String library & VST

[gridcrawler]

Are there powerful cinematic string libraries and/or VSTs? They could be solo string, string set, whatever. I am looking for warm but not so wet. (similar to EW/QL Symphonic Orchestra Gold's strings).

Some of the suggestion I got from friends was LASS. The other said Hollywood Strings. However with my current budget they are out of my touch.

[DanMasterFlash]

At 6/14/13 10:24 PM, gridcrawler wrote: Are there powerful cinematic string libraries and/or VSTs? They could be solo string, string set, whatever. I am looking for warm but not so wet. (similar to EW/QL Symphonic Orchestra Gold's strings).

Some of the suggestion I got from friends was LASS. The other said Hollywood Strings. However with my current budget they are out of my touch.

Anything by Native Instruments.

/thread

Seriously though, native instruments puts out some seriously remarkable vsts that sound sooooo good. Some may disagree, and I am a bit of a native instruments fan boy, but look up session strings.

[gridcrawler]

At 6/14/13 10:28 PM, DanMasterFlash wrote: Seriously though, native instruments puts out some seriously remarkable vsts that sound sooooo good. Some may disagree, and I am a bit of a native instruments fan boy, but look up session strings.

NI don't make instrument libraries. They provide a framework (Kontakt). Even Komplete bundle is full of 3rd parties.

Anyway thanks for suggestion.

[Bspendlove]

At 6/14/13 11:16 PM, gridcrawler wrote:

At 6/14/13 10:28 PM, DanMasterFlash wrote: Seriously though, native instruments puts out some seriously remarkable vsts that sound sooooo good. Some may disagree, and I am a bit of a native instruments fan boy, but look up session strings.

NI don't make instrument libraries. They provide a framework (Kontakt). Even Komplete bundle is full of 3rd parties.

Anyway thanks for suggestion.

These are the ones that a lot of people compare to East West.. (But I have never compared them to East West)

LA Scoring Strings (Seriously, I have it..... It is not worth the money.)

Symphobia

Miraslov Philharmonik Orchestra (something like that??)

Edirol Orchestra (I think half of it is real and the other is computer generated?)

Cinematic Strings 2

GPO (Garritans Personal Orchestra - I have it and sounds a bit shit to be honest)

But yeah... (Try using more than 1 or 2 Libraries to enhance the sound of the strings and mixing the different positions on each library... Close mics for EW, far mics for another one and a mix of both on another library?)

Do not listen to people that say 'Oh this free library sounds exactly like an orchestra'... No they won't lol.

(I think you would know that anyway)

There are some more, but I can not think of them from the top of my head.

[Bspendlove]

At 6/14/13 11:16 PM, gridcrawler wrote:

At 6/14/13 10:28 PM, DanMasterFlash wrote: Seriously though, native instruments puts out some seriously remarkable vsts that sound sooooo good. Some may disagree, and I am a bit of a native instruments fan boy, but look up session strings.

NI don't make instrument libraries. They provide a framework (Kontakt). Even Komplete bundle is full of 3rd parties.

Anyway thanks for suggestion.

At 6/14/13 11:16 PM, gridcrawler wrote:

At 6/14/13 10:28 PM, DanMasterFlash wrote: Seriously though, native instruments puts out some seriously remarkable vsts that sound sooooo good. Some may disagree, and I am a bit of a native instruments fan boy, but look up session strings.

NI don't make instrument libraries. They provide a framework (Kontakt). Even Komplete bundle is full of 3rd parties.

Anyway thanks for suggestion.

These are the ones that a lot of people compare to East West.. (But I have never compared them to East West)

LA Scoring Strings (Seriously, I have it..... It is not worth the money.)

Symphobia

Miraslov Philharmonik Orchestra (something like that??)

Edirol Orchestra (I think half of it is real and the other is computer generated?)

Cinematic Strings 2

GPO (Garritans Personal Orchestra - I have it and sounds a bit shit to be honest)

But yeah... (Try using more than 1 or 2 Libraries to enhance the sound of the strings and mixing the different positions on each library... Close mics for EW, far mics for another one and a mix of both on another library?)

Do not listen to people that say 'Oh this free library sounds exactly like an orchestra'... No they won't lol.

