UJAM STRIIIINGS

[donkey tugger]

but perhaps from E flat to F major

Are you some kind of masochist? String noise? There'd be all kinds of f**king noise..

Ditch the F major...

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[BONES]

It's an interesting review but the reviewer seems to be ignorant of things like NOVO Strings, which does a lot of the same stuff and has been around for several years without setting the world on fire. The thing that sets Striiiings apart for me is the 5 different intensity levels you can use. It makes it a good complement for NOVO Essentials, rather than a replacement, but I still think NOVO probably has more to offer overall (and it's cheaper). The thing that strikes me with Striiiings is that Elmer Bernstein would have loved it - it feels like it's tailor-made for all those old Westerns, where NOVO feels more properly orchestral, if you know what I mean.

Ok, let's agree to disagree on that one - it really doesn't matter. What I intended to point out is that string noise is an integral part of guitar playing. Entirely leaving it out makes the patterns less realistic. It just does.

I dunno, I can't recall ever hearing any string noise in a Ramones song. Then there is the thought that it has to sound realistic, which I am really not all that fussed about. I want something that can do the job of a guitarist or an orchestra, I don't care if it sounds exactly like one or not. It's the emotion I am after, even with the covers I am doing at the moment, and you can get that a dozen different ways.

I'd hope to see som intelligence there, like moving from Am to C wouldn't cause string noise, but perhaps from E flat to F major, and obviously not every time, but at random intervals, based on a string noise appearance possibility factor, or the SNAP factor in short .

Your talking about guitars now, it's not relevant to this instrument at all.

[dblock]

Session Strings Pro 2

[BONES]

Yeah, for more than twice the price.

[dblock]

Yeah, for more than twice the price.

True. That's the down side but you get the functionality that goes with it. Not for everybody for sure.

[BONES]

I listened to NI's demos and I can't say I was overly impressed. It's very one-dimensional, where Striiiings offers more versatility, in that it doesn't always have to sound like a string section. NOVO takes that concept even further, and NOVO Essentials is cheaper than Striiiings. So in the end it comes down to what, exactly, you are looking for. NOVO's rhythmic stuff can be very inspiring.

[BONES]

I see the intro price is gone now and, I have to say, $169 looks like a lot of money for a Ujam plugin. It's difficult to judge but is this worth as much as DUNE or Diva? I suppose it is a lot more expensive to create, so it is what it is. Still diggin' it, though, I just need to get onto some stuff I can use it on.

[rikki rivett]

I have to admit though that I'm looking at it in the context of wanting to create an actual string part with some development, rather than as an extra/"add-on" in a Pop or HipHop track.

Then you can't have spent much time with it.

I do feel the variations are really boring....just adding denser rhythms (of which there are just 5) and those -to me- very uninspired "additions" ....a bit more imagination there would not have been too hard.

What are you talking about, there are more than 60 different phrases/riffs available and the ability to split the violin section from the cellos sort of doubles that. Then you can play them at half speed or double speed, which multiplies it by 3 again, to more than 360. Then, for each of these are the five different intensities, which takes the grand total to over 1800 possible patterns.

Well I actually do like it and already used it, but just for a sound here and there - my point is that trying to create an arrangement with it is really limited, a bit frustrating. I watched both the Pop & HipHop promo videos made by Boris and to me it’s telling that after 16 bars of the music, which begins with playing block chords and then demonstrates just one rhythmic pattern, that’s it- both videos are over in 2 minutes….so, even though you are correct that i haven’t got into Striings in great depth, I think I’ve figured out the gist of what’s on offer.

Bones, while your sums are correct, the variations within Striiings presets -blandly increasing the density of parts, by going from quarter notes to eigths to 16ths for instance- aren’t terribly interesting or even musically useful. The jump from a simple, open-sounding part to something more full and busy is often a bit jarring. Once you’ve picked your preset, there’s not very much choice on offer that sounds fluid when you want a variation.

I’m speculating that what Hans Zimmer had available was actually quite limited in scope and UJAM have done the best they can with the material.

What Striiiing *does* have going for it is absolutely killer production-ready sound, and I think that’s got us all hooked in one way or another. The NI products- Sessions Strings pro, or Action Strings (which is perhaps a bit closer to some of the styles Striiings might cover) sound really polite and unimpressive in comparison-as you point out (agreed as you say that Novo, in comparison, gives you way more freedom and has a great sound too, but is really expensive).

And, if you want something a bit more of the-wall to drop into a track, rather than a complete string arrangement over several minutes, Striiings offers that too. I think there's a lot of fun to be had using the effects processing too. So I actually do like it but I don’t think it’s worth the full asking price.

