CINEMATIC STUDIO STRINGS

User Manual

GUI / Main Screen 2

Reverb and Mixer 2
Articulation Matrix & Key switch assignment 2
Articulation-specific controls 2
Long Note Articulations 3
Sustains / Legato 3
Legato speed 3
Repeated Notes and Portamento 4
Chords and Non vibrato 5
Other Long Note Articulations 5
Trills 5
Tremolo and Harmonics 5
Short Notes 6
Staccato, Staccatissimo, Staccato and Sfz 6
Pizzicato 6
Marcato 6
Measured Tremolo 6
Short Note Delay 6
Additional Functions 7
Config Screen 7
Con Sordino 7
Velocity Sensitive Key Switches 7
Key Switch CC 8
 GUI / Main Screen

The GUI is divided into three main sections. On the left is the mixer and reverb dial, in
the middle is the articulation matrix, and on the right hand side there is a space for
special functions to pop up, depending on what articulation is currently selected.

Reverb and Mixer

CSS was recorded in the beautiful Trackdown Scoring Stage in Sydney. We wanted to
preserve all of its tone and punchy character, and so our preference is to use the
library relatively dry, with the reverb set to low, or even zero, which is its default
setting. However we did include a hall style reverb preset, which can be configured by
clicking on the reverb dial itself and dragging left or right.

The mixer features five selectable channels. By default the “Mix” channel is active
when you load a patch. This channel is a pre-baked stereo mix of all four microphone
distances, which allows you to get the full studio sound at 1/3 of the RAM & CPU
usage. This will work well for most of your composing needs. However, if you want
extra control over the ambience and close detail, you can load in the individual
channels by clicking on the little power button icon below each fader:
Each channel can be routed to a specific output within Kontakt by clicking on the
small triangle icon beneath the text below each fader. For more information on how to
configure routing in Kontakt, please click here

Please note: it is not possible to activate both the Mix channel and any of the other
channels simultaneously. If you activate the Close channel, then Mix will automatically
deactivate, and vice versa. Deactivating a channel will unload it from RAM.

Articulation Matrix & Key switch assignment

The articulation matrix is made up of the square tiles in the centre of the GUI, and the
orange highlighted tile displays the currently selected articulation. The key switch
currently in use for each articulation is displayed in the top left of each tile. To change
the key switch assignment of an articulation, hold the shift key and click on its tile, and
then press the new desired key. The same functionality applies to the Legato and Con
Sordino switches. Shift+click on either of them, and then press your new desired key
to reassign key switches. Unneeded articulations can be removed from memory by
holding Alt and clicking on the articulation tile.

Articulation-specific controls

Sustain, Staccato, Measured Trem, Marcato and Pizzicato all feature additional
controls that will pop up on the right hand side of the GUI when selected. These will
be covered in more detail in the following section.
 Long Note Articulations

Sustains / Legato

The Sustains in CSS were sampled in four dynamics, from pianissimo to fortissimo
(controlled via the mod wheel CC1), and feature a wide expressive vibrato, perfect for
adding lush warmth to any piece. As with any of the long-note articulations, you can
enable the Legato switch to play monophonic legato lines, or disable it to play chords.

Arguably the make-or-break aspect of any modern orchestral library is how musical
and expressive the legato engine is. We spared no expense in creating the legato
system for Cinematic Studio Strings. This meant sampling three distinct dynamics of
legato, as well as portamento slides for all sections. Each legato transition was
sampled in long-form, which means there is no x-fading or trickery going on behind
the scenes. Every time you play a new note, you’re hearing an actual performance by
a group of musicians, not a tricky script trying to approximate what that sounds like.
From soft, silky pianissimo to energetic fortissimo full of vibrato, the expressive scope
of CSS will be immediately apparent as you open a patch and start playing.

Legato speed

In CSS, there are two legato modes: Low Latency and Expressive. The easiest to play
is Low Latency Legato, which should work well in most situations. However for slower
passages, you might like to try Expressive mode. The rationale behind our legato
design philosophy is as follows:

When a musician transitions from one note to another, there is a subtle timbral and
dynamic shift as the players prepare for the new note. This effect can be heard while
listening to a solo bassoon or a group of violins, and is a crucial factor in creating a
realistic sounding performance with samples. CSS has been programmed to include
these subtle swells before each new triggered legato note, and the end result is a
smooth, expressive sound. In practical terms, this means there is a delay whenever
you trigger a new legato note in any CSS instrument. The amount of delay is
determined by the velocity at which you play each new legato note. There are three
velocity zones: 0-64, 65-100, and 101-127, which correspond to three legato speeds
respectively: slow, medium and fast, as picture below.

