Vintage Strings 2

A 1960s-70s Era Virtual Instrument with Violins, Violas, and Cellos

Vintage Strings 2 from Funk/Soul Productions and Big Fish Audio is a sequel to the best-selling library Vintage Strings. The original library was designed to emulate the smaller, violin-based string sections used in many 1960s-70s vintage R&B and Soul productions. Now, Vintage Strings 2 expands on this concept with completely new samples of the larger string sections of that same era, including violas and cellos in addition to violins. These strings, found in vintage R&B, Soul, Jazz, and Pop productions, have a more intimate sound than typical orchestral string sections. Vintage Strings 2 brings the authentically lush string sounds of the golden era of popular music to hobbyists and professionals alike.

Overview

• Four groups: two cellos, two violas, three violins & four violins
• Solo violin for expressive lead lines
• Nine-piece and twelve-piece multi patches
• Innovative new harmonized multis
• Auto harmonization feature for impressive quick arranging
• Ten articulations
• Full Komplete Kontrol & Maschine integration
• Total Size: 3.8GB (Uncompressed)

Capturing That Vintage Sound

As with all of the instruments in the Vintage VI series, the goal for Vintage Strings 2 was not to create a shiny, perfect-sounding virtual instrument. Instead, we tried to capture the way larger string sections sounded back in the 60s and 70s, including the minor imperfections that added character to those sections and made them sound so good.

To this end, Big Fish Audio and Funk Soul Productions recorded VS2 with vintage Neuman U-87 mics and Royer ribbon mics. Rather than record the strings in a concert hall or some other large and resonant recording space, they recorded them in an old studio with a smaller, less-reverberant room.

The result is a virtual instrument that has a sound and character that is distinctly different from orchestral-based sampled strings libraries. The sound of Vintage Strings 2 is rich but not overly "sweet" or glossy. It's a more intimate and more "human" sound, which we feel more accurately emulates the larger string section sounds from the classic records of the 1960s and 70s

String Section Configurations

For VS2, Big Fish Audio and Funk Soul Productions recorded several different string sections in isolation, organized into different configurations in order to provide maximum flexibility. These include:

• A solo "first violin" played with a more romantic vibrato, which is ideal for lead lines, solo figures, or simply to enrich any of the individual violin sections.

• A three-piece violin section that can be combined with the solo violin to create a medium-sized, 4-piece violin section.

• A four-piece violin section that can be combined with the solo violin and 3-piece section to create a larger, 8-piece violin section.

• Two violas which can be combined with any or all of the above to give the section a different and somewhat darker timbre.

• Two cellos which can also be combined with any of the above to extend a section's low-range, and to add depth and warmth to a section.

The Powerful Harmonize Page

The most powerful feature of Vintage Strings 2 is the Harmonize function. You can create custom chord intervals for your sections. For example, change the root note to a 5th an octave up with twist of a knob. This allows you to easily write inspiring section parts, even with limited musical knowledge. With Vintage Strings 2 this feature is even more powerful, giving you the same creative flexibility over the multi patches as well! This is the quickest and easiest way to sound like your favorite classic records.

This product requires the free Native Instruments Kontakt Player, the latest version can be downloaded through Native Access, Native Instrument’s download manager!

The minimum required Kontakt version for this product is stated in the product description or can be found on the manufacturers website.

System Requirements:

Mac:

• macOS 11, 12, 13
• 64 bit
• Intel Core i5 or Apple Chip
• RAM: 4GB (6GB recommended)

Windows:

• Windows 10 or 11
• 64 bit
• Intel Core i5 or similar CPU
• RAM: 4GB (6GB recommended)

Supported Interfaces:

• Mac (64-bit only): Stand-alone, VST, VST3, AU, AAX
• Windows (64-bit): Stand-alone, VST, VST3, AAX

Legacy Versions:

If you require legacy installers of Kontakt Player please refer to this Knowledge Base Article.