String Libraries with Portamento Legato like LASS

[polynaeus]

I've owned LASS now for a number of years and still haven't found any libraries that do the triggered slurry legato between two notes like LASS does.

I have most of the libraries out there... from Cinematic Studio Strings, Adagio, PS Pacific, CineStrings, to Spitfire Chamber and Symphonic Strings.

Am I missing something thats out there that can specifically do those dramatic slurry portamento legatos like LASS? Or nah?

I'd keep using LASS but want something with a better tone.

Click to read more...

 

[Wunderhorn]

Have you checked out Audiobro's MSS?

 

[BHF]

Berlin strings has it if i remember correctly

 

[peterharket]

8Dio intimate strings has it.

 

[biomuse]

VSL.

 

[The Gost]

8Dio.....Century strings normal 88$......

 

[constaneum]

Have you checked out Audiobro's MSS?

How's MSS. There's an extreme offerr for lass owner...but I've not heard much about it.

 

[Wunderhorn]

How's MSS. There's an extreme offerr for lass owner...but I've not heard much about it.

Love it. It is what I would deem as one of the ultimate work horse libraries.
Incredibly detailed and flexible. If you know what I mean by saying "having to write FOR the library instead of with it" then MSS would be a great example for something that is malleable to a great extent. Besides the wealth of articulations and details it is suited for most things, especially modern writing with perhaps a bit more of a classical tone - if the majority of what you want to write is heavy sugar coated romanticism you might be better off with something else, even though the portamentos you'd need for that are there as well, it just doesn't have the immediate soaring, sweepy feeling, but a bit of tasteful programming can make a great difference.

 

[alligatorlizard]

Hollywood Strings and Areia both have triggerable portamento transitions (along with regular and bow change)

 

[Jrides]

I think you need to give an example of what you’re talking about. By the time this thread is finished, every library will be listed as having this capability. I’m not sure if everybody is talking about the same thing.

 

[polynaeus]

I think you need to give an example of what you’re talking about. By the time this thread is finished, every library will be listed as having this capability. I’m not sure if everybody is talking about the same thing.

Yeah this is crazy. Hard for me to believe all these libraries do what I want.

Here is an example of LASS doing what I want. A dramatic beautiful slide down (or up)...

 

[Guy Rowland]

FYI this thread might be worth a look, on long port / glisses - https://vi-control.net/community/threads/what-string-libraries-for-long-ports-gliss.149059/

 

[polynaeus]

FYI this thread might be worth a look, on long port / glisses - https://vi-control.net/community/threads/what-string-libraries-for-long-ports-gliss.149059/

Good lord... this thread just made me sad, haha. Man... after alllll these years Guy, to your point, the only game in town. Still. Is LASS. Welp, I guess a thread like this will continue to pop up from time to time until someone makes one.

 

[alligatorlizard]

Yeah this is crazy. Hard for me to believe all these libraries do what I want.

Here is an example of LASS doing what I want. A dramatic beautiful slide down (or up)...

I've not used LASS for a while, didn't reinstall it when I changed computers a few years back - but that one short clip of the portamento makes me think I should load it up again!

Overall I find its sound a bit dry and stark, have gravitated to fuller/lusher string sounds recently, but I do recall the portamento was fantastic (probably better than the two libraries I mentioned above in this regard) - also the divisi, though sometimes a bit fiddly to work with, is very useful too.

 

[Casiquire]

Is that a portamento or a glissando?

 

[polynaeus]

Is that a portamento or a glissando?

LASS's legato patch operates with 3 types that are triggered on velocity...

0-4 Glissando
5-50 Portamento
51-127 Legato

I believe what I played here is glissando. Already deleted the file and didn't look to be sure, but I played the most dramatic sounding thing so I assume it would be what they call 'glissando'.

 

[Casiquire]

LASS's legato patch operates with 3 types that are triggered on velocity...

0-4 Glissando
5-50 Portamento
51-127 Legato

I believe what I played here is glissando. Already deleted the file and didn't look to be sure, but I played the most dramatic sounding thing so I assume it would be what they call 'glissando'.

That might be the reason for all the confusion. Portamento (in the world of sample libraries, at least) has a different sound, and it's in basically every library mentioned above. Glissando is harder to find. It's in MSS and the sampled/modeled products, and I believe many VSL products have it as well.

Hopefully others can chime in with other thoughts!

 

[vibrationisreality]

Spitfire Icenci celli patches...

 

[tomemitsu]

Spitfire Studio Strings, Albions Solstice & Iceni, AR2 Iconic Strings (Pro), and I think also Solo Strings all have portamento legatos.

 

[Guy Rowland]

Good lord... this thread just made me sad, haha. Man... after alllll these years Guy, to your point, the only game in town. Still. Is LASS. Welp, I guess a thread like this will continue to pop up from time to time until someone makes one.

I did listen to MSB's glisses again, and I think in terms of its durations its about the same as LASS, but I don't think it's as clean.

All the other options mentioned in this thread, they don't have that length of transition and / or it not being fully chromatic +/- an octave. (I appreciate that regular port is very common, and this is a specific distinction).

As I said in the other thread, it's a real gap in the market, because even LASS' glisses at maximum stretch are fairly short for modern uses. There's so many very similar strings libraries now, I really can't see the point of releasing yet more with marginal tonal differences.

Now I think of it, Hollywood Strings 2 was a missed golden opportunity. I think this fantasy library would suit that sound as it could do old vintage Hollywood and mordern Mica Levi stuff alike, the latter with that brittle close-mic quality. Such a shame it ended up just being another string library.