keith
Kreative... you'd be suprised... even The Pros, using The Pro String Libraries often layer and substitute and swap for a variety of reasons. This library doesn't do well in the legato or slides dept., that library doesn't do well in the forte ****cato dept, etc. etc... So I would temper your enthusiasm when thinking "minor league" vs. "big league".... ;^)
Yeah, you're one of many that swear by blending string libraries, and I do see your point on the strengths and weaknesses of these various samples. I'm kind of looking to do some pop/rock strings, too, and possibly some epic pieces as I build towards that possibility. I have been trying blending and will do whatever might be needed to achieve more realism and depth. Nevertheless, I must say that some libraries have an out of the box sound that stands out against the comparison of others.
Greg has an interesting article on his Orange Tree blog:
http://www.orangetreesamples.com/blog/2011/02/the-uncanny-valley/#more-193 "The general trend for contemporary sample libraries is to keep adding more velocity layers, more round-robin alternating samples, and more articulations accessible by keyswitches. While this formula for expansion results in larger, more extensive libraries, it is still an extension of traditional sampling, maintaining many of the same foundational limitations which prevent sample libraries from crossing the
“uncanny valley”. Essentially, it’s what keeps the libraries from overcoming what defines whether something sounds real or sampled: context."