Cinematic Strings 2.0: Opinions and More

Sampler and Sampling discussion (techniques, tips and tricks, etc.)
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P.T. wrote:Possible things to try with the KH Library.

He has attack tied to velocity so if you use a lower velocity the attack will be slower.
I think this is a bad way to do it.
You could play at a high velocity, but then you get more vibrato because vibrato is tied to velocity as well.

There is a setting on the instrument interface that will allow you to turn off the connection between vibrato and velocity.

If you click on the wrench in the upper left you can open the sampler innards.

If you select Group Editor and then Edit All Groups (it's a red button) and then scroll down to the bottom.

There will be a few ADSR modulators.
Under one of them is a bar with velocity on the left, a slider in the middle and attack on the right.
The modulator above this bar has an attack knob set to about 6k ms.
Turn this to zero.

Now, even when you play at low velocity the attack should be fast.

Velocity will no longer affect attack.
I want to update this.

It seems that I overlooked something.

On the instrument interface there is a knob labeled Attk Sensitivity.
If you just turn that to zero then velocity will not affect attack.

Much simpler.

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In that case, the instrument's fastest attack is still a bit slow.

Now I'm between Cinematic Strings 2.0 and Solo Strings from Spitfire They are completely different, but are useful.

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BUMP:

I am trying to hear if Cinematic Strings 2.0 has any sort of Adagio mode, but it's hard for me to tell if one exists.

Basically, I'd use one of these products as the lead instrument(s). A full string section probably isn't a horrible idea for a main lead, am I right?

So, it's between:

Cinematic Strings 2.0 (soon to be 2.1)

Spitfire Albion II: Loegria (which might or might not work in a pop/rock context)

LASS First Chair

LASS Lite

(Lass is a bit squeaky though.)

I'm looking forward to reading everyone's thoughts on this subject.

Thanks.

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There is also " Symphonic Sphere " from Orchestraltools.com

They sound very nice as well . . . . .

good luck ! :)

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Hmmm... Symphonic Sphere is more for people who already have the core orchestral libraries. I am still lacking in brass, woodwinds, and percussion. Perhaps this means that Spitfire Loegria is the best choice because it has all of that plus the core articulations that Albion 1 lacks.

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I own KH, LASS, Cinematic Strings (1), Symphonic Sphere and Loegría.

I can recomend you Albion, either 1 or 2. Loegría have new articulations and a lovely sound , but Albión 1 have an awesome brass ensemble and bigger orchestral sound...
CS is also really great sounding...:)

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Ack it's just the currency conversion that gets in my way! Ah well, I do think that Cinematic Strings is good. I'm just wondering if it has a more "Adagio-like" mode with swells. It sounds great for fast passages, but I need a library that can play slowly as well.

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I looked into the Adagio Strings. I'm neutral about the sound, didn't seem particularly stellar or poor to me, that is with other stuff happening and the very wet sound of the first demos. as it gets into detail, the thing exposed, it does not in my opinion have a convincing set of articulations. OR, the person doing the demo is not very good at making convincing midi performances. I found it really rough from the demo and I wouldn't risk it. so for the price no way at all for me. the detailed demos kind of suggest why the first things they present are so produced and wet.

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synchronizer wrote: A full string section probably isn't a horrible idea for a main lead, am I right?
a section needs a concertmaster/first chair to lead, really. at some point you'll need a solo violin in front of the section to make a line sing.

one library is going to have a uniformity that's a two-edged sword, consistency is good - but in reality you have people with a lot of variance in a section. the lead player should stand out some. concertmasters do things like tune a hair sharp, for instance. and we need to learn how to focus and place the players.

I really think strings are a particular area where cheaping out is not a great idea.
I thought KH was lacking ten years ago and I still wouldn't put money in it today. I think I'd be doing the same amount of EQ and exciter as I'd do with GPO really.


ps, I was shocked at the intonation of that moment in the LASS demo. I've heard that talked about a number of times, but there's evidence. unless that's some bizarre mistake that is a true deal breaker for me. I never thought that sound was all that anyway.

VSL has the tone, and there isn't just one sound they put out. The Appassionata Strings are lush, and warm, and have bite, the whole package. It isn't for all music, though, you know.

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Ack...I don't have the budget for Solo AND Section Strings at the moment. It seems as though ideally, I'd purchase Cinematic Strings 2.0 and Spitfire Solo Strings, the latter being very expensive in comparison with the first.

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yeah, I still haven't found that budget myself.

if you have Kontakt, the VSL Demo solo violin and viola can really cut and stand out. they recorded a lot of bow noise on purpose; you don't need to boost but are given a lot of sound you can subtract from. of course the articulations are lacking. but def. the solo character.

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Yes I have Kontakt 5, thankfully. Would the VSL Kontakt solo violin would work well with the Cinematic Strings 2.0 ensembles then?

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haven't delved into Cinematic, I have no take on that.

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Does anyone else have opinions to share?

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I hear the spitfire stuff that's supposed to be basic bread&butter have lacking instrument range and velocity layers.

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