@@a123386 Round robin. It means multiple recordings of the same type of sound. Every sound made in a physical space has its own fingerprint, so when you record just one single type of sound, it'll sound the same every time you play it back. Humans can easily recognise this repetition. If you record that sound being made multiple times though, you get more variation which makes it sound more natural to the ear when these variations are played back one after the other. The more variations you have, the harder it is to tell when the first sound you heard is activated again. That's why a lot of percussive libraries have 10 round robins, some with an algorithm that randomises the order in which they're played.
@@CoryPelizzari Hello again :-) Hey, so: This is actually what your friends from spitfire are approaching with Symphonic motions right? so if you have your CSS you wouldn't need the spitfire one? Thanks as usual!
Based on my research, the Cinematic Studio collection appears to be the best all-around choice. Your review is articulate and well-timed. Your piece at the end is excellent.
2 years old review and still one of the best reviews of CSS and CSSS. Thank you so much Cory, for helping me spend money in the right place. PS: Your composition is amazing!
Its 2022... & yet.. I still adore your presentation & the quality of this library... which proves this will stand the test of time for decades to come.. Much Love... :)
Getting these two libraries together is key. Real recording has the double benefit of getting the sound of everyone in the same room but also having the microphones pick out a few individual players-the two libraries together simulates this and the layers don't conflict. Individual players is also where you hear the most passionate vibrato (whereas with an ensemble is where it can sometimes sound like mush), and in this gorgeous piece at the end you can hear how absolutely delicious the vibrato is. Then, on top of that, the measured tremolandi (which I feel you undersell here!) probably makes these libraries worth owning for alone. Great video.
Dear Cory, you are a mass!! I (we) appreciate so much this entire post. And the musical piece that you played at the end... So beautiful!! Thank you so much!!
I've spent lots of days looking for an all around string library with the highest quality and you sold me. This video is too amazing. Tis video should be on their website to be honest, they would sell a lot more! I believe this library coupled with some of the Performer Samples will work like heaven. Cheers and thanks!
In my opinion you play very well and use CSS in an excellent way, few know how to articulate in a realistic way how you can do it! For me you are a point of reference, Thanks!
awwww, your kontakt library section looks like mine :-) i really enjoy your videos alot, especially because you are reviewing things thoroughly and you seem to have a similar vastness in the music you like, which i can identify with alot... and now you've just revived my motivation to work with those two libraries. they got kinda stale and normal(routine...) and i was questioning, if i made the right purchase (as a noob a few years back), but you made me feel like i felt when i first learned about cinematic studios strings :-D
I have library but some articulation (sustain,tremolo and harmonic) are being loaded but I can't here it. I can see voices are rising in kontakt player but no sound.
Just picked these up thanks to your fantastic review of them Cory. Thank you. I’m curious as to how you approach vibrato use in these libraries? I understand CSS has three levels of vibrato, while CSSS has two (on and off). Do you automate your vibrato into the lines or just leave them as they are at full? Thanks mate!
Still my favourite, yep. But no adjustable vibrato speed.
5 років тому+5
9:33 May I asked what exactly you used? What instruments are from the CSSS and what are CSS It sounds like the violins are from CSS and cellos from CSSS Just want to figure it out because it‘s damn beautiful!
I'm using all the strings from both libraries together.
5 років тому
Cory Pelizzari thanks :) yeah I meant like you layered violin solo with violin from ensemble or used some instruments from the solo section and some from the studio section ?
@@CoryPelizzari Old comment is old but just wanted to say they sounded amazingly lush and intimate together. I'll have to try layering the 2 more often.
Hey Cory, love your vids man! You always have that something extra to showcase that I do *not* see in other reviews. I wanted to ask you about how you routed Kontakt at 4:44? I know how to create AUXs to route separate instruments from one instance of Kontakt - however I can't get them to all play together as you've done on 4:44? I can't select multiple tracks (shift+select) in this case - it just doesn't work. I would really appreciate knowing what I'm missing here? :/
Hello. How can we turn off the vibrato on CS Solo Strings ? I could not find it. These fancy libraries sound so different under a master's hand. If you do not have the knowledge about composing and the behavior of the instruments in the real world, it still sounds fake just like any cheap library. And it is clear that you are one those masters :) Thank you.
