Writing string parts question

Yep, separate tracks for the different instruments is definitely the way to go
You will need to insert as many instances of Dimension Pro as you have instruments, and with 6Gb of RAM you should be good to insert a fair few before you run into system limitations.
Keep an eye on your RAM usage - if it starts to creep up ominously, freeze anything you're happy with. Freeze the synth, not the track.

depends on the need.  At times the pad is more than sufficient for the "strings",
 
and if the song warrants it... something like a Celine Dion piano based song, yes, you would want to use multiple tracks and plenty of good samples when you want it to sound like there is a real string session back there.

All advice above is good.  The first question is if you want realism or just a cool effect.  For realism, here are some basic thoughts:
 
• Agree to put instruments on separate tracks.  You can Google to get an orchestra seating chart to see where instruments are placed in a traditional symphony, although sometimes in modern music, things are panned a litte more extremely and the basses are kept more central.
• Phrasing is very important.  Try to sing along with a part and notice where you breathe.  It sounds weird when there are no breaks between phrases.  Depending on tempo, the break can be a quarter note or a 32nd, or something in between.
• Keyboard players—and I am one—tend to bunch the notes up together like a piano chord.  String arrangers voice chords with more space.
• Tried and true trick is to start with low strings, then move then higher as the song builds, and then add brass for drama.  Woodwinds are awesome for counter melodies and short solo lines.
 
Of course, you can do things completely differently: these are just some basic thoughts.
 
Good luck and let us hear what you come up with.

Bristol_Jonesey
... Freeze the synth, not the track.

Not trying to derail this thread, but I'm wondering what you mean by this. I take you're saying don't use the "snowflake" button?

To freeze a synthesizer instead of the track, open the browser, click on the synthesizer tab and click the freeze button on the synthesizer itself.

groovey1

Bristol_Jonesey
... Freeze the synth, not the track.

Not trying to derail this thread, but I'm wondering what you mean by this. I take you're saying don't use the "snowflake" button?

Sorry, I thought I'd responded to this last night, but obviously the forum software is still playing up.
 
What I'm saying is yes ,you DO use the snowflake icon, the one on the Midi track associated with the synth you want to freeze.
 
Freezing a track is accomplished by right clicking in the track header and selecting Freeze.
 
There are various options that can be set for either method - it's worth exploring these to get an idea of what the freeze functions are capable of

konradh
 and often Vienna Dimension Strings to get decent performance.

Hey Konrad... how are you liking those Dimension Strings? I think they're excellent. Anxiously awaiting the release of the Cellos!
 
Scott

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Scott, I love Dimension Strings.  They are more complex and detailed than the average person will need for a little sweetening, but if you want über-realistic orchestrations, they can't be beat.  I have used them on some pop and indie-folk stuff and they were great.
 
A few points for those considering the purchase:
 
1.  You really need to budget enough for the Vienna Instruments PRO player: the standard player can't take advantage of all the DS options.  PRO offers enough functions to make it a good purchase if you use any Vienna libraries.  I was annoyed at first because the sales people did not make this clear, but I am OK now and glad to have the PRO player.
2.  You can either set the Pro Player to load all the articulations when you select a patch, or you can set it so you have can load only the articulations you think you need.  Loading all the DS articulations takes a long time on my machine, and mine is pretty powerful.  If you load all the articulations, you should have a good bit of RAM on board.
3.  I try to keep the same articulations mapped to the same keyswitches in all my projects, even if it means having some empty cells; otherwise, I would go nuts trying to remember which keyswitch does what.
4.  If you buy DS, load it up, and play a single note, your first reaction may be: "OK, that sounds good but not that different than my other string samples."  Don't freak out.  When you start using DS, taking advantage of all the articulations and options, and realize all the different possibilities of using anywhere from one to eight violins, you will be amazed at the realism.  You can go 60s "To Sir With Love," Moody Blues, disco strings, chamber music—whatever.
5.  Although DS only has eight players, it can actually sound symphonic and is much richer than the chamber collection, especially with judicious use of the humanize feature of the Pro Player.  It also makes a good choice for 2nd violins along with your orchestral patch.  For string quartets, try two of the violins from DS along with the viola and cello from the solo string library (until DS releases the viola and cello collections!).
 
Sorry for the long post, but this is a big purchase for most people and I want you to be informed.
 
FYI, I have the old VSL Special Edition and Special Edition +, which means I have the whole orchestra with most articulations, sampled every other half step.  I also have the full Hollywood Strings library (I think the big one is called Diamond), and some good external synths.  Nothing is as real as DS, although, in fairness, Hollywood is a completely different sound.  I find Vienna more pristine than EastWest, which is neither good nor bad.

Sound On Sound ran a comprehensive series on string arranging last year.  Links follow:
 
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jun12/articles/string-theory-pt1.htm
 
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jul12/articles/string-theory-2.htm
 
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/aug12/articles/string-theory-part3.htm
 
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep12/articles/stringtheory-pt4.htm

Wow!  Thank you for all the great replies!  I took all of your advice and created multiple tracks with Dimension Pro.  Just to keep things simple, I created parts for violin, viola, cello and bass.  I didn't really feel like there was a need for violin I and II.  The song is pretty basic:  verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus   ....and the strings don't happen during the verses at all (only the choruses and bridge).
I began with the bass playing the roots of the chords (there's an acoustic guitar playing arpeggios) on its own track, then wrote a cello part that's a third up from the bass notes (with some minor differences).  Next, now that I had the harmony of the chords filled in, I knew that I wanted the violins to have the "main" counter melody to the vocals, so I wrote a melodic line for the violins that stayed out of the way of the vocals, yet has enough melodic movement to be interesting on its own.  For the viola, I simply doubled the violin part for some added thickness/ warmness to the melodic line. 
 
How's that for a start?  Any advice?  I'd like to reply to everyone individually, but I'd be here all night!  ALL of your replies were fantastic!