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Samplemodeling Solo & Ensemble Strings Released

Hi Daniele, I don't own this library yet so I'm not sure if this is the solution, but I think I remember in the manual there is a distinction between keyswitches which are fleeting (affecting only the next note) and those that "stick" (affecting all subsequent notes until you send another keyswitch). I think it might have been velocity that tells the instrument which one you want?

I hope this is the source of the issue for you, because if so you will be able to get it to behave how you expect very quickly & easily.

Thank you Sam for the help. I already knew about this, I tried both with high and low velocity with no result, I don't understand how this KS behaves. I noticed that by pressing on it the attack knob go all the way down to 13 to return at previous position once the KS is released.
 
I bought the library, let me tell you what my thoughts are.

I have all major orchestral sample libraries, it is easier to work with samples but switching articulations has never been my forte, I find the switches unnatural and the volumes are often inconsistent. But for a quick mock-up, or for someone that likes to input notes with a mouse, nothing beats great samples, ad we have a lot of choice.

SM Strings on the other hand are an instrument, if you are ready to invest time to learn the software, you can get a real performance, I personally like to play each part on the keyboard and SM Strings are great for that, there's no latency.
When I first installed the library, the presets weren't my cup of tea, I found them too sterile and stiff.
After spending hours customizing each section in detail, I can now say that these are the best virtual strings I've ever had........ but it takes a lot of work to get the performance you like.

If you think the brass were outstanding, then I think the strings are just as great.

My take.
 
I bought the library, let me tell you what my thoughts are.

I have all major orchestral sample libraries, it is easier to work with samples but switching articulations has never been my forte, I find the switches unnatural and the volumes are often inconsistent. But for a quick mock-up, or for someone that likes to input notes with a mouse, nothing beats great samples, ad we have a lot of choice.

SM Strings on the other hand are an instrument, if you are ready to invest time to learn the software, you can get a real performance, I personally like to play each part on the keyboard and SM Strings are great for that, there's no latency.
When I first installed the library, the presets weren't my cup of tea, I found them too sterile and stiff.
After spending hours customizing each section in detail, I can now say that these are the best virtual strings I've ever had........ but it takes a lot of work to get the performance you like.

If you think the brass were outstanding, then I think the strings are just as great.

My take.
Agreed. The ensembles, particularly, require careful study. But they can yield extraordinary results. I must confess, that after years, I'm still experimenting every single day to get the best out of them. I'm pretty sure there is room for further improvements.
 
I have just installed and done a couple of hours of work with the library. The only thing I object to is the price - w/VAT it's a bit expensive. But worth it. it's super expressive and playable. I never liked key switching all these years - having to switch between halves of my brain when I'm playing a part. And, in contrast to, say, the Modartt pianos, you aren't trading off sound for expressiveness so much (I understand that it's a hybrid of samples and modeling voodoo). The sound is not as realistic as LASS (for example) but it's very good, and it blends with (other) samples well. And the expressiveness and spontaneity make up for a lot AFAIC.

I've mainly used the ensembles so far, so no comments on the solo instruments.

I love it so far.
 
I already knew about this, I tried both with high and low velocity with no result, I don't understand how this KS behaves.

Oh darn, well I'm sure when Fabio or someone gets a chance to see your post, they'll be able to help. I look forward to reading the solution because I'm sure it will save me some confusion later after I can purchase.
 
The sound is not as realistic as LASS (for example) but it's very good, and it blends with (other) samples well.

Hi Jonny,

I've never blended a library before, but it's on my list of things to learn/explore next. I realize you've only had it for a few hours, but do you have any initial general impressions/opinions re: blending Samplemodeling strings with other libraries? Or is everything context-dependent, i.e. "in this context LASS is supporting Samplemodeling, in this other context it's vice versa" ... ?

Any tips/observations based on your initial experiences are greatly appreciated, if you have time to write them up.

Thank you,
Sam
 
After spending hours customizing each section in detail, I can now say that these are the best virtual strings I've ever had........ but it takes a lot of work to get the performance you like.

Really enjoyed the music on your site. Looking forward to any instances where you might use these in a project!
 
Oh darn, well I'm sure when Fabio or someone gets a chance to see your post, they'll be able to help. I look forward to reading the solution because I'm sure it will save me some confusion later after I can purchase.

Thank you SAM, I hope I will find how it works.

I've just inserted the violin solo in my primary template, I put it under the same Reverb I use for SWAM and OMG...what sound is this!? Perfect, now I've to understand well how to perform all the techniques...
 
