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Berlin Strings v Afflatus

Soundhound

Senior Member
A bit of an apples v oranges here I guess, but with the current holiday sales I’m thinking about getting one or the other. I’ve wanted berlin strings for a while for bread and butter strings, but i’m really knocked out by the sound of Afflatus. I have a lot of the spitfire strings libs, chamber, symphony etc and use them and css2 for the most part.

was going ask this in Muk’s berlin strings thread but didn’t want to hijack.

Thoughts?
 
A bit of an apples v oranges here I guess, but with the current holiday sales I’m thinking about getting one or the other. I’ve wanted berlin strings for a while for bread and butter strings, but i’m really knocked out by the sound of Afflatus. I have a lot of the spitfire strings libs, chamber, symphony etc and use them and css2 for the most part.

was going ask this in Muk’s berlin strings thread but didn’t want to hijack.

Thoughts?
My only thought is I’d like to know peoples thoughts on this too. Maybe @Cory Pelizzari or @The Darris might comment.
 
I don't have BS, but I do have Afflatus, along with several (hundred) other string libraries.

Afflatus is my all time favorite string library. It's insanely inspiring and imaginative. Sometimes I actually forget it is a string library! The playability and sound quality are off the charts. Can't wait for the rest of the series.

BS sounds great, but a tad thin to my ears, especially compared to Afflatus. It seems to have more articulations, but also seems to be heavier on resources.
 
BS sounds great, but a tad thin to my ears, especially compared to Afflatus. It seems to have more articulations, but also seems to be heavier on resources.
That resources issue is a big deal to me. How does Afflatus compare with your other libraries as far as RAM usage?
 
That resources issue is a big deal to me. How does Afflatus compare with your other libraries as far as RAM usage?
A couple of the larger patches can get up to nearly 2gb (most of them aren't that large) however, there are options to significantly decrease it. Most patches are average, and overall, I haven't noticed any cpu or ram issues, and i'd say it's no more resource hungry than CSS.
 
I'll be meeting a friend next week who has both libraries and I'm thinking about doing a comparison video. No promises because this is a business trip but I'll see if I can squeeze something out.

He told me Afflatus isn't a substitute for Berlin Strings and if he had to choose one over the other, he would pick Berlin. He also told me Afflatus is ideal for quickly mocking up parts where the strings are going to be replaced by live strings, where Berlin shines for detailed parts that are not going to be replaced.

I suppose that makes sense, Berlin Strings is hard to beat if you need to go for detail...

Legato...slurred, fingered, ostinato arpeggios, runs, portamento
Sustains...immediate, accented, soft, blurred bow stroke control (with and without vib)
Expressivo...short, long
Tremolo...accented, sforzando, pizzicato
Shorts...spiccato exposed, spiccatissimo, spicacato blurred, staccato bold, blurred
Portato...short, long, blurred
Repetitions...16th, triplets
Martele...FFF
Pizzicato...tremolo, percussive
Double-Triple strokes
Trills...HT/WT accented, sforzando
Hook...tremolos, trills
Playable Glissandi
Pre-Recorded Ocatve Runs

And that's Berlin CORE. I paid $840 in 2015. 40% off is a bargain.
 
I'll be meeting a friend next week who has both libraries and I'm thinking about doing a comparison video. No promises because this is a business trip but I'll see if I can squeeze something out.

He told me Afflatus isn't a substitute for Berlin Strings and if he had to choose one over the other, he would pick Berlin. He also told me Afflatus is ideal for quickly mocking up parts where the strings are going to be replaced by live strings, where Berlin shines for detailed parts that are not going to be replaced.

I suppose that makes sense, Berlin Strings is hard to beat if you need to go for detail...

Legato...slurred, fingered, ostinato arpeggios, runs, portamento
Sustains...immediate, accented, soft, blurred bow stroke control (with and without vib)
Expressivo...short, long
Tremolo...accented, sforzando, pizzicato
Shorts...spiccato exposed, spiccatissimo, spicacato blurred, staccato bold, blurred
Portato...short, long, blurred
Repetitions...16th, triplets
Martele...FFF
Pizzicato...tremolo, percussive
Double-Triple strokes
Trills...HT/WT accented, sforzando
Hook...tremolos, trills
Playable Glissandi
Pre-Recorded Ocatve Runs

And that's Berlin CORE. I paid $840 in 2015. 40% off is a bargain.
I would second that afflatus is the icing on the cake, not the cake itself. Working any other string library around afflatus is wonderful. Mockups with afflatus are great but you will feel the limitations for more defined work as it is right now in chapter 1. Berlin strings is a consistent and effective strings library. I still consider it the core of stuff I do on strings, and then layer in with stuff from other libraries.
 
