joel77
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Strings ....
Hi Cakewalkers,
Just curious what others are using to create string parts in Sonar. I've worked a little with SI Strings, but am wondering what others are using.
Thanks!
Joel Glaser Studio 52 God Bless America ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sonar x64, Win 7 Pro, Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R, Intel i7-930 2.86GHz dual quad core, 12GB Corsair DDL3, Asus ATI Radion HD 4350, WD 500 GB SATA, Dual WD 1TB SATA HDs, ME RayDAT, Alesis HD24XR - A/D-D/A https://www.facebook.com/...dio-52/811309178917929www.thebrothersglaser.com
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dcumpian
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Re: Strings ....
2014/04/29 08:23:32
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EastWest Quantum Leap Symphony Orchestra Platinum. A really well-rounded orchestra-oriented library. I also recently added Kirk Hunter's Spotlight Strings, but I haven't yet really dived into them. I purchased SS to add blending to EWQLSO parts for variety.
If you are doing scores or orchestral pieces, you may want an even better library like Albion or Vienna, but they get pretty expensive unless you are getting paid for the pieces.
Regards,
Dan
Mixing is all about control. My music: http://dancumpian.bandcamp.com/ or https://soundcloud.com/dcumpian Studiocat Advanced Studio DAW (Intel i5 3550 @ 3.7GHz, Z77 motherboard, 16GB Ram, lots of HDDs), Sonar Plat, Mackie 1604, PreSonus Audiobox 44VSL, ESI 4x4 Midi Interface, Ibanez Bass, Custom Fender Mexi-Strat, NI S88, Roland JV-2080 & MDB-1, Komplete, Omnisphere, Lots o' plugins.
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robert_e_bone
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Re: Strings ....
2014/04/29 08:30:37
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I generally use Kontakt 5's included libraries, but there are certainly more comprehensive string collections.
Check the articulations when you are shopping around, as they are what breathe life into string samples.
Bob Bone
Wisdom is a giant accumulation of "DOH!" Sonar: Platinum (x64), X3 (x64) Audio Interfaces: AudioBox 1818VSL, Steinberg UR-22 Computers: 1) i7-2600 k, 32 GB RAM, Windows 8.1 Pro x64 & 2) AMD A-10 7850 32 GB RAM Windows 10 Pro x64 Soft Synths: NI Komplete 8 Ultimate, Arturia V Collection, many others MIDI Controllers: M-Audio Axiom Pro 61, Keystation 88es Settings: 24-Bit, Sample Rate 48k, ASIO Buffer Size 128, Total Round Trip Latency 9.7 ms
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g_randybrown
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Re: Strings ....
2014/04/29 08:53:28
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You might want to check out Cinematic StringsI think they're a pretty good deal for $500
G. Randy Brown Windows 10, 64 bit, PlatinumIntel Core i7-3770S Asus P8Z77-V LK mobo 4X8GB Corsair XMS3 memory 500 GB Crucial BX100 SSD (OS)two WD Black 1 TB HDDSAPPHIRE DUAL-X 100314-4L Radeon HD 6970 2GB 256-Bit GDDR5 Presonus AudioBox 22VSLyoutube.com/crystalclearnm
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Bristol_Jonesey
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Re: Strings ....
2014/04/29 09:02:28
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CbB, Platinum, 64 bit throughoutCustom built i7 3930, 32Gb RAM, 2 x 1Tb Internal HDD, 1 x 1TB system SSD (Win 7), 1 x 500Gb system SSD (Win 10), 2 x 1Tb External HDD's, Dual boot Win 7 & Win 10 64 Bit, Saffire Pro 26, ISA One, Adam P11A,
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robert_e_bone
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Re: Strings ....
2014/04/29 09:35:09
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I just wandered onto the East West page and listened to the demo tunes for their Solo Violin - it sound AMAZING.
I am working up some midi versions of a few Dixie Dregs tunes, and I NEED the best violin sounds I can find, and I may have just found the one that will fit my needs. The violin bowing, round robin playing, and articulation controls are the best I have heard so far.
