick only the best close and room sound, and just give us those two. In the reality of our world that just not always the case, and sometimes they have gold, and still don’t know it!


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## sostenuto (Oct 6, 2018)

Great commentary and truly appreciated.
Bottom line for me is; "go-to Chamber sized String ensembles seem to be ~~$500. to $1000. (and likely worth every penny). How can I /others attempt to trade-off acknowledged issues with L&S Chamber Strings _today_ given its current $149. pricing?
Yes; myriad individual factors apply, yet there remains a persistent desire to have a sense of _how close_ this gets to the "go-to" options for many /most mainstream needs. 
Inherent is the dilemma ….. truly capable users can make required adjustments to L&S, while lesser-skilled users will struggle.


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## X-Bassist (Oct 6, 2018)

sostenuto said:


> Great commentary and truly appreciated.
> Bottom line for me is; "go-to Chamber sized String ensembles seem to be ~~$500. to $1000. (and likely worth every penny). How can I /others attempt to trade-off acknowledged issues with L&S Chamber Strings _today_ given its current $149. pricing?
> Yes; myriad individual factors apply, yet there remains a persistent desire to have a sense of _how close_ this gets to the "go-to" options for many /most mainstream needs.
> Inherent is the dilemma ….. truly capable users can make required adjustments to L&S, while lesser-skilled users will struggle.



I assume by "go-to" we are speaking of Spitfire Audio Chamber Stings? Or is there something else people here are referring to? (this is after all Sample Talk, so no developer is tabu). I like all the articulations in SA Chamber strings...

EDIT: This darn forum. Had to take another look at the latest Spitfire Chamber Strings videos and they look (sound) lovely. The close mics are pretty dry and nice too. Much better than I remember (Last videos I looked at where for Sable).

Dang, I just might consider it on my next wishlist. If I can get 40% off, the basic version should do me well. And here I thought I was done!

But I will say, SCS gives you more a "lovely" chamber strings sound, where L&S gives you a slightly more raw, more real sound. Now for non orchestral it may not make a big difference, but for more subtle, cinematic scores different tones like this can come in handy. Meaning both can be very useful (and both can be used in other productions).


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## sostenuto (Oct 6, 2018)

X-Bassist said:


> I assume by "go-to" we are speaking of Spitfire Audio Chamber Stings? Or is there something else people here are referring to? (this is after all Sample Talk, so no developer is tabu). I like all the articulations in SA Chamber strings...
> 
> EDIT: This darn forum. Had to take another look at the latest Spitfire Chamber Strings videos and they look (sound) lovely. The close mics are pretty dry and nice too. Much better than I remember (Last videos I looked at where for Sable).
> 
> ...



Always enjoy and learn from meaningful Replies like this ! 

Actually, no major bias here toward SFA. Had also included VSL Chamber, VSL Synchron Chamber. If OT offer something comparable, I am not aware. 

Sure __ as BlkFri nears, the possibilities are gaining interest. $420-$490 for SF_Chamber Strings (basic version) ?
Still, a bunch more than L&S_CS @ $149. 

Seems a lot like choosing new violin for talented beginner. Stradivarius is doable for a few, but a bit overkill. 
Then most are back to eBay, Used, local availability, Amazon .... 

Enjoy your perspectives. Seems like LASS Full 2.5 DIVISI could go in the mix as well ?


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## markleake (Oct 6, 2018)

I have both LSCS and SCS, both are very good. I think yes, reading the above comments from Chris, Jimmy etc., I agree with them that there are some shortcomings, but LSCS can actually do a better job in some cases that SCS. And SCS really is the bar here to beat... a great library.

SCS is has far more articulations, can be more agile, better shorts, and has the wonderful hall tone, so in many cases you could consider it more flexible. But despite what the guys are saying above, the multiple mics in LSCS are really an advantage for that library, as it changes the tone a lot; and considering it is a dryer library also, it makes it more flexible to use in it's own way beyond what SCS can do. I've done my own mock ups before comparing the two, and also listened to some other examples of what people produce, and surprisingly LSCS can sound more real and more musical that SCS on the same tracks.

So basically, both are very good, but neither is really going to do everything for you. SCS is certainly more polished and got a lot more articulations, but then the price is a lot higher also.

Tone wise LSCS is more focused in the higher end, weaker in the low end (basses especially). SCS has more low end than LSCS.

LSCS for the $150 price is really fantastic value.


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## sostenuto (Oct 6, 2018)

markleake said:


> I have both LSCS and SCS, both are very good. I think yes, reading the above comments from Chris, Jimmy etc., I agree with them that there are some shortcomings, but LSCS can actually do a better job in some cases that SCS. And SCS really is the bar here to beat... a great library.
> ***** and surprisingly LSCS can sound more real and more musical that SCS on the same tracks.
> Tone wise LSCS is more focused in the higher end, weaker in the low end (basses especially). SCS has more low end than LSCS.
> LSCS for the $150 price is really fantastic value.



Thank-you *@ markleake *!
At this point, the relevant technical points exceed my ability to sort. Your post and those earlier, give me confidence in LSCS for purchase now. Plenty of time then to audition and learn.
If BlkFri offers expected temptations, discount on SCS will be more than LSCS cost …… _so what's not to like _??


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## markleake (Oct 6, 2018)

sostenuto said:


> Thank-you *@ markleake *!
> At this point, the relevant technical points exceed my ability to sort. Your post and those earlier, give me confidence in LSCS for purchase now. Plenty of time then to audition and learn.
> If BlkFri offers expected temptations, discount on SCS will be more than LSCS cost …… _so what's not to like _??


Given a choice, I would buy SCS first. But when factoring in their cost, LSCS is a very good place to start.

LSCS and CS2 -- as lower cost good performing libraries -- I think are underappreciated these days. I'd be quite happy just using these 2 libraries over the other stuff I have, if the others didn't exist.


