# String Quartets



## Ethos (Feb 17, 2016)

What libraries do you use for mocking up string quartets? Libraries such as 8dio Adagio have great solo instruments, but are to "soloistic" to blend as a realistic quartet. LASS first chair patches aren't working well either for me. I really need that traditional, classical quartet sound.


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## bap_la_so_1 (Feb 17, 2016)

Have you try Kirk hunter's spotlight strings???
And Spitfire has one too


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## prodigalson (Feb 17, 2016)

check out Spitfires Sacconi Quartet. It was kinda designed specifically for this purpose. (Although only the violin and cello has been released so far)


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## buschmann (Feb 17, 2016)

I'm seriously considering VSL Dimension Strings.


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## Erik (Feb 18, 2016)

The string quartet mockups are the most difficult, if not impossible, to do. I have a lot on my HD, but often the sound is more or less OK but the flexibility just narrow (Sacconi a.o.) or the other way around (Embertone, SampleModeling a.o.). Some have in both fields their strenght or weakness (VSL, XSamples). The choice will be very personal and should be related to the goal I think. With many products you can do a _job_, but never expect a result that 100% touches reality.

String quartets in real life rehears for many years to get their specific tone as quartet. It takes a lifetime to maintain that sound and atmosphere. They constantly match their tone, fingering, string choices and intonation with the other players.
There isn't such a product on the market yet. Fortunately in a way.

But please don't be disappointed, it doesn't exclude to have fun with virtual solo strings! I often have had nice moments after all.


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## Hans Josef (Feb 18, 2016)

That's great to hear that you have often had nice moments with virtual solo strings.


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## Gerhard Westphalen (Feb 18, 2016)

The Sacconi library from Spitfire is so far the only solo string library that I particularly like the sound of. The problem that I find is that the longs don't have round robin so it sounds incredibly machine gunny. It also doesn't have legato although the performer patch makes it monophonic and somewhat smooth but you can often hear different articulations being layered in the performer patch. My only other complaint is that the pizz is dampened so you can't get a nice ring out of them (even with the time machine patches).

Right now I'm working on a project that heavily features quartet and I'm using the Sacconi cello in it with the rest of the quartet being recorded. There are 2 cello melodic moments which aren't sounding great but I'm going to try to fix them using elastic audio and careful automation. If the viola is released in the next 2 weeks I'll probably use it instead of the viola which I've recorded.


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## muk (Feb 18, 2016)

String quartet is indeed most difficult, and certainly so for the traditional classical sound. VSL's solo strings is still the most comprehensive library I guess. It needs a lot of work though, and despite the wealth of articulations, there will be things that you won't be able to achieve.

It's one of the fields where you'll be much better off using real strings whenever possible. It's four players only. Makes it a lot easier to organize and pay a real recording than with a full orchestra. Have a look at Hannes' service for example:

http://www.strings-on-demand.com/


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## Anders Wall (Feb 18, 2016)

muk said:


> It's one of the fields where you'll be much better off using real strings whenever possible. It's four players only. Makes it a lot easier to organize and pay a real recording than with a full orchestra. Have a look at Hannes' service for example:
> 
> http://www.strings-on-demand.com/


+1000
/Anders


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## zeng (Feb 18, 2016)

Hello all,

What is the difference between Spitfire Audio's "Solo Strings" vs "(sum of) Sacconi Strings"?


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## Neifion (Feb 18, 2016)

cenk said:


> Hello all,
> 
> What is the difference between Spitfire Audio's "Solo Strings" vs "(sum of) Sacconi Strings"?



Spitfire's Solo Strings is a set of three players (violin, viola, cello) playing virtuosic-style; very expressive. It's an older library with no multi-mic options for the legato patch, and very limited long and short articulations, but to me the sound still holds up well.

Spitfire's Sacconi strings is a set of four quartet players (1st violin, 2nd violin, viola, cello) recorded at Wigmore Hall. All of the players are actually part of the Sacconi Quartet, so their sound should mesh well together. The library was designed with quartet writing specifically in mind, so not as uber-expressive as solo players. More articulations and mic positions than the Solo Strings library, but not complete yet (they still have the last volume to go, which will include 2nd violin, viola, and a promised portamento update that will hopefully apply to all four players).


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## zeng (Feb 18, 2016)

Neifion said:


> Spitfire's Solo Strings is a set of three players (violin, viola, cello) playing virtuosic-style; very expressive. It's an older library with no multi-mic options for the legato patch, and very limited long and short articulations, but to me the sound still holds up well.
> 
> Spitfire's Sacconi strings is a set of four quartet players (1st violin, 2nd violin, viola, cello) recorded at Wigmore Hall. All of the players are actually part of the Sacconi Quartet, so their sound should mesh well together. The library was designed with quartet writing specifically in mind, so not as uber-expressive as solo players. More articulations and mic positions than the Solo Strings library, but not complete yet (they still have the last volume to go, which will include 2nd violin, viola, and a promised portamento update that will hopefully apply to all four players).



Thanks for the info Neifion, got it


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## Neifion (Feb 18, 2016)

cenk said:


> Thanks for the info Neifion, got it



@cenk : No problem!

@Gerhard Westphalen : Is there really no true legato for Sacconi Strings?


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## Ethos (Feb 18, 2016)

Thank you so much everyone! Sounds like I need to take another look at Spitfire's offerings. I am doing work for a publisher of music theory textbooks. I'm recording/sequencing thousands of classical music excerpts, most of them quartets. I've been trying to do my best with a combination of LASS first chair, and 8dio Adagio's solo patches. Neither are yielding great results for this, so it sounds like Sacconi Strings might be what I need.


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## SpeakPianissimoAndCarry.. (Feb 18, 2016)

I find that if you are trying to recreate humans playing orchestral instruments, making a VST sound real, you will always be disappointed. I say the VST library is another instrument in itself and if you concentrate on making it sound good, you will never be disappointed. Case in point: The Mellotron never sounded like a real string section nor a real choir, but its own sound is now highly sought after by many musicians. So I go for making a VST string quartet sounding good in its own right, not trying to make a VST sound like a human.


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## Ethos (Feb 18, 2016)

Oh yeah, I definitely know this will not sound like a live quartet. I use live players whenever possible, but the budget on this one only allows for a "good enough" sort of sound. The target audience is music undergrads... they won't care.


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## Mundano (Feb 18, 2016)

Ethos said:


> Oh yeah, I definitely know this will not sound like a live quartet. I use live players whenever possible, but the budget on this one only allows for a "good enough" sort of sound. The target audience is music undergrads... they won't care.


