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Sequels are at all times difficult. For each Empire Strikes Again there’s a Jaws: The Revenge. Contemplating that EastWest’s Hollywood Orchestra Opus Version is probably probably the most well-regarded and best-selling orchestral library on the planet, Hollywood Strings 2 definitely has massive sneakers to fill. In fact, this newest string library from producers Nick Phoenix and Doug Rogers isn’t truly attempting to supplant its blockbuster predecessor – it’s attempting to increase it.
The place the string element of Hollywood Orchestra had all of the pomp and grandeur wanted for giant display screen spectacle, this follow-up is a detail-oriented affair that places devices beneath a microscope. Gone are the lofty acoustics and ambient swells of color; as a substitute, now we have a potent assortment of centered, close-up samples.
Straight out of the field, this library has a punchy, bodily, damn-near aggressive sound. Every scrape of bow towards string feels tangible, the Détaché and Bartok Pizzicato articulations have an unmatched depth, and the resonances coming from the bass Col Legno patches are sufficient to rattle your headphones.
EastWest’s aim for Hollywood Strings 2 was to get the listener as shut as attainable to the devices. It’s truthful to say the crew has completed this mission. Recorded in EastWest’s Studio 2 — extra generally used for rock bands — and utilizing microphones clipped on to the physique of every instrument, the ensuing audio has an in depth dryness that’s nearly a shock to the ear.
What’s the purpose of a dry recording? Maybe probably the most convincing reply is horror. Scoring tasks that want palpable pressure and terror have lengthy relied on a detailed string sound to ramp up the nervousness — the sound of Hollywood Strings 2 is undeniably hair-raising.
One other, usually missed, advantage of a dry recording is its potential for sound design. Instrumental samples that arrive with baked-in reverb are inherently restricted in the case of artistic results and processing. A extremely detailed library like this can be a goldmine of uncooked supplies do you have to need to get experimental with time stretching, pitch shifting, or granulation.
Fortunately, although, EastWest hasn’t locked its customers right into a dry-only library.along with clip-on mics for every part participant and the part lead, there are additionally overheads, mid-fields, a Decca tree and a set of encompass microphones. That’s a complete of six microphone elements, providing loads of versatility to design the scale, proximity and tone of the string sound.
Neither is the library restricted to horror or thriller genres; mixing in a bit extra of the Decca tree and mid-field mics shortly nudges the sound nearer to a dramatic really feel, whereas the Harmonics and Flautando articulations supply a fantastically intimate sense of romance.
Mixing microphone alerts, flicking via articulations, and navigating key switches is all dealt with through the Opus Engine. To us, this stays an trade chief in the case of performance and person interface.
That every one stated, there may be an undeniably uncooked edge to the sound and that intense character could make Hollywood Strings 2 more durable to work with. The sound is nearly too current at occasions and, compared to different EastWest choices, we spend way more time tweaking the stability of mic alerts to sand away a few of that roughness.
This presents an identical problem if you wish to use these strings with different pattern devices. The corporate touts the flexibility to mix this ultra-close string sound with different libraries within the catalogue – and that is definitely attainable – however you received’t have the ability to slot this into an orchestral combine with out extra effort.
One other barrier is thrown up by EastWest’s wonderful Orchestrator plugin — there may be presently no integration for the brand new string library and this appears like a missed alternative. Including this performance, and a few library-specific presets, would actually assist these strings match into the bigger orchestral line-up.
On the flip aspect, Hollywood Strings 2 was by no means meant to be relegated to a supporting function. This library is a diva that thrives within the highlight — deal with it accordingly and also you’ll be richly rewarded.
Should you’re on the lookout for options, Spitfire Studio Strings Skilled is a lovely choice that provides a dry acoustic plus a extra in depth vary of articulation choices, all at an identical worth level. Nevertheless, no library we’ve heard of achieves the extreme closeness that Hollywood Strings 2 brings to the desk.
Hollywood Strings 2 is daring, dramatic, and greater than a little bit scary. Extra a specialist library than an all-rounder, it sacrifices simplicity in favour of versatility and specificity. Whereas its sound won’t swimsuit each undertaking, that is the place to go when it is advisable to make an announcement.
Key options
- 140 GB library
- 6 microphone configurations for every instrument part
- 5 instrumental sections and a Full Strings patch
- 116 articulations
- Obtainable as a part of a Composer Cloud+ subscriptions
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