9/10/11 4:56 AMAudiobro LA Scoring Strings

Page 1 of 3http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr10/articles/lascoringstrings.htm

Buy PDF

“Y

Published in SOS April 2010Printer-friendly version

LASS is a deep sample library.Fortunately, a fair amount of informationis visible from each instrument’s windowand is specific to that particulararticulation.

Audiobro LA Scoring StringsSample LibraryReviews : Sample / Sound / Song Library

LA Scoring Strings hopes to set itself apart from thecompetition with clever devices that make it both morerealistic and more user-friendly.

David Ricardou wrote that?” my wife asked, after hearing the results of my toyingaround with LASS for about half an hour. “That sounds really good.Did you really write that?” she added. In a way, that sort of sums up

my experience with LASS, but since Sound On Sound doesn’t print two-sentencereviews, I’m going to have to elaborate.

Background

LASS is the brainchild of Andrew Keresztes, an accomplished film composer whowas frustrated with the current crop of string libraries and decided to do somethingabout it. While most of us would sit back and wait for technology to catch up withour ever-increasing demands, Mr Keresztes hired a string orchestra, booked timeat an LA film scoring stage, and created a string library that overcomes many of thelimitations of other libraries, while implementing several innovative ideas of its own.

LA Scoring Strings, or LASS (thank heaven for acronyms), is installed from sixdual-layer DVDs, takes up about 40 gigabytes of hard drive space, and uses theubiquitous Native Instruments Kontakt player. Now 40GB of samples is a goodchunk of hard-drive real-estate, but when you take into account that it includesboth 16- and 24-bit versions of the library, it’s actually a pretty efficient usage ofsamples.

The manual for LASS is in PDF format, is well written and explains LASS’sunique features quite capably. I would have liked a hard copy to peruse away fromthe computer, or at least a chart with the MIDI controller info and possibly quickhow-to guides. I ended up copying and pasting excerpts from the manual to createmy own version of a one-sheet reference to print out. While this is a minor issue, in view of LASS’s price tag I thinksomething more substantial than a PDF is in order.

Divide & Conquer

LASS employs several features that differentiate it from other high-end string libraries. The first and most noteworthy of theseis its true divisi implementation.

Composers working with string libraries have had to compromise their arrangements to some degree due to the fact thatdivisi sections have, up until now, not been available. But why does it matter? Well, suppose your first violins are divided intotwo groups, each group playing a different note. If you play two notes on duplicate violin patches, the whole section will playeach note, effectively doubling the section size. That is not the composer’s intention, but the workarounds are not usuallyworth the effort. Mixing libraries can yield decent results but may require serious tweaking. Using smaller sections (providedin some libraries) seems like a solution, but not when it is the same two sections. While your notes-to-players ratio is intact,it’s not the same as two separate groups of players.

LASS overcomes this dilemma by providing separate sub-sections within each instrument section. For instance, the firstviolins patches are divided up as follows: 16-player full section, eight-player section, two different four-player sections, and afirst-chair section leader. The divided sections are recorded separately in their own physical position, with different players.This array of sub-sections makes it possible to divide your section in a very realistic fashion.

Wait, There’s More

LASS’s use of legato is truly outstanding. Typically, legato passages (notes tiedtogether with no space between them) contain varying amounts of subtleportamento and glissandi between the notes. LASS handles this wonderfully, andachieving realistic legato playing in LASS is essentially effortless. If a note is helddown while the next note is played, LASS adds either portamento or glissando,depending on the velocity of the second note. Very cool! If the time it takes you toreach your second note is not to your liking, no problem: just use MIDI CC(Continuous Controller) 83 to control speed.

When I first read the manual and saw that there was no keyswitching but insteadlots of MIDI CC numbers to tweak, I was worried that I wouldn’t have enoughknobs on my controller to get the most out of LASS. My fear was allayed when Inoticed that it was the same series of controllers being used for the differentarticulations. The six knobs on my keyboard controller were quite enough.

Another unique element of LASS is the first-chair solo player in each section.While Andrew Keresztes is quick to point out the distinction between a first-chairplayer and a soloist, many users, including myself, have been using it as a solo

In this article:BackgroundDivide & ConquerWait, There’s MoreART Imitating LifeLA Scoring SoundSumming UpTrue Divisi: A Holy

Grail?

