Hey, I got the full Spitfire Orchestra Studio Pro a few days ago, and mixing the Studio Pro Strings with the new Spitfire Air Studio reverb is incredible. It's like moving the string section into Lyndhurst Hall. It's like turning the Studio Orchestra into a Symphony Orchestra. I highly recommend it
Hey G! Thanks so much. Yes I hope that this saves some people a little money. Non are bad but if you can get cinestrings for as cheap as this then it’s s no brainer. :)
Very good job man. Thank you for your review and comments. I would like to buy a chamber strings library and am tempted to buy Spitfire Studo Strings Prof or Spitfire Chamber Strings Essential. Can you still recommend Spitfire Studo Strings Prof?
Hey! Absolutely, it’s still my most used string library and it’s always used to give that added detail over other more full sounding libraries. I use them like a spot mic on each instrument in the section and that really adds what I often need. Thank you for your comment!
That's a lovely piece. I was interested to hear that you often layer BBCSO Core strings with Studio Strings, as these are almost the only strings I have. Since BBCSO Core only comes with one mic mix, presumably you aim to make Studio Strings sound as if they too were recorded at Maida Vale? Which mics do you use for this, and which reverb?
Hey, thank you so much for listening! Really glad oyu enjoyed the music. I actually dont try to get any of the libraries to sound like each other. they both have qualities that I prefer to accentuate. I hope that what comes forward in this video is more that each library has its strengths, and as part of those strengths they also have weaknesses. So as part of that concept, the best course is to use those strengths to add to the others shortcomings. For instance, BBCSO has a lovely full sound, that is quite detailed, but overall lacks detail in the intimate and nuanced area of legato and dynamic layers, but its strengths are its short articulations, smooth legato transitions and powerful bass section. Studio strings weaknesses are that the low end is more balanced, but weak in comparison, i does feel smaller because its in a smaller room, the legato is just a little inconsistent and it doesn't have any staccato's. Its strengths are that it has some good mic positions including first chairs, its incredibly detailed, it blends well, it has a huge dynamic range, its tight and is very punchy. so when you layer them they actually support each others weaknesses very well to create a sound that is better than the sum of their parts. this also means they create a sound that isnt like just one library on their own. it sounds more unique. These are also the reasons why BBCSO is a better library to layer with than say CSS because there are a lot of strengths that you would be doubling up on... and also the shorts in CSS aren't consistent so you'd get a blurred sound overall when mixing short articulations between both libraries. These are just things to consider, but i hope that this helps you decide and rationalise next time you try and layer these libraries, or any libraries :)
Have you noticed in the 2.0 version Cinestrings Core that the vibrato slider doesn't work as expected? On my end if the fader is to the left, a new note will not have vibrato, but then you can't add vibrato to that note. If you move it to the right, a new note will have vibrato but you can crossfade back to non-vibrato. I've written the company about this and can't tell if it is just me or no one else has noticed. I also wish the short overlay feature was velocity sensitive! Seems like an oversight that it is not! There is a threshold you can set to trigger a short attack, and you can switch between three different attacks, but they are heard a the same velocity. So, if I set the attack threshold at zero because I always want attacks, I'll just hear a one-velocity attack since the sustain is so low with that CC is at pianissimo.
Hey Michael. I think this may just be you thet this is happening to. I’ve scored a few films since this review where I almost exclusively used the tremolo from this library for most scenes. I had no issues tbh. So maybe an uninstall and reinstall might fix the issue. Alternatively, if you are happy with fixing Kontakt issues you could open up the Kontakt instance and look for the trem file, try and work out how it’s being triggered and then try to fix the issue that way. If you got it wrong you could just uninstall anyways so it may be a fun (or frustrating) experience aha!
@@MediaManProductions My tremolo articulation is fine. It’s the ability to crossfade between vib and non vib through a held sustained note. Are we talking about the same thing?
@@MediaManProductions I have found the issue. There is a scripting issue. The vibrato fader doesn't work correctly "out of the box." It only works correctly after you make your first custom mapping. If I load an instance of Violins 1 let's say, click on sustains and move the fader on a single note, you can't crossfade between vibrato and non-vibrato. As soon as I set up keyswitches in their custom map section (there are none by default) the fader then behaves correctly.
In cinestrings core, did they eliminate the flaw, when the library is suitable only for slow-tempo passages, and complete rubbish in terms of fast runs?
Hey thanks for your comment. Yes the library definitely has its best use cases, though I’ve found if you use the marcato patch coupled with the layered staccato overlay there built in then you can get a good result from faster passages too :)
I hadn’t used the old version btw, so this doesn’t seem to have any flaws. The only thing have found are the short articulations are very loose, which keeps the realism but makes it hard to programme tight sounding runs… I tend to layer a lot of them together to blur the shorts a bit which works great, but overall not ideal.
