Spitfire Audio Spitfire Chamber Strings Professional v1.4.1b94 [KONTAKT]

A detailed and versatile classic

We handpicked 16 of the finest string players to perform an encyclopaedia of articulations and techniques, recorded via the finest signal path in The Hall at Air Studios, London. This smaller section gives you more attention to detail than our Symphony Orchestra, while still capturing the beautiful resonance of the hall. This is your definitive chamber range – a versatile classic that will enhance your film, TV and game scores and pop records.

The Professional edition includes four additional microphone positions and three CPU-friendly stereo mixes by award-winning engineer Jake Jackson, giving you a hugely diverse range of string sounds.

Intimacy & detail

The word ‘chamber’ describes a band that is smaller than a symphony orchestra – anything from a quartet to 40 players. Our aim was to create the definitive Chamber Strings project, recorded at The Hall at AIR Studios, giving you that highly sought-after widescreen blockbuster sound, with detail and intimacy – hard to achieve with larger-sized string sample libraries.

We give you 16 world-class players: four 1st violins, three 2nd violins, three violas, three cellos & three basses, expertly sampled. Choose from over 244 articulations – including 38 shorts, 53 longs, 19 FX, and 45 extraordinary legato patches, programmed by Andrew Blaney. Each sample has been recorded with multiple round robins and dynamic layers, presented with seven essential and versatile microphone positions. In addition to each individual section, we also have a comprehensive selection of articulations and techniques presented in an ‘ensemble’ format, designed for sketching and composing, for instant satisfaction.

The Professional edition

This Professional edition enhances and provides greater flexibility to the patches from Spitfire Chamber Strings, with four additional microphones for all techniques (excluding Ensembles) – Warm Close Ribbon (Cr), Close Stereo Pair (St) and Gallery (G) signals, as well as Outrigger (O) signals on all techniques with the essential CTA for added warmth.

On top of this, we offer the Fine (F), Medium (M) and Broad (B) stereo mixes for all techniques (except Ensembles) for instantly great sounding mixes, with low CPU/RAM usage, made by award-winning engineer Jake Jackson. Professional offers you over 150GB of additional content to help you make the most of Spitfire Chamber Strings.

Key features

– 244 articulations: 38 shorts, 53 longs, 19 FX & 45 legatos
– 16 world-class London string players
– Recorded in situ using priceless valve and ribbon mics
– Neve Montserrat Pre-amps into a Neve 88R desk
– Recorded digitally at 96k via 2″ Studer tape
– Multiple dynamic layers and round robins
– Diverse and detailed, with both essential and totally unique articulations
– Legatos designed by Andrew Blaney
– Individual sections and ensembles
– NKS-ready

Behind the samples

Spitfire was built on a chamber strings project. Many of our friends, including A-list composers, complained that sampled strings were unwieldy, ill-defined and too epic. That for much of their output, sensitive and achingly beautiful quiet passages and searing lyricism required less players, and attention to detail. Our first iteration of Chamber Strings was released as a private project and became hugely popular amongst our peers.

Some, however, noted how it still sounded ‘kind of big’. So we returned to the chamber challenge with a question: How small can we go before it no longer sounds like a section? The answer was 4,3,3,3,3. A uniquely intimate group of extraordinary players in one of the best recording locations. Originally available in volumes, this project has been four years in the making. It is the Spitfire team’s absolute favourite string range, admired for its beauty, versatility and totally unique sonic character.

General controls panel

This view allows further in-depth control of the instrument, showing all available signals and feature controllers, as well as the ability to purge techniques from memory to reduce system usage.

The Ostinatum

In this view you can add notes to a pattern sequencer, select which key it triggers on and then play for instant ostinato creation. It’s like an arpeggiator on a synthesiser.

Requirements: Kontakt FULL or Kontakt Player v5.5.0 or higher!