Sample Libraries: 24 Strings Libraries Compared (How they sound like right out of the box)

24 Strings Libraries Compared (How they sound like right out of the box)
0:00 Strings Libraries Compared
3:22 Studio Strings
4:51 The Orchestra
6:20 NOVO
7:51 Palette
9:23 Symphobia 1
11:08 Berlin Strings
12:34 Chamber Strings
13:45 Symphonic Strings
15:32 Albion ONE
16:47 Albion NEO
18:43 Cinematic Studio Strings
20:36 String Ensemble
23:16 Session Strings Pro 2
24:33 Anthology
26:03 Intimate Studio Strings
27:28 Jaeger
29:41 Ensemblia 2
32:03 Hyperion (micro)
33:37 Angel Strings 1
35:16 Virtuoso Ensemble
37:02 EW Symphonic Strings
38:12 EW Hollywood Strings
39:53 HZ Strings
41:52 BBCSO
#samplelibrary #orchestral #kontakt #instruments #musicproduction #recording
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Product Links:
(Disclaimer - I am not sponsored by any of these companies)
1. Logic instruments - www.apple.com/ca/logic-pro/
2. The Orchestra - sonuscore.com/shop/the-orches...
3. NOVO - heavyocity.com/product/novo/
4. Palette - redroomaudio.com/product/pale...
5. Symphobia 1 - projectsam.com/libraries/symp...
6. Berlin Strings - www.orchestraltools.com/store...
7. Chamber Strings - www.spitfireaudio.com/shop/a-...
8. Symphonic Strings - www.spitfireaudio.com/shop/a-...
9. Albion ONE - www.spitfireaudio.com/shop/a-...
10. Albion NEO - www.spitfireaudio.com/shop/a-...
11. Cinematic Studio Strings - cinematicstudioseries.com/str...
12. String Ensemble - www.native-instruments.com/en...
13. Session Strings Pro 2 - www.native-instruments.com/en...
14. Anthology - 8dio.com/instrument/anthology...
15. Intimate Studio Strings - 8dio.com/instrument/intimate-...
16. Jaeger - www.audioimperia.com/collecti...
17. Ensemblia 2 - cinematique-instruments.com/p...
18. Hyperion (micro) - soundiron.com/collections/sym...
19. Angel Strings 1 - www.auddict.com/angelstrings
20. Virtuoso Ensemble - www.kirkhunterstudios.com/pro...
21. EW Symphonic Strings - www.soundsonline.com/symphonic...
22. EW Hollywood Strings - www.soundsonline.com/hollywood...
23. HZ Strings - www.spitfireaudio.com/shop/a-...
24. BBCSO - www.spitfireaudio.com/bbcso/
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[@KadenCore]

What's your favorite Strings Library or Libraries? Do you have one that you always go to? Do you have a few that you always layer them together to create your own sound in your work?Leave a comment and let me know!

[@Pokestir]

My favorite is Spitfire Studio Strings Pro 😃 Sometimes I’ll layer BBC pro with studio strings to make BBC a bit more precise and powerful! Layering is a great technique, haha.

[@KadenCore]

@@Pokestir Oh yes, definitely. If you want to have some sort of sounds of your own (kind of), instead right out of the box sound, definitely layer at least two libraries. Maybe two from different companies?

[@cyrilcalmes4208]

I've used several String Librarie : 8Dio Adagio (the short notes are tremendous !), 8Dio Anthology, Spitfire Studio Strings Pro, Spitfire BBC SO Pro and now a part of the Berlin Strings through the use of the Berlin Orchestra. The last is the best (to me). They can be layered with the Spitfire Studio Strings, but I think I prefer them alone.

[@robertl.edwards1753]

You are awesome for putting this together! Thank you!

[@KadenCore]

Thank you for watching! I have been working on multiple projects recently, but I shall put up some new videos very soon!

[@kevvvvv01]

Thanks. For anyone with a few string libraries this is a must watch. See big names fall, and small names rise. Interesting to hear to hear them all side by side and compare their strengths. Thumbs up!

[@mrmusicguy1]

Fantastic video! Thanks!

[@MyronDavismd]

Most of these libraries will do the job when in the “right hands!” Thank you for sharing

[@KadenCore]

You're welcome!

[@Auddictaudio]

Good comparison, useful!

[@KadenCore]

Thank you!

[@Noctarilfate]

Thanks for this video, which is a wonderful resource to compare them. I can tell it took a lot of work to get this done. However, I personally would prefer to hear it without the metronome. That distracted me from the actual strings.

