The library comprises six violins, four violas, three cellos and two basses, with the cellos in octaves, expertly recorded in a tight, dry studio at Spitfire HQ, giving you extra control and a crisp, modern sound. File Size: 26.25 GB
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Spitfire Audio – London Contemporary Orchestra Strings
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London Contemporary Orchestra Strings gives you everything you need to make cutting-edge chamber strings music. Unique among our String libraries, it offers you tools that capture the unconventional techniques and stunning performances of an extremely exciting group of musicians. With over 100 never-before-sampled, dynamically controllable articulations, this library provides a rich set of diverse recordings that are both ultra-playable and musical, giving you access to their widely sought after experimental palette. The library comprises six violins, four violas, three cellos and two basses, with the cellos in octaves, expertly recorded in a tight, dry studio at Spitfire HQ, giving you extra control and a crisp, modern sound.
Over the last decade, the London Contemporary Orchestra has collaborated with a distinguished array of composers, artists and brands and are known for their long-time collaboration with Radiohead, as well as game-changing performance and arrangement credits on blockbuster scores including Moonlight, There Will Be Blood and Under the Skin.
Cutting Edge Strings
Step into the world of the London Contemporary Orchestra, 15 players performing over 100 cutting edge articulations, recorded on our dry stage at Spitfire HQ by in-demand engineer Joe Rubel and Spitfire’s Head of Product, Stanley Gabriel. In recent years, there has been a shift in string writing that is fast becoming a global movement, based on innovative techniques and performance styles notoriously impossible to program with the tools currently available. We recreated their popular workshop approach to curate a deeply versatile and most importantly, playable set of never-before-sampled articulations and playing styles that give you, at long last, the ability to demo and create cutting-edge, sophisticated string writing — the kind of work that is winning promising composers plaudits across the compositional landscape.
From sharp and angular to sincere beauty, these upfront strings are designed to make you think differently about string writing. In collaboration with the London Contemporary Orchestra, we have embraced technology to deliver a unique set of tools and instruments you would never hear outside a sampler.
Main Features
6 Violins, 4 Violas, 3 Celli and 2 Basses, with the Celli in octaves
Recorded in a tight, dry recording space, for extra control and a modern sound
Over 100 articulations captured across all sections
A unique ‘Detuned Open String’ instrument for each section
For each articulation:
2 mic positions, Close and Room
2 individual stereo mixes, Full and Pumped
2 additional, printed analogue FX
Integrated reverb, matched to the room, with control on the GUI
Behind the Samples
The members of the LCO became interested in collaborating with us when we started experimenting with our Evolutions libraries. Over a period of two years, we worked together to create a library unlike any other, capturing the unique techniques and performance styles of an extremely exciting group of musicians for use in our own compositions, and creating new instruments with them only be possible by harnessing the power of modern sampling technology.
Winner of the Ensemble category at the Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards in 2015, the London Contemporary Orchestra has established itself as one of the world’s most innovative and respected ensembles, focused on commissioning and developing new music and scores, and performing live all over the world. Formed in 2008 by co-Artistic Directors and conductors Robert Ames and Hugh Brunt, the LCO is at the top of their game, having collaborated with a wide array of musicians, creative figures and platforms, including Radiohead, Frank Ocean, Jed Kurzel, Steve Reich, William Basinski, Mica Levi, Actress, Arcade Fire, Goldfrapp, Beck, Foals, Nike, Secret Cinema, Boiler Room, NTS, Resident Advisor, Terry Riley, Hannah Perry and Vivienne Westwood. Highlights include sold-out performances at renowned venues such as the Roundhouse, Printworks, Tate Modern, Southbank Centre, There Will Be Blood: Live at the Barbican, the critically-acclaimed site-responsive series Imagined Occasions, and live broadcasts on BBC Radio 3. The orchestra has a strong arrangement, recording and performance record for world class film and television music, having recorded soundtracks such as The Master, Alien: Covenant, Macbeth, Phantom Thread, Assassins’ Creed, You Were Never Really Here, McMafia, Suspiria, American Animals, Moonlight, There Will Be Blood and Under the Skin, and featured heavily on Radiohead’s 2016 A Moon Shaped Pool.
GUIs
The Overview Panel
This is the main interface for melodic instruments. Its default view displays all available playing techniques, has a simple microphone mixer and includes the main feature controllers.
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.
