KVR Audio

jprykiel · Post by **jprykiel** » Mon Jan 24, 2022 11:59 am

Hi friends.
How can I put this? I’m looking for the most basic and stupid string articulation, sustained notes with fast attacks. I can’t find anything like this in all the libraries I’ve heard or tried. Every sustained notes articulation had a slow attack and had to be layered with staccatos to get something sharper which doesn’t sound very natural.
to illustrate what I want to do, here is a song you all know, https://youtu.be/z0qW9P-uYfMlisten at 1:30 in this video to what the strings are playing.f I’m looking for something like this. Any ideas welcome.
Cheers,

jprykiel · Post by **jprykiel** » Mon Jan 24, 2022 12:14 pm

seems my link was wrong.
https://youtu.be/z0qW9P-uYfM

kfraser · Post by **kfraser** » Mon Jan 24, 2022 3:31 pm

I agree with you, it's a very useful articulation and hard to find. The closest I've found is in Session Strings Pro 2 which is a Kontakt instrument. I think it's also in the non-pro version, Session Strings 2, which is part of Komplete. There is an articulation called "Accented".

jprykiel · Post by **jprykiel** » Mon Jan 24, 2022 6:09 pm

Thanks a lot. I’ll have a listen to that.
Cheers.

plexuss · Post by **plexuss** » Mon Jan 24, 2022 8:45 pm

Also check out Spirfire Audio BBC Orchestra. I have Core and the Legato articulation do as you need, fast attack with a sustained bowing. However it's a string ensemble so the resin/string sounds you hear in the Elton song are not as apparent. For that you could try Audio Modelling SWAM Violin which is not sample based but can do that kind of attack sound well. Perhaps a mix of a couple SWAM violins mixed with a string section like in Spitfire would work.

iPlogger · Post by **iPlogger** » Tue Jan 25, 2022 12:36 am

I also agree it's hard to find. I recently upgraded to Komplete Ultimate but didn't quite find what I wanted in Session Pro 2. I will keep looking. I will double check the accented sound. Maybe if I move the sample start. I have had to use my Yamaha workstation when I want to use (what I consider) that kind of bread and butter string sound.

jprykiel · Post by **jprykiel** » Tue Jan 25, 2022 12:55 am

Thanks. That’s interesting. But I thought legato meant that you could only play one note at a time. Is it different in BBC?
Cheers,

plexuss wrote: ↑Mon Jan 24, 2022 8:45 pm Also check out Spirfire Audio BBC Orchestra. I have Core and the Legato articulation do as you need, fast attack with a sustained bowing.

BONES · Post by **BONES** » Tue Jan 25, 2022 3:04 am

Would something with Marcato articulation do the trick? There must be plenty around.

pabloaldunate · Post by **pabloaldunate** » Tue Jan 25, 2022 6:22 am

Orchestral Tools have different attacks on Long and Short articulations

plexuss · Post by **plexuss** » Tue Jan 25, 2022 7:04 am

I checked out Spirfire BBC Core and Discovery. Core is so much more realistic than Discovery but it's pricey. Core's Violin 1 Legato is indeed one note at a time, triggering a violin section. But it has the attack close to what you are looking for. The Mercato articulation has a medium attack and doesn't have the speed or bite in the recorded example.

I think its going to require listening to what sample libraries have to offer because there seems to inconsistencies even from those within the same company. I will try and check UVI's Orchestral library as well. But I think that a mix of solo SWAM violins could do it especially with an MPE controller. Like I said SWAM Violin mixed with the BBC Legato Violin 1 would come pretty close. This makes me want to try it... not sure I have time to try and recreate that string part...

DJErmac · Post by **DJErmac** » Tue Jan 25, 2022 7:52 am

Another thing to consider is that strings naturally do not have a very hard attack. They are not bass synth. The trick is to apply an offset to your track so the "hearable" attack comes right when you want it : consider that the players have to start playing a few milliseconds before the measure so it seems in sync. I always apply an offset that can vary between -80 and -300ms depending on string libraries.

jprykiel · Post by **jprykiel** » Tue Jan 25, 2022 8:42 am

Thanks for your replies all of you. I realize there is something crucial I forgot to say, I want to be able to do that live, which means on a full ensemble polyphonic instrument.
So I’m afraid BBC or Swam, as great as they are, would not be the solution I am looking for.
I might end up resampling my Nordstage, as I’m getting near to what I want with that one, but it sounds a little cheap, and I was really hoping for something richer, but with the same kind of articulations.
Someone mentioned orchestral tools which I haven’t tried yet. I guess companies that produce sound libraries know what they are doing, but I wonder why they never thought of this one. Is it something that very few people would use? I really wonder.
Cheers.

Mr Arkadin · Post by **Mr Arkadin** » Tue Jan 25, 2022 11:53 am

Maybe Spitfire's Abbey Road Two: Iconic Strings would be more the sound you're after. It's not cheap but it does have ensembles, but probably far more other articulations than you actually need. Those Elton strings were probably recorded in Abbey Road too.

jprykiel · Post by **jprykiel** » Tue Jan 25, 2022 12:13 pm

I’ve listen to this one as well. It’s great, but it’s a string quintet. I wish they recorded a larger ensemble in the same condition and with the same articulations.
Will they?

Mr Arkadin wrote: ↑Tue Jan 25, 2022 11:53 am Maybe Spitfire's Abbey Road Two: Iconic Strings would be more the sound you're after, but it's not cheap but it does have ensembles but probably far more other articulations than you actually need. Those Elton strings were probably recorded in Abbey Road too.

jancivil · Post by **jancivil** » Tue Jan 25, 2022 7:50 pm

Helix, free in the SINE player from Orch Tools, has a pretty robust attack in its sustains at a strong dynamic here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyYkv19pkAs

My recurring yet unanswered strings Library question