I just got a project which requires REALLY good "disco string" runs. This seems to be a category where there aren't very many offerings, but I might have overlooked a product somewhere.

I'm sure there are a few lame "cheapie" disco string run libraries...I don't mind paying a chunk of cash as long as the sampling quality is excellent, and there are actual runs included, either sampled or Midi phrases.

I have loads of string libraries, including all the NI offerings, all the EastWest stuff, Sample Modeling, Audio Modeling, Applied Acoustics, and Reason Friktion strings, but none that are dedicated exclusively to disco strings.

Any replies GREATLY appreciated.

Having recorded strings guys during the 77-79 period, the most instant out of the box to me for Chic, Andrea True, Sigma etc are the NI session strings volumes. Sort of one-trick ponies in fact imo.

But it seems you already have those.

I mainly use vsl stuff but would never pop those into a disco-oriented track (if I were doing one).

Thanks. Yes I have NI Session Strings, Session Strings 2, and Session Strings Pro. Love SS Pro, but I'm looking for a library dedicated exclusively to disco strings.

Found this..seems to fit the bill, but a friend of mine I trust owns it and says the samples sound like they weren't trimmed properly..

https://soundpaint.com/products/disc...io-strings-uds

Dave, have you tried out something like Loopcloud? I know they have a disco section. Perhaps you might find something there. The other thought that comes to mind is Bigfish. They have really great stuff and have several disco libraries. They have a disco bundle on sale half price right now for a little over $100.

https://www.bigfishaudio.com

Thanks, I'll look into those!

Dave - you're welcome! While looking at Big Fish I found some strings-specific disco libraries so thought I'd share:

2 construction kits with strings in it - seems like they have some nice runs:

https://www.bigfishaudio.com/detail....:B1162::546957

https://www.bigfishaudio.com/detail....Strings:547248

2 Disco Strings specific libraries
https://www.bigfishaudio.com/detail....Strings:512200

https://www.bigfishaudio.com/detail....Strings:530309

This is a playable instrument - Vintage Strings 2

https://www.bigfishaudio.com/detail....Strings:543061

Hope that helps narrow down your search a bit

I remember buying for a similar project a while ago an INCREDIBILE string library that had runs and thrills that were unbelievable. Can't recall the name but as soon as I'm back at the studio will check it out. Pretty unknown company - to me at least - but great great library.

I pulled the trigger on the 8dio Disco Strings UDS library after extensively investigating all other recommendations. It got a stellar review in the latest issue of Sound On Sound.

Now if only I could get the product to appear in my 8dio downloads list..got an email in to 8dio tech support.

Just took a listen - sounds good
I think...not positive - but that it is under Soundpaint.com. (because it is a Soundpaint library). So - try making a Soundpaint account and see if it shows up there.

Yes...you're right. I was able to download it and install with the Soundpaint downloader. Thank you!

Man, that's confusing. You can buy the product at 8dio.com. But you can also buy it at Soundpaint.com. But, you can only download it with the Soundpaint downloader, though..and this is not mentioned anywhere on the 8dio website.

That aside..the library itself is just so-so, although the included runs are somewhat cool. Soundwise, East West and NI string products are much much better, more detailed and expressive. Also more expensive.

I don't regret buying Disco Strings UDS, but to be honest, I can compose and play them myself, so I think it's really aimed at people whose keyboard skills are more rudimentary. In other words, if you're a skilled keyboardist and know composition and orchestration, you don't really need this product (or any product labeled "disco strings", actually).

You need the Ben Wright Strings package.

You’re welcome…That’s unfortunate - that’s why I was pointing you to the sample libraries…I was thinking they would give you the most authentic sounds as they were real players playing then and then you could just transpose the runs. The first few I put in my post I think were half price at around $17 I think if you want to try one. But hopefully what you got will work. Glad at least to help get you up and running with what you bought! I find their site and way of doing things with sound paint confusing myself too!

Searched for "Ben Wright Strings VST"..no results. There is a Ben Wright trumpet product, but no strings product I can find.

But here's what I confirmed in this endeavor..there really is no such thing as "disco strings"...strings that "know they are supposed to do disco music". Strings are just instruments. Composers write lines for them for disco songs. "Disco strings" references composition and performance, not specific string articulations such as staccato, marcato, sultasto, tremolo and so forth.

Moreover, the legatos in Disco Strings UDS don't connect smoothly, which is disappointing, and while the strings respond to cc11 (expression), they don't respond to velocity..at all. That's in my view why the product is so inexpensive compared to most other string libraries.
Soundpaint skipped implementing a lot of things.

Articulations like fast up or down glissandos, shorts, and falls can be found in other string libraries like NI Session Strings Pro and East West Hollywood Strings 2, and those products do respond to velocity and legatos connect smoothly. I also have Sample Modeling's Solo and Ensemble strings which allow smoothly connecting legatos
and really fast playing, but also "smart" mono to poly interpretation..play one note, they are legato mono, play two or more notes and it's polyphonic, just as strings actually behave.

So lesson learned..you get what you pay for.
And two, I think I'm done with buying Soundpaint products.

Went to SoundPaint to check out the strings. Wound up grabbing Disco Drums for $20 instead.

Dave - did you end up finding anything that worked for you?

