NEW STRING LIBRARY -- announcing LA Scoring Strings (LASS)

[pigcat]

Oh boy oh boy, it's going to release at 7th July, $999 "on sales" (?!?!?), when it'll last until? I don't have that kind of money to spend at the moment, damn!

[kosi]

Here's the link, check out the new demos, lovely

audiobro | store

[jamwerks]

Congradulations !!

I think that you've got a great product! The concept behind "A.R.T.", and also the divisi concept are winners. It doesn't sound like every sample has been tuned, which in the end would make it sound like a synth. It sounds very very real, like real players!!

The pricing in also advantageous, the same thing in VSL (solo, chamber, orchestral & appassionata) would cost serveral time that.

[Jack Weaver]

VSL strings, if you bought the whole package, would be in the $5-6K range. I know this because I have them all and have used them daily.

I also know from a modicum of first hand experience that LASS (1) sounds more like real strings, (2) is easier to use when trying to get the right sound and (3) will speed up the process of laying down string parts. Amen.

LASS really is a newer generation product. It has been conceived in a whole new way. Much more organic than VSL. Herb Tucmandi, VSL's owner visualized the 'atomization' of the orchestra (his own word). Thonex took into consideration the needs and workflow of a film composer. That was never VSL's vision.

In the 6 years since VSL produced the then-best string samples a lot has evolved. Workflow has been refined and the market needs have changed. VSL has yet to go through the major overhaul of its strings offering to meet these challenges.

While VSL's Vienna Instrument player handles multiple articulations better than any other player, LASS's player, Kontakt, has scripting advantages and wide public acceptance.

In time VSL will respond - probably with a new sample set and new features to their player. However they will definitely have to think outside of the box in order to leapfrog LASS.

Note: I don't work for LASS. I wasn't a beta tester for LASS and I will pay for LASS just like everyone else does or will .

[Thonex]

Thank you all for your kind words guys. I truly appreciate it.

We all know there is nothing like real string players... they will never be replaced... I hope not at least. But in the event you can't use real players, I hope LASS will meet your needs.

Cheers,

Andrew K

welcome to audiobro | home of LA scoring strings

[OB.one]

Jack you said everything !
I totaly agree with you.
Am first of all really impressed with the sonic quality, it's really the first time we feel the live vibes and space between the players, huge difference.
I can't wait to discover the videos, how is the playability of this new tool ...
And after will come back with my technical questions !!!

Best Regards to All from Paris

Olivier aka OB.one
OB.one French Composer on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Videos

[jamwerks]

Originally Posted by OB.one

it's really the first time we feel the live vibes and space between the players,

Well said !! Same impression that I have.

[noiseflaw]

Originally Posted by Jack Weaver

VSL strings, if you bought the whole package, would be in the $5-6K range. I know this because I have them all and have used them daily.

I also know from a modicum of first hand experience that LASS (1) sounds more like real strings, (2) is easier to use when trying to get the right sound and (3) will speed up the process of laying down string parts. Amen.

LASS really is a newer generation product. It has been conceived in a whole new way. Much more organic than VSL. Herb Tucmandi, VSL's owner visualized the 'atomization' of the orchestra (his own word). Thonex took into consideration the needs and workflow of a film composer. That was never VSL's vision.

In the 6 years since VSL produced the then-best string samples a lot has evolved. Workflow has been refined and the market needs have changed. VSL has yet to go through the major overhaul of its strings offering to meet these challenges.

While VSL's Vienna Instrument player handles multiple articulations better than any other player, LASS's player, Kontakt, has scripting advantages and wide public acceptance.

In time VSL will respond - probably with a new sample set and new features to their player. However they will definitely have to think outside of the box in order to leapfrog LASS.

Note: I don't work for LASS. I wasn't a beta tester for LASS and I will pay for LASS just like everyone else does or will .

Well said.

Lovin the demo's on the site.

LASS has set a new benchmark for sure.