Bob Bone
Wisdom is a giant accumulation of "DOH!" Sonar: Platinum (x64), X3 (x64) Audio Interfaces: AudioBox 1818VSL, Steinberg UR-22 Computers: 1) i7-2600 k, 32 GB RAM, Windows 8.1 Pro x64 & 2) AMD A-10 7850 32 GB RAM Windows 10 Pro x64 Soft Synths: NI Komplete 8 Ultimate, Arturia V Collection, many others MIDI Controllers: M-Audio Axiom Pro 61, Keystation 88es Settings: 24-Bit, Sample Rate 48k, ASIO Buffer Size 128, Total Round Trip Latency 9.7 ms
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mudgel
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Re: Strings ....
2014/04/29 09:48:54
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Native Instruments Komplete has a good variety of strings that sit well in a mix but for something more special EWQLSO Platinum is the go.
Mike V. (MUDGEL) STUDIO: Win 10 Pro x64, SPlat & CbB x64, PC: ASUS Z370-A, INTEL i7 8700k, 32GIG DDR4 2400, OC 4.7Ghz. Storage: 7 TB SATA III, 750GiG SSD & Samsung 500 Gig 960 EVO NVMe M.2. Monitors: Adam A7X, JBL 10” Sub. Audio I/O & DSP Server: DIGIGRID IOS & IOX. Screen: Raven MTi + 43" HD 4K TV Monitor. Keyboard Controller: Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol S88.
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g_randybrown
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Re: Strings ....
2014/04/29 10:22:25
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I am working up some midi versions of a few Dixie Dregs tunes
Wow...I wouldn't mind hearing that Bob...I consider them to be the musician's musician!
Let us know if you pull off even a reasonable facsimile please.
G. Randy Brown Windows 10, 64 bit, PlatinumIntel Core i7-3770S Asus P8Z77-V LK mobo 4X8GB Corsair XMS3 memory 500 GB Crucial BX100 SSD (OS)two WD Black 1 TB HDDSAPPHIRE DUAL-X 100314-4L Radeon HD 6970 2GB 256-Bit GDDR5 Presonus AudioBox 22VSLyoutube.com/crystalclearnm
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Blogman
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Re: Strings ....
2014/04/29 10:44:21
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Vienna Dimension strings, Vienna appasionatta strings, Vienna Solo strings all through MIR.
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californiamusic
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Re: Strings ....
2014/04/29 10:47:20
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To my ears.. "ProjectSam - Symphobia" and "ProjectSam - Orchestral Essentials" have top strings, especially the Ensembles! ; ) If you don't want to spend a ton of money.. I quite like the string patches in the Yamaha Motif series keyboards, those patches are great for pop music, etc. http://www.projectsam.com/Products/Symphobia-Series
Intel i7-4770 - 3.9GHZ DDR3 - 32GB RAM Sonar PlatinumPresonus Studio 192 Motu 2408 MK3 Waves v9 Spectrasonics Omnisphere, Stylus RMX, Trilion Novation V-Station, Gladiator, ReFX Nexus, Lounge Lizard, Alchemy www.soundcloud.com/glenntolliver
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robert_e_bone
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Re: Strings ....
2014/04/29 11:16:57
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g_randybrown
I am working up some midi versions of a few Dixie Dregs tunes
Wow...I wouldn't mind hearing that Bob...I consider them to be the musician's musician!
Let us know if you pull off even a reasonable facsimile please.
Well, 1st one up is Night Meets Light. All tracking is done, except for the guitar lead at the very end of song, and then of course the mixing. I did all midi for drums, violin, bass, and keyboards, only the guitar is real. It is sounding REALLY nice. I will shoot you a copy in its VERY unfinished form, if you send me a PM with your email address. I am also working up midi versions of: Holdsworth Tokyo Dream, Bruford's Fainting in Coils, and UK's In the Dead of Night, as well as Jean Luc Ponty' Mirage. So, send me your email in a PM. Bob Bone
Wisdom is a giant accumulation of "DOH!" Sonar: Platinum (x64), X3 (x64) Audio Interfaces: AudioBox 1818VSL, Steinberg UR-22 Computers: 1) i7-2600 k, 32 GB RAM, Windows 8.1 Pro x64 & 2) AMD A-10 7850 32 GB RAM Windows 10 Pro x64 Soft Synths: NI Komplete 8 Ultimate, Arturia V Collection, many others MIDI Controllers: M-Audio Axiom Pro 61, Keystation 88es Settings: 24-Bit, Sample Rate 48k, ASIO Buffer Size 128, Total Round Trip Latency 9.7 ms
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RobertB
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Re: Strings ....
