Realistic Strings ?

[VanDerGraf]

Can anyone recommend a soft-synth with *very* realistic string sounds?
(i.e.: Violins, Cellos)

I am currently using SampleTank (the version that comes with the Digi002)
Do the 'paid versions' of SampleTank have more realistic string sounds?
Is there a better program?


Thanks
Van

[tele_player]

I'm looking at Garritan Personal Orchestra, due to ship in a few weeks. Garritan has a reputation for a GREAT string library. I spoke to Garritan, and he was not certain that the NI sample player he's providing for RTAS works on Windows, this needs to be verified.

www.garritan.com

[Lalaman]

As far as I know NI expanded their samplers to Windows RTAS, the last a couple of days ago. So, guess you could hopefully at least get an update for free if you had bought after August or so.

What great samples is concerned, from what users say Garritan must be among first choice ( or maybe even first [?] ). When it is about realistic sound though could be that the quality of samples couldn´t make it alone. A couple of weeks ago I was playing a cello track while a cello player was listening and she spontaneously pointed out what made the fake obvious to her.
It was the start of the bow.
With samples the start already is too present compared to the average case in practise.

Thus, it could be a good starting point to think of when working on a sampled string track. I at lest will be considering this next time.

Hope this was worth a mentioning. :O)

Lalaman

[kmshroom]

I'm looking at Garritan Personal Orchestra, due to ship in a few weeks. Garritan has a reputation for a GREAT string library.

personally, i've always found the garritan orch strings to sound really fake. just MHO thou.

I spoke to Garritan, and he was not certain that the NI sample player he's providing for RTAS works on Windows, this needs to be verified.

it will be a free update. and any sample library that ships with a custom NI player (like the Garritan personal orch, or the NI collabs with East-West and Zero-G) can all be imported into Kontakt v1.5 (to be released this month, hopefully), which supports RTAS.

[kmshroom]

Do the 'paid versions' of SampleTank have more realistic string sounds?

more realistic, yes. but still far from sounding real. for real, look elsewhere, in Giga or Kontakt format libraries.

[VanDerGraf]

Thanks everyone for your input.
I will check out all your suggestions!


Van

[Lalaman]

more realistic, yes. but still far from sounding real. for real, look elsewhere, in Giga or Kontakt format libraries.

The ones the cello player judged were Kontakt samples.

[kmshroom]

The ones the cello player judged were Kontakt samples.

Kontakt samples are only as good as the person/ppl who made that particular sample patch.

just like a PT mix is only as good as the ***** being mixed, and the mixer mixing it.

[VanDerGraf]

I just listend to Garritan Personal Orchestra.
WOW! Very realistic sounds. I think I will go with Garritan when I can.

Thanks again to all who replied.

Van

[kmshroom]

I just listend to Garritan Personal Orchestra.

actually, all the demos on the Garritan website are for the Orchestral Strings, which is a different (much bigger) product.

Orchestral Strings = 20 CDs, $795
Personal Orchestra (which includes not only strings, but winds, brass, perc, pno, etc as well) = 4 CDs, $249

just an fyi..