There's no real secret to it.

I've been doing live string sessions since the early 80s and the formula is very simple:

1 Have enough players (i.e., don't expect "JFK" with 14 violins! [;)])

2 Don't put the mics to close

After that, it's all in the players themselves.

Looking closer...
Remember also that in actually playing a soaring, beautiful line, the violins are not in any steady state...they are constantly changing between more and less vibrato depending on the phrase, whether the phrase pauses briefly, etc. Being able to bring in the vibrato via MODW, or, possibly using the new VSL's detection engine, when a phrase pauses briefly(or not so briefly) automatically would help immensely.

Nothing is static with live players, so far, that's the biggest difference between sampled and real. Varying dynamics, and vibrato, entering and leaving at natural moments.

TH

@Another User said:

BTW: How do you guys make the quotes of others appear in the little boxes

If you want to quote a thread use the button in the right, top corner of the post you want to quote. The button says : "Quote" [:D]

VSL will get it right is my bet.

@PoppaJOL said:

Rob:

Really good point. Even before jumping into this world of sample orchestras I had often wondered about that. I hadn't thought it through the way you just did though. It must be very difficult or someone would, at least, have given it really good try. No one is recording bad samples on purpose. I'd love to hear what others think about how it might be done. I certainly don't know the answer.

Be Well,

Poppa

BTW: How do you guys make the quotes of others appear in the little boxes [*-)]:

Easy - just hit the little 'quote' button on the upper right hand corner. Enter your new post BELOW the last 'quote' word. You'll see once you do it once. Hope it helps.


Rob

@tom@aerovons.com said:

There's no real secret to it.

I've been doing live string sessions since the early 80s and the formula is very simple:

1 Have enough players (i.e., don't expect "JFK" with 14 violins! [;)])

2 Don't put the mics to close

After that, it's all in the players themselves.

Looking closer...
Remember also that in actually playing a soaring, beautiful line, the violins are not in any steady state...they are constantly changing between more and less vibrato depending on the phrase, whether the phrase pauses briefly, etc. Being able to bring in the vibrato via MODW, or, possibly using the new VSL's detection engine, when a phrase pauses briefly(or not so briefly) automatically would help immensely.

Nothing is static with live players, so far, that's the biggest difference between sampled and real. Varying dynamics, and vibrato, entering and leaving at natural moments.

TH

Good points Tom - especially #2 (I still think Epic Horns micing was 'far' away - relatively speaking.)

BUT, you record a section in the studio and you have ONE LARGE SAMPLE [:)] - in other words you don't have to worry about piecemealing it together so it sounds 'human' - naturally performed with all the swells and deeper, shallower vibratos, etc.

Could most of the problem just simply be from recording to programming (at VSL or any other developer)?

Rob

@Another User said:

BTW: How do you guys make the quotes of others appear in the little boxes

If you want to quote a thread use the button in the right, top corner of the post you want to quote. The button says : "Quote" [:D]

Christian and Rob:

Got it! Thanks.

Poppa

I think strings are very problematic.

I think VSL has done some things so well that using a live player instead might sound *different* but not necessarily *better.* That's how well I feel they done some things like the flutes, legato clarinet, and mp dynamic french horn legatos. Just scary. Staccato bassoons, that kind of thing. Amazing and jawdropping.

Strings have all the same needs, but for whatever reason, they just seem to be a problem for sampling. I think we are much closer with strings than we will EVER be with say, sax, which just seems to refuse to be sampled[;)]

But I find the patchwork approach currently needed to do convincing string phrases exhausting, and at best, pretty good re the results. Not mind blowing. Just good. And that's *at times.*

Also I find, as I'm sure we all have up here, that it depends so much on the song. I've done things with VSL/QLSO that are really impressive sounding. And I've used all the same skill and all the same samples on another song, and it sounded merely OK. Sometimes worse than OK. So it so SONG dependent....PHRASE dependent, DYNAMIC dependent. Strings seem to need so much baby sitting as opposed to just playing a beautiful legato flute line or the like.

I do think VSL is on the right track, and that much could have been solved by what we are now all suggesting up here. No one else has nailed it yet, for whatever reasons. Here's hoping Herb and the gang spend more than 3 days. I'm sure we'd all find a way to pay for truly EPIC STRINGS.

TH

Rob-- I liked the mood of the piece you posted very much. Now back to the topic at hand...

