Dear reviewer, at around 6:00 when you play the Thomas Newman excerpt, you had a chance to really blow our minds both with this new library but mainly with your performance. Sadly, I cannot gage the usefulness of this library while listening to your hack job of the Newman piece. In the future, you might consider refraining from playing such known and respected pieces and causing such disappointment.
For me, this part was actually very useful as he's playing it straight 'out of the box' so you can see how it performs without any post editing/mixing/mastering. This is a useful reviewing strategy as it demonstrates the core capability of the product. It's quite a stretch to say that this is a 'hack job'. If you came for a re-creation of the Shawshank redemption soundtrack, I can understand why you would be disappointed. But that's not what this video claims to be. At the end he's provided a more finalised piece, which shows the full potential of the library when more time is put in. Thank you Cory Pelizzari for a really insightful and well put together review.
Then perhaps you should start your own youtube channel, and experience what it's like when people troll you. So easy to take pot shots at people that are actually doing the work and providing useful information to us.....for free.
Cory - Your reviews are by far one of the most useful resources we have. You can play whatever you want. Thank you for your contributions to the scoring community!
get a life @enprovence its just a walkthrough, thanks for the insight to a library that most of us are wanting to hear. Although some here are just present to hear you play. Great job.
Love the usage of the 90's New Line Cinema theme near the end, the perfect showcase for this library that contains the more lush, melodic hollywood orchestral sound that I pray can somehow make a comeback!
Thx Cory for your video. When you played the Disney Logo our whole team was blown away. We are also working on some free updates, but more on that later... :-)
`free´ LOL you got some nerve... sooooo adding content that should have been included in v1 is now called a free update? No cellos and basses in all patches, no consistency, no basic editing tools, no midi control, no nothing. So your clients are now beta testers? This is an overpriced library with a few decent sounding strings (ignoring all phasing issues) that you cashed in with clever social media hype... you should give your marketing team a raise. ;-) I bet you didn't even sell 100 copies LOL
Very good review. I think you've nailed the exact reasons why this string library is so unique and extremely desirable for composers who don't want to "play around" too much to achieve the sound that suits the project. It's a wonderful string library. Expensive but, as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for.
Awesome review Cory! You’ve demonstrated the sounds really well! It would be nice though to hear the strings in the context of a couple of different mixes, eg. Orchestral, hybrid! Thanks again! It’s a really cool library!
Thank you Cory! Awesome as always! I had a brief conversation with George Strezov on V.I. Control addressing to please release an update that allows the user to sustain notes and chords using the sustain pedal on all patches that do not use the sustain pedal to trigger divisi. He stated that I had a great point in terms of playability and that they would possibly program that in an update. I love the library!
Yeah that's one thing that felt awkward to me when I first played. That polyphonic legato though... It's so easy to come up with almost finished ideas without having to use a pad patch to sketch first.
@@CoryPelizzari THE BEST polyphonic legato available indeed. Strezov and his team REALLY knocked it out of the park! The library sounds amazing. Can't wait to see the following chapters!
Great review - awesome product IMO. Already got it and am looking forward extremely to have fun with it. Loads of articulations and styles that I wanted to have since many years. Ok - I alredy got quite a lot of strings like CS, CSS, Hollywood Strings Diamond, Symphonic Orchestra, Strezov Macabre and Cornucopia I and II, OT Berlin Strings First Chairs, Albion One, all 8Dio Agitato & Cage, Musical Sampling Soaring and Adventure Strings, CineStrings Solo, Sonokinetic Sultan Strings, EWQL Silk (Persian Empire - 30 piece String Section), the Embertone solo stuff with Josh Bell, Audiosampling Solo String Bundle, Virharmonic Solo Cello, Cinesamples Tina Guo Legato, ProjectSAM´s Animator, Sonokinetic Capriccio and Vivace. But I stil got to say: Afflatus is ultra valuable and I always wanted so much of the content this library offers that - at least IMO - the price is ok. Other companies also charge high prices while people dont seem to have a big problem with that - even the content within these is tiny compared to what Strezov and his team offer in this collection. Also the poly legato and the divisi are ultra awesome and a huge time saver. So all I can say is: Thumbs up @Strezov Sampling! I am really thrilled to see the next chapters of the Afflatus journey :)
wow, i know it's hard but can you tell me which libraries you love the most, use the most, can't go without, taht are really valuable to you, would pick if you can keep only few? or if you can explain to me which ones you use for what styled/reasons, i would appricaite your answer! :)
@@CroElectroStile Las mejores a mi criterio son Spitfire audio Symphonic strings, Spitfire audio chamber strings , si los mezclas en capas realmente excelente. Berlin strings de orchestral tools realmente impresionantes. Cinematic strings 2 para darle un sonido mas grueso en capas te dara muy buen resultado. en violin solista seria el de joshua bell y el cello solista de chris hein. Eso es todo lo que respecta a cuerdas.
