Aria Sounds London Symphonic Strings
 

INTRO
First Violins, which is one of five parts of Aria Sounds’ London Symphonic Strings, is an excellent sounding orchestral instrument with several fine patches — I especially like intensity of the pizzicato and the lifelike smoothness of the legato. The high registers are crisp without any annoying shrillness. The harmonic overtones are ear pleasing and spacious, not distorted. The library includes a versatile and useful array of mic positions.

FAVORITE FEATURES

• Authentic sounding (I feel the strings)
• Legato is a real winner ±— excellent long notes. Great bows!
• Close mic position suits my needs perfectly — intimate and easy to effect.
• Many articulations (some of which are new to a classical novice like myself)
• Includes some cool string FX to suit esoteric, ambient motifs
• Responsive, innovative, enthusiastic developer

THOUGHTS

• Over the past couple years I’ve become a big fan of Aria Sounds — excellent sample libraries and remarkable value. I admire and respect the fact that the developers poll potential users for suggestions and are open to feedback. They respond with updates, new instruments, and have provide good service.

SUMMARY
So far, London Symphonic Strings is a winner — the value is exceptional. The first chair is intimate and real sounding. The library comes with several articulations that will surely appeal to eMusicans, producers, sound designers, etc. For me, it’s all about the legato patches, and in my opinion, the legato patch in this library stands up well in comparison to the more pricey offerings by other companies. I look forward to the release of 2nd Violin, Viola, Cello, and Bass. Tommy Zai give’s this offering two meistro batons held high in the air. Thank you, Aria Sounds, for creating such an excellent string library and selling it at an affordable price.

Note: I’m not a classical trained musician; however, I’ve worked in the music biz in some capacity for a zillion years, and aside from the tinnitus I like to think I have a good pair of ears and can recognize a good string sound.