(I think you would know that anyway)

There are some more, but I can not think of them from the top of my head.

AND you can also try recording a real violin or different string instrument on top of the section you are doing to give it a more realistic feel? (You just need to know some string players and have a mic)

[Lachi]

nexus2

[Bspendlove]

At 6/14/13 10:24 PM, gridcrawler wrote: Are there powerful cinematic string libraries and/or VSTs? They could be solo string, string set, whatever. I am looking for warm but not so wet. (similar to EW/QL Symphonic Orchestra Gold's strings).

Some of the suggestion I got from friends was LASS. The other said Hollywood Strings. However with my current budget they are out of my touch.

Also check out 8Dio productions.

I recently bought the Adagio Violins and I love it, if you are looking for specific string sections, 8Dio's libraries are pretty useful.

[Lich]

At 6/15/13 07:43 AM, Bspendlove wrote:

At 6/14/13 10:24 PM, gridcrawler wrote: Are there powerful cinematic string libraries and/or VSTs? They could be solo string, string set, whatever. I am looking for warm but not so wet. (similar to EW/QL Symphonic Orchestra Gold's strings).

Some of the suggestion I got from friends was LASS. The other said Hollywood Strings. However with my current budget they are out of my touch.

Also check out 8Dio productions.

I recently bought the Adagio Violins and I love it, if you are looking for specific string sections, 8Dio's libraries are pretty useful.

+1 for 8DIO, very good quality libraries for not only Orchestral but other styles (Free Radicals is a favourite of mine I use).
Another company to check out would be ProjectSAM. Very expensive but they are also incredibly good.

[gridcrawler]

At 6/15/13 07:32 AM, Bspendlove wrote: LA Scoring Strings (Seriously, I have it..... It is not worth the money.)

It's LASS.

Symphobia

I'm looking for strings, not the whole orchestra. But thanks for the consideration.

Miraslov Philharmonik Orchestra (something like that??)

Edirol Orchestra (I think half of it is real and the other is computer generated?)

They are my run-on-mill kits. I'm looking for heavy stuff.

Cinematic Strings 2

Taking a look. Good one.

GPO (Garritans Personal Orchestra - I have it and sounds a bit shit to be honest)

Too dry. At least their demos were more honest than Symphonic Orchestra's ones.

Do not listen to people that say 'Oh this free library sounds exactly like an orchestra'... No they won't lol.

I respect your personal opinions. But I do have free libraries that sounds exactly like an orchestra.

[Bspendlove]

At 6/15/13 09:25 AM, gridcrawler wrote:

At 6/15/13 07:32 AM, Bspendlove wrote: LA Scoring Strings (Seriously, I have it..... It is not worth the money.)

It's LASS.

LASS is LA Scoring Strings.....

[MetalRenard]

I don't own LASS but I honestly don't think it's shit like someone else said. A good friend and collaborator owns it and his strings sound amazing, rich and lively. LASS isn't like many of the other libraries he said, it takes a while to get used to it. :)

I'm going to get EWQL's complete package when it goes on sale at the end of the year because I need a serious upgrade from Komplete and Session Strings. Session Strings is "ok" if you know how to mix but it lacks all the round-robbin and velocity layers all the other string libraries have. Special mention for its pizzicato and spiccato (long staccato) which are some of the best I've heard.

I hate EWQL and their iLok mentality but it's the best value out there right now, at that quality level. If I could have ANY library, I'd buy 8Dio's "Adagio" range (all of them) without a second thought. AMAZING libraries.

[Breed]

All the main gems have been mentioned.

If you are gonna be picky about how niche the library is, then save your pennies for either Hollywood Strings, or 8dio Adagios.

East West does 40-60% off sales a couple times a year so you could just wait until the next one then hop on that.

[samulis]

At 6/15/13 09:25 AM, gridcrawler wrote: I respect your personal opinions. But I do have free libraries that sounds exactly like an orchestra.

Yeah, and I'm Howard Shore. :P

EW put out their new Hollywood Strings. Bosa uses them... he showed me a project he made using it and I almost cried in awe (well, it WAS music by Bosa, but that's aside the point). They're definitely great if you're going for that section feel and highly configurable.