2014/04/29 11:26:20
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Some fine suggestions, for sure, but you can get a lot of mileage from what's included in X3. I use SI Strings and DimPro most of the time. Also a little freebie called DSK Strings. Execution is almost as important as the samples. How you approach the keyboard can have a huge impact on the sound you get from any library. In this particular piece, lead violin is from SI, cello and bass are from both SI and DimPro. http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=10285834
My Soundclick Page SONAR Professional, X3eStudio,W7 64bit, AMD Athlon IIx4 2.8Ghz, 4GB RAM, 64bit, AKAI EIE Pro, Nektar Impact LX61,Alesis DM6,Alesis ControlPad,Yamaha MG10/2,Alesis M1Mk2 monitors,Samson Servo300,assorted guitars,Lava Lamp Shimozu-Kushiari or Bob
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wst3
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Re: Strings ....
2014/04/29 12:47:43
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One of the problems of today's marketplace I'm afraid... every library mentioned, and a bunch that weren't, are aimed at different applications. And they are all bloody expensive! So how do you choose?
Right now I use Concert Strings 2 and Spotlight Strings, mostly because I like the user interface/work flow approach.
I also use Orchestral Essentials, love the sound, still struggling with the ensemble approach.
And I use the content included with Komplete 7, along with a couple other string libraries I've picked up along the way.
I am about to jump, feet first into Vienna - the silent stage approach makes sense to me, but dang, I LOVE the sound of the Spitfire and Cinesamples and 8Dio libraries too.
Ultimately, if you are writing to a variety of applications, and making money doing it, I guess you need more than a couple<G>...
-- Bill Audio Enterprise KB3KJF
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Paul G
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Re: Strings ....
2014/04/29 13:26:37
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It is really going to depend on what you're trying to accomplish, brother. ...and, of course, what you're willing to spend. 
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donplee
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Re: Strings ....
2014/04/29 15:39:09
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Does Garritan Personal Orchestra get any love? For the price I *think* it is a pretty strong value. But I admit to ignorance of the sound quality of East/West and other more "expensive" products.
Dono in Baja Oklahoma (AKA Frisco, TX.) Another satisfied Studio Cat customer Quad Core 3.9/16GB Win 10 64bit (3) Drives Focusrite ISA One Pre Warm Audio WA-76 Warm Audio EQP-WA Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 Sonar Platinum (1.17) BFD3 Guitar Rig 5 THD 3 Garritan Personal Orchestra Please listen to my debut "solo" album, "The Docks of Wilmington" here: https://soundcloud.com/do...mp;utm_medium=facebook
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Vastman
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Re: Strings ....
2014/04/29 15:40:03
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Paul G
It is really going to depend on what you're trying to accomplish, brother. ...and, of course, what you're willing to spend.
I agree.... started with EWQL platinum but have really enjoyed all the Kirk Hunter products, which are the best bang for the buck during his yearly super sales. I've dabbled with NI's offerings, such as Action Strings but currently really love Spitfire's Albion series, in particular, Albion Iceni as it is hugely dramatic in the low end which is perfect for climate change music. I'd suggest watching a couple of Daniel James exhaustive hour long evaluations of various packages... just google him on you tube... you'll learn A LOT!!!
Dana We make the future... Climate Change MusicVastMaschine:SP4L/W10/i74930K/32GB/RME/CAD E100s; The Orchestra! NOVO!/Inspire/BohemianViolin&Cello, ARK1&2,/MinimalCapriccioMaximoSoto/OE1&2, Action&Emotive/Omni2/Tril/RMX/All OrangeTree/Falcon/APE Jugs/Alpha&Bravo/BFD3 & SD3Gravity/DM307/AEON/DM/Damage/Diva/HZebra/Hive/Diversion/VC4/Serum/Alchemy/blablablaSpitfire/8DIO/SL/KH/EW/NI; Shred1&2/AGF,G,M&T Torch&Res&Ren/GD-6; Ibanez SR1200&SR505NOVAX FanFret Tele&Strat
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konradh
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Re: Strings ....
2014/04/29 16:29:20
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I think Vienna Dimension Strings are awesome, but they are not cheap.
I also have Vienna's orchestral strings. Also great.