Herb-- perhaps you could do just 1 session test to see if you can capture this sound that everyone is longing for. Maybe just an octave and a half of legato playing. Learn what you can from that session. Get some feedback from your loyal users about the results of that session. And then plan a large and comprehensive series of sessions to get the job done right.

I agree with others that for me this is the single most important set of samples that I still don't have!

Best,
Jay

Herb,

As a neutral here - being that I only own the Horizon titles - can you clear a few details up?

Does this offer only apply to those who already have one of the packages you mentioned, or would it apply to those purchasing say the Performance Set now and then upgrading?

Also, (and without wanting to throw a spanner in the works) if someone can get this offer just by owning the Strings package, how will those feel who only have say the Brass & Woodwinds?

Not trying to be difficult, honest guv!

Colin

PS: My two cents on the string recordings is this. Personally, I always felt that it would have made more sense to record 1st and 2nd violins as seperate libraries so that they could be either broken down to make smaller sections or combined to create a richer sound with more movement. Currently, as soon as the violin section plays two notes they effectively double in size. I obviously don't expect that to happen in 3 sessions though, just a thought for the future.

Otherwise, any of the ideas already posted would be a great bonus.

@JBacal said:

Rob-- I liked the mood of the piece you posted very much. Now back to the topic at hand...

Herb-- perhaps you could do a 1 session test to see if you can capture this sound that everyone is longing for. Maybe just an octave and a half of legato playing. Learn what you can from that session. Get some feedback from your loyal users about the results of that session. And then plan a large and comprehensive series of sessions to get the job done right.

I agree with others that for me this is the single most important set of samples that I still don't have!

Best,
Jay

Thanks Jay. For this section (cue) of the project this worked fine - but reprising this later on I just really needed to step up the 'strings crying' factor (so hopefully the audience crys along with them [:D] . While the Director was pleased with what I gave him (horns and Clar doing this) - I think it could have been so much better with soaring, yet warm, silky triple octave high strings.

I really like the idea of the session - come back to the users for comments. Of course, the challenge is one of proprietary Intel. Not sure how to get a discussion going 'privately' other then - to be a part of the discussion one would have to have at least so many VSL titles (but if I was the competition, I would buy all that was needed, use a bogus name and find out 'how to do it right'. Dang - wish I hadn't of given the idea [8-)]

Seriously - there has to be a way to get us lowly users (in the trenches using this material each and every day) involved in the development.

Just thinking, I personally would support beta testing this out AND THEN paying for it just like everyone else - it means this much to me personally!!!


Rob

@tom@aerovons.com said:

Nothing is static with live players, so far, that's the biggest difference between sampled and real. Varying dynamics, and vibrato, entering and leaving at natural moments.

TH

That's were I see the real issue is. Even if you record the warmest possible sound with the most expressive vibrato after 10 notes like that your sound will loose its warmth.

What they should do is something similar to the "universal mode" that would allow to vary the expression through vibrato, timbre, dynamics, bowing etc.. but giving it much more flexibility of this instead of us applying them as a brain surgeon. This would work with the software of course, and I'm sure that would make a big difference.

@Guy said:

[quote=tom@aerovons.com]Nothing is static with live players, so far, that's the biggest difference between sampled and real. Varying dynamics, and vibrato, entering and leaving at natural moments.

TH

That's were I see the real issue is. Even if you record the warmest possible sound with the most expressive vibrato after 10 notes like that your sound will loose its warmth.

What they should do is something similar to the "universal mode" that would allow to vary the expression through vibrato, timbre, dynamics, bowing etc.. but giving it much more flexibility of this instead of us applying them as a brain surgeon. This would work with the software of course, and I'm sure that would make a big difference.[/

quote]

Absolutely. The algorithms for things like going from legato to staccato are great, but what you suggest is a very needed outgrowth of that very intelligent interpretation. It doesn't matter how good the sampling is if there isn't life within the notes themselves.

TH

[:O]
wow cool IDEA. go for it!add some wild fx too.

Instead of "talking" about warmth and other subjective descriptions, maybe it would be good to put up some snippets (10 secs) of actual "epic string" sounds (from classical recordings preferably) so Herb knows what exactly he has to aim for.

I completely agree with these posts by Jay Bacall and Rob Elliot. I strongly disagree with Tom (even though i earlier agreed with him - ha-ha!)

It is not a simple straightforward thing to record strings right. If it were, why are there so many sample libraries that SUCK?

