This library focuses specifically on Violins from an expressive Solo player to a 16 player section. Although I would love to see and hear a string-specific library from ProjectSAM, this collection is a great foundation for anyone looking to get into orchestral sounds in general. The price is very reasonable when you consider the full range of orchestral instruments included along with the strings. The string section is solid and it’s very easy to get a great sound quickly without much fussing around. The “Wild String Textures” and “Cellos Basses Col Legno” settings are particularly satisfying. There are several standard key-switchable articulations available and some great contemporary transitional effects with a speed control for finding the right duration. The String-specific instruments include Sul Tasto (by section and ensemble), Long and Short notes, Clusters, Effects, Chords and Octaves among others. But the string sounds by themselves are excellent and the interface is very user friendly and intuitive, and deserves mention here. I’ve included the Symphobia 1 library even though it is not strictly a string collection and includes a full selection of orchestral samples, as well as mixed ensembles. This collection is perfect for creating contemporary textures and transitions as well as precisely defined ostinati. Referencing the manual is essential to take full advantage of what is available. Spitfire instruments, in general, have intense functionality and offer the user significant control.
The Ostinatum section offers a programmable rhythm generator and arpeggiator capable of everything from chaotic textures to precisely defined rhythms.Īrticulations include Sul Ponticello, Sul Tasto, Harmonics, various types of Vibrato and several extended techniques like transitional textures (Granular to normal), Spectral Scrubs, Granular Trem, Twitchy and a “unique Detuned Open String” setting for all sections. Time Machine – These patches contain all of the short articulations fully loaded into RAM so that you are able to vary the length of the short notes via CC. Light – Stripped back articulations that reduce the stresses on your CPU. Other Patches which contains three other articulation types: Economic – A pre-curated smaller selection of articulations which won’t break you RAM bank.Individual Articulations – each separate articulation in its own patch.Extended Techniques – contains ‘core’ and ‘decorative’ techniques for each section and can be viewed as the next stage in detail up from the ‘basic’ startup patches.This library is organized into three general folders and five categories of Kontakt instruments: (description from the manual below)