Dude are you mad! Do you not know how superb that compositition at the end is? Out of this world and so realistic Reminds me of SPARTACUS 1960 OST Love Theme, Check it out
Hello ! Do you think they would blend well with the 8Dio Century Brass ? I'm looking for a new String Library since the lack of 2nd violins in the 8Dio serie is a real problem...
Hi Cory, for the round robin re-bowing, if you consecutively play a few 8th notes on a piece with the 9-8 time signature and 80 bpm, does it sound as smooth as what you showed us at 3:38 - 3:47?
@@CoryPelizzari I don't expect you to reply to this random question but thanks in advance. The full Century Strings bundle for $209 or still better to get CSS?
@@poulwinther At that price it's a pretty good deal. I always recommend CSS for its rock solid fluidity and bugless experience, but it's always nice to get a bunch of extra strings for cheap.
At the top right of the instrument patch there's a settings button you can click - in those settings you can choose which CC you want to use for vib and non-vib.
I don't know much about CC mapping either, all I know is CC1 is modwheel, CC11 is expression and everything else is a mystery to me, because I only use a keyboard that has a volume fader, a modwheel and a pedal.
Hey Cory, Would you mind to share your input? I am currently in the midst of trying to gather a library collection that is compact and does not have too many libraries that cover the same type of content. + I want this collection to be reliable for the many years to come. Cost is not too**** much of a issue (even though seriously speaking it is but I bite the bullet). I know the 400 - 500 € amounts are the norm and should be expected. I saw that this month (May 2021) Spitfire has a discount on Chamber Strings which I know has been the "go to" for many composers and believe that's still the case, but I've heard nearly the exact same thing about Cinematic Studio Strings. I do know the major differences between them (that be Chamber Strings is more a "All in one" selection of string performances excluding the really esoteric and complex string effects, while Cinematic Studio Strings is more about the "essentials" but recorded really really well). If you think it is possible and or fair to compare, *which one would you advice me to get?* For further note and to give you an idea, I do quite often find myself using a few of those "out there" performances like Con Sordino Tremolo Sul Point and I also do like the idea of playing my runs, but at the same time I also do some quick and dense melodic writing. Lastly I'm usually kind of lazy/rough in my programming (but if really necessary I can hopefully adapt). For the record I'm currently using BBC SO (Professional) for my most of my orchestral stuff at the moment, but the interface, loadtimes and some of the brass and woodwind quirks are driving me mad and want to replace it with a collection for Kontakt that plays, loads, performs and sounds more cohesive than the material for Spitfire 's own glorified plugin.
If you like the standard emotive passages but you also want the more stylised and experimental stuff I'd say go for Chamber Strings - personally I'm happy using CSS as a main and Sunset Strings as a stylised library. Chamber Strings just has a sound that gets tired after a while, plus the file size is massive.
Yo, absolutely amazing composition at the end there. I just picked up both of these libraries and would love to see how you programmed this. Any way you can upload the midi for this?
As far as I know the measured tremolo is actually a staccato repeat script... at least, that's assuming we mean the same thing by that. It uses two spiccato notes played very short after each other with the second note being played much softer. Here's how it works: ua-cam.com/video/78pCYbCr3Zg/v-deo.html&t=2m54s Yes that's from Cinematic Strings 2, but afaik this is exactly what happens with the CSS measured trems. It's a clever little trick, but it's a trick nonetheless (one way to easily verify this is to note the high voice count with the measured trem patch).
I was comparing it to another library that has a staccato activated on the key press and release but I forgot to mention that specific case. The other library that uses the key on/off doesn't work well because it's not natural to time key releases and it feels clunky in that library. But nonetheless CSS's double staccatos are tasty as ever.
I'm not using any reverb in the video but I usually recommend reverbs like Valhalla Room and Valhalla Vintage. They're $50 each and some of the best verbs you can get.
Chamber Strings by Spitfire is the best sounding library for a smaller sound. I use them all the time for dark or classical string parts. The standard edition is all you need, as the professional edition just bogs you down with unnecessary mic positions and eats up your disk space and your wallet.
Hm, the more I listen to CSS and compare it with other libraries the more I get the sense of some combfiltering going on. Either it's the room or some kind of noise reduction process but something gives this effect. The programming, capturing, articulations, legato, CC keyswitching and GUI are top notch but I just can't get behind the overall tone of the room. Bums me out so much.