Some libraries have subsets of Vienna's strings which are good but don't have all the articulations.
Konrad Current album and more: http://www.themightykonrad.com/ Sonar X1d Producer. V-Studio 700. PC: Intel i7 CPU 3.07GHz, 12 GB RAM. Win 7 64-bit. RealGuitar, RealStrat, RealLPC, Ivory II, Vienna Symphonic, Hollywood Strings, Electr6ity, Acoustic Legends, FabFour, Scarbee Rick/J-Bass/P-Bass, Kontakt 5. NI Session Guitar. Boldersounds, Noisefirm. EZ Drummer 2. EZ Mix. Melodyne Assist. Guitar Rig 4. Tyros 2, JV-1080, Kurzweil PC2R, TC Helicon VoiceWorks+. Rode NT2a, EV RE20. Presonus Eureka. Rokit 6s.
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Sidroe
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Re: Strings ....
2014/04/29 16:39:54
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Thumbs up for Garritan as mentioned before. It is a very good starting point for those interested in learning orchestration. No, it is not as extensive a library of articulations but using the keyswitching makes it dead easy to use the ones you have. There are also free instruction courses for orchestra and jazz education. Free to ANYONE at ANYTIME! Vienna is the winner hands down for me but I still find uses for Garritan much of the time.
Sonar Platinum, Sonar X3e, Sonar X2a , Sonar X1 Expanded and 8.5.3 (32 and 64 bit), Windows 10 on a Toshiba P75-A7200 Laptop with i7 @ 2.4 quad and 8 gigs of RAM and secondary WD 1 Tb drive, Windows 10 desktop, Asus i5 @ 3.2 quad, 12 gigs RAM, 1 Tb drive, 1 500 gig drive, MOTU 24io, 2 Roland Studio Captures, Saffire 6 USB for laptop, Soundtracs Topaz Project 8 mixer, Alesis Monitor 2s, Event BAS 20/20s, Roland Micro-Monitor BA-8s, and 45 years worth of collecting FX, Mics, Amps, Guitars, and Keyboards!
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joel77
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Re: Strings ....
2014/04/29 20:50:30
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Thanks for all the ideas guys! I'm going to check into each of them.
At this point, I have very little experience with MIDI, synths, samples and all of that side of making music. I'm sure the best thing for me to do is experiment with what is included with Sonar X3 Producer and go from there.
I don't know much about orchestrating music, but my wife is a classically trained and highly educated musician who knows how these things should sound, having been a symphony player since she was 15. We want to be able to add this type of sound to some of our music. I'm looking for a simple, user-friendly interface with easy edit-ability, she is looking for realistic sound and control.
Again, thanks for all the input!
Joel Glaser Studio 52 God Bless America ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sonar x64, Win 7 Pro, Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R, Intel i7-930 2.86GHz dual quad core, 12GB Corsair DDL3, Asus ATI Radion HD 4350, WD 500 GB SATA, Dual WD 1TB SATA HDs, ME RayDAT, Alesis HD24XR - A/D-D/A https://www.facebook.com/...dio-52/811309178917929www.thebrothersglaser.com
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robert_e_bone
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Re: Strings ....
2014/04/29 22:17:47
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Joel, you may not know it yet, but your wife has been orchestrating YOU for some time now, so I would think she would continue to be a valuable resource.
There are lots of nice things you can start with, that come with X3, and you can try out and buy things as needed as your needs grow.
Good luck with it all, and always know that the forum folks will try to assist you in the process of it.
Bob Bone
Wisdom is a giant accumulation of "DOH!" Sonar: Platinum (x64), X3 (x64) Audio Interfaces: AudioBox 1818VSL, Steinberg UR-22 Computers: 1) i7-2600 k, 32 GB RAM, Windows 8.1 Pro x64 & 2) AMD A-10 7850 32 GB RAM Windows 10 Pro x64 Soft Synths: NI Komplete 8 Ultimate, Arturia V Collection, many others MIDI Controllers: M-Audio Axiom Pro 61, Keystation 88es Settings: 24-Bit, Sample Rate 48k, ASIO Buffer Size 128, Total Round Trip Latency 9.7 ms
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stevec
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Re: Strings ....
2014/04/30 11:43:33
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If you have SONAR Producer, it may be worthwhile checking out some of the strings in Dimension too.
