NO BULLCRAP REVIEW 1: Cremona Quartet

Here is a review packing everything from Cremona good and bad in the shortest amount of time I could.
Pros:
Sound quality and realism
UI
Vibrato and articulation controls
dynamics
Cons:
Resource hog
Can be used unrealistically
No semitone
As with all solo string VSTs, hard to use due to knowing when to use what articulation for maximum effect.
Not cheap
Verdict:
5/5 in my opinion the best solo string vst on the market, despite the fierce competition. Its worth the price because it will stay a staple of your libraries for a long time.

[@nanettetredoux7613]

Very useful review thank you. I just got this at half price after having wanted it for months.

[@rawsoundscreation1278]

That's what happened to me!

[@Mr_A_Mia]

I appreciate this video. Im planning on buying this. Thank you.

[@rawsoundscreation1278]

Happy to help bud!

[@scottfoster3643]

Thank you for your review/inspiration, I own this and was going to pull the trigger on CSS solo, but may hold off and try to get the most out of this.

[@rawsoundscreation1278]

It's a great vst!

[@Harrysound]

I got this in the collector edition. I was really surprised from the first time I tried it. It’s so slick and so playable and sounds so pristine it’s the most stunning sample based vst I’ve tried ….I have cinematic studio strings and solo strings and yes they are fantastic too with better portamento, they are better at romance if you like. These native instruments ones are loud and have punch.

[@rawsoundscreation1278]

Yeah these are more for a "vivaldi" type sound.

[@Harrysound]

@@rawsoundscreation1278 can’t beat Vivaldi IMO. Might be a cliche view but holy crap he was on to something all them hundreds of years ago

[@rawsoundscreation1278]

@@Harrysound Honestly that guy sounded so much like a lot of modern metal on some of his pieces. The man was absolutely elite.

[@slartibartfast1268]

While I appreciate the warning about being able to create pieces that are "impossible to play" on a real instrument, that only matters if you are creating something that is intended to be played by a real instrument later. (Maybe the creation is a demo.) Otherwise it matters not. All that matters is the end result. Not to mention, almost all pieces mixed and mastered in a DAW would be impossible to play for real. Thanks for the quick video without a lot of wasted time.

[@rawsoundscreation1278]

I agree with that 100%!

[@morrielouden1]

Have you compared this to the Saccone string quartet library?

[@rawsoundscreation1278]

I have not actually. I'll have to check it out

[@morrielouden1]

@@rawsoundscreation1278 Okay thanks, I'm listening to as many demo's as I can to make a quick Black Friday purchase decision. The Cremona is a lot more economical and also you only need the Kontakt player. The Saccone sounds a little warmer a realistic in the demo's however, more expensive and I'd need to purchase the full version of Kontakt. Money of course matters but, sound is most important right now...

[@rawsoundscreation1278]

@@morrielouden1 I know its been two months, but orchestral tools just released a pretty sick solo violin VST. Check it out!

[@morrielouden1]

@@rawsoundscreation1278 Thanks, I'll check that out!

[@richardjecooke8036]

@@morrielouden1 What did you choose? I'm wondering the same now - CSSS, Sacconi, Cremona. Cremona looks the easiest to use by far, but the sound in so many demos is just unrealistic on long high notes.

[@JohnChandlerEdmonton]

I think you meant microtones (rather than semitones)

[@mikec2660]

did you notice how unbalanced it is between key switches ?

[@rawsoundscreation1278]

What do you mean?

[@mikec2660]

@@rawsoundscreation1278 i i dont know

[@bigheartsmolpen]

​@@mikec2660I'm lovin' it 🍔

[@danchapmanpiano]

I did the right thing by removing this library - Worst purchase I've made to date!

[@rawsoundscreation1278]

Ah man sorry to hear that, I had a similar experience with a vst i got reccomended, always sucks when that happens! Curious what you didn't like about it?

[@danchapmanpiano]

@@rawsoundscreation1278 The sound of the instruments are whiny and just terrible - It makes it very difficult to use with other sound libraries.

[@rawsoundscreation1278]

@@danchapmanpiano I do know what you mean with the hard to use with other libraries. It's distinctively "close" and super bright. Can be difficult to make it not poke out in a mix. What's your preference for solo strings?

[@danchapmanpiano]

@@rawsoundscreation1278 Spitfire Audio solo strings is best for anyone who is (like myself) more of a beginner and doesn't frequently write with strings.

[@rawsoundscreation1278]

@Dan Chapman anything spitfire makes is incredible! Them and orchestral tools. I ended up with this library from getting the whole collection from NI. Not all of their stuff is wonderful, but as a base kit while building up other libraries it's phenomenal. But for sure never gonna be at the top of things.