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## brek (Oct 6, 2018)

Zoot_Rollo said:


> couldn't you just create different instances for each patch?
> 
> if i am understanding your question.



That's cumbersome, but it works! Didn't realize the keyswitches were re-assignable, so whatever is loaded in the first slot becomes the default articulation on that patch.


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## sostenuto (Oct 6, 2018)

markleake said:


> Given a choice, I would buy SCS first. But when factoring in their cost, LSCS is a very good place to start.
> 
> LSCS and CS2 -- as lower cost good performing libraries -- I think are underappreciated these days. I'd be quite happy just using these 2 libraries over the other stuff I have, if the others didn't exist.



As you know well, String Libs have been my tedious learning experience for some time. 
At this point CS2 sits high on my list, but has been somewhat 'linked' to CSS and CSSS decision. I believe there would be a preferred price for CS2 & CSSS if CSS is purchased.


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## brek (Oct 6, 2018)

The Darris said:


> There is still something very sluggish about playing these instruments. I prefer a tighter feel because we already deal with our own system latency (mine is at 10 ms) but sampled instruments add another layer to that which just makes me pass over it yet again. Dryer rooms should really warrant a tighter feel in my opinion. I want to love it because of the raw nature of it but it's just not fun for me to play with. Does that make sense? I don't think this is an awful library because there is a lot to love but it's still just lacking that special something for me. I tried using the speed control to tighten the samples up a bit but just moving it a touch caused all sorts of artifacts to start crackling. I am re-visiting this on kontakt 5.8.1 so I don't know if this is an issue that wasn't present before but now it is or if it's just an issue. Either way, when I get the time, I will try to send Light and Sound a support ticket to give them some details about it since I'm using this in standalone on a pretty beefy system for just simple single patch playback.



"Tightness" is one of those things that rarely gets talked about around here and in reviews but is one of, if not THE, determining factor in how much I end up using a library after purchasing it. CSS, to their credit, are pretty upfront about the library _not _being "tight" - which is why I've held off on purchasing it despite all the glowing reviews. I'm actually pretty happy with LSCS in that regard.


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## Light and Sound (Oct 8, 2018)

muk said:


> @Light and Sound Paul have you fixed the rebowing issue on the second note in a legato line?


Heya, this is now fixed and public including various performance improvements, the ability to disable the speed slider via midi rather than just mouse (midi setting of 55 from the CC of your choice w will do it) - it can be found in the NKR available in our online manual here (and of course for all new purchases this is default so no need to update again).


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## muk (Oct 9, 2018)

Awesome, thank you Paul.



Light and Sound said:


> I've been in the studio for a good while now



Now if you told me that you had some surplus time there that you used to record additional articulations for the Chamber Strings I would be a very happy camper indeed.


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## jaketanner (Apr 28, 2020)

@Light and Sound , is this library still being supported? There seems to be surge about the Chamber strings, then dies out, then back again...but before I buy, I wanted to know if there is any plans on further updating the library? Thank you..


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## Light and Sound (Apr 29, 2020)

jaketanner said:


> @Light and Sound , is this library still being supported? There seems to be surge about the Chamber strings, then dies out, then back again...but before I buy, I wanted to know if there is any plans on further updating the library? Thank you..



Heya, there are still more plans for this library yes - I'm waiting for this whole Covid thing to end before I can get back in the studio of course (studio is closed down during this time). However updated recordings for the piano is a priority over chamber strings at this time, once that's done i'll be looking at more elsewhere!


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## Robert_G (Feb 12, 2021)

Light and Sound said:


> Heya, there are still more plans for this library yes - I'm waiting for this whole Covid thing to end before I can get back in the studio of course (studio is closed down during this time). However updated recordings for the piano is a priority over chamber strings at this time, once that's done i'll be looking at more elsewhere!


@Light and Sound

Any chance you can throw us a bone? What are you guys up to? Will we see anything this year?
Your chamber strings are one of my workhorse and favorite libraries.


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## Light and Sound (Feb 12, 2021)

Robert_G said:


> @Light and Sound
> 
> Any chance you can throw us a bone? What are you guys up to? Will we see anything this year?
> Your chamber strings are one of my workhorse and favorite libraries.


Ireland is still in max level enforced lockdown (can't travel more than 5km, and the studio is about 325km away from me) and has been since last march so almost a full year now. I'm ready to record and have plans for a lot of content (have been for quite a while) but until restrictions ease up I unfortunately can't record anything.

I've used the time to work on some pretty fancy stuff, software wise, and am planning to release that with the updates once I get back in the studio.

Not a great time to be a business that needs travelling unfortunately, but it's in the best interest of everyones safety of course!


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## Robert_G (Feb 12, 2021)

What are some of your favorite mics to use including volume adjustments on them?


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## pulsedownloader (Feb 13, 2021)

Light and Sound said:


> Ireland is still in max level enforced lockdown (can't travel more than 5km, and the studio is about 325km away from me) and has been since last march so almost a full year now. I'm ready to record and have plans for a lot of content (have been for quite a while) but until restrictions ease up I unfortunately can't record anything.
> 
> I've used the time to work on some pretty fancy stuff, software wise, and am planning to release that with the updates once I get back in the studio.
> 
> Not a great time to be a business that needs travelling unfortunately, but it's in the best interest of everyones safety of course!


Here's hoping we can open back up in April / May. Like you said, 5km doesn't get you far, especially if you live in the middle of the countryside


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## cqd (Feb 13, 2021)

I reckon you could nearly class rerecording the concert grand as essential travel..


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## SupremeFist (Mar 6, 2021)

Robert_G said:


> What are some of your favorite mics to use including volume adjustments on them?


