To throw some light on the subject, we’ve compiled a selection of the current sample libraries and virtual instruments which feature orchestral strings, and analysed their contents and characteristics. As a result, deciding which library to buy can be a bewildering experience, and (as with all commodities) it’s sometimes difficult to separate fact from advertising hyperbole. While these format shifts have greatly inconvenienced some users, they’ve done nothing to stem the flow of new strings sample libraries, a product line which has proliferated in recent years. Gigastudio is now defunct, a software success story turned sour nowadays, sample developers tend to favour the ubiquitous Kontakt sampler format, or they use proprietary player software which works only with their products. The ’90s saw a steady trickle of Akai–format orchestral libraries, but with the advent of the PC–based Gigastudio in 2000, the trickle turned into a torrent.
When Miroslav Vitous released his Symphonic Orchestra Samples CDs in 1993, no–one could have predicted the avalanche of similar products that was to follow. The quality and variety of orchestral string libraries continues to grow.