Wow. Film and game composers with a budget will jump on this for sure. They should pay you for this video btw. You did a much better presentation of what they've done so far. Hope this inspires other developers to follow. I've heard articulation I've only heard in phrase based library so far. Very cool. Thanks.
Agreed! Much better than any demo I heard. I was decided to pass this one after their support lied to me but I'm now reconsidering it just because of Cory's review. Strezov should pay him!
@@StrezovSampling here: i.imgur.com/5AQ8Tsu.png You misled a lot of people into thinking it would be 'similar to your other librares'. You probably lost a lot of customers. You lost me, I don't like being lied to. 649e or even 500e (expecting us to own every one of your top libraries to still buy Afflatus at a high price) it's not remotely close to your other libraries.
@@annettunger4022 Sorry that you feel this way. I understand that pricing differences are highly subjective and thus that statement was not a clever move. 100 bucks is a lot for some people for others it is nothing. However we never said it will have the exact same price as our other libraries, but similar. Also those crossgrade discounts are not limited to any duration.
@@StrezovSampling `we never said it will have the exact same price as our other libraries, but similar´ LOL How come €649 is similar to $369? Do you think we're stupid? Admit that you fucked up the price, instead of trying to justify your greed with more babble. People all over the web are complaining and if that doesn't tell you something, you are clueless. This should be an example for future developers on how to NOT underestimate your user base. #fail
Whenever I have to use two hands to play, I leave the modwheel up, then when I'm finished I record over it while controlling the modwheel and/or the volume slider which I have set to be CC11. Truth is I play on a cheap keyboard with a squeaky keybed :)
Cory what do you think of Cornucopia Strings 2? I really like the vintage sound but noticed some tuning problems in a few patches....but the sound, I never hear you talk about them as I know Macabre Strings is your gem :--)
@@CoryPelizzari Now that's shocking lol. They have that warm Strezov sound for sure. I hope you'll get the chance to try them out sometime for a comparison.
Quick question: How did you manage to get Studio One to send audio output to OBS? :) I'm having issues, and it keeps bugging me like hell! :) Please, help! :D
I don't. What I do is I record all the dialogue and playing first, then I play it all back and record it using OBS. Then I render the audio from Studio One as a 24 bit 48k WAV file and throw it into Movie Studio Platinum, then carefully drag the audio along to sync with the video. I do four loud "pah" sounds into the mic at the beginning of the initial voice recording to get the sync point. I've tried other methods of recording audio to a video capture, but the sound is sub-par in terms of quality (it sounds like a 128kbps mp3 file). Also, I like to keep my videos under 20 minutes to avoid length de-sync (where the audio drifts away from the video over time). If my video is going to be over 20 minutes long, I record it in two parts and sync each of them/crossfade to make it seamless. It's a pain in the butt truth be told, but the way Windows interacts with audio interfaces vs the way DAWs interact with it create massive problems, so I had to find a way around it.
Absolutely this one. The scripting is superior in this library. Plus the poly legato and pedal divisi makes writing finished pieces nearly effortless. There is also a variety of small ensembles, medium ensembles and large ensembles, so it's like having 3 different string libraries to be honest. To tell you the truth, I'm having second thoughts about using Chamber Strings on my next project because of this library.
@@CoryPelizzari Thanks for you reply and feedback! I have to say from your demo and the official demos, I am really impressed by it so far. I really like the sound of it. It's very smooth. It's so sad that there are no demos available for Libraries. It would make the decision so much easier :D
@@CoryPelizzari I think the only thing holding this library back is the price! Even the introductory offer of 650 Euro without taxes is so high. I think this will stop a lot of people from picking it up, which is sad.