I prefer having all kinds of variety in tone because once the music's made, no one has ever said to me "I'm not sure about the sound of the room those strings I'm hearing in the mix are in." I used to be much more critical about tiny things like air movement in a string library but I realised I'm the only one who hears it because there's no way I'd release a song using just the library at full volume out of the box raw.
@@CoryPelizzari I totally getcha. I'm at the 'air movement' stage at the moment. It's not just a matter of tweaking, it's also a matter of blending with other sounds and eventually dialog, etc. I find that although CSS (and CSB for that matter to some extent) sounds cohesive by itself I have more tweaking to do to marry it to dialog - it's a bit blurry with less 'space in between', if you know what I mean, but as soon as I start bringing up close mics it sort of falls apart. To which the director might say that they're not sure that 'the strings are in a separate place'. I still use CSS though for the workflow.
I'm late to the convo but it's 100% the recordings, dunno why mr Wallbank went with the pop setup without a decca tree but it does not work in that room unless you boost the close mics by 6db to hide everything else. I love this library but those recordings certainly captured the worst aspects of Trackdown and have 0 depth. If you try to blend in more of the room mics you'll end up with a boxy mess and won't sound anything like the film scores recorded there. Same thing with the brass and woodwinds :/
@@campar1043 It doesn't wobble, go out of tune or give varying results when it comes to legato timing. It's rock solid and works exactly as it's supposed to - whereas almost every library from Spitfire has various quirks like inconsistent transitions across the range, wonky notes here and there and a more unruly sound overall.
Thank you, sir. May I ask about the portamento? I'm seriously considering this package, but would like to know how the portamento is, and if you can adjust the duration. Thanks.
@@CoryPelizzari Just bought CSS and couldn't wait to play with it. The calm legato sold me in. Thanks for your video. What reverb would you recommend with it?
@@bengsynthmusic The reverb that comes with it is pretty good, otherwise I like to use Valhalla Room. I find algorithmic reverb has slightly more colour and movement than convolution reverb.
Overall yes. But it also depends on your preference of sound and what kinds of articulations you need. For 90% of string work though, I'd pick CS in a heartbeat over any other.
@@dirtrobot Yeah CSS is still one of the best libraries you can get.
6 років тому
What’s your opinion on Spitfire Solo Strings? I have a discount for 40% off but I’m not sure if I should use it, since this library has better reviews.
Spitfire Solo Strings gets complaints about the sustains having harsh attacks and the legato not being consistent for all the sections. I was close to buying it but I refused in the end, because CSS Solo is perfect and I don't think there's much out there that can compare.
Cory Pelizzari thanks for your review. How do you rate spitfire Chamber strings vs cinematic studio strings? The former has a smaller section that maybe could be made to sound more intimate?
@@MusicFed I use both Chamber Strings and CSS and I must admit that CSS has more practical value for the money, but Chamber Strings is good for more delicate passages so I do use it from time to time. But ultimately, CSS is a stronger core library.
Cory Pelizzari thanks. I just bought the studio solo strings and trying to decide which library to couple it with for a fuller sound. CSS would seem an obvious choice as they have the same dna but I’m still wondering what the best library for small quartet pop arrangements (Eleanor rigby). One way is to use CSSS without legato or using the ensemble patch. I listened to Sacconi and was left unconvinced. So the search continues...
@@MusicFed I've used CSSS for more light stroke work and it sounds great. Not sure if it's the kind of thing you're after, but listen to the end of this track and you can hear the spiccatos and sforzandos adding bounce during the outro: www.dropbox.com/s/edxbib88w0c7ic7/Making%20The%20Deal%20%5BCinematic%20World%5D.wav?dl=0
@@kupo150 I was told I'd receive it in the first quarter of the year, but then the crisis happened. I have no idea how long it will take because it was supposed to coincide with a planned update for CSS.
@@CoryPelizzari can i ask you one more question? do you know if CSS will sound good on producing pop/jazz songs? or would Spitfire Studio Strings would be better? or is there another library that you'd recommend? Thanks!!
