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Hi,
This might be an old topic but I don't find a lot of content on this. Can anyone tell me what's the difference between Elite strings and Dimension Strings? It seems to me that the synchronized dimension strings is able to do what the elite strings do.
For modern pop song writing, which is a better combination?
A) Synchronized Dimension Strings + Synchronized Appassionata Strings
vs
B) Synchron Strings Pro + Synchron Elite Strings.
Any feedback is truly appreciated. Thanks guys.
Hi,
This might be an old topic but I don't find a lot of content on this. Can anyone tell me what's the difference between Elite strings and Dimension Strings? It seems to me that the synchronized dimension strings is able to do what the elite strings do.
For modern pop song writing, which is a better combination?
A) Synchronized Dimension Strings + Synchronized Appassionata Strings
vs
B) Synchron Strings Pro + Synchron Elite Strings.
Any feedback is truly appreciated. Thanks guys.
They're very different libraries with very different philosophies behind their development:
The SYN-zed Dimension Strings libraries are, at their core, about absolute control over the string sections. Each player was mic'ed separately, but they were all recorded playing each articulation in unison. This means that all violins playing together play as an ensemble, but you can control each separate player's...well, every single parameter. They're all humanized separately, they can be automated separately, they can mix and match articulations, and (not to be overlooked) you can force each player to play on a different string, resulting in a huge combination of timbres you can achieve. You can use the SYN-zed spatializations OR you can place them yourself however you want, so you can do as much or as little actual divisi as you want, down to whether it's desk divisi or row divisi. This library can be layered on just about anything and - due to the already staggering amount of timbral and humanization combinations available, can add a subtle yet very effective level of "imperfection" to a string section that's entirely controllable.
Synchron Elite Strings, on the other hand, is all about expressiveness in the samples. There are relatively few articulations, but of those that are there, they offer an incredible amount of control of the vibrato, the attack/release, and the dynamic shading beyond what standard libraries offer. The smaller section sizes coupled with the multi-mic approach make them flexible, spatially, but they are ultimately still "in-situ" and restricted to a certain extent to the ambience of and placement within the Synchron stage. That said, the sound quality and depth from this library (compared to dimension strings) is quite different: Elite Strings sound more lush and spacious, while the Dimension strings sound very up-close, woody, and "raw". The divisi of Elite Strings isn't actually divisi, but the illusion of it - the two "groups" are different mic setups that emphasize different parts of the section. This isn't bad by any means, but it's not at all like what dimension strings is able to pull off. This library is also WAAAAAY easier to control and set up than Dimension Strings.
All in all, they're both fantastic string libraries; they'll get the job done, but they're both built to serve very different purposes past a certain point. In my opinion, they both go above and beyond what a "normal" string library is supposed to do.
I hope that helps clarify some things!
Hi,
This might be an old topic but I don't find a lot of content on this. Can anyone tell me what's the difference between Elite strings and Dimension Strings? It seems to me that the synchronized dimension strings is able to do what the elite strings do.
For modern pop song writing, which is a better combination?
A) Synchronized Dimension Strings + Synchronized Appassionata Strings
vs
B) Synchron Strings Pro + Synchron Elite Strings.
Any feedback is truly appreciated. Thanks guys.
They're very different libraries with very different philosophies behind their development:
The SYN-zed Dimension Strings libraries are, at their core, about absolute control over the string sections. Each player was mic'ed separately, but they were all recorded playing each articulation in unison. This means that all violins playing together play as an ensemble, but you can control each separate player's...well, every single parameter. They're all humanized separately, they can be automated separately, they can mix and match articulations, and (not to be overlooked) you can force each player to play on a different string, resulting in a huge combination of timbres you can achieve. You can use the SYN-zed spatializations OR you can place them yourself however you want, so you can do as much or as little actual divisi as you want, down to whether it's desk divisi or row divisi. This library can be layered on just about anything and - due to the already staggering amount of timbral and humanization combinations available, can add a subtle yet very effective level of "imperfection" to a string section that's entirely controllable.
Synchron Elite Strings, on the other hand, is all about expressiveness in the samples. There are relatively few articulations, but of those that are there, they offer an incredible amount of control of the vibrato, the attack/release, and the dynamic shading beyond what standard libraries offer. The smaller section sizes coupled with the multi-mic approach make them flexible, spatially, but they are ultimately still "in-situ" and restricted to a certain extent to the ambience of and placement within the Synchron stage. That said, the sound quality and depth from this library (compared to dimension strings) is quite different: Elite Strings sound more lush and spacious, while the Dimension strings sound very up-close, woody, and "raw". The divisi of Elite Strings isn't actually divisi, but the illusion of it - the two "groups" are different mic setups that emphasize different parts of the section. This isn't bad by any means, but it's not at all like what dimension strings is able to pull off. This library is also WAAAAAY easier to control and set up than Dimension Strings.
All in all, they're both fantastic string libraries; they'll get the job done, but they're both built to serve very different purposes past a certain point. In my opinion, they both go above and beyond what a "normal" string library is supposed to do.
I hope that helps clarify some things!
Hi Seventh Sam, thank you so much for the valuable information! I felt like I was visited by a celebrity speaker hahaha since I see your name pretty often in various forums. Seems like after what you have sent, I am now officially in trouble, I have got to get Strings Pro and Elite now. =(
Anyway is there anyway Syn Dimension strings and Elite strings can work together? Since Dim strings is far more controllable, I guess it should be the smaller group of violin that is upfront in the mix while the elite strings supports in the background?
Anyway is there anyway Syn Dimension strings and Elite strings can work together? Since Dim strings is far more controllable, I guess it should be the smaller group of violin that is upfront in the mix while the elite strings supports in the background?
Interestingly enough, Elite Strings actually has a smaller violin section size than Dimension! It tends not to matter, in my experience, as they can sound bigger or smaller depending on various factors (like distance and reverb amount).
I would say they can work together the same way any two string libraries can work together: if the sound is complementary and the articulations mostly match up (both are the case), then layering them in the mix can create a new, "composite" sound depending on how you layer them. Whether that's a sound you like or can use is, of course, up to your taste and discretion.
That said, SYN-zed Dimension will layer very easily with Synchron Pro/Elite because the impulse responses used to position the SYN-zed Dimension libraries are balanced and matched to Synchron products, so the technical part of mixing the two should be made that much easier. You also don't have to use all 8 violins...you can use players 1-5, or 2, 4, 7, and 8, or whatever combination, which you can then switch up throughout the music however you want. Dimension Strings is a bit like a string library swiss-army knife in that way...