I was given the library to write a review on. I'd say 99% of Afflatus is spot on. There are a couple of transitions that feel slightly quicker than others, but I'd say this library is better recorded, tuned and programmed than most other concert hall string libraries.
Cory at 19:51 you show the price of the library for 634.00 Euro but on the Strezov site today it says intro price is 649.00. Is that just the fluctuating Euro market or was there a 15.00 raise in price somewhere?
Hmm, that might have been my price. I was logged into my account when I took that screenshot so maybe it was showing my crossgrade price. I have a few other Strezov libraries on my account.
Yeah I think that's it. I realized after posting this that you might have already have a Strezov library in your arsenal that knocked 15 bucks off the price. I recall you doing a review on their Macabre Strings so maybe that's where it came from. BTW way Cory in your opinion how would you best describe the sound of these strings and what sample string library on the market comes closest to this sound do ya think?
@@millsmixx5080 That's a tough one... It really has its own sound, lush yet detailed. I guess I'd say it's a combination of Chamber Strings and Adagietto, maybe.
The manual does a great job of describing each of the patches, but I wish the patch names were more descriptive in a traditional sense. Like "Vintage" is a cute name and all, but the patch could be called "Legato Con Sordino plus Divisi (Vintage)" and I would know what I was going to get out of the patch. Also it would be great if the descriptions from the manual were on the interface directly. I had to hunt and at some points guess how many players were in each of the ensemble patches, and I still don't know what the ensemble makeup of "Red Army" is other than "50 strings ensemble playing in unison." Overall it sounds amazing, but definitely takes some getting used to. This is one library I have had to spend more time with trying to learn what each patch does so I know when to go for it; with other libraries it's like "I need staccatto cellos; get the staccatto cellos patch; done"
Yeah you just have to re-save each patch as what you want. For example I saved the Psychatto strings as "tight shorts" and the Red Army and Le Sacre strings as "huge tenutos".
Cory Pelizzari Yeah I resaved most of the patches with new names. I think Red Army is now "Ensemble a50 Tenuto Molto Expressivo (Red Army)" and so on for the other patches
That's a pretty gruelling question for me to answer... The sheer reliability, affordability and polished sound of CSS is undeniable, but if we're talking about a personal choice here, I'd have to say Afflatus. The fact that it has such a variety of legato textures, short note textures and unique articulations... It simply suits more genres, from intimate and detailed to lush and cinematic all the way to abrasive and experimental. To put it into simple words, Afflatus is an imaginative and creative library that inspires you as you play, rather than being a calculated and deep tool. I tend to reach for CSS when a strong string section is needed to push the track along, but for all the little things and initial emotive sparks, Afflatus is the prime motivator.
@@CoryPelizzari this is horrible :( I really am on the verge of buying one of these two. I just learned about this one, and I see that it's only 400. I need realistic legatos that sound consistent and organic. I just learned about the sale on Afflatus, which is only 400 Euros right now. But I also wanted to throw in Cinematic Studio Solo Strings, if I were to go for CSS. I still need a good solo Cello. For the violin, I can use my Joshua Bell by Embertone. Which one should I pick :(
I have absolutely nothing against strezov and in fact wish them all the best but... this library just isn't for me. I've honestly begun to question my own hearing because so many people are raving about the sound but if I'm being totally frank, I do not like how this library sounds. Of course this isn't true for all patches that you demonstrated, but for most of them I felt like the sound was too dense, if that makes sense? The one thing that sells believable strings to me is a certain openness and transparency in the sound that I'm not hearing here. That revelation (it was a revelation for me at least) came through on older Mike Piatti video where he mocks up a score and has a live performance at the end. I've also done some string recordings myself and time and again, what sets MIDI strings apart from the real thing is, in my view, the openness in the sound. I can appreciate the innovation and hard work going into this library, but at the end of the day there's nothing here that wow-ed me and I'm happy with the strings I have.
I like the sound of all string libraries and I use every string library I get my hands on. For me it's not about purity of sound or trying to match what I've heard in others' recordings, it's about experiencing and utilising the world of textures that is out there. I love the charm of Garritan strings, lo-fi strings, synth strings and chiptune strings. In the end we love soundtracks for their charm, creativity and purpose rather than their conformity to established sounds.
