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  • Probably a no-brainer question for you who know strings

    I have the Chamber II and am about to buy the Solo Strings 1. I also have other things from Kirk Hunter etc. Anwyway, for $119, I thought about also grabbing this NI Session Strings for what it can do- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNp2e-OAhNk&feature=pyv&ad=5977471453&kw=session%20strings&gclid=CIaF6LKn8aQCFQQCbAodT0eczw ...but then thought, maybe the vsl I have/will have can do that anyway with some imaginative programming. Is that the case? Or for $119, should I just spring too for the NI ?

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    @Mello said:

    I have the Chamber II

    Just curious, why did you start with the Chamber II as those are the string instruments  played with Mutes? I'm hoping to add the Chamber II to my library as Schoenberg's Verklȁrte Nacht requires that sound and I want to do a 'recording' of the work.

    But I am not a string expert, the demo for the Session strings sounds wonderful, if the music done on the demo fits your style, then go for it. I have the Chamber Strings I and it has provided many happy hours for me during my improv sessions.


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    Hi Mello

    I believe that you get good products for their prices (Session, Kirk Hunter, etc).

    So which one should you choose?

    I believe that it depends on the music you will produce.

    You will get some nice results with the Session Strings quick and fast. Specially the glide-effects is a nice one.

    But think, it is an effect. After using it within 10 bars the listener will be already tired of it.

    Nevertheless. The Session Strings seem to be nice -specially for easy-listening-music.

    When it comes to produce a mockup or another piece which should really sound as close as possible to the reallity then

    the Sessions are not the right product for sure.

    As an example: Listen to "Mozart's Kleine Nachtmusik" (Player Sidebar)

    I have never heard such a well known mockup with other libraries (Kirk Hunter, Session Strins, Lass, ...) even if their demos sound

    nice and beautiful.

    All the best

    Beat Kaufmann


    - Tips & Tricks while using Samples of VSL.. see at: https://www.beat-kaufmann.com/vitutorials/ - Tutorial "Mixing an Orchestra": https://www.beat-kaufmann.com/mixing-an-orchestra/
  • If you have Chamber II you might think of getting Appassionata strings instead of solo if you can only get one additional.  The reason is, you sound like you want a basic good string sound, right?  The Appassionata I are the best for that, way above those other libraries, especially for film type scoring. So you could supplement those with the Chamber if you already have those.


  • I wouldn't throw $119 at session strings unless I had to have that disco sound and I was going to get paid to do that. It's not going to be that useful for Schoenberg I think. It's made for pop and, really largely marketed toward people that are often happy using loops. I would think the people making the demos for it are pros, and it still comes off as pure cheese. For instance, some of the slides, I can get that with a pitch wheel with the free Appassionata I got with VE Pro better than those results.

    Just based on the free App. strings, I can say they *sound* FANTASTIC, rich, warm, vintage... again based on demos I assume were done by people with decent chops, session strings = No Go.