Audiobro LA ScoringStrings $1099pros

Incredible-sounding stringlibrary.Easy to use.The Automatic Rhythm Toolcould be a game changer.

consNo hard copy of the manualor printable cheat sheet.It’s quite pricey.

summaryWhether you’re attracted tothe true legato, the realdivisi, The Auto RhythmTool or the first-chairplayers feature, LA ScoringStrings is currently the kingof the hill when it comes tostring-section libraries.

information$1099 from the

Audiobro web site.Click here to emailwww.audiobro.com

Test SpecLA Scoring Strings v1.1.Apple Logic 8.02.Apple Mac with dual quad-core Intel Xeon CPU (2 x2.8 GHz), 6GB RAM, MacOS 10.5.7.Samples streamed frominternal serial-ATA drive.

Home | Digital Mags | Podcasts | WIN Prizes | Subscribe | Advertise | About SOS | Help Have an account? or Register for freeSat 10 Sep 2011 Search SOS Sign in

Sound On Sound : Est. 1985

Search News Articles Forum SOS TV Subscribe Shop Directory Readers' Adverts Information

9/10/11 4:56 AMAudiobro LA Scoring Strings

Page 2 of 3http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr10/articles/lascoringstrings.htm

0

Whether you’re dividing the sections intosub-sections, as pictured, or using thefull instrument patches, instantiatingmultiple Auto Rhythm Tools add atremendous amount of movement andcolour to your string arrangements.

instrument, with fantastic results. One of the benefits the first-chair player providesis the ability to amplify and add expression to a section in a realistic way. In my testarrangement of only the smallest sections of each family of strings, the first-chairplayer added a subtle yet evocative element to each section. The inclusion of thefirst-chair player is both unique and highly practical. It also adds string quartet toLASS’s feature list.

So many great film scores get their eeriness from strings playing harmonics, butmost libraries overlook harmonics, or include a throwaway patch or two. EachLASS section (and sub-section) contains very usable harmonic patches. The same can be said for its sordino (muted strings)patches, which offer yet another palette of sound.

ART Imitating Life

ART (Auto Rhythm Tool) is another of LASS’s secret weapons. When short articulations like spiccato, staccato and pizzicatoare loaded, pressing on the sustain pedal initiates ART. While sync’ing to your DAW’s tempo, ART plays your notes inrhythm with varying accents. You can choose between eighth-note, eighth-note triplets and sixteenth-note rhythms. There’salso a ‘Double-time’ option. I believe many users will have the same reaction that I did when playing LASS with ARTengaged: ‘Wow!’ Tight action-movie backgrounds are so easy to create that you almost feel like you’re cheating.

There are 10 groups of rhythmic patterns to choose from (actually, the rhythm is the same but the accents are different) butas making your own is pretty effortless, creating them on the fly is a good way to go. Of course, if you create a pattern you’llwant to use again or apply to another instrument, you can save it via the drop-down menu.

I believe there are potential LASS owners out there who don’t view first-chair players and true divisi as big game-changers. For them, the Auto Rhythm Tool may be reason enough to purchase LASS.

The ART would not yield realistic results unless LASS used a round-robin pool of samples. LASS, however, goes one stepfurther, providing random round-robin sample playback. Instead of triggering samples in the same sequence, LASS has theability to randomise sample playback, ensuring an even more realistic performance.

LA Scoring Sound

This is probably a good time for me to address the big question and let you know how LASS sounds: exceptional. I was gladto hear that the library has a dry overall sound without much ambience, allowing for more definition in phrasing. The stringsthemselves sound pristine and smooth, while the shorter articulations possess a slight grit to their attack. I own a few stringlibraries, but I don’t think I’ll be using any of them in the foreseeable future. LASS covers everything very well, even as a soloinstrument. The other major libraries have some big things in the works, but they would have to really hit it out of the park totouch LASS, which is outstanding and ready now.

I had to adjust how I set up my composing template while using LASS: since it doesn’t use keyswitching (you can set upkeyswitching easily enough in Kontakt), I needed to load more tracks than I normally would. I used LASS to, quite quickly,write thriller-sounding movie music. I also used it to write soaring romantic cues with tremendous results.

One of the side effects of LASS’s true divisi is that you start to think more like an orchestral composer. I haven’t alwaysgiven much thought to how I would divide a chord in a section, and now it’s something I ponder way too much.

Summing Up

The great thing about LASS is that in spite of it doing so many complicated things — and doing them so well and withincredible control — it is very easy to use. If you’ve read any of my past reviews, you’ll know that I can get a littleoverwhelmed with a lot of options. But with all of LASS’s control features, the learning curve is more like a speed bump.