[SparkySpark]

Well I actually do like it and already used it, but just for a sound here and there - my point is that trying to create an arrangement with it is really limited, a bit frustrating. I watched both the Pop & HipHop promo videos made by Boris and to me it’s telling that after 16 bars of the music, which begins with playing block chords and then demonstrates just one rhythmic pattern, that’s it- both videos are over in 2 minutes….

...

the variations within Striiings presets -blandly increasing the density of parts, by going from quarter notes to eigths to 16ths for instance- aren’t terribly interesting or even musically useful. The jump from a simple, open-sounding part to something more full and busy is often a bit jarring. Once you’ve picked your preset, there’s not very much choice on offer that sounds fluid when you want a variation.

Really well weighed post, I think. Price-wise, it's a bit high because of the limitations, I agree. However, an upgrade could improve the product, and I hope UJAM reads this thread.

I've also spent more time with it now, and I agree with you saying the results aren't always musically sensible. Something I'd LOVE to see is a sustained chord for every patch (i.e., just a sustain chord like the ones already present under Sustain, but for the current setup). It could be triggered playing the low note C. Why? Well, there are so many times an arpeggio does its thing and then ends on a sustained half note or so: ta-da-di-di ta-da-di-di ta-da-di-di ta-da-di-di taaaaaaaaa.

It is such a stupid workaround bringing up another instance of Striiiings and adjust parameters just to get an ending sustained chord. What on earth were they thinking?

One thing they've done right, over my expectation, is the free bass line. Great, UJAM! Makes a much better mix between individual string samples and ready-made string loops.

BTW I've now made a Jingle Bells version, using four instances of UJAM. Worked excellent as a background to a nonsense text (for a workplace's Christmas card). And it was really fun!

[BONES]

I watched both the Pop & HipHop promo videos made by Boris and to me it’s telling that after 16 bars of the music, which begins with playing block chords and then demonstrates just one rhythmic pattern, that’s it- both videos are over in 2 minutes….so, even though you are correct that i haven’t got into Striings in great depth, I think I’ve figured out the gist of what’s on offer.

I found those videos very one-dimensional. I haven't had a chance to use Strings in any actual work yet but the way I often end up using Ujam's guitar instruments involves more work with the left hand that the right, in that I only need a new note with my right hand when I want another chord, whereas I can hold that chord and change the pattern half-a-dozen times before I need the next chord.

Bones, while your sums are correct, the variations within Striiings presets -blandly increasing the density of parts, by going from quarter notes to eigths to 16ths for instance- aren’t terribly interesting or even musically useful.

In my mucking around I have found the opposite - I think they work really well for tension and release, especially building the tension, and I find myself wishing they'd make a guitar instrument with similar functionality.

The jump from a simple, open-sounding part to something more full and busy is often a bit jarring. Once you’ve picked your preset, there’s not very much choice on offer that sounds fluid when you want a variation.

I haven't tried it yet but I am hopping you can change the patterns, at the bottom-left, on the fly and automate those changes, especially as some of those patterns are variations on a theme and would be perfect together in a single piece. e.g. The three different Phoenix variations.

(agreed as you say that Novo, in comparison, gives you way more freedom and has a great sound too, but is really expensive).

But NOVO Essentials, which is all I've got, is quite cheap. At first I thought it was a little too limited but, once you dive in, there is a surprising amount in there.

So I actually do like it but I don’t think it’s worth the full asking price.

On that we are agreed, which seems to be most people's gripes with Ujam generally. Luckily you only need to be patient to get things for at least half-price and then they make great sense. I have more Ujam VSTs than any other brand but Striiings, at the introductory price, is far and away the most I've paid for any of them. I got two for free and haven't paid more than half-price or an intro price for any of the others.

[SparkySpark]

I haven't tried it yet but I am hopping you can change the patterns, at the bottom-left, on the fly and automate those changes, especially as some of those patterns are variations on a theme and would be perfect together in a single piece. e.g. The three different Phoenix variations.

Yes, that is correct. Well, automate and automate... As you must be aware of, the UJAM products are controlled with MIDI "notes" at the far left. For my test on Jingle Bells , I wanted patterns to change a bit from time to time, so I simply drew the MIDI notes in the keyroll where I had added the chords.

...so just like the other UJAM plugins, in other words. The main difference UI-wise is the Bass note addition, I think.

A tip for newcomers to UJAM products: when drawing these changes, cut them off a sixteenth or so before the bar change (or wherever you want the new pattern to play). Otherwise, the plugin may not keep up, and you'll get stuck with the last pattern in the new bar.