I think it sounds pretty nice, certainly not at all mechanical. I like it. 😊

I hope more people will try.

I'm curious, is anyone able to achieve something like this with the Synchron strings alone? (Although I am personally interested in all expressive simulations.)

@MMKA said:

Hi Alan,

Okay, I took the challenge, and worked a little on the melody. The result you can hear beneath. And no, it has not the qualities in the finesses of the link you send.
I used not only the Synchron Strings but also 2 samples (vi-sus-espr and perf-rep-leg for the repeating notes) of the Chamber Strings (the VI one, not the Synchron-ized version). Also I brought in the solo viola (the sus-Vib-espr) and softened the attack a little, and of course some equalizing.

Best

Altos melody

Here's my take - SY violas only, a tiny bit of delay on top of the factory preset (and nothing else). Vibratos are not even close, but I couldn't make them any better. Well, I'm only learning to use this library, and this was a good exercise:

[url]https://drive.google.com/open?id=1f7BpGt-mFpKUFWJ53-6BDo8a0w90wc_c[/url]

@crusoe said:

Here's my take - SY violas only, a tiny bit of delay on top of the factory preset (and nothing else). Vibratos are not even close, but I couldn't make them any better. Well, I'm only learning to use this library, and this was a good exercise:

[url]https://drive.google.com/open?id=1f7BpGt-mFpKUFWJ53-6BDo8a0w90wc_c[/url]

One thing I tried myself was having them play loud and with maximum vibrato, and then using CC11 to make it sounds softer. But I couldn't get the attacks to sound right. 😞

@Another User said:

One thing I tried myself was having them play loud and with maximum vibrato, and then using CC11 to make it sounds softer. But I couldn't get the attacks to sound right.

Yes, I tried it too, and indeed, it doesn't really work out 😊

The MMKA's mockup is really good, though.

Second try. Now I used only Synchron Strings.

Viola melody only Synchron Strings 1

MMKA, please make the link accessible (it's not).

Sorry, I saw it. I hope it is now accessible.

Yup, it works now! I listened and I have to say I liked your 1st version much more. The colors became bleak. Well, it's pretty much the same for my own version. As Alan pointed out, the situation could be slightly improved with the highest velocity layer, at least in theory, but even with that I've not found a single sample in SY violas that matches/rivals/stands up to the vibrato presented by the challenge.

I tried the example again with and without help of the chamber violins. And I think you are right.
The conclusion can be, that Synchron Strings 1 doesn't have the vibrato of the vi-sus-espr sample of the chamber Orchestra.
For myself I made some time ago the conclusion, that one, or at least I, will get the best string performances with mixing several string samples (samples can be from the same library or another). Of course this is not a law, but in many cases it turns out to work so, at least for me.
In this piece the combination of the consistancy of the Synchron Strings, mixed with the expressive sound of the Chamber Violins sample gave obvious the best result for me at this moment. 
I tried a little with the Synchronized Chamber Orchestra alone, but that didn't give the result either I can get with the mixed version.

Alan, a question for you: what do you think about the attacks of my Synchron alone version?

The 'Synchron only' sounds like a student/scholar playing thing. No expressivity. And no way about the attacks imo.

The first you posted sounds better but I can't believe we could get anything really close to the original with any Vienna strings unfortunately...

Hi Belkina,
I just sent you a PM....

@MMKA said:

Alan, a question for you: what do you think about the attacks of my Synchron alone version?

😊 The attacks are quite nice, but I would like a bit more variety, in particular the difference between a note that starts a new bowstroke and a note within a slur, where the attack would normally be somewhat gentler. There are a few existing sample libraries that offer this. When the strings are playing with everybody else it's not noticeable, but in an foreground string line like this one it makes a difference.

While we are on this subject, if I listen to the real version I am also struck by more variety in the enevlope of each note. That I think can be done with the Synchron strings, using controllers on each note. It's a lot a work, but we are trying to imitate performers with decades of musical experience and training, under a fine conductor. And virtual orchestration, like real orchestration, should be a kind of continuous ear training. There are so many things I hear now that I did not even notice years ago when I started. And I know lots of student conductors for whom the same is true. That's why I thought of this "challenge". 😊  

I did still one. I mixed Synchron Strings violas with Chamber Strings violas and one solo viola. For me indeed a challenge what I can get out of the libraries I have. But now for me it's done. 😊 
Thanks, Alan, for this thread. It was a way to learn more from the Strings!

Melody with Synchron Strings violas, CS violas, solo viola

Definitely better. :-)  The vibrato is still a bit too predictable for my taste, but I'm very picky!

I sent you a PM

Hi Everybody!

My excerpt is with Chamber-Violas only. So it's not part of the challenge, but still might be interesting for comparision.

http://www.teluff.com/tel/Villa-Lobos-Violas-Chamber-Strings.mp3

The reverb is MIR24 with Roompack "Synchron Stage Vienna".

I do not yet own Synchron Strings. I'm not sure it's the rigth product for me, because I like to edit the dry audio waves in my DAW before sending them to a reverb.

Best Stefan

Interesting. I have only one little suggestion, the "bas level" of vibrato seems a bit too flat to me, I don't think it should ever really sound like non-vibrato. 

Just my opinion!

Hi Alan,

thank you for your comment. I changed the vibrato of a segment of the final note with Melodyne. It is a much stronger vibrato now, sounding to me more like a solo instrument, than a group of instuments playing and mixing together.

I also changed the MIR Synchron Stage Settings from Wide Room to Narrow.

Again, this is not Synchron Strings, but Chamber Stirngs with MIR and Synchron Stage.

My primary goal with that excerpt was to get the phrasing right by manipulating the attacks of the notes.. Don't know if I succeded, but I think it's the key to a convincing performance, whatever Library has been used.

http://www.teluff.com/tel/Villa-Lobos-Violas-Chamber-Strings.mp3

Stefan

You are definitely right about the variety of attacks: these are so many ways the bow can contact the string! :-) I still find that my ears also want more variety of rubato.