Orchestral Tools Berlin Solo Strings

The latest addition to Orchestral Tools’ Berlin series of sample libraries shines the spotlight on the soloists.

String sample library veterans Orchestral Tools add to their flagship Berlin Series with Berlin Solo Strings (BSS for short). Comprising four soloists (cello, viola, and two violins), BSS was recorded, as with the other instruments in the series, at the renowned Teldex Scoring Stage in Berlin.

The question a newbie might immediately ask is: ‘Isn’t Berlin Strings First Chairs also a solo instruments library?’ Yes, it is. So how is this different? The short answer: greater number of articulations; no double bass; and the instruments in BSS are designed to perform solo parts, while First Chairs is meant primarily for layering with larger ensembles, although it also works as a string quintet.

The other question that comes to mind, for those of us that like having a manual to refer to while exploring a new library, is: ‘Where is it?’ The bad news is that there doesn’t appear to be one; the good news is that you can cobble one together from the Helpdesk section of the OT website. Download the PDFs that explain each section of OT’s Sine player and you have everything you need to get started. Speaking of Sine Player, BSS runs in the latest version, either standalone or in a DAW, in VST, VST3, AU and AAX formats, with 24‑bit/48kHz patches and a total file size of 168GB of samples (68GB compressed SINEarc format).

Overview

The patches for each instrument come in three styles: Expressive, Cinematic and Sul Tasto, each designed for a specific mood, ranging from in‑the‑spotlight leads to in‑the‑background accompaniments. Articulations are grouped into two categories: Longs and Shorts (sustains, marcatos, staccato, spiccato, pizzicato); and Dynamics and Ornaments (swells, repetitions, tremolo, trills). For added texture we have harmonics and sul ponticello stylings.

With one exception — only Violin I has marcato harmonics — all the instruments contain the same articulations, in the same order. This not only makes things well organised for keyswitching, but also lets you quickly audition parts on different instruments. For instance, if you want to hear what it’s like to have the cello play the top line instead of a violin, it’s an easy switch (and back, if you don’t like it).

Legato & Sustains

BSS puts a special focus on legato and equips each of the three styles listed above with its own legato approach. As a result, the slurs, runs and portamento for Expressive, Cinematic, and Sul Tasto blend with the tone of the sample being played.

The legatos lie in different ‘speed zones’ and are triggered automatically by speed of playing.During my early experiments with the library, I found that some transitions sounded louder than others unless I focused on hitting the key with exactly the right amount of pressure. This was fixed by tweaking the legato volume slider, which smoothed the transitions across the board.

Legato is available for most articulations where, to quote OT, “it makes sense” (so don’t go looking for it in the spiccato patch). It is automatically active for the most part, but in some cases you have to manually turn it on, like with the Expressive Sustains Evolving Vib patch in Violin I, whose legato remains inactive until the option is selected in the menu on the bottom right. The sustains come in the following variations: immediate, accented or soft attack, and evolving vibrato, all of which are distinct...