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Hi all,
It had been asked before and I read it all, but I want to get more specific here:
I work with EWQL, some sounds are fine, I even manage to work with the solo strings.
I also have cellist and violinist friends that I record when the live sound of solo strings or quartet are crucial, which is of course better then any software.What I really miss is a great full strings sound. I don’t like EWQL strings ensembles at all (if anyone managed to make them sound great I’ll be happy to know how), I need a better one. Something big, warm and beautiful for the full string layer in a mix, in the range of under 500$ if possible.
So, what would you recommend?
Cinematic strings 2 ? or maybe Lass lite is a better choice for e.g.? or anything else?Thanks,
RoyCinematic Strings 2 is very big and rich sounding. I purchased it when it was $499 but now I believe it’s $399.
Best of luck!
CS2 or 8Dio Adagietto.
CS2 or 8Dio Adagietto.
+1 for out of the box ease of use and sound,in your price range.
I would recommend LASS, because it is capable of a big sound, smaller section sounds, and the first chair solo instruments are good. The ART rhythm tool is very good for Zimmer-like spiccatos.
The ARC system, once you understand it, is great for setting up universal keyswitches, plus adding stage position and color.
If you have good a convolution reverb, you can get a great sound, especially with third party impulse responses, like those from Numerical Sound.
I sometimes layer LASS for Symphobia for a very rich sound.
I also really like Spitfire’s strings, but I don’t think that you can buy all four sections in your budget.
Here’s a comparison chart:
http://audiobro.com/la-scoring-strings/la-scoring-strings-lite/
LASS lite does not give you the ARC tool, so you cannot set keyswitches. It does n’t give you smaller sections either.
All of these string libraries sound good. It really depends on what kind of string writing you’re going to do. If your not doing a lot of divisi writing, LASS might be overkill. It also requires some work with EQ and reverb to get the sound that you want, because, like Vienna Strings, it’s recorded fairly dry.
If you don’t need multiple mic positions, you could consider EW Hollywood Strings Gold (Diamond if you want to spend more and need multiple mice). But the EW Hollywood series runs best on a PC with SSD drives.
You may want to look at CineStrings, as well. http://cinesamples.com/product/cinestrings-core
This is another contender in the “high-end” bracket. http://www.orchestraltools.com/libraries/berlin_strings.php
As I said, it really depends on the kind of string writing that you want to do. The big issues for strings are 1) legato samples 2) divisi sections, and 3) a high number of articulations
If you don’t really need those things, you don’t need a $1,000 string library.
If you don’t want to do a lot of CC work and you don’t need a ton of articulations 8dio’s adagietto might be the ticket.
Listen to demos for each. See which library has the sound and features that you want.
I chose LASS because I wanted the natural sound of a room full of string players, the can be cinematic when I want it to be, and not when I don’t want it to be.
And I’m curious to know – what would you recommend if I could double my budget? Buy them both or a different one?
Michael has already explained about LASS which is a popular option.
I tend to use Adagietto for sketching then break out all the lines using the full Adagio series. Normally, I’ll also layer the Adagio shorts over the CS2 shorts which gives a rich, full, detailed sound.
Having multiple string libs from different devs usually lets you cover more ground because there will be things you like about each.
Also, I’d suggest any of these string libs will go up another notch if you use a great convolution reverb with them.
I tend to use Adagietto for sketching then break out all the lines using the full Adagio series. Normally, I’ll also layer the Adagio shorts over the CS2 shorts which gives a rich, full, detailed sound.
Having multiple string libs from different devs usually lets you cover more ground because there will be things you like about each.
+1
And there’s the rub….at some point manny of us layer multiple string libraries. There isn’t a single solution. Even with LASS, I layer it with Symphobia, sand sometimes Symphobia + EWQLSO.
I’m torn between 8dio and Spitfire.
Like 8dio’s Adagietto, Spitfire Audio has Mural, which is part of its BML series, for which the strings are called Sable http://www.spitfireaudio.com/bml-mural-volume-1.
I really like the sound of the Air Lyndhurst studio. I recently purchased Numerical Sound’s Hollywood Impulse Response collection because it has an Air Lyndhurst emulation. http://numericalsound.com/hollywood_sound_ir.html
It really depends on how you are going to use strings.
Yep, definitely depends on what you’re wanting to do. CS2 and Adagietto are both wonderfully cinematic. Adagietto also has a warm, expressive lushness that is a joy to work with. On the other hand LASS is a far drier sound to start with so it’s able to be shaped to a wider range of uses. Mural is a symphonic option. Then there’s Cinestrings CORE, as mentioned. Of course, there’s Hollywood Strings Gold but I think it might be a resource hog compared to the rest.
I don’t think one would go wrong with any of these. After working for awhile with one, you’ll come to grasp its limits then start looking for something to cover other ground.
I have absolutely no regrets with CS2 or Adagietto coming from EWQLSO Gold.