SB: What’s seems harder for you, to capture the right sound or to edit it in a final stage?ĪW: I think it’s fair to say that it’s 50/50. That’s why we’ve made the changes we have, including the two new full-ensemble patches to allow for quick sketches, so that working composers can speed up their production times. This is of course accompanied by an increased expectation that you’ll also be able to work more efficiently. I think as technology improves, especially with the likes of smartphones and social media, there is an expectation that the tools you use will make your life easier. This now means that RAM usage can be monitored quickly, and any unused articulations can be removed with one click, to save on memory. Loading times are very small, thanks to Kontakt’s background loading feature. Basically, CS2 was rebuilt from the ground up, with a focus on ease of use and speed while composing. Other libraries have 100s of patches, and it can be pretty annoying to have to sift through a giant list when all you want to do is make music. So instead of there being 20 or so patches, there are now 7.
The new interface meant we could consolidate the numerous patches from version 1 into single patches.
SoundBytes: What is the main difference between Cinematic Strings I and II?Īlex Wallbank: Cinematic Strings 2 is really like a new library, more than just an upgrade from version 1 to 2. So, we decided to ask the creator just how in the hell he found a way to offer something really new and revolutionary in this overcrowded market fulfilled with big sharks. Not any more, mission impossible has been completed. If you’ve ever made any string arrangements before you know that this is mission impossible. Even legato articulation comes to life with a few very clever solutions that offer you the means to color in real time with mod-wheel of your keyboard.Īll in all, a touch of EQ, reverb and a bit of panning and you are done.
It is a library that you can play and record, programming it in a real time.
With this library staccato or staccatissimo parts don’t sound so repetitive as has been the case with other libraries (the only cure for that disease before CS2 comes out was adding a new part over the essential one on every few bits), and what’s the most important, you can achieve desired results without any extra programming. It doesn’t sound better than the most expensive libraries on the market, it doesn’t offer endless number of articulations, but it offers you extra vivid and realistic tone in a most critical and most used part of the string arrangement. If I paraphrase the legendary intro of various junk mails: “Maybe this library comes as a surprise for you” and yes, it comes as a big surprise.
Most of them sound so perfect that it is just a matter of taste which color you will wear in your song. There are a zillion quality strings libraries around and it is almost impossible to bring something new to this market. We talk to the creator of Cinematic Strings 2 to discover who he found a way to offer something really new and revolutionary in this overcrowded market.