A Kontakt instrument capturing a medium-sized string ensemble performing dramatic, expressive legato lines with deep vibrato and a triple-forte dynamic focus, designed for soaring melodies and cinematic passages.
Purpose and Character
Soaring Strings delivers a string ensemble recorded specifically for dramatic, high-energy legato performances. The players dug into the vibrato and played at a triple-forte dynamic, giving the library an intense, passionate character ideal for soaring melodic lines and climactic moments in film scores or orchestral arrangements.
The library uses medium-sized sections—violins, violas, cellos, and basses—recorded in traditional seating order on a scoring stage. This arrangement preserves a soloistic detail in each section while maintaining natural transparency when writing harmonies, making it suitable for both exposed passages and blended ensembles.
Key Capabilities
The instrument includes legato and sustain patches for each section, with sustains offered in both full and soft variations. Four dynamics of legato range from piano to triple forte, while five dynamics of sustains extend from pianissimo to triple forte, giving composers expressive control across the dynamic spectrum.
A distinctive feature is Sustain Sync, which automatically aligns the starting sustain with the following intervals or repetitions. This simplifies quantization and reduces manual adjustments. The To Silence button lets the mod wheel completely fade the softest dynamic to silence, enabling seamless decrescendos to niente without extra controllers.
Workflow and Mixing
Recording sections separately on a scoring stage provides mixing flexibility, allowing composers to balance individual sections or combine them into full ensemble patches. The included all-strings patches (full and soft) offer a quick way to layer the entire group for dense, sweeping textures.
The library is designed for efficiency: a single natural mix is provided, omitting rarely used legato articulations to streamline the setup. This approach lets users focus on crafting credible string arrangements quickly, without sacrificing the expressive quality needed for dramatic cues.
Applications and Use
This library excels in film and media scoring where emotional, soaring lines carry the narrative. Use it for romantic themes, action underscores, or uplifting anthems. The true bow-change repetition sampling supports realistic repeated notes, and the expressive vibrato adds intensity to sustained passages.
For harmonies, the separate section recordings allow transparent contrapuntal writing. The sustain sync feature is particularly useful in rhythmic or quantized passages, saving time during editing. The To Silence capability enables subtle fades and swells, making it a versatile tool for contemporary orchestral production.
Key features
- Ten violins, six violas, five cellos, and four double basses recorded separately
- Four dynamics of legato and five dynamics of sustains with expressive vibrato
- Sustain Sync aligns sustain starts with intervals for easier quantization
- To Silence allows the mod wheel to fade to complete silence for niente effects
- Full and soft sustain variants for each section and full ensemble
- True bow-change repetition sampling for realistic repeated notes
- Single natural mix on a scoring stage for flexibility during mixing
Best for
Composers seeking a dedicated string library for passionate, melodic legato lines in cinematic scores. Its focus on high dynamics and vibrato makes it ideal for emotional climaxes, romantic themes, and dramatic passages, while the efficient workflow suits tight production schedules.