@Xiaodong Li said:
While we are all waiting for the news about Syncrhon Player (and possible newer updates of Syncrhon Strings legato patches?), I would like to know how you think about Syncrhon Strings vs older vsl Strings, for example Dimension Strings.
I've been a Special Edition owner for a long time and this SE Complete served very well. Even though I own other newer libraries like Spitfire, vsl has always been my go-to library. In my opinion the concept of Dimension Strings is still revolutionary in everyway after all these years. Do you think it's still worth buying these older libraries even when Syncrhon Series is already on its way?
Well, actually I got the Dimension strings because I was supporting the concept, and I can tell you that something you can do with Dimension strings is unique:
- I often make virtual instrument solo demos and I need a very realistic orchestral base for them, so Dimension strings were able of providing me with baroque and classical chamber string sound due to the flexibility of building little sections (e.g. 3 players per voice etc.) and for the dry, close ad low vibrato style perfect for historical performance simulation.
- any type of positioning and stereo image can be simulated with MIR Pro virtual stage playing with singleplayers or sections, keeping very high realism due to the single player humanization and divisi algorithms, and the impressive amount of articulations and techniques (e.g. each string is totally sampled, you may replicate almost any possible fingering etc.).
On the other side Dimension strings were a bit of disappointment because:
- the sound is very flat, and they lack a bit of expression in a romantic or cinematic style application.
- the Violins are just 8 players full stop. It is meaning the sound is chamber orchestra and even creating Violins II if you want characterization and unison compatibility, requires a lot of editing and it's time consuming (to make "bigger than 8" or different sections, you must create your own set-up mixing in VI Pro different players and articulations all-together, and test them to get the sound and unison compatibility you were looking for).
For the reason above I entered early bird offer of Synchron, and I think the concept is on the opposite side: they are designed and recorded as a "ready to use" quick solution for romantic and cinematic application.
The benefit is high quality of ambience and ready combinations, the limitation is lack of flexibility (sections, positioning and ambience sound can be manipulated, but it's not a convenient and easy task, so they tend to be a good/optimal general purpose default).
In conclusion Dimension strings are a tool-box for building with MIRPro an almost infinite set of solutions, but more effective as a chamber orchestra with low vibrato.
Synchron sounds more an easy/quick production of symphonic strings, with amazing ambience built in, and a bit of obvious cinematic style orientation.
I hope it helps. Cheers, F.