What’s included
Instruments:
Violins
Violas
Celli
Basses + Celli
Individual articulations:
Violins:
Violins – Granular Tremolo
Violins – Long Detuned Open – Granular Trem
Violins – Long Detuned Open – Irregular Trem
Violins – Long Detuned Open – Normale
Violins – Long Detuned Open – Granular to Ord
Violins – Long Granular to Ord
Violins – Long Harmonics
Violins – Long Molto Sul Pont
Violins – Long Slackened
Violins – Long Spectral Scrubs
Violins – Long Sul Pont
Violins – Long Sul Tasto
Violins – Long Twitchy
Violins – Long Woozy Vib – Quick Pulses
Violins – Long Woozy Vib – Slow Pulses
Violins – Long Woozy Vib Unmeasured
Violins – Vivid Long
Violins – Short Harmonics
Violins – Short Percussive Pizzicato
Violins – Short Slackened
Violins – Short Vivid Spiccato
Violins – Short Staccato Dig
Violins – Short Super Pont Scrapes
Violins – Tremolo Sul Pont
Violas:
Violas – Granular Tremolo
Violas – Long Detuned Open – Granular Trem
Violas – Long Detuned Open – Irregular Trem
Violas – Long Detuned Open – Normale
Violas – Long Detuned Open – Granular to Ord
Violas – Long Granular to Ord
Violas – Long Harmonics
Violas – Long Molto Sul Pont
Violas – Long Slackened
Violas – Long Spectral Scrubs
Violas – Long Sul Pont
Violas – Long Sul Tasto
Violas – Long Tailpiece
Violas – Long Twitchy
Violas – Long Woozy Vib – Quick Pulses
Violas – Long Woozy Vib – Slow Pulses
Violas – Long Woozy Vib Unmeasured
Violas – Vivid Long
Violas – Short Harmonics
Violas – Short Percussive Pizzicato
Violas – Short Slackened
Violas – Short Vivid Spiccato
Violas – Short Staccato Dig
Violas – Short Super Pont Scrapes
Violas – Tremolo Sul Pont
Celli:
Celli – Long Detuned Open – Granular Trem
Celli – Long Detuned Open – Irregular Trem
Celli – Long Detuned Open – Normale
Celli – Long Detuned Open – Granular to Ord
Celli – Long Granular to Ord
Celli – Long Harmonics
Celli – Long Molto Sul Pont
Celli – Long Slackened
Celli – Long Spectral Scrubs
Celli – Long Tailpiece
Celli – Long Twitchy
Celli – Long Woozy Vib – Slow Pulses
Celli – Long Woozy Vib Unmeasured
Celli – Vivid Long
Celli – Short Percussive Pizzicato
Celli – Short Slackened
Celli – Short Vivid Spiccato
Celli – Short Super Pont Scrapes
Basses + Celli:
Basses + Celli – Long Detuned Open – Granular to Ord (Bass Only)
Basses + Celli – Long Detuned Open – Granular Trem (Bass Only)
Basses + Celli – Long Detuned Open – Irregular Trem (Bass Only)
Basses + Celli – Long Detuned Open – Normale (Bass Only)
Basses + Celli – Long Granular to Ord
Basses + Celli – Long Harmonics
Basses + Celli – Long Molto Sul Pont
Basses + Celli – Long Slackened
Basses + Celli – Long Spectral Scrubs
Basses + Celli – Long Twitchy
Basses + Celli – Long Woozy Vib – Slow Pulses
Basses + Celli – Long Woozy Vib Unmeasured
Basses + Celli – Vivid Long
Basses + Celli – Short Percussive Pizzicato
Basses + Celli – Short Slackened
Basses + Celli – Short Vivid Spiccato
Extended techniques:
Violins – Long techniques
Violins – Short techniques
Violas – Long techniques
Violas – Short techniques
Celli – Long techniques
Celli – Short techniques
Basses + Celli – Long techniques
Basses + Celli – Short techniques
Other patches:
Violins – Economic Long
Violins – Economic Short
Violins – Light resources
Violins – Time Machine
Violas – Economic Long
Violas – Economic Short
Violas – Light resources
Violas – Time Machine
Celli – Economic Long
Celli – Economic Short
Celli – Light resources
Celli – Time Machine
Basses + Celli – Economic Long
Basses + Celli – Economic Short
Basses + Celli – Light resources
Basses + Celli – Time Machine
Mics & Mixes
Mics
C – Close
R – Room
FX1
FX2
Mixes
MX1 – Full Mix
MX2 – Pumped Mix