Thank you for the review, great music. I wish if you had match the instruments leveling for an accurate comparison or solo each patch, for instance the Celli were low in CineStrings, too high when BBC start and too low in SSS, the entire mix frequency response made some instruments brighter and other darker, so the sound comparison wasn't fair.
Hey, thank you for your contribution. The overall output of each instrument was matched perfectly. This was the closest comparison I could do. This is also because in CSC and BBCSO they have a lot more sub information, so that makes things a little more jaded. But, you are right, perhaps in a future video I will solo the tracks so that they can be heard separately.
I see you are using Studio Strings Pro which has the extra mic settings and divisi. Did you ever use the Core version? If so, is it worth paying the extra? I know there is a big jump in the size of the file. Thanks. PS - Cinestrings 'glitch' purchase? :).
Hey Martin, thanks so much for your comment! Yes, I started with the studio core version. It’s really great. I think I had just used that library for about 3 years and it served me really well. I only upgraded to the pro version when my income covered it, otherwise the core would have been fine for me. The pro gives you access to the 1st chairs which I feel is really useful for even more added detail. I’m not sure if you always need that detail so I now swap between core and pro depending on what I’m actually trying to achieve. Studio strings as a whole is the Swiss Army knife of string libraries in my opinion. I can do whatever you throw at it, but it does need a little help with size from a wetter library sometimes. I would say it’s worth the upgrade, but not for the mic positions, but for the added extended techniques too. Only get if if you feel like you have use for those techniques as you can definitely live without them. It is for me at least my favourite sounding library out of these three. I hope that helps.
@@MediaManProductions That's great. Interesting to hear your views on SStS. I considered SCS when there was a 50% flash sale a year ago but decided it was just not right. I did not like the mid/low muddiness and a slightly unbalanced boomy sound to my ear, not helped by ambient AIR space. I went for the Core version of SStS which has a more open airy sound and closer to a drier sounding chamber string section. As you probably know, we have just had another 50% flash sale (two in fact :)) and I came to exactly the same conclusion after reconsidering. As a footnote, I have more or less decided to go for Light & Sound Chamber Strings. Half the price and it offers that dry crisp studio sound I am after with 7 mic settings and some interesting performance style articulations. I think Studio Strings will compliment it quite nicely and fill in a few gaps. They have re badged themselves as Incirios and are planning to launch their own free platform. Currently, the library requires the use of the paid full Kontakt sample player. You might find it interesting. Thanks for your comments.
@@MartinJG100 yeah I personallyvthunk studio is better than chamber but chamber has its uses. The flautando a are gorgeous in. Hammer strings is a lot of people tend to lean towards them when they buy that library. When looking for strings I rarely focus on the sound of the actual string section now tbh. Boo mines and the like can be easily EQ’d on a section bus so that’s never an issue as a lot of strings sound equally as great. I listen to first the room sound and then the articulation set and the dynamic range. Studio strings has been the only one to rock those boxes… but, performance samples and Audio Imperia have just collaborated on a chamber strings library that has 8 dynamic layers and is recorded in the same gap as the other Perf samples libraries… to me this could potentially be the best smaller ensemble library yet. But we will see.
@@MediaManProductions That's useful. Yes, I think there will be increasing focus on playability to the extent that key switching (which I hate and never use) and toggling switches is a thing of the past. More libraries are developing the 'performance legato' which is much more useful and intuitive. Thanks for the heads up on the new chamber strings collaboration.
@@MediaManProductions I was pointing this out because at 11:07 you say that Studio Strings doesn't have harmonic patches and for that reason you had to use the flautando patch instead ; )
You can’t, though I would suggest just retriggering the note and altering the side room of your dynamics. That will still give a good effect. You can also layer in cinestrings solo which has pre baked re bows that sound very good. I’ll make a video on this soon I think. :) thank you for commenting. Great question!
Thank you so much for watching my video! You rock!
❤
CINESTRINGS CORE 2.0 starts at 2:07, BBCSO starts at 4:16, & Spitfire starts at 6:30.
Thanks for the outline. Others will find this very useful.
Hey, I got the full Spitfire Orchestra Studio Pro a few days ago, and mixing the Studio Pro Strings with the new Spitfire Air Studio reverb is incredible. It's like moving the string section into Lyndhurst Hall. It's like turning the Studio Orchestra into a Symphony Orchestra. I highly recommend it
Good comparison! I hope people who are doing their first purchases will be able to use this to compare and contrast the sounds and their needs.
Hey G! Thanks so much. Yes I hope that this saves some people a little money. Non are bad but if you can get cinestrings for as cheap as this then it’s s no brainer. :)
How did you solve for the delay of the CINESTRINGS CORE? Do the notes have the same delay at different strengths?