[@alareya1789]

Little Correction, in the SF Symphonic Strings you say they are in a bigger Room than the Chamber Strings. Both were in Fact recorded in the Main Hall at Air Lyndhurst, the Symphonic strings Just have more Players in the same Room ;)

[@user-bj2ew4zb4b]

Thank you for good video😂

[@NickJacobsMusic]

really useful video, I was searching for something like this for ages :D Do you also have Spitfire Abbey Road 1 and/or 2? The only thing I would hope for is a more even sound in the video, I know it might be more complicated, but I always had to move my speaker sound up and down. Not a big deal, but i guess that could improve the video! Other than that, thanks for your work :D

[@KadenCore]

Thank you for your feed back. I will make sure about that next time. I am hoping to get a new series of videos up in the future, stay tuned, and thank you for your support! :)

[@yd8310]

Thanks great review..If you are not burdened, please give a brief comment. I bought bbcso two days ago. I thought bbcso and cinematic studio strings had somewhat similar reverb and wet sounds. But after using it for a while, bbcso feels pretty dry. Do you too? Can I fix it with reverb and microphone? Anyway so I have session strings pro2, aperture orchestra and BBCSO, and I'm going to add one more thing this Black Friday. I want to have different tendencies because I have a small number of them. (I only do K-pop and New-A.) I want to buy 8dio's anthology + Intimate / or LASS / or CSS. (I love the sound of css, but I don't have a small ensemble.. I would like to save if the BBC can produce a wet sound like css.)

[@KadenCore]

Thank you for watching my videos! Sounds like you have some great libraries already, especially BBCSO, I love it! And yes, you may need to add some reverbs to suit your needs. Try liquidsonics, they do have some great ones, and you put a slight reverb on all to glue everything together. If you want to take advantage of Black Friday, 8dio does have some great sounding libraries, but you need to try which ones will allow you to use the 55% off coupon. If you are doing doing K-pop do you find BBCSO a bit too orchestral and warm? Have you checked out Orchestral Tools' LA Sessions, which contains a lot of different instruments including strings of course, which might be more useful when writing pop. LASS is VERY dry, definitely not sounding good right out of the box, but it does give you more flexibility to add your own reverb. Do you have any solo violin/cello libraries? They can be useful to add countermelody lines to your pop songs....

[@yd8310]

@@KadenCore Thank you so much for your polite comments. Thanks to that, I learned a lot of new good libraries. It was an opportunity to study and hear the difference between the nuances of a string instrument suitable for pop and a string instrument for orchestration by listening to the standards you mentioned. I ended up buying CSS in addition to session strings and BBCSO. The reason is that I have found that I still lack the ability to create sounds with fine control. I still feel a lot of deficiencies in expressing my solo instruments with BBCSO. First of all, I plan to use CSS (including convenient presets, spaces, reverbs, etc.) until the arranging ability improves a bit, and then purchase additional instruments that you recommend. Thank you very much^^ Please make a lot of good content in the future. Best wishes for a Happy New Year.

[@KadenCore]

Thank you for watching my videos, I will try to make some new ones soon. Just have been busy with little projects recently. Cheers! :D

[@mathisto21]

Fantastic Idea and great to compare so many libraries. I do have to say the pops and clicks throughout are very distracting and kind of annoying. Otherwise great job and much appreciated doing such a vast comparison.

[@KadenCore]

Thank you for your feedback. I do notice the sounds afterward. I suspect it's due to sample rate of the video software. Will have to look into it next time when I create a video. 👍

[@KadenCore]

@@edwardm9975 I know.... :( something's wrong with coding or rendering the video.

[@kikiu2619]

Highly appreciated! Can you do one with guitars, acoustic and electric?

[@KadenCore]

That's a great idea! I will probably soon make a video about guitar libraries. Stay tuned. Remember to subscribe and hit the bell :)

[@TeddyLeppard]

@@KadenCore I'd like to see that comparison also. If possible, please include modeled instruments, not just sample libraries. Thank you.

[@ganeshparthasarathy1470]

Nice. I have a request. Can you do separate reviews of flagship companies on Chamber Strings, Solo Strings and Symphony Strings. This video is more on ensemble strings. I dont find much videos by these segments which can compare like this. You can additionally indicate how many articulations they come with.😊 Later you can do similar exercise for woodwinds😍

[@KadenCore]

I'll see what I can do next time! Thank you for your input :)

[@davidvalens3337]

What was your favorite strings

[@KadenCore]

Can't really pin to only one, depends on what I am writing. Recently, I am in love with VSL libraries. But some libraries are my all time favourites, like BBCSO, Jaegar, and more.

[@thewest6128]

If you had to choose 3 which would you take?

[@KadenCore]

So hard to choose, because it really depends on what kind of track. I would say, EW Hollywood Strings, BBCSO, and Jeager, because they each provide sounds that's very different from each other, and suitable for various applications. But of course, it would be better to have more than just 3. lol.

[@thewest6128]

@@KadenCore I know haha

[@jm9937]

The audio cuts out for nearly a whole minute starting around the 22 minute mark while you were explaining something. It comes back when you get to the next library though. 🤷🏻‍♂️ A lengthy and comprehensive reference for someone who really wants it. Maybe consider breaking up such a comparison and grouping similar libraries into different videos in the future. Ensamblia 2 is super cool, and the Symphonic Orchestra by East West is gorgeous!

