Review: Vintage Strings from Funk Soul Productions / Big Fish Audio
Saturated, Smooth and Gritty, Vintage Strings delivers what is promised in both timbre and articulations that are spot on to the era. What the library lacks in dynamic controls it makes up for with authenticity of the string sections for R&B, Soul and Funk from the 60s and 70s.
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Jump to the Videos of Vintage Strings
Jump to the Videos of Review of Vintage Rhythm Section
NOTE: This post was published as part of the Time Travel Tools feature: Vintage & Retro Instruments & Plugins.
Review: Vintage Strings
These days composers and music producers have no shortage of choices when it comes to getting high quality string libraries. Each month a new library comes out with a specific new legato or sampled in a world famous hall. So how is a developer to stand out? Instead of trying to compete with the traditional string libraries all pretty much trying to fill the film music niche, Funk Soul Productions and Big Fish Audio have instead focused on a specific sound of strings: Vintage.
Vintage Strings sells for $199 from Big Fish Audio
The Vintage Collection sells for $399 from Big Fish Audio
Thoughts
The Vintage Strings library excels at capturing the sound and essence of strings used on pop albums from the 60’s and 70’s. The obvious reason this library works so well is because the team at Funk Soul used authentic, hi-end, signal chains of the era and recorded articulations with the specific music of that time in mind.
The library comes as a Kotnakt player instrument and is compatible with both the full and free version, loading up right into your “Libraries” tab.
The main folders are divided into 2, 6 and 12 player ensembles. Each folder contains a main All Articulations NKI as well as dozens of instruments for Fixed Harmomics, Tonal Harmonics and Single Articulation as “lite” instruments.
Overall the sound and extended articulations of this library is the big selling point. The playback produces a silky smooth vintage vibe. Each of the Kontakt instruments come with a HIGH EQ and TAPE SATURATION knob that let you to dial in even more of that vintage tone.
The articulations alone; with falls, runs and tremolos, all call back to those soul and pop hits of the era.
The included articulations for are Sustain + Staccato, Swells, Major Runs Up, Major Runs Down, Minor Runs Up, Minor Runs Down, Fall-Offs, Tremolo, Harmonics & Pizzicato. I found the keyswitch instruments to be very easy to play and the vintage plate effect included to be spot on for the desired sound.
The one thing I really would have loved to have was the ability to control dynamics with the modwheel.
Playing chords with the 2 Violin patches is surprisingly full, yet intimate and gives a natural, unscripted divisi which works really well for the sustains, trems and chordal playing of the short notes.
The instrument also includes a Harmonizer which allows for programable one key chords playback. The Harmonizer has the ability to stick to the desired KEY and SCALE type with plenty of options.
Overall for a specialty string libraries the price point seems about right. But, as I mentioned in the video, the Vintage Collection, a bundle with the Vintage Strings, Vintage Horns and Vintage Rhythm Section is where this set of instruments becomes a really great deal.
I can see how producers of pop, electronic, hip hop could really benefit from the abilities of this library to conjure the feel of the 60s and 70’s for backing instruments. I also know I will be able to use this myself as a composer as a Time Travel Tool for my clients who need music inspired by those decades.
Facts
• 3 group sizes: 2, 6, and 12 players
• Recorded with the highest quality vintage outboard gear
• 11 articulations
• Auto harmonization feature for impressively quick arranging
• Hand selected IR options available for the convolution reverb
• 5.1GB (uncompressed)
• Kontakt Player 5 included
Vintage Strings sells for $199 from Big Fish Audio
The Vintage Collection sells for $399 from Big Fish Audio