...mm excuse me when in my humble opinion i disagree with you, but i think human ear, undergraduate or not will always hear the difference (ok, if you compare 2 records). For example in my interest of VSL i have heard many of their example tracks, and the sound is awesome, but the sequencing is awful... some Bach compositions for example sound terrible till hell. At the other side, popular music like pop, rock, "epic" trailer music, and so on have developed the VST or v.i. as part of their instrumentarium, so the modern human ear is accustomed to that sound, therefore accepted this kind of texture in this genres... not to mention the actual record, mixing technics, channel strips, compresion and so on...


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## Gerhard Westphalen (Feb 18, 2016)

Neifion said:


> @cenk : No problem!
> 
> @Gerhard Westphalen : Is there really no true legato for Sacconi Strings?



Yep, no legato. The performer patch makes it monophonic so it feels somewhat like a legato instrument but I don't like the performer patch very much because it layers together different articulations depending on the velocity and dynamics and you end up being able to hear that there are multiple samples being player.


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## Sid Francis (Feb 18, 2016)

There might not be a patch called "legato" in the Sacconi Violin but it is there, just called "playable" now because it changes various legato styles under the hood following your playing...


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## Ethos (Feb 19, 2016)

Mundano said:


> ...mm excuse me when in my humble opinion i disagree with you, but i think human ear, undergraduate or not will always hear the difference (ok, if you compare 2 records).


 Yes, of course. I was just making a joke. As a professor of music it's easy to take jabs at my students.


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## EvilDragon (Feb 19, 2016)

Gerhard Westphalen said:


> Yep, no legato. The performer patch makes it monophonic so it feels somewhat like a legato instrument but I don't like the performer patch very much because it layers together different articulations depending on the velocity and dynamics and you end up being able to hear that there are multiple samples being played.



Sacconi DOES have legato artic.


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## prodigalson (Feb 19, 2016)

EvilDragon said:


> Sacconi DOES have legato artic.



This was my understanding too.


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## Gerhard Westphalen (Feb 19, 2016)

EvilDragon said:


> Sacconi DOES have legato artic.



I always thought it was a programmed legato because the product page doesn't even have the word legato in it. Perhaps Paul mentioned it in the walkthrough video?


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## EvilDragon (Feb 19, 2016)

Actual true legato samples.


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## wpc982 (Feb 19, 2016)

It takes a lot of work. Here's a slow movement: 

(edit -- see post below for later rev of same piece) 

Most of the sounds are from VSL solo strings, heavily modified over the years to suit how I use them. I've also tried to fit in Embertone Violin and Viola, without much success, and OT Nocturne Violin, and Fluffy Audio's Viola and 'Cello, and the Emotional Cello. Also briefly tried to use 8dio Adagio solo strings, but those are extremely limited in terms of articulations. And I also experimented with hiring a remote player to do part-at-a-time -- not satisfactory either, and an additional great deal of time to check and place every moment by ear.


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## mcalis (Jul 8, 2016)

wpc982 said:


> It takes a lot of work. Here's a slow movement:
> and a moderate and then fast movement:
> 
> Most of the sounds are from VSL solo strings, heavily modified over the years to suit how I use them. I've also tried to fit in Embertone Violin and Viola, without much success, and OT Nocturne Violin, and Fluffy Audio's Viola and 'Cello, and the Emotional Cello. Also briefly tried to use 8dio Adagio solo strings, but those are extremely limited in terms of articulations. And I also experimented with hiring a remote player to do part-at-a-time -- not satisfactory either, and an additional great deal of time to check and place every moment by ear.



Is there any CC programming done in that piece? Or is this playback from the notation software that's send to a virtual instrument?

Also, I am kind of glad that there aren't a whole lot of quartets yet. I happen to know one fairly well and have seriously been thinking about recording and sampling them...

As an aside question: what would people want/expect from a string quartet sample library? Aside from more than 1 long round robin  How about 1st note rebowing?


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## wpc982 (Jul 8, 2016)

Here's a revision of the programming, probably a better mockup. 



Yes, there's some CC programming, though my modifications have reduced everything in the programs I use most to a patch change for the basic timbre (I used 5 levels of non-vibrato, 5 dynamic levels for vibrato, and 5 dynamic levels for molto vibrato -- so 15 sustains, when the libraries support that, plus usually 10 legato sustains, again where the libraries support it, done the old way, with the transition from the previous note included as a very brief part of the next note), CC #11 for simple loud/soft expression, sometimes CC #1 where appropriate for slight timbral or vibrato change, and, though not often used, CC#73 to slow the normal attack speed a little.


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## Parsifal666 (Jul 9, 2016)

Realistic. Hmmm. I think it's been mentioned that capturing the practiced group dynamic...err, I don't know about that. You'd at the very least have to spend tons of time on the track.

I hate to use the term "practically impossible" for a totally realistic string quartet in this day and age; a great mock up is certainly possible, especially if you have all the super duper articulation tools out there now. It's just that the SQ is so intimate a form.

I should mention, a large number of non-musician types would be swayed, but I doubt that's what folks mean here. Most of us are going for it.

I could be wrong, would LOVE to be proved so.


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## Parsifal666 (Jul 9, 2016)

Yow, I must have found the right Sacconi demonstration. This does sound good. Only solo violin I espouse is the Gypsy, but this (like a lot of Spitfire stuff) is more than interesting.


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## wpc982 (Jul 9, 2016)

A livelier thing, same setup more or less, plus flute.


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## MaxOctane (May 14, 2017)

I just picked up SCS and wanted to see how well it does for string quartets. Turned out pretty good (probably b/c it's mostly pizzicato), though not _quite_ as intimate as a true quartet. Very tempted to pick up Sacconi Strings now! Comments from anyone who has it?


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## coprhead6 (May 14, 2017)

MaxOctane said:


>




Wow this is incredible! If this is what it takes for VI quartets to sound great, I'm not complaining. Besides, there's already an established tradition of chamber orchestras playing quartet music.

The only thing I ask if for you to save those aggressive viola attacks for your next mockup: Shostakovich Quartet #8 :D


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## Will Blackburn (Apr 23, 2018)

MaxOctane said:


> I just picked up SCS and wanted to see how well it does for string quartets. Turned out pretty good (probably b/c it's mostly pizzicato), though not _quite_ as intimate as a true quartet. Very tempted to pick up Sacconi Strings now! Comments from anyone who has it?




Sounds great but not liking the stereo image, was that OTB or did you use some haas on the mix?


