Vienna Dimension Strings III

The most delicate string sound

This Collection expands Vienna’s unique and successful Dimension Strings series to the softest string sounds ever. These 24 instruments were exclusively played “sul tasto” (near the fingerboard), offering all-new sonic subtleties. As opposed to “con sordino” (with mute), this special playing technique is characterized by placing the bow near the fingerboard, resulting in a lack of (even) harmonics and in a very soft, breathy timbre, similar to that of a flute playing in pianissimo. The possibility of gradually increasing the number of players presents all-new subtleties for starting your arrangements “dal niente” (from nothing), or to fade out a note to little more than a bare whisper (“al niente”).

As with Vienna Dimension Strings I & II, all of the human interactions and slight imperfections of a live performance have been captured. The players were recorded in four homogeneous groups (8 violins, 6 violas, 6 cellos and 4 double basses), but with dedicated microphones for each player, allowing for automatic or manual access to each individual voice and resulting in unlimited performance flexibility and authenticity.

Creating your personal string sound

The Vienna team recorded each string of each instrument in its full range (approximately one octave plus a fifth), and with the included presets you may easily decide whether to have the musicians play on all strings (with a change to the next string in fifth intervals), or forced playing on a certain string. You can also choose to play with no open strings. Getting a darker or slightly brighter string sound has never been easier and more flexible. What’s more, the technique of individual miking is perfectly suited for divisi writing as well!

Stunning realism through imperfection

Even the best musicians never play in perfect unison; one listens and adjusts a little slower, another faster, but perhaps with more dynamics, and so on. When playing as a group, musicians continually adapt, matching timbre, intensity, vibrato, intonation, bow speed and more. All of these interactions happen automatically in a good ensemble, led by a good conductor, and reveal the “magic” of a live performance. With Vienna Dimension Strings, individual changes in dynamic levels of the players within a group can be achieved easily with velocity crossfades. You may even designate one or two “weak” musicians to play sloppy notes, with hesitant or delayed starts, for instance. Vienna Dimension Strings III includes the free Vienna Instruments player. With the optional Vienna Instruments Pro player and its Auto Humanization feature, all kinds of nuances and variations are possible while simply playing on the keyboard, making the final result sound absolutely striking.

Features

Four string sections playing “sul tasto”: 8 violins, 6 violas, 6 cellos, and 4 double basses

Recorded in groups, but with individual microphones for each player, for unlimited individual performance flexibility

The full playing range of each string was captured (one octave plus a fifth)

Articulations: Staccato, détaché, sustain, tremolo, tremolo with fast attack, tremolo slow, sforzato, legato, portamento, legato repetitions and spiccato repetitions

Individual Timbre and Ultimate Realism

• Sculpt your ensemble sound by adjusting level and position in the mix for each player, or desk, in order to create your personal string sound
• Assign individual controllers such as velocity crossfade and/or expression to each player for realistic dynamic changes and customized balance within the ensemble
• Ready-made presets for selecting the individual strings of each player in a group – “force strings” (all notes will be performed on the preferred string, e.g., for the violins: G, D, A, E), “avoid open strings” and “use open strings”
• Free positioning of individual players or desks on a virtual stage (e.g., when using Vienna MIR Pro or Vienna MIR Pro 24

Advanced features with Vienna Instruments Pro*

• Instant Human Performance Control within the ensemble – timing and intonation of each player can be adjusted individually
• Divisi sections with flexible groupings, e.g., 4 desks with 2 players each or 2 groups with 4 players each for the violin section

* Your purchase of Vienna Dimension Strings III entitles you to download the free Vienna Instruments software player. By using the optional player Vienna Instruments Pro with its Polyphonic Legato and Auto Humanization features you’ll make the most of Vienna Dimension Strings III.