SteveC https://soundcloud.com/steve-cocchi http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=39163 SONAR Platinum x64, Intel Q9300 (2.5Ghz), Asus P5N-D, Win7 x64 SP1, 8GB RAM, 1TB internal + ESATA + USB Backup HDDs, ATI Radeon HD5450 1GB RAM + dual ViewSonic VA2431wm Monitors; Focusrite 18i6 (ASIO); Komplete 9, Melodyne Studio 4, Ozone 7 Advanced, Rapture Pro, GPO5, Valhalla Plate, MJUC comp, MDynamic EQ, lots of other freebie VST plugins, synths and Kontakt libraries
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wst3
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Re: Strings ....
2014/04/30 13:31:53
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Funny GPO would come up... actually not funny, but I just reinstalled Aria, GPO and JABB again last night.
I'm currently using libraries from KHS and Project Sam, and the quality (not as in good or bad, but as in tonal quality) is quite different! I'd have a difficult time going back, and in fact plan to go forward with LASS or Cinematic Strings or Spitfire or Cinesamples or... well you get the idea.
HOWEVER... I do not think there is a better tool than GPO for learning electronic orchestration! Part of that is that you do not have dozens of articulations, so you can focus on choosing the right instrument and articulation without pulling your hair out. A bigger part is that you can, and really must, build you ensembles from individual instruments.
They are never going to compare favorably with libraries costing 10 times as much - nor should they. But check out the magic that some folks have created with nothing but GPO, some mad orchestration skills, and some killer mix skills.
I still recommend it as a first library when I'm thinking straight!
-- Bill Audio Enterprise KB3KJF
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g_randybrown
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Re: Strings ....
2014/04/30 13:40:10
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wst3
Funny GPO would come up... actually not funny, but I just reinstalled Aria, GPO and JABB again last night.
I'm currently using libraries from KHS and Project Sam, and the quality (not as in good or bad, but as in tonal quality) is quite different! I'd have a difficult time going back, and in fact plan to go forward with LASS or Cinematic Strings or Spitfire or Cinesamples or... well you get the idea.
HOWEVER... I do not think there is a better tool than GPO for learning electronic orchestration! Part of that is that you do not have dozens of articulations, so you can focus on choosing the right instrument and articulation without pulling your hair out. A bigger part is that you can, and really must, build you ensembles from individual instruments.
They are never going to compare favorably with libraries costing 10 times as much - nor should they. But check out the magic that some folks have created with nothing but GPO, some mad orchestration skills, and some killer mix skills.
I still recommend it as a first library when I'm thinking straight!
I'd have to agree with Bill, I started with GPO and still use it along with their Instant Orchestra a lot. The price is certainly fair also.
G. Randy Brown Windows 10, 64 bit, PlatinumIntel Core i7-3770S Asus P8Z77-V LK mobo 4X8GB Corsair XMS3 memory 500 GB Crucial BX100 SSD (OS)two WD Black 1 TB HDDSAPPHIRE DUAL-X 100314-4L Radeon HD 6970 2GB 256-Bit GDDR5 Presonus AudioBox 22VSLyoutube.com/crystalclearnm
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rcrees
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Re: Strings ....
2014/04/30 18:18:56
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+1 for EastWest Orchestra (which includes strings, brass, woodwinds and percussion). The Platinum is ideal because it is 24 bit and has 3 different mic positions, but I opted for the cheaper Gold which is 16 bit and one mic position and still sounds pretty good if you use the proper articulations for each run… Both the Platinum and the Gold have the same samples and articulations (different bit depths and mic positions)
As is true for all the "higher end" libraries, what you get out of them relates directly to 1. How much you're willing to spend and 2. How much work you're willing to put in to make your track sound really great (i.e.,using the proper articulations)
I do believe that orchestral libraries are one instance where more expensive actually does mean better. These companies put A LOT of work into recording these samples using great instruments, great musicians and great spaces. It's worth it.
All the best,
Rob
http://www.rcreesmusic.com Dell XPS 8300, Intel Core i7, 8gigs ram, AMD Radeon 6670, Two SATA II 500gig hard drives, one 250gig external USB drive, Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, M-Audio Keystation 61es, Windows 7 Home Premium, SONAR X3 Producer, many sample libraries including EastWest PLAYx64 Gold Complete, RA, Stormdrum and Choirs
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deswind
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Re: Strings ....
