Spitfire Studio Strings Professional by Spitfire Audio Review
Today, we are looking at our review at Spitfire Studio Strings Professional by Spitfire Audio. Spitfire Audio is known for its film composer-ready orchestral instruments libraries.
Spitfire Studio Strings Professional is an expansive library of Spitfire’s regular edition, Spitfire Studio Strings. The additional features are four mic positions (close, far left & right, and back center), multi-sampled staccatos with round-robin, and additional articulation.
The instrument is sampled in minor thirds, and shot in major thirds, with a separate collection of articulations and short notes.
Spitfire Audio claims that the instrument itself is very lightweight, without sacrificing quality or character. “Lightweight” is usually not a word used to describe orchestral string libraries. Many today are known for their epicness and huge amounts of content. However, when looking at the sheer amount of articulations available in Spitfire Studio Strings Professional, it is much more than most single-library libraries out there.
Spitfire Audio has made several improvements to the GUI over its other string instruments; things like legato controls (for both bow direction and speed), slides (besides the usual sustain-slide), and a variety of expressions controls.
These expression controls range from swell, tremolo, pizzicato accent, note-off volume drop to overblown note volume.
The complete Studio Series suits producers and composers, especially at this aggressive price point. Spitfire Studio Brass Professional, Spitfire Studio Strings Professional, and Spitfire Studio Woodwind Professional are as a combination a complete set, add percussion to have a small orchestra on hand. The three Studio Series libraries are known for their clear and crisp sound.
Installation
You use the download and install tool provided by Spitfire and register the downloaded libraries in Native Instruments Native Access using the provided serial. Kontakt or Kontakt Player 5.6.8 or higher is required. During install you need over 422 GB and the library itself does require a bit more than 211 GB.
Spitfire Studio Strings Professional Sound
There are two versions available we are looking at Spitfire Studio Strings Professional. A core version called Spitfire Studio Strings (Core) is also available. You can upgrade for pretty much the delta between the price of both libraries.
Speaking of the best time to buy, look out for wish list sale or go for bundled products which the company calls collection. I would recommend going for the professional version, you could start with the core version if it makes business sense to go that route.
Core and Pro Version compared
Spitfire Studio Strings (Core)Spitfire Studio Strings Professional148 articulations, across all instruments A limited selection of microphones Standard (8, 6, 6, 6, 4) player setup | 232 articulations, across all instruments An extensive selection of microphones Standard (8, 6, 6, 6, 4) player setup Large section (16, 12, 12, 12, 4) Two divisi sections (4, 3, 3, 3) |
Recording space
The library Spitfire Studio Strings Professional was recorded in Studio One at Air. Spitfire did push over the last years the fact that their more symphonic libraries are recorded in Lyndhurst Hall. All their Symphonic range has been recorded in Lyndhurst Hall which comes with a rich and big tone.
The Spitfire Studio Series (Brass, Strings, and Wood) has been recorded in Studio One at Air which provides a sound that is drier and can be shaped easier plus it is a more focused and detailed sound. You get a so-called dry library as the room has very little reverberance.
This library recorded in Studio One is an excellent choice for a composer who is in needs to have further control over the resulting aspects of the character and tone. Strings drive home the emotion and are key to composition. With the dry space, you have the control to drive the emotion home.
Spitfire Studio Strings Professional Instruments
In this strings library, you have the choice between a wide range of instruments. The single instruments come with an extended range of articulation (compared to the core version) and what spitfire calls their extended techniques.
- 1st Violin
- 2nd Violins
- Violas
- Cellos
- Double Basses
Besides having access to 232 articulations you can leverage seven different microphones and two mixes. You can select any of the five microphone recordings in addition to the three available in the core version on top you get two carefully mixed versions.
Combining Symphonic and Studio Versions
If you do have access to Symphonic Strings Libraries you should look into combining a Symphonic version with the studio version. A Symphonic Strings library would give you that ambient, lush, loose, symphonic, epic, film and cinematic sound.
The studio library is intimate, private, and dry. You may think TV, producing music, and ads are a good fit for Studio Libraries and a Symphonic library for epicness. The studio version is more defined and combines that with the more epic libraries. The result could be an epic score with some detailed voicing, just add some reverb, compression, and mastering effect tools.
Spitfire Studio Strings Professional User interface & Usability
The UI is a classical Spitfire Audio interface and is in line with their other products released for some years. Now with Kontakt 6 and larger screen real estate, I would like to see Spitfire upgrade their look and feel, and as with their non-Kontakt libraries provide a UI that is just larger and offers more information which comes with easier to read for many as well. These days their UI used on common high res screens is extremely small. The GUI cannot be scaled. Any composer who owns another Spitfire library will find their way around rather quickly.
Spitfire Studio Strings Professional Ostinatum feature
With the included Ostinatum feature you can create rhythmic patterns. Results are best with short articulations. It is all very tiny (see above) and you can think about it as a mixture between a limited sequencer and arpeggiator. The design asks for a tutorial video on how to use it.
Conclusion – Spitfire Studio Strings Professional
Spitfire Studio Strings Professional is an ideal virtual string instrument for soundtrack composers and music producers looking for a complete, authoritative collection of strings in one package.
The included musical articulations are wide-ranging, beautifully recorded in Lyndhurst Hall at Air Studios London, and performed by an elite team of the top sessions.
- Spitfire Studio Strings Professional is a great choice for a composer who needs further control over the resulting sound of their strings
- The library was recorded in Studio One at Air, providing a drier and more focused sound than other symphonic libraries
- You get access to a wide range of instruments, articulations, and microphone recordings
- The Ostinatum feature allows you to create rhythmic patterns with your stringed instruments
- The UI is classic Spitfire Audio, with a few upgrades needed for larger screens
In conclusion, Spitfire Studio Strings Professional is a great virtual string instrument for soundtrack composers and music producers looking for a complete, authoritative collection of strings in one package. The included musical articulations are wide-ranging, beautifully recorded in Lyndhurst Hall at Air Studios London, and performed by an elite team of the top
Rating: Five out Of Five Stars
Spitfire Studio Strings Professional has the expected outstanding sound quality across a large range of articulation with several microphone positions and two expert mixes.
You can never have enough String Libraries. The acoustic intensity sets Studio Strings apart from other more symphonic Spitfire libraries. If you are composing professional, you need the whole Studio lineup.
The entire Studio Series and Spitfire Studio Strings Professional is no exception is an excellent addition for any composer who works on a modern film score and contemporary pop music. This dry library allows you to add a reverb to the sound and put the string ensemble in every place it needs to be. Additionally, the Studio Series and Spitfire Studio Strings Professional offer a wide range of articulations and dynamic control, allowing for expressiveness and depth in the music. One useful resource for getting a comprehensive look at the capabilities of these string libraries is the ‘tokyo scoring strings review‘, which provides valuable insights and practical tips for composers looking to make the most of these powerful tools. Overall, the combination of the Studio Series and Spitfire Studio Strings Professional provides an exceptional palette of sounds for modern composers looking to elevate their music production.
The Spitfire Studio range comes with exceptional tonal versatility, a unique acoustic color encompassing the sample, and is the main reason you need another String (or Brass or Woods) library. Remember that you can combine the Symphonic String Libraries recorded in Air Lyndhurst with this more comprehensive and right in your face library.