[drBill]

Andrew - congrats on the release. Phenomenal sounding stuff!!! Will there be some sort of demo process? After buying several very expensive libraries that really don't "work so well" in reality, I'm a little gun shy, BUT

If the demo's are any indication, you've got a huge winner on your hands and you can count me IN!

bp

[frankymax]

Originally Posted by Jack Weaver

FireGS @ Tue Jun 02, 2009 3:24 pm wrote:
*cricket.... cricket*


Any news? o.o...


I guess now is as good as any to give an unofficial update.....

We've been very busy in LASS Land... and have been working very hard in conjunction with Native Instruments especially considering their RAM breakthroughs. So things are pretty exciting.

First, it looks like we’re on schedule for this month... although I may be cutting it REALLY close. You know... DVD duplication, PDFs and all the marketing stuff composers are great at Laughing ... So I think we may well have it ready for purchase by the end of the month... if not, I think we’re talking “days” difference here... not weeks or months.

Programming and development for LASS is done!!! All the patches are DONE!!! ... all 467 of them . I don't want to begin to tell you how relieved I am about that phase being done.... actually... I do want to tell you. Laughing Programming over 200 (yes... 200+!!!!!!) legato patches just about sucked the life out of me. But I'm all better now... thank you Very Happy. 200+ legato Patches?????? You might be asking yourself... "What the ----????? Why 200+ legato patches??" Good Question... here's the answer: to give you options. Remember... LASS is a like five libraries in one: a First Chair library, 1/4 Divisi A, 1/4 Divisi B, 1/2 Divisi C and a Full Section library.

I’ve added new patches that give you 100% real-time speed control of all portamentos and glissandos no mater what dynamic... or even if you’re mid crescendo – the performance is transparent. The Speed control patches take more ram, so I’ve also done regular, medium, and fast DFD legato patches for those who are concerned about ram. I also did patches that don’t include glissandos, or portamentos.. and all different permutations... so you can find the right combination for you and your setup. Providing all those variations (consistently across all the divisis of all instruments) adds up. So don’t be intimidated. All of this will be very clear, consistent and obvious... and EASY for you when released. It’s all about giving you options.

Oh yeah.... and I’ve programmed an entire Vlns II library (including LASS Real Legato paches). They layer beautifully with the Vlns I.

Oh... and I also programmed Ensemble patches... ensemble sustains, spiccatos, staccatos, pizzicatos, tremolos, and some kind of cool glissando FX patches.

Oh... and LASS will include both 24 bit and 16 bit sample pools. It will automatically install both. If you don't want one, you can just delete the sample pool you won't want. But try both to start with... see if you hear benefits or if you want to put less strain on the HD, use the 16 bit version. It's your choice. I'm doing this at no extra cost to you because there's about a 60/40 split on who wants 24 vs 16... so... with those numbers... I figure offer both.

LASS will be released as K3.5 Player. The ram and performance benefits are simply too great to not take advantage of... especially with a deep library like LASS. I think 3 of my beta testers have loaded the entire 24 bit version of LASS into one computer along with their other favorite libraries in K3.5. This was simply impossible just a few months ago.

So... barring any major mishaps, I think we’ll be able to release the library when we said we would... but it will be close.

Demos? Demos (and I’m planning videos to show how easy it is to play these instruments) will be posted upon release.

Cheers,

Andrew K

So, I'm a bit confused here. "Jack Weaver" has posted a few comments in the past and said he was not affiliated with the LASS Library, yet in this post he signs as Andrew K, who is Thonex and the developer of this library. Now, this is no big thing but I'd like to clarify this as if I'm about to drop $1,000 on a library I want to know if the people representing the company are being straight forward and honest, and not trying to pull a fast one. Yesterday (July 4th) "Jack Weaver" left a post stating "Note: I don't work for LASS. I wasn't a beta tester for LASS and I will pay for LASS just like everyone else does or will " What's going on here?! Am I just being paranoid or does this come off a bit fraudulent to anyone else? If I'm wrong here, I apologize but this seems odd to me.