@@adrielbote Cinematic Studio Solo Strings is better for those genres with its tight spiccato and sforzandos and expressive vibrato. You can get a chamber sound with the ensemble patch as well. Other string libraries that are good for a pop sound are Session Strings Pro 2 from e Instruments and maybe Intimate Strings from 8Dio.
@@davidvalens3337 One of my favourites. I like to use Soaring Strings, Chamber Strings and Afflatus as well but CSS is a good workhorse for most things.
@@justinbeamon6624 www.spitfireaudio.com/shop/a-z/spitfire-symphonic-strings/?v=9mTra2i6SB0 here ya go. just in case you got the wrong string set. after hearing these strings tyhere are none other.
![Watch this BEFORE you buy Cinematic Studio Strings [REVIEW]](/img/n.gif)
You had me at "round-robin rebowing." That is exactly what I needed
Yeah Cinematic Studio Series is one of the only collections that will have RR re-bowing and re-tonguing for strings, brass and woodwinds. Good stuff.
@@CoryPelizzari Hi Cory, I actually do not understand what RR really is. Could you please tell me more about it? I would appreciate it. Thank you. :)
@@a123386 Round robin. It means multiple recordings of the same type of sound. Every sound made in a physical space has its own fingerprint, so when you record just one single type of sound, it'll sound the same every time you play it back. Humans can easily recognise this repetition. If you record that sound being made multiple times though, you get more variation which makes it sound more natural to the ear when these variations are played back one after the other. The more variations you have, the harder it is to tell when the first sound you heard is activated again. That's why a lot of percussive libraries have 10 round robins, some with an algorithm that randomises the order in which they're played.
Cory Pelizzari Hi Cory, got it. Thank you so much for replying to both of my queries. Happy composing! :)
@@CoryPelizzari Hello again :-) Hey, so: This is actually what your friends from spitfire are approaching with Symphonic motions right? so if you have your CSS you wouldn't need the spitfire one? Thanks as usual!
omg you cant imagine how much energy i have after watching this video
Based on my research, the Cinematic Studio collection appears to be the best all-around choice. Your review is articulate and well-timed. Your piece at the end is excellent.
He reminds me of the guy that talked at the end of the Waltons 😂
Your composition at the end is one of the most beautiful pieces of music I've ever had the pleasure of listening to.
2 years old review and still one of the best reviews of CSS and CSSS. Thank you so much Cory, for helping me spend money in the right place.
PS: Your composition is amazing!
Its 2022... & yet.. I still adore your presentation & the quality of this library... which proves this will stand the test of time for decades to come.. Much Love... :)
Getting these two libraries together is key. Real recording has the double benefit of getting the sound of everyone in the same room but also having the microphones pick out a few individual players-the two libraries together simulates this and the layers don't conflict. Individual players is also where you hear the most passionate vibrato (whereas with an ensemble is where it can sometimes sound like mush), and in this gorgeous piece at the end you can hear how absolutely delicious the vibrato is. Then, on top of that, the measured tremolandi (which I feel you undersell here!) probably makes these libraries worth owning for alone. Great video.
This guy strung us along till the end.
Thank you, Cory, for everything you do its appreciated.
Dear Cory, you are a mass!! I (we) appreciate so much this entire post. And the musical piece that you played at the end... So beautiful!! Thank you so much!!
Bro, I have heard a lot of great things about this library but that last piece you played almost made me hyperventilate. The legato sounds so good.
Where's the love-button?! I only see a lame thumbs up-button, so I clicked that.
I’m picking this up tomorrow. It’ll be my first string library. Great video.
The Best sample library reviews.
I've spent lots of days looking for an all around string library with the highest quality and you sold me. This video is too amazing. Tis video should be on their website to be honest, they would sell a lot more! I believe this library coupled with some of the Performer Samples will work like heaven. Cheers and thanks!
In my opinion you play very well and use CSS in an excellent way, few know how to articulate in a realistic way how you can do it!
For me you are a point of reference, Thanks!
Excellent presentation and beautiful composition at the end! Bravo!
Truly, a beautiful composition
Best review of the best strings libraries! Wonderful!
Thanks for the review my friend, so great to see this great quality produced on home turf. Great composition at the end!
I like the composition at the end
Big time reviews Cory... You really know... the "Know How". Mostly I respect that you have opinion on any library and you express it in a great way.
Excellent demonstration.
Your vids have made this quarantine much easier to go through! Thanks brother.