My only thought is I’d like to know peoples thoughts on this too. Maybe @Cory Pelizzari or @The Darris might comment.
Berlin Strings has weak scripting and legato. I wouldn't pick on this flaw if the library wasn't so expensive. There are some who will defend the library to their death but the facts remain, just like how Chamber Strings has many flaws with the scripting and legato. In this capacity, I don't care if anyone takes offense, because all I care about is hard data, not bias. Afflatus may not be entirely flawless but it's definitely better scripted and presented.
 
The selling point of Affltus for me other than the beautiful tone, is how easily one can achieve great results with minimal CC1 work out of the box. Watch Cory's video, he nails it.

Can I do the same with Berlin Strings? No. I need to put some effort for lines that breathe music. After I learned all BS quirks, I got great results out of it. I can see the appeal of Afflatus for someone who does not care about midi programming. Is it worth $950? Not for me to decide...
 
Berlin Strings has weak scripting and legato. I wouldn't pick on this flaw if the library wasn't so expensive. There are some who will defend the library to their death but the facts remain, just like how Chamber Strings has many flaws with the scripting and legato. In this capacity, I don't care if anyone takes offense, because all I care about is hard data, not bias. Afflatus may not be entirely flawless but it's definitely better scripted and presented.

No argument there. I have a hard time finding any strings library that provide so many various articulations and options that manage to avoid the scripting and sample hell. As for pricing, I think that’s a whole different discussion since it’s hard to say if we’re getting what we paid for as libraries prices are increasing each year
 
No argument there. I have a hard time finding any strings library that provide so many various articulations and options that manage to avoid the scripting and sample hell. As for pricing, I think that’s a whole different discussion since it’s hard to say if we’re getting what we paid for as libraries prices are increasing each year
That's why I'm always wary with Orchestral Tools. Afflatus's pricing was based on the fact that it's a boutique library that presents the strings in a way no other has before, whereas Orchestral Tools tend to price any library they make high. That's why the most valuable of their libraries will always be the Ark series.
 
Berlin Strings has weak scripting and legato. I wouldn't pick on this flaw if the library wasn't so expensive. There are some who will defend the library to their death but the facts remain, just like how Chamber Strings has many flaws with the scripting and legato. In this capacity, I don't care if anyone takes offense, because all I care about is hard data, not bias. Afflatus may not be entirely flawless but it's definitely better scripted and presented.

:rofl: why should anyone be offended about sample libraries? That would be sort of pathetic...

Afflatus has many shortcomings but you only point out the flaws of other developers like Orchestral Tools and Spitfire Audio. Why?

I understand you got the library for free and you even mentioned in your video that you wouldn't be able to afford it otherwise. I wonder how that changes the way you perceive Afflatus, even on an subconscious level.
 
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I would second that afflatus is the icing on the cake, not the cake itself. Working any other string library around afflatus is wonderful. Mockups with afflatus are great but you will feel the limitations for more defined work as it is right now in chapter 1. Berlin strings is a consistent and effective strings library. I still consider it the core of stuff I do on strings, and then layer in with stuff from other libraries.
This is the nub of the thing for me. I was pretty much expecting this be the answer though so it's reinforcing my thinking (if I understand you correctly). I have a load of bread and butter articulations in strings (CSS, SCS, CSSS, Albion One and Tundra, LCO, Various other ensemble and solo instruments) just not Berlin (so I guess there's that). I see this as more like an extension to that adding life and flair where it may have been difficult to find in those base libraries. I'd put Time Macro, British Drama and things like the SF Evos in that category too.

Given how pleased I am with those last few libraries I mentioned, am I right to think about Afflatus in a similar (but still slightly different) way? That question meant to be open to everyone to discuss.
 
:rofl: why should anyone be offended about sample libraries? That would be sort of pathetic...

Afflatus has many shortcomings but you only point out the flaws of other developers like Orchestral Tools and Spitfire Audio. Why?

I understand you got the library for free and you even mentioned in your video that you wouldn't be able to afford it otherwise. I wonder how that changes the way you perceive Afflatus, even on an subconscious level.
Read the comment again. I don't point out the flaws of other "developers", I point out that Chamber Strings and Berlin Strings have weak scripting especially in the legato area, whereas Afflatus has smoother scripting and presentation, but is still not "flawless" obviously. Facts, my friend, facts.
 
