Strezov Sampling – String Contours (KONTAKT)

Strings CollectionGo beyond traditional string samples! String Contours is a new approach to contextual sampling. Both in terms of tempo and expression. Smoothly elevate the sound of your tracks and stop tweaking CC data – let the performance be programmable, and you focus on the music itself!

What is a contour?

A contour is a recorded performance with a fixed length and dynamic shape. For example, a one-bar crescendo build-up that leads to a one-bar diminuendo with a bow change in the middle.

String Contours allow you to play back a performance and seamlessly change notes without starting a new performance. You always stay within the dynamic shape and phrasing of the original performance. This results in realistic and harmonic vibrato and a dynamic flow without any Midi CC programming, allowing you to achieve high-quality results with a minimalist approach to composing, thanks to the expressiveness of the recordings themselves.

Different recordings with different tempos.

Since the performance of a musical phrase is highly dependent on context, especially in length and tempo, we wanted to bring this contextuality into the world of virtual instruments.

Each contour was recorded at different speeds (3 different tempos) and shapes (4 different dynamic shapes) to maintain the contextuality of the live performance in all sections, as well as consistency across the entire collection. Kontakt automatically selects the correct sample pool based on the sequencer tempo and adjusts smoothly when the tempo changes. Time stretching is kept to an absolute minimum, so it is barely audible. A lot of time was spent finding the right tempo value that needed to be recorded to achieve the best results. The exception are the Normale Espressivo patches, which were only recorded at 140 tempo, but they are still synced to the DAW tempo.

Adaptation

In String Contours, you can change the notes of your performance to match the contour of the selected shape. The script will intelligently add releases and contextually recorded attacks between notes based on where and how the bow changes, resulting in smooth transitions across the recorded shapes.

All recordings were made with a consistent performance style within the instrument’s range and between sections, so when combined, you achieve a sense of unified performance intent and phrasing across all lines of your arrangement.

Transparent and natural recording

The recordings were made with selected musicians who best matched the required aesthetics in tone and vibrato, using special microphone sets, combined in 3 different positions, and a fully prepared mixer signal. The hall is medium in size, which allows for a cinematic sound, but at the same time retaining as much detail as possible.

Since this library does not use dynamic layers and circle repeats, you always get the sound of a real live recording without the usual overlaid ensemble pad. Play a three-part chord on a solo cello, and it will sound as if three cellos are playing together.

Instruments:

  • Violin section
  • Viola section
  • Cello section
  • Double bass section
  • Solo violin
  • Solo cello

2 Comments on “Strezov Sampling – String Contours (KONTAKT)”

  1. Trying to load with HCiSo Add library.command but it doesn’t appear in Kontakt 7 or 8 . Anyone how to fix it? Or how to add new libraries like Zen Garden library .. the file XML it does correct but no libraries found on Kontakt.

    1. I use konakt 8 (Bobdule) and it works seemlessly. Btw do you use programms like klc to add non player konatkt libraries? If so, the program might have created a library id that is the same as string contours, so that it can’t show up in the library view. to resolve that you’d need to clear your native instruments library reg files in the regedit, assuming you are on windows. Here someone beautifuly explained how to do that:

      “Is this Kontakt 7.x we’re talking about or legacy versions? On K7 the internal lib management will remove, add, manage all from K7 itself. It has REAL working library management built in. if not do the following…

      ——— if you run native access ———
      – Start Native Access. Go to the Installed products page and check if your library is listed. Click on the library’s name to display its information on the right. Choose the Installation Path tab in the panel and make a note of the path where the library is installed. You’ll need this information verbatim whether you run native access or not.

      – Close Native Access and close Kontakt if it’s open.
      ————————————————

      – Run regedit32.

      – In the left hand pane navigate through the tree to open the HKEY_CURRENT_USER > Software > Native Instruments folder. Within this folder you should see a sub-folder named after the library you want to delete. Highlight that folder and press Delete to, delete it.

      – Now navigate to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > Software > Native Instruments folder and delete the libray’s sub-folder in the same way.

      – You can now close the Registry Editor.

      – Open Windows Explorer and navigate to the library’s installation folder that you noted earlier. Delete that folder.

      – Close Explorer if you want.

      ——— if you run native access ———
      – Re-open Native Access and go to the Installed products page again. Check that the library has gone from the list. Now open the Not installed page – the library will probably appear there now because it’s still registered to you and available for re-installation if you ever need it in the future.

      – Close native access.
      ————————————————

      – Start Kontakt, either stand-alone or as a plugin in your DAW, and check that the library is gone.

      – done

      I have used this process with legacy versions of Kontakt (v6 and below) whose library managements were all FUBAR and it worked fine… Just as an FYI, ALL your lib’s should be stored in a central location AWAY from the physical disk used by your “C:/drive” (i.e. a different physical drive, M2, SSD, Hard drive)… ”

      (source: https://audiosex.pro/threads/i-want-to-remove-a-library-tried-ni-regedit-tool-tried-manual-regedit-tried-manual-search.70208/)

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