@@CoryPelizzari That's fair. Afflatus isn't bad by any means, it's just not a kind of sound I'm after (currently at least). I guess I just have a different goal, personally, and this product wouldn't help me get there. But, I should add that your review actual helped me make that decision. You're very much my go-to reviewer for sample libraries. Not just because you treat all libs in-depth but also becaus I often find the quality of your demos to exceed the official ones. This is especially true for Afflatus, imo.
Dear reviewer, at around 6:00 when you play the Thomas Newman excerpt, you had a chance to really blow our minds both with this new library but mainly with your performance. Sadly, I cannot gage the usefulness of this library while listening to your hack job of the Newman piece. In the future, you might consider refraining from playing such known and respected pieces and causing such disappointment.
For me, this part was actually very useful as he's playing it straight 'out of the box' so you can see how it performs without any post editing/mixing/mastering. This is a useful reviewing strategy as it demonstrates the core capability of the product. It's quite a stretch to say that this is a 'hack job'. If you came for a re-creation of the Shawshank redemption soundtrack, I can understand why you would be disappointed. But that's not what this video claims to be.
At the end he's provided a more finalised piece, which shows the full potential of the library when more time is put in. Thank you Cory Pelizzari for a really insightful and well put together review.
Then perhaps you should start your own youtube channel, and experience what it's like when people troll you. So easy to take pot shots at people that are actually doing the work and providing useful information to us.....for free.
Cory - Your reviews are by far one of the most useful resources we have. You can play whatever you want. Thank you for your contributions to the scoring community!
get a life @enprovence its just a walkthrough, thanks for the insight to a library that most of us are wanting to hear. Although some here are just present to hear you play. Great job.
I can't tell if this is meant to be a joke lol
I am your 1000th Subscriber. Thanks for the reviews. All the best.
Love the usage of the 90's New Line Cinema theme near the end, the perfect showcase for this library that contains the more lush, melodic hollywood orchestral sound that I pray can somehow make a comeback!
Thx Cory for your video. When you played the Disney Logo our whole team was blown away. We are also working on some free updates, but more on that later... :-)
`free´ LOL you got some nerve... sooooo adding content that should have been included in v1 is now called a free update? No cellos and basses in all patches, no consistency, no basic editing tools, no midi control, no nothing. So your clients are now beta testers? This is an overpriced library with a few decent sounding strings (ignoring all phasing issues) that you cashed in with clever social media hype... you should give your marketing team a raise. ;-) I bet you didn't even sell 100 copies LOL
@@Eally1979 Please have a look again at the patch list. There are Celli and Basses for almost all styles except Scene'd Amour.
What time is the Disney Logo?
@@FilippeFlogger They probably meant the New Line Cinema theme 19:23
@@SonOfInfernum I believe you are correct. Thank you for the time marker.
Very good review. I think you've nailed the exact reasons why this string library is so unique and extremely desirable for composers who don't want to "play around" too much to achieve the sound that suits the project. It's a wonderful string library. Expensive but, as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for.
Awesome review Cory! You’ve demonstrated the sounds really well! It would be nice though to hear the strings in the context of a couple of different mixes, eg. Orchestral, hybrid! Thanks again! It’s a really cool library!
Beautiful sounding library. The quality is amazing and a wonderful demonstration Cory, thank you.
I wish they'd split this up! I don't need half of it but I NEED the other half!
Thank you Cory! Awesome as always! I had a brief conversation with George Strezov on V.I. Control addressing to please release an update that allows the user to sustain notes and chords using the sustain pedal on all patches that do not use the sustain pedal to trigger divisi. He stated that I had a great point in terms of playability and that they would possibly program that in an update. I love the library!
Yeah that's one thing that felt awkward to me when I first played. That polyphonic legato though... It's so easy to come up with almost finished ideas without having to use a pad patch to sketch first.
@@CoryPelizzari THE BEST polyphonic legato available indeed. Strezov and his team REALLY knocked it out of the park! The library sounds amazing. Can't wait to see the following chapters!
Wow this library sounds gorgeous! Great video, thank for this!