Very good job man. Thank you for your review and comments. I would like to buy a chamber strings library and am tempted to buy Spitfire Studo Strings Prof or Spitfire Chamber Strings Essential. Can you still recommend Spitfire Studo Strings Prof?
Hey!
Absolutely, it’s still my most used string library and it’s always used to give that added detail over other more full sounding libraries. I use them like a spot mic on each instrument in the section and that really adds what I often need. Thank you for your comment!
@@MediaManProductions Thank you for you reply! Have a nice day.
You too man. And it’s my pleasure!
I have both and I would recommend Studio Strings. You get way more for your money and even better Legato in my opinion.
That's a lovely piece. I was interested to hear that you often layer BBCSO Core strings with Studio Strings, as these are almost the only strings I have. Since BBCSO Core only comes with one mic mix, presumably you aim to make Studio Strings sound as if they too were recorded at Maida Vale? Which mics do you use for this, and which reverb?
Hey, thank you so much for listening! Really glad oyu enjoyed the music. I actually dont try to get any of the libraries to sound like each other. they both have qualities that I prefer to accentuate. I hope that what comes forward in this video is more that each library has its strengths, and as part of those strengths they also have weaknesses. So as part of that concept, the best course is to use those strengths to add to the others shortcomings. For instance, BBCSO has a lovely full sound, that is quite detailed, but overall lacks detail in the intimate and nuanced area of legato and dynamic layers, but its strengths are its short articulations, smooth legato transitions and powerful bass section. Studio strings weaknesses are that the low end is more balanced, but weak in comparison, i does feel smaller because its in a smaller room, the legato is just a little inconsistent and it doesn't have any staccato's. Its strengths are that it has some good mic positions including first chairs, its incredibly detailed, it blends well, it has a huge dynamic range, its tight and is very punchy. so when you layer them they actually support each others weaknesses very well to create a sound that is better than the sum of their parts. this also means they create a sound that isnt like just one library on their own. it sounds more unique. These are also the reasons why BBCSO is a better library to layer with than say CSS because there are a lot of strengths that you would be doubling up on... and also the shorts in CSS aren't consistent so you'd get a blurred sound overall when mixing short articulations between both libraries. These are just things to consider, but i hope that this helps you decide and rationalise next time you try and layer these libraries, or any libraries :)
Have you noticed in the 2.0 version Cinestrings Core that the vibrato slider doesn't work as expected? On my end if the fader is to the left, a new note will not have vibrato, but then you can't add vibrato to that note. If you move it to the right, a new note will have vibrato but you can crossfade back to non-vibrato. I've written the company about this and can't tell if it is just me or no one else has noticed. I also wish the short overlay feature was velocity sensitive! Seems like an oversight that it is not! There is a threshold you can set to trigger a short attack, and you can switch between three different attacks, but they are heard a the same velocity. So, if I set the attack threshold at zero because I always want attacks, I'll just hear a one-velocity attack since the sustain is so low with that CC is at pianissimo.
Hey Michael. I think this may just be you thet this is happening to. I’ve scored a few films since this review where I almost exclusively used the tremolo from this library for most scenes. I had no issues tbh. So maybe an uninstall and reinstall might fix the issue.
Alternatively, if you are happy with fixing Kontakt issues you could open up the Kontakt instance and look for the trem file, try and work out how it’s being triggered and then try to fix the issue that way. If you got it wrong you could just uninstall anyways so it may be a fun (or frustrating) experience aha!
@@MediaManProductions My tremolo articulation is fine. It’s the ability to crossfade between vib and non vib through a held sustained note. Are we talking about the same thing?
@@MediaManProductions I have found the issue. There is a scripting issue. The vibrato fader doesn't work correctly "out of the box." It only works correctly after you make your first custom mapping. If I load an instance of Violins 1 let's say, click on sustains and move the fader on a single note, you can't crossfade between vibrato and non-vibrato. As soon as I set up keyswitches in their custom map section (there are none by default) the fader then behaves correctly.
Great comparison video. Thank you so much! 😊
What piano instrument do you use?
Glad to see you back on TH-cam again my friend. =)
Thank you man! It feels good to be back after a few weeks off.
In cinestrings core, did they eliminate the flaw, when the library is suitable only for slow-tempo passages, and complete rubbish in terms of fast runs?
Hey thanks for your comment. Yes the library definitely has its best use cases, though I’ve found if you use the marcato patch coupled with the layered staccato overlay there built in then you can get a good result from faster passages too :)
I hadn’t used the old version btw, so this doesn’t seem to have any flaws. The only thing have found are the short articulations are very loose, which keeps the realism but makes it hard to programme tight sounding runs… I tend to layer a lot of them together to blur the shorts a bit which works great, but overall not ideal.
@@MediaManProductions No, no, it's already checked, marcato patch overlayed sucks. It's the flaw of the library...