I’m not a gusher when it comes to sound libraries. There’s typically a ratio of how good it sounds to how easy it is to usethat determines my rating. But I have to gush about LASS. It sounds fantastic, it’s easy to use and best of all, it inspires tome to compose.

If string writing is a major — or even a minor — part of your music production make-up, and you can afford it, get LASS.You will not be disappointed. If you can’t afford it... figure something out and get LASS. You won’t be disappointed.

True Divisi: A Holy Grail?

When I first heard about LASS and that its big claim was true divisi at last, I had to chuckle and roll my eyes a bit. Most ofthe composers I know don’t care if the string sections are dividing accurately or not. Many of them load up a string patchand play chords. For them, bigger is better, so having more notes on a divisi is excellent. But then I thought about it for aminute. Yes, your divisis are bigger, but now your unisons are smaller in relation to them. That’s not ideal.

The other case for true divisi: film composers need to play accurate mock-ups for directors before they record anorchestra, so that there are no surprises on the scoring stage. That’s a fair point. However, the trend nowadays is torecord orchestras in sections and, in many cases, overdub the strings once or twice or three times. So your true divisi isirrelevant, right? Not so fast. It all comes down to ratios and if the composer wants half the cellos playing Bb and a quarterof the cellos playing D and the last quarter playing G, then that’s how the notes need to be distributed, no matter howmany times the section is doubled.

But the great thing about true divisi is this: before LASS, if I wanted my violas, for instance, to all be playing an F, Iwould call up the viola section and play F. I might add some nuance with expression, and that would be it. Now, however,thanks to LASS, I load up the two three-player sections and the six-player section and do the same thing as before —only this time to each sub-section — and the part really comes alive. Add the first chair and you’re all set.

Verdict: true divisi is not a trivial matter.

Published in SOS April 2010

Home | Search | News | Current Issue | Digital Editions | Articles | Forum | Subscribe | Shop | Readers AdsAdvertise | Information | Links | Privacy Policy | Support

SOS Readers AdsGRAB A BARGAIN

£601,758of Second-User Gear for

sale now — don't miss out!

GLOSSARY: technical termsexplained

WIN Great Prizes in SOSCompetitions!

Win HK Audio ElementsPA System Worth £2,000GBPWin Telefunken ELAM260 Stereo Set Worth$2,895 USDWin Dave Hill DesignsEuropa 1 Worth £1,249GBP

9/10/11 4:56 AMAudiobro LA Scoring Strings

Page 3 of 3http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr10/articles/lascoringstrings.htm

Email: Contact SOSTelephone: +44 (0)1954 789888Fax: +44 (0)1954 789895

Registered Office: Media House, Trafalgar Way, Bar Hill,Cambridge, CB23 8SQ, United Kingdom.

Sound On Sound Ltd is registered in England and Wales.Company number: 3015516 VAT number: GB 638 5307 26

Current MagazineeSub EditionBuy PDF articlesMagazine Feedback

Digital EditionsUK editionUSA digital edition

Podcasts

Competitions

SubscribeSubscribe NoweSub FAQs

Home

News

SearchNew SearchForum SearchSearch Tips

ArticlesReviewsTechniqueSound AdvicePeopleGlossarySoundBank

Help + Support

ForumToday's Hot TopicsForum Channel ListForum SearchMy Forum HomeMy Forum SettingsMy Private MessagesForum Rules & Etiquette

SOS TVWatch exhibition videos, tutorials,interviews, masterclasses

Readers ClassifiedsSubmit New AdvertsView My Adverts

SOS Directory

My SOSChange PasswordChange My EmailChange My AddressMy SubscriptionMy eNewslettersMy DownloadsMy Goodies

InformationAbout SOSContact SOS StaffAdvertisingLicensing EnquiriesMagazine On-sale DatesSOS Logos & GraphicsSOS Site AnalyticsPrivacy Policy

All contents copyright © SOS Publications Group and/or its licensors, 1985-2011. All rights reserved.The contents of this article are subject to worldwide copyright protection and reproduction in whole or part, whether mechanical or electronic, is expressly forbidden without the prior written consent of

the Publishers. Great care has been taken to ensure accuracy in the preparation of this article but neither Sound On Sound Limited nor the publishers can be held responsible for its contents. Theviews expressed are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of the publishers.

Web site designed & maintained by PB Associates | SOS | Relative Media