Strings Dream Synthesizer : Win32 Demo VSTi download here

[Francisco Cepero]

This is a generous demo version, liqih, despite the slight annoyance about where to put the plug-in's files.

This string machine sounds beautiful. There are a couple others I tried which are freeware, but your plug-in has that mark of quality with sound!

I have to say something which might not be important. On many of the included presets (of the demo version, of course), when the ADSR switch is set out of "Full" and the vintage waveform is set to square, there are a few clicks at note-off. I understand those presets have the amplitude envelope release set a bit away from minimum, but with the ADSR switch set to "Full", the sound fades away as expected.

Anyway, setting a long amplitude envelope release takes care of that clicking. This is something I discovered about the demo version, not a criticism. Otherwise, I await the official release of Strings Dream Synthesizer.

[Murky]

Here is a brief demo.

Northern Dream

This is several tracks of Strings Dream with no extra effects.

[states]

excellent emu. always glad to test the nusofting stuff.
+1 for the standalone verb.
and.. as for which is the best solina emulation... my heart belongs to the two reaktor ensembles by Hugo Portillio. imho, not even the geforce rompler can beat this in terms of sheer playability & fun-factor.

[teacue]

"Strings Dream Synthesizer" sounds really impressive!
I have Hugo Portillos very good emulation for Reaktor and also Gforce "Virtual String Machine" but your new instrument has its own character and seems to be soundwise quite flexible without loosing his "old flair".
I think it will compliment very well the others!
The introduction price seems very nice too.

Very, very tempting!

Best regards

PS
Though at the end it did not prevent me to test your instrument and to finally love it, I found this particular demo restriction very annoying and way too short

[Murky]

Here is a more practical example of Strings Dream, by that I mean I am using another synth for the lead and I added a kick drum. Strings Dream is being used for the pulsing string sound and for the bass.

Doctor Dream

Put on your shades, sit back, and relax for 15 seconds while we review music of the 80's. [/url]

[BFunKu]

Wasn't Windows 3.2 discontinued in 1994? Why and the hell would you develop something for that OS now?
This Plugin is Top Notch and Sounds Great by the way.

[liqih]

quick message, as I have my parents visting today

1) found that some SDS filters works correctly only at 44100 Hz sampleRate, so the release is delayed a few days.
2) please tell me how you want me to change the demo restrictions and installation, if any change is needed,

Please keep playing the current Demo at 44100 Hz sampleRate and keep the comments coming!

Thanks for the good words and the feedback and the mp3s, I read everything but now I'm in a hurry

[EvilDragon]

Give 30 minutes play time, then mute the output.

[alienmachine]

Hi liqih,

Nice! I checked the waveforms of the oscillators. Great job for those. When I was designing my instruments I went through a lot of them to find the one that sounded (and looked) similar to the old machines. The contrabass and viola waveforms are great!. I would have love to code something similar but I lack enough DSP skills

The phaser sounds really good, but no Small Stone there. For JMJ pads the Small Stone with the Color switch ON is indispensable. You won't get a realistic Jarre pad, a la Oxygene 1 without it.

The chorus effect is too soft for my taste, I don't feel the swirling effect of the Solina and 310. This may be subjective since I never played with the real thing, but that is what I think.

Also, I would suggest, for the future, that you add a way to adjust the envelope attack and release curves. Currently, the attack curve of your instrument is completely linear. As far as I know, and from the samples I have, that is not the case for the Eminent 310, for example. The attack on the 310 (and maybe the Solina) is logarithmic. The release phase is exponential, which is the same as your VSTi.

Another very important thing to emulate old string machines is vibrato on the master oscillator.

My suggestion for version 2 is to have two layers like Gforce Vintage String Machines. With that you will be able to emulate the 8' + SUST layers of the Eminent 310 Strings Ensemble to produce Oxygene 1, 6 and Equinoxe 1 type of sounds.

Great Job! Can't wait for its release!

[alienmachine]

Hi liqih,

Some more things to mention: I see that there is no controls to adjust the speed of each LFO in the Chorus/Ensemble module. That would be a great addition as well as to pass external audio through it.

And last, it could be my system but when I go to Various and click Help, Microsoft Word tries to open the help document several times in a separate window until the system runs out of memory After that, I have to close each window, around 25, separately.

Thanks!

[Murky]

Here is another Strings Dream demo song. It's called Bond's Dream, as in James Bond. All instruments, except the drums, are Strings Dream. There are no additional effects.

Bond's Dream

(EDIT: now with quieter drums)

I have noticed that when using a pitch wheel, the range in Strings Dream is not as wide as my keyboard (Yamaha S80). Don't know if that is an issue, it is just something I noticed.

[fr4ncesco]

all SDS, plus some delay (GSi GS-201) and drums from V-Pops

SolitoDroneSintetico

[liqih]

Doctor_Dream.mp3 is nice, maybe longer? bond.mp3 Nice too but for a SDS demo the druns are loud

I have noticed that when using a pitch wheel, the range in Strings Dream is not as wide as my keyboard (Yamaha S80). Don't know if that is an issue, it is just something I noticed.

yes I used a small fixed range which seems best to me for the strings

[liqih]

all SDS, plus some delay (GSi GS-201) and drums from V-Pops

SolitoDroneSintetico

great work fr4ncesco, as you may know Strings Dream name is for I love Tangerine Dream

my only remark is the drums too loud for my taste, but the whole SDS arrangement is super.

Thanks

[liqih]

Hi liqih,

Nice! I checked the waveforms of the oscillators. Great job for those. When I was designing my instruments I went through a lot of them to find the one that sounded (and looked) similar to the old machines. The contrabass and viola waveforms are great!. I would have love to code something similar but I lack enough DSP skills

The phaser sounds really good, but no Small Stone there. For JMJ pads the Small Stone with the Color switch ON is indispensable. You won't get a realistic Jarre pad, a la Oxygene 1 without it.

Thanks am, I agree that SDS Phaser is no Small Stone, I wanted to implement a more versatile Phaser for SDS, ok it may not reach the same Color of the Small Stone but the it has many possibilities IMHO. BTW a sound that I really like is the Tangerine Dream : Elka Rhapsody thru a Schulte Phaser.

The chorus effect is too soft for my taste, I don't feel the swirling effect of the Solina and 310. This may be subjective since I never played with the real thing, but that is what I think.

AFAIK the 310 Enseble effect is richer than the Solina one, I based SDS Ensemble on the Eminent Solina schematic, and on a real Solina I could play,
please check this A-B, first you hear the real Solina = chord clean, chord chorus. Then the same chord played with SDS
http://dashsignature.com/SDS/viola_clea ... %2B%2B.wav

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