Slow has the most delay, approximately 1/3 of a second (333ms), medium is about
1/4s (250ms), and fast has a small delay - approximately 100ms.
 The velocity ranges themselves are large, which means you generally need to press
the key softly to trigger a slow expressive legato, a bit harder for a medium paced
transition, and then quite hard for a fast, immediate sounding
transition. There is no gradual increase of speed within any one
range, so whether you hit a key with a velocity of 20 or 58, you
will be triggering the same slow transition in both cases. I
encourage you to practice hitting each range, while observing
the legato speed indicator on the GUI. This will give you visual
feedback so you can grow accustomed to the various velocity
zones while you practice.

Please note that the above chart applies to

“Expressive” mode legato. If you switch to
“Low Latency,” there are just two speeds:
medium (150ms delay) and fast.

As previously mentioned the Low Latency mode is the easiest to use, and I
recommend using this mode for most work, as it hits the sweet spot of realism and
playability. However, Expressive mode still very much has its place, especially for
slower material. Experimenting with both modes will make it pretty clear as to which
mode will work better for any given passage.

Repeated Notes and Portamento

Another powerful feature of the Cinematic Studio Series is the ability to perform a re-
articulation of the same note. This is done by holding the sustain pedal and playing
the same note twice. Again, instead of a scripted emulation, you’re actually hearing a
sampled performance. In the case of strings it was achieved by the players performing
a re-bowing of the same note. For brass and woodwinds, it is a re-tonguing of the
same note. All instruments in the CSS range include this feature, across multiple
dynamics and with 3 x Round Robins.

Expressive Portamento slides have also been included in CSS, and can be triggered
by playing a legato transition at a velocity below the “Portamento Velocity” setting in
the Config section. This is set to 20 by default, and the volume at which portamento
slides are triggered can be selected via CC5 by default (this CC can be changed via
the Config section).
Chords and Non vibrato

Disabling the Legato switch enables the playing of

chords, and also causes the envelope configuration
panel to appear. This allows easy setting of the fade-
in and fade-out times of your chords. Control + click
returns each dial to its default setting.

Sustains without vibrato were also recorded for CSS.

They are accessible by moving the vibrato control
CC (CC2 by default) down to zero. This can add a
significant change of timbre and feel to a chord or
melodic line. Please see the v1.7 release notes for
more details.

Other Long Note Articulations

Trills

Trills in CSS are activated by pressing two keys simultaneously. Play two notes a half
tone apart to trigger a halftone trill, or a whole tone apart to trigger a whole tone trill.
The two notes themselves must be triggered at precisely the same time as each other
or the trill wont trigger - make sure the notes are no more than 25ms apart. The trill
itself will continue to hold for as long as any one of the two keys pressed is still held.
Switching Legato on or off allows playing of either monophonic legato or chords.

Tremolo and Harmonics

Tremolos were sampled in four dynamics, from pp up to fff, while the harmonics were
sampled in two dynamics: pp and mp. Same as with all the long note articulations,
dynamics are controlled via the mod wheel, and switching Legato on or off allows
playing of either monophonic legato or chords.

Note: all of the long note articulations will remember their own attack and release
envelope settings independently of one another.
 Short Notes

Staccato, Staccatissimo, Staccato and Sfz

CSS features 4 distinct short note types ranging

from short, energetic spiccatos to long, powerfully
accented sforzando notes. These can be selected
via the mod wheel (CC1) by default. Right click on
the selector to change (or remove) the CC
assignment for this switch. By utilising the mod
wheel while performing a passage, it’s possible to
create interesting and varied rhythmic passages.

Pizzicato

Pizzicato features a similar switch, allowing selection of standard Pizzicato, Bartok

snaps and Col Legno.