Thanks for the great review! Also, congratulations on your 1000th subscriber threshold being broken. I am at 985....15 to go! :)
Fantastic review. Really. Thanks.
Thanks Cory. You rock.
Great, great review man!
This is a must have
Great review - awesome product IMO. Already got it and am looking forward extremely to have fun with it. Loads of articulations and styles that I wanted to have since many years. Ok - I alredy got quite a lot of strings like CS, CSS, Hollywood Strings Diamond, Symphonic Orchestra, Strezov Macabre and Cornucopia I and II, OT Berlin Strings First Chairs, Albion One, all 8Dio Agitato & Cage, Musical Sampling Soaring and Adventure Strings, CineStrings Solo, Sonokinetic Sultan Strings, EWQL Silk (Persian Empire - 30 piece String Section), the Embertone solo stuff with Josh Bell, Audiosampling Solo String Bundle, Virharmonic Solo Cello, Cinesamples Tina Guo Legato, ProjectSAM´s Animator, Sonokinetic Capriccio and Vivace. But I stil got to say: Afflatus is ultra valuable and I always wanted so much of the content this library offers that - at least IMO - the price is ok. Other companies also charge high prices while people dont seem to have a big problem with that - even the content within these is tiny compared to what Strezov and his team offer in this collection. Also the poly legato and the divisi are ultra awesome and a huge time saver. So all I can say is: Thumbs up @Strezov Sampling! I am really thrilled to see the next chapters of the Afflatus journey :)
wow, i know it's hard but can you tell me which libraries you love the most, use the most, can't go without, taht are really valuable to you, would pick if you can keep only few? or if you can explain to me which ones you use for what styled/reasons, i would appricaite your answer! :)
what are the most quality strings sound right out of the box in your opinion?
@@CroElectroStile Las mejores a mi criterio son Spitfire audio Symphonic strings, Spitfire audio chamber strings , si los mezclas en capas realmente excelente. Berlin strings de orchestral tools realmente impresionantes. Cinematic strings 2 para darle un sonido mas grueso en capas te dara muy buen resultado. en violin solista seria el de joshua bell y el cello solista de chris hein. Eso es todo lo que respecta a cuerdas.
Dude your a library freak. At some point you should focus on making music rather than procrastinating on your endless libraries.
Strezov RULES !!!
So good.
Wow. Film and game composers with a budget will jump on this for sure. They should pay you for this video btw. You did a much better presentation of what they've done so far. Hope this inspires other developers to follow. I've heard articulation I've only heard in phrase based library so far. Very cool. Thanks.
Agreed! Much better than any demo I heard. I was decided to pass this one after their support lied to me but I'm now reconsidering it just because of Cory's review. Strezov should pay him!
Dear @@annettunger4022 I am curious now. Could you pls tell me where our support lied to you?
@@StrezovSampling here: i.imgur.com/5AQ8Tsu.png You misled a lot of people into thinking it would be 'similar to your other librares'. You probably lost a lot of customers. You lost me, I don't like being lied to. 649e or even 500e (expecting us to own every one of your top libraries to still buy Afflatus at a high price) it's not remotely close to your other libraries.
@@annettunger4022 Sorry that you feel this way. I understand that pricing differences are highly subjective and thus that statement was not a clever move. 100 bucks is a lot for some people for others it is nothing. However we never said it will have the exact same price as our other libraries, but similar. Also those crossgrade discounts are not limited to any duration.
@@StrezovSampling `we never said it will have the exact same price as our other libraries, but similar´ LOL How come €649 is similar to $369? Do you think we're stupid? Admit that you fucked up the price, instead of trying to justify your greed with more babble. People all over the web are complaining and if that doesn't tell you something, you are clueless. This should be an example for future developers on how to NOT underestimate your user base. #fail
Very nice playing. How did you automate the mod wheel? Do you use an expression pedal for that?
Whenever I have to use two hands to play, I leave the modwheel up, then when I'm finished I record over it while controlling the modwheel and/or the volume slider which I have set to be CC11. Truth is I play on a cheap keyboard with a squeaky keybed :)
Love every tracks you made! Did you have Spotify?
👍👍👍
Do you have a full track of that last song you played uploaded somewhere?
It sounded so beautiful and truly spoke to my soul.