100% XY + 100% Bleed + 30-40% Close sounds absolutely incredible here. (I just got this and it is stunning, exactly what I hoped it would be for a particular piece I am working on. All good vibes to @Light and Sound for when he gets back to the studio.)


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## Robert_G (Mar 6, 2021)

SupremeFist said:


> 100% XY + 100% Bleed + 30-40% Close sounds absolutely incredible here. (I just got this and it is stunning, exactly what I hoped it would be for a particular piece I am working on. All good vibes to @Light and Sound for when he gets back to the studio.)


That's pretty much what I use for my *chamber template*, except I didn't turn the close mic down as much as you did.

For my *orchestral template*, I removed the XY mic and added the decca and sides....keeping the bleed and close. The bleed mic is very nice. I would use it for any type of arrangement.


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## ism (Mar 6, 2021)

What I would *love* for this library is a pre made mix or two a la Jake Jackson mixes in certain other libraries.


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## ism (Mar 6, 2021)

Also: flautando. But that, I expect goes without saying


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## AEF (Mar 6, 2021)

Is there vibrato control? I love the tone of this library so much, but would love to have a lesser vibrato.


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## ism (Mar 6, 2021)

Not really. There's a dynamic legato with extra romantic vibrato. But no non-vib articulation per se.


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## SupremeFist (Mar 7, 2021)

Robert_G said:


> . The bleed mic is very nice. I would use it for any type of arrangement.


Yes, I guess Spitfire were inspired by this example to introduce what they call their "spill mics" in BBCSO Pro.


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## Light and Sound (Mar 7, 2021)

ism said:


> What I would *love* for this library is a pre made mix or two a la Jake Jackson mixes in certain other libraries.





AEF said:


> Is there vibrato control? I love the tone of this library so much, but would love to have a lesser vibrato.


Mic merging is coming with the software update, along with the ability to crossfade between articulations (which will allow you to crossfade into the molto vibrato at least) already working fine in the internal version. There's no recordings of non vib at this time though, but the standard vibrato is intentionally quite thin.


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## ism (Mar 7, 2021)

Light and Sound said:


> Mic merging is coming with the software update, along with the ability to crossfade between articulations (which will allow you to crossfade into the molto vibrato at least) already working fine in the internal version. There's no recordings of non vib at this time though, but the standard vibrato is intentionally quite thin.


Yay!!!


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## anjwilson (Mar 7, 2021)

Light and Sound said:


> Mic merging is coming with the software update, along with the ability to crossfade between articulations (which will allow you to crossfade into the molto vibrato at least) already working fine in the internal version. There's no recordings of non vib at this time though, but the standard vibrato is intentionally quite thin.


Really looking forward to this!


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## homie (Mar 8, 2021)

Can anyone please check if the shorts in ensemble patch working properly for them when playing chords? It sounds like some notes are missing or something like that over here. After deactivating "Time machine pro" it sounds correct.

@Light and Sound
Please put a time machine pro on/off indicator or dedicated button on the gui.


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## Willowtree (Mar 8, 2021)

homie said:


> Can anyone please check if the shorts in ensemble patch working properly for them when playing chords? It sounds like some notes are missing or something like that over here. After deactivating "Time machine pro" it sounds correct.
> 
> @Light and Sound
> Please put a time machine pro on/off indicator or dedicated button on the gui.


An update is on the way, but the pandemic of course complicates things.  All we can do is be patient. Good feature request, though.

Anyhow, the shorts in the ensemble patch seem to be working fine for me. What's your system specs?


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## homie (Mar 8, 2021)

Willowtree said:


> An update is on the way, but the pandemic of course complicates things.  All we can do is be patient. Good feature request, though.
> 
> Anyhow, the shorts in the ensemble patch seem to be working fine for me. What's your system specs?


Thanks for checking. I'm on windows 10 running kontakt 6 in cubase 11. I'll try again later to be sure the problem is persistent.


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## Willowtree (Mar 8, 2021)

homie said:


> Thanks for checking. I'm on windows 10 running kontakt 6 in cubase 11. I'll try again later to be sure the problem is persistent.


No problem! I was using Kontakt 5, also in Cubase. Is Kontakt 5 still available for download? Maybe that's the problem?

I know this is very obvious and probably not the cause, but have you tried disabling antivirus? Way too many times that's been the cause of strange issues for me ... lol


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## homie (Mar 8, 2021)

Willowtree said:


> No problem! I was using Kontakt 5, also in Cubase. Is Kontakt 5 still available for download? Maybe that's the problem?
> 
> I know this is very obvious and probably not the cause, but have you tried disabling antivirus? Way too many times that's been the cause of strange issues for me ... lol


I've just checked it again with Kontakt 5 & 6. The problem occurs when the speed slider is not in the center position (aka when time stretching is happening). CTRL + slider click sets the speed slider back into the middle position and everything sounds fine. So slider center position means Time machine pro is off?

My conclusion is that there is something wrong with the stretching. Or is it supposed to sound like something is broken?


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## ism (Mar 8, 2021)

I find that you always need to ctrl click on not just speed, but all of the settings. 

Speed in particular though, because if it isn't exactly in the default position it invokes time machine. But other settings can affect the dynamics in the long patches also in confusing ways.

Not sure if this is a bug, or some quirk of Kontakt. 

It would be after in the ui to have TM as on/off. But Ctrl click fixes everything, so not exactly a show stopper.


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## homie (Mar 8, 2021)

Yea, the UI feedback is a bit lacking IMO. I thought that Time machine pro off means low CPU time stretching is active instead and the speed slider works regardless of the stretching algo. I have to look at CPU meter and toggle back and forth to know what is active. But i'm really not sure about the actual state most of the time.

ps
maybe we/i could offer some help in the UI/UX department!?


