Realistic Orchestral Strings

Orchestral elements play a more significant role in today's music than expected. They give the average listener something they can relate to and provide a sense of familiarity in everything from soundtracks and video games to film scores and Top 40 hits. Today's samplers provide us with the tools to replicate real orchestras. Let's discuss how to utilize these to create an organic score quality.  

Session Strings

Session Strings is a symphonic string sampler that covers everything from double basses to violins. I will first break down the features of the plugin. Later, I will arrange a passage in SoundBridge that uses these features in a practical context.  

- Performance Mode

When you load up a new instance of Session Strings, you will be presented with the main interface. Performance Mode enables you to play back recorded or drawn notes in different articulations: legato or polyphonically. It has a scoops/falls feature that, when enabled, causes the instrument's pitch to slide up or down relative to the center pitch. When disabled, you can still use the pitch bend wheel to glide to/from notes.  

- Animator

The Animator Mode contains over a hundred different patterns of both rhythmic and arpeggiated quality that can be played in a range of different articulations. Something to remember about this mode - if you switch it off while pressing down notes, those will continue their rhythmic phrase until the following note is pressed. Then, they will play in legato mode. The dynamics knob determines how accented specific notes of the phrase are. The higher the setting, the more extensive the dynamic range (between the quietest and loudest notes). Next to it is the groove knob. This determines the speed of the phrase in note subdivisions of the bar: ¼, ⅛, etc. The envelope section does what you'd expect it to do. It shapes the articulation using a two-parameter envelope (attack and release). Automating this can help build tension. It will breathe some life into the strings if used in parallel with the dynamics setting.  

- Velocity

The FX tab finds the minimum and maximum controls for velocity and a curve setting. The min/max settings determine how MIDI note velocity will affect the sound of the violins. The latter curve determines how velocity's effect on the sound is scaled. A linear scale (12 o'clock) would mean that doubling the velocity creates double the effect. At the maximum curve setting (exponential), notes will be a little louder at lower velocities than they would be if the curve knob were set to its minimal (logarithmic) setting.  

- EQ and Reverb

Lastly, the plugin offers a reverb and an EQ tuned to affect the violin's characteristic frequencies and a reverb. The ambiance generated by the reverb is modeled after natural spaces and will be crucial to adding that organic ambiance to our score.  

The Arrangement

I have gone ahead and composed a concise melodic passage in SoundBridge. It is in the key of A minor. The resultant harmony is as f...ws.... A minor (I-), D minor (IV-), G minor 7 (VII-7), F major 7 (bVI maj7)

Here is how it sounds on a default performance instance of Session Strings:

It sounds pretty good, but the overall feel is a little static. I will use some of the features I discussed in the previous section to make the passage more realistic.  

Layers

1. First, I will layer different instances of Sessions Strings so that I can customize and sequence each string section independently and thereby add some depth.
   
   
   
   
2. I split up the notes of that initial MIDI clip into three different clips, ensuring that they complement each other and that there is no unnecessary doubling. Layering is essential in creating the complexity you need to emulate an accurate string section.  

The Melody

Now that I have the three different sections, the first thing to do is play with the velocity of other notes to replicate the natural dynamics of a violin player. There is no scientific method for doing this, and it depends primarily on the musical phrase itself and where you'd expect the accents/intonations to be.

1. Here are my velocity settings for the melody layer. The change in velocity makes the passage sound more natural and airy, which seems to fit the nature of the melody.
2. I changed the velocity curve setting to a more gradual slope to soften it all up. This means the notes with the velocity settings I drew above will sound quieter than the previous curve setting.
3. Since this layer plays in a higher register than the others, I have decided to attenuate the low end using the EQ. Then, I changed the preset to "Concert Hall A in the reverb setting." I want the strings to sound cinematic, and I feel this size room gives them the right effect.
   
   
   
   

Finally, I used SoundBridge's "Read" button on the rack module to create a track lane for the attack parameter in the envelope section of the plugin and automated it so the notes flow into each other. I have also increased the release ever-so-slightly to make the transition between notes more realistic.



Check out the difference between static performance and automated, affected performance... 

~Untouched 

~Affected

The Harmony Layer

The purpose of this layer is to add some depth by playing a rhythmic phrase complementary to the melody.

1. The first thing I have done is switch on the animator and set the phrase to 'Staccato Chord 3'. Of course, many different phrases would work in this context. The best thing to do is to try a few and see which one fits best with the other layer.
2. Then, as with the melody layer, I reviewed the notes, adjusting the velocities.
   
   
   
   
3. I automated the dynamics parameter within the animator to make the passage less mechanical.
   
   
   
   
4. I attenuated the lows and highs slightly to leave space for the other two layers, and I switched the reverb to the same room as the melodic layer.
   
    

The Bass

The base layer is there to support the other parts. As I did on the harmony layer, I'll also use the animator to add some movement.

1. I have chosen "Staccato Chord 5" because it works well with the rhythmic phrase of the middle layer.
2. Again, I have automated the dynamics parameter on the phrase to suit the melody. I want the overall motif to start intense but soften as it reaches the Fmaj7 chord. With this automation, the bass layer gets softer and less distinguished as it approaches the end of the phrase.
   
   
   
   
3. I added a slight variation to the velocity, as with all the layers. However, this time, I made fewer changes because the bass layer has to be reasonably stable and consistent to support the other two parts.
   
   
   
   
4. Finally, I rolled off some top end using the EQ and set the reverb to the same room as the other two layers. This time, I lowered the reverb mix a little because it can muddy up the overall sound to have a lot of reverb in the low end.
        

The Final Phase

When we put all these layers together, this is what we get.

So, with some minor tweaks, we've given our virtual strings some life!