Sure thing. Here's the link - www.dropbox.com/s/fusa2283dbf3qf4/Resurgent%20%5BCinematic%20Orchestral%5D.wav?dl=0
Thanks a bunch!
I hope they do the same thing with a brass library
Yeah I'm hoping the brass can hold up to the strings, because the strings have set the bar almost impossibly high.
Cory what do you think of Cornucopia Strings 2? I really like the vintage sound but noticed some tuning problems in a few patches....but the sound, I never hear you talk about them as I know Macabre Strings is your gem :--)
To be honest... I've never even tried Cornucopia Strings 2 (!).
@@CoryPelizzari Now that's shocking lol. They have that warm Strezov sound for sure. I hope you'll get the chance to try them out sometime for a comparison.
Quick question: How did you manage to get Studio One to send audio output to OBS? :) I'm having issues, and it keeps bugging me like hell! :)
Please, help! :D
I don't. What I do is I record all the dialogue and playing first, then I play it all back and record it using OBS. Then I render the audio from Studio One as a 24 bit 48k WAV file and throw it into Movie Studio Platinum, then carefully drag the audio along to sync with the video. I do four loud "pah" sounds into the mic at the beginning of the initial voice recording to get the sync point.
I've tried other methods of recording audio to a video capture, but the sound is sub-par in terms of quality (it sounds like a 128kbps mp3 file).
Also, I like to keep my videos under 20 minutes to avoid length de-sync (where the audio drifts away from the video over time). If my video is going to be over 20 minutes long, I record it in two parts and sync each of them/crossfade to make it seamless. It's a pain in the butt truth be told, but the way Windows interacts with audio interfaces vs the way DAWs interact with it create massive problems, so I had to find a way around it.
If you had a choice between this library and the new "Spitfire Audio - Studio Strings", which one would you get it?
Absolutely this one. The scripting is superior in this library. Plus the poly legato and pedal divisi makes writing finished pieces nearly effortless. There is also a variety of small ensembles, medium ensembles and large ensembles, so it's like having 3 different string libraries to be honest. To tell you the truth, I'm having second thoughts about using Chamber Strings on my next project because of this library.
@@CoryPelizzari Thanks for you reply and feedback! I have to say from your demo and the official demos, I am really impressed by it so far. I really like the sound of it. It's very smooth. It's so sad that there are no demos available for Libraries. It would make the decision so much easier :D
@@CoryPelizzari I think the only thing holding this library back is the price! Even the introductory offer of 650 Euro without taxes is so high. I think this will stop a lot of people from picking it up, which is sad.
That is like Disney/Hans Zimmer Strings, i love it!
Hi Cory is this review compensated or you bought the library? Did you notice any noises or out of tune samples?
I was given the library to write a review on. I'd say 99% of Afflatus is spot on. There are a couple of transitions that feel slightly quicker than others, but I'd say this library is better recorded, tuned and programmed than most other concert hall string libraries.
Cory at 19:51 you show the price of the library for 634.00 Euro but on the Strezov site today it says intro price is 649.00. Is that just the fluctuating Euro market or was there a 15.00 raise in price somewhere?
Hmm, that might have been my price. I was logged into my account when I took that screenshot so maybe it was showing my crossgrade price. I have a few other Strezov libraries on my account.
Yeah I think that's it. I realized after posting this that you might have already have a Strezov library in your arsenal that knocked 15 bucks off the price. I recall you doing a review on their Macabre Strings so maybe that's where it came from. BTW way Cory in your opinion how would you best describe the sound of these strings and what sample string library on the market comes closest to this sound do ya think?
@@millsmixx5080 That's a tough one... It really has its own sound, lush yet detailed. I guess I'd say it's a combination of Chamber Strings and Adagietto, maybe.
The manual does a great job of describing each of the patches, but I wish the patch names were more descriptive in a traditional sense. Like "Vintage" is a cute name and all, but the patch could be called "Legato Con Sordino plus Divisi (Vintage)" and I would know what I was going to get out of the patch. Also it would be great if the descriptions from the manual were on the interface directly. I had to hunt and at some points guess how many players were in each of the ensemble patches, and I still don't know what the ensemble makeup of "Red Army" is other than "50 strings ensemble playing in unison." Overall it sounds amazing, but definitely takes some getting used to. This is one library I have had to spend more time with trying to learn what each patch does so I know when to go for it; with other libraries it's like "I need staccatto cellos; get the staccatto cellos patch; done"
Yeah you just have to re-save each patch as what you want. For example I saved the Psychatto strings as "tight shorts" and the Red Army and Le Sacre strings as "huge tenutos".