Wonderful piece at the end!
Alex Wallbank should put this in the CSS webpage, because its made me want the library so bad!
Beautiful ending piece. Great video.
Your composition is just stunning!!!! Congrats on the review
awwww, your kontakt library section looks like mine :-) i really enjoy your videos alot, especially because you are reviewing things thoroughly and you seem to have a similar vastness in the music you like, which i can identify with alot... and now you've just revived my motivation to work with those two libraries. they got kinda stale and normal(routine...) and i was questioning, if i made the right purchase (as a noob a few years back), but you made me feel like i felt when i first learned about cinematic studios strings :-D
The demo at the End , beautiful Man
great video and lovely writing
Cinematic Studio Brass is also stunning.. Nice work btw
Great to have a sample review channel with such lovely presentation!
One of the best I have ever heard......👍
I have Cinematic Solo Strings. I love it!!
Hello, full ensemble patch in my CSS library has to much reverb. This is normal or I did something incorect ?
The end piece sounds like a Ryuchi Sakamoto score, really nice...
I bought it yesterday!
But it was be impatient.
I didn't know that was a Black Friday sale from the 25 day.
I have library but some articulation (sustain,tremolo and harmonic) are being loaded but I can't here it.
I can see voices are rising in kontakt player but no sound.
You'll have to ask the developer. It could be a problem with certain versions of Kontakt.
these of strings got more emotion than other strings i swear
Susah mixing pake ini mending spitfire chamber strings kemanamana
How did you make such beautiful sound for intro? 0:00
thanks for the presntation
Oh just take ALL my money!!!
Beautifull
Hi, could you link me to some tracks you have composed with the measured tremolo? I’d love to hear more.
Just picked these up thanks to your fantastic review of them Cory. Thank you. I’m curious as to how you approach vibrato use in these libraries? I understand CSS has three levels of vibrato, while CSSS has two (on and off). Do you automate your vibrato into the lines or just leave them as they are at full? Thanks mate!
Hi Cory. How does this library compare to Afflatus?
Hey Cory. Is this one still your favorite library, or is there anything new outthere that beats it? Also, is vibrato speed adjustable?
Still my favourite, yep. But no adjustable vibrato speed.
9:33 May I asked what exactly you used? What instruments are from the CSSS and what are CSS
It sounds like the violins are from CSS and cellos from CSSS
Just want to figure it out because it‘s damn beautiful!
I'm using all the strings from both libraries together.
Cory Pelizzari thanks :) yeah I meant like you layered violin solo with violin from ensemble or used some instruments from the solo section and some from the studio section ?
@ They're all playing the same thing in unison.
@@CoryPelizzari Old comment is old but just wanted to say they sounded amazingly lush and intimate together. I'll have to try layering the 2 more often.
Cheers! Welcome back.
Hi Cory, did you have the opportunity to check the new Sonokinetic Orchestral Strings?
If so, do you think it is a real competitor for CSS?!
Want to see how your notes are written
Great performance, does this library red all the articulations written in Notions 6, Finale or works with key switching
Hey Cory, love your vids man! You always have that something extra to showcase that I do *not* see in other reviews. I wanted to ask you about how you routed Kontakt at 4:44? I know how to create AUXs to route separate instruments from one instance of Kontakt - however I can't get them to all play together as you've done on 4:44? I can't select multiple tracks (shift+select) in this case - it just doesn't work. I would really appreciate knowing what I'm missing here? :/
Wow, may i have the midi for that last one you did! lol geez~
Hello. How can we turn off the vibrato on CS Solo Strings ? I could not find it.
These fancy libraries sound so different under a master's hand. If you do not have the knowledge about composing and the behavior of the instruments in the real world, it still sounds fake just like any cheap library. And it is clear that you are one those masters :)
Thank you.
Dude are you mad! Do you not know how superb that compositition at the end is? Out of this world and so realistic Reminds me of SPARTACUS 1960 OST Love Theme, Check it out
Do you need the full (paid) version of Kontakt to use the Cinematic Strings Library or others?
No the Cinematic Studio Series works with the free Kontakt Player.
Any chance of us getting a midi file of the end piece??! It's stunning!!!!
