Also an excellent price! It seems like the only thing currently comparable in terms of price and depth of articulations is Hollywood Orchestra, even cheaper on sale.
Very much this. It's like a wrecking ball through the pricing structure. I sometimes wonder if there's an element of Hail Mary to it.
Sonokinetic Orchestral Strings work well in almost all settings. The GUI's a bit unusual but not unintuitive. And there's so much functionality that is definitely "state-of-the-art" like the articulation morphing, the x-y mixer view, and the auto or manual divisi for all sections. I took a chance on these strings back in 2022 and they are quite beautiful. Definitely worth checking out in my not-so-humble opinion.
I can't disagree with any of this advice, except to say that I've never had particular difficulty mixing SSO instruments with other libraries (especially OT libraries recorded in Teldex) with the proviso that you have to mix to SSO. You are never going to make that library dry. And the same can be said of SCS. The sound of Air is of course one of the main draws of these libraries.
I can see being frustrated by the inconsistencies with SSO and SCS. It can be truly maddening. But I can't see how Berlin really resolves them. For my uses, Berlin (which I have) is even more inconsistent than is SSO/SCS, and fussier besides (especially Berlin Strings) and if I wanted consistency I'd go for VSL or Cinematic Studios. (BSS is an exception, and I find it quite consistent, and much easier to use than Berlin Strings or SSS.)
This is the case where everyone has their favorites for their workflow and you're unfortunately going to have to try several libraries to find what works for you. I will say that Cinematic Studio series is a great starting point for most people due to its unmatched consistency: you can literally drag and drop midi parts between strings, solo strings, woodwinds, and brass and they just work. Whether the sound is what you're into is another story, but check out Rico Derk's Project Colossal site to see what can be done with EQ and reverb with CS to make it sound as good as any library out there. If I had it to do over again from a blank slate, I'd get the entire CS series, supplement it with any percussion library you like (Cineperc is easy and comprehensive, True Strike has a lot of fans and still sounds amazing over 10 years later), Spitfire Chamber Strings essentials, Samplicity Berlin Studio Reverb and get to work.
I'm not sure if there's need to be ashamed about this - but after more than 5TB of downloaded sample libaries and many years of using some of them, I've never touched a VSL instrument, ever. But Cinematic Studio indeed shines here from my experience. Just copy & paste!
I really hope they do the same sort of Kontakt update for SStO as they did for SSO. Having updated legatos and performance patches is a big deal imo and will make SStO much more usable into the future. I have doubts they will do it, but I sure hope they do (especially if they make the new standard version include those lovely OUTRIGGERS)!
May I ask for you to list some of the VSL Libraries you own but don't use? Please tell me 'The Whistler' is on the list...
Nor have I. I also don’t use Cinematic Studio libraries. You can infer from that that I value things other than consistency in virtual instruments.
I quite like the SF Solo Strings, though I agree that the Total Performance patches (both cello and violin) are not stellar. I'm also not fond of the virtuoso violin. But the other instruments are all very usable, with the reservation that the vibrato is on/off (which I find works better than it has a right to) and the short sustain before rebow. They aren't for everything, but they remain the core of quartet writing for me, and the first desk violin, viola, and cello all make for excellent spot soloists in orchestral settings.
Sorry for the misunderstanding! I don't own any VSL libraries, it's just a company that hasn't been on my radar at all for whatever reason, therefore I was just referring to other developers with my "5TB +" of libraries comment. No valid opinion on how good VSL is from my site. No idea what "The Whistler" is.
Thanks for clarifying. I probably have the name wrong, but the whistler is an actual whistling library lol. I really wanted to get it for giggles my but partner promptly put her foot down and said she did not want me to make any whistle music hahahah.
There is a Whistler Ensemble from Embertone that is quite fun to use! That one I have!
That's why I would probably lean towards BBCSO Pro as a first choice as you can make that drier sounding or as wet as SSO so you get more flexibility in the sound you want. SSO as a full package is great though but as you mentioned you ain't going to make SSO sound dry.