This is the nub of the thing for me. I was pretty much expecting this be the answer though so it's reinforcing my thinking (if I understand you correctly). I have a load of bread and butter articulations in strings (CSS, SCS, CSSS, Albion One and Tundra, LCO, Various other ensemble and solo instruments) just not Berlin (so I guess there's that). I see this as more like an extension to that adding life and flair where it may have been difficult to find in those base libraries. I'd put Time Macro, British Drama and things like the SF Evos in that category too.

Given how pleased I am with those last few libraries I mentioned, am I right to think about Afflatus in a similar (but still slightly different) way? That question meant to be open to everyone to discuss.
It's something you can't quite grasp unless you play the library for yourself. There are plenty of articulations in there for basic scoring, and plenty for expressive scoring. It covers common and uncommon ground, but it just doesn't cover the more technical aspects one would want if you're gung-ho about getting your piece exactly the way it was notated. For notation, you'd go with things like Berlin Strings, Chamber Strings or Dimension Strings.
 
My only thought is I’d like to know peoples thoughts on this too. Maybe @Cory Pelizzari or @The Darris might comment.
I don't own Berlin Strings so I can't really compare the two. But, judging from the content list, Berlin Strings has the core articulations plus a few extras but you really need the expansions to compete against the content of Spitfire Chamber Strings. Afflatus does have some the core articulations but in a chamber string sized ensemble that is a few players shy of Berlin's compliment. That said, Afflatus offers quite a bit more in terms of stylized articulations you can't get from any single strings library.

Now, I can't give my opinions on Berlins Strings in terms of use and where thrives and fails. I can say that a few of my friends who own it say they rarely use it and found that they prefer Chamber Strings from Spitfire and Cinematic Studio Strings as their "workhorses." Berlin Strings appears to have some cool articulations that aren't available, like the playable Glissandi patch. I would love that patch but totally won't pay the discounted price only to use that. For me, the money making Strings that I use day in and out, are Cinematic Studio Strings and Cinematic Strings 2. I supplement more stylized patches from SF's Chamber Strings such as the measured trems, playable runs legato, and a few others. Aside from those being the workhorses. I will reach for ensemble patches from the Albions (most 1 legacy and 2 Loegria). Afflatus works very nicely with all of those libraries as you can get a nice dry sound and a beautifully wet sound with their built in IR. So, the short of it is, if I were in your buying situation, I'd need to ask myself, "What libraries do I already own." If you already own Cinematic Strings 2 or Cinematic Studio Strings then I would go for Afflatus. If not, and you are truly dead set on Berlin Strings, go for it. The 40% discount is worth it for that content. I just don't have the drive space or need for Berlin Strings.

I hope that's useful.

Best,

Chris
 
I understand you got the library for free and you even mentioned in your video that you wouldn't be able to afford it otherwise. I wonder how that changes the way you perceive Afflatus, even on an subconscious level.

It's funny. I thought the same thing myself, until i played library, and then realized everything Cory said in his walkthrough video was dead on.
 
I don't own Berlin Strings so I can't really compare the two. But, judging from the content list, Berlin Strings has the core articulations plus a few extras but you really need the expansions to compete against the content of Spitfire Chamber Strings. Afflatus does have some the core articulations but in a chamber string sized ensemble that is a few players shy of Berlin's compliment. That said, Afflatus offers quite a bit more in terms of stylized articulations you can't get from any single strings library.

Now, I can't give my opinions on Berlins Strings in terms of use and where thrives and fails. I can say that a few of my friends who own it say they rarely use it and found that they prefer Chamber Strings from Spitfire and Cinematic Studio Strings as their "workhorses." Berlin Strings appears to have some cool articulations that aren't available, like the playable Glissandi patch. I would love that patch but totally won't pay the discounted price only to use that. For me, the money making Strings that I use day in and out, are Cinematic Studio Strings and Cinematic Strings 2. I supplement more stylized patches from SF's Chamber Strings such as the measured trems, playable runs legato, and a few others. Aside from those being the workhorses. I will reach for ensemble patches from the Albions (most 1 legacy and 2 Loegria). Afflatus works very nicely with all of those libraries as you can get a nice dry sound and a beautifully wet sound with their built in IR. So, the short of it is, if I were in your buying situation, I'd need to ask myself, "What libraries do I already own." If you already own Cinematic Strings 2 or Cinematic Studio Strings then I would go for Afflatus. If not, and you are truly dead set on Berlin Strings, go for it. The 40% discount is worth it for that content. I just don't have the drive space or need for Berlin Strings.

I hope that's useful.

Best,

Chris
That's one of the reasons I appreciate Afflatus. It saves on disk space.
 
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