Hi Grey,
thanks for listening! I was using this composition to try out (albeit a little belatedly) the Cubase expression maps with Solo Strings. Mostly it is switching between legato/non-legato patches and then also "con vib", "molto vib" and "senza vib" articulations from the expression maps. I tried the "slide" articulation within the expression map on a couple of places too.
I left the first part as solo violin and solo cello to see how my rendition worked when these instruments were very exposed with no hiding place. All of the expression is drawn in and while I tried using the velocity x-fade as suggested on various posts, I didn't really find the sound I was trying for using this method. I also decided to abandon MIR for this as I also struggled to get what I was after with MIR.
I deliberately tried to keep the velocity/expression in the lower ranges in an attempt to emphasize some sense of fragility in the compisition. I found it difficult in a number of places where the volume would un-explainedly jump and really sit out against a particular phrase. I have assumed so far (perhaps wrongly) that this is where a particular patch is switched to the next highest velocity layer. I'd appreciate if anyone with more expertise/experience could confirm or comment on whether this assumption is correct as it would be good to understand if I'm doing something wrong or whether this is by design within the VSL Solo Strings.
I decided to use this piece as a learning exercise at acheiving a more realistic sound for my compositions after my last effort failed and the corrective action was quite considerable. I therefore picked a shorter piece to learn on as I figured this would be more fitting to try with before returning to my earlier composition.
I've tried to acheive the sense of bowing/phrasing and I hope this is improved over previous works however I'm not the expert on this by any means so I'd happily welcome all and any feedback on that front as I'm not a string player and in comparison to many on this forum I am also a rank novice in the use of VSL/Midi.
Thanks again for your post and I hope some of the information above answers your question.
Regards,
Tom