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## EgM (Mar 8, 2021)

The ensemble patch is weird with shorts, one mic and a simple ostinato part and it averages 100 voices, I think it may be crossfading sections, violas into violins, etc. Same part with violins1 patch averages 30 voices. Multiple each amount of voices by the amount of mics you have loaded.

But in all fairness, I avoid Timemachine pro like the plague. That thing uses a LOT of cpu with short articulations that requires stretching of so many samples quickly...


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## homie (Mar 8, 2021)

EgM said:


> The ensemble patch is weird with shorts, one mic and a simple ostinato part and it averages 100 voices, I think it may be crossfading sections, violas into violins, etc. Same part with violins1 patch averages 30 voices. Multiple each amount of voices by the amount of mics you have loaded.
> 
> But in all fairness, I avoid Timemachine pro like the plague. That thing uses a LOT of cpu with short articulations that requires stretching of so many samples quickly...


Intresting find about the voice count. The manual states: "*Time machine pro has a voice limit of 128,..." I think this could be the problem. When playing chords too many voices are used and notes start to get omitted.

It would be really nice if Time machine pro would be off by default. I don't see me using it much too due to high CPU demands.


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## Willowtree (Mar 8, 2021)

homie said:


> Or is it supposed to sound like something is broken?


It's the Kontakt exclusive "yikes" feature.

I gave this a shot and yup think you identified the issue here, was able to reproduce it on my end. Very strange.

Kontakt in general is a pain to script, so issues like this are to be expected now and then. But would be good to get it fixed!


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## EgM (Mar 8, 2021)

homie said:


> It would be really nice if Time machine pro would be off by default. I don't see me using it much too due to high CPU demands.



Just ctrl+click the speed slider to take it off and resave the patch under a new name, next time you load it it'll be off


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## homie (Mar 8, 2021)

EgM said:


> Just ctrl+click the speed slider to take it off and resave the patch under a new name, next time you load it it'll be off


Ah, right. The Simplest solution is often the best but sometimes not the most obvious.


----------



## homie (Mar 8, 2021)

Willowtree said:


> It's the Kontakt exclusive "yikes" feature.
> 
> I gave this a shot and yup think you identified the issue here, was able to reproduce it on my end. Very strange.
> 
> Kontakt in general is a pain to script, so issues like this are to be expected now and then. But would be good to get it fixed!


In this case i'm not sure it's Kontakt's fault. I'd say Time Machine Pro is simply not intended for use with that much voices hence the limit. I'm sure it works good for other applications.


----------



## EgM (Mar 8, 2021)

homie said:


> In this case i'm not sure it's Kontakt's fault. I'd say Time Machine Pro is simply not intended for use with that much voices hence the limit. I'm sure it works good for other applications.



Yeah, each sample has to be timestretched live. VSL's Vienna Instruments Pro saves timestretch files (they get HUGE!) so no processing is needed once they are processed and saved. This is something Kontakt could be doing to be more effective with timemachine pro


----------



## homie (Mar 8, 2021)

By the way where do save your modified patches? I started doing this with another library but don't like having too much similar patches with ever growing suffixes in the same folder. Perhaps i should simply overwrite the orignal patches in this case.


----------



## EgM (Mar 8, 2021)

homie said:


> By the way where do save your modified patches? I started doing this with another library but don't like having too much similar patches with ever growing suffixes in the same folder. Perhaps i should simply overwrite the orignal patches in this case.



I just just save them next to the original ones, i.e. "06. Ensemble (TMPro Off).nki"

Make sure to have a backup if you overwrite your original patches though


----------



## Kent (Mar 8, 2021)

homie said:


> By the way where do save your modified patches? I started doing this with another library but don't like having too much similar patches with ever growing suffixes in the same folder. Perhaps i should simply overwrite the orignal patches in this case.


Can you not just make a custom instruments folder either within or beside your 'stock' instruments folder?


----------



## homie (Mar 8, 2021)

kmaster said:


> Can you not just make a custom instruments folder either within or beside your 'stock' instruments folder?


Fishing for patches in different folders is not much fun to me as well. Ideally i'd like to have a single patch per instrument in the libs root folder.


----------



## Robert_G (Mar 8, 2021)

homie said:


> Intresting find about the voice count. The manual states: "*Time machine pro has a voice limit of 128,..." I think this could be the problem. When playing chords too many voices are used and notes start to get omitted.
> 
> It would be really nice if Time machine pro would be off by default. I don't see me using it much too due to high CPU demands.


Yeah....this has always been broken. Thankfully, it is not broken in each individual section. I don't use the shorts in the ensemble patch....so I forgot about that problem until it was brought up here.


----------



## homie (Mar 8, 2021)

An ensemble patch should be rather light on resources i think. It looks like the section samples didn't get merged into combined ensemble samples, but i could be wrong.

I started asking for additonal mix mics many months/years ago. I like the idea of having single mic patches for maximum flexibility and mixed mic patches done by an expert. The only downside would be doubled disc space for 7 additional mics, but much less resource usage on the upside. Now it seems there is something coming.


----------



## Light and Sound (Mar 8, 2021)

homie said:


> An ensemble patch should be rather light on resources i think. It looks like the section samples didn't get merged into combined ensemble samples, but i could be wrong.
> 
> I started asking for additonal mix mics many months/years ago. I like the idea of having single mic patches for maximum flexibility and mixed mic patches done by an expert. The only downside would be doubled disc space for 7 additional mics, but much less resource usage on the upside. Now it seems there is something coming.


Yes the original ensemble patch was not as "lite" as it could have been, multiple mics sends the voice count pretty high because of the way it was scripted (shorts were crossfaded between dynamic layers rather than solo samples with a filter or gain modifier) provides a better smoothness of the dynamics at the cost of extra voices, but the new system is far better so that won't be an issue for much longer.