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## Dear Villain (Apr 23, 2018)

muk said:


> String quartet is indeed most difficult, and certainly so for the traditional classical sound. VSL's solo strings is still the most comprehensive library I guess. It needs a lot of work though, and despite the wealth of articulations, there will be things that you won't be able to achieve.
> 
> It's one of the fields where you'll be much better off using real strings whenever possible. It's four players only. Makes it a lot easier to organize and pay a real recording than with a full orchestra. Have a look at Hannes' service for example:
> 
> http://www.strings-on-demand.com/



This is a timely posting, in light of the recent discussion about live vs. sampled performances. Last week, a string trio performed a piece of mine that was previously rendered with VSL samples. They had a copy of the score, the VSL recording below, and over a month to prepare for the performance. They are all members of a major U.S. city orchestra and active chamber performers. We are friends, but I should state that during their preparation, they did not contact me at all to solicit my input. The interpretation and performance was theirs alone. The piece's title (I'm not explicity posting it so it doesn't get picked up by search engines, but it indicates the overall nature of the piece) and all markings are precise and match the VSL rendition. I invite you to listen to both versions and offer your thoughts (trust me, I have mine, but would rather not colour other's opinions up front...if enough discussion ensues, I may feel comfortable adding my two cents). 

String Trio - VSL Version

String Trio Live Version

Thanks!

Dave


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## Zak Rahman (Apr 24, 2018)

Erik said:


> The string quartet mockups are the most difficult, if not impossible, to do. I have a lot on my HD, but often the sound is more or less OK but the flexibility just narrow (Sacconi a.o.) or the other way around (Embertone, SampleModeling a.o.). Some have in both fields their strenght or weakness (VSL, XSamples). The choice will be very personal and should be related to the goal I think. With many products you can do a _job_, but never expect a result that 100% touches reality.
> 
> String quartets in real life rehears for many years to get their specific tone as quartet. It takes a lifetime to maintain that sound and atmosphere. They constantly match their tone, fingering, string choices and intonation with the other players.
> There isn't such a product on the market yet. Fortunately in a way.
> ...



I feel your points extend to virtual instruments as a whole. When you're painting with broad strokes, the difference is not discernible to all but the most expert ear. And then clients love it anyway, so who cares?

But as soon as you put anything in the spotlight and expose it, that's when the cracks get fully exposed. I feel, if anything, it's the subtle imperfections that make it feel more human. And I'm talking way more than 'humanizing' on your DAW.

String quartets definitely fall under the 'exposed' category for me. None the less, a mighty post and I agree.


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## SillyMidOn (Apr 24, 2018)

Ethos said:


> What libraries do you use for mocking up string quartets? Libraries such as 8dio Adagio have great solo instruments, but are to "soloistic" to blend as a realistic quartet. LASS first chair patches aren't working well either for me. I really need that traditional, classical quartet sound.


Cinematic Studio Solo Strings:

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

They are excellent. Only negative is that there is no smooth transition from legato to non-legato. It's either on or off, though you can disguise it somewhat with moving the dynamics at the same time.


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## MaxOctane (Apr 24, 2018)

SillyMidOn said:


> Cinematic Studio Solo Strings:
> 
> http://www.cinematicstudioseries.com/solo-strings.html
> 
> They are excellent. Only negative is that there is no smooth transition from legato to non-legato. It's either on or off, though you can disguise it somewhat with moving the dynamics at the same time.



Do you have any demos to share? 

I'd have to hear it to believe it. Very sadly, this is a rare library that I wound up uninstalling (and I was *so* excited for it!). The shorts are legit good, but the longs are (for me) unusable with a terrible vibrato.

Here's a side-by-side I did of CSSS vs Spitfire Sacconi:


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## muk (Apr 24, 2018)

Dear Villain said:


> I invite you to listen to both versions and offer your thoughts (trust me, I have mine, but would rather not colour other's opinions up front...if enough discussion ensues, I may feel comfortable adding my two cents).



Interesting comparison, thanks a lot for posting this. Apart from the less than ideal recording quality I much prefer the live recording. The mockup is skillfully done. It must have taken quite some time to achieve such a result. But there are the frequent moments of uncanny valley that just seem to be unavoidable with todays sampled solo string libraries.


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## SillyMidOn (Apr 24, 2018)

MaxOctane said:


> Do you have any demos to share?
> 
> I'd have to hear it to believe it. Very sadly, this is a rare library that I wound up uninstalling (and I was *so* excited for it!). The shorts are legit good, but the longs are (for me) unusable with a terrible vibrato.
> 
> Here's a side-by-side I did of CSSS vs Spitfire Sacconi:



I've used it in quite a lot of productions, but sadly none that I can share atm, sorry, and I don't have the time to create a demo, I do apologise. They mix really well with CSSS as well. Here are some official demos/reviews:

Official:


Official:


One of those loooooong reviews:


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## Dear Villain (Apr 24, 2018)

muk said:


> Interesting comparison, thanks a lot for posting this. Apart from the less than ideal recording quality I much prefer the live recording. The mockup is skillfully done. It must have taken quite some time to achieve such a result. But there are the frequent moments of uncanny valley that just seem to be unavoidable with todays sampled solo string libraries.



Thanks for listening and sharing your preference. For me, the sheer number of interpretive and technical issues present in the live performance left me frustrated and underwhelmed, as I felt my vision of what the piece should be was not realized. For those reasons, I am much happier with my VSL rendition, in spite of the desire we all have for virtual strings to bring that missing last ten percent of authentic, rich, "living" sound to the table.


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## muk (Apr 24, 2018)

Dear Villain said:


> as I felt my vision of what the piece should be was not realized.



Do you know why that happened? If they prepared for a month they have definitely not been lazy. Also, from your description they are professional and good players. If they can't achieve a result you like after a month, there seems to be some kind of problem. Is it possible that your score is not clear enough about what your intentions are? Or that, while working on the mockup, you have become so wedded to that particular sound that any tiniest deviation sounds off to you? If the piece is not intended to be performed live anymore it doesn't matter. You have a fantastic mockup that you can be happy with. But if other performances could happen it might be worth to think about what you could do to have it closer to your initial intentions.


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## Dear Villain (Apr 24, 2018)

I speculate that they weren't confident they could play the piece with the indicated tempi (certain sections are significantly faster than they played) and preferred to just do it that way and "apologize" after the fact (which in essence they did following the performance). In any event, even though we live with our own music for substantial periods of time during the "mockup" process, I am certainly not married to my own unwavering interpretation. I think, it's fair to say though that referring to the differences as "tiniest deviations" is not an accurate representation of just how vastly different their rendition was. We're talking tempo differences that would make Glenn Gould blush for his two Goldberg Variation recordings. 