I'm back to old school ,playing the parts I want "manually' and recording them as Midi triggering EastWest Hollywood Strings 2 or Sample Modeling's Ensemble Strings. If it's a tempo at something like 136BPM, I just slow the tempo down in my DAW until I can comfortably play the lines, then reset the tempo to what it initially was.
Drops and scoops I accomplish through pitch bend wheel movements on my controller.

Here's a trick I learned from doing midi orchestration for Yamaha projects - in Digital Performer, select midi notes, then use Change Duration and set it to "move releases to the next attack". It makes the lines smooth legato, even if the "patch" is polyphonic, as long as you're playing monophonic lines. This method should work in most any other DAW as well.

Helps that I cut my teeth playing solos on a Minimoog way back in the 70's.

Have you looked at Orchestral Tools Orchestra String Runs? It’s an older library but I remember using it for a disco track and it worked pretty well.
https://www.orchestraltools.com/orch...Dv-OLfDRtpsDCK

I bet that helps.

But speaking of that era Dave, and obviously I don't know the full picture/aesthetic of your project right now on this... has there even been a consideration regarding using string machines ala Solina's/Elka's/Crumars etc (in at least a 'supportive' pastiche), .... or are you dug in hard on true 'authenticy' resin/bow on strings...?

F9 audio have the best disco sample packs, including many different instruments, imo. Really worth checking out.

Yes I bought that years ago. But it's just snippets..you have to "build your own" runs and it is way too tedious. In reality, pretty much useless. It's gone from my drive now and I wrote it off as a business loss.

It has been a long time, but didn't Emu have a couple sound modules with these type sounds?

I have Gforce's String Machines, EastWest's String Machines, and Arturia's Solina V, as well as the Soniccouture "Attic" string machine offerings. Got "disco" string machine parts covered, those are not the same thing as "real" string runs for disco, they are super simple parts.

But thanks for the suggestions! If nothing else it reminded me of how many software string machine products I forgot I have.

Yeah, I'm a big fan of the GForce stuff, have a ton of Kontakt libs from that era (hollow sun and a lot of some others) and used to use 'real' Crumars and Elka's and Solina's myself.... yeah, I just tossed it out there as I'm sure you were aware of that stuff, but not knowing exactly what kinda sound you were talking about... (reference kinda song maybe?)....

I remember 15-16 years ago I had to get some disco strings myself, and I'll have to dig through some drives to take a look, as there were some that were ok and made it work... but we've come a long way since then in terms of articulations.... and you aren't just looking for 'loops' that you can chop and work with right?

Reference song:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wm9wDN...20&pp=iAQB8AUB

Thanks. I've figured it out. I can do runs myself. Or use this product, which I bought some time ago..it's not a disco strings product, but it is mostly runs and phrases...excellent sound quality, and you can modify the phrases as you wish:

https://www.native-instruments.com/e...h1LwSW4MX57mTK.

I would advise anyone not to buy Soundpaint's Disco UDS strings library.

Why not? The runs are great and effortless!

Dave mentioned in post 13 what he didn’t like about them.

I already explained why I am disappointed in Disco Strings UDS in a previous post on this thread. But to reiterate..it doesn't respond to velocity, crossfading between legato notes is nonexistent, because when you play fast, the sound is choppy, not smooth. That indicates that the developer either didn't implement crossfading well, or they simply don't know how to do it.

The product audio demos disguise how bad the product is by burying the strings back in the mix. Which is where you would want them anyway, but note that there are no demos of JUST the runs and no other elements like drums and bass and guitar.

On my high-resolution Focal
monitors+sub system, the sound quality and detail of this library is far below what my other string libraries have. It sounds mostly like old Akai S1000 samples. No timbre changes with velocity, no envelope velocity response. You'll get far better strings in any workstation like the Korg Nautilus, Roland Fantom, or Yamaha Montage M.

Plus, I'd forgotten how lame the Soundpaint plugin interface is. Really cluttered and cheap-looking. I would much rather use Kontakt7 or Kontakt8.

Yeah, I think if anything the pita that sounds like Soundpaint is, as much as I have issues with NI and their path over the last 5-10 years,.... but I'm too old/lazy/and don't give an a f enough to go through translating all my old libraries and whatever.... is what it is...

Glad you got it figured out though. Best of luck!

Listening to the ref kindly provided, yeah, hey, if you can play it, it pretty much sounds like with your above explanations on the making polyparts legato etc as you did with the midi, toss in the right verb, (and maybe I just listened poorly, but not hearing a lot a grit there on the attack (transients) at all, or anything on it in terms of 'digging in',.. and no real vibrato or anything... it's almost like you could take the first Kontakt stock library strings, or hell, an emu proteus or something. (was gonna mention the Akai S1000 stock but I just saw you did! ), age or warm it up a bit to a merely slight slight toast...and get the envelope, toss on the space in verb, maybe some slight dimension d kinda thing or eventide micro pitching atop (probably not actually, I'm just thinking the 'ensemble' type fx on the aforementioned string machines probably, ) , some volume rides or slight brightness brought up on on the sustained portions, ... and you would be there if you had the 'flourishes' down.. .

But I know you know what you are doing Dave... and you don't need peanut gallery nonsense...



again, best of luck with it all!

Which was it?

Update..I found a free library which can be used for "disco" string/orchestral parts.

https://www.sonokinetic.net/products...vivace-legacy/