Not this one, of course, oh no. I have many sample libraries, but one in particular that I bought was a major library, and it cost a lot of money, and it used all the good instruments Tom, and all the good players, and it SUCKS. I have never once used it in any job or piece of music. It has real nice packaging though.

It is an art to record strings for samples, not a simple technique. And the art can get screwed up at any point along the way - and there are hundreds of points.

@William said:

I completely agree with these posts by Jay Bacall and Rob Elliot. I strongly disagree with Tom (even though i earlier agreed with him - ha-ha!)

It is not a simple straightforward thing to record strings right. If it were, why are there so many sample libraries that SUCK?

Not this one, of course, oh no. I have many sample libraries, but one in particular that I bought was a major library, and it cost a lot of money, and it used all the good instruments Tom, and all the good players, and it SUCKS. I have never once used it in any job or piece of music. It has real nice packaging though.

It is an art to record strings for samples, not a simple technique. And the art can get screwed up at any point along the way - and there are hundreds of points.

I assume you haven't done many live string sessions. If you had, and you were working with experienced engineers, you would know it's not a trade secret. It goes on every day, all over the world, for hundreds of artists. It's been done wrong plenty (Denny Jaeger Violins for instance) but not by working engineers who do this stuff every day on commercial recordings. If it were that much of a mystery every string session would take weeks to record[[;)]]

Also, be advised that many of these sample libraries claiming to use "top players" are really not. It costs a fortune to have players sit there for hours. They can't afford the players you are hearing on John Williams soundtracks. So the players are often a problem themselves.

And often, I've heard sample libraries with good basic string sounds, but they begin sounding badly when you try to PERFORM A PASSAGE with them. VSL has been the first to make that really doable with their legato mode. So often you find a library, hit a note or two, it sounds good, then you go to play a phrase, and it becomes a synth part in no time[[;)]]

Getting the sound in a good studio IS as simple as having enough players, which most libraries don't, enough GOOD players, which most libraries don't, and not putting the mic a foot from a player and expecting it sound "sweeping" and "romantic."

It will take much more to turn that into playable samples, as we've been discussing, but if anyone could do it, VSL could.

TH

Don't assume what I have done or what I know.

I am tired of this arrogant attitude. Did I insult you? then why do you insult me?

I am sick of this shit.

I like Tom's ideas here and would like to add something to it.

There is this somewhat 'imponderable' quality that you get with live Violins (violas, cellos too) in a Concert Hall setting and I think that it is what people are looking for. It's not a heavy, thick vibrato but it's something lush , I call it: SILKY.

You can get it with 14 violins and its better with 24. But it is NOT THICK. IT IS SILKY SMOOTH and it's mainly a function of distance plus acoustics plus AIR. Somehow the resin 'excites' the String to RESONATE THE AIR to create this silky quality. It is very rich in higher harmonics that we can't hear but feel.

IT IS MYSTICAL AND BEAUTIFUL.

It is like looking at the Moon to sense the light of the Sun. Or applying reverb to a sampled piano to recreate the resonance of an open pedal sustain. The harmonics are missing. Certainly a creative challenge to reproduce.

Lets leave the Heavy Vibrato and intimacy to the Chamber Strings. I think we are looking for that imponderable mystical sound. The net effect of which will be 'EPIC'.

Just want to echo the general sentiment here and vote for that "mp-mf, silky, warm, romantic, legato, round, expressive, real string sound."

As someone who has done a lot of live string work, I can tell you it is the one orchestral quality I have not been able to successfully replace. And almost every score calls for it somewhere.

One more thought: this should be made available to Pro Edition users (for a fee if necessary) even if they don't upgrade to VI. It is a missing componant of a "pro" library, and should not be considered solely an upgrade perk.

DN

@tom@aerovons.com said:

So often you find a library, hit a note or two, it sounds good, then you go to play a phrase, and it becomes a synth part in no time[[;)]]

It's getting a habit of me quoting Tom, but what can I say? This is why, even though I'm side tracking a bit, come back to my idea of experimenting with this at some point.

In the Universal Mode you could vary the articulation between Legato, détaché, Stac. and Spic. and this is done live! I heard it and it sounds very realistic and it was done in no time. So instead of having articulations we could have different types of vibratos for example, some longer than others, some with heavy syrup etc. If the software can't recognize live it could recognize it on playback. At least you would have a natural vibrato that you wouldn't recognize on the 4th note! This doesn't have to end with "vibrato", that is just one example. But it's just an idea for what it's worth and Herb will probably tell me to not quit my day job! [[[;)]]]