Still having some fun experimenting in very different applications. For instance:
a tzigane style and sautillè solo:

a baroque polyphonic small ensemble:


Nice!!! Love the first example in particular. I don't suppose there's any chance you could share a MIDI here so that we can see what it takes to get lines like that, to sound like that?
 
Think my main issue with the sound is around the mushy/soft attack, especially on the ensemble patches, the legato transitions don't sound connected but all have the same soft fade in, it reminds me of Stevie Wonder's CS80 string sound on Songs in the Key of Life more than any real strings I've ever heard, or as if everything has gone through a transient shaper... I find the tone is also quite synthetic although better on the solo strings.

I've said before here that I think the reason the SM Brass is so good is that both the modeling and sampling arms of the company were working together, everything I've heard them do separately has been much less organic sounding, including these strings unfortunately. I'll keep listening to demos but it's a pass for me.
 
Me thinks, only usable for very slow and soft stuff. Which is not bad, but to limited for me.
In all the demos, the room sounds weird and unconvincing. Might just be me though.

Still! Awesome first step in a new direction! Which needs to be applauded! :)
 
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Nice!!! Love the first example in particular. I don't suppose there's any chance you could share a MIDI here so that we can see what it takes to get lines like that, to sound like that?
...maybe... why not? ;)

here you are: less complicated than you can expect (few set-up values are requested for getting the right articulations and they are saved in the track, but the big job is done by durations, velocity, cc11 and PB).
 

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Me thinks, only usable for very slow and soft stuff. Which is not bad, but to limited for me.
In all the demos, the room sounds weird and unconvincing. Might just be me though.

Still! Awesome first step in a new direction! Which needs to be applauded! :)

Your comment is very interesting:
If you are looking for something good for very fast and aggressive string music, this library can really make you happy. In fact...

- I personally don't agree with your first statement: for slow soft music we already have so much good libraries around. The power of SM Strings is the fact they provide for the best controls for very fast music (controllable trills, runs, every kind of legato transition, every kind of fast repetitions etc.) and an almost unlimited possibility of creating short notes (you may literally make your favorite or requested ones).

-About the room sound, this is very easy: there is no particular embedded room sound in the library (but just user adjustable early reflections) and you may just add your own and favorite one.
 
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I thought I was crazy. That’s exactly what I thought of too when listening to Pastime Paradise the other day. Obviously these new strings sound much better, but there is some kernel of resemblance to that sound.

Yes - even moreso on Village Ghetto Land

 
Better than the demos on the website you have to spend some time testing the library yourself.
After a couple of days working with it I can say SM Strings is going to be one of the most used string libraries in my future mockups. I would even dare to say that this is the best string library ever created.
I am not a fan of the official demos and to be sincere it gave me a wrong impression once I heard it. Since I have all other SM libraries and I absolutely love them all i decided to buy the strings anyway hoping that one day they would update it with a more realistic sound.
After testing it I realized that there's no need for such update because the library is already extremely realistic and versatile. Sure there is room for improvement as every product has (mainly in the GUI) but once again Sample Modeling has provided us with another amazing virtual instrument that can rival any real musician.
If you don't like the sound of the demos try this simple thing. In the ensemble patches turn off the original IR in the AUX and apply your own.
My only critic would be regarding the ensemble size. There isn't any way to specify how many strings you have in your group. It's just small, medium and large. For someone that likes to work with a certain specific amount of instruments this is going to be a little odd but not a big deal compared to the amount of versatility and realism you can get out of this instrument.
Another thing that I missed was an extreme aggressive FF (that is rarely used) when the player rapidly strikes the bow down with a lot of pressure on the strings. Maybe it can be achieved by changing some parameters.
The implementation of it in my template was smooth this time. I remember that it was a struggle to match SM brass with the other wet libraries but with the strings it was much easier and it didn't take more than 15 minutes to match it with Hollywood Strings for example.
I remain exploring this library for further customization and the more I learn about it the more I like it.
Will it replace all the other strings?
Definitely not! There's no library that can make it all and a careful combination and usage of them is what make the secret. But I may say that SM can easily replace a lot of strings libraries out there.
If you are a composer that likes to be inspired by what you play with the patches this strings are probably not your best choice even though the solos are very inspiring. On the other hand, is you go to the library because you've been inspired before and is looking for an specific sound then SM strings will beautifully reproduce what you've had in mind with little programming.
Thank you once again Sample Modeling. Your technology is the best!!!
Thumbs up!!!
 
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