Thanks MMKA for the detailed response. All I really care is the final result in the end, however it is achieved. Between real legato of VI libraries and emulated one of SYS, I'm in favor of real legato, personally. Apparently, things have changed given what you say about overlapping notes.

The observation about better crossfading is valuable, too. It was a similar experience for me with SYS. I simply had to avoid XF.

Cheers,

Crusoe.

Hi,

Q.  What does the 'Marcato'  labeled Fader in the Performance area do  ? 

I couldn't find any info about it. 

Thanks,

Muziksculp 

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@Paul said:

Hi Muziksculp,

You can control the marcato amount in the tremolo / marcato articulation with that controller. 

Best, 
Paul

Hi Paul,

OK. Got it. 

Thanks,

Muziksculp 

This is an informal review from a string player's perspective and I hope it is appropriate posted here.

To check-in my bias, I want to say that I did not buy Synchron Strings, and never owned Dimension Strings (the latter only limited by budget, but not for lack of interest). I am a budget conscious musician/scientist and could only afford the Special Editions w.MIRx plugins to give them life over the years.

To see a "flagship" string product come from VSL where I can get each section with a full range of articulations and multiple mic positions for $310ish was too good of a deal to miss. I wanted to see if what made VSL string instruments special was not lost in Synchron format. For comparison, I have played with many string products available in cloud program to rent for a month or playing with a fellow musician's rig that has 6? string libraries for N.I. Kontakt. 

I have played violin/piano since I was 10 years old, marching band percussion in HS with 80% of the playing time between 10 and 19 years old. I was lucky to play in the Interlochen Youth Symphony, and have had the pleasure to guest conduct a few  university symphonies while in late high school. My first music "library" was adding 1 MB to my Sound Blaster to play a GM soundfont.

What made the VSL library (with VSL Instrument Pro) a superior product to the other libraries was the ability to take a Solo Violin Legato patch with Polyphonic legato with Velocity controlled dynamic layers set to very sensitive (115?) and then add a MIRx plug-in, select solo position and play Bach Sonatas or long solo passages of Mendelssohn (section 22+ of the Andante playing live [technique tangent -> ] with right hand and left hand alternating the 32nd notes so the double stops that land with the melody progressions are played with the same hand. The added humanization because when both notes are played with the same hand (usually right) they will land off-beat together vs. playing the moving 32nds all with left hand and then adding a right hand taking the melody only) . 

My complaint with other libraries is the patch changes are usually harsh, and hard to find an interface where I can take a single patch to hold so much weight for articulations with careful playing.  For me, this is what made VSL library much more an Instrument than a collection of patches.  A legato switch on a cello section should handle enough expression that I can hit a hard stop, and control the legato patch to create a reasonable detache w/ deliberate separations and programming interval timing to the seamlessly have lush legato sounds. This libraries "Legato Agile" is one more step in this ease for keyboard notes played that are represented with correct patch variations. 

With my little time with VSL Synchron Strings Pro, I have played Edward Elgar's Enigma Variations "Nimrod" at my preferred tempo like Bernstein . It is an excellent piece to highlight how a string player will have to provide a tremendous range of expression and self control with dynamics over 6 minutes with the Bernstein recording (And, he could bring it out of the musicians. The long, full up and down bows give a lot of control over the sound. I loved the VSL flautando, so I wanted to hear if the library could be played to control tone changes while staying from ppp to pp, subtle differences in phrasing that builds up.  I am very pleased with the library! 

The legato flautando can hold interest with its subtle dynamis and mimicking the alternative up and down bow phrasing from high to low in the large intervals played very well with gentle velocity XF to make seamless transitions. This also worked to legato pianissimo to Expressive p to regular vib and finally molto vibrato was very satisfying. It don't think it is necessary to have all of the transitions (but no complaints), but having them available adds much more of  dynamics that you can hear the difference in musician's technique and not just amplified. 

The Portamento built in Stretch Control is a game changer. I probably used VIPro to create 3 variations of speed and one hardly noticeable slide because it would give me a different sound than the legato patch. In  most libraries the portamento is almost gimmicky and only works if you are creating a version of Wizard of Oz's Over the Rainbow. With the frequency we shift positions into a note it is great to see a solutions to product that sound. I still have more to play with it, but so far it is great.

Combining this library with Big Bang orchestra (Free Edition) can create an epic sound that makes the most basic chord progressions impress family and friends.

In conclusion, I am not a professional film score composer, so I want a library that can play like an "instrument" and is it responsive and playable. This library can be played like a string instrument with a basic MIDI keyboard controller, and it is more than just a collection of wav files that are best put in with a robotic mechanical precision, but retains the same responsive instrument legato patches (and added more) that I have come to love with VSL. 

