Real Strings Vol2 - Music Tech - March 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Despite advances in both physical modelling synthesis and scripted sampled instruments, it’s still very hard to get good, realistic string sound, especially when dealing with melodies and moving phrases. Real Strings Vol 2, from Organic Loops, aims to fill the gap with 126 loops and phrases played on live string instruments.
Created by Pete Whitfield – who arranges and records real strings for major labels and TV/media companies – the pack contains layered violins and cellos played with a full range of dynamics, expression and emotion. You get 126 individual 24-bit loops each lasting four bards and divided into 12 construction kits from 110-140BPM. There are several different playing techniques on offer, including romantic legato chords, rhythmic staccato stabs, chilling tremolos and tension-building trills, plus some more irregular, special effect-type bends and drones.
Each of the kits has been carefully constructed with different types of riff that can be layered to create a fuller sound, plus melody and progression variations, high sustained notes and end phrases. This makes building your own arrangement much more flexible as you can create different sections and variations, although, as a lot of the chords, figures and melodies occupy a similar frequency range, you probably wouldn’t want to layer more than about three at once for fear of the mix becoming cluttered.
It’s clear to hear that the work of orchestral breakbeat maestros Hybrid has been a big influence in the style, feel and layering of these riffs, with big-sounding unison melodies, subtle slides between notes and a mood that teeters between dark, beautiful and uplifting. The pack is available as a download in Acid Wav or Apple Loops formats, with the addition of REX loops, MIDI files and four-part scores as PDF and Sibelius files. This is a nice touch for anyone wanting to expand on the content here by recording their own additional parts or use the MIDI data to add in their own sampled instruments or synths.
For anyone writing emotional, orchestral electronica these loops are a dream come true: high-quality, real strings that can instantly add organic expression to your tracks.
Verdict: A well thought-out collection of beautifully recorded loops. Perfect for breaks, house, hip hop and media composers.
Rating: 9/10 plus the Music Tech Choice award
Click here for more information on Real Strings 2
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