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VSL Synchron Elite Strings Debut

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Vienna Symphonic Library’s new sample library features small string ensembles

Synchron Elite Strings is a new collection of small string ensembles recorded in the large hall of Synchron Stage Vienna. The library of six first violins, five second violins, four violas, four cellos and three basses is intended to fit into a variety of genres.

VSL is especially proud of the musicians they sampled for this library: 

“With smaller-sized string ensembles, it’s crucial that every musician be a superb performer, and is also capable of contributing to a homogenous group of players. For Synchron Elite Strings, the Vienna team hand-picked the best string players and the concertmaster of the Synchron Stage Orchestra, who themselves are among the best in Vienna, a city famous for its superior string players and their fine instruments.”

VSL’s approach is to record the musicians playing actual music that was written for sampling, so they’re not just playing static notes (and transitions between notes). This is the same technique they used in their Synchron Strings Pro library. 


Synchron Elite Strings has regular and short staccatos as well as spiccatos, in both bold and agile variants (for fast passages). There are one-second détachés, including soft attacks leading into expressive vibrato, and normal attacks with a slight fade. The library also includes pizzicato, snap pizzicato, col legno, and battuto.

The legatos and portamentos have three vibrato variants (regular, molto, sans), four different starts (soft, regular, fast, marcato/sfz), as well as regular and soft releases. With legatos and portamentos, the different note-start variants apply only to the first notes of the phrases, while the following notes feature a smooth legato or portamento connection. 

New to VSL: Performance Détaché articulations. They recorded itervals of up to an octave, and each target note was played with an extra bow stroke. These separate notes are still connected by the Synchron Player’s algorithms, for realistic phrases that differ from passages performed with single note détachés. Tremolos, measured tremolos and trills also offer legato variants for fluid note transitions.

Introductory price: $354 (reg. $485) for the Standard Library and $588 (reg. $807) for the Full Library.

https://www.vsl.co.at/Synchron_Elite_Strings

North and South America: ILIO, www.ilio.com
Europe, Asia, Australia: best service, www.bestservice.de
Japan: Crypton Future Media, www.crypton.co.jp

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