Nice composition as always.
Many thanks Fred! ❤
Great comparison!! Thanks for your effort!😊
Thank you so much! That is so appreciated!
Thank you for the review, great music. I wish if you had match the instruments leveling for an accurate comparison or solo each patch, for instance the Celli were low in CineStrings, too high when BBC start and too low in SSS, the entire mix frequency response made some instruments brighter and other darker, so the sound comparison wasn't fair.
Hey, thank you for your contribution. The overall output of each instrument was matched perfectly. This was the closest comparison I could do.
This is also because in CSC and BBCSO they have a lot more sub information, so that makes things a little more jaded. But, you are right, perhaps in a future video I will solo the tracks so that they can be heard separately.
I see you are using Studio Strings Pro which has the extra mic settings and divisi. Did you ever use the Core version? If so, is it worth paying the extra? I know there is a big jump in the size of the file. Thanks. PS - Cinestrings 'glitch' purchase? :).
Hey Martin, thanks so much for your comment!
Yes, I started with the studio core version. It’s really great. I think I had just used that library for about 3 years and it served me really well. I only upgraded to the pro version when my income covered it, otherwise the core would have been fine for me.
The pro gives you access to the 1st chairs which I feel is really useful for even more added detail. I’m not sure if you always need that detail so I now swap between core and pro depending on what I’m actually trying to achieve.
Studio strings as a whole is the Swiss Army knife of string libraries in my opinion. I can do whatever you throw at it, but it does need a little help with size from a wetter library sometimes.
I would say it’s worth the upgrade, but not for the mic positions, but for the added extended techniques too. Only get if if you feel like you have use for those techniques as you can definitely live without them. It is for me at least my favourite sounding library out of these three. I hope that helps.
@@MediaManProductions That's great. Interesting to hear your views on SStS. I considered SCS when there was a 50% flash sale a year ago but decided it was just not right. I did not like the mid/low muddiness and a slightly unbalanced boomy sound to my ear, not helped by ambient AIR space. I went for the Core version of SStS which has a more open airy sound and closer to a drier sounding chamber string section. As you probably know, we have just had another 50% flash sale (two in fact :)) and I came to exactly the same conclusion after reconsidering. As a footnote, I have more or less decided to go for Light & Sound Chamber Strings. Half the price and it offers that dry crisp studio sound I am after with 7 mic settings and some interesting performance style articulations. I think Studio Strings will compliment it quite nicely and fill in a few gaps. They have re badged themselves as Incirios and are planning to launch their own free platform. Currently, the library requires the use of the paid full Kontakt sample player. You might find it interesting. Thanks for your comments.
@@MartinJG100 yeah I personallyvthunk studio is better than chamber but chamber has its uses. The flautando a are gorgeous in. Hammer strings is a lot of people tend to lean towards them when they buy that library.
When looking for strings I rarely focus on the sound of the actual string section now tbh. Boo mines and the like can be easily EQ’d on a section bus so that’s never an issue as a lot of strings sound equally as great. I listen to first the room sound and then the articulation set and the dynamic range. Studio strings has been the only one to rock those boxes… but, performance samples and Audio Imperia have just collaborated on a chamber strings library that has 8 dynamic layers and is recorded in the same gap as the other Perf samples libraries… to me this could potentially be the best smaller ensemble library yet. But we will see.
@@MediaManProductions That's useful. Yes, I think there will be increasing focus on playability to the extent that key switching (which I hate and never use) and toggling switches is a thing of the past. More libraries are developing the 'performance legato' which is much more useful and intuitive. Thanks for the heads up on the new chamber strings collaboration.
No problem, it’s my pleasure. Consider joining the Discord too. Link in bio. I’m more available for lengthy chats on this stuff over there. :)
SA Studio Strings actually has harmonics patches!
It sure does. I was using them! ;)
@@MediaManProductions I was pointing this out because at 11:07 you say that Studio Strings doesn't have harmonic patches and for that reason you had to use the flautando patch instead ; )
❤❤❤
Thank you for your comment, really happy you enjoyed :D
Nice work my friend 👍👍
Hey Gez! Thank you so much ❤️
How to do rebow in cinestrings core？
You can’t, though I would suggest just retriggering the note and altering the side room of your dynamics. That will still give a good effect. You can also layer in cinestrings solo which has pre baked re bows that sound very good. I’ll make a video on this soon I think. :) thank you for commenting. Great question!
@@MediaManProductions What does "side room of your dynamics" mean? Is that particular to Cinesamples?
What about Opus?
It’s on my list, stay tuned!!
How to do portamento in cinestrings core？
Hey!
So it doesn’t have typical portamento, but you can slow the legato response down and that will give the same results.
@@MediaManProductions Thanks!
@@BryansRoom20 my pleasure:)