Anyway, thanks for sharing your point of view. I agree that a sound live performance where all the elements align (tone quality, tuning, technical proficiency, and all the aesthetic artistic nuances that trained/competent performers bring to the table) will trump a virtual rendition any day of the week.


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## Living Fossil (Apr 24, 2018)

Dear Villain said:


> I invite you to listen to both versions and offer your thoughts (trust me, I have mine, but would rather not colour other's opinions up front...if enough discussion ensues, I may feel comfortable adding my two cents).
> 
> String Trio - VSL Version
> 
> String Trio Live Version



There are different things.
The live version hasn't got an optimal frequency range. The weight of the cello isn't well represented. I would try to work on it with an EQ (if you only have a stereo recording).
The other thing is that through the work with samples it's often forgotten how fragile intonation in strings really is.
Once you get used to the intonation of samples it will be hard to get satisfaction from real players who don't invest really much time to practise your music together.
And third, probably you should have spent some time with them, explaining to them what expression you really want.
I don't think it's realistic to expect from real players to listen carefully to a midi-mockup... it wouldn't be unusual if they listened to the mockup for 10 seconds, argued how fake all samples sound and stopped listening to it further.


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## Dear Villain (Apr 24, 2018)

Living Fossil said:


> There are different things.
> The live version hasn't got an optimal frequency range. The weight of the cello isn't well represented. I would try to work on it with an EQ (if you only have a stereo recording).
> The other thing is that through the work with samples it's often forgotten how fragile intonation in strings really is.
> Once you get used to the intonation of samples it will be hard to get satisfaction from real players who don't invest really much time to practise your music together.
> ...



I appreciate this point of view, but to be clear, I'm simply suggesting that when the tempi indicated are so completely disregarded in a piece whose very title indicates fast, forward momentum, it yields a disappointing end product. That is to say that I'm ignoring intonation, I'm ignoring wrong notes, I'm ignoring many other subtle things and simply suggesting that my seven minute piece turned in to a nine plus minute piece and completely lost the very essence and character I sought.

Now, as to your point about not listening to a midi mockup for more than ten seconds, that is completely out of my control. I told them I'm available at any time to attend rehearsal and/or answer questions. They chose to "go it alone" and after the performance, the cellist asked me what I thought, to which I honestly explained the above considerations and she admitted that they probably should have taken additional steps to prepare better. (1 month of available time translated probably to two group rehearsals).


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## Brian Nowak (Apr 24, 2018)

Dear Villain said:


> Thanks for listening and sharing your preference. For me, the sheer number of interpretive and technical issues present in the live performance left me frustrated and underwhelmed, as I felt my vision of what the piece should be was not realized. For those reasons, I am much happier with my VSL rendition, in spite of the desire we all have for virtual strings to bring that missing last ten percent of authentic, rich, "living" sound to the table.



I think they did "ok". There are some intonation issues and they appear to be squeamish with the music. As already suggested I can tell they're taking it quite a bit slower than your written tempo. I hear pages turning, so it's not memorized, right? One month for a piece with this much dynamic/tempo movement is going to be a challenge unless you've got really great performers and a dedicated ensemble that rehearses daily.

It's frustrating getting subpar live performances. I had a chamber piece in college that took forever to write. Very gestural and needed a lot of grandiosity in the playing. I was meticulous with my notation, as my instructor and I both knew it needed a lot of communication to accurately portray the piece. Even got a conductor on it because it was difficult in many ways. These were all fairly good musicians.

But, MAN the ensemble BOTCHED it. They had it pretty darn good in the final rehearsals and then completely cracked under performance pressure. Not only did they make several errors, but they played it massively under tempo and it just dragged on. It was like I was being dragged across a bed of broken glass for the whole performance. 

They played it so badly that a visiting composer, listening to the recorded performance afterward, and looking at the score actually said "My god they didn't even play your piece."

I think in the future you should insist that you should meet with the ensemble more than once if it's not impossible to do so. As a general rule we composers think we're communicating clearly, and a lot of performers with healthy egos think they're analyzing pieces properly. I know it's not fun to have your music poorly performed, but it's not fun knowing you didn't perform somebody else's music well either, especially if the ensemble feels like they did an alright job.


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## Living Fossil (Apr 24, 2018)

Dear Villain said:


> Now, as to your point about not listening to a midi mockup for more than ten seconds, that is completely out of my control. I told them I'm available at any time to attend rehearsal and/or answer questions.



I completely understand your frustration. What i meant (in an indirect way): take this as an experience for future projects. Try to find a way to politely communicate that it's not their decision if you come to a rehearsal, but that it's you who definitely wants to be there... Experiences as these ones are quite common, so one has to refine the strategies to get better results. Since: a better result is also a better outcome for the musicians...


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## LondonMike (May 3, 2018)

This is my first demo of CSSS. Compared to what I've used before (LASS FC and VSL SE) I think it's much better in tone and realism. And sounds pretty good right out the box.


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## Dear Villain (May 4, 2018)

Here's a recent string quartet, entitled "Phoenix Rising" I completed with VSL's solo strings, placed in Mir's Neuer Salle. As it usually does when using solo strings, a lot of time is spent with midi tweaking.



Cheers!
David Carovillano


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## RabornJohnson (May 4, 2018)

LondonMike said:


> This is my first demo of CSSS. Compared to what I've used before (LASS FC and VSL SE) I think it's much better in tone and realism. And sounds pretty good right out the box.




FANTASTIC work, LondonMike! I have been debating about which solo string library to purchase, and was strongly leaning toward CSSS. I was especially wanting to hear the string quartet capabilities, and you demonstrated that beautifully. Thank you! 

Is CSSS now your favorite string quartet library? I have wanted to purchase it, but keep holding out to hear the new Spitfire Solo Strings - I've been hoping that would come out for a while now, and they have said "very soon."


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## Eloy (May 4, 2018)

Dear Villain said:


> Here's a recent string quartet, entitled "Phoenix Rising" I completed with VSL's solo strings, placed in Mir's Neuer Salle. As it usually does when using solo strings, a lot of time is spent with midi tweaking.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Truly be


Dear Villain said:


> Here's a recent string quartet, entitled "Phoenix Rising" I completed with VSL's solo strings, placed in Mir's Neuer Salle. As it usually does when using solo strings, a lot of time is spent with midi tweaking.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Truly beautiful work!


