bitflipper
Years ago I read an interview with Hans Zimmer in which he said that if you want to get big-sounding percussion from samples, use lower velocities. Experimentation showed that to be true, if the library was well-recorded. It applies not only to orchestral percussion but also toms and kicks in a rock kit. Low velocities, then use compression and gain to get the volume you want.
 
So I wondered if the same tip might be applicable to other instruments with percussive elements, and found that it was equally true for pianos. Because I naturally play with a heavy hand, I started using the velocity trim slider to back my parts off after recording. That was a breakthrough - especially with extremely well-recorded pianos such as Keyscape, which I was lukewarm to at first but is now my go-to piano. Lowered velocities made the difference.
 
What's any of that got to do with strings? Well, that smooth, sweet, soaring Hollywood string sound had long been an elusive goal for me. Velocity didn't seem like it should be all that relevant to strings, but it turns out that it can be. Again, it comes down to how well-sampled the instrument's lower-velocity layers are. A related factor is microphone position. A close-miked violin will always contain inharmonic components that we're really not meant to hear. The harder the instrument is played, the more of that is in there. I used to fiddle with EQ a lot to combat that, but now with a combination of low velocities and far mics, I rarely use any EQ at all on strings. Or reverb.