gohrev
Newbie Composer
Scroll to the bottom of this post for a side-by-side comparison
Hi everyone,
earlier this week I purchased Cinematic Studio Strings, and boy.. am I glad I did
As a newbie to the sample scene, I bought the entire Spitfire Studio suite last year: Woodwinds, Brass and Strings. All Pro editions. I really like these libraries, especially as the Brass and Woodwinds library feature some of the rarer instruments.
But the Spitfire Studio Strings is a hit and miss. Now that I have a decent library to compare them with, I decided to turn my observations and comparisons into a little post. May it come handy for those still in doubt on which Strings library to buy.
Bear in mind that these are merely my personal observations and opinions, and I am by no means a professional.
Cinematic Studio Strings ~ €425 inc VAT
Cinematic Studio Strings (CSS) sounds extremely musical, if that makes any sense. I would consider this my workhorse for most strings parts, as the legatos (both classic and advanced, the latter allowing for long, medium and short legatos) are just beautiful. Very realistic, warm sound. I particularly enjoy the ease of use for the CC1: It's cross-fading is very gradually, allowing for a smooth blending of dynamics.
CSS doesn't do short samples too well, I find the pizzicati to be laking in strength. The bartok snaps and col legno sound good, nothing wrong with them. The various microphones are OK, I have yet to discover their added value.
The samples are beautifully dry, and I appreciate how realistic the legato sounds. That is the one reason why I purchased this library, and I am very glad I did.
Spitfire Audio Studio Strings Pro ~ €450 inc VAT
Spitfire Studio Strings Pro (SStS) win in the category "alternative articulations". From whispering flautando to aggressive bartok snaps, and from brushed spiccato to long sul tasto. Just toying around with all of the quirky samples is really inspiring. I can see this library being a great tool for film composition. The ultra-clear recordings make it feel as if the violinist is sitting right next to you.
That said, legato is sadly a big miss. No matter what I tried, I just can't get it to sound right, let alone musical. The CC1 is extremely jumpy and it just doesn't feel intuitive. If you'd only use this library for its beautiful shorts, you'll be glad with the close microphones: Crystal-clear!
The samples are perfectly dry, so I could imagine the short articulations as a perfect supplement for CSS. But, one has to bear in mind that the crispness of sounds came at a cost: This library is not meant for long arcs.
So there you have it..
Now that I come to the end of my post, I realise you can't really compare these two libraries. I never worked with Spitfire's Chamber Strings, but perhaps that would've been a fairer comparison in the end. One thing to keep in mind, is that SStS offers various ensemble sizes, like 16-8-4&4 (the last being divisi) for Violins I, and 12-6-3&3 for Violins II. Only four contrabassi seems to be a bit of an odd number, but the sound is still massive.
Yes, Spitfire's short articulations are truly a joy to experiment with, but chances are you won't be needing them that often. Another downside of SStS is the fact that many samples sound cut off, which results in a jumpy start. This is particularly audible in the lower registers of the 1st and 2nd Violins.
For those looking to write beautiful legato lines for strings, I wouldn't hesitate to say: Get CSS, you won't regret it!
Below you'll find a side by side comparison table.
Hi everyone,
earlier this week I purchased Cinematic Studio Strings, and boy.. am I glad I did
As a newbie to the sample scene, I bought the entire Spitfire Studio suite last year: Woodwinds, Brass and Strings. All Pro editions. I really like these libraries, especially as the Brass and Woodwinds library feature some of the rarer instruments.
But the Spitfire Studio Strings is a hit and miss. Now that I have a decent library to compare them with, I decided to turn my observations and comparisons into a little post. May it come handy for those still in doubt on which Strings library to buy.
Bear in mind that these are merely my personal observations and opinions, and I am by no means a professional.
Cinematic Studio Strings ~ €425 inc VAT
Overall character | Warm, classic |
Overall tone | Dark, even a bit muffled |
Overall 'vibe' | Lush |
Particularly suited for | Long legato lines, classical composition |
Not so suitable for | Aggressive articulations, modern composition |
Best feature(s) | Beautiful legato |
Missing feature(s) | Flautando, sul tasto, snappy shorts |
Cinematic Studio Strings (CSS) sounds extremely musical, if that makes any sense. I would consider this my workhorse for most strings parts, as the legatos (both classic and advanced, the latter allowing for long, medium and short legatos) are just beautiful. Very realistic, warm sound. I particularly enjoy the ease of use for the CC1: It's cross-fading is very gradually, allowing for a smooth blending of dynamics.
CSS doesn't do short samples too well, I find the pizzicati to be laking in strength. The bartok snaps and col legno sound good, nothing wrong with them. The various microphones are OK, I have yet to discover their added value.
The samples are beautifully dry, and I appreciate how realistic the legato sounds. That is the one reason why I purchased this library, and I am very glad I did.
Spitfire Audio Studio Strings Pro ~ €450 inc VAT
Overall character | Cool, modern |
Overall tone | Crisp, very close |
Overall 'vibe' | Sharp |
Particularly suited for | Film music, suspense |
Not so suitable for | Long legato lines, a traditional big sound |
Best feature(s) | Clear short articulations |
Missing feature(s) | Good legatos, more variation in samples |
Spitfire Studio Strings Pro (SStS) win in the category "alternative articulations". From whispering flautando to aggressive bartok snaps, and from brushed spiccato to long sul tasto. Just toying around with all of the quirky samples is really inspiring. I can see this library being a great tool for film composition. The ultra-clear recordings make it feel as if the violinist is sitting right next to you.
That said, legato is sadly a big miss. No matter what I tried, I just can't get it to sound right, let alone musical. The CC1 is extremely jumpy and it just doesn't feel intuitive. If you'd only use this library for its beautiful shorts, you'll be glad with the close microphones: Crystal-clear!
The samples are perfectly dry, so I could imagine the short articulations as a perfect supplement for CSS. But, one has to bear in mind that the crispness of sounds came at a cost: This library is not meant for long arcs.
So there you have it..
Now that I come to the end of my post, I realise you can't really compare these two libraries. I never worked with Spitfire's Chamber Strings, but perhaps that would've been a fairer comparison in the end. One thing to keep in mind, is that SStS offers various ensemble sizes, like 16-8-4&4 (the last being divisi) for Violins I, and 12-6-3&3 for Violins II. Only four contrabassi seems to be a bit of an odd number, but the sound is still massive.
Yes, Spitfire's short articulations are truly a joy to experiment with, but chances are you won't be needing them that often. Another downside of SStS is the fact that many samples sound cut off, which results in a jumpy start. This is particularly audible in the lower registers of the 1st and 2nd Violins.
For those looking to write beautiful legato lines for strings, I wouldn't hesitate to say: Get CSS, you won't regret it!
Below you'll find a side by side comparison table.
Cinematic Studio Strings (CSS) | Spitfire Audio Studio Strings Pro (SStS) | |
Price | €425 | €450 |
Character | Warm, classic | Cool, modern |
Tone | Dark, even a bit muffled | Crisp, very close |
Vibe | Lush | Sharp |
Suited for | Long legato lines, classical composition | Film music, suspense |
Not suited for | Aggressive articulations, modern | Long legato, traditional big sound |
Best features | Beautiful legato | Clear short articulations |
Missing | Flautando, sul tasto, snappy shorts | Good legatos, more variation samples |