EuropaWill
Active Member
Apologies up front for asking what must be a common question from a noob. Which library do you like the best from this list and why? I'm new to the forum and have listened to what seems like countless sound demos of the various string libraries on manufacturers websites, youtube and this forum. My existing EWQL Symphonic Orchestra Gold was a basic intro into string libraries, but I need a more realistic and versatile string library that works equally well from early music mockups to modern game and film scoring needs.
The recent Cinematic Studio Strings (CSS) thread was invaluable to me in getting my list narrowed down to libraries found in the title of this thread.
So far I've generated my own non-user impressions.
Spitfire Chamber Strings(previously Sable): Pros - Very intimate, detailed, classical sounding, refined, playable runs, vast articulation list. Cons - Can sound somewhat sterile or lacking in the lushness department at times as a result of a lack of humanization controls, no divisi?
VSL Dimension Strings: Pros - Individual players gives unparalleled flexibility in sculpting my own desired sound and ensemble size. Divisi flexibility is excellent if I put the work in, very detailed sounding, classical sounding, vast articulation list, the best available humanization options with VI Pro, the most realistic sound for baroque, early classical i've heard. Cons - Can sound lacking in the lushness department for game and film scoring on its own, needs VIPro for humanization controls, individual players have too much mic bleed to be used as exposed solists, no auto-divisi for quick mockups, no emulated or real con-sordino. Not the best "only" string library since it lacks the gravitas or lushness of other libraries?
Berlin Strings: Pros - Refined, classical sound, con-sordino emulation for entire library, excellent (the best?) fff brutal attacks in the shorts, more lush sounding than SF and VSL out of the box, some humanization controls. Cons - No divisi capabilities so the ensemble can quickly sound unbalanced when playing chords within a section.
Cinematic Studio Strings: Pros - Lush, dark sound very suitable for legato sweeping melodies, very "Hollywood" sounding out of the box. Emulated con sordino for entire library, easist library of these to use out of the box. Cons - Lacking the vast articulation list of the others limiting the sonic palette , less detailed sounding than the others, thicker sounding, less dynamic range, non-vib to vib bugs, no divisi capabilities, user reported delay in triggering of samples via midi frustrating to use?
So.....these are my impressions which may be close or far from the truth. I would love to hear if anyone can share some direct comparisons of how these libraries handle lyrical lush vs harsh and everything in between (using the same midi file). Or if you could share your thoughts on your experience in using these libraries good or bad!
The recent Cinematic Studio Strings (CSS) thread was invaluable to me in getting my list narrowed down to libraries found in the title of this thread.
So far I've generated my own non-user impressions.
Spitfire Chamber Strings(previously Sable): Pros - Very intimate, detailed, classical sounding, refined, playable runs, vast articulation list. Cons - Can sound somewhat sterile or lacking in the lushness department at times as a result of a lack of humanization controls, no divisi?
VSL Dimension Strings: Pros - Individual players gives unparalleled flexibility in sculpting my own desired sound and ensemble size. Divisi flexibility is excellent if I put the work in, very detailed sounding, classical sounding, vast articulation list, the best available humanization options with VI Pro, the most realistic sound for baroque, early classical i've heard. Cons - Can sound lacking in the lushness department for game and film scoring on its own, needs VIPro for humanization controls, individual players have too much mic bleed to be used as exposed solists, no auto-divisi for quick mockups, no emulated or real con-sordino. Not the best "only" string library since it lacks the gravitas or lushness of other libraries?
Berlin Strings: Pros - Refined, classical sound, con-sordino emulation for entire library, excellent (the best?) fff brutal attacks in the shorts, more lush sounding than SF and VSL out of the box, some humanization controls. Cons - No divisi capabilities so the ensemble can quickly sound unbalanced when playing chords within a section.
Cinematic Studio Strings: Pros - Lush, dark sound very suitable for legato sweeping melodies, very "Hollywood" sounding out of the box. Emulated con sordino for entire library, easist library of these to use out of the box. Cons - Lacking the vast articulation list of the others limiting the sonic palette , less detailed sounding than the others, thicker sounding, less dynamic range, non-vib to vib bugs, no divisi capabilities, user reported delay in triggering of samples via midi frustrating to use?
So.....these are my impressions which may be close or far from the truth. I would love to hear if anyone can share some direct comparisons of how these libraries handle lyrical lush vs harsh and everything in between (using the same midi file). Or if you could share your thoughts on your experience in using these libraries good or bad!
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