[kamikaze]

Originally Posted by frankymax

Am I just being paranoid.

yes, it was a copy and paste from another forum

[Thonex]

Originally Posted by drBill

Andrew - congrats on the release. Phenomenal sounding stuff!!! Will there be some sort of demo process? After buying several very expensive libraries that really don't "work so well" in reality, I'm a little gun shy, BUT

If the demo's are any indication, you've got a huge winner on your hands and you can count me IN!

bp

Hi drBill,

I'm in SoCal too... it's little crazy right now with the release, but if you're gun shy, perhaps I can arrange a demo at my place sometime.

Cheers,

Andrew K

[clonewar]

Originally Posted by kamikaze

yes, it was a copy and paste from another forum

Exactly!

[Jack Weaver]

For complete clarification, 'Jack Weaver' is not Andrew K., or anyone else other than Jack Weaver.

I'm a private individual, not affiliated with any other company than my own production company, who uses string libraries everyday in my work. My comments are born out of my own personal interest to use the product and my my observations are based on experience - not any manufacturer's self interest.

I posted that clip from another forum as information to further the purposes of this thread. My apologies if that was not understood.

No conspiracies here. Just waiting for the darn thing to ship so I can try out the A.R.T tool myself.

Best regards,
(the real) Jack

[frankymax]

Thanks for the clarification and apologies for any negative impressions. The previous post from Jack Weaver was unclear to me as a paste from another forum. oops! my bad!

[Nowak]

I'm excited about this library!

And, I don't care who you are Jack, that is one awesome porn star name you've got.

Stef

[drBill]

Originally Posted by Thonex

Hi drBill,

I'm in SoCal too... it's little crazy right now with the release, but if you're gun shy, perhaps I can arrange a demo at my place sometime.

Cheers,

Andrew K

cool, that would be great.

bp

[Nowak]

Yep, that's my only hang up....

Nowhere here in Sydney to have a listen so it's a gamble.

Stef

[drBill]

Hi Andrew - could you speak to the prefered requirements (computer, drive, ra, processor speed, etc.) a little bit. Your website touches on it, but I think I'm probably going to need to rebuild a couple of PC's that have been dedicated to GS3, and I'd really like a little more specifics as to what's working well, with what types of drives, etc.

Thanks.

bp

[kosi]

bought it !

[Jack Weaver]

Likewise, purchased also.

Really looking forward to installing it and getting to work. Using my current string libraries, all of the EW, VSL, Sonivox and XSample, etc. feels a little self-defeating now.

However, they are old friends who served me well for years. I still see using the VSL recorded runs (unfortunately not available in their newer libraries) and SAM Symphobia fx.

I did read somewhere that Thonex said there would be recorded runs and fx in another future package. I can well imagine that with what Kontakt can do these days that the recorded runs will have some sort of varispeed ability. Now, he didn't say that, but I can't imagine a cat with that much programming chops to do anything else. Heretofore the problem with recorded runs is that they either had to work at your BPM or you had to Melodyne them - and that is a royal pain when you're trying to produce a couple of minutes of finished music a day.


.

[Nowak]

OK Lassies, How's it going?

I want some real world comments before I hand over my dough!

Stef

[Jack Weaver]

It doesn't ship until the 20th.

I believe that the $999 pricing ends on that day also. But you might want to check their website to make double sure.

One beta tester publicly said that it basically replaced VSL, EW and his 3 private libraries in his template.

Another beta tester that I know personally & privately said to me that it's his main go-to library now. Likewise he has the main libs (I shouldn't name them because he is a beta tester for them also). He also has a private library that people have raved about on forums for years.

I did a mockup with VSL of the violin phrase from the LASS site that LASS used for demonstrating legato. I didn't tank the effort. I just did it like I do most violin lines while working - using the same method that Thonex used. We both used realtime MIDI controllers. I played the line in by hand using a combination of VSL App1 & App2 and then duplicated the track and used it for the VSL solo legato vln. I bathed it in reverb like the LASS example. He used a Lexicon PCM 90 and I used a Bricasti M7.