I should note I am pretty much sold on the EWQL stuff. Of course, I like wet samples... you can almost get away with using minimal reverb that way!

I've never really become endeared to Project SAM. Probably because I have the same name as their acronym, and also because I just don't really like the sound of their samples that much, just a personal preference.

If you want libraries to end all libraries and compete with something like Vienna, Spitfire's probably the place to look. It was founded to supply libraries to high-end composers/producers, by high-end composers (I think the Sable series is the strings one...).

[gridcrawler]

At 6/15/13 10:03 AM, samulis wrote:

At 6/15/13 09:25 AM, gridcrawler wrote: I respect your personal opinions. But I do have free libraries that sounds exactly like an orchestra.

Yeah, and I'm Howard Shore. :P

I see. How's the Hobbit doing?

I've never really become endeared to Project SAM. Probably because I have the same name as their acronym...

Symphonic Awesome Machine? I see...

If you want libraries to end all libraries and compete with something like Vienna, Spitfire's probably the place to look. It was founded to supply libraries to high-end composers/producers, by high-end composers (I think the Sable series is the strings one...).

Oh Vienna! Ist es nicht wunderbar? Hans Zimmer lieblings waffe...

I'll see how much I have in my saving accounts and decide which in 4 (LASS, Hollywood Strings, VSL, Spitfire Solo String) to burn a hole in my heart. At least would be worth doing so.

Thank you all so much for these wonderful suggestions.

[PeterSatera]

I think everyone has said pretty much the best solutions. Right now 8dio have their string sections out there, Violins, Viola, etc. But they are all separate and I honestly think give it 6 months to a year and it'll be one big vst for a discount price.

I think you have a problem you need to look at what time of music you make. Different string libaries are suited for different styles, and I agree that they should be blended together to make it sound right and broader (when you need that sound).

[gridcrawler]

At 6/15/13 12:49 PM, PeterSatera wrote: I think everyone has said pretty much the best solutions. Right now 8dio have their string sections out there, Violins, Viola, etc. But they are all separate and I honestly think give it 6 months to a year and it'll be one big vst for a discount price.

I think you have a problem you need to look at what time of music you make. Different string libaries are suited for different styles, and I agree that they should be blended together to make it sound right and broader (when you need that sound).

I was wondering when will someone big spoke up... Anyway, 8dio instruments amazed me. Its Adagio Strings Bundle is what I'm looking for. Didn't expect the price though. Calculate everything including tax it takes nearly half my monthly's payment.

Thanks for the suggestion.

[PeterSatera]

At 6/15/13 01:48 PM, gridcrawler wrote:

At 6/15/13 12:49 PM, PeterSatera wrote: I think everyone has said pretty much the best solutions. Right now 8dio have their string sections out there, Violins, Viola, etc. But they are all separate and I honestly think give it 6 months to a year and it'll be one big vst for a discount price.

I think you have a problem you need to look at what time of music you make. Different string libaries are suited for different styles, and I agree that they should be blended together to make it sound right and broader (when you need that sound).

I was wondering when will someone big spoke up... Anyway, 8dio instruments amazed me. Its Adagio Strings Bundle is what I'm looking for. Didn't expect the price though. Calculate everything including tax it takes nearly half my monthly's payment.

Thanks for the suggestion.

No problem.

You have a large choice though. And personally if I had the cash I would be going down the Hollywood strings route rather than 8Dio. But thats because im looking for a specific sound. It's always good to have a multitude. Some of Albion Spitfire's stuff is nice too.

Theres a lot of reviews by Daniel James and Sounds and Gear on youtube. Daniels a great guy and really goes through it so if you're about to buy have a look to see if it fits into your workflow.

