I’ve revisited my choice of solo violin libraries. Right now, for sequencing Kreutzer, I’m using the violin sample from Spitfire Solo Strings. I think it’s a great library in terms of sound and usability, but I’ve noticed occasional instability in spatial positioning. Sometimes, the mic position suddenly shifts further away, making the soundstage unexpectedly expand, and I have no idea why. I’ve been managing it by adjusting MIDI control changes to switch layers, but I haven’t encountered this issue with other libraries.
Another thing that bothers me is that when playing sustained notes with greater intensity, the sound starts to feel as if the player isn’t properly relaxing their bow arm. This might be due to my sequencing technique rather than the sample itself, but it’s something I want to refine. With that in mind, I decided to take another look at alternative solo violin libraries.
On the suggestion of my musical advisor, I chose Bach’s well-known Sarabande from Partita No. 1 as my test piece. After experimenting with several violin libraries, I found that Best Service’s Emotional Violin produces a particularly good sound. To compare, I sequenced the first eight bars to see how it performs.
Sound Library 1 Spitfire Solo Strings(Violin)
Sound Library 2 Emotional Violin
The first sound library has a somewhat synthetic and flat quality, whereas the second one retains more of the violin’s natural depth and expression. When paired with piano, as in Kreutzer, the difference isn’t as noticeable, but with solo violin, the contrast becomes clear. Given this, I decided to fully sequence Sarabande using the second sound library.
Title: Partita No. 1 in B minor BWV 1002 Sarabande
Sound Source: Emotional Violin(Best Service)
Audio Format：mp3