Orchestral String smoothness

Hi folks,
 
Been fiddling around with a few major projects in the last few weeks, all of which are orchestral pieces that have fairly loud sections in them. For two of them, in particular, there are a few fairly intense string passages, and I've begun to notice that for many of the string libraries I own, they tend to sound really grainy when they are layered into a fairly dense arrangement and played at higher dynamics. This is primarily an issue with violins. I am trying to record a few soaring violin section lines, and the sound of the strings is so grainy and harsh that it almost sounds like there is static interference, or something. It was loud enough to be distracting.
 
I think it is caused by two issues: strings can naturally develop a quite harsh, abrasive sound when played hard; and in a dense mix when they are struggling against other instruments, that graininess gets emphasized, since only the louder, harsher elements can be clearly heard. I think that is the case, anyway.
 
My standard libraries for strings are, in descending order of usage: Albion ONE, 8Dio Anthology, Sonokinetic DaCapo, Hollywood Gold, NI Symphony Series. For this one particularly challenging piece, I managed to get a okay-ish recording using Hollywood Gold legato 1st Violins -- the Hollywood ones seem to be a bit smoother and clinical than the 8Dio strings, which are my usual choice for soaring string lines. It also helps to layer in woodwinds, and in this case, I double lines with an ensemble flute patch and that helped a bit too. 
 
Does anyone else experience this? And if so, how do you deal with it?
 
Thanks,
 
Rob
 

Check harshness around 1-3 kHz. Cut with either a regular, MB eq or de-esser. Try varying on each track, stem or section.

I’ve started using the lower dynamic layers and just increasing the volume if I want the strings to sound smooth. Those high velocity layers always have a sand paper quality that doesn’t work for flowing melodic lines IMO.

Appreciate all the great replies, folks. Thanks. 

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.

I'm a heavy handed pianist as well. Thanks for the tips.