Functionality re mic mixes will be that each instrument will be downloadable by default with all the mics we offer, and you can make whatever mixes you wish and delete any mics you want, so you could just end up with ONLY your own mixes and no default samples saving a lot of disk space.

This feature also allows me to make full use of all the mics we recorded if it feels right, a lot of mics are already "premixed" into the bleeds that we can't really give access to in kontakt because I'd hit the sample limit kontakt has (as I did in the piano), whereas now I can if people feel it would help, provide all the mics I recorded with. 32+ mics does feel like it would be a bit too much to download though...


----------



## ism (Mar 8, 2021)

What would be immediately helpful is if you were to suggests some "reference mixes". The above suggestion of XY + Bleed + 40-50% Close sounds interesting and is something I've not thought to try myself. Spitfire offered some helpful suggestions on, for instance a classical vs filmic mix with all the mics / mixes in AR, for instance. 

Not that it isn't fun to play with the mics. It's just an embarrassment of riches at times.


----------



## Light and Sound (Mar 8, 2021)

ism said:


> What would be immediately helpful is if you were to suggests some "reference mixes". The above suggestion of XY + Bleed + 40-50% Close sounds interesting and is something I've not thought to try myself. Spitfire offered some helpful suggestions on, for instance a classical vs filmic mix with all the mics / mixes in AR, for instance.
> 
> Not that it isn't fun to play with the mics. It's just an embarrassment of riches at times.


Sounds like a good thing to add to the online manual or in a video... if I don't do it with the new release remind me and I'll get it done


----------



## wlinart (Mar 8, 2021)

So the only question remains, when des this update arrive? And is it a free update?  (would understand it if you can't or don't yet want to answer)


----------



## Light and Sound (Mar 8, 2021)

wlinart said:


> So the only question remains, when des this update arrive? And is it a free update?  (would understand it if you can't or don't yet want to answer)


It is a free update yes, I'll be releasing it all as one with the piano update which is just lockdown depending!


----------



## homie (Mar 8, 2021)

Very nice. Looking forward to the update.

+1 for mic mixtures categorized by use case in the manual


----------



## darcvision (Apr 10, 2021)

Hi,
anyone use short and pizzicato articulation? so far i'm just using legato longs and i really like it.


----------



## Tookkonen (Apr 19, 2021)

Hi! I just purchased LS Chamber Strings, but i found a really annoying bug while i was playing with viola. Actually two bugs. First: I picked up 3 *mics* (D, S, C) but that C (i guess it means Close Mic) does not stay on. I pops off everytime i pause the song. Another thing are those *Range sliders*. I've made a custom patch and saved it, but everytime i download that patch, that slider is in the wrong place in Leg Longs articulation. I want to keep in the middle. Please help. That mic problem is a very very big issue. EDIT: Why Shorts, Pizzicato and Col Legno articulations are so quiet? I have to hit my keyboard with a hammer to get sound.


----------



## EgM (Apr 19, 2021)

Not sure about your range slider issues, but for the close mic have you tried right clicking on the "C" and making sure no midi CC controllers are mapped to it? if so, remove them.


----------



## Tookkonen (Apr 19, 2021)

EgM said:


> Not sure about your range slider issues, but for the close mic have you tried right clicking on the "C" and making sure no midi CC controllers are mapped to it? if so, remove them.


Yes, kind of like that. I had to delete the pre-assigned midi automation by "remove midi automation". Worked also on those range slider issues. So problem solved. Thanks!


----------



## EgM (Apr 19, 2021)

Tookkonen said:


> Yes, kind of like that. I had to delete the pre-assigned midi automation by "remove midi automation". Worked also on those range slider issues. So problem solved. Thanks!



Glad I could help!  Maybe the problem was caused by some device you're using to control midi?


----------



## zwhita (Sep 23, 2021)

These are still at 50% off. Was considering buying, will they remain at this price through BF this year?


----------



## jadedsean (Sep 23, 2021)

Was this update ever released?


----------



## doctoremmet (Sep 23, 2021)

jadedsean said:


> Was this update ever released?


Not yet.


----------



## jaketanner (Sep 23, 2021)

zwhita said:


> These are still at 50% off. Was considering buying, will they remain at this price through BF this year?


Been on sale for years


----------



## jadedsean (Sep 23, 2021)

doctoremmet said:


> Not yet.


Wow thats a bummer, i have this library a good while but never really use it. It would be nice to see it optimised for current users and i am sure this could potentially create even more sales for the company.


----------



## SupremeFist (Sep 23, 2021)

It's really really good. Between this and BBCSO Pro I don't feel like I need any other string section libraries, apart from special things like Sunset Strings and OACE.


----------



## doctoremmet (Sep 23, 2021)

jadedsean said:


> Wow thats a bummer, i have this library a good while but never really use it. It would be nice to see it optimised for current users and i am sure this could potentially create even more sales for the company.


No worries, they are working on it.


----------



## muk (Sep 23, 2021)

jadedsean said:


> Wow thats a bummer, i have this library a good while but never really use it. It would be nice to see it optimised for current users and i am sure this could potentially create even more sales for the company.


What would you like to be changed? For me, the current workflow is great. I'd wish that they would add more articulations. But the library is definitely great for me in it's current state and I use it often. The strings in this track are all Light & Sound Chamber Strings:






Almost demo for divisi strings


Hi everyone, This track was intended as a demo for divisi strings library. As it looks like this demo won't be needed, I gladly share the track here. Before you ask, this mockup here does not use the library the track was written for. Instead I used some of my long-time go-to strings here. The...




vi-control.net


----------



## jadedsean (Sep 24, 2021)

muk said:


> What would you like to be changed? For me, the current workflow is great. I'd wish that they would add more articulations. But the library is definitely great for me in it's current state and I use it often. The strings in this track are all Light & Sound Chamber Strings:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I too like workflow except for the mic selection, i feel it could do with an overhaul and maybe simplyfy the Mic selection. Also i have high CPU spikes with this library, not sure if anyone else have this but i work within Reaper which is super stable and i don't this issue with any other string libraies i have. The last thing with be the lack of variety within the the shorts, however i do understand that the library is quite cheap so i can't expect to much. Nice track by the way, they certainly have a great sound.


