Vienna Symphonic Library Forum
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  • Properly setup short notes?

    I'm a hobby composer and still learning the ropes so sorry if it's a basic question... 

    I've got the elite strings in order to create some pieces for string ensembles and was wondering how I best use the libraries with short notes? 

    Are the short detache patches the best for when you use 1/8th notes? I notice that 1/4th notes and longer are fine for the long patches but once I go shorter,  I can't seem to make them sound coherent. Or do I need to switch to the fast attack for that? 
    What would I need to do if I want to slur certain shorter notes? Do I need to use the long notes with fast attack and let them overlap a 1/16th note or so to trigger the legato? 

    I'm using expression maps in cubase and was wondering, do I manually have to switch the articulation from detache or long every time I have shorter notes or is there a better technique?  


  • Well, for me "8th notes" is too imprecise to have much of a thought about. Durations could vary quite a lot for that. If you mostly mean a note which pretty much takes up the entire duration you aren't going to want a super-short or staccatissimo articulation, but detache may have a too-soft or too-slow attack. It's very specific, contextual and there may be more than one answer; and in general I'd advise to expect to pay a lot of attention to articulation and embrace frequent changes.