I often feel that Audiobro's 'Modern Scoring Strings' and it's accompanying 'Expanded Legato' are often overlooked. The strings are lush and dynamic with many articulations, and include one of the most powerful and intuitive engines on the market, in my humble opinion. They're certainly more mellow sounding than 'LASS 3', but absolutely worth considering for a place in your arsenal. We really are spoilt these days and I've been using samples since the Akai S1000 was first released.

What I use: Solo strings - Cremona Quartet (NI), Gypsy Violin (EW), Lyrical Cello & Violin (Sonuscore). Ensemble strings - Session Strings Pro 2 (NI), Intimate Strings (Spitfire), The Orchestra Complete 3 (Sonuscore). I have many more libraries, but these are foundational with me coming back to them often.

I tend to use the same two or three string libraries regulary and some of my others for layering or supporting background sound. I tend to compose romantic and melancholic music with minimal instruments. I just purchased Berlin Symphonic Strings today, so it'll be fun to see how well that one sounds. -Everyday Use: Spitfire Appassionata, CSS -Solo Strings: Sonixenima Intimate Legato Cello -Free/Low Budget: Spitfire Originals Intimate Strings -Thematic/Atmospheric: Albion One, Contemporary Drama Toolkit -Modern/Hybrid Cinematic: Albion One, Areia Romantic/Emotional: Spitfire Appassionata, CSS

Been waiting for a video like this for a long time. Very much appreciated!

For a long time I only had CSS as my workhorse, but for a few years now I've also owned the Berlin Symphonic Strings, which have replaced CSS as main library. However, I still use CSS for layering. So I use BSS as the front, while CSS runs in the background at -5 to -8 dB to round off the sound. Otherwise, I also use the standard Berlin Strings if I need to fake divisi. If I need muted strings, the Berlin Con Sordino Strings are my choice. For effects, I like to use the corresponding expansion packs from the same series.

I love your videos! Its fun to watch thanks for the recommendation. :)

After a longtime user of vsl se 1 plus and hoopus I discovered sample modelling strings and since a couple of weeks Audio Modeling strings. It works absolutely great. I studied the cello. That helps me to understand how Audio Modeling is working. And especially with the solos I can achieve almost everything I can imagine. From scratchy banded tremolos to con sordino sul tasto with unparalleled consistency. They still have to improve the sound a little. But to be honest: if the people I write for like the composition, they don’t care if I use east west or modelled strings. But as I said: with AM I can do everything (except col legno, which sounds horrible in the solos and don’t even exist in the sections)

2:08 I caught that! Great theme

Thank you a lot!

7:05 How beautiful does this passage sound!?!? 🤯♥

Subscribed!🎉 You’re fantastic!🎉happy 2024

idk which one would you suggest for more old school classical writing? My style is retro-early 20th century British school of music: Walton, Bax, RVW. When I wrote my 1st symphony like over 10 years ago (actually all three of my symphonies), I was using the Vienna Symphonic Library, first edition, and not to its fullest extent. I was mostly just trying to make a score and parts for live musicians, and the midi recording was an after effect. And I have some sort of Vienna Instruments samples for solo strings, but it sounds very nasally and brash regarding the violins. These newer libraries sound more like an end product on themselves, and not just a means to make a mock up for a conductor to listen to.

as a video game composer I would only choose CSS because for me the sound blends better with synths and other non-orchestral instruments. I find CSS hits nice and hard for short passages as well. for that epic boss battle Hollow Knight sound. Pacific strings do sound amazing and lush for that orchestral classical sound yes. I love CSS and CSB tho. Tokyo Scoring Strings is also great. They have updated it a few times now since it was released.

All this years I tried many of plugins. Near to close and natural sound I can say with confidence for me it`s 8dio products.

Nice video ! What do you think about DOLCE of Audio Imperia? Do you test it?

Cool duck in the back 😅

I'm a techno / house producer and really don't have too much idea about producing orchestral music. I do prefer more minimal compositions and orchestral mixed with synthesizers etc - things like Max Richter, Ludovicio Einaudi, Olafur Arnalds, Craig Armstrong, Cinematic Orchestra - Arrival of the birds, and I love Ramin Djawadi - Dragonstone. What library particularly for strings and piano would you recommend? Areia modern?

