The Sound Board

I would not discount them before demos are out. If they are releasing another flagship string library, I reckon it’s because they can improve their sampling, editing and scripting methodology, adding new ideas to boot. With everything they have released in the past, they’ve always tried to push things ahead. That, and I doubt LASS is selling in big numbers in today’s market (still love it).

I for one am quite glad that Audiobro is still pursuing new, comprehensive, pro-level strings. The problems with LASS (tuning, IMO) won't, I think at this point, be fixed via updates. But the objectives of LASS are still under-served in the sampling market.

MSS will be one of the few libraries that offer proper divisi and real second violins, with full articulation sets for the divisi sections. SF Studio Strings Pro e.g. has some divisi, with a very abbreviated articulation set, and no staccatos (grr). VSL/OT/other SF have no divisi so far. That's pretty much the comprehensive strings market right there.

The market is overloaded with ensemble strings, insta-soundtrack strings, limited articulation sets, cheaper things for beginners etc. It's not saturated with competition for MSS as far as I can see.

I hope it's fantastic, in tune, and a bit hit for Audiobro. Wallet is out...

Hi,

I'm looking forward to the release of MSS around the end of this month.

By the way, LASS 3 is the re-packaging of LASS 2.5 in the new Player format, same one they would be using for MSS.

So, it will be easier, and faster to setup the divisi sections, and use the library as a whole in LASS 3 compared to LASS 2.5. I'm looking forward to LASS 3 as well, and guessing that the upgrade price from LASS 2.5 to LASS 3 will be very minimal. Given it's they are using the same samples of LASS 2.5.

Cheers,
Muziksculp

First Video of MSS showing the Ostinato Engine is available.

https://audiobro.com/modern-scoring-strings/

Sounds pretty good to me. I find myself more interested in this library as time goes on. Very curious how this might work with MSB - that is high on my list as well.

Dagnammit. It DOES sound really good. And looks very clever.

*sigh*

Guy Rowland wrote: ↑Jan 14, 2021 2:07 pm Dagnammit. It DOES sound really good. And looks very clever.

*sigh*

Yes, it does.

Looking forward to hear & see more of MSS in the next videos.

So how do you all like the sound from the first teaser? To me the sound is undeniably nice. It's wide, and the ostinato engine seems to deliver great results. The timbre is not quite what I am looking for though. It's rather dark, and 'grainy' for lack of a better word. I also hear a bit of a mismatch between the body of the sound and the reverb tail. I hear quite a bit of close-mic energy in this mix, and a reverb tail that suggests more distance than the direct signal. Maybe that's just me though. Certainly a promising teaser, even if the timbre is not for me.

Linos wrote: ↑Jan 19, 2021 1:16 pm So how do you all like the sound from the first teaser? To me the sound is undeniably nice. It's wide, and the ostinato engine seems to deliver great results. The timbre is not quite what I am looking for though. It's rather dark, and 'grainy' for lack of a better word. I also hear a bit of a mismatch between the body of the sound and the reverb tail. I hear quite a bit of close-mic energy in this mix, and a reverb tail that suggests more distance than the direct signal. Maybe that's just me though. Certainly a promising teaser, even if the timbre is not for me.

Hi Linos,

I liked the sound of the MSS Strings in their first demo showcasing the Ostinato engine. The fist few ostinato notes playing reminded me of the Basic Instinct theme by Jerry Goldsmith. Yes, it is a bit on the dark timbre side, but I'm sure you can brighten it up via their new engine, which I'm guessing will offer multiple timbres for the strings to choose from. I'm just guessing here.

I keep checking for more videos on their site, but so far only the Ostinato video has been published. I just have to be patient.

I'm very excited, and curious about this library, and what it will offer, especially the new much easier to use Auto-Divisi engine, also the timbre of the new strings they sampled for MSS, and all the other wonderful features the library offers.

Here is the Ostinato Video on YouTube.

Thought it sounded lovely and lush, but happy to wait for more thorough demos and walkthroughs to get a better sense of it.

New video posted. Aleatoric: A Closer Look

Aleatoric Video on YouTube :

I'm a little jaded on aleatoric by now - we're not exactly short of options are we - but there were a few here towards the end that sounded interesting, especially the pitched at 8.30. Pitched aleatoric is almost an oxymoron, but the net effect sounds really effective without triggering my "oh here go the screechy strings" again. Honestly I'm so done with the traditional stuff I'd probably only use them in a comedy at this point, but I guess they're still a mainstay of the pure horror genre. Anyway, glad to hear that there are more subtle and contemporary options here.

MSS feels like it's going to be a very comprehensive library. How much those of us who have a dozen already need that - as opposed to something more focused and idiosyncratic - is my main question I guess.

Yes, the library seems to be quite comprehensive. This covers the typical bread and butter strings bases, and them some. The sound in the aleatoric video is a bit odd, though. For example listen to this:



It almost sounds like it had a telephone or speaker emulation effect on it. At the beginning of the video I hear the same dark, grainy sound as in the ostinato video. The part linked above sounds weirdly processed to me. Anyway, the more peripheral contents showcased in the first two videos are not decisive for me. I'll wait until I heard the standard articulations too.

Apologies for locking on the sound so much. With all the strings libraries already at our hand, it is a very important factor for me.

Latest video posted: Shorts and Mics

Here is the video on Youtube. The Shorts sound great !

Sounds good. I'm not hearing anything revelatory here, but equally I'm hearing nothing bad. The room sounds nice - a little longer tail than LASS and HO, but nowhere near as long as Air et al.

I'm not a fan of the room sound at all but I like the close mics.

MSS Auto Rhythm Tools :

Oh, we must be getting close to release, the videos are coming quicker.

(Also like the little dig to another just released “no theory” library)

Yikes, that doesn't sound good at 7'14 at all, really surprised they put that into a demo video. The timing is terrible - it hasn't compensated correctly for the different note lengths / start times or something.

Yeah, I don’t care for the sound much throughout. I was thinking maybe it was a video sync issue?

But, I can count on one hand the times I’ve used ART in LASS. I think I payed with it once and just didn’t get along with it.

I'm also not a fan of auto-rhythm tools in sample libraries, they just sound too mechanical, even with humanization, they just don't sound like I want them to. AudioBro could have skipped this feature, and I would have been very happy with MSS. anyways.. I see it as a bonus. You use it if you feel like it, or don't bother with it.

kpc wrote: ↑Jan 26, 2021 9:12 am I can count on one hand the times I’ve used ART in LASS. I think I played with it once and just didn’t get along with it.

That's my experience and likewise pretty much everyone else I know.

Andrew and Sebastian are very detail oriented and have the tendency to obsess over some things that are of little need. The same detail consciousness does help with the overall quality of their products.

.

Jack Weaver wrote: ↑Jan 26, 2021 12:29 pm Andrew and Sebastian are very detail oriented and have the tendency to obsess over some things that are of little need. The same detail consciousness does help with the overall quality of their products.

Agreed - it's just odd that the timing is so poor, given that.

I have used the LASS ART a few times, its not bad for certain kinds of parts. In the main it seems to work well enough in this video, it was really just the one where they mixed up the short artics and thus wrecked the rhythm. It's a good idea, but clearly needs more code to make that particular feature work.