----------



## darcvision (Sep 24, 2021)

jadedsean said:


> I too like workflow except for the mic selection, i feel it could do with an overhaul and maybe simplyfy the Mic selection. Also i have high CPU spikes with this library, not sure if anyone else have this but i work within Reaper which is super stable and i don't this issue with any other string libraies i have. The last thing with be the lack of variety within the the shorts, however i do understand that the library is quite cheap so i can't expect to much. Nice track by the way, they certainly have a great sound.


ctrl + click on attack slider for avoiding cpu spikes


----------



## jadedsean (Sep 24, 2021)

darcvision said:


> ctrl + click on attack slider for avoiding cpu spikes


What do you mean by attack slider?


----------



## homie (Sep 24, 2021)

The best way to reduce cpu consumption would be a few mix mics (close, mid, far or the like) in addition to the single mics. Professionally prepared mix mics is often good enough anyways IMO.


----------



## jadedsean (Sep 24, 2021)

homie said:


> The best way to reduce cpu consumption would be a few mix mics (close, mid, far or the like) in addition to the single mics. Professionally prepared mix mics is often good enough anyways IMO.


I agree but this is not my issue as i only use the three mics you mentioned. Its actaully when i purge sections and then play afterwards i get these spikes, i have been in contact with L&S support but never got the issue sorted. That is not to say they weren't super helpful, we just couldn't find the reason. It could be something got to do with my system too but its strange as i don't have this issue with any other library.


----------



## EgM (Sep 24, 2021)

jadedsean said:


> What do you mean by attack slider?


I think he means the "Speed" slider. By default it used to be set to enabled, which enables TimeMachine so it would timestretch each sample. CTRL+Click on the speed slider to disable it, that will help a lot to reduce CPU.

I don't know which Patch and articulation you're using but the Ensemble patch/Shorts is very demanding as one note uses 6 samples PER mic position per note! A simple ostinato part can easily reach ~400 voices in 3 measures


----------



## jadedsean (Sep 24, 2021)

EgM said:


> I think he means the "Speed" slider. By default it used to be set to enabled, which enables TimeMachine so it would timestretch each sample. CTRL+Click on the speed slider to disable it, that will help a lot to reduce CPU.
> 
> I don't know which Patch and articulation you're using but the Ensemble patch/Shorts is very demanding as one note uses 6 samples PER mic position per note! A simple ostinato part can easily reach ~400 voices in 3 measures


Okay great thanks for the info, i will give this a go.


----------



## homie (Sep 24, 2021)

jadedsean said:


> I agree but this is not my issue as i only use the three mics you mentioned. Its actaully when i purge sections and then play afterwards i get these spikes, i have been in contact with L&S support but never got the issue sorted. That is not to say they weren't super helpful, we just couldn't find the reason. It could be something got to do with my system too but its strange as i don't have this issue with any other library.


There might be a misunderstanding. What i meant was ready made mixes (currently not included in this lib) instead of all the single mics so that you end up with only one mic mix active per project. But you seem to have another problem not related to the number of mics active at the same time.


----------



## cqd (Sep 24, 2021)

So no word on the update yet?..
What kind of mic mixes do people like with these?..tbh I struggle to get them sounding particularly great..
I'm really looking forward to the piano though..


----------



## darcvision (Sep 24, 2021)

jadedsean said:


> What do you mean by attack slider?


i mean ctrl + click on speed slider, it will reset the speed slider value and turn off the time machine feature. basically if you tweak the speed slider, it will automatically turn on the time machine


----------



## darcvision (Sep 24, 2021)

cqd said:


> So no word on the update yet?..
> What kind of mic mixes do people like with these?..tbh I struggle to get them sounding particularly great..
> I'm really looking forward to the piano though..


i mostly using rear mic, or XY for chamber, and then blend it will decca for bigger sound, side for make it more wider, and close to add some details. i rarely using bleed and never use closed ribbon


----------



## homie (Sep 25, 2021)

cqd said:


> ..tbh I struggle to get them sounding particularly great..


me too

I'd prefer it done by an expert and baked into ready to use mic mixes. Any tips how to get the best for typical applications (smaller/medium/larger)?


----------



## Oxytoxine (Sep 25, 2021)

muk said:


> What would you like to be changed? For me, the current workflow is great. I'd wish that they would add more articulations. But the library is definitely great for me in it's current state and I use it often. The strings in this track are all Light & Sound Chamber Strings:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Beautiful music and very well crafted, bravo Muk!


----------



## muk (Sep 25, 2021)

Oxytoxine said:


> Beautiful music and very well crafted, bravo Muk!


Thank you Oxytoxine!


----------



## alcorey (Jan 17, 2022)

Has the update been rolled out yet? This thread has gone dark again


----------



## muk (Jan 18, 2022)

alcorey said:


> Has the update been rolled out yet? This thread has gone dark again



Not that I am aware of. Would be interested to hear if it is still in the works, or if it has been abandoned. Would be a pitty if it is the latter. @Light and Sound


----------



## Light and Sound (Jan 18, 2022)

muk said:


> Not that I am aware of. Would be interested to hear if it is still in the works, or if it has been abandoned. Would be a pitty if it is the latter. @Light and Sound


This is something I've worked on (literally) every day for a few years now, it shouldn't be long now. It's not really just an update, since there's not really anything I could add within kontakt I'd be happy with. It's in itself a whole separate direction for Light and sound, and with that there will be a bit of a rebranding. I know it's been a crazy long time, but I'm sure once it's released it will become obvious why I took so long


----------



## muk (Jan 18, 2022)

That's exciting news Paul! Looking forward to hearing what you have come up with. And if you need any help with testing, just let me know.