:( he said no
Hello ! Do you think they would blend well with the 8Dio Century Brass ? I'm looking for a new String Library since the lack of 2nd violins in the 8Dio serie is a real problem...
Cyril Calmes I own both libraries and the updated 8Dio Century Brass library blends really well with CSS.
@@AkshinAlizadeh Thanks... I'm still hesitating between CSS and Century Strings.. :(
Hi Cory, for the round robin re-bowing, if you consecutively play a few 8th notes on a piece with the 9-8 time signature and 80 bpm, does it sound as smooth as what you showed us at 3:38 - 3:47?
It will sound smooth until you get to higher tempos where it will get more sluggish. In that case you'd switch to the Sforzandos and Staccatos.
Does it still have spiccato or did I miss it? How would this library produce spiccato?
It has spiccato, staccatissimo, staccato and sforzando you can keyswitch to.
Cory, how well does this hold up today? I don't see any updates mentioned anywhere.
* Excellent compositions as always!
It's still one of the best.
@@CoryPelizzari I don't expect you to reply to this random question but thanks in advance. The full Century Strings bundle for $209 or still better to get CSS?
@@poulwinther At that price it's a pretty good deal. I always recommend CSS for its rock solid fluidity and bugless experience, but it's always nice to get a bunch of extra strings for cheap.
@@CoryPelizzari Thanks a lot Cory!
Spartacus 1960 Original Soundtrack - 21 Love Theme (Stereo)
Is there any way to cut the vibrato down?
Yes, there is a vibrato control to switch between vib and non vib that you can set to whatever CC you wish.
At the top right of the instrument patch there's a settings button you can click - in those settings you can choose which CC you want to use for vib and non-vib.
I don't know much about CC mapping either, all I know is CC1 is modwheel, CC11 is expression and everything else is a mystery to me, because I only use a keyboard that has a volume fader, a modwheel and a pedal.
Hey Cory, Would you mind to share your input?
I am currently in the midst of trying to gather a library collection that is compact and does not have too many libraries that cover the same type of content. + I want this collection to be reliable for the many years to come. Cost is not too**** much of a issue (even though seriously speaking it is but I bite the bullet). I know the 400 - 500 € amounts are the norm and should be expected.
I saw that this month (May 2021) Spitfire has a discount on Chamber Strings which I know has been the "go to" for many composers and believe that's still the case, but I've heard nearly the exact same thing about Cinematic Studio Strings. I do know the major differences between them (that be Chamber Strings is more a "All in one" selection of string performances excluding the really esoteric and complex string effects, while Cinematic Studio Strings is more about the "essentials" but recorded really really well).
If you think it is possible and or fair to compare, *which one would you advice me to get?*
For further note and to give you an idea, I do quite often find myself using a few of those "out there" performances like Con Sordino Tremolo Sul Point and I also do like the idea of playing my runs, but at the same time I also do some quick and dense melodic writing. Lastly I'm usually kind of lazy/rough in my programming (but if really necessary I can hopefully adapt).
For the record I'm currently using BBC SO (Professional) for my most of my orchestral stuff at the moment, but the interface, loadtimes and some of the brass and woodwind quirks are driving me mad and want to replace it with a collection for Kontakt that plays, loads, performs and sounds more cohesive than the material for Spitfire 's own glorified plugin.
If you like the standard emotive passages but you also want the more stylised and experimental stuff I'd say go for Chamber Strings - personally I'm happy using CSS as a main and Sunset Strings as a stylised library. Chamber Strings just has a sound that gets tired after a while, plus the file size is massive.
@@CoryPelizzari Thanks for your prospective ♥
Yo, absolutely amazing composition at the end there. I just picked up both of these libraries and would love to see how you programmed this. Any way you can upload the midi for this?
Errrr, I'm afraid that's all lost to the wind. I made this video before I started saving my projects and their data in a safe place.
how dose it compare to Amadeus?
As far as I know the measured tremolo is actually a staccato repeat script... at least, that's assuming we mean the same thing by that. It uses two spiccato notes played very short after each other with the second note being played much softer. Here's how it works: ua-cam.com/video/78pCYbCr3Zg/v-deo.html&t=2m54s
Yes that's from Cinematic Strings 2, but afaik this is exactly what happens with the CSS measured trems. It's a clever little trick, but it's a trick nonetheless (one way to easily verify this is to note the high voice count with the measured trem patch).
