Glass Strings by The Crow Hill Company - Is this the only string library you may ever need?

[@charlesyateschalfant]

This library is superb and one could easily justifiably say this is all one needs-depending on one's style. There is nothing that comes close to this and the sounds can be gorgeous. Stunning!

[@thesampleist]

Yeah, I really really like i!

[@gor764]

I own it and I'm astounded at how beautiful it sounds when you swell the timbre modual

A breathtaking work from Crow Hill.

[@thesampleist]

Yes, absolutely :)

[@DarthPreamp]

What a beautiful library

[@thesampleist]

It certainly is!

[@FrankBell]

Crow Hill for the win!

[@thesampleist]

They are making some brilliant instruments, that is for sure!

[@patchistador]

Thank you so much for you video, I just needed a confirmation video of my will to buy and use immediately this library for my scores, and you did it. I’m curious, would you be so kind to share what are your go to libraries ? Best regards from a French composer and long live your channel

[@thesampleist]

Thanks so much for the kind comments! This one really is a great library, especially for the kind of work I do. Speaking of which, I do have a lot of go to libraries, so it depends on what I'm being asked to make. What kind are style are you wanting to know my go to libraries for? Would be happy to oblige!

[@patchistador]

@ that’s really kind of you. Just being curious of what is your go to librairies for scoring TV show/documentary/trailers, just to know what’s your favorite tools 😉 that would help me also to perfect my arsenal or to discover some I don’t know 🙏

[@daviddieffenderfer]

Thanks for the review! Is this much different than the String Murmurations library?

[@thesampleist]

A great question. In short both share the same great sampling and design. However, String Murmurations is far more gesture based. They are lovely but hard to work into a composition as you have less control. Glass Sting has great gestures but of course full articulations. I do love the gestures, some don’t as they feel it isn’t composing. Personally, what ever helps you get the track finished is good for me. They are inspiring and help you create works you wouldn’t have normally!

[@Dan_Stopani]

I'm pretty much sold on this. Great, informative video. You mention that the 'gestures' are tempo sync'd. Do they react to changes in the DAW tempo mid gesture?

[@thesampleist]

@@Dan_Stopani hello! As far as I can tell they do. They synch kinda the best way depending on the tempo. I tried some extreme tempos and there was significant change. I love String Murmurations but wished they synched perfectly. Still very useable and had some great times comparing with them and fitting them into projects. These seem to which is very exciting!

[@Dan_Stopani]

@@thesampleist Thanks very much your reply.

[@Paul-bb4xc]

It sounds great for certain. Although I’m always a little suspicious of glowing reviews of a product produced by someone who’s received said product for free.

[@thesampleist]

Which is why we refuse any affiliate link offers (we’ve had a lot) and advertising deals. We try to be as impartial as possible. This is a fantastic library. Had I not received it for free I would have bought it no questions asked!

[@TemmeSikkema]

Also, I do not get the conclusion “unprecedented amount of control” when in fact one needs to play TO the phrases. What am I missing here? I love the sound, but I do sincerely wonder what you mean with “unprecedented control”. Could you elaborate? Thanks for the review.

[@thesampleist]

Cheers Temne! It’s the “glass” controls. Check out how Christian explains it on their video! It’s makes more sense when he does it!

[@TemmeSikkema]

@@thesampleist So in terms of the sound itself- gotcha. Because when it comes to controlling -as in mastering- what I’m doing with gestures in general is where I feel the library plays me ;-)

[@TemmeSikkema]

So no need for a legato patch Pete?

[@thesampleist]

Hey Temme! For the work I do, I honestly do not feel the absence of legato. If you must, I guess you can layer in a legato patch from elsewhere where, or even first chairs or solo strings. I absolutely love how these strings behave. Also with the gestures and different articulations like circular bowing, you get that movement in the performances. For me the articulations presented will cover what I want to get done!

[@TemmeSikkema]

@@thesampleist Cool, thanks Pete. I’m not really in need of (another) legato patch either, but in order for this to be any sort of “definitive” string library I figured that would be one of the main “negatives” for most people

[@thesampleist]

@@TemmeSikkemayeah, I see that. But then the trade off is we get a lot of content and it keeps the cost down. There is also legato style movement in the gestures. A bit of a trade off I guess but yes, to some, lack of legato would be seen as a negative!

[@renakmans3521]

Can I use this with a midi guitar or is it best triggered by a keyboard?

[@thesampleist]

It depends what you use. I use software which turns my guitars into MIDI controllers. Really fun stuff!

[@renakmans3521]

@ you mean the midi 2 or 3 software?

[@t3br00k35]

“Be yourself everyone else is taken.” What a joke! Everyone sounds the same because of these kind of libraries. Gestures mean you don’t have to actually do any writing or playing. Great fun but we’re nearing saturation point I think.

[@thesampleist]

If you use gestures properly and they are tempo synced, there’s a lot more to the art of composing than simply playing them and expecting the sound like everybody else

[@öüöïiß]

This is why I stopped buying Spitfire Audio and started everything from The Crow Hill Company. Spitfire Audio lost its soul.

[@EdVizenor]

Yes!