How do the "sus" patch set differ from the non-sus patches?

Thanks.

I really, really like my German seating for the strings and would prefer to keep it. Is there any sane way to re-pan the sections provided that I already have MIR and the Synchron Stage room pack?

Also, is it possible to force playing on certain strings like for Dimension Strings? I couldn't find any related settings in the GUI screenshots.

To answer my own question just in case anyone else later has the same:

Moving the sections around in space was amazingly effortless. I removed the room mic, panned the close mic to center and increased the volume, and spread the main mics fully. After that it just plopped right into MIR and works as expected. I'd even say it sounds better than the completely dry Dimension Strings, even with the remaining reverb from the samples.

Forcing strings or finger positions is not supported.

This is a great library!

Just one question @VSL: Why are the "05_Main-C" files for the 1st and the 2nd violins >6 GB? They are in Mono and should be half as big as the Stereo-files. "05_Main-C" for Violas, Violoncellos and Basses as well as all of the "Close" files are only around 3 GB which is "correct" in my opinion. Thanx!

Bilbo

Hi,

For Synchron Strings Pro Standard, do the Room Mix presets such as Room Mix Wide and Ambient contain sound from the Surround Mics?  Or is this only for Room Mixes in the Full version (which has the separate Surround mics)?

Thanks,

Walter

Hi Walter

The download for the Full Library only contains the files with the additional mic positions (Back, Main Surround, High Stereo and High Surround) for each section, but no kind of "enhanced" Room Mix. So yes, as I understand, the Room Mix in the Standard Library already contains those mics as well.

Best regards, Bilbo

Hi, 

That's correct, the Room-Mix also contains the signals from the additional room mics contained in the Full Library. 

Best,
Paul 

Hello, Please I need a quick reply, I want to cross grade from synchron strings 1, Where can I find the link and prices? I want all to have blackfriday promotion

Hi Adia,

Log in and check your price on the Synchron String Pro product page.

Then get some vouchers (3+1 Special Offer) and benefit from 25% discount.

Best,
Paul

I would be happy to do a crossgrade as an early adopter of Synchron Strings 1 - I never used it because I didi not like it too much. But this new version of Synchron Strings sounds great. Paul, I hope you will find a solution for me.

Hello,

there's a reason why starting a phrase with legato patches causes the first note to be much lower in volume than the following one? That causes a very annoying bump in the music. Other VSL strings libraries don't have this issue.
Someone can help?

Hello lupine, 

No reason. Can you please post an example and tell us which articulation you are playing?

Best, 
Paul

Hi, 

Seems like the first note doesn' have enough time to get started. Did you try with the Legato Agile, which is designed for faster passages?

Best, 
Paul

Dropping a quick line to share my thoughts on Synchron Strings Pro:

This is a fantastic library!  You have successfully managed to capture the strengths of your dry VI libraries (great legato patches, consistent/organized layout, flexibility of use) and the strengths of ambient libraries (depth of sound, out-of-the-box ease of use) and minimized or eliminated the cons of each.  I don't pretend to understand how you did it, but you actually made legato work and work well with multi-mic samples.  What's more, you've refined the Synchron Player to become the powerhouse it should be and - despite a few quirks - it works just as well (or better, in some cases) than the VI player.

A few details beyond the "legatos are amazing, shorts are spacious, and it sounds gorgeous" feedback that I really love:

• The XF sus presets (and the ability to set Vel XF on a patch level) are a godsend.  Switching Vel XF on/off is a PITA.  I would love to see this feature implemented in the VI player if possible.
• The way this library handles attack/release (as well as the time-dependent release scaling) has streamlined the process of creating lines that combine motion and repeated notes.  I really like this approach and think it is a far more intuitive and musical way of creating the same flexibility as the VI libraries with a third of the articulations necessary.

A few things I would love to see implemented (in the Synchron player) in the future:

• Access to and control of round robins (similar to VI Pro)
• The ability to switch release samples on and off (rather than have separate patches for "Normal" and "Cut" release.  The A/B switch controlling this was much simpler and less cluttered.
• More granular/numeric control over custom curves for CC sliders.

This is a workhorse, through and through, and layers wonderfully with everything from Dimension to Appassionata to Solo to whatever is sprinkled on top via MIR Pro.  I look forward to making bucketloads of music with it.

I also eagerly look forward to Synchron Strings Sordino, Synchron Brass (especially this), and Synchron Woodwinds :-)  If anything like this library and up to its standards, consider them already bought and paid for!

Sincerely, 

- Sam