The choices I suggest looking at (whether they have been said or not) are:
> 8 Dio Violins, Violas, Cellos and Basses - Multitude in samples, great needs some setting up if you want it part as a set, as the Violins arent split into 1st violins and 2nd violins.
> EW Hollywood Strings (pre balanced and great sounding, the next on my list for purchase, I havent seen/heard a bad thing yet)
> EW Orchestra Strings - (good but lacks dynamics, can be a bit artificial at times, I still use it sometimes to thicken up a sound)
> Action Strings (doesnt do everything you need from strings, somewhat a niche for specifics, still good though if you know how to control it.)
> Cinematic Strings 2 (great for the softer stuff, and the only library I have came across which actually pulls the velocities to silence. Spics/stacs are only okay)
> Cinematic Strings Monster Staccatos (free, go get it. I still use them, great to really push that string stac sound, really strong)
> Cornucipia Strings (fairly thick, sounds lacks warmth imo, but good to a step up to EW)
> LA Scoring Strings (good spics, the art' is excellent if you have a pedal for your keyboard, I find them quite a heavy load at times as you tend to load up the chairs of the players to get the best sound from them.)
> Orchestral String Runs 2 (a good piece of kit, totally different to everything else I have heard, made for a more classical approach at times, runs are heavy but great. Very little sustain/leg patches, a specific niche like AS)
> Chamber Strings 2 (good out of the norm, people tend to use them back of pop tracks etc, a bit artificial sounding, a step up I find from EW)

> Others which are included in other packs are Spitfire Albion, and Spitfire Iceni, Albion is quite soft and relaxed where as Icene is made for more action and drama. Symphobia 1 and 2 are great too, sometimes they are a bit over kill but good for underlayering.

cant really think of any others right now.

[gridcrawler]

At 6/15/13 03:11 PM, PeterSatera wrote:

Awesome list of detailed and helpful information. Thank you very much for taking your times to write it. :P

[Emid]

You might wanna look into Cornucopia strings. Its a newer and cheaper option and rapidly building its reputation.

[gridcrawler]

At 6/16/13 11:00 AM, Emid wrote: You might wanna look into Cornucopia strings. Its a newer and cheaper option and rapidly building its reputation.

Woa, good stuff. Although they do sound like Miroslav Philharmonik's strings get FXed. I'll take this into consideration.

Thanks for the suggestion

[Emid]

No problem...anytime. :)

[DamienFleisch]

East West is also releasing (or maybe has released by now) a lower grade bundle of Hollywood Strings, I think it's Silver Edition. That is going to be way more affordable, although probably lacking in some respects. Fewer patches, only stage mic position...etc

Also, if you are a student I think EW offers a student discount on Hollywood Strings, the downside to that is that technically you can't use them for professional work, though.

[gridcrawler]

At 6/16/13 03:49 PM, DamienFleisch wrote: Also, if you are a student I think EW offers a student discount on Hollywood Strings, the downside to that is that technically you can't use them for professional work, though.

If they came out Hollywood Strings before I graduated from Berklee, I would still able to get a student version. Oh well.

[PeterSatera]

I should add, for everyone too.

You can get Embertone Intimate Strings lite for free. Between that and free Cinematic Strings monster staccatos, you have a good base to mix with other packages to build some broad sound.

[OrangeMineralValley]

Audio Bro Strings for shure.

[Wurfel-Waffles]

At 6/25/13 07:26 AM, OrangeMineralValley wrote: Audio Bro Strings for shure.

You mean LASS?

[bulangbintang]

I use east West silver edition and although it still far away from a real string section, it works for me

[joshhunsaker]

At 6/14/13 11:16 PM, gridcrawler wrote:

At 6/14/13 10:28 PM, DanMasterFlash wrote: Seriously though, native instruments puts out some seriously remarkable vsts that sound sooooo good. Some may disagree, and I am a bit of a native instruments fan boy, but look up session strings.

NI don't make instrument libraries. They provide a framework (Kontakt). Even Komplete bundle is full of 3rd parties.

Unless you count Session and Action Strings and countless other libs that NI actually does do themselves.

[JacobCadmus]

At 6/16/13 11:00 AM, Emid wrote: You might wanna look into Cornucopia strings. Its a newer and cheaper option and rapidly building its reputation.

^THIS. I have Cornucopia Strings. they are PHENOMENAL, as long as you're okay with writing in ensemble format (sans basses; those are on separate patches). their staccato and spiccato patches are the most organic-sounding short strings I have ever heard.

[OrangeMineralValley]

At 6/25/13 01:14 PM, Wurfel-Waffles wrote:

At 6/25/13 07:26 AM, OrangeMineralValley wrote: Audio Bro Strings for shure.

You mean LASS?

Yep.