[@Maplefoxx-vl2ew]

performance samples and Music Sampling. we dont' need anything else. have you guys not seen the solo instrument releawes by Musical Sampling. blows most things out of the water. i got the parker english horn.. the new bassoon is to die for too. i need it in my life lololol cheers

[@UnknownUnknown-uq5rv]

​@@Maplefoxx-vl2ew I dont like PS. Too much ambient noise.

[@g.p616]

He actually said it’s…. “Everything you need for media composition”!😂😂😂

[@thesampleist]

"He" certainly did. From a string perspective, if I was to score a tv drama for example, it would be everything I would need. Obviously, other non string instruments too!

[@g.p616]

@@thesampleistSorry, and this is coming from someone who will probably buy it, but it sounds like hyperbole to me. How does this library deliver when the client says “I want a chamber or symphonic sound”?

[@thesampleist]

@@g.p616well yes, I see that. However, in the realms of underscore, Glass Strings smashes it. For full orchestral scores I’d go elsewhere where I need control over individual sections. So yes, I see your point for sure but specifically I’m talking about underscore and media composing. But then that encompasses a wind range of music!

[@GuyVignati]

I think this library is obviously too specific to be considered a complete string library. It’s good for doing some kind of stuff using especially long articulations, but if you want to write in a more traditional way it’s too unpredictable and hasn’t enough articulations. Plus what I don’t like about these libraries is this sort of the sensationalism for the product itself, due to the aggressive marketing of the company. I mean it’s still a tool, it’s your writing in the end that matters.

Speaking of how it sounds out of the box, you have to admit that it is more than good, compare to other strings libraries...and at Crow Hill, if you know them a bit, you'd know that they are anti sensitionalism...plus for those who don't have writing skills, it is not "just a tool", it is a game changer ;)

[@ctatrains]

So far every video seems to kind of rush through the shorts. Doesn't seem to be a strong point at all which is the first thing I look for.

[@thesampleist]

Well we only have a short amount of time to show the sounds, but I did play the shorts! There was a lot to show in this one! :)

[@g.p616]

Any library that uses baked-in, preset motifs has a very limited shelf life. In only a short time all the variations would have been heard.

[@thesampleist]

That is one element of the library, plenty more going on which is user generated. I have to say though, the gestures are a whole lot of fun to use. Isn't that what all of this is about? Having fun? I love nothing more than working with libraries that put a smile on my face. Glass Strings does just that! Cheers for the comment!

[@adamz3090]

Short answer: no

[@thesampleist]

Cheers!

[@renakmans3521]

Why?

[@jammypockets606]

It all feels icy. It's mostly a baked library with a scandi feel. Gestures get limited out of C. And as with the previous gestures libraries, it all sounds the same after a week unless you don't use gestures, and then its even more limited with techniques. It should only be used as a sketch pad for ideas or for people with limited keyboard or composition skills to get an instant musical buzz. It feels like a toy. A very nice toy, but still a toy.

[@thesampleist]

And that is the beauty of sample libraries. Opinion is often divided. I absolutely love these and often I do use ensemble patches for various scoring applications, it works well for me! It all depends on what you are making! :) cheers for the comment and perspective, much appreciated!

[@EdVizenor]

I really hope Crow Hill Buries Spitfire Audio for what they did to Chris, who simply expressed is own opinion on social media. They caved and booted him. Spitfire is Anti Free Speech. Pathetic. I will NEVER stop being silent about this. Support Crow Hill. Boycott Spitfire Audio

[@tosvus]

Chris stepped back because it was best for the company (that he is still owns a part of). Both Paul and Chris are nice guys.

[@EdVizenor]

@tosvus thanks for the comment. How do you know that? Source?

[@lumpielump3576]

yes, Spitfire is as dead as Monty Python´s parrot without Christian - they will disappear from the market for good.

[@tosvus]

@EdVizenor i worked with them both before moving stateside.

[@ronricherson6685]

Saw your comment and agree, and had to add some of my own. I just checked and have 18 products from Spitfire Audio, not counting LABS. I just got Glass Strings anyway (and the new Imperial EP about a week before which is glorious) and every time I buy from Crow Hill, it's partly to spite Spitfire (ha). Some comments are less than thrilled with Glass Strings, but I just look at it as another color to play with on my sonic palette. I certainly won't use it on everything. When trying out sounds, I want them to evoke something in me as a composer. I can't tell you how many times I've started playing a new sound on a synth and instantly got the spark of what became a full-fledged composition. Crow Hill seems to instinctively be going for that rather than create another cold and sterile 1000 articulation/instrument be-all, end-all orchestra. I'm talking to you Spitfire. Yes, I'm rooting for Chris and Crow Hill and will support them. He's not perfect, but he's real and he's passionate and it shows in his products.

[@infinity7585]

nice sponsored vid, surely not clouded judgement at all ;-;

[@thesampleist]

@@infinity7585 Hello! Our videos are absolutely not sponsored at all. This just happens to be a brilliant library! We get offered affiliate programs often and decline them to stay as impartial as possible. In this over crowded market of “pay to play” we feel our videos are informative and impartial. There just happens to be a lot of very high quality libraries on the market. As time goes on, the quality has been improving massively. Us composers have never had it so good and we have the developers to thank to that! :)