Review: Abbey Road Two Iconic Strings by Spitfire Audio

Abbey Road Two Iconic Strings is available from Spitfire Audio - bit.ly/3y8O30C
Spitfire Audio has captured both the intimate sound of a string quintet and the crisp, detailed sound of Abbey Road Studio Two. Including possibly the best short articulations available today, some beautiful longs, and both modern and vintage mixes, Abbey Road Two Iconic Strings is one of my favorite Spitfire Audio libraries to date.
Contributor Raborn Johnson reviews Abbey Road Two Iconic Strings by Spitfire Audio
0:00
1:07 About Abbey Road Two
5:33 Ensemble Short Patch Articulations
15:14 Ensemble Mic Options
18:18 Ensemble Long Patch Articulations
25:47 Violin 1 Legato
28:55 Violin 1 Live Patch
30:17 Violin 1 Long Articulations
32:30 Violin 1 Short Articulations
34:00 Violin 2 Patches
35:20 Viola Patches
39:28 Viola Mic Options
43:21 Cello Articulations
50:17 Cello Legato
51:41 Ensemble Multivoice Options
52:39 Final Thoughts

[@futurorosamusic2875]

yes, composers need to hear sounds before buyng some sample stuff. your channel is very useful for this.

[@jammypockets606]

It's worth mentioning that if you own intimate strings which only costs £29, you are eligible for an automatic extra 25% discount on AB2 library.

[@rockomedia9028]

I think it's a 25% from the regular price, not the intro price

[@jammypockets606]

@@rockomedia9028 Ah, fair do's.

[@StevenVrancken]

it makes sense indeed, to also purchase Intimate Strings, when you are going to purchase the professional edition. You will pay as much, but you'll get intimate strings for free :-)

[@StevenVrancken]

also worth mentioning is you can first buy the essentials/core version, and then upgrade to the professional edition, you'll pay around exactly the same amount for the total professional edition, but then you have a core version which is gentler for CPU to experiment/try out/small projects, which you can easily fine-tune in a later stage with the professional version

[@jwp2460]

I just bought the Core edition of this library. This is the sound I've been looking for. So much of what I've been trying to arrange with my guitars is a smaller more intimate string sound that pairs well with other acoustic instruments that I record. I can't wait to try this sound with some of new songs.

[@jeffbayless598]

Bought the Pro edition last week and am looking forward to diving in! Have some projects coming up and can't wait to compose for these samples!! Killer stuff!!

[@ytb917]

excellent demo.

[@misterpete1928]

Great review Raborn! Picked em up on day one, love them!

[@rabornjohnson]

Thanks, Pete!

[@pohybliveobrazky2215]

Thank you!

[@felixmstudio]

Wow, so amazing!

[@vicentesaiz1670]

The Core not having a portamento legato broke my heart and it might make me go for the Pro version in the near future.

[@raal007]

Ended up biting the bullet for the Pro version for this very reason.

[@Krunalshahmusickeys]

Sounds great

[@jeffbird5082]

I almost purchased the solo strings during black Friday sales but I didn’t and I’m glad I didn’t because this library was an instant buy for solo strings and what I had been wanting for some time.

[@dafingaz]

On the wish list!

[@tylerhuston7297]

Thanks for the video. That inconsistency at the 25 min mark had to be an oversight. I imagine it will be corrected in an update.

[@samburtyboy]

Deep man. Sounds super direct, but without being bone dry. Great review

[@rabornjohnson]

Thanks so much, Sam!

[@felixmstudio]

I will pick up the pro version. Thank you very much for this excellent review.👍

[@rabornjohnson]

Thank you!

[@jefskott99]

Darn, you just cost me money. Yes, based on your excellent review, I loved what I heard and saw, and you clarified what comes in Core versus Professional. I am going Core. Thanks for the thorough interview. I was almost ready to say "no, I don't need another sample library" until you showed some of the flexibility this brings. I rather loved the Second Violin over the thinner 1st Violin. Thanks again for the thoroughness.

[@bulentkamali]

What is your happiness level today since your comment here? Would you rather go with the Core or Pro version if you hadn't purchased the Core a year ago?

[@estebandobrasil3802]

thx very much for the review! are both core and pro edition on the face sound?

[@Zenda13]

Heard a lot of issues others have with this library. You review supports my personal impression, of a pretty deep sound

[@andymacc]

Great review though you missed out the Vintage 2 mix option completely which has the ADT. This being one of the main differences between core and Pro’. Thanks anyway I’d have just loved to hear it, plus all the mix options back to back. Heard said, it’s noticeable more on the lower notes, any thoughts?

[@jakeskate1998]

do you think this would be a better option than spitfire solo strings? i feel like the legato is more convincing

[@bernardm3066]

Hi. Do you think this library (Core or Pro version) can be used with BBC SO Core to get some solo string sounds?

[@henrikpetersson3463]

It’s not a great solo string library. There are libraries much better suited for that. Check out the bohemian violin and cello for example.

[@_Richard_F___]

Sounds clean and rich well out of my price bracket though as I only make music as a hobby a poor artist ;}

[@andrealoverde8771]

This compared to Audio Imperia Solo?

[@vhego]

I think this is better than CSSS what do you guys think? Professional on 40% would cost the same as CSSS, it has double bass too and the shorts on this are so lovely. But I’m afraid it is too dry, though he hasn’t messed with the reverb in this video

[@now_im_here3698]

The great thing about dry sounds is you can just add your own reverb. I have this & liquid sonics cinematic rooms pro so I'm gucci

[@rodvik]

Love the shorts. The longs are less my cup of tea.

[@lincolnmmitchell]

yup, sounds like strings

[@dafingaz]

Do you ever send messages to Spitfire Audio about fixing some of the inconsistencies?

[@scottg4520]

Probably not. I wouldn't be surprised if he receives this as a "gift" from Spitfire.

[@dafingaz]

@@scottg4520 I'm thinking they might do a "hidden mistakes" giveaway one day where they ask people to point out where the mistakes are in the libraries. LOL...

[@effyiew7318]

I was interested in this until someone posted the youtube video from 2011 of LASS doing Eleanor Rigby and LASS solo strings sounded better at the beatles sound than AR2 did. Crazy in all these years Spitfire can't top LASS from decades ago. So I ended up using the money for AR2 to buy LASS.

[@henrikpetersson3463]

Nah, in terms of sound this is much closer to Rigby. Performance wise it might be debatable though.

[@manuelfilho11]

Not convinced yet. To me it sounds too “edgy” and “shrill”, especially the core version. The full version multiple mics option helps to get a “smoother” sound. I already heard much more convincing solo strings library demos, Spitfire solo strings included.

[@jakeskate1998]

you think solo strings sounds better? i cant decide between this and solo strings. I feel like the tone of abbey road 2 is a bit more realistic. Solo strings seems to have a synthetic quality to me

[@manuelfilho11]

@@jakeskate1998 All the Core version demos I heard sound harsh to me. CSSS and OT First Chairs sound much better and authentic, by the demos I heard.

[@bulentkamali]

@@jakeskate1998 I agree with you

[@simongentry]

elenor rigby…

[@creeke_alley]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/hafWZWutppWkZ68

[@raal007]

Wow, i own SSS Pro and LASS. Have been considering AR2 and/or Ebertone to supplement the others. The demos i've heard of AR2 so far (violins mainly), sounded shrill/shrieky to me but your demo changed that, and the arranger/performance modes seem like they might save incredible amounts of time. Have been fighting the urge to buy AR2 but i may be loosing the battle... thank you very much for doing this.