Best FREE Strings for Ballads and Love Songs? (Synth & Acoustic)

[Gabriel_West]

So far, I prefer PG-8X with it's original Bank Presets and Orpheus Strings (Preset: Cinema Str.) as favorites but curious to know, with which VSTi's you guys made the best experiences. (Unfortunately, decent Acoustic Strings that are often used in famous Ballads and Love Songs are very hard to find for free) If this VSTi can support the singers vocal-intonation quite well alone with simple chord progressions, then it's exactly for what I was looking for.

[tylerdedera]

Have you tried VSCO2? Pretty decent sounds for a free rompler.
https://vis.versilstudios.com/vsco-2.html

[jadeandtea]

There are some decent free strings from Spitfire. Otherwise, the Philharmonica Orchestra has a collection of free samples for several instruments used in classical music, but they come as zip files of different pitches and lengths so you have to either use them as is or organize them into some sort of instrument sampler.

[VELLTONE MUSIC]

Synth1 and Firebird(32bit) for string like pads,sampled strings are boring.

[crimsonwarlock]

If you like the synth strings from PG8x then check out Ragnarok (link in my sig below); it was build to do very big sounding string pads. Just combine it with TAL Chorus (also free)

We are (slowly) working to get Mark II finished, which is even better in this regard (it has its own chorus)

[Music Bird]

Dexed STRINGS 2 from the DX7 ROM 1A.
VSCO2 Violin Section layered with Cello Section.
Cheeze Machine
A synth strings patch I made in Synth1.
I’m not a fan of convincing strings or brass, I always use the most synthiest ones, I’m also a fan of the DX7 harmonica and accordion patches.

[Benedict]

Try this wee beastie:
https://youtu.be/UPEYMkRvYy8
Not a preset thing, but if you do the work to make the right sound in the mix, it can deliver a lot.
https://benedictroffmarsh.com/2018/05/3 ... ing-stuff/

[SparkySpark]

Interesting: it seems no one is fond of sampled strings really? Assuming this has to do with the static nature of samples: does this mean there is actually a VSTi that's missing? Something that morphs between its included samples maybe? Or some PM-based string section with built-in randomization/humanizing?

[Benedict]

I have The Orchestra as well as Orkester with Reason and some LABs and other freebies but ultimately I always prefer working with my pure synths as the sounds can be similar enough (I often can't tell which I used after a month or so) and more versatile as I can alter tone, time, little details like embrochure... which is very hard with samples which I find become static after 1-2 uses and I'm annoyed with them.