Marcato

The Marcato articulation can be used to create fast runs, and powerfully accented,
energetic long vibrato sustains. Dynamics are controlled via the mod wheel. I generally
recommend playing very fast passages with this articulation. To play runs, simply play
a fast passage in legato mode - it works especially well for scalic runs. You can add
accents to individual notes within a run by triggering a note above a velocity of 75.
This effect is subtle, but audible and useful in context, especially when you “change
direction” during a run.

Measured Tremolo

Every time you trigger a measured tremolo note, you will

hear two notes, with the second note either being synched
to the host tempo or manually selected via the slider that
appears when the switch is set to Manual. Measured
tremolo sounds its best between 150 and 210 bpm. Playing
a series of eighth notes will result in a lively, rhythmic blur of
sixteenth notes, perfect for adding excitement to any fast paced cue.

Short Note Delay

Please note that there is a short delay of 60ms from the beginning of the short note
samples to their “rhythmic peak.” This ensures that the timing across all short note
types is consistent. So make sure you account for this when quantising short note
tracks, either by applying a negative 60ms delay to the whole track, or moving the the
notes back manually.
 Additional Functions

Config Screen

The Config screen can be accessed via the cog icon in the top right corner of the GUI.

Here you can change the CC assignment for Key switch CC (explained below),
Velocity X-Fade, Vibrato X-Fade, Volume and Portamento Volume. Portamento
Velocity can be set between 0 and 127, and determines the maximum velocity at
which a portamento slide will trigger. For example, at the default setting of 20, a
portamento slide will only trigger when a legato transition is performed at or below a
velocity of 20.

Con Sordino

CSS includes a Con Sordino emulation that was created with a

highly detailed set of custom impulse recordings. Switching it on
via the switch will apply this effect to the entire patch, allowing you
to add that characteristic silky sound to any passage you write.

Velocity Sensitive Key Switches

Many of the key switches in CSS are velocity sensitive. This means that the velocity at
which the key switch itself is pressed will trigger additional actions. For example, the
Sustain key switch is velocity sensitive; if you press it at a velocity of 0-64, Standard
Legato will be active upon changing to it, while 65-127 will activate Advanced Legato
instead. Other examples are the Legato and Con Sordino key switches. Pressing them
at a velocity of 0-64 switches them off, 65-127 switches them on. A full list of velocity
specific key switch functions is as follows:

Key Switch Velocity & Function

Sustain 0-64: Low Latency Legato 65-127: Expressive Legato

Staccato 0-32: Spiccato 33-64: Staccatissimo 65-96: Staccato 97-127: Sfz

Pizzicato 0-41: Pizzicato 42-84: Bartok Snap 85-127: Col Legno

Marcato 0-64: Spiccato Overlay Off 65-127: Spiccato Overlay On

Legato 0-64: Legato Off 65-127: Legato On

Con Sordino 0-64: Con Sordino Off 65-127: Con Sordino On

Key Switch CC

Any of the functions within CSS that can be triggered via key switches can also be
triggered via a single CC: the Key switch CC. This is set to CC58 by default, and can
be changed via the Config screen. Moving this CC to any of the values listed in the
table below will activate their associated functions.

CC Value Function

0-5 Sustain: Low Latency Legato

6-10 Sustain: Expressive Legato

11-15 Spiccato

16-20 Staccatissimo

21-25 Staccato

26-30 Sfz

31-35 Pizzicato

36-40 Bartok snap

41-45 Col Legno

46-50 Trills

51-55 Harmonics

56-60 Tremolo

61-65 Measured Tremolo

66-70 Marcato without overlay

71-75 Marcato with overlay

76-80 Legato On

81-85 Legato Off

86-90 Con Sordino On

91-95 Con Sordino Off

Choosing whether to use key switches or the key switch CC is a matter of personal
taste. Key switches are generally easier to access, and simply require pressing /
recording the appropriate keys within your sequence. However if you decide to
transpose a piece, you’ll need to be careful not to transpose any of these recorded
key switch notes along with your melody. This is something you won't need to worry
about if you’re using the key switch CC. Another benefit of using the key switch CC is
that as long as your sequencer’s MIDI chase function is enabled, you’ll be able to start
playing from halfway through your sequence, as opposed to having to skip back to
earlier in the sequence where the key switch notes were recorded.