I was comparing it to another library that has a staccato activated on the key press and release but I forgot to mention that specific case. The other library that uses the key on/off doesn't work well because it's not natural to time key releases and it feels clunky in that library. But nonetheless CSS's double staccatos are tasty as ever.
Hi Cory, what reverb are you using or what do you recommend for this library?
I'm not using any reverb in the video but I usually recommend reverbs like Valhalla Room and Valhalla Vintage. They're $50 each and some of the best verbs you can get.
How does this compare to spitfire symphonic series? I own sss but I’m looking for something smaller, less “big and epic”..
Chamber Strings by Spitfire is the best sounding library for a smaller sound. I use them all the time for dark or classical string parts. The standard edition is all you need, as the professional edition just bogs you down with unnecessary mic positions and eats up your disk space and your wallet.
Thanks! Yes, I've seen it, it does sound great! Unfortunately, it's a bit out of my price range.. Maybe i'll wait until they have some discounts.
is this still a solid workhorse?
Yep, still a major part of my palette.
Wow.
3:31 round robin re-bowing (for my own reference)
I know the pain of not being able to play the MIDI on my DAW through Kontakt instruments. Very annoying i must say.
Hm, the more I listen to CSS and compare it with other libraries the more I get the sense of some combfiltering going on. Either it's the room or some kind of noise reduction process but something gives this effect. The programming, capturing, articulations, legato, CC keyswitching and GUI are top notch but I just can't get behind the overall tone of the room. Bums me out so much.
I prefer having all kinds of variety in tone because once the music's made, no one has ever said to me "I'm not sure about the sound of the room those strings I'm hearing in the mix are in." I used to be much more critical about tiny things like air movement in a string library but I realised I'm the only one who hears it because there's no way I'd release a song using just the library at full volume out of the box raw.
@@CoryPelizzari I totally getcha. I'm at the 'air movement' stage at the moment. It's not just a matter of tweaking, it's also a matter of blending with other sounds and eventually dialog, etc. I find that although CSS (and CSB for that matter to some extent) sounds cohesive by itself I have more tweaking to do to marry it to dialog - it's a bit blurry with less 'space in between', if you know what I mean, but as soon as I start bringing up close mics it sort of falls apart. To which the director might say that they're not sure that 'the strings are in a separate place'. I still use CSS though for the workflow.
@@Nullllus Yeah I never use the close mics. Mainly the room mics with the sordino switch on.
I'm late to the convo but it's 100% the recordings, dunno why mr Wallbank went with the pop setup without a decca tree but it does not work in that room unless you boost the close mics by 6db to hide everything else. I love this library but those recordings certainly captured the worst aspects of Trackdown and have 0 depth. If you try to blend in more of the room mics you'll end up with a boxy mess and won't sound anything like the film scores recorded there. Same thing with the brass and woodwinds :/
what do you think of this vs chris hein and spitfire?
More disciplined than Spitfire, less sterile than Chris Hein. Right in the middle basically, but it's more reliable for score work in my opinion.
@@CoryPelizzari do you mind expanding a bit on disciplined?
@@campar1043 It doesn't wobble, go out of tune or give varying results when it comes to legato timing. It's rock solid and works exactly as it's supposed to - whereas almost every library from Spitfire has various quirks like inconsistent transitions across the range, wonky notes here and there and a more unruly sound overall.
@@CoryPelizzari thanks for the detail, gonna look into this plug-in
Hello. The last demo, was it CSS alone or together with CSSS? Thank you.
Both together.
Thank you, sir. May I ask about the portamento? I'm seriously considering this package, but would like to know how the portamento is, and if you can adjust the duration. Thanks.
@@bengsynthmusic The portamento is expressive but not too slow or pronounced. The speed can't be changed though.
@@CoryPelizzari
Just bought CSS and couldn't wait to play with it. The calm legato sold me in. Thanks for your video. What reverb would you recommend with it?
@@bengsynthmusic The reverb that comes with it is pretty good, otherwise I like to use Valhalla Room. I find algorithmic reverb has slightly more colour and movement than convolution reverb.
Would you recommend this over EW and Spitfire Chamber Srings?
Overall yes. But it also depends on your preference of sound and what kinds of articulations you need. For 90% of string work though, I'd pick CS in a heartbeat over any other.