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## LondonMike (May 5, 2018)

RabornJohnson said:


> FANTASTIC work, LondonMike! I have been debating about which solo string library to purchase, and was strongly leaning toward CSSS. I was especially wanting to hear the string quartet capabilities, and you demonstrated that beautifully. Thank you!
> 
> Is CSSS now your favorite string quartet library? I have wanted to purchase it, but keep holding out to hear the new Spitfire Solo Strings - I've been hoping that would come out for a while now, and they have said "very soon."


Thanks!
Having not played with many other solo string libraries it’s difficult to advise on which to get. 
Part of the reason I got CSSS is the discount as a CSS owner plus they are a good company and I was impressed with the sound of demos I heard.
I’m very happy with the results I’ve had so far having also used it in a pop backing track setting where it sat beautifully.
There are so many to choose from, if money was no object I’m sure I’d also get Chris Hein stuff, SWAM and also Harmonic Subtones are doing a violin I believe (I have the cello which is great). Then there’s Spitfire etc.

I can’t say CSSS is a breeze to work with as I find I have to do a lot of CC and note editing and would hate to have to produce something in a hurry. But that could just be me and I’m sure they all require a some tweaking!


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## col (May 5, 2018)

RabornJohnson said:


> Is CSSS now your favorite string quartet library? I have wanted to purchase it, but keep holding out to hear the new Spitfire Solo Strings - I've been hoping that would come out for a while now, and they have said "very soon."



Don't forget the Embertone solo string instruments = still an excellent choice for a quartet type of arrangement as well although I have not been able get them to sit properly with the csss lib - which I find has a beautiful homogenous balance to it.


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## RabornJohnson (May 5, 2018)

LondonMike said:


> Thanks!
> Having not played with many other solo string libraries it’s difficult to advise on which to get.
> Part of the reason I got CSSS is the discount as a CSS owner plus they are a good company and I was impressed with the sound of demos I heard.
> I’m very happy with the results I’ve had so far having also used it in a pop backing track setting where it sat beautifully.
> ...



Thanks for the advice, LondonMike!




col said:


> Don't forget the Embertone solo string instruments = still an excellent choice for a quartet type of arrangement as well although I have not been able get them to sit properly with the csss lib - which I find has a beautiful homogenous balance to it.



I have definitely been eyeing Embertone ISS as well, but it's more expensive and doesn't seem to have quite the glue between instruments that CSSS seems to have. However, I do love the woody tone, especially of the Friedlander Violin. If I could catch it for $199 (like it was during the Audio Plugin Deal special last February) I would be mighty tempted.


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## ism (May 5, 2018)

col said:


> Don't forget the Embertone solo string instruments = still an excellent choice for a quartet type of arrangement as well although I have not been able get them to sit properly with the csss lib - which I find has a beautiful homogenous balance to it.



Curious if you have any example of ISS as a quartet? I've struggled to get them to gel, not sure if it's my mixing skills or the fact that they're intended as solo instruments or if its that there's quite a bit of variety in the instruments and the spaces they're recorded in, or some combination of all of these. Although the biggest limitation I find is that the cello is very limited in its dynamic range - is maybe not so important if it's playing an up front solo over an orchestra, but in an intimate quartet setting it's something I can seem to get past. 

Embertone doesn't seem to market these as quartet instruments per se, so I'd be very interested if anyone has experience in getting they to gel as a quartet.


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## col (May 7, 2018)

ism said:


> Curious if you have any example of ISS as a quartet?



I don't have Blakus cello - but this piece features friedlander as 1st and second violin parts and Fischer Viola which is not so good in a too exposed setting. The cello is the Tina Guo but I wait with keen anticipation for a J Bell style Cello from Embertone.....

This sort off Lyrical playing works well with Embertone.


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## BlackDorito (May 7, 2018)

Dear Villain said:


> Here's a recent string quartet, entitled "Phoenix Rising" I completed with VSL's solo strings, placed in Mir's Neuer Salle. As it usually does when using solo strings, a lot of time is spent with midi tweaking.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Was this with the Solo String I Standard or Full bundle ... or with the SE version? Did you find yourself tweaking to get bow scratches .. or put another way, what was the tweaking aimed at? Thx.


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## Dear Villain (May 7, 2018)

BlackDorito said:


> Was this with the Solo String I Standard or Full bundle ... or with the SE version? Did you find yourself tweaking to get bow scratches .. or put another way, what was the tweaking aimed at? Thx.



This was the Solo String I Standard library. From the moment the midi's imported from Finale, I'm tweaking for days. Note velocities, crossfades, expression, etc. All the usual suspects. The great thing about the VI player though, is the ability to adapt its use to your specific workflow. For instance, while I don't have the extended libraries, I've got several "combination" keyswitches, so that, as you mentioned with bow scratches, I might be able to combine two different articulations so that the attack is stronger on the first note of a legato phrase. Of course, it's like opening Pandora's Box...the further you get in to it, the more obsessive you become with achieving a great result, which leads to more hours of tweaking! Luckily for me, it's a team effort, because I compose, do a good amount of midi massaging, and then pass it off to my wonderful wife, to get that last 20% (by this point, I'm already writing my next piece, because I'd much rather compose than "tweak") lol.


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## BlackDorito (May 7, 2018)

You've married well.

I've used the Solo Strings in Sibelius wherein you need to use special VI player presets for proper handshaking with the Sibelius score markings ... it generally works well, and you can still layer in new Matrices to extend the capabilities of a given instrument as long as it is additive. I can see you've taken it to another level by exporting from notation to DAW and then tweaking like crazy, and you can create whatever preset you want. What a lot of work ... but the results are good. I'm going to have to speak to my wife about this.


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## col (May 7, 2018)

Found another Embertone track - Friedlander fiddle, Fischer viola and Leo Bass


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## Casiquire (May 8, 2018)

Did somebody say Fried Fish?


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## col (May 8, 2018)

Leo is a seafood cook at the local takeaway ...


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## BlackDorito (May 12, 2018)

Dear Villain said:


> From the moment the midi's imported from Finale, I'm tweaking for days. Note velocities, crossfades, expression, etc. All the usual suspects.


One thing though ... when I load up the VSL Solo Violin from the Special Edition Vol 1 Plus into VI Pro, I can adjust the dynamic range scaler and the Velocity X-Fade all I want but I can't get the cross-fades between the three velocity layers to be truly seemless, there is always a fattening of the sound while it is migrating from one layer to the next. (this is on the Sustain patch .. and other longs). Also, now that I have the Spitfire Solo Strings, I'm cluing in that VSL (at least the SE version) does not allow control of vibrato as does Spitfire. To be fair, Spitfire also has a minor but noticeable thickening (the blended layers are not perfectly in phase) at the crossfade point ... perhaps that is the nature of switching sample layers.