----------



## OleJoergensen (Jan 18, 2022)

Light and Sound said:


> This is something I've worked on (literally) every day for a few years now, it shouldn't be long now. It's not really just an update, since there's not really anything I could add within kontakt I'd be happy with. It's in itself a whole separate direction for Light and sound, and with that there will be a bit of a rebranding. I know it's been a crazy long time, but I'm sure once it's released it will become obvious why I took so long


Thats is exciting news! Thank you for sharing this info.


----------



## homie (Jan 18, 2022)

Oh no, sounds like the next one is abandoning Kontakt.


----------



## ism (Jan 18, 2022)

And possibly also Chamber Strings ... 

Not that I'm not also excited about LS doing something new.


----------



## markleake (Jan 18, 2022)

Yes. L&S is the "little developer that could"; anything they release punches above its weight. So this sounds like exciting news!


----------



## Light and Sound (Jan 18, 2022)

homie said:


> Oh no, sounds like the next one is abandoning Kontakt.


I think ive said it around the forum but yes this will be away from kontakt, I do keep up with the times with regards to how that's perceived on the forum, and I know I'm possibly fighting an uphill battle given how some releases of other samplers have gone, however I feel like I've taken the right feedback about _why _they weren't well received on board and gone in a direction that is, at its core, customer friendly (and maybe even developer friendly for those interested )


----------



## Alchemedia (Jan 18, 2022)

Light and Sound said:


> I think ive said it around the forum but yes this will be away from kontakt, I do keep up with the times with regards to how that's perceived on the forum, and I know I'm possibly fighting an uphill battle given how some releases of other samplers have gone, however I feel like I've taken the right feedback about _why _they weren't well received on board and gone in a direction that is, at its core, customer friendly (and maybe even developer friendly for those interested )


HISE perchance?


----------



## Light and Sound (Jan 18, 2022)

Alchemedia said:


> HISE perchance?


Not HISE, (I did start with HISE and thought I'd finish with it, it's awesome and the work christoph has done with it is exceptional) but eventually I realised to fully be happy with the tool and to be able to implement the features I wanted, I'd need to create it from scratch, which did involve a fair bit of study, but it helped also fuel creativity along the way.


----------



## Alchemedia (Jan 18, 2022)

Light and Sound said:


> Not HISE, (I did start with HISE and thought I'd finish with it, it's awesome and the work christoph has done with it is exceptional) but eventually I realised to fully be happy with the tool and to be able to implement the features I wanted, I'd need to create it from scratch, which did involve a fair bit of study, but it helped also fuel creativity along the way.


Thanks Paul.


----------



## homie (Jan 18, 2022)

So no further updates to the Kontakt version of Chamber Strings?


----------



## homie (Jan 25, 2022)

@Light and Sound 

Please answer my question. Thanks


----------



## zwhita (Jan 25, 2022)

and if so, please let the forum know when the kontakt version will be decommissioned for those who might still want it for compatibility reasons or some personal preference.


----------



## Light and Sound (Jan 25, 2022)

homie said:


> So no further updates to the Kontakt version of Chamber Strings?


There are no (planned) further updates to the kontakt version, correct. 


zwhita said:


> and if so, please let the forum know when the kontakt version will be decommissioned for those who might still want it for compatibility reasons or some personal preference.


It will be available for a while, I'll let everyone know when the kontakt version will be removed, although I don't have any current plans yo fully remove it, but I'll probably move the acquisition of it (ie download) somewhere else.


----------



## homie (Jan 25, 2022)

Light and Sound said:


> There are no (planned) further updates to the kontakt version, correct.


Thanks for the answer, albeit not the news i was hoping for.


----------



## homie (Jan 25, 2022)

I'm sad to say i regret buying this library.


----------



## José Herring (Jan 25, 2022)

homie said:


> I'm sad to say i regret buying this library.


I was seriously considering getting it. What do you find disappointing?


----------



## Alchemedia (Jan 25, 2022)

homie said:


> I'm sad to say i regret buying this library.


Why? More and more companies are leaving NI/Kontakt's virtual monopoly and limitations behind for a variety of reasons. Why should any developer be held hostage by another company? Progress is inevitable and I've heard nothing but good things about this library.


----------



## José Herring (Jan 25, 2022)

Light and Sound said:


> Not HISE, (I did start with HISE and thought I'd finish with it, it's awesome and the work christoph has done with it is exceptional) but eventually I realised to fully be happy with the tool and to be able to implement the features I wanted, I'd need to create it from scratch, which did involve a fair bit of study, but it helped also fuel creativity along the way.


What did you study? Juce, C++? I'm in the same boat I don't think that Hise can do what I want for my first instrument but then I'm also faced with the fact that I haven't programmed anything since I dropped my systems engineering major at the university.


----------



## Casiquire (Jan 25, 2022)

homie said:


> I'm sad to say i regret buying this library.


How come?


----------



## Light and Sound (Jan 25, 2022)

José Herring said:


> What did you study? Juce, C++? I'm in the same boat I don't think that Hise can do what I want for my first instrument but then I'm also faced with the fact that I haven't programmed anything since I dropped my systems engineering major at the university.


Got back to grips with some newer c++ concepts through juce, and then did a deep dive into it for a few months, then had to do a few deep dives into certain audio and physics concepts that I don't want to reveal just yet, some of it won't be ready for version 1, but a lot of the ground work is done. Right now the backend ui is just being cleaned up and we'll head to closed beta, then open beta, then full release shortly after.


----------



## Flyo (Jan 25, 2022)

@Light and Sound there will be a upgrade path to a newer one version outside Kontakt? How much could cost?


----------



## Light and Sound (Jan 25, 2022)

Flyo said:


> @Light and Sound there will be a upgrade path to a newer one version outside Kontakt? How much could cost?


It will be free on the new platform for those who own the kontakt version


----------



## Flyo (Jan 25, 2022)

Light and Sound said:


> It will be free on the new platform for those who own the kontakt version


Thanks! And there will be new recordings also along with new player and scripting?


----------



## cqd (Jan 25, 2022)

So will they both be released together?..I love the piano..


----------



## homie (Jan 25, 2022)

José Herring said:


> I was seriously considering getting it. What do you find disappointing?


Mostly because i can't get it to sound good (to my ears). It's a while since i last tried it but i remember the bass is rather weak for example. Hard to describe. Overall thin sounding maybe, not full/wide. The shorts are not very exciting to me IIRC. All the mics don't help much and are CPU consuming (especially when time stretching is engaged). I was hoping for professionally done mix mics for years to get a better sound out of the box. The GUI is not to my liking either, but would be ok if i could get a good sound out of it. I never used it and asked for a refund but that was denied. :(


----------



## Alchemedia (Jan 25, 2022)

homie said:


> Mostly because i can't get it to sound good (to my ears). It's a while since i last tried it but i remember the bass is rather weak for example. Hard to describe. Overall thin sounding maybe, not full/wide. The shorts are not very exciting to me IIRC. All the mics don't help much and are CPU consuming (especially when time stretching is engaged). I was hoping for professionally done mix mics for years to get a better sound out of the box. The GUI is not to my liking either, but would be ok if i could get a good sound out of it. I never used it and asked for a refund but that was denied. :(


L&SCS sure sounds good to me in Corey's hands.


----------



## homie (Jan 25, 2022)

Alchemedia said:


> Why? More and more companies are leaving NI/Kontakt's virtual monopoly and limitations behind for a variety of reasons. Why should any developer be held hostage by another company? Progress is inevitable and I've heard nothing but good things about this library.


Because my ears tell me so. Kontakt is otherwise perfectly capable of playing back good sounding samples. The rest is another topic.


----------



## muziksculp (Jan 25, 2022)

Muziksculp wasn't tempted by this Strings library. Does that tell you something ?


----------



## Alchemedia (Jan 25, 2022)

muziksculp said:


> Muziksculp wasn't tempted by this Strings library. Does that tell you something ?


The man who said:
*"YOU CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH STRINGS LIBRARIES"*

Where am I???


----------



## ism (Jan 25, 2022)

Alchemedia said:


> The man who said:
> *"YOU CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH STRINGS LIBRARIES"*
> 
> Where am I???


Ok, but just a quick reminder that while this isn't the easiest library to get your head around, it's a singular, and singularly beautiful library:

View attachment LSCS WIP.mp3


----------



## Futchibon (Jan 25, 2022)

muziksculp said:


> Muziksculp wasn't tempted by this Strings library. Does that tell you something ?


It means we should all give it another look! 

I actually picked it up a while ago after @ism's posts on it. It's fantastic value at $149 and has a few cool features SCS doesn't, which was a pleasant surprise.


----------



## Futchibon (Jan 25, 2022)

Alchemedia said:


> The man who said:
> *"YOU CAN NEVER HAVE ENOUGH STRINGS LIBRARIES"*
> 
> Where am I???


----------



## Trevor Meier (Jan 26, 2022)

Futchibon said:


> It's fantastic value at $149 and has a few cool features SCS doesn't, which was a pleasant surprise.


Is there an overview or comparison vs SCS anywhere that you can point me to?


----------



## Trevor Meier (Jan 26, 2022)

ism said:


> Ok, but just a quick reminder that while this isn't the easiest library to get your head around, it's a singular, and singularly beautiful library:
> 
> View attachment LSCS WIP.mp3


Really gorgeous and delicate tone here.


----------



## markleake (Jan 26, 2022)

Trevor Meier said:


> Is there an overview or comparison vs SCS anywhere that you can point me to?


I did a quick comparison a few years back... this is LSCS, SCS, then both.


----------



## chapbot (Feb 20, 2022)

Alchemedia said:


> L&SCS sure sounds good to me in Corey's hands.



I LOVE The tone of this library! The first version scripting wasn't that great but it was vastly improved with the update. Still, I found it too confusing with all the various mic options. I'm stupid, I need a nice pre-mixed close, mid and far mic setup lol

I'm super excited to hear what the new version brings!


----------



## ism (Feb 20, 2022)

chapbot said:


> I need a nice pre-mixed close, mid and far mic setup lol


Yes. This. Even just a bone headed "crank up all 7 mics at once" mix would be an *enormous* help.


----------



## cqd (Feb 20, 2022)

It's beyond me why some of these libraries don't have several mixes ready to go..


----------



## sostenuto (Feb 20, 2022)

Pondering pros/cons of purchasing Kontakt version now @ $149. _ not aware of later cost scenario for move to new version. 
Appreciate @ markleake comparison link from past !


----------



## Henrik B. Jensen (Feb 20, 2022)

sostenuto said:


> Pondering pros/cons of purchasing Kontakt version now @ $149. _ not aware of later cost scenario for move to new version.
> Appreciate @ markleake comparison link from past !


Plus, how stable/unstable will the new player be and for how long - will it feel okay to use or be annoying to deal with etc.


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## cqd (Feb 20, 2022)

Henrik B. Jensen said:


> Plus, how stable/unstable will the new player be and for how long - will it feel okay to use or be annoying to deal with etc.


Yeah..must say my heart sank a bit when I heard these wouldn't be kontakt updates..
I love the piano..


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## Digivolt (Feb 20, 2022)

sostenuto said:


> not aware of later cost scenario for move to new version.


Check previous page, developer said it would be free


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