Cory Pelizzari Yeah I resaved most of the patches with new names. I think Red Army is now "Ensemble a50 Tenuto Molto Expressivo (Red Army)" and so on for the other patches
Cory, if you had to choose between CSS and Afflatus as your main strings library which one would you choose and why?
That's a pretty gruelling question for me to answer... The sheer reliability, affordability and polished sound of CSS is undeniable, but if we're talking about a personal choice here, I'd have to say Afflatus. The fact that it has such a variety of legato textures, short note textures and unique articulations... It simply suits more genres, from intimate and detailed to lush and cinematic all the way to abrasive and experimental.
To put it into simple words, Afflatus is an imaginative and creative library that inspires you as you play, rather than being a calculated and deep tool. I tend to reach for CSS when a strong string section is needed to push the track along, but for all the little things and initial emotive sparks, Afflatus is the prime motivator.
@@CoryPelizzari this is horrible :( I really am on the verge of buying one of these two. I just learned about this one, and I see that it's only 400. I need realistic legatos that sound consistent and organic.
I just learned about the sale on Afflatus, which is only 400 Euros right now. But I also wanted to throw in Cinematic Studio Solo Strings, if I were to go for CSS. I still need a good solo Cello. For the violin, I can use my Joshua Bell by Embertone. Which one should I pick :(
@@Nicdehouwer Well Afflatus is half price right now and CSS/CSSS are always affordable so I'd say jump on the sale while you have the chance.
@@CoryPelizzari I did. Thank you sir :)
Thanks for your answer. I will get Afflatus this week.
Does it have portamento?
That's the one thing it doesn't have, funnily enough.
is this still good (for the price) in the year of our lord 2021
I'd say yeah, but still, that price is intimidating for composers who don't make much money.
Are you the account "Solonoid Studio Official" in Soundcloud?
Yeah. I haven't used it for quite some time...
Cory what are you doing to me? Jeezuz, I’ve bought practically all of the top string libraries, and vowed to never buy any more...and now this!
I have absolutely nothing against strezov and in fact wish them all the best but... this library just isn't for me. I've honestly begun to question my own hearing because so many people are raving about the sound but if I'm being totally frank, I do not like how this library sounds. Of course this isn't true for all patches that you demonstrated, but for most of them I felt like the sound was too dense, if that makes sense?
The one thing that sells believable strings to me is a certain openness and transparency in the sound that I'm not hearing here. That revelation (it was a revelation for me at least) came through on older Mike Piatti video where he mocks up a score and has a live performance at the end. I've also done some string recordings myself and time and again, what sets MIDI strings apart from the real thing is, in my view, the openness in the sound.
I can appreciate the innovation and hard work going into this library, but at the end of the day there's nothing here that wow-ed me and I'm happy with the strings I have.
I like the sound of all string libraries and I use every string library I get my hands on. For me it's not about purity of sound or trying to match what I've heard in others' recordings, it's about experiencing and utilising the world of textures that is out there. I love the charm of Garritan strings, lo-fi strings, synth strings and chiptune strings. In the end we love soundtracks for their charm, creativity and purpose rather than their conformity to established sounds.
@@CoryPelizzari That's fair. Afflatus isn't bad by any means, it's just not a kind of sound I'm after (currently at least). I guess I just have a different goal, personally, and this product wouldn't help me get there.
But, I should add that your review actual helped me make that decision. You're very much my go-to reviewer for sample libraries. Not just because you treat all libs in-depth but also becaus I often find the quality of your demos to exceed the official ones. This is especially true for Afflatus, imo.
@leera mian Generally I'm more after a golden age hollywood sound. The patch at 5:55 comes closest, in my view.
@@Fangornmmc What is your go to string library?
as always cory,you make great tutorials,however,even if i find this library superb,the price is over my limit for a strings library
Afflatus Strings it will be better for the Strings Orchestra.
Flatulent strings?!