I really liked the elegant CSSS strings that are shown to great effect in LondonMike's piece, including the room. I downloaded the trial MIRx Teldex stage to see if it would make a difference with the VSL Solo Strings ... but alas, not much difference, and the MIRx version does not give much flexibility. [Lipstick on a pig, as they say ... the pig being my material, not the VSL Solo Strings] I'm going to take a closer look at the Cinematic Studio Solo Strings, they sound great.


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## Dear Villain (May 13, 2018)

BlackDorito said:


> One thing though ... when I load up the VSL Solo Violin from the Special Edition Vol 1 Plus into VI Pro, I can adjust the dynamic range scaler and the Velocity X-Fade all I want but I can't get the cross-fades between the three velocity layers to be truly seemless, there is always a fattening of the sound while it is migrating from one layer to the next. (this is on the Sustain patch .. and other longs). Also, now that I have the Spitfire Solo Strings, I'm cluing in that VSL (at least the SE version) does not allow control of vibrato as does Spitfire. To be fair, Spitfire also has a minor but noticeable thickening (the blended layers are not perfectly in phase) at the crossfade point ... perhaps that is the nature of switching sample layers.
> 
> I really liked the elegant CSSS strings that are shown to great effect in LondonMike's piece, including the room. I downloaded the trial MIRx Teldex stage to see if it would make a difference with the VSL Solo Strings ... but alas, not much difference, and the MIRx version does not give much flexibility. [Lipstick on a pig, as they say ... the pig being my material, not the VSL Solo Strings] I'm going to take a closer look at the Cinematic Studio Solo Strings, they sound great.



I hear you, BlackDorito. There are definitely challenges to shaping a convincing performance with any sample library, and having started with VSL (using them exclusively, save for few other V.I's) I don't know how much more effort is going in to working with VSL, than would with all the other libraries. I suspect it's a lot like using Windows. In the early days, people would say that Microsoft trained everyone in a lot of extra, needless key clicks, where Apple was more efficient. However, after years of getting used to the complexities of Windows, it became more difficult to switch to a different O.S. when you knew exactly how to get to that registry editor, even if it took six sub-menus to find.

VSL from all accounts, has a layer of complexity and degree of difficulty that makes it impossible to get great results with, out of the box. That said, I'm too cheap to find out if other libraries might give me similar results with less effort, because from all the feedback I've received over the past few years on my music, it seems that people suggest that very few other libraries would be capable of the detail that VSL provides especially for classical composition. 

I'm sure CSSS, Spitfire, etc. all would argue otherwise, but I'm kind of "all in" with VSL at this point. Best wishes finding a workflow and end result that aligns with your musical sensibilities. I'm sure you'll get there (hopefully without too many wasted library investments!)

All the best,
Dave


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## BlackDorito (May 17, 2018)

Dear Villain said:


> I'm sure CSSS, Spitfire, etc. all would argue otherwise, but I'm kind of "all in" with VSL at this point. Best wishes finding a workflow and end result that aligns with your musical sensibilities. I'm sure you'll get there (hopefully without too many wasted library investments!)


I was originally also "all in" with VSL Special Edition. When you add in the great instrument-tweaking capabilities of VI-Pro and all the features of VE-Pro, including Master-Slave, I was a VSL shop for awhile. But, under the theory of "the next exciting thing that isn't too expensive", I branched out to Spitfire and I have quite a few of their libraries now. To be honest, despite the respect I have for the entire suite of software and libraries offered by VSL, it's quite a leap in cost to move beyond Special Edition. With Spitfire, with all their outreach and VLOGs, they project almost a media composition *lifestyle* that many aspire to. Then you add to that the many activities and special pricing ... it's easy to get in the mode of buying their stuff. Their solo strings are an interesting contrast to VSL ... but neither of them have hit a home run IMO. [I have to temper this statement with the fact that I do not own the Full solo strings library from VSL]


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## Rob (May 18, 2018)

one of the things I like to do is mixing and blending different libraries. As the French say "vive la difference!"
And so the same I do with string quartets... I know many would disagree but to me the different character each instrument brings to the ensemble amply compensates the differences in spatialization etc.
here's a little example, 4 different libraries joyfully blending imo

[AUDIOPLUS=https://vi-control.net/community/attachments/haydn-qtet-mp3.13463/][/AUDIOPLUS]

[AUDIOPLUS=https://www.vi-control.net/community/attachments/haydn-qtet-mp3.13463/][/AUDIOPLUS]


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## Erick - BVA (May 18, 2018)

If Virhamonic would get a Viola released, and a 2nd Violin, I would save up for that (along with the Cello, which I do not own). But I think their scripting and sampling work is much more time consuming than they anticipated. Taking a bit for them to update stuff and make new products. Their update to Behemian Violin was brilliant though.


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## Gerbil (May 18, 2018)

Good work, Rob. That does sound very spirited. Would you mind divulging what combination you used?


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## Rob (May 18, 2018)

Gerbil said:


> Good work, Rob. That does sound very spirited. Would you mind divulging what combination you used?


Thanks, sure I can, they are:

Violin I - auddict "virtuosic violin"
Violin II - audiomodeling violin
Viola - spitfire viola (old solo library)
Cello - vsl se

it's just one of many possibilities though


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## col (May 27, 2018)

Love your work with the Haydn Rob !
Do you have Embertone Joshua Bell violin ? Just wondering how it compares to the Auddict virtuosic one if you do.
Cheers.
Col


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## Rob (May 27, 2018)

col said:


> Love your work with the Haydn Rob !
> Do you have Embertone Joshua Bell violin ? Just wondering how it compares to the Auddict virtuosic one if you do.
> Cheers.
> Col


I don't unfortunately... it'd be an interesting comparison, but I suspect the JB is better as an all-purpose violin


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## dsblais (Jun 1, 2018)

To add another to the mix, I think Orchestral Tool’s Berlin Strings: First Chairs set is simply phenomenal in terms of tone, playability, and useful articulations. Definitely the best I’ve used, albeit within my limited experience. The only potential drawbacks I’ve found are a pretty wet (beautiful) sound and requiring the full Kontakt.

I had expected a lot more from Cinematic Studio Solo Strings due to reputation, but actually found them rather unnatural to play and, as was said previously, the [optional] vibrato is quite exaggerated and distracting.

I have yet to use a bad product from OT and hope each day to see a full choir release from them!


