String ensemble library?

Sampler and Sampling discussion (techniques, tips and tricks, etc.)
Post Reply New Topic
RELATED
PRODUCTS

Post

Any recommendations for a string ensemble library? I'm looking for a more intimate chamber ensemble sound, not epic/Hollywood type of strings, preferably with some more advanced articulations, like harmonics and Bartok pizzicato (not exceeding $300). Something you would hear during an eerie suspense scene or good for modern atonal music with some unusual effects...

Post

szurcio wrote:(not exceeding $300)
That's the hard part. Bartok is hard to get by itself or in a smaller bundling.

You're looking at 8Dio Century Ensemble Strings or Adagietto, Spitfire Symphonic, Chamber, or Sacconi, EastWest Hollywood Strings, VSL Strings, Cinestrings, Orchestral Tools. Least expensive option is to get EW Composer Cloud for as long as you need it for your project.

Could also jump on the $99 VSTBuzz deal for Aria's bundle, which includes a string library with Bartok Pizz. The strings in general are passable but you get what you pay for.

Post

Yeah you're probably not gonna find that for $300, not a really good one anyways. You're probably going to have to at least double that figure to get a quality library that does what you're asking. I have not used Aria so for all I know it's good, but most people that have used it say that it's passable at best. The above recommendations are good, provided you are willing to spend some more money or sign up for the Composer Cloud, which is a reasonable suggestion.

Post

Session Strings Pro is a very good chamber string ensemble...
No auto tune...

Post

Check some Spitfire audio stuff, but I think that only this is close to your price range.

https://www.spitfireaudio.com/shop/inst ... ral-swarm/

Post

I just picked up Spitfire Studio Strings, but I haven't installed it yet. I bought NI Session Strings Pro 2 during the holiday sale, but Spitfire was having a flash sale at 40% off, so I picked up that library too. Any feedback on the Spitfire Studio library?

Post

the Swarm product is all "Swarm", it's not a regular string ensemble set of articulations.

Post

If you want a good regular set of articulations plus Bartok pizz, artificial harmonics, gliss, harmonics gliss, col legno (col legno trem, etc) and the lot per typical scary music scores, the $300 hard limit probably means this is out of reach.

Post

scratch that,

VSL Solo Strings has the basics here in the standard version at 275 euro. NB: this is not an ensemble (and you won't make it one by multiplying instances), but you can have a string quartet with these for this kind of money.

https://www.vsl.co.at/en/Solo_Strings_B ... le_Content

actually the new Spitfire Studio Strings MIGHT get you there. Surprising price and bang for the buck for them. They've changed their evil ways. Baby

Post

Doesn't VSL have ensemble strings in the SE series in Chamber Strings, and an orchestra full of them in the Appassionata? I think they are SE 2 and 3, respectively.
“You can blow out a candle, but you can't blow out a fire.
Once the flame begin to catch, the wind will blow it higher.”
--Peter Gabriel

Post

I picked up Spitfire Studio Strings recently. It's $249 and has Bartok and other articulations. I agree with jancivil, it's great bang for the buck, I don't know anything else that offers this breadth at this level and pricepoint. Instruments are grouped by section. Nice medium-sized sound with the one mic position. Has falls/scoops for disco, even.

Post

VSL SE doesn't have those articulations. For that matter, the Synchron Strings don't.

Wait, are their prices going down? Chamber Strings Standard is 295 euro. There is no sul pont, no col legno trem, but it has the snap pizz and artificial harmonics.

Post

Getting into the beyond, VSL Synchron FX Strings has all these long glisses, harmonic glisses, rises, pizz swarms, 'harmonic rubbing', many cluster things, vertical tremolo, and genuinely spooky shit all over. And they provide a nice flanger, delay, reverbs, saturation now. It's the Synchron product meaning very detailed mic'ing of that room and a mixer, with 4 aux for sends, and this is all automatable. The very cool aspect here is you can switch articulations in midstream and it intelligently crossfades.

Post

I picked up Spitfire Audio Studio Strings Pro for the extra mics and even without the extra mics this library can't be beat at this price point. Air studio is a drier sound but that's what I like about this library and engineer Simon Rhodes has done a spectacular job recording the instruments and players. Top notch!!

Post

Very tempting, indeed.

Another thing for the avant-garde or 'scary' strings is Spitfire Evo I strings. But it's not the direct and simple switch to the articulation you want, it's stacks of note groupings doing a certain kind of thing and then you parse that into other groupings, your decisions will be this evolving into that.

I don't love the interface because you can't automate the choices of these groupings, you have to load .nkis for the different evolutions it looks like to me. But, the effect of this idea can be killer. It's that same $249. There are swarms of pizz in it, some of them are clearly snap aka Bartok.

Post Reply

Return to “Samplers, Sampling & Sample Libraries”