2014/04/30 22:04:26
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East West Platinum and Vienna Dimension - both great.
I would love to try the Hunter Strings - from what I have heard in the recordings of others - they are great. If someone knows when they go on sale - I would appreciate it.
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dcumpian
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Re: Strings ....
2014/05/01 08:24:37
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deswind
East West Platinum and Vienna Dimension - both great.
I would love to try the Hunter Strings - from what I have heard in the recordings of others - they are great. If someone knows when they go on sale - I would appreciate it.
Sorry to say, but you just missed it... I imagine it will be another year before they have as big a sale. It was a group buy and the discounts ended up being very good. Regards, Dan
Mixing is all about control. My music: http://dancumpian.bandcamp.com/ or https://soundcloud.com/dcumpian Studiocat Advanced Studio DAW (Intel i5 3550 @ 3.7GHz, Z77 motherboard, 16GB Ram, lots of HDDs), Sonar Plat, Mackie 1604, PreSonus Audiobox 44VSL, ESI 4x4 Midi Interface, Ibanez Bass, Custom Fender Mexi-Strat, NI S88, Roland JV-2080 & MDB-1, Komplete, Omnisphere, Lots o' plugins.
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sharke
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Re: Strings ....
2014/05/01 10:31:41
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NI's Session Strings Pro and Action Strings are great for adding some background strings to a mix, they're quick and easy. The articulations are very easy to configure and use via keyswitches. You wouldn't use them for a full on orchestral part, but for pop/funk/ballad type string parts they are great. They have an animator which you can use as a sort of sequencer for simple repeated rhythmic phrases. I find legato string parts hard to mix though. They always seem to sound dull and get lost in the mix no matter what I do. For this reason I've found myself gravitating towards pizzicato parts instead, as they nearly always instantly sound great! The Session Strings animator + pizzicato = magic!
JamesWindows 10, Sonar SPlat (64-bit), Intel i7-4930K, 32GB RAM, RME Babyface, AKAI MPK Mini, Roland A-800 Pro, Focusrite VRM Box, Komplete 10 Ultimate, 2012 American Telecaster!
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joel77
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Re: Strings ....
2014/05/02 10:06:22
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robert_e_bone
Joel, you may not know it yet, but your wife has been orchestrating YOU for some time now, so I would think she would continue to be a valuable resource.
.........
Bob, you are indeed 100% correct!! LOL! We've been together for 4 years and I finally decided I better marry her or someone else will, so on March 7th we tied the knot. Anyway, we're VERY excited to be working musically together. I think we're going to "make great music together"!!! Again, thanks for all the ideas. I'm a little short on time to research at the moment, but will get to it in the next couple of weeks.
Joel Glaser Studio 52 God Bless America ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sonar x64, Win 7 Pro, Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R, Intel i7-930 2.86GHz dual quad core, 12GB Corsair DDL3, Asus ATI Radion HD 4350, WD 500 GB SATA, Dual WD 1TB SATA HDs, ME RayDAT, Alesis HD24XR - A/D-D/A https://www.facebook.com/...dio-52/811309178917929www.thebrothersglaser.com
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Sanderxpander
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Re: Strings ....
2014/05/02 10:36:13
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This is a great thread, I don't often have need for serious strings parts but I had been wondering what good affordable stuff was out there (as in, not Vienna et al). I have Session Strings Pro and Action Strings, plus the stuff included in X3. I have been a little disappointed with Session Strings Pro to be honest, although the articulations are indeed easy to configure, plus they're quite extensive so they can really help the realism along. I just find them to sound a little bland and I can't seem to get any kind of energetic performance from them. Action Strings are nice but only if you're ok with using their loops. It's more versatile than I had originally thought but still limited, if that makes any sense.
I was honestly positively surprised by SI Strings and have used it as much as Session Strings at least. When properly tweaked it's pretty nice for background parts. I do mostly pop type stuff though.
I'm gonna check out the EWQL stuff, thanks!
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forkol
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Re: Strings ....
2014/05/02 12:56:39
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stevec
If you have SONAR Producer, it may be worthwhile checking out some of the strings in Dimension too.
Especially the Garritan Pocket Orchestra instruments that came with Dimension Pro. I actually use these alot, and with some reverb, they are not that bad.
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