Easily the best legato I've ever heard from a string sample library. 

Thank you for the update Paul. Looking forward to the release, the celli sound very good in the walkthrough video.

Hi VSL,

Why you do such low musical quality demo audio and video files for Sy Strings? Regular users will buy this library anyway, without thanking, but contrary to this video file with, for example,  no-musical using of vibrato (or audio file "enter the dream" with strange no-legato theme), because all loves VSL and trust this company. But new potential users can be scared by such demos, even if the library is great..

Best regards,
Vadim

@V_ad_im said:

Hi VSL,

Why you do such low musical quality demo audio and video files for Sy Strings? Regular users will buy this library anyway, without thanking, but contrary to this video file with, for example,  no-musical using of vibrato (or audio file "enter the dream" with strange no-legato theme), because all loves VSL and trust this company. But new potential users can be scared by such demos, even if the library is great..

Best regards,
Vadim

What's wrong with the video ? The sounds are amazing. And Christof Unterberger's demo is beautiful.

@daviddln said:

And Christof Unterberger's demo is beautiful.

Indeed the audio demo "Enter the dream" is beautiful, but at 0'35 for example :

- If it's legato, then it's totally failed : either samples are bad, either programming is bad. The result is a doubt : is the new legato THIS ?

- If it's not legato, it's a little bit strange musically (personnally here I expect legato, but it's a matter of taste) and above all it's a lost opportunity to demonstrate the new legato so much advertised.

So I understand V_ad_im on this point.

And even if the video on cellos is very welcome (thanks Paul !!), the limited musical context doesn't do a bulletproof demo.

This Video shows a liveplay-situation, without sugar and other sweetening ... just like in reality. Paul made it very well. And he played well on the Virus :)

The sound is great. Very powerful, The harsh articulations are so strong! The soft sul tasto is a surprise for most of us!

The reason why VSL can't present something else is simply that the whole product is not ready.

I would agree with this.  Not 'loving' the legatos but the longs (and to a lessor degree the shorts) are to die for.  For me, I am still holding out for the new player details.   This library is a beast in size and will need a 'next gen' player to use effectively on a day to day - no time schedules -  we all see.   Very encouraged by this 'raw' walk-thru.

Maybe my programming wasn't good enough.

@LAJ said:

The reason why VSL can't present something else is simply that the whole product is not ready.

Of course this is the main reason. You could not show the full potential without the Synchron Player running and all sections ready. We are just to curious what let VSL publish their Demo-exsamples perhaps still a bit to early (we have a german proverb like that: better a bird (=later published mature Library) in my hand than a bird on my roof (=to early presented demos+Videos  online) 😛

However I wonder why Paul has the Releasetime as low as 63. Increase it on 70-72 and Vadim will be satisfied with the Legato no matter if it would be live or a demo. (It was nearly always the release time setting of the user, if ever anything seemed to be "wrong" with VSL-Samples 😉).

I am happy that VSL does not publish any Library to early, we all know that Synchron Series pushes the limit again much forward, so give them the time to make it as good as possible (and dont mess around with demos and Videos which currently scarcly are able to represent the whole product.)

@christof said:

Maybe my programming wasn't good enough.

Steinberg taking much more time to develop Dorico extended the trial period ;)

@RLD said:

Steinberg taking much more time to develop Dorico extended the trial period 😉

Sad state of affairs when Dorico sets the bar for expectations of timely software development and delivery...

@christof said:

Maybe my programming wasn't good enough.

The composition and midi performance (mockup, programing) were great. People are expecting a smoother legato, or perhaps in other words a more slurred legato. I am not a programmer, so I am not sure what goes into the programming of these libraries. But in reality a performed string legato is smooth but does not contain any portamento. None at all. 

My guess is that many developers are including a very small amount of portamento in their "legato" patches to fool the ear into thinking the legato is better than it really is. Also to make it seem more "human". Or perhaps the sections just aren't as carefully sampled.  In a real section of 8 celli performing a legato between two notes, the timing is not going to be perfect among all 8 players, unless it is a world class orchestra. The ear hears the timing differences collectively as a sort of portamento or slurring effect. 

The Synchron Strings celli sound like a very top orchestra section with only the best players who have been thoroughly rehearsed. The change from note to note is nearly perfect within the section. Without the timing differences among the 8 players, people don't hear the humanizing effect of smearing, or slurring that they associate with a string section legato. 

"... People are expecting a smoother legato, or perhaps in other words a more slurred legato." by Paul McGraw

Yes. This is true. But don't get us wrong. The Product - as it was presented including all Legati - is brillant!

But it would be great when the VSL would deliver Portamento on top (Vouchers are prepared from my side!)

This Portamento-Effect is the most VSL-characteristic sound when I see the VSL-Logo and think about the VSL-articulations. No other Company managed this like Vienna ...
Without this "strong played" slurred emotional articulation something is really missing.

(I remember when the Dimension Strings 2 came out and Portamento was missing in the Articulation-Table on the Website it was a Horror for me that they could have missed it. I was so glad that someone just missed to write it into the table.)

@FabioA said:

Is it possible to have more informations about the shorts patches? Looks like a strong decison to have 4 different legatos with several variations but just general patches for shorts! :)

Beside the fact, that the Vibrato-Variants of long and Legato Articulations of course does not make that much sens with shorts, you should also consider, that the Shorts do have (beside the most variations) the most velocitylayer including the former seperat provided "harsh" for very high velocities.This seem to me very reasonable since the different types of short articulations are imho not that independently used from the intention of different intensities.

@LAJ said:

But it would be great when the VSL would deliver Portamento on top

Definitely! While it's best used sparigly, I feel that it's an important part of any serious library.

@Another User said:

But it would be great when the VSL would deliver Portamento on top (Vouchers are prepared from my side!)

I agree with LAJ about Portamento...