GOS out of the concert hall?

[mnowak67]

I'm considering taking the plunge with a true string sample library, and I was wondering if anyone has used either the Orch Strings or the Lite version for musical styles other than classical (i.e. country, Celt, bluegrass, etc), particularly as a solo instrument as opposed to a string section? Since the playing styles are a little different I was curious as to how the samples performed in non-classical contexts.

Thanks for the help!

[Ted Vanya]

Hello:

Since you are a new member, I'll try to help. I have the GOS Lite, and while I am not using it for the style you intend to use strings, if you send me a short MIDI file, I'll try to play it with GOS, then send it to you as an MP3 file. This way you can have an idea before buying it.

Ted

[Ted Vanya]

Sorry, I did not look carefull enough. There are no solos in the lite version, only sections. Maybe you would be better off with GPO? I am not sure, but I think it has solos.

Ted (again)

[Alan Lastufka]

...particularly as a solo instrument as opposed to a string section?

Thanks for the help!
GOS is section strings only, you can not play solo strings with it... you can play individual sections, say, just the basses, or just the violins - but they are always sections.

If you are looking for solo strings, you should be looking at GPO...

Thank you Ted for your kind offer of rendering a piece... someone on the VSL forum did that for me a long time ago, and hearing the results, with MY music, was much more educating than any demo ever made... :)

[DPDAN]

Alan, are you serious? Sections only? That is actually very good news because I doubt anyone really likes taking the time to build a section with solo instruments, and I totally understand the differences with attacks and releases, etc. Even still, GOS is still only a library of sampled sounds. I am assuming there are lots of different selections of sections. Did that make sense?
In all the reading I have done about GOS, I don't remember anything about "no solo string instruments." There are solo instruments for all the other instruments aren't there? Please say yes :)
Dan

[Scott Cairns]

I'm considering taking the plunge with a true string sample library, and I was wondering if anyone has used either the Orch Strings or the Lite version for musical styles other than classical (i.e. country, Celt, bluegrass, etc), particularly as a solo instrument as opposed to a string section? Since the playing styles are a little different I was curious as to how the samples performed in non-classical contexts.

Thanks for the help!
Hi, I was actually hired to write a string section for a hard rock song. I used GOS and it sounded great. Having the violins play against rock music made them sound even more real if that makes sense. I'm guessing it was the contrast between the two.

GOS has so many articulations that Im sure you could make it fit in a wide variety of styles. However, if you were looking for something like an Irish fiddle for Celtic music, you wont be able to do it due to GOS not having any solo instruments, as mentioned above.

[DPDAN]

OK, dummy me, I just went to the Garritan website and realize now that GOS is exactly what it is called, no other instruments. Sorry folks.