It was embarrassing. Sure I could have spent a ton of time and made my example sound better using all sorts of little tricks. But c'mon - it was 10 seconds of music - and just one instrument at that! No one wants to spend an hour grooming a melody line while inspiration is burning away like a candle.

I got ripped so bad on another forum for how bad it sounded in comparison. Once I had created it and noticed how it sounded my point in posting it was to show how unfortunately poor other libraries sound in comparison. But if any one else wants to recreate their own mockup of the legato sample from the LASS site and post it on this forum - then go for it babe!

It'll be your own proof positive.
.

[Thonex]

Originally Posted by drBill

Hi Andrew - could you speak to the prefered requirements (computer, drive, ra, processor speed, etc.) a little bit. Your website touches on it, but I think I'm probably going to need to rebuild a couple of PC's that have been dedicated to GS3, and I'd really like a little more specifics as to what's working well, with what types of drives, etc.

Thanks.

bp

Hi Dr.Bill,

Well.. I'm one of those guys where "if it ain't broke... don't fix it" rings true. So have 4 year old computers and did most of LASS's development on an AMD Opteron (great in it's day but slow by todays standards). So, I programmed them efficiantly becuase aotherwise, they'd have cuased too much havoc with my systems.

I'd say, if you have 2 computers that are decent dual cores or better then I think you're good. Using a 64 bit OS is great too. THe amount of RAM access in the new version of Kotakt is quite amazing (K3.5).

A couple of my beta testers have been using LASS on promarily 1 computer, but these were 8 core computers with 8 gigs of RAM. One of them was a Mac 8 core.. the other was a PC running in XP64.

Make sure the drives are 7200 rpm or better with 16 megs cache (or better) and a fast seek time. Probably other could chime in better with system specs than I can.

I think the conventional wisdom of Sampler farm computer systems applies to LASS since it's using Kontact 3.5

Cheers,

Andrew K

[OB.one]

Hello to everybody,

Could anybody tell me wich reverb was used on the Lass demos ?

Is it a blend of the included IRs and another bigger one added after on the mix ?

Thanx for the precisions.

Best Regards.

Olivier aka OB.one
OB.one French Composer on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Videos

[Thonex]

Originally Posted by OB.one

Hello to everybody,

Could anybody tell me wich reverb was used on the Lass demos ?

Is it a blend of the included IRs and another bigger one added after on the mix ?

Thanx for the precisions.

Best Regards.

Olivier aka OB.one
OB.one French Composer on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Videos

Salut Olivier,

On Colin's pieces it was all Altiverb Todd AO.
On my demos it was lexicons.
On Ian's demo it was a combination of LASS ERs on the spics/stacs and Lexicon tails.
On Craig's piece it was Lexicons.

Cheers,

Andrew K

[OB.one]

Thanx a lot Andrew for the infos.

Any idea when the videos demos will be posted on your website ?

Am more and more interested with your product ...

Best

Olivier

[Oli P]

Originally Posted by Thonex

Salut Olivier,

On Colin's pieces it was all Altiverb Todd AO.
On my demos it was lexicons.
On Ian's demo it was a combination of LASS ERs on the spics/stacs and Lexicon tails.
On Craig's piece it was Lexicons.

Cheers,

Andrew K

I would love to hear dry samples of the first chair/divisi violins...is that possible?
Or could you tell me how ambient they are recorded?

Would also be interesting to hear more of a quartet arrangement using only the first chairs, and small ensemble with the a or b divisi's.

[Jwilson]

My finger has been poised over the buy button since the release.
I'm just hopefully waiting for some more demo's before the introductory offer expires. Just feel I need a bit more information before purchasing.

[FreeDanny]

Originally Posted by Oli P

I would love to hear dry samples of the first chair/divisi violins...is that possible?
Or could you tell me how ambient they are recorded?

Would also be interesting to hear more of a quartet arrangement using only the first chairs, and small ensemble with the a or b divisi's.

Originally Posted by Jwilson

My finger has been poised over the buy button since the release.
I'm just hopefully waiting for some more demo's before the introductory offer expires. Just feel I need a bit more information before purchasing.

+1