@@CoryPelizzari is this still the case one year later? I was going to layer this over samplemodeling ensembles
@@dirtrobot Yeah CSS is still one of the best libraries you can get.
What’s your opinion on Spitfire Solo Strings? I have a discount for 40% off but I’m not sure if I should use it, since this library has better reviews.
Spitfire Solo Strings gets complaints about the sustains having harsh attacks and the legato not being consistent for all the sections. I was close to buying it but I refused in the end, because CSS Solo is perfect and I don't think there's much out there that can compare.
Cory Pelizzari thanks for your review. How do you rate spitfire Chamber strings vs cinematic studio strings? The former has a smaller section that maybe could be made to sound more intimate?
@@MusicFed I use both Chamber Strings and CSS and I must admit that CSS has more practical value for the money, but Chamber Strings is good for more delicate passages so I do use it from time to time. But ultimately, CSS is a stronger core library.
Cory Pelizzari thanks. I just bought the studio solo strings and trying to decide which library to couple it with for a fuller sound. CSS would seem an obvious choice as they have the same dna but I’m still wondering what the best library for small quartet pop arrangements (Eleanor rigby). One way is to use CSSS without legato or using the ensemble patch. I listened to Sacconi and was left unconvinced. So the search continues...
@@MusicFed I've used CSSS for more light stroke work and it sounds great. Not sure if it's the kind of thing you're after, but listen to the end of this track and you can hear the spiccatos and sforzandos adding bounce during the outro: www.dropbox.com/s/edxbib88w0c7ic7/Making%20The%20Deal%20%5BCinematic%20World%5D.wav?dl=0
What are your thoughts between this and CS2? I'm torn between the two!
I'm still waiting for Alex to send me an NFR for CS2 so I can do a video on that.
@@CoryPelizzari OK so you anticipate that hopefully it'll come soon?
@@kupo150 I was told I'd receive it in the first quarter of the year, but then the crisis happened. I have no idea how long it will take because it was supposed to coincide with a planned update for CSS.
@@CoryPelizzari ah got it. That's too bad
Hi cory, would you say CSS is still the best string library to this day, mid 2019?
Personally yes.
Cory Pelizzari thanks for replying!
@@CoryPelizzari can i ask you one more question? do you know if CSS will sound good on producing pop/jazz songs? or would Spitfire Studio Strings would be better? or is there another library that you'd recommend? Thanks!!
@@adrielbote Cinematic Studio Solo Strings is better for those genres with its tight spiccato and sforzandos and expressive vibrato. You can get a chamber sound with the ensemble patch as well. Other string libraries that are good for a pop sound are Session Strings Pro 2 from e Instruments and maybe Intimate Strings from 8Dio.
@@CoryPelizzari Thanks for your recommendations! helps a lot!!
使劲恰饭，疯狂夸赞。不过u1s1，css真的很强大
Yeah, hard to master but utterly convincing.
how does this compare against 8dio samples like adagio?
This is leagues ahead.
@@CoryPelizzari wish I would have known that
@@CoryPelizzari would love to see you do a 2019 favorites video for libraries
Is cinematic strings your favorite so far?
@@davidvalens3337 One of my favourites. I like to use Soaring Strings, Chamber Strings and Afflatus as well but CSS is a good workhorse for most things.
Sir How to cut down Vibrato ? Plz help
You can switch to non vibrato by clicking the little cog icon in the top right of the GUI and setting the vibrato switch to whatever CC you want.
@@CoryPelizzari Tq so much 😁
Bye SSS, forever. Hello CSS.
every library but the best of the best which is SPITFIRE Symphonic Strings!
Spitfire Symphonic is incredibly sloppy in the shorts but still sound ok. Like a great Symphonic Orchestra sightreading a piece for the first time.
@@justinbeamon6624 www.spitfireaudio.com/shop/a-z/spitfire-symphonic-strings/?v=9mTra2i6SB0 here ya go. just in case you got the wrong string set. after hearing these strings tyhere are none other.
they sound synthy
@@scrump9145 they sound cinematic
2:00
tu parles trop
It sounds terrible.
Which ones do you prefer?
@@ThatGuy-ep7xq East West Hollywood orchestra and project Sam's symphobia series and many others.