[@KadenCore]

Thank you for your feedback. I will look into what's causing the problem. :) Thank you for watching! Cheers!

[@playtagainsam4698]

The effort is greatly appreciated, but, apart from the continuous clicks of the audio, the eq has not been monitored at all for the comparison to be effective. And I don't think Ensemblia should be in this comparison. Jaeger, Angel Strings and Hyperion have surprised me. Still, the Spitfire libraries are the best by far. Greetings and thank you!

[@KadenCore]

Thank you for your feedback, greatly appreciated! Sorry for the clicking sound, I believe it's something to do with sample rate issues between OBS and OS. EQ was left as out-of-the-box, but I can look into that in next comparison. Thanks again.

[@jaxdigitalaudio]

A tip for such comparisons and demonstrations: The used MIDI actually should not be that kind of hard quantized as shown here. No orchestra will perform with such digitized ‚perfection‘. This especially applies to libraries, which have sampled entire ensembles in unison. This all must sounds fake if you use unnatural mechanic arrangements, no matter how good or bad the chosen library even is. ^^

[@kikiu2619]

Did you play the notes recorded?

[@KadenCore]

Yes they are.

[@cyrilcalmes4208]

in which world pizzicati sound that strong ? Did you adapt your CC programming from one library to another ? To me, most of these exemples doesn't sound realistic.

[@KadenCore]

Thank you for your input, it's intended to be "right out of the box" as suggested by the title. I will be posted an updated version of comparison soon, as this is a relatively old video in this ever changing industry with much better and much more realistic libraries coming out everyday.

[@cyrilcalmes4208]

@@KadenCore Well, I have BBC SO, Berlin Orchestra, Anthology and Spitfie Studio Strings Pro. And what I meant was that using out of the box sound without a fine tuning of the CC does not sound realistic. And you must do that to each library because they react differently. In most of your examples, velocity, CC1 and CC11 are too high. I think that the best way to compare them is to show they can render realistic mockup. I hope you understand my point of view.

[@istominmusic]

Interested make test with 8Dio Century strings))

[@KadenCore]

I can try doing that in the next round. There are so many new string libraries out since this video! I can put some 8dio Centuries in the next round.

[@istominmusic]

@@KadenCore I wrote you in Facebook and instagram. I have one question about this library)

[@davidvalens3337]

What about audio bros modern strings?

[@KadenCore]

Great choice! I think I will include that one in my next comparison video!!!

[@pitnatclem]

Metropolis Ark1, Majestica de 8Dio...

[@KadenCore]

Oh yes! Those are great as well! Met Ark 1 seems to be a bit more specific to certain music genre, and 8Dio has a LOT of good libraries too! Can't include everything in this little video, maybe in the next one :) Thank you for watching!

[@user-zg9bb3ib7h]

WHY DID YOU TURN ON METRONOME

[@CI0vis]

chamber strings + cinematic studio strings

[@KadenCore]

yes

[@AsrarNoise]

Strings are like WWII. London Vs. Berlin.. Spitfire Vs. Messerschmitt.

[@KadenCore]

Haha, yes!!

[@grailgnosticism2342]

the industry standards: Omnisphere; Massive, Serum, Albion one !

[@brunocoliveira89]

The click is too annoying

[@ChristerHolmMusic]

Indeed, something wrong with the setup, or in the recording software. Really ruins the whole experience.

[@KadenCore]

Thank you for your feedback, I will look into it! I need to find out where and which part is causing the problem.

[@KadenCore]

@@ChristerHolmMusic Thank you for your feedback, I need to look at recording software, maybe converters or somewhere along uploading. Thank you pointing it out. :)

[@MichaelElleryMedia]

It sounds like a sample rate issue? Might i suggest going through and freezing all the tracks for playback?

[@KadenCore]

@@MichaelElleryMedia Thanks for the tips, I will double check that... but it also happens to other videos in my another channel without using the DAW or any sample libraries, it might be my mic / audio interface recording directly into OBS? Have to look into that, but I am also certain that it's not Logic or any of the instrument tracks... :)

[@adsense6114]

anthology loading 30min why???

[@KadenCore]

You mean you have a super slow loading time for the 8Dio library? Maybe you need to resave batch? Usually it's much faster after you resave the batch. :)

[@adsense6114]

@@KadenCore thank you for answer I tried but it doesn't work :)

[@adsense6114]

@@KadenCore what do you think best strings library? :)

[@KadenCore]

That really depends on what type of music you are writing. Also, usually layering with two different libraries may give you some unique sound. :)

[@adsense6114]

@@KadenCore cinematic and film score :)

[@bartmuz]

They ALL can't sound even good if you are using only "long" articulation without legato

[@frattuncbas]

East West collections and the others..