Thanks you, give us more horror strings ❤❤

Vista is one of my favorites to be honest. The only thing I wish it had was more articulations. That's the only thing that's really missing. Other than that, I cannot wait for Vista II

It was great to see Areia in the running. Can't wait to check out the new additional legato articulations in the recent update. Highly underrated library. It even manages mono compatibility for close and tree mic samples, something which only LA Strings can do from what I've gathered. CSS was a godsend when I was first starting out. Absolute quantum leap forward in quality and ease of use over my 8 Diablo strings. Audiobro's Modern Scoring Strings is almost certainly the biggest workhorse library of them all. It can do everything I need it to do other than sound quite as gorgeous tonally as some of the other libraries that have less flexibility and fewer articulations. I can get it really close with EQ curve matching and Altiverb though. Actually, the close mics of Modern Scoring Strings are far better samples than CSS, which relies much more on its excellent Decca Tree recordings for it's sound. I must be the only one to be as put off by Pacific Portamentos as I am. It's so popular. Is there any way to sub out that glide with a shorter legato sound? Pacific is a great company though that usually has me at not having to fiddle with my MIDI notes for timing, with every sample locked to the grid using a brilliant look-ahead feature. I'm almost obligated to buy Afflatus as a thank you to Strezov for making the best choir library of all time. I never thought choir would be one of the first sections for me to say "I'm good" on. Aaron Venture has me covered on winds and brass. Not sure what the status of Infinite Strings is. That might be my final string library. Good to see the overrated Berlin not in the running. Beautiful tone on the long notes. Cannot handle speed. It does, however, boast the only double bass section whose tone I absolutely love: smooth and non-whoopie cushion sounding. Good to see Cinestrings not in the running. Don't have it, but even if it were 10 times better than their severely overrated horns, I'd still like it less than CSS. For solo I've got Joshua Bell. Utterly insane sample library, which again, I'm shocked that something as delicate as a violin would be one of the first instruments to say "I'm good" on and not feel the need to make another purchase. Solo by Audio Imperia is absolutely solid. The ancient Nocturne cello is still my favorite cello solo overall. Sorry Tina (though her library's legato work is best in class).

Thanks for the video Kevin, do you use more pacific or CSS ? I love pacific but at higher dynamics the upper register sounds almost like portamentos on every note, I'm eyeing CSS to solve that. Also what are the colors you're using in studio one for the tracks ? I feel like the contrast is very bad in the software and those colors are helping a lot, is it custom or in the vanilla software ?

Areia has great shorts especially, which cut through the mix very nicely where many other libraries sound washed out. There are some issues though like Setting vibrato to zero on legato patches exposes vibrato on the sample start. The transitions in legato sound clunky in some patches. Pity they messed those up or just cut costs. I've just been listening to spitfire Appassionata and they sound really great but I'm not sure if you can get rid of vibrato if you need to.

Do you know how to prevent Pacific from constantly doing that unwanted portamento. It can't seemed to be mapped or controlled by velocity or anything like CSS.

I LOVE Cinematic Studio Strings. To me....its the closest to James Horner's sound. I use it in EVERY composition since 2022.

Hello, can anyone please tell me Disney or Cartoon/Animation movie like sounding strings plzzzzzzzz😭

wish i had the money for that :D

Very interesting - thanks. The new Benjamin Wallfisch string library from Orchestral Tools sounds astonishingly alive to my ears (divisi recordings/up & downbow recordings/no looping). Have you had a chance to try that yet? Sadly rather expensive.

😍

You're next level dude! 👍 Do you have a recommendation for a string quartet or quintet library suitable for pop and folk music? Thanks!

The cello (with a woman on the cover) in Musio is the best long string cello I have ever heard. Have you tried that?

which of these would be lighter on the CPU and RAM while also having a good sound? (i have 8GB of ram)

I'm a film composer and agree that Cinematic Studio Strings is still the best overall. The muted strings are gorgeous. However, I still haven't found a great library for creating convincing osstinato pasages, other than Sonokinetic which are recorded passages so they are very limited. For the others I always find using the spiccato samples unconvincing, Just not enough round robin samples and they just don't sound realistic. Any new recommendations?

My favorite is by far CSS because ... I don't have another one 😁

OT BENJAMIN WALLFISCH STRINGS, THE BEST SOUND STRINGS LIBRARY OF THE WORLD

Cinematic studio string 2 any good?

Surprised Joshua Bella Violin, and Tina Guo Cello didn't make the cut

I think there's something strange in the voice leading between violins and basses in the thing you composed for this video.

What are your top strings libraries for the following purposes? Fill the template with your picks! - Everyday-use: - Solo strings: - Free/Low-Budget: - Thematic/Atmospheric: - Modern/Hybrid cinematic: - Romantic/Emotional:

Pardon me slightly off topic but: when it comes to solo strings, there's really no excuse for not hiring real musicians (!) in my opinion.