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## Tacet (Nov 18, 2018)

BF deals so far:

CSSS $239
Cinestrings solo $279
Audio Modeling solo strings bundle $234

If you had to get one and one only, what would you choose for quartet writing, and why?


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## col (Nov 18, 2018)

Have a listen to the makers quartets demos might help .
The first track Reflections below for csss.
http://www.cinematicstudioseries.com/solo-strings.html
Below is Audio modelings effort.


Cinestrings has demos as well.


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## Casiquire (Nov 18, 2018)

col said:


> Have a listen to the makers quartets demos might help .
> The first track Reflections below for csss.
> http://www.cinematicstudioseries.com/solo-strings.html
> Below is Audio modelings effort.
> ...




Their strings really miss the mark for me, I'm sorry to say.


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## MaxOctane (Nov 18, 2018)

Beware, you who long for a realistic string quartet VI. Many have searched before you. And one by one, they all went insane.


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## col (Nov 18, 2018)

Casiquire said:


> Their strings really miss the mark for me, I'm sorry to say.


csss or audio modeling - or all of em ?!


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## Casiquire (Nov 19, 2018)

col said:


> csss or audio modeling - or all of em ?!



Audiomodeling. The tone is very wrong and I think strings have too many variables to really sculpt a performance from a blank slate effectively. Maybe they could edit under the hood a little and have the program perform more of the expression, but there would still be that tone to worry about. It's always jarring to me to hear an Audiomodeling solo string demo.


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## col (Nov 19, 2018)

Casiquire said:


> It's always jarring to me to hear an Audiomodeling solo string demo.



Yeah Thats how I hear it.


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## averystemmler (Nov 19, 2018)

Casiquire said:


> Audiomodeling. The tone is very wrong and I think strings have too many variables to really sculpt a performance from a blank slate effectively. Maybe they could edit under the hood a little and have the program perform more of the expression, but there would still be that tone to worry about. It's always jarring to me to hear an Audiomodeling solo string demo.



I've heard some great performances from them but, owing them, I'll definitely say that on the "flexibly - usability" spectrum, SWAM strings are biased hard towards the flexibly side. They can do all sorts of acrobatics that samples can't, but boy oh boy will you need to do some magic to make the instrument sound like a piece of wood being played in a real space. 

Mixing aside, I'm of the opinion that some sort of ribbon controller (Roli, Linnstrument... maybe you could do something with a Leap motion?) is absolutely necessary. Being able to organically vibrato and slide around between notes like a dying cat is the whole point of physical modeling in my opinion, and doing that with keys and a pitch wheel is a tall order. It ends up being more of a hurdy gurdy at that point.


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## Parsifal666 (Nov 20, 2018)

averystemmler said:


> boy oh boy will you need to do some magic to make the instrument sound like a piece of wood being played in a real space.



Not as much so with the Hein libraries. Imo.


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## Tacet (Nov 20, 2018)

Parsifal666 said:


> Not as much so with the Hein libraries. Imo.


Hmmm... good point.

Come on Mr. Hein, where is your BF deal?


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## Zoot_Rollo (Nov 20, 2018)

Tacet said:


> Hmmm... good point.
> 
> Come on Mr. Hein, where is your BF deal?



Used my Hein Solo Strings yesterday (with my new BFP).

Yes!

Such great tone.

The Best Service 2-fer is hard to beat.


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## Tacet (Nov 20, 2018)

Zoot_Rollo said:


> The Best Service 2-fer is hard to beat.


Sorry, what 2-fer ?

Can't see it, am I blind?


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## Zoot_Rollo (Nov 20, 2018)

Tacet said:


> Sorry, what 2-fer ?
> 
> Can't see it, am I blind?



oh, sorry - earlier this year Best Service had a Chris Hein buy one get one free sale.

So i grabbed the Chris Hein Solo Strings Complete for 1/2.

Here's hoping Best Service repeats the sale for BF.

I wouldn't mind CH Ensemble Strings.


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## Parsifal666 (Nov 20, 2018)

Zoot_Rollo said:


> oh, sorry - earlier this year Best Service had a Chris Hein buy one get one free sale.
> 
> So i grabbed the Chris Hein Solo Strings Complete for 1/2.
> 
> ...



Whoa! *Great deal! 
*
I haven't picked up Ensemble Strings, but mostly because I have SO many string libraries (and, as I've mentioned probably one too many times, I'm, I'm currently enthralled with the Met Ark 2 stgs.

One of the best parts about buying the Hein libraries is because once you've mastered using one, you have a real good grip on anymore you buy.

I'm digressing, but don't miss out on the CH woodwinds either...I'm cuckoo about, them personally (that said, the ensemble woodwinds in Met Ark 2 are...oh heck you can probably guess by now lol!)

Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend, and that goes for everybody!


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## Zoot_Rollo (Nov 20, 2018)

Parsifal666 said:


> Whoa! *Great deal!
> *
> I haven't picked up Ensemble Strings, but mostly because I have SO many string libraries (and, as I've mentioned probably one too many times, I'm, I'm currently enthralled with the Met Ark 2 stgs.
> 
> ...




i have CH Winds Complete as well - got it at a pretty sweet intro price.


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## Casiquire (Nov 20, 2018)

Parsifal666 said:


> Not as much so with the Hein libraries. Imo.



That's because they're sampled, not modeled  Especially when using the patches that maintain recorded vibrato and expression, it's a huge difference.


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## Parsifal666 (Nov 20, 2018)

Casiquire said:


> That's because they're sampled, not modeled  Especially when using the patches that maintain recorded vibrato and expression, it's a huge difference.



One that I apparently forgot...aGAIN! Apologies.


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## Casiquire (Nov 20, 2018)

Parsifal666 said:


> One that I apparently forgot...aGAIN! Apologies.



No apology necessary! They have a lot of characteristics of modeled instruments, I think they're the best of both worlds.


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## Tacet (Nov 22, 2018)

Ok, Chris Hein Solo Strings Complete EX is 40% off for BF. 

I'm raring to go, unless someone can talk me out of it?
Should I get CSSS or Sacconi instead?

And please don't say "get both", cuz that's not an option...


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## Zoot_Rollo (Nov 22, 2018)

Tacet said:


> Ok, Chris Hein Solo Strings Complete EX is 40% off for BF.
> 
> I'm raring to go, unless someone can talk me out of it?
> Should I get CSSS or Sacconi instead?
> ...



No contrabass in CSSS.


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## Casiquire (Nov 22, 2018)

Tacet said:


> Ok, Chris Hein Solo Strings Complete EX is 40% off for BF.
> 
> I'm raring to go, unless someone can talk me out of it?
> Should I get CSSS or Sacconi instead?
> ...



I say spring for the Hein, they're amazing instruments that give you good results with little effort and ridiculously good results with more effort. I'm likely to finish off the whole solo string collection this BF myself.


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## Tacet (Nov 22, 2018)

Casiquire said:


> I say spring for the Hein, they're amazing instruments that give you good results with little effort and ridiculously good results with more effort. I'm likely to finish off the whole solo string collection this BF myself.


I just did.


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## Leslie Sanford (Nov 22, 2018)

What string quartet library would best be suited to play something this (see below)?

I have VSL solo strings, and the unison spiccato parts are easy to pull off. It's the fast detache passages the two violins play that are challenging. With solo violin 1, I can do a passable job. But with their second violin, it's a bit harder.

Could Sacconi do this? I've watched Spitfire's walkthroughs, and it really comes down to how agile their staccato articulation is. It's hard to tell from their demos.


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## Tacet (Dec 3, 2018)

Question to the CH solo strings users on this thread.

I finally had a chance to experiment with the lib after BF, and I'm a bit confused.

What's the difference between Solo Violin, Solo Violin MIDI CC and Solo Violin clean start?
There is no mention of this in the user manual, and they all seem to have the same articulations available (unlike other patches which only have limited articulations).

Am I missing something? 
I couldn't find a thread dedicated to CH solo strings alone, so I tought I'd ask here.

Thank you in advance for your help, guys.


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## Przemek K. (Dec 3, 2018)

Tacet said:


> Question to the CH solo strings users on this thread.
> 
> I finally had a chance to experiment with the lib after BF, and I'm a bit confused.
> 
> ...



Basically, the clean start instr. loads without any articulation loaded, so you can set up the instr with the articulations you need/want (saves ram).
The midi cc instr. has already predefined midi cc for all the possible cc in the UI.
And the normal instr does not have predefined midi cc ( only the basic stuff like vibrato for example). So if you want to control the speed slider for example,
you have to click the right button on your mouse, and a popup window shows " learn midi cc automation ".


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## Tacet (Dec 4, 2018)

Przemek K. said:


> Basically, the clean start instr. loads without any articulation loaded, so you can set up the instr with the articulations you need/want (saves ram).
> The midi cc instr. has already predefined midi cc for all the possible cc in the UI.
> And the normal instr does not have predefined midi cc ( only the basic stuff like vibrato for example). So if you want to control the speed slider for example,
> you have to click the right button on your mouse, and a popup window shows " learn midi cc automation ".


Thank you Przemek!

One more question: which reverb did you use for your Debussy mockup?
Is it one of the room options in CH solo strings, and if so which one, or did you use a different plugin?


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## Casiquire (Dec 4, 2018)

The Clean Start were the most useful in my opinion. I took forty-five minutes with the libraries and set up a nice TouchOSC template for all of them using the CleanStart instrument. TouchOSC in particular might not be everyone's thing but with how consistent these instruments are and how many patches they come with, it's probably a good idea to set up a little template tailored to the articulations you'll use the most.


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## Tacet (Dec 4, 2018)

Casiquire said:


> The Clean Start were the most useful in my opinion. I took forty-five minutes with the libraries and set up a nice TouchOSC template for all of them using the CleanStart instrument. TouchOSC in particular might not be everyone's thing but with how consistent these instruments are and how many patches they come with, it's probably a good idea to set up a little template tailored to the articulations you'll use the most.


Thanks. 
Do you use the EX instruments a lot, and if so how? 
Just wondering, as they only have basic articulations.


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## Casiquire (Dec 4, 2018)

Tacet said:


> Thanks.
> Do you use the EX instruments a lot, and if so how?
> Just wondering, as they only have basic articulations.



The only articulations I really miss are non-vibrato and harmonics. The EX instruments actually still have a lot of articulations both objectively and in comparison with other solo libraries. They even have flautando. I don't find them limiting at all.

The way I handled those instruments was to put the next-closest articulation on the same keyswitch as a patch that's only available in the original instruments. For example if a main instrument's Dynamic Expression *Short *patch's keyswitch is on D, I'll put the Ex instrument's Dynamic Expression *Long *patch on D instead. This allows me to really easily just switch from one instrument to another within a project without having to touch the midi data.


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## Tacet (Dec 4, 2018)

Casiquire said:


> The way I handled those instruments was to put the next-closest articulation on the same keyswitch as a patch that's only available in the original instruments. For example if a main instrument's Dynamic Expression *Short *patch's keyswitch is on D, I'll put the Ex instrument's Dynamic Expression *Long *patch on D instead. This allows me to really easily just switch from one instrument to another within a project without having to touch the midi data.


Great tip!

How about reverb?
Which one do you find works best for quartet work, amongst the available room options in CHSS?
Or do you use a dedicated plugin?


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## Przemek K. (Dec 4, 2018)

Tacet said:


> Thank you Przemek!
> 
> One more question: which reverb did you use for your Debussy mockup?
> Is it one of the room options in CH solo strings, and if so which one, or did you use a different plugin?



Hi Tacet,

I did use Valhalla Room for the CH Solo Instruments. I do use the built in body Ir's from time to tim edepending on the piece I'm working on, but in general it is ValhallaRoom all the way.


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## Casiquire (Dec 4, 2018)

Tacet said:


> Great tip!
> 
> How about reverb?
> Which one do you find works best for quartet work, amongst the available room options in CHSS?
> Or do you use a dedicated plugin?



You know, choosing the right body IR for each instrument and for my tastes might have been the longest part of the process! I seem to gravitate toward 3 and 5. There were also some instruments that reminded me of specific performances and sounds, like the Romantic Cello reminding me of Tina Guo's playing on the Journey soundtrack, so I had that in mind when picking out the body sound.

Then they run through MIR. Usually it's Teldex Wide. The instruments don't need a ton of reverb either. I found myself dialing down the wet signal far more than normal for me, but that might just be me enjoying their clarity. They're flexible though so I'm sure any reverb you normally use will do great.

I've been tempted to post my modest toying around with Ravel's string quartet and one single patch to give people an impression of the sound and character of the instruments.


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## Tacet (Dec 4, 2018)

Casiquire said:


> I've been tempted to post my modest toying around with Ravel's string quartet and one single patch to give people an impression of the sound and character of the instruments.


Please do. 
To me, that type of exercise coming from real end users is more valuable than any company sponsored walkthrough video.


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