BBC SO Core

Glynn

I have BBC SO Core. Would Spitfire Studio Strings blend with this well. I cannot afford BBCSO Pro or the Pro version of Studio Strings. Thanks

gregoryd

Im also interested in this question! Same situation, altho I want to save up and get the pro version for the divisi sound if I can.

One person on the old forums told me that the sounds might not blend within a section (he said the bbcso celli and studio celli have two very distinct tones that might not blend too well), but he thought replacing the bbcso violins with studio violins a+b and leaving the rest as bbcso might be fine. He also said that you’d need a decent reverb to add on and mix in since the bbcso is an extremely wet library compared to the studio series.

PV

It's all about experimenting and seeing just how everything fits within your piece of music. It's hard to make a blanket statement, but I've found many Spitfire libraries work to flow well together. I have both BBCSO Core and SSS, but don't believe I've used them both together on a project yet. If there's some interest, I'd be happy to provide a bespoke example.

Angus

We often see these type of questions: "does Library A blend with Library B".

The real answer to this is subjective, and ultimately, it's how you use your production skills. For example, we can easily make sample libraries blend by using EQ and Reverb, in exactly the same way you would blend a vocalist in a dry vocal booth, a bass in an isolation booth, and a drummer and guitarist in the studio.

The real factor here is "does the content within the libraries cross over?" and the answer here is no. The Studio Strings library will provide you with a much drier tone and timbre that will contrast the reverberant strings in BBC SO Core well- and the Divisi sections will give you more control and intimacy.

Glynn

https://community.spitfireaudio.com/discussion/comment/587#Comment_587

Angus

Thanks. What could you suggest please? I would love Chamber Strings but cannot justify the cost to my family.

Angus

@Glynn If Chamber Strings is out of your current price range, then Studio Strings Core is definitely a library that can provide you with a similar ensemble, and more control due to the divisi than the Strings within BBC SO.

michael.obrien

I'm working now intensively with BBCSO Core and find it pretty good. However, it doesn't have a basic detache string articulation, despite the many fine col legno, con sordino, tremolos, and trills, etc. Creating a rapid detache, which is so fundamental to orchestral string technique, is like putting a square peg into a round hole. The "long" articulation is muddied by the reverb, and the staccatos, of course have no sustaining power. A careful merging of the two comes close, but detache playing is so basic that one wonders why producing it has to be so convoluted. Just an observation. Thanks.

Justin

https://community.spitfireaudio.com/discussion/comment/1700#Comment_1700

Have you tried the Marcato Attack articulation? It's a long, but with a faster and slightly louder attack.

cyril

https://community.spitfireaudio.com/discussion/57/bbc-so-core

Hello, I have the BBC SO Core and the full Spitfire Studio Orchestra Pro.

The Studio Orchestra strings are really nice to use. But It really depends on your needs and your tastes.

In my case, I bought the BBC SO because I really found the Celli too thin. You ear the sound of the strings but not really the body. It is ok on certain type of music but if you want a more epic sound, the BBC SO cellis are excellent.

Also, since the Studio Orchestra is a pretty dry library, its a really demanding library in terms of mixing skills (it's my own . Comming from the good old EWQL Symphonic Orchestra Gold, Il really had to work hard to make it sound. Before this library, I almost never used EQ, Reverb, etc...

With the Studio Orchestra , you need to mix. But with a good reverb (I personnaly use Exponential Audio R4 and Lexicon MPX Native) and a bit of dynamic EQ, these two libraries blend well. I generally use the Studio Orchestra when instruments are missing in the BBC SO Core (like the english horn), or when the BBC SO horns are not enough brassy to my taste. And sometime, when I want to add a bit of attack to a BCC SO instruments, I blend it with the corresponding instruments in the Studio Orchestra.

I don't really think that the Studio Strings would blend well with the BBC SO. It's ok with the woodwinds, and can be done with the brass.

Best regards.

Cyril

Glynn

Thank you for the replies. I have now bought Spitfire Chamber Strings in